IC Inbox (v1.0)

[jumpthegun]

You've reached Dr. John Watson. Please leave a message.

Comments

[devoutish]

I suppose you don't want to say who it was?

[jumpthegun]

Would it make a difference to you if I did? You don't know him very well.

[devoutish]

I would like to know, but I'm not gonna push. Certainly not gonna try to do something about it.

[jumpthegun]

[Thank you for responding in the manner he told Tony you would respond, Alfie. John breathes a quiet sigh of relief. Fiona may very well done more the problem, then.]

If you can promise me you won't tell Fiona who it is before I do, I'll let you know. She's got more of a temper than you. I'll need to explain it carefully.

[devoutish]

Is it someone Fiona knows well?

[jumpthegun]

Not that I'm aware of, no. [Which he honestly expects to go down worse than someone she's friends with or at least likes. Like if it were Beckett.] He's the man I was going to meet weeks ago that I wouldn't tell you about... [His mysterious ally.]

[devoutish]

The paranoid one.

[Alfie has a few guesses.]

[jumpthegun]

Yeah. The paranoia didn't help.

[devoutish]

Mm. If it is who I think it is, he has a history of this.

[jumpthegun]

[Oh, right. Tifa. Had she told Alfie about what happened? Who it was?]

I was helping him manage it. He hasn't hurt anyone in a long while. It just got to be too much again after my casebook and what happened the day before-

[He cuts himself off as he realizes that sounds a lot more like he was being targeted and a lot less like mistaken anomaly identity. John tries to cover it with another small coughing fit.]

-before last. It's just sort of made him a lot more paranoid. Uh... ready to fight anything that looked like a monster, y'know?

[devoutish]

Ready to fight anything no matter what they look like.

He's a danger to everyone around him. Loose cannon, that one.

[jumpthegun]

We're getting it sorted. We're going to meet with someone who's agreed to look after him, hold him back. I just have to get him to them. He wants to be with them. It'll be better for him and everyone else.

[devoutish]

What did he do to you?

[jumpthegun]

Nothing. [It's quick, defensive, and it makes John wince.] Nothing that's making me say this.

[devoutish]

No, no. But he did hurt you, yeah?

[jumpthegun]

[There's a long silence as John considers lying. There's not going to be a way around Alfie finding out eventually, though.]

A few broken bones... I'm gonna need a cane for a while.

[For the rest of his time here if he doesn't die first.]

[devoutish]

Broken bones are dangerous here. How are they healing up?

[jumpthegun]

Well, they came on yesterday, so slowly. [Enjoy the dry tone, Alfie.] My nose isn't really a problem. It just hurts like hell. The ribs make it worse trying to walk and it's not... he didn't break my leg. Just sort of... stabbed it. Think he got one of my tendons.

Maybe a month to heal for the nose, little bit more than that for the ribs.

[There's a drawn out pause.]

Five or six months for my leg if it isn't permanent.

[devoutish]

It's not gonna heal cleanly if you can't rest it, and you can't here. But you know all this, I'm sure. How deep is the stab?

[jumpthegun]

[He does know.]

Deep enough, I'd give myself stitches if I could. I'm making do.

He offered to carry me so I wouldn't have to walk. I told him that was stupid considering I had to take his arm off this morning. Frostbite and gangrene. We'll see what happens when we start north tomorrow.

[devoutish]

Yes - around him, you can't know what will happen tomorrow.

[jumpthegun]

That's not how I meant it. [There's note of irritation.] He's really sorry about what happened and watching himself more closely. You'll be pleased to know it's the Avengers who're gonna occupy themselves minding him. Should keep them busy.

[devoutish]

Oh, did they barge in? I'm not surprised.

[jumpthegun]

No. I contacted Mr. Barton to request assistance. He contacted Ms. Romanov directly to ask her to come. He's from their world, Alfie. Or something near enough to it.

[devoutish]

Well. That's better than how I imagined it went.