When the Bough Breaks

James had been trying to cope in his own way without adding to Mariah's grief. He did his best to support Mariah during the highs and lows confiding in his parents for guidance. When she was given the all clear to go back he didnt get in her way not wanting to deny her something to dstract her. With Mariah back at SHIELD James thoughts turned inward...

Sam had stepped up a bit giving an outside perspective for Mariah. He made it clear that she could call on him whenver she needed to get away for a bit. Making sure she wasnt pushing herself too hard he kept a close on her eye. "How you and James been holding up these past few days?" He asked

Mariah knew that James was struggling as much as she was, though he did his best to hide it. She wanted to talk to him about it, but she was not very good at these sorts of things and didn't know how to approach it without causing him to become even more upset. He had his friends, and she desperately hoped that they were helping him cope.

Mariah pulled herself up one more time before dropping back onto the floor. She avoided Sam's gaze after his question as she struggled to come up with a response. "We're...not great. I'm still having nightmares and I think James has them too, though he won't talk to me about it."

Sam was hoping that Mariah and James were at least approaching the turn but it sounded like there were other problems. "You ever think of talking with that therapist?" he asked. He handed her a towel keeping up with the questions so she couldn't slip away. "At the very least you two need to start talking about it ya know? I know you can talk with Steve and James has his family but you two need to talk a bit."

Mariah sighed when Sam brought up the therapist again. He, Steve, and both Alex and Andrew had mentioned it to her. She understood that they were just trying to help, but she didn't want to talk to a stranger about this. To be perfectly honest she felt extremely guilty about what happened that day. She should have just left and not put herself and her unborn baby in danger, but she hadn't. She had felt the need to stay and fight and it had cost her the life of their baby and nearly her own.

"I appreciate your concern," Mariah said as she took the towel. "But James and I will figure this out. We just need more time."

Sam wasn't a fan of telling others how to live and he didnt really want to pull the therapist card but he was concerned about Mariah. It was no secret that she wasn't great at expressing her emotions. "Course, I dont think anyone is going to want to rush you two. Just concerned is all, you'd do the same for any of us." He said glad she wasn't taking offense.

"Got any plans for the rest of the day? Besides working out?"

Mariah took a sip of her water and looked over at Sam. "I have some work to catch up on. I've fallen behind on a few things."

Mariah spent a majority of the rest of the day in her office at Avengers HQ looking over files and making notes. She hadn't done any field work since Alex had told her she was pregnant and today was the first day since the attack that she had actually reviewed files. It was starting to get late and she sat back and rubbed her eyes a little as she considered getting some coffee when she heard her phone alert her to a text message. She glanced at the number and didn't recognize it. She hesitated a moment before opening up the message.

OOC-I figured now would be a good time to get Ibrahim involved.

The message seemed rather personal, a simple invite to meet with an old friend to settle some unfinished business. It had an address to a very upscale restaurant, a choice Ibrahim had made to keep Mariah a little uncomfortable and it afforded him some hostages should she decide to become aggressive. "Just a simple dinner and conversation between two friends. Our last engagement was cut short and I'm hoping we could have a civil conversation without the use of firearms this time." at the end of it was signed I. A minute later another message popped up, "I would trust that you wont share this informaiton with others. I would hate to have to share what i've learned with others, namely the media about your parentage."

At first Mariah was confused as she read the message. However, as her eyes continued to scan over the words a knot began to form in her stomach. Something about the message put her on edge and made her wary. By the end she was gripping her phone so tight her knuckles had turned white. It was Ibrahim! How in the hell had he gotten her number?! Her number was only known by a very few number of people and was not even in SHIELD's records. Her heart pounded in her chest and her mouth went dry as she considered something else. How did he know that Steve was her father? Not even the rest of the Avenger's team knew that information. How he knew that was beyond her and it be perfectly honest it terrified her to realize how much information he had on her. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and glanced around. She knew that both Steve and James would have a fit if they knew she was going to meet Ibrahim alone. None of the rest of their encounters had gone well, but she knew she couldn't pass up this chance. Glancing at the restaurant name again she sighed as she knew it to be a very upscale restaurant. Not her kind of place, and she knew that Ibrahim was playing this game very carefully. The jeans and tee shirt she was wearing would not be acceptable. Thankfully, she kept a nicer dress and heels in her office just in case Tony or Steve ever requested she attend a party on the Avenger's behalf. She changed and ran a brush through her hair and slipped her gun into her purse. She packed her other clothes into a duffle bag before heading out to her car. She drove out to the city and sat there in her car a moment outside the restaurant. She sent James a quick text:

"I'm working late tonight. Need to catch up on a few things. I'll be home later. I love you."

She took a deep breath before getting out of her car and letting the valet take it. She then stepped into the restaurant and the host immediately walked her over to the table where Ibrahim was waiting. She took a seat across from him and glanced at him. "How did you get my number?"

Ibrahim was enjoying a glass of red wine as the host led Mariah to his table. He had gotten himself cleaned up and under other circumstances he'd be quite handsome. The suit he was wearing looked tailor made and with his features it just made him seem more mysterious. He was glad Mariah had dressed up herself and hadn't decided to just pull a gun on him. He rather liked this restaurant..

"I have my sources Mariah and i'm a rather persistent man." Ibrahim said taking another drink of wine. He held his hands up, "Now i'd rather we keep this as civil as possible. I'm willing to overlook your attempts to arrest me, i'm not expecting you to forgive me for shooting you." Ibrahim said. Which is why he was turning to blackmail but if he could get her cooperation with smaller tasks the move he felt she would assist in his grander scheme.

"I am in need of assistance with a few tasks that require a certain finesse." Ibrahim said lifting up the menu calm as can be

Mariah remained on high alert and did not relax at the table. She knew Ibrahim enough to know that he could not be trusted and she wasn't going to let her guard down for a moment around him. She did not pick up her menu, nor did she even glance at the waiter who filled her water glass. Her eyes remained fixed on Ibrahim as he sat across the table from her. She tensed up when Ibrahim spoke of needing her assistance with a few tasks. She knew then that she wasn't going to like what he wanted her to do.

"And why should I do anything for you?"

Ibrahim leaned back in his chair when Mariah asked why she should do anything. A fair question, he did take notice that her eyes weren't moving form him. If he had intentions to attack her she would well prepared he assumed. He put on a soft smile, "I have some information that would do harm." He said.

"Mostly to your father, i'm sure you'd be unscathed, rarely is the child of an illicit affair shunned by the public." Ibrahim said tipping his hand that he knew about Eve and Steve

Mariah very nearly laughed and rolled her eyes when Ibrahim mentioned that the information he had was regarding her conception.

"There was no affair. It was a one time thing. My parents were in a near death situation and one thing lead to another. Steve told me he there was nothing beyond that. So what you have is weak at best."

Ibrahim calmy took a sip of his wine when Mariah laughed at him. Oh the poor thing doesn't know he thought. He placed his glass down and looked to Mariah his face still holding a slightly amused look on his face. "Mariah..perhaps you should speak with your father. I have it on good authority your mother paid him a few visits to his apartment." He said producing a file.

Before he handed it over he lifted it back up, "Now it goes without saying i have copies of course." He said handing it over. Inside were photos of Eve and Steve taken by an 'investigative journalist' many years ago. Fury had caught wind of the man before he was able to leak the photos to the press and put an end to it around the time of Eve's death.

Mariah's brow furrowed at Ibrahim's statement. What was he talking about? When he produced a file her mother started to go dry. She suddenly wasn't sure she wanted to look at what was inside that file. She didn't want to know that her father had lied to her...like everyone else. She took the file from Ibrahim and opened it up. The file was rather large and contained photographs and detailed notes. Mariah's eyes widened when she realized that instead of their relationship being a one time thing they had engaged in an almost two year affair. How could Steve not have told her this?! He had told her that he hadn't known her mother very well and had not loved her and yet she now had evidence in front of her produced by a man she wasn't supposed to trust telling her that he had lied to her.

She became so upset that she tossed down the file and grabbed Ibrahim's wine glass and downed the rest of it. She was trying to remain calm, but she was now backed into a corner. If she didn't do what he asked of her then all of this information would come out and the media would have a field day.

"How did you get this information?"

OOC-I'm thinking that he doesn't yet reveal to her that her mother actually killed her husband, David, and then killed herself until later on when he sends her after Sam. What do you think?

Ibrahim picked up the menu sensing that Mariah needed a moment to process everything. He was about to reach out for his wine when Mariah grabbed it up and downed it. Which was fine wasn't like the stuff was rare. "Just relax.." he said knowing he had to keep Mariah calm. He was certain she was armed and didnt feel like being shot at today.

"Well i'm not the only one with this information. Turns out a journalist, more like a leech really, had discovered this information and had attempted to blackmail your father some time ago." He said looking back to the menu. "Your boss Fury caught wind and attempted to tie up that loose end. It was just a small coincidence that an associate of mine bumped into him and get to chatting." Ibrahim said. Now said journalist was no long amongst the living he didnt feel the need to share that with Mariah.

"So you see your situation is rather dire, but it doesn't really have to be that way.." Ibrahim said.

OOC: i think that'll work yeah

Mariah didn't know what to do or think. Ibrahim had her backed into a corner. She either cooperated with him, which caused her to feel ill, or he would use this information against Steve and herself. Outside of a handful of people, no one else knew that Steve was her father. If word was leaked that he had been involved in a year and a half long affair with a married SHIELD agent that resulted in her birth, which was then covered up by Nick Fury, she couldn't imagine the damage that would be done to Steve's reputation. She wasn't sure why she cared so much about continuing to protect him, especially now that it was revealed that he had been seriously lying to her, but she did.

She was quiet for a very long time before she looked away from Ibrahim.

"What exactly would I be doing?"

Ibrahim smiled as Mariah seemed to accept her fate. "Oh nothing too hard for someone like you." he said with a smile. He placed the menu down having decided on the chicken dish. "Mostly intelligence gathering, requisition work that sort of thing. How you managed to find me was rather impressive i'd be interested to see how you would use those skills for my benefit." Ibrahim said with a smile.

"In exchange our little secret remains a secret. And if you have any thoughts of why should you trust me? Well you shouldn't but theres not much of a choice here is there? I will say i would gain no real benefit from exposing this to the world. Still have to ship supplies, still have to deal with shady business man. Monday always comes around." Ibrahim said.

Mariah had not been feeling hungry to begin with, and now she really didn't feel like eating. Working for Ibrahim went against every fiber of her being, but, as he pointed out, she had no choice. Doing this was going to risk her being apart of the Avengers team, or being arrested by SHIELD if she were found out. She would just have to make sure that didn't happen.

"I'm not going to work for you forever and I'm not going to kill anyone for you. I need a concrete number of jobs you need me to do and then we're done."

Ibrahim was busy thinking of what tasks he could send her on and found hte idea of a limited number of jobs amusing. Push her too hard and she'll find a way out, perhaps confront Steve and expose themselves he thought. "no deaths hmm? suppose that would be a little too high profile." He said. He was certain something would come up but he'd debate it once it came up.

"And a limit to how many jobs you perform? Hmm bit of a high price but i believe i could work with that. We shall go over the terms once i look over my workload at a later date." Ibrahim said looking to Mariah with that smile. She did look rather beautiful but he wouldn't make any advances, made for bad business. He thought of sending her along with his new mutant inquisitions as a test run. "I'm certain i'll have something for you shortly, unless you care to stay for dinner?" He invited.

OOC-Ready to move on?

OOC: Yup yup, should we move on to her first job with the three other mutants or did you want to cover something else???

OOC-No, I didn’t have anything else planned. Did you want to post first?

OOC-I moved your first post of the new thread to it's own thread just to keep everything separate and then replied. Hope this is alright.