Files and Boyfriends

[Pheobe Davis]

Pestering people was a pain in her ass. Except for certain people. And poor Nikita Falco was one of the ones she didn't mind pestering. Knocking on the door to her baby cousin's office, Pheobe poked her head in really quick before sticking her whole body into the door, keeping a hold on the width of how far the door opened. "Oi, rugrat! Where are the case files I need from you?" She made a 'give me' motion with her hand, knowing that Niki probably hadn't even written them up.

"I'm not in the mood to murder my fiancé at the moment, so while he's out I'd like to catch up on the shit he didn't bother to deal with before this week." Angel had left a pile of cases that hadn't been filed down in the archives yet, and there was a mess of them that needed to be sent to Hermione over in the barrister offices for processing as well. She'd slowly started getting things organized, just missing a few case files from her baby cousin. 

[Nikita Falco]

Niki was bored to the death; she didn’t want to have to do paperwork and here she was, stuck into her damned office all day to do paperwork. Trist had been a pain in the neck even telling her supervisors that she was slaking on paperwork which resulted in her being stuck in there. She wasn’t motivated at all, and she wondered if it was part of her punishment for being an ‘idiot’ as he and Blair said to go straight in the middle of danger. Sue them, and sue the files that had been piled up in on her office. The pile of checked files was smaller but apparently not big enough to let her go do fieldwork any time soon. “Somewhere in this pile.” She said pointing at the ones that were looking like Italy’s bent tower.

“Oh trust me, he bothered with me, I believe Trist is the cause of my bad luck right now, getting stuck here filling the files is killing me.” She said with a groan as she tried to search the file that Pheobe was talking about. “Here it is, what do you want me to fill in for you?” Might as well get it done before Phoe pesters her more than this, Niki was aware of how the woman could be when she truly wanted to nag you!

[Pheobe Davis]

Pheobe realized something else was eating at Niki. She stacked the pile in her hands ontop of the pile she knew Nik had gotten through and moved it to an empty chair to grab on her way out.

At the mention of Angel bothering with her, she snorted. "Trust me baby cousin, you're not the only one. I'm almost done catching things up, I'm actually getting ahead on some things. But I don't want to keep running downstairs to the archives all day is all. So, I'm going and collecting whatever needs to go down there and making one big trip." She heard the part of Tristain being her bad luck and snorted a bit. "As far as Trist, um... Are you sure you want to say he's bad luck right now? Because from the eyes the two of you make at one another all day? I'd say you've got some luck with him..." She'd caught Tristian making eyes at her baby cousin, and thought it was damned funny the two of them were winding up like her and Angel. Except she and Angel hadn't ever been partnered, he just pursued the hell out of her.

When Niki found the file she was after, Pheobe swiped it from her cousin and put it to the side. "First I want you to explain why exactly you think Tristain is the bad luck in your life." She was going to get to the bottom of this one fast.

[Nikita Falco]

Nikita hated doing the paperwork; it was nothing new to anyone who knew her. What was the worse was that she was stuck doing it not for a day, but for a week, and that was only if Trist didn’t decide to be a goddamn jerk and got her in for a couple more until he decided that she had learned her lesson. As if he had anything to teach her! She wanted to yell at him and punch him in the guts several times whenever she was thinking of him. He was looking for his death and she was certain it was the reason that he didn’t stay in as often as he should, or at least, avoided her presence so he wouldn’t have to deal with her wrath. “That’s a first, you’re enjoying it so far?” She askedPhe. It was nice though to get to be closer to her as well, even if at times she wondered if they really kept it professional, she and her boyfriend.

She stared at Phe when she implied that they might be up to something. Oh, that they were, but she did not need to know right now as she was too pissed at him for that for now. “He can go off a cliff, he’s getting me stuck in there and you know very well that I can’t be caged down!” She said. “If I could I’d hex him to oblivion!” she added as her hand turned into a fist as she thought of the possibilities of torture she could inflict on him.

“He’s being an overprotective brat.” She said, as if it was the obvious, especially after what she had just told Phe, she was certain that her cousin would understand her at least a little.

[Pheobe Davis]

"Believe it or not, it feels really good to be almost ahead of things for once. We've had such a problem getting stuff filed, or taken down to the archives. And I'm not hating the remodel that the custodial staff did on the place. If anything it's making it easier for me, now I've had to start keeping Angel on track with Hermione switching jobs." She didn't dislike the girl, she was just a little mad to be riding a desk full time, rather than once a week. But at the same time, she was getting a bit too old to be chasing these idiots these days. She'd been through two wars, it took a toll on the body.

Pheobe laughed hard, a big belly laugh when Niki said she wished she could obliterate Tristain. "Really squirt? Because it looks to me like he knows what he wants and he's pulling an Angel move. You forget Angel quit being a healer after Dru got killed and switched to law enforcement. And he did it to annoy me, and pursue me a bit easier. I rejected him for years until I finally couldn't anymore." She had avoided Angel for as long as she could, until he moved to the UK, having been her father's bodyguard, and his move here to help Christina navigate this new insanity.

"Plus, I know how stubborn you are. And he's just as bad. So you've met your match there Nik." Gods, her cousin reminded her of herself so much it was laughable. "It's not a crime you know. To fall for your partner. Some of the best pairs are married, or lovers. Whatever is going on between the two of you anyways. You're just like me, you run away from what you're scared of. Trust me, Tristain won't let you fly away that easily." She knew how much Niki hated being caged in, or being made to feel like she was caged in. "Does Big Bad know about all the goo-goo eyes you two are making at one another?" Now that would be a funny situation to stick Tristain in. Jax had nearly throttled Darius over Blair, and damn near killed Angel when he started going after her. Niki's turn now!

[Nikita Falco]

Nikita was ready to believe Pheobe on that point. She never had been able to catch up on paperwork and while she was given the chance to do that, she wasn’t going to put it to good use; especially when she hated doing the said tasks! They should think of hiring people who could handle that for them, like secretaries. Angel shouldn’t be the only one who is granted one and life was definitely unfair when you saw it that way. “How is it being stuck in the office all the time?” She asked since Phe just left an open window for her to discuss the matter. She must feel the same way she was feeling at the right moment and she definitely was thinking of a way to get Trist back.

She arched an eyebrow as Pheobe laughed at her for wanting Trist’s head. She might share a bed with him on a few- many- occasions, that didn’t mean she didn’t want to rip his head off! “So you’re telling me I should keep an eye on that bastard before I get hooked?” She asked the other girl as she rested her elbows on her office.

“I might have met my match but he should know that giving me such a low blow as getting stuck in there might get him back ten times harder.” She noted with a light shrug. She didn’t see it as a bad thing, to fall for him, but she was a bit afraid of how hooked she’d end up being. “I know that, unfortunately, it’s the reason I’m stuck here.” She added, slightly annoyed by it. She should have a picture of his face to throw Elena’s daggers at when she was pissed at him. She had to smirk at Phe’s idea. “He might end up knowing, could be a good come back to send the big bad wolf at him.” She said thinking through it. She did think of telling her parents but it might just convince her to do that. She wasn’t saying openly to Pheobe that she was indeed seeing him. She didn’t confirm it but she didn’t deny it either.

[Pheobe Davis]

Pheobe made a face at Niki's question. "Don't ask. I've had to get used to it because a certain someone has a furry problem. Needless to say, it sucks. The only perk is I can go and annoy Pollux and Charlie whenever I want. And it's usually Pollux I go and annoy, because of paperwork. Now if my birds would stop tearing up the back of Angel's chair, that would be fantastic. He's asked me twice this month to replace his chair because their claws keep digging into it. I'm not replacing it again. He can do it next time. He lets them sit up there all the time." She loved her birds, she did, but they drove her nuts when paired with Angel. "And he's in the dog house too, so yeah... He's trying to get back on my good side." Angel had done something he knew damned good and well he shouldn't have, and he was still in the dog house for that. In fact, sleeping elsewhere.

Pheobe had to laugh when Niki called Tristain a bastard. "Sorry little one, but looks like you're already hooked. And the only reason Angel finally cornered me was because of Missy. Otherwise, he'd probably still be pining away in Bulgaria. That and he caught me right after Cal had a breakdown, so we were all exhausted from that mess." She ran her hand through her hair, not wanting to go back down that rabbit hole. "But as far as Tristain? Honestly? Given I have seen that man with a new woman every day over the course of the time I was partnered with him? I'd say you've got him hooked kiddo." Tristain wasn't a bad-looking man, and he knew it. But Niki didn't seem to realize how hard she'd gotten her partner.

She laughed as Niki declared Tristain was the reason she was stuck in her office. "How did he bench you this time? I remember last time he went off as you do and got bit by something. Cal thought it was the funniest thing in the world, I could hear her laughing across the damned yard!" She had had to apparate across the yards to find out what her sister was howling about. She found David just shaking his head while her sister laughed, and David filled her in Tristain got bit by something and Cal found it funny. Then her sister had finally been able to tell her what had bitten Tristain. A freakin Murtlap. Nasty buggers!

At the mention of sending Jaxon onto Tristain's case, Pheobe raised an eyebrow. "Let me stop you right there squirt. You set Big Bad on him without getting your mum on the leash first, you're going to be riding a desk forever. Or be training the rookies. Jax will rip him to shreds. You're the baby. Blair, that was bad enough. Your mum wasn't home if I recall correctly when he caught Blair and Darius snogging up in her room. You go tell him without her around, he'll go and rip Trist's head off. And probably a few other bits too. So think hard before you go setting Big Bad on him. At the very least get my dad in on it first. Dad can usually get hold of Jax if your mum isn't around."

[Nikita Falco]

Niki wouldn’t want Pheobe’s job at all, she wasn’t a person who’d like to sit around at a desk and she was certain that everyone in the department knew that fact. The only person who could pull her down like this was Trist and Merlin knew what she had in mind for him as a takeback. That was definitely a low blow from him and she would get him back a hundred times worse. He was aware he shouldn’t mess with her in all the possible ways. She didn’t know how the girl was handling things even if she claimed that she grew older. “He sounds like a handful to manage, you’re sure you’re going to hold up for a couple of more years that you have left working at the Ministry?” She asked her with a slight smirk. “Trying to fix the broken vases? I see.” She said liking how Pheobe rolled with him, might be part of why she got along with her.

She rolled her eyes when Phe said she was already hooked but that didn’t mean she would admit it, not even to her. She never bothered herself thinking about him being a womanizer in the past, hence she too had hookups in her own way. It didn’t ring a bell to her that it must mean that he was hers and only hers. That concept was pretty new still and a bit hard to accept for her.

“He got mad I wanted to go stop those werewolves back then.” She said with a shrug. She didn’t want to hear much about it again either. She didn’t need Phe to yell at her either so she was ready to cut that conversation short if it was brought up again.

“I’m not that crazy, don’t worry, I don’t want him dead but he claims all the time he can manage my dad and we’ll see if it’s true.”

[Pheobe Davis]

Pheobe flipped her baby cousin the middle finger with both hands at the smart-ass remark about her age. "Watch it squirt, I can make you ride that desk for good!" Broken vases... Heh, is that what the situation was... "He and Stefan and Alex were going at it when I got home, on my brand new carpets. So yeah... He's in the dog house for nearly getting blood on my rugs." Among other things.

Ah, there it was. Denial. "Trust me squirt, you've got it bad and he's got it worse. Just stop fighting it now. Or you'll waste years avoiding him." Tristain was a good guy, but Niki just pushed buttons too much. And ignored her feelings and attempted to avoid feeling them too.

Pheobe had to laugh when Niki declared Tristain benched her because she went after the wolves. "Let me guess... You went off half-cocked, he and maybe Blair was with you, and you gave them both heart attacks? Been there, done that!" Jaxon had benched her ass on that one!

Heh, very few could handle Jaxon Falco. "Given your father trained him... I'd say he knows how to sidestep the man, but your mother needs to be around and Tristain is nowhere to be seen when you drop that shoe. I don't need to lose another Hit Wizard. Least of all when said Hit Wizard is trained like he is. And that will definitely keep you cooped up in here like you're in a cage little bird." She knew Nik hated being called the little bird. But oh well! She hated being caged! It fits!

[Nikita Falco]

Nikita grunted, not liking the idea that both Trist and Pheobe were using the fact they could get her stuck in front of a desk for good. “That would be power abuse.” She retorted to her. She never liked when they were pulling that kind of stunt on her knowing full well that she was one of the most competent hit wizards they had. Would they be ready to put one of their best in front of a desk for the rest of her days? She doubted. She nodded as she talked of Angel. “Serves him right, what did he do this time?” She asked her, curious and preferring him to be the subject of their conversations over her.

“Waste years? What good there is to be in an open stable relationship? Tell me because you’ve been telling me that Angel isn’t sleeping with you and that you’re happy and giddy together.” She said in a challenging tone. She wasn’t ready to get stable, that was obvious and she didn’t think she would stop fighting it yet.

She shrugged, as if it was the kind of things she’d always done, and to be honest, it was. “And you’re still alive.” She added to prove her point.

“Ah, he does know how to handle my dad and I’m not that stupid, I still want to use him…” She said restraining herself from saying what she’d use him for and letting Pheobe’s imagination run wild if she liked. Besides, she was the one who claimed they were being obvious. “You know better than to call me that, Phe.” She said hating that darn nickname she was using on her.

[Pheobe Davis]

Pheobe snickered at the power abuse comment. "Protection from yourself smart ass." At the question of what Angel did, Pheobe had to stop for a second before she told the family blabbermouth something that could get her sister killed. "Put Alex and Stefan in the same room as one another. And expected them not to kill one another." That was essentially what it boiled down to. Alex and Stefan pissing contest.

"Yep, years. I wasted years letting him get close to me, only to keep him at arm's length. You forget that Angel asked me about twenty times to marry him. Do you think Blair is bad with D? I was worse with Angel." She wasted almost twenty years stringing Angel along, and she did regret it to a point, but a lot of it she was flighty like Niki. Wonder where the kid got it...

Pheobe shrugged with her baby cousin, agreeing silently. "And I got benched for it. By your father to boot. So be glad it's Trist and not the dads."

She pulled a face at the 'use him' bit, not really needing that image in her head. "Thanks kiddo, didn't need that thought in my head. And yes, I know better than to call you that, but that's exactly what your butt would be." Niki hated being called the baby bird in any way, shape, or form. And usually would retaliate, but she doubted that her cousin would with her. That would be insubordination on Niki's part. And Pheobe would have to kick her little cousin's butt, and that wasn't something she was in the mood for at the current second of her day.

[Nikita Falco]

Nikita couldn’t help but eye roll at the comment. Of course, they would pull that off on her. Wouldn’t they just let her move freely? She couldn’t be caged forever, they’d soon figure that out. She thought that Tristain knew better and was wiser when it came to the matter but he could be so annoyingly stubborn from time to time that he could sometimes forget what it would turn out to do to him if she was locked in front of her desk for too long. Besides, it would give her plenty of time for revenge. She arched an eyebrow at what Pheobe said when they talked of Alex. “That’s like putting a cat and a mouse in the same room.” She commented.

She laughed at the idea of Angel waiting like a lost puppy for Pheobe to agree to marry him. “I guess it runs in the family.” She said slightly amused but the mood changed quickly when she mentioned that she should be glad her father didn’t hear any of it. It was true that she was, but she didn’t like to be reminded of that, or that she still was a ‘kid’. “Hey, I’m not of age to go to kindergarten anymore you can stop calling me that.” She said while crossing her arms under her chest.

Her mood lifted back up when the image she wanted to give to Phoebe worked, and she was satisfied with what she had done. “You’re welcomed, if you’re here to taunt me that’s the best I could retort with for now.” She said referring to the mental images she was giving to Pheobe.

[Pheobe Davis]

"It's literally putting two alpha wolves into the same cage. That cage happening to be my newly carpeted dining room." Alex and Stefan didn't belong together anymore than oil and water did. The two didn't get along and most likely never would. But the fact she had to put Angel's and Stefan's nads in a literal vice grip to get answers on what was going on... She still wanted to kill Angel for putting Layla into the middle of his scheming.

She shrugged when Niki suggested men longing after the women of their clan ran in the family. "It must be something. Had Angel pining away after me for basically two decades, have Darius doing it for longer with Blair. Hell, the two of them have been sweethearts since school for shits sake. And now Trist is doing it to you. And Ed's doing it with Seph. She's stringing him along like she does all her men. If she doesn't marry him she'll just toss him aside like all the rest and be a spinster the rest of her days."

Niki pouting made Pheobe smirk, knowing damned well she hated being treated like a kid. "Well squirt, quit getting benched and we'll stop treating you like you're Missy's age instead of a grown woman." She stuck her tongue at her cousin, knowing full well how it felt to be treated like they treated her sometimes. Their brothers had done it enough to her over the years. And to Blair.

"Evil little turd sometimes Nik, that's exactly what you are. Flat out evil little shit."

[Nikita Falco]

Nikita tried not to laugh at the image. Of course, they had to be like that. It could be annoying dealing with angry men especially when they were trying to impress Layla. Part of her felt bad for her sibling, but it might be one of the few things that interested her about her for now. Don’t get her wrong; she cared for her but Layla had always given her the image of someone calmer and more..boring so she rarely tried to get her nose into her sister’s business. However, that wouldn’t stop her from kicking the butts of Angel and Stefan if they needed it.

“We are too gorgeous for them to handle, we can’t help it.” She said with pride; she was aware of her charms and the fact that she was a beautiful girl. They just didn’t expect the drive that she had along with her looks. Only Trist was able to keep up with her so far!

“I might find a way to get out of this.” She simply said, that if not for charming people around she surely could whoo her way towards a more exciting job even if Trist might hate her doing that. She couldn’t help but laugh at Pheobe’s last comment. “I didn’t say I wasn’t!” She said with a wide grin. She wasn’t a saint!