(no subject)

[yessirmrjohnson]

There was something off about Cave. It bothered her as she made his coffee and plagued her mind as she went about typing up his reports. By time she had to bring him his lunch, she was convinced she had to ask him. It was probably all in her head, the lack of that personal smile in the morning, the quietness on the radio between her desk and his.

No, it was probably all in her head. Not worth worrying about and certainly not worth bothering him over. With a deep breath, Caroline lifted his lunch tray and knocked twice before stepping into his office.

"Here is your lunch, Sir."

Comments

[paysthebills]

It was a respectable forgery. Impressive really. And under normal circumstances, he would have assumed this was done by a deeply depressed Caroline. However, over the years, Cave had seen her signature almost as many times as his own. And this wasn't even close. Who would forge Caroline's signature? It was a short list.

He looked to Hastle.

"Fine. You just got promoted. Your new job is to do NOTHING but oversee this experiment. If she dies, so does your career. If she comes out of this with so much as a slowed reaction time, I will ensure that you, and your children, and your children's children live lives of poverty and regret.

You succeed, I give you one of my beach houses in the tropics. No pressure."

And with him having successfully used a worker as a stress ball, he walked off to find his new fiance.

[yessirmrjohnson]

Elena was sitting on his desk, sipping on a drink and flipping through the photo album with a bored expression.

[paysthebills]

Cave entered, putting on a smile despite prior unpleasantness.

"Hey Elley. That's a gift from an employee. Good memories and all that."

He poured himself a drink, hoping that the beverage would help loosen the question that needed to be asked.

[yessirmrjohnson]

"Not an impressive gift, just a dusty old album from the shelf. It's like gifting a half dead bouquet of fl-" Her cup 'accidentally' slipped from her hand and fell into the open album, soaking the photos inside with alcohol. "Oop! Sorry, Cavey." With half a shrug, she tossed to into his trash bin.

[paysthebills]

Without much thought, Cave dove at the bin, knocking it over. Pictures in the era weren't the simplest things to duplicate. It was possible that they were the only existing copies; the only existing documented images that they...worked...together. They were precious.

With nothing to dry the photos with, Cave grabbed any printer paper lying around and tried desperately to mat away the liquid.

"What are you doing just sitting there? Help, damn it! Get some napkins or something!"

He lay the photos down on his desk with a delicacy none would expect from him, finishing by setting down the album open on a shelf.

[yessirmrjohnson]

Elena shrugged and left and took her time. It was six minutes later that she came back with three napkins. "Here you go."

[paysthebills]

"Are you--"

Stupid? Competent? A complete damnable MORON!?

"serious?"

A frustrated grunt left Cave as he snatched the napkins. they worked, admittedly, much better than the office quality printing paper he'd used. Some of the photos were even saved. Some of them you could still make out what they were. Why, a few words were still even legible. Without turning away from the pictures and news scraps, Cave spoke.

"So, your assistant appears to have volunteered for an experiment today."

Why bring that up now? Ah, Mister whiskey. You always know when to bring up the sensitive issues.

[yessirmrjohnson]

"It's a very important experiment. You know how much she loves science." Elena just shrugged and sat in one of the chairs in the office. "People are still waiting for you in the party, baby. Go enjoy yourself and forget about that old thing."

[paysthebills]

Cave made no motion, not taking his attention away from the photos for even one second.

"Well, it's interesting, you see. I don't recall signing much of anything related to such an important experiment. Any ideas on how such a document could have slipped by my notice?"

[yessirmrjohnson]

"I figured if you'd forgive an employee you'd forgive the woman you love. Besides, she was the best candidate. They wanted someone smart and sturdy. And she is my employee, so I thought it'd be a fine decision. It was just once, baby. I won't do it again. And I'm sure she'll be fine, your staff is good at what they do, aren't they?"

[paysthebills]

"I didn't forgive her. Remember? I fired her. She was an invaluable asset towards scientific research, and I fired her. I only forgave her after she showed up several months later with a sincere and heartfelt apology."

He stopped with the photos, finally, to have his eyes meets Elena's. It was a steely, contemptuous gaze, filled with a cold anger.

"And I don't recall hiring anyone to make decisions. The most complicated decision you need to make is where we go to for lunch. All the rest are mine to make. That's not your place to do so."

He turned his attention back to the photos.

"She understood that, for the most part."

[yessirmrjohnson]

"Cave, she was trying to ruin things between us. I've never seen a more jealous woman in my life. You have no idea how rude and horrible she was to me every day at work. Once she gets out of that thing, you should fire her again. I would."

[paysthebills]

"So, you forged my signature and put her into a life threatening test...because she was rude? And after Caroline is done this test you illegally signed her on for, should she survive, I should fire her again.

Are you from pre-school Elley? Mean ol' Caroline wouldn't stop picking on you, making fun of your hair? What the hell is wrong with you?"

He served himself more whiskey, to calm his nerves. Nerves which were growing increasingly agitated.

[yessirmrjohnson]

"Please." She huffed. "She loved you, any preschooler could see that and she would have done everything to ruin our happiness. I did it for us. She'll be fine, I don't even see why you're so upset."

[paysthebills]

"Caroline was my assistant. Purely professional. You can ask anybody. She was my..."

Friend? Come to think of it, said the whiskey, from in the recesses of Cave's mind, you don't actually have any friends do you? She's the closest thing you have. Well, HAD, if she doesn't make it out of this test.

"It was a purely professional relationship. Ask anyone."

He kept repeating the words, hoping that background noise would drown out the truth the whiskey was trying to force upon him.

[yessirmrjohnson]

"Wait here." Elena left and came back with Jenny. "Would you please tell my fiance that I'm right and Caroline had a thing for him."

Jenny looked from the woman and then to Cave. "I, er, well yea." She shrugged as if it were common knowledge.

"See? The whole facility knew." Elena lifted her chin in pride for being right.

"We assumed she wasn't your type." Jenny continued. "I've worked here five years and I can remember at least seven guys she's turned down in favor of 'work' When Miss Elena showed up everyone finally got the picture of the kinda girl you were into. I think that's why she let Miss Elena do all that stuff to he-" There was a quick nudge from Elena and Jenny quickly shut up.

[paysthebills]

That was certainly enough to warrant Cave's attention. He...hadn't known. How could he have? Or, according to his staff, how could he not? He closed his eyes, the whiskey still tormenting his with terrible, terrible memory. Her last words managed to draw his focus.


"Oh? Stuff, you say? That's interesting. What kind of stuff, Jenny?"

[yessirmrjohnson]

Elena shook her head and Jenny looked between the woman and Cave again, deciding to side with the one signing her checks.

"S-shining her shoes in front of everyone, picking up scattered tacks, refiling whole cabinets again and again. Made to make hand written copies of research instead of copying it. Made to walk around the facility barefoot. Doing all the work herself while Elena read magazines or filed her nails."

Elena quickly came over to Cave's desk. "You don't know what it's like for women in this sort of place. I needed to express my dominance or she'd never respect me. To be honest she should have never come back. Cavey, baby, you love me. Why are we even arguing over some employee on parole? We have a wedding to plan, sweety."

[paysthebills]

Cave laughed, but there was an odd wrongness about it. It lacked happiness, or joy, or any of the other, positive emotions associated with laughter.

"So, Elley-welley. She was horrible because she shined your shoes? And picked up tacks? What a fucking nightmare! I don't know how you managed, especially with her doing all your work for you. Poor baby.

Jenny, would you say a 'this sort of place' is particularly terrible for women?"

[yessirmrjohnson]

"Well for us plain looking girls, it can be." Jenny nodded. "Not all of us can work as hard as Caroline did. Other girls got looks to help them get places." She glanced at Elena who glared at the woman. "Not saying about your tastes in women, Sir. Your business and all."

[paysthebills]

"Caroline wasn't plain. She was a beautiful woman and I won't have you insinuating...that isn't important."

He managed to find his way to his seat, despite the blood alcohol level.

"I need to be alone right now. You're dismissed.

He looked at his fiance.

"Both of you."

[yessirmrjohnson]

Jenny hurried out but Elena hesitated. "Cave, I'm sorry I got Caroline mixed up in this experiment, but there's no reason to be mad. Please don't be mad at me, Baby, I'll make it up to you." She slipped around the desk, leaning in for a kiss.

[paysthebills]

He placed a finger to her lips, effectively kiss-blocking her.

"Baby, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not certain I'm sober enough to make good decisions right now. I love you, and I accept your apology. But I need to be alone. Now. Before I do something foolish, that I might regret.

I'll see you tomorrow morning, Elley."

[yessirmrjohnson]

She looked like she could cry. "I. I love you baby, I just wanted to make sure you staid mine. I didn't mean to hurt you." She got up and left as he asked.

[paysthebills]

He followed them, and locked the door behind them. There he sat alone, only him, Mr. whiskey and the truth. And, faced with the myriad of bad decisions, combined with concern for his only friend and first love, he wept.

Time, as the say, heals all wounds. In the morning, Cave was right as rain. In two, he was right as rain, and no longer hungover. By the third day he'd managed to forgive Elena and by the end of the week serious planning for the wedding had begun. Such things falling squarely outside of the scope of Cave's interests, he would allow her to handle most of the planning. Hell, he didn't even have anyone to invite.