My first fan fiction! Hope you all like this

Disclaimer: I do not own anything!

Thanks: I want to thank Downtonabbeyfan for editing! Check her out on Tumblr!

Anna liked her new job. Her neighbour, Mrs Hughes suggested for her to send an application. Anna just moved to London to study and needed some extra money so she could go out at the weekends. She made some new friends and enjoyed spending time at a pub, close to college. Usually they would just have a few drinks and talk. A few times they went to a fancy restaurant and bought some bottles of champagne and cocktails, far too expensive for their student allowance. Daisy and Sarah worked at a restaurant but were in need of some new employees.

Three weeks ago she started working at an architect and building firm. Her job was to bring coffee and make sure everything was all right for board meetings. She served drinks and fancy snacks at the parties and meetings the firm hosted, and afterwards had the job of cleaning the rooms. She and her colleague, Gwen, did well together.

Another colleague, Thomas, was more of a dastardly type. One night he secretly took some of the left over wine bottles and got wasted. Anna wasn't used to drinking much, she usually only had to have two drinks before feeling dizzy. She didn't dare do it again. She knew Tomas did. She didn't bother, as long she had nothing to do with it when he got caught.

Her boss was nice. Even though it was a large company, Robert interviewed her himself. He really made her feel comfortable. He had high expectations of his staff, but she had some experience serving at a local restaurant and did a great job.

One afternoon Robert's personal secretary called Anna:

"Hi Anna, it's Jane from A&B There's an extra meeting tonight, at the office. Are you free to help us out?"

Anna just finished her tasks for class the day after and didn't have any other appointments. "Yeah sure, no problem. How late should I be there?"

"Well, the meeting starts at 8PM, can you be there at 7.30?'

Anna put on her white blouse, black skirt and made a bun of her long blond hair. She wasn't allowed to wear much make-up, but she did wear some mascara. She made a quick dinner and took the underground to the office.

She saw Gwen standing by the entrance of the building, talking with a receptionist. They heard the elevator stop on the first floor and Mrs Hughes stepped out.

"Hello girls, how wonderful you both could come on such short notice! I wouldn't know what to do without you! Tonight there's an important meeting. They hired a new manager and he seems to be a big name in the business. Of course they had to have a party right away! Never thinking about what it takes to organise such things.

Maybe you heard of him. His name is Bates. John Bates…"

Anna frowned "Never heard of him".

Gwen looked at her "doesn't ring a bell for me either".

Mrs Hughes took the girls upstairs, to the big conference room. One wall of the room was made completely of glass. It gave a beautiful view of the city skyline.

They prepared the wine and made some snacks. They expected at least 40 or 50 people.

Robert came in to say hello and make sure everything was ready.

People started arriving and Anna and Gwen welcomed everyone with a drink. Anna needed another bottle and walked to another room. She went to step through the door when suddenly there was a man standing in front of her. She bumped right into him.

"Oh, damn…!" she cried. She didn't dare looking at him "I'm so sorry sir, excuse me..."

"Please, don't apologize" the man said. Anna finally lifted her eyes. Their eyes met and Anna felt warmth coming over her. She blushed and hurried past the man. She turned her head and glanced at him when she walked on to the hallway. He gave her a shy smile and walked into the room. It was only then when she noticed he had a limp and was wearing a cane. She wondered what had happened to him.

Anna walked back into the room and found a place next to Gwen. Gwen noticed a strange look on Anna's face and was just about to ask, when Robert started his speech to the gathered guests.

The speech was a bit long. He talked about the company and how it would change in a few years. It all sounded very dramatic. Anna seemed a bit restless, Gwen started whispering to her. "What's up Ann? The change wont affect us, will it?"

Anna looked at Gwen and she whispered back. "No, that's not why…" When suddenly the man she just bumped into stepped forward and joined her boss on the little stage he was standing on.

"…We are very proud and glad Mr. Bates is joining our team and will help us through the fail of shadow." Robert pronounced. A loud applause started and the crowd shared happy looks at each other. "You're kidding…" Anna whispered, so no one could hear her.