Christina sighed, closing the door behind her and leaning against it, her eyes sliding closed for one moment of vulnerable exhaustion. It had been a long day at work, and she wanted nothing more than to sink into her bed and sleep straight until the next morning when she would have to get up again, but she still had a presentation to prepare for a meeting tomorrow about the launch of a new product for the company. She'd spent hours sketching and re-sketching possibilities for the packaging. Her department was in charge of advertising and packaging, and this was the first time she'd been put on the team for the launching of a new product. She'd been excited about the opportunity to prove herself, but now she was just stressed. Her team definitely was not pulling their weight, but no one seemed to notice. To make matters worse, Erik, her ex, was also on the team, specifically, the team leader. Oy vey.

Caught up in her thoughts, Christina didn't hear the steps or the key scraping into the other side of the lock until there was a small push on the door. Moving to get out of the way, Christina took a few steps forward but didn't move in time to get out of the way as the door was shoved open a second time, catching Christina's ankle in its forceful swing.

Dropping the floor, Christina let out a long 'ssshhhhhhhhit!' through her teeth, clutching her ankle. It took until the pain in her ankle faded to a dull throb before she could open her eyes. Blinking away the involuntary tears, Christina glared up at the slightly amused face of Kristen, her roommate.

"Geez! In a hurry?" Christina groaned. Kristen folded her arms over her chest.

"What were you doing in front of the door?" she returned.

"I just got home from work," Christina answered, rubbing the back of her now-sore ankle before standing again. "God, Kristen, are you the Hulk's sister?" Kristen punched Christina in the arm, and she snorted in amusement. It was nice to at least have this resolved and to get along with her again.

For the first few months after Nicki left, Kristen had been a total bitch, bringing the most awful douche bags home to the apartment, drinking, smoking, both pot and cigarettes, before Christina and their new roommate Mallory had run and intervention, telling Kris that if she didn't shape up or at least keep her breakdown shit outside of the house, she would need to move out. After that, there was a gradual improvement. She stopped doing the destructive nonsense she'd been sinking into and slowly changed her attitude back to the friend Christina and Nicki had had in the first place. It was nice, but Christina was careful to not even mention Nicki and her new husband. Who knew how Kristen would react if she heard about Nicki's happily-ever-after?

Honestly, Christina couldn't entirely claim innocence. She loved Nicki, but she really wished it was her in Nicki's place. She just wanted to find someone who made her happy. She'd been so desperate after Nicki had left and found her Prince Charming that she'd gotten back together with Erik for another round of ultimate misery. That had lasted a good month before she found out Erik was cheating…again. She was so glad she hadn't told anyone about why they'd broken up in the first place, because they would have thought she had it coming. Hell. She thought she'd had it coming.

Tuning back in, Christina realized that Kristen had been talking for the last five minutes or so, and she hadn't heard a single word. Throwing in a nod and an attentive look, Christina caught the fact Kristen was complaining and jumped on that.

"That sucks," she commented with a sympathetic expression. Kristen nodded emphatically and was about to move on when Christina held up a hand.

"I have to go prepare for the big presentation tomorrow," she announced quietly.

"It's tomorrow? Get to it, and good luck. I know how hard you've been working for this. Maybe you'll get a promotion," Kristen commented, switching tracks without a breath. Christina nodded and moved towards to her room.

"Thanks. I'll see you on the other side." With that, Christina stepped into her room and closed the door behind her. In truth, she really did have everything prepared, but she wouldn't be comfortable about it until she'd gone over it another dozen times. Tomorrow was crucial. Her entire career rode on the success of this launch. If she failed, she would be stuck on boring desk work for the rest of her dull, awful life. There is no way she was going to let that happen.

The next morning, Christina arrived at work a full hour before the presentation to make copies of the handouts and to prepare the conference room. After having the intern fetch coffee for everyone, Christina had everything prepped just in time for the meeting to begin. The board, including her boss, Mr. Thompson, and her boss's boss, Mr. Dyer, and a few of her colleagues, filed in. Erik hadn't shown up, but he wasn't really needed, so taking in a few cathartic breaths, Christina opened her mouth to begin.

"Thank you, everybody, for getting here on time. If you look at your handouts in front of you, we can begin immediately. I am going to bring your attention here to section A-"

"Hold up!" Erik interrupted as he rushed into the room like a whirlwind, still looking as charming as if he had just breezed right in, the asshole. He stepped up to Christina and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for getting started for me, but I'm here now. I can take over," he said, flashing an arrogant smile in her direction. Christina's jaw dropped in a dumbfounded expression.

"I'm supposed to do the presentation today." She meant to sound firm and defiant, but her voice came out lost and weak.

"Oh." Erik's face slid much too easily into once of surprise, "I'm sorry you misunderstood, Christina. You were to do some of the research, but the presentation was my responsibility." Christina's wide eyes blinked, and briefly, images of kicking Erik in the balls flashed through her mind.

"Erik, this is my bid," she hissed violently, giving the board a calm smile before turning back to Erik, "I did all research and preparation for this. There is no way I am letting you take credit for my work."

"Christina, Christina, Christina," Erik replied, his voice practically dripping with condescension, "Just because we've slept together, that does not mean you get any special favors or handouts. I'm team leader for this project. It is my responsibility to see it through." Erik allowed his voice to get just loud enough for those who were listening in to here clearly, and as a result, Christina's face flushed bright red with embarrassment. Mortified and tongue-tied, she could not think to object when Erik physically turned her around and pushed her in the direction of the empty seat.

"Thank you for coming. Let's begin."

An hour later, Christina was shuffling back to her seat, trying so hard not to cry. Erik had taken everything she had worked for, as if everything else she had lost to him wasn't enough. The moment Christina's thoughts had been gathered, she was hoping and praying that Erik would mess up, that the fact he, himself, had not done any of the work, would screw up his flow and understanding. However, he must have been following her work closely, because he nailed it.

Which made Christina even more miserable. Part of her just wanted to march right up to Erik and slap him across the face then turn to her sexist boss and let her know she would not be coming back.

If only.

Looking down, Christina realized her fists were clenched, and with great effort, she released them. He wasn't worth it, and this job wasn't worth it, but she couldn't help but be completely miserable. How could he just snatch this away from her? And how could he humiliate her like that in front of their boss?

She couldn't do this. She couldn't stay the rest of the day and smile and pretend that nothing was wrong. Collecting her things, Christina slipped them into her bag and marched up to her boss, who happened to be praising Erik for a job well done.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm taking a half-day," she announced with a scowl. Mr. Thompson looked down his nose at her and nodded his assent, and without a word, Christina whirled on her heel and headed towards the door, ignoring the not-so-quiet mutterings of women and their special time of the month. If she had the guts, she would turn around and say that most of the time, it wasn't a period that made a woman not to work with assholes, but she just kept walking.

Kirsten and Mallory were both home when Christina got there, but she only offered a brief hello before disappearing into her room. She didn't want to deal with explaining everything to them, especially when she'd have to admit she'd hooked up with Erik, and both Kristen and Mallory would roll their eyes at that.

God. It sucked to make stupid mistakes.

Christina's phone rang and interrupted her reverie. Confused and having no clue who would call her in the middle day, Christina dragged it out of her pocket and looked at the caller id. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw that it was Nicki.

"Hey Nicki!" she said, forcing cheerfulness the moment she hit answer on her phone. "What's up?"

"Tina! I hadn't talked to you for a while, so I decided to give you a call. I thought you'd be in work though…"

"I took a half day today. Now, I'm glad I did. We haven't talked in forever. How are you and Christopher?" Nicki's voice sighed contentedly through the phone, and a pang shot through Christina. She really did want to know how Nicki was doing with her soul mate, but every time she heard how happy she was, Christina, herself, was forced to see how miserable she was.

"Christopher is the best thing that could ever happen to me. I am so glad that I applied for LAP. I know how Kristen was when I left, but I do have to thank her for making me do it in the first place."

"Yeah," Christina replied. Without meaning to, she had let her gloom slip into the tone of her voice. There was a slight pause, where she winced when she realized what just happened.

"Tina? Are you okay?" Nicki asked, concern lacing her voice. Christina sighed as an answer, not wanting to explain everything to Nicki either.

"It's been a rough week is all, Nicki. I'll be fine."

"Okay…If you say so," Nicki hedged, not wanting to let it go but not wanting to push it either.

"I do," Christina confirmed, "Now about that book you were working on…" The two talked for a good hour, and when they finally said goodbye, Christina was feeling a little bit better but not enough to take her a step back from miserable. Rolling off her bed, she went to her desk and opened the drawer. There, at the top, was the application for L'Amore Perfetto that she couldn't submit more than a year ago.

Since Nicki had left, Christina had been building her savings slowly. She'd like to say it was for a housing fund, just like Kristen, but somewhere in her, she knew she'd really been saving money in case she could pass the application process herself, especially after she had seen Nicki and Christopher together, literally only a few weeks after they had met for the first time. Even so, they were the happiest couple she had seen in, well…ever.

There she was, staring at the application, everything already filled out, something she'd done in a moment of weakness a few months ago. Plus, she'd had Mallory help her take photos just two weeks ago, keeping it a secret what they were for in the first place. With her luck, on top of everything that was going on, she would get rejected, but…what if she wasn't? What if they accepted her and she found her soul mate?...She had to know.

Holding on to steely resolve, Christina gathered up the application and grabbed her purse on the way out the door, yelling to Kristen and Mallory that she'd be back in a little while. A short trip to the post office later, Christina was feeling much lighter, so when she got home, she smiled and joined her roommates in the living room to watch tv.

Hell. That's what work was. Pure, unadulterated hell. The incident with the presentation was only the first in a long line of instances including the egotistical Erik and his innate ability to use and throw away everyone who worked with him. Christina wasn't the only one suffering under Erik's methods, but she was suffering the worst. For the one who said that no favors would be granted because of sexual relationships, Erik sure liked to take advantage of her.

"Christina." Speak of the devil. "I need you to write up a summary of the cross-comparisons we've done for the project to be presented to Mark and Aaron." First name basis with the bosses. Somebody's ass-kissing is paying off. That or he was trying to show off, and the moment he showed up, he'd be back to calling them Mr. Thompson and Mr. Dyer like everybody else.

"Alright, Erik," Christina agreed in a sickly sweet voice that made him pause. "Should I go ahead and sign your name off on it to save you time from erasing mine later?" A flash of annoyance crossed Erik's face before he responded.

"Don't be ridiculous, Christina. I only take credit for the work I have done myself," he smirked, "Put your name on it if you want, just like the good little schoolgirl. Besides, Mark and Aaron already know I completed the comparisons in the first place. I just need you to put them all in one place." Without another word, he turned and left, leaving Christina gaping, again.

She shouldn't be surprised he was taking credit for the grunt work she'd spent the last month slaving over, but sometimes it was hard not to be shocked when someone was so obviously callous. Especially when there was nothing you could do about it.

Fortunately for herself, Christina already had a list compilation, she was just organized that way, but there was no way she was giving it to him. Nope. She was going to sit here and twiddle her thumbs for the rest of the day. Why? Well, she couldn't delay giving it to him completely, but if she gave it to him right away, and he took credit, he would just look too damn good. Instead, she'd wait for a bit. But what should she do in the meantime?

The answer is: take another half day. After letting Erik know she was taking her work home with her (pffft), Christina took off. It was a nice day, so she decided to find a nearby café she liked and eat lunch outside. Once she had ordered, Christina leaned back in her chair and drifted for a moment.

She should call Nicki. She was beginning to associate Nicki with freedom, so now that she had some for herself, she was the first person Christina thought of. Making up her mind, she pulled up Nicki's number on her phone and hit the green button, listening to the ringing. It took a moment, Christina almost thought Nicki wasn't going to answer, but finally her friend's cheerful voice took over.

"Tina?"

"Hey Nicki," Christina confirmed.

"Hey! I was hoping I would hear from you soon! Why didn't you tell me you were applying? And why haven't you called and set up an appointment yet? It's been killing me sitting here with Elizabeth and waiting for Paolo to give us the go ahead to give you a call."

"Wait," Christina interrupted, "Nicki, what are you talking about it?"

"What do you mean? I'm talking about your L'Amore Perfetto application."

"I haven't received any reply from LAP since I sent in my application. I assumed they were behind or something."

"That's impossible, Tina. They sent your acceptance in a week ago." There was a pause on both ends of the line while the two women considered the circumstances.

"Kristen," they said together.

"God," Christina groaned, running a hand roughly through her hair in frustration, "She'd gotten so much better, I swear, but I always suspected…This is why I didn't tell her about it in the first place. Are they going to think I am not taking this seriously? What do I do?"

"Don't worry. I'll call Paolo and explain things. Then, I'll give him your number, if that's okay with you."

"Yes, of course," Christina agreed with a sigh. "I am glad I got past Step 1, Nicki, but if Kristen has already snapped, this doesn't bode well for the future. I would like to just move out and quit this awful job, but if I don't pass all the way through, then I'm screwed."

"Don't worry, Tina. It will work out. For now, are you available for the rest of the day?"

"Yes."

"I'll tell Paolo he can call you as soon as possible. Until then, relax. We can have them send your mail to your office, and when you're around Kristen, pretend you have no clue what she did, okay?"

"Sure," Christina replied, sounding somewhat desolate. She'd felt so bad for Nicki when she was going through the application process for LAP and Kristen had been acting like a total bitch. Now, she'd have to deal with it herself.

"Chin up, Tina. You just may be on the path to your soul mate!" After a little more chatter, the waiter brought Christina's food, and she said goodbye to Nicki so she could eat. She barely tasted it she was so glum, but as she ate and thought about everything, her mood gradually improved until she was outright excited. Sure, her roommate was being a lunatic, but she had got passed step 1! As far as she could remember, only a small percentage even got that far. This was so great! If she went all the way through, she'd be home free.

Now almost humming with happiness, Christina signed the receipt for her credit card payment and left the café, practically skipping along the two block route back to her car. The moment she arrived at the driver door and climbed in, Christina's phone rang, scaring her a little bit. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Miss Christina Tolbert?" A warm voice with an accent she couldn't identify drifted through the phone.

"Yes, that's right."

"This is Paolo Soranno of L'Amore Perfetto." Ah. It was an Italian accent. "Nicole has informed me of your situation. Normally, you would already have a list of what times are available, but since your copy has been misappropriated, I supposed we shall have to do this the old-fashioned way." There was humor in his tone but still Christina was feeling very small and embarrassed.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"No need for apologies, Christina. It was beyond your control." Paolo's kind voice reassured her, and her embarrassment dissipated, just a tiny bit. "Now, when are you normally available during the week?"

"I have Sundays and Mondays off."

"Wonderful! We have an opening this following Monday at 9 am. Would that work?"

"Yes, sir." There was a pause before Paolo chuckled, surprising Christina.

"I do not consider myself old enough to warrant a 'sir'. Feel free to call me Paolo."

"Yes, si-, I mean, Paolo." Another chuckle came from the other end, and Christina flushed.

"I'll see you Monday, Christina."

"See you then."