The city streets were clogged with both people and noise. It was 4:58pm, rush hour. A sharp horn cut through the surrounding noise as a taxi pulled up to the curb of the court house. A tall brunette stepped out of the car with her hair tied in a messy bun and her belongings cradled in her arms. After she tossed her fare to the driver, she stumbled as fast as possible towards her first day (or night) of work. Her muscle-toned legs were able to carry her quickly in heels. She flashed her ID towards security and tried to remember the guard's instructions as she raced down the hall. 5:01pm.
"Well hi there, Miss." Harry had forgotten his robes on the bench while he napped there, so he wanted to quickly grab them before session. As it happened, he walked in just as a slightly frazzled woman dropped her belongings at the stenographer's chair. She looked distinctly Irish, with her dark brown curls, olive complexion, and green eyes. She also looked distinctly terrified.
"Hi... there..." she breathed, her eyes darting from his robes to his face. "Hi, your Honor... I'm... I'm sorry I'm late, the traffic, I underestimated, sir-"
"-so you're Lisette's replacement, huh?" he asked jovialy, sticking his hand out. She shook it hesitantly at first, but then a toothy smile danced across her features. "Judge Harry T. Stone."
"Kim Jenkins. No title."
Harry laughed. "We'll find a title for you in no time, Miss Jenkins."
"Kim's fine, your Honor."
"Harry's fine, Kim. And you're really not late. You think of this place like live theatre every night. Call is at five, but that doesn't mean that's when the show starts."
Kim cleared her throat and was about to ask when the show would begin exactly when she saw its overture in the form of two bailiffs- one larger than life, the other small with age-, a man in a knit sweater with files in hand, and a petite, beautiful blonde in a suit holding two thick binders.
"Oh." was all she could say.
"Harry!" the moving mountain called. "Mac says that Muhammad Ali could beat Batman in a fight!"
The man in the cardigan started impatiently, "I mean that Muhammad Ali is actually real, Bull, Batman is-"
"-and Batman is too." the older woman said with a look that made her more terrifying than the aptly named 'Bull', while at the same time patting her pit-Bull reassuringly.
"Well yeah, I know that, but Mac-"
"Harry, I need to talk to you about this one reporter I ran into outside-" the blonde started.
"-guys, guys. I appreciate that you all missed me, but this is hardly the best first impression. Bull, we'll talk about this later, both realistically and theoretically, Mac. Christine, I hope it can wait until recess because I want you to meet our new stenographer, Kim Jenkins."
The chaos immediately broke and Kim was staring at four unexpectedly friendly faces.
"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. It's nice being back in the city. I grew up here till I was about six or so, then I moved around a lot afterwards."
"Where'd you move? You've got some kind of twang, there." Christine asked.
Kim blushed. "I've lived in a lot of places. I've been trying to get all the twangs out, actually, for-"
"-Hey gang, sorry to interrupt, but we've got to start soon lest we be forced to release our damned group to the street." Harry said, now robed and stepping outside. Kim laughed at his manner before observing that she was laughing alone. This was normal, apparently.
"Hey, sorry, where's the prosecutor?" Kim called, looking around.
Christine rolled her eyes, taking a seat. "Dan? Probably getting his tie untangled from the mops in the closet."
Kim chuckled- these people were unreal- and looked up as if right on cue, a tall man with salt and peppered hair burst through the doors, straightening his tailored suit.
"Sorry, everyone," he said, "tying up some loose ends."
"You mean loose limbs." bailiff Roz commented before Bull cut across announcing court.
Kim heard nothing after the doors. Time slowed down to an infuriating pace as she watched Reinhold Daniel Fielding Elmore saunter over to the desk and subsequently rise when Harry was called in.
How could she not have foreseen this? Lawyer. New York. Of course.
She stood slowly, her head bowed. She took her cue to sit when everyone else sat down as well. She threw herself into her typing, trying to tune out the deep baritone arguing charges against New York's finest.
Kim panicked when Harry banged his gavel for recess.
The friendly Christine looked politely at Kim. She seemed more matured (and, she hated to admit it but judging from her voice alone, slightly more pleasant) than Lisette was. Christine pegged her in her late twenties to early thirties, takes care of herself, and seemed altogether harmless to invite to lunch.
"Kim, would you like to-"
"-family things, urgent, gotta go, see you later!" Kim called, bolting out the door first.
Christine thought about how strange that was. Then she decided that she'd seen a whole lot stranger.
"Where'd Kim go?" Harry asked in the middle of lunch.
"Who?" Dan asked with a flicker of annoyance. He didn't remember the names of all of Harry Stone's charity cases.
"The new girl. The stenographer." Bull supplanted.
"Do you know what a stenographer is, Bull?"
"Sure. You've got the Jews, the Christians, and the Stenographers. I don't judge."
Dan clapped him on the back and turned to the herd. "How is she? A light pixie dancing across the keyboards? Or a wildcat who knows how to use her strength?"
"Do you ever disgust yourself?" Christine asked.
"No, I like to save that for you."
"Her name's Kim Jenkins." Harry announced. "All we got to know about her is that she lived in New York till she was a little kid, then moved somewhere."
Dan's hesitation went unnoticed to the naked eye. "Kim Jenkins?" he repeated, folding his hands together.
"Yeah," Roz answered, "why? Sound like one of your playmates?"
"Probably." Dan said nonchalantly, grateful for the exit while the others continued their chat speculating about the new girl. He could bet that he knew where she was from. He could bet that he knew a lot of things about her. Really? Could this really be happening? Well no, he would not take the bait. It was a different time.
Court was back in session. Dan Fielding, now, was standing next to Christine Sullivan as Judge Stone looked at the docket.
Kim looked up hesitantly only to see him staring at her openly, but without recognition. "Hi." she mouthed stupidly, trying her best to look like over a decade's worth of apology.
Elmo- no, Dan, looked back up at Harry. "Judge Stone I would like to mention the first case People of New York versus Courtney Feinberg."
"Counselor, slow down. We are not rushed in any way and you might cause issues for the transcript." Harry admonished, looking down at Kim as she rushed to type everything out.
"Sorry your Honor I didn't even notice." he answered smugly.
"It's okay, your Honor, I'm getting everything. Piece of cake." Kim glared up at Dan, with his hands behind his head. Only this time, unlike years ago, there was no love in this look.
The clock struck one in the morning when Harry finally pounded the gavel that sounded the end of Kim's first day. She stood and stretched.
"Miss Jenkins, approach the bench." Kim, confused but getting used to it, walked over to Harry as she felt Dan stare.
She turned around quickly. His head was bowed, gathering papers into his briefcase. It was just her self-centered imagination.
"Yes, your Honor?" she asked.
Harry stuck his hand behind her head and held a gold-wrapped chocolate coin in front of her eyes.
"A gold medal for your first day!" he smiled, looking amused at himself.
"Thank you, sir!" she laughed, unwrapping the chocolate and shoving it into her mouth. Avoiding people from her past didn't leave much room for her dinner break.
"How was it?"
"P-h-fine." she said through the chocolate.
"Oh! Before either of you go, I don't think you've met Dan yet, he's the assistant DA-"
"-gotta run, sorry, Harry, your Honor! Long night ahead of me!" Kim started towards the door-
"-wait." a deep voice said lightly. Dan was right by the door. "He's right. Unless, he isn't."
"Oh okay." was all she could say, smiling anywhere but his face.
"Have we met before, Miz Jenkins?"
"I- I don't- I'm not sure-" she sighed and looked at his face. So similar, but so different. The haughtiness didn't look practiced anymore. But nevertheless, she couldn't lie, the bumbling idiot. "Hi, Elm... it's Dan, huh? So you've got people to start calling you Dan."
"That's the name. Don't forget it, sweetheart."
"I might, if you keep talking like Road Runner."
And he walked out the door.
A/N: More to come, please let me know what you think!