Author's note: First off let me tell you something. There are two things I really dislike in fanfiction. Original characters paired with canon characters and alternate universe stories. This story just so happens to contain both of these things and I will shamelessly submit it because hypocrisy makes the world go round.
Lyn turned over with a groan. The movement sent a horrible wave of pain through her head causing her to let out something between a yelp and a whimper. She lay unmoving for a few seconds before slowly trying to open her eyes. This proved to be a huge mistake. She had unknowingly turned toward the window and the resulting burst of sunlight that met her eyes sent her into another pitiable state of severe pain. After several minutes of wallowing, she carefully sat herself up, eyes still closed.
Her mouth was dry and tasted horrible and besides the headache she felt like she was going to be very sick, very soon. All over herself and what she assumed was her bed. She hazarded opening her eyes and was able to tolerate it as long as she didn't move them too much. So, turning her entire head, she took in her surroundings. Indeed it was her room. Plain and simple if somewhat unkempt. With a grunt she turned and looked to her left and stared.
On the pillow beside her rested the head of someone with long, brilliant red hair. Lyn's eyes followed the shoulder line down to the bare back that was somewhat hidden beneath her blanket.
The figure was distinctly feminine.
A few more seconds passed before the message was received and with a cry of surprise Lyn kicked the strange woman in the back. There was a groan and a murmur that sounded like "five more minutes mum," then the figure turned over to face the terrified Lyn.
"Oh, morning love," came the cheerful though somewhat groggy voice of the newly awakened woman. Her skin was lightly tanned and her nose was freckled. Her eyes were an impossible green that took in the light and threw it back with gusto.
"Wha…W-who, who the Hell are you and what are you doing in my bed and…dear Lord why are you NAKED?!"
"Slow down love, you're speaking much to quickly to someone who's just woke up." The red haired woman had a charming British accent and she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she spoke. She sat up, carefully keeping the blanket from falling below her collarbone. "So," she yawned, "what were you going on about?"
Lyn stared. Her mouth opened. Closed. Then opened again. Surprised by how even her voice was she said, "What are you doing here."
"What? You mean you don't remember? Well you were certainly having fun last night. You were ALL over me and seemed eager to go at it again before you passed out."
Lyn stared. What little color that was left in her face drained away. The woman smiled at her, a straight-toothed white grin. "Just pulling your leg love, no need to get so worked up."
"You-" Lyn was cut off as her alarm went off, mercilessly blaring its high-pitched tone. Lyn's hands shot out and slammed at the snooze button then flew back to rest at her throbbing temples. She rolled off the bed onto the floor and lay in a fetal position, whimpering pathetically and clutching her head.
The woman swung her legs off the bed and went about the business of getting dressed. She slipped on her underwear and bra then pulled her pants over her long legs.
"Last night, I don't know if you remember, you were at the pub and got bloody wasted. I was working the bar and took pity on you, poor soul, and dragged you back to your apartment. Since it was late and my place is being fumigated I decided to just stay here for a spell. Hope you don't mind."
Lyn sat up, one hand still holding her head, and turned to the woman who was just pulling on her shirt. "So we didn't…I mean…"
The woman chuckled. "No love, we didn't. But would it have been so bad?"
Lyn grumbled and stood up shakily. She looked down at herself. "Did you undress me?" She was down to the t-shirt she was pretty sure she had been wearing last night and her underwear.
The woman walked back into the room from the kitchen, a bottle of water in one hand and a pill bottle in the other. "Here. Take four of these for your head and drink this. A lot of what a hangover is is dehydration. I bought a few bottles of water on the way here last night. They're in your fridge. I noticed you don't have any beer. Why is that?"
Lyn sighed and walked over to her dresser and gathered all the clothes she needed for work. "I don't make a habit of drinking. As a matter of fact, last night was the first time I've gone drinking in…well it was the first time ever."
The woman nodded in a sympathetic sort of way. "Well Lyn, I hope you feel better. Ta."
She turned to walk out then seemed to rethink it. She walked over to the shorter figure of Lyn and pulled something from the back pocket of her jeans. "If you ever want to hang out or something, give me a call."
Lyn took what turned out to be a business card and read it with some difficulty, her hangover making it hard to focus. "Jean Foss…M.E.? You're a coroner? I thought you were a bartender."
"If you had taken the time to read the rest of the card you would have seen that I am a part-time bartender. I only work at the pub when I need extra cash. Dead people don't give tips. Anyway, it was very nice meeting you. Try not to get so drunk, you might end up with alcohol poisoning or in another uncomfortable situation like this." She turned to leave again but Lyn stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
"…" Lyn stared at her. "Why were you naked?"
Jean laughed, "Its just something I do. Some people only eat the red M I enjoy sleeping in the nude from time to time. Is that so odd?"
"…Yes. Yes it is. Now get out of my apartment you crazy Brit, before I call the police."
Jean only laughed and made her way out of the apartment her hips swaying suggestively as she went. With another groan Lyn opened the water and took four of the pills as she was told. She stared at the little white rectangle in her hand and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. She placed it on her dresser and made her way to the restroom.
The sun shone into the bedroom onto the bed where two figures slept. One, a broad shouldered man, his head clean-shaven; his body toned to athletic perfection; the other, a petite woman, her pale skin contrasting violently with the man's dark complexion. He had his armed draped over her and his face had the look of calm that only comes with deep sleep.
The woman stirred slightly, and with a slight grunt opened her eyes to stare up at the ceiling. For a moment she couldn't recall where she was, but the weight of the arm on her chest brought back the memory of last night.
She had spent the evening with Victor at a nice Italian restaurant downtown and they had decided to go back to his place to watch some black and white movies that she enjoyed. Though they often slept in the same bed they had both agreed not to do anything more than kiss until they were sure their relationship was going to go somewhere. They had been friends for several years before they had gotten together and they were both content to just spend their time with one another.
The small woman carefully lifted the man's arm and slid out from the covers and stood beside the bed. She stretched and yawned as she made her way to the restroom. Before she could open the door there was a rustling of blankets followed by a sleepy voice.
"Mornin' babe."
The woman frowned. "Don't call me babe."
Victor grinned, "Sorry Rae, you're just so cute with your hair all messy and the crease marks from the pillow on your face."
Raven's frown deepened. "Don't call me cute. And good morning."
She went into the restroom and when she came out, teeth brushed and face washed, Victor was still lying lazily on the bed gazing at her with a content smile. Raven couldn't help but smile back at the big oaf as she grabbed her street clothes from the closet. She had spent enough nights at his apartment to keep sleepwear and an extra change of clothes as well as a toothbrush there. She changed into a pair of old jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and then plopped down on the bed to put on her socks.
Victor crawled over and draped his arms around her waist. He pushed aside her hair with his nose and kissed her neck. "Lets just stay here today and watch more movies. Or we could go eat breakfast someplace."
Raven pushed him back, though not unkindly, and pulled on her left boot. "Victor you know I can't miss work."
"Call in sick," came Victor's voice from behind her. "Tell them you have the flu and you can hardly move."
"You know I can't." Raven said with a sigh as she pulled on her other boot. "My father would be furious if I missed work. I don't think he would let me stay home even if I were sick."
"Yeah I guess you're right. I guess that's what happens when you work for a guy like your dad's company."
Raven nodded in agreement. Her father was the CEO of the largest tobacco company on the east coast. He was rich, powerful, and ambitious and he wanted his daughter to be the same. For as long a she could remember, her father had been preparing her to take over the company in the event of his death or retirement. Raven suspected the former would come first.
"Well, I had better be going. I'm late as it is and if I don't leave now I wont be able to get home fast enough to change." She walked out of Victor's bedroom and he followed her to the door. Raven took her coat from the closet and put it on while Victor opened the door. Cold air wafted in and made them both shiver.
"Goodbye Victor." He leaned down and she stood slightly on her toes and kissed him softly on the lips. "Have a good day."
"Later babe."
He grinned when she smacked him on the arm and shut the door after watching her make her way down the street.
Lyn sat at her desk. Or rather, she was sitting in her chair with her head on the desk, arms to her side. She was wearing a ridiculously large pair of sunglasses and her shoulder length black hair was partially covering her face. She hadn't bothered to take off her scarf or her coat and beads of sweat were forming on her face.
"Hey Lyn, morning. Have you seen my stapler?" The blonde haired head of Denise Conning, a white woman from Florida who had moved farther up the east coast and joined Tri. Corp. the same year Lyn had, peeked in from the neighboring cubical. They had become fast friends despite Lyn being five years her junior. "Wow…you look like Hell."
"My teeth hurt," came the miserable reply.
"Ramirez! Where the Hell are those papers? I told you to get them to me by four today. Have you even started? You're useless…Jeez, you look like Hell."
"Its ten in the morning Ted. Give the girl a break."
"Listen here Ramirez," the way he pronounced it, there was no rolling of the R's. It sounded more like he was spitting it out than saying it. "You're on thin ice. You've been late to work five times this month and you missed two days."
"My brother in-law died. I called it in."
"Does it look like I care? Get me those papers A-sap." He stormed off.
Ted is a short, balding, angry man. His wife had left him earlier that year and since then he seemed to get shorter, balder, and much, much angrier. He's a tad bit racist too.
"Jerk." Denise said as he left, sticking her tongue out in his direction. She turned to Lyn, rolling her chair over. "I thought you didn't drink. Now you come to work with a hangover? Is something weird going on?"
"Not unless you count waking with an unidentified naked woman in your bed as weird…" Lyn mumbled.
"Ah…what?"
There was a clicking of heels on tile and a stately looking woman in business garb, her hair in a tight bun, walked into Lyn's cubical.
"Excuse me, you're Ms. Lyn Ramirez correct?" the woman asked, glancing down at a clipboard over her thin glasses.
"Who wants to know?" Lyn replied, never lifting her head from the desk.
"My name is Melissa Swartz and I am the company psychologist-"
"Oh Hell."
"-And I am scheduling psychological evaluations for some of the employees here at Tri. Corp. As I understand it, you have recently lost a family member and there is some concern among your coworkers-"
"Ted."
"-That your work may be suffering due to issues with grief. I would be happy to schedule a session with you for anytime within the next week that would work for you."
Lyn slowly lifted her head from the desk and turned to the woman. She didn't remove her sunglasses and there was no way to be sure her eyes were even open. She sat silent for a moment. Denise shifted uncomfortably in her rolling chair, wondering whether she should wheel herself around Swartz or not. Lyn's head tilted to the side.
"…Do you have a mint?"
"Thursday is good. How is ten in the morning for you?"
"I feel like my breath stinks…"
"Ten thirty is fine. See you then. Go ahead and take the rest off the day off. You look like Hell."
The woman turned and walked out of the cubical and continued down the walkway, her heels clicking in a business like manner. Denise rolled her chair over and watched her go.
"Can she do that?" she asked, blinking confusedly in Lyn's direction.
"What? Schedule me an appointment without my participation or give me the day off?"
"Both."
Lyn shrugged and grabbed her bag from underneath her desk. "Well, can't fix it if it ain't broke."
"That made no sense."
"If Ted comes back asking for his papers tell him to shove his head a little farther up his ass, he'll find them."
Lyn made her way out of the building; followed by the laughter of a white woman from Florida who's day had just been made.
"Good morning Ms. Roth."
Raven exited the elevator onto the 13th floor where her office was. The woman who greeted her was older than Raven by several years, and had been working as her secretary for the past year. She was a nice woman and always did her work in a neat, timely manner. She made Raven somewhat uncomfortable.
"Good morning Jennifer."
"You're father wants to see you. He's waiting in his office. I'll have his secretary tell him you're on your way."
"Thank you Jennifer." Raven sighed as she walked back to the elevator. This couldn't be good. It never was. Not only was she late, but she had also forgotten her work clothes were dirty and she was wearing a more casual dress suit. Now she had missed receiving a very important summons on time. She wondered vaguely if he would fire her, and then quickly decided she would have no such luck.
After a short ride on the elevator to the top floor, she walked out and was greeted by her father's secretary. She was a young, pretty thing with long blonde hair and she somehow managed to look nearly naked in a workwoman's blouse and skirt. Her heels and nails were too long and she wore more makeup than was necessary for one of her profession. Then again, all of his secretaries had looked like that since Raven's mother had died. Probably before too.
"He's on the phone right now, but he said to send you in anyway."
Raven nodded and walked over to the elaborately carved doors that led to her father's office. She swallowed nervously, a lump in her throat, and opened the door.
"I already told you. We sell cigarettes. CIGARETTES. People are ADDICTED to them. Do you know what that means? They buy them whether they want to or not. I don't care how much money you have to spend, create advertisements that appeal to young people. They're the smokers of the future. Our money source. Make sure our lawyers are ready for anything the damned Surgeon General can throw at us." He slammed the phone down. He looked up at Raven who was standing in the doorway, an impassive expression on her face. He brushed back a loose strand of his salt and pepper colored hair. "You're late."
Raven bowed her head in apology. She moved to stand before his desk. "I'm sorry sir. I'll be on time from now on."
He frowned. "See to it that you are. Now sit, I have some things I need to speak with you about."
She sat, removing any show of emotion from her face and posture with practiced ease. She watched him as he stood and paced behind his desk. She knew it was only for show; to make her think he was in deep thought. It was obvious to her however that whatever he wanted to say was already planned out in his head. Maybe on paper too.
"Raven, you have been doing well. But you still don't seem to have the feel of it. You still harbor some of those silly ideas of leaving the company and working in some other lowly job with low pay." Raven listened, revealing absolutely nothing of what she was thinking. "I think you need to see what it is like to be one of those lowly workers. So, effective today you are being demoted until further notice."
Raven blinked in surprise despite herself. " Demoted?"
Her father frowned. "That is what I said. Don't repeat what I say, girl. I am having you evicted from your loft as we speak. You're belongings will be held in storage until you can work your way back up to the top. I have frozen your accounts and have opened a new one under your name that you may use. You will receive your normal paycheck this week but after that it will be adjusted to fit your new position. I suggest you spend the rest of today looking for somewhere to stay. You will not be allowed back into the loft except to fill two suitcases with whatever belongings that you think you need. You may leave now." He sat in his chair and began typing on his computer busily.
Raven sat and stared for a moment, not saying anything. Her father had done some very strange things in the past, but this was by far the strangest. "Sir…I-"
He cut her off with a piercing glare. "I said you are dismissed."
Raven nodded curtly and quickly left the office. She ignored the stare of her father's secretary, who had obviously been eavesdropping, and pressed the down button to summon the elevator. When the doors opened she walked in, pressed the button for the first floor, and stared past the doors into nothing as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Lyn walked down the street, hands in pockets, scarf pulled up to cover her mouth and nose. It hadn't snowed yet but it certainly was cold enough. She took her hands from her pockets long enough to pull the black winter's cap farther down her head and over her ears. Her fingers were numb and she regretted her decision to wear fingerless gloves on such an ungodly cold day. She was still feeling the effects of that morning's hangover and really just felt like going to bed. She hadn't spared so much as a fleeting thought to the happenings at the office, instead focusing on getting back to her apartment, so it isn't all that surprising that she didn't answer the first few calls of "Oi Lyn! Over here!" that came from the café that she had just passed.
Jean frowned and stood from the chair she was sitting in at the table outside of the café. She hadn't recognized Lyn at first, but remembered seeing the gray coat that she was wearing in the closet of Lyn's apartment. She jogged up behind Lyn and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to turn around. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"
Lyn stared blankly for a moment before she realized whom the woman was. She was wearing far more clothes than Lyn had seen her in that morning. "Jean? Well at least you're wearing clothes…"
"Much to cold for streaking love. You don't look so good. How about I buy you a nice hot cup of coffee, hm?" she steered Lyn to the table she where she had been sitting. There were two other people sitting there as well. Lyn blinked curiously at the two. "Ah, allow me to introduce my friends."
"I'll introduce myself. My name is Ruth Rosales." The woman who said this was short and dark, even darker than Lyn, and had short curly hair and dark brown eyes. Lyn couldn't place her age but guessed her to be a little younger than herself. Twenty-two or somewhere there about. Ruth turned slightly in her chair and pointed to the man sitting beside her. "And this is my fiancé David."
The man nodded, smiled, and stood to shake Lyn's hand. "David Orosco. Nice to meet you."
Lyn blinked. He was tall and thin, his black hair cut short in the back and left long on top. He was wearing sunglasses and had a small well-trimmed beard just on his chin and sideburns; the rest of his face was clean-shaven. She thought him hansom in an artsy kind of way.
"Uh…nice to meet you. My name's Lyn. Lyn Ramirez."
"I would like to apologize on behalf of Jeanne for her behavior last night and this morning." Lyn looked confusedly at Ruth who had just spoken. "She told us -in great detail- the events that transgressed while she was in your company, and I must say, you must have great patience for such strange behavior."
"Jeanne?"
"Ruthie! Why do you always have to use my full name? Its embarrassing." Jean pouted as she took her seat at the table. She turned to Lyn. "Sit down love. Let us have a chat, hm?"
Lyn sat gratefully. Her body ached and the cold didn't help. "Now then Lyn, why don't you explain to me why you aren't at work?"
Lyn frowned. The way the woman spoke, you'd think they were good friends. Then again you don't get much closer than sleeping in someone's bed…
"I have the rest of the day off. Don't ask me why, I don't really understand it either…didn't you say you'd buy me coffee?"
Jean frowned but nodded. "How do you take it?"
"Black as night and sweet as sin."
Jean grinned at that and stood up to go buy her the coffee. "Feel free to chat it up with my friends. They're nice people. Even Ruthie." At Ruth's frown Jean grinned and walked off to get the coffee.
Several seconds of silence passed.
Lyn shifted nervously. "So…how did you meet Jean? Did she walk in and shower with you or something?"
Ruth sighed. "I met her at medical school. She insisted on our being friends and since then she's been like a bad rash. Annoying and hard to get rid of." David smirked beside her. "Although I probably wouldn't have met David if it weren't for her." She turned and smiled at him. Lyn hadn't seen her smile and was surprised at how soft the expression made her otherwise stony features look.
"Jean and I have been friends since high school when she first came to America. She's only a year younger than I. I met her outside the school on her first day. She tripped and I helped her up and she's followed me around since then."
"The way you tell it I'm a nuisance." Jean said indignantly as she sat in her seat. She handed a cup of steaming coffee to Lyn who took it thankfully. "They act like I'm such a horrible person to be around but whenever they need someone to hang out with who do you think they call?"
Lyn sipped her coffee. "So Ruth, you're in Medical school. What are you going to be?"
"Brain surgeon." Ruth replied before taking a sip of her coffee.
"Uh…"
Jean laughed at Lyn's reaction. "The girl's a certified genius. She graduated high school when she was thirteen and she only needs one more year of medical school to be able to participate in the actual surgeries."
"Wow." Lyn said, genuinely impressed. "What about you?" she asked David. "Are you like…a rocket scientist or something?"
David cleared his throat nervously. "Well no, I'm currently in law school."
Lyn blinked. "Damn…I'm completely outclassed here. I am but a lowly office worker at a tobacco company." She took another sip of coffee. "Hmm. Needs more sugar."
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