In this story I'll trace the beginning of Mia and Diego's relationship, up to and beyond Mia's first case. We know that they ended up together, but how did it happen? Why did they fall for each other? When did the kitten become Kitten? It's going to be a long one! Thanks for taking the time to read and I hope you enjoy it. I'll try to update every 2-3 weeks.

Betaed by the wonderful dioscureantwins, who has taken a lot of time out of her own busy writing schedule to help me with mine. Her suggestions are always second to none.

Thanks to slumber, wasureneba and pinksonia for the help with the intricacies and fluencies of American English. All remaining mistakes are mine.

Thanks also to prospectkiss, who provided the original prompt which spawned a short giftfic and inspired this longer story.

"Curiosity has its own reason for existing" - Albert Einstein

Diego was an early riser on days when he was due to work. He enjoyed waking with the sun, taking time to savor his first coffee of the day over a newspaper or some other documents. There was never any real joy in rushing out of bed and straight out of the house – the morning for Diego was always time well-spent, carefully and deliberately. After a shower, he took a while to make sure his appearance was immaculate (hair that looked this windswept and wild could be work, sometimes) before leaving his apartment to make the short journey to work. He was usually one of the first to arrive. By the time the clock pointed to normal working hours and everyone else had come in to Grossberg Law Offices, Diego had been there for a while, working in comfortable silence, settled in perfectly. He liked that gentle calm while the rest of the world seemed to just be stirring awake. It meant having a headstart and being in the right frame of mind to get through the rest of the day.

It didn't mean that he didn't enjoy sleeping; he did – particularly if there was a lovely lady to keep him company. Long hours spent lounging around his apartment or in bed, again with a pretty lady to keep him company, were one of his favorite things but they were treats to be savored. When he worked, he worked. Vacations and unavoidable sick days were the times to sleep late, not days when he was scheduled to be in the office. His steadfastness and dedication were usually commented on positively. For Diego, it was just a simple matter of working hard and playing hard, but not doing the two at the same time. Not necessarily anyway.

This week though, he hoped to be able to manage work and play at the same time. Or at least, some kind of play.

The rookie Mia Fey had technically started last Friday, completing a final interview with Grossberg, unpacking the standard box of rookie paraphernalia that had been left on her desk and then spending half a day being given a tour of the offices before being dismissed. A nice way of easing her in to the routine.

Today was the start of Mia's first full week. Their first meeting had been very interesting to Diego, enough for him to want to speak to her a little more. Work, but still some play. It was always fun having a new kitten around.

Diego walked down the corridor towards his office, his feet making a satisfying echo, a ring of success and luxury. Grossberg Law Offices were all solid wooden floors and solid wooden doors, giving the place a grand feel and each lawyer was lucky enough to have their own dedicated space. He had interviewed at firms where people had shared desks or where rooms had been covered with stacks of papers and noticeboards, places with threadbare carpets or tired linoleum rather than the neatly painted, warm walls of Grossberg Law Offices. He had found himself drawn to the place upon seeing it for the first time, and he found the light touches of decadence pleasing every time he laid eyes on them.

As he approached his office, Diego frowned, seeing that the door opposite his was open. Had someone left it that way all weekend? As he drew closer, he heard the sound of typing.

Mia looked up when she saw him in the doorway, standing there almost dumbfounded. "Good morning, Mr Armando," she said, pausing her work for a moment. Her brown hair was neatly combed and loose across the shoulders of her dark suit jacket, her bangs swept to one side with care.

"Good morning, Ms Fey." Diego looked at Mia's wide-awake eyes, and then the papers spread across the desk next to her as well as the empty mug. "When did you get here?"

She cast an eye over at a clock on the wall – it had a mahogany frame, Roman numerals and golden ornate hands to match the office décor. "Nearly an hour ago now, I think."

"You must be up before the sun rises."

"Yes." There was a beat while she looked at him, still standing in her doorway. He hadn't even opened his own office door. "Are you always here this early, Mr Armando?"

"Yes," he replied, still slightly impressed that someone had actually beat him to the office. Everyone else usually rolled in at 9, and it was nearing 8:15 now. He could probably get used to having early morning company, though. Especially since the morning company was so easy on the eye. "It's nice to get things done while it's still quiet and nobody can disturb you."

"It is."

He chose not to take the hint, instead looking more closely at the papers on her desk. A few forms mandatory for new staff to complete, already filled in with neat handwriting in regulation black ink; a letter with Grossberg's signature on it, probably a formal offer of employment; some other introductory bits and pieces that she had no doubt been reading over the weekend since a few pages in the leaflets were dog-eared; some opened envelopes containing what looked like personal letters. Interesting. There were few people who kept up handwritten communication nowadays and these were definitely scrawled clumsily with ink pen. There were even what looked like food stains on the paper. He bookmarked the details of Mia's correspondence for future reference.

"Has your schedule been set for the week then, Ms Fey?"

She shook her head. "Mr Grossberg said that we would do that this morning. On Friday all I really did was sort through the box on the desk."

"Ah, the rookie box."

"The rookie box?"

"Yeah, that's what we call it. The secretary usually fills it up with stuff that the previous person left behind and one or two things Grossberg forces on everyone who comes here. All of those leaflets, for example."

"Oh." Mia turned to look at the books she had placed on the shelf behind her. "I take it the copy of Lifestyles of the Lawful and Famous was from my predecessor, and not required reading by Mr Grossberg?"

Diego laughed at Mia's gentle humor. "You'll have to figure that one out on your own. Well anyway, I'll let you continue. Grossberg usually schedules time for rookies with everyone at the firm, so we might see each other later."

"Of course."

The minute he turned away to leave, he heard Mia resume her typing.

Heading into his office, Diego set his own bag down and pulled out the papers that he had brought. His desk was mostly clear – only a few pens, his computer, his favorite coffee cup and now that small stack of papers in their neat folder. At least he had something to do until Grossberg came in and set Mia's schedule. The first week of employment at Grossberg Law Offices was usually spent introducing the new person to how things worked around the office. The real work probably wouldn't start until at least her second week, but he found it vaguely impressive that Mia was here so early and seemed to be doing something already.

Diego looked forward to actually spending some time with her and seeing how she worked. Mia must be smart and skilled to have landed a job here, but not only was he keen to see her professional capabilities but her personality as well. It had been a while since Grossberg had liked someone enough to hire them, so Mia must be very interesting indeed.

Mia was shut away in Grossberg's office for most of the morning, enduring the tedious talk that all of them had gone through upon first arriving.

"Company values," Robert Hammond said with a wry smile, adding sugar to a coffee cup.

"Work ethic," Diego returned, pouring himself some coffee. He had had to fight to get a machine in his office, but it had been worth it to have his own supply of freshly-brewed heaven.

"Office hours."

"Core personnel."

"Building security procedures."

"The history of the company."

They were playing a game while they made their morning cups, trying to list what they could remember of Grossberg's dull introduction talk. Diego had managed to stay awake through it thanks to a terribly brewed cup that had been more caffeine than coffee.

"The future of the company." Hammond stirred, then lifted his cup to take a sip before wincing. "Wow, Diego. That packs quite a punch." He coughed a little and moved to add some more cream.

"Hmm?" The coffee tasted fine to Diego and the bag of beans next to the machine looked innocent enough. Maybe he should start labeling his blends more carefully; he couldn't even remember what he had done to this one. "You shouldn't add too much cream and sugar, Robert. You'll spoil it."

Hammond was shaking his head and adding enough cream to make Diego shake his head, too. "You say spoil, I say improve." As if to goad Diego further, he smiled with satisfaction after his next sip. "Ahh, that's better."

Diego rolled his eyes. Everyone around here was such an amateur when it came to what he sometimes called the black arts – the dark art of the perfect cup of coffee. But even though his tastebuds weren't exactly refined, Hammond wasn't a bad guy to be around. He had been Diego's mentor when he first started, and Diego had learned the ropes by following Hammond around for a month and helping him with his cases. The two had a light friendship and a gentle rivalry in the office. Most mornings, Hammond would pop in for a hot drink and a few minutes of chatter.

"What do you think of the rookie?" Hammond asked, apparently pleased with his repaired cup of coffee.

Diego was glad that Hammond had asked about her first. "From what I've seen of her? Well, if she can put up with Grossberg, then I'll think she'll be ok here."

"True. She seems smart as well, though."

"Have you met her, yet?"

"On Friday we had a brief introduction," Hammond shrugged. He was wearing a loose blue suit today, a somber color which contrasted with Diego's customary bright red shirt. It made him look a little like a detective rather than a lawyer. "Didn't you show her around the office?"

He wished he had, but Grossberg on one of his excited whims on Friday had whisked Mia away before Diego could even really talk to her. "Grossberg told me to do that, and then he barged in and did it himself."

Hammond laughed into his coffee, likely picturing Grossberg crashing into Diego's office in excitement, huffing and puffing. "Well, that's understandable. It has been a while since we've had such a pretty female rookie in the office."

"Has it?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed, Diego." Hammond shook his head, clearly disbelieving. "Those eyes? I refuse to believe that you didn't pay careful attention to those when you spoke to her."

"Not really." It was only a half-truth since there were other things about Mia that had caught his attention also, but hearing Hammond talk he could picture those warm and innocent eyes. Perhaps he had been paying more attention than he had thought.

"It must have been her neckline, then."

Diego laughed a little along with Hammond and was about to respond when there was a knock. The secretary poked her head around the door.

"Mr Hammond? Mr Grossberg would like you to come to his office, please."

"What for?"

"He'd like you to look after Ms Fey, today."

"Oh really?" Hammond smirked in Diego's direction. "Fine, I'll be right there." He finished his cup of coffee with a speed that made Diego wince and brushed his suit down with a sigh. "Well, duty calls." With a wave, he left the office.

For a moment, Diego frowned at the empty coffee cup that Hammond had left behind before he went to sit at his desk, his own coffee cup still in hand. He took a slow sip as he thought about what he had to do today. Maybe Hammond would bring Mia around later, and they would have another opportunity to talk.

Diego didn't see Mia that Monday, after all. According to Mia's schedule for that day, being looked after by Hammond meant touring the local area and being introduced to the various filing systems in the office. Only Hammond could have made something like that take so long, long enough that by the time they returned upstairs, Diego was on his way home.

He received a message once he was home though about some kind of networking lunch happening tomorrow. Unfortunately, he was due in court from the morning. Maybe he would make it back in time.

The next day, standing at the bench, Diego snuck a glance at his watch while listening to the current testimony. It looked like he wouldn't make it back for lunch after all. But he didn't have time to be annoyed or frustrated because he had just spotted a hole in the witness's argument.

"Objection!" He said it so loud and with such force that it was almost satisfying.

It was the end of the working day by the time he made it back to the office. Diego planned to drop off some materials before finally heading home. Today had been a dull day, but as he saw Mia exiting her office Diego's eye was drawn to her slender legs, highlighted by a modest yet form-fitting skirt. She cut a strikingly feminine figure in the corridor, her delicate hand reaching forward to pull the door closed. In the soft yellow light of the corridor, her brown hair looked almost golden, framing her gentle face.

It was a moment before he was able to speak. "You're leaving, Ms Fey?"

"Yes," she replied, her door closing with a significant thud. "I've finished for the day." Mia looked up at Diego and he found himself looking into her wide brown eyes as Hammond's words echoed in his head.

She was definitely pretty. "How was the lunch?"

"Good, thank you." Mia blinked a little and touched the corner of her mouth, as if remembering a stray crumb. Her lips were pink from her gloss. "It was a shame you couldn't be there. Where were you today?"

He was mildly pleased that she had noted his absence. "At the courthouse. Have you been, yet?"

She smiled humorlessly, her bottom lip thinning a little. "Not yet. Mr Hammond said he was going to take me, but then something else came up. I'm not sure if there are any plans to actually have a visit there this week."

Her disappointment was clear, and Diego thought back to the time when he had been a rookie, feeling a similar sense of frustration at being kept away from the courthouse for a while until he was deemed… 'ready'. It had annoyed his younger self because even at that point in his career, it wasn't as if he hadn't already visited the courthouse; he had been to the reading rooms and had sat in the gallery for a few trials which were open to the public. He could sympathize. "Well, if you're with me at some point in the next few days, we'll be sure to pay a visit."

This time, her smile was more genuine and he found himself smiling in response. "I'd like that, Mr Armando. To actually be walking around that place as if I belong there…" Realizing that she was about to say too much, she shook her head slightly, her bangs fluttering a little. "I'd appreciate it a lot. Well, see you tomorrow?"

"Sure." He nodded to her and she turned to leave with another slight smile. The image stayed in his head as he went inside his office.

Mia Fey, huh? Young, keen and also... If only he had been around in the office today, then he would have had been able to speak to her properly. A quick glance at the clock however told him that he really should be leaving soon as well, but there was something he wanted to finish quickly before heading home.

Diego was both pleased and disappointed when he was the first to arrive in the office on Wednesday. The door opposite his was resolutely closed and quiet. By the time Mia arrived for work, most other people at the firm had too and the office was coming alive with the sounds of chatter and telephones ringing. Diego gave Mia a cool and calculated fifteen minutes to settle in before he strolled over to her doorway.

"Any indication on that schedule as to whether we get to spend time together this week, Ms Fey?"

Mia opened her mouth to answer when there was a knock on the door. The secretary, at that moment not a particularly welcome sight for Diego, stepped in and looked at Mia. "Ms Fey? Mr Grossberg is waiting for you." Message delivered, she nodded to both of them before making a swift exit. Mia had no choice but to shrug apologetically to Diego and follow.

He had been thwarted at least on this occasion. As he was about to go into his office, Diego spotted the schedule on Mia's desk. It had him penciled in for the whole day with her on Thursday.

On Thursday morning, before he even had the chance to say a word to Mia (she was in later again) Diego was called into Grossberg's office.

"Aha, there you are." Grossberg seemed pleased with himself as he struggled to his feet to greet Diego, who breezed into the office with ease. "I was hoping to talk to you this morning."

"Really?"

"Yes. I know you've been keen to have some contact with Ms Fey—"

At this, Diego suppressed his smirk.

"—and that time is going to come soon."

"Is it? Well, that's great. I'm sure that I can help ease her into a routine." Finally. Well, perhaps the delay would be worth it.

"Of course." Grossberg adjusted his glasses. "But unfortunately, that's not going to be today."

"Sir?"

"I've just had a call from Mr Toperman." Grossberg shifted unsteadily on his feet for a moment, looking a little uncomfortable. Diego prayed that he wasn't about to launch into a discussion about his ongoing health problems but was only partly relieved when Grossberg continued. "I was going to assign Ms Fey to you today to start looking through some recently closed cases and our follow-up procedure but unfortunately my boy, this takes priority."

Diego had been working here long enough to know that Grossberg only used 'my boy' when he was trying to smooth something over. "Priority?" At that moment, Diego despised Grossberg Law Offices' prestige for attracting a wealthy and annoying client such as Toperman, a businessman who Diego could barely tolerate at the best of times, never mind now that he had been denied the chance to play with a kitten.

"Yes, a priority." Why did Grossberg insist on wearing that orange suit when all it did was highlight the red in his cheeks? "I trust you'll take care of this, Diego?" Grossberg was reaching for a file before Diego had a chance to protest, not that it would have been worth it, anyway. "Arrange a meeting with him to discuss his business."

"And what is his business? Is his wife threatening him with divorce again?" He couldn't help but sneer a little as he took the file.

"Just do this, Diego, please. I trust your charm and tact in this situation rather than anyone else's. Besides, there'll be plenty of time for you to meet with Ms Fey in the afternoon." Grossberg waved a hand as he sat down, going back to his papers.

No choice. As Diego strode back to his office to grab his papers, he saw Mia standing in front of his office, waiting expectantly. Ah, it breaks my heart to postpone our date, kitten but… "Sorry, Ms Fey." Diego swept inside and started to assemble his things. "Duty calls. You'll be with Robert again today."

"Oh." She hid her disappointment well, maybe a little too well for his liking but there would be plenty of time for that later. "Ok then."

"We'll talk later. Grossberg has me visiting a client."

"A client?" She couldn't hide her interest in that, however.

"You wouldn't want to touch this one, believe me." He swigged the dregs of his cup of coffee, noting that the lukewarm temperature did nothing positive for the flavor of the blend. "Smug and smarmy man with too much money and too little sense."

"I'm not sure you should talk about your clients that way, Mr Armando." She said it with a serious tone but he could tell she was more amused than anything else.

"I'll talk about whoever I like, however I like if they're taking me away from someone infinitely more interesting." He gave her a smile and left, resisting the urge to see whether that had at least made her cheek flush a little.

As he had expected, the briefing with Mr Toperman was like pulling teeth. In fact, Diego had felt like his teeth were going to fall out of his mouth with the amount of toothy smiling he had been forced to do. The insufferable man had lumbered Diego with the task of looking over the details of an acquisition and planning in the eventuality of his wife filing for divorce. Of course, Diego had agreed to provide the services of Grossberg Law Firms even if neither of these things were their specialty, and had already started to plot how he could possibly get Hammond to take some of the work. Deep down though, he knew that Toperman was attached to him and would accept service from no one else, so it looked like he was stuck.

Back at the office, he caught a brief glimpse of Mia. Her hips swayed slightly and her hair swished across her shoulders as she walked with Hammond back towards one of the meeting rooms. They were sitting in there reviewing material. Diego felt a twinge of displeasure at the thought of Hammond having much more fun than he was, but it was nothing a cup of scalding hot, unsweetened black coffee couldn't chase away.

On Friday, as Diego sat finishing off his lunch at his desk, Hammond popped in for a visit.

"She's really something, that Fey girl," was the first thing he said. "Very quick, very intelligent, very perceptive."

Diego chewed the last bite of a toasted sandwich very carefully and took a long, drawn-out sip of coffee, looking at Hammond over the rim of his mug. Hammond had been with Mia for most of the day again, looking over some more old cases and learning about the firm's follow-up and logging procedures. Apparently, anyway, who knows what Hammond had been telling her? Surely looking over closed cases shouldn't have taken a day and a half so far. "Do you still have much to go through?"

"Some. She's basically eating it up, Diego. Pretty and enthusiastic."

"Hmm. A good combination."

"I'll say." Hammond smiled to himself for a moment.

"You're too old for her," Diego said curtly, seeing how Hammond's eyes were glazing over.

He only laughed. "Such a shame, isn't it, Diego? Good thing I don't date people in the workplace, only a fool would do that. Still, nothing wrong with admiring the view." With a shrug, he left the office, sweeping back towards the meeting room where Mia was probably already waiting.

Indeed, Diego thought, vaguely annoyed at the intrusion, slightly more annoyed that Hammond and Mia had spent quite a lot of time together this week. It was already Friday, and his amount of contact with the rookie had been limited to snatches of conversation, and it wasn't all that satisfying.

Diego tried to be patient for the rest of Friday, but it was difficult when Mia wasn't even around for him to have a glimpse of, or exchange a single word with. Hammond's lunchtime visit had bothered him; he found himself pacing his office in the afternoon, his door open, looking at Mia's closed and unoccupied office opposite. Finally, as the clock rolled around to show that the day was nearly ending, he decided he had been patient enough, walking resolutely towards Grossberg's office.

"Grossberg's in, right?" Diego asked the secretary, who was sorting through some mail.

"Yes, Mr Armando, but he asked not to be disturbed. He's expecting a call from a client shortly."

"Is he, now?" The door to Grossberg's office was of a heavy, dark wood, meant to look intimidating with its solid panels, great weight and golden handle but because Diego knew the man who sat behind it, it looked more ostentatious than anything else. Like that ridiculous desk of his. "Well I suppose I should be quick then." He took the time to throw a quick wink at the secretary, who spluttered out her protests just as Diego opened the door and stepped inside. The door shut with a thud behind him.

Grossberg looked up from the documents he had been poring over. "Hmm? Can I help you, Diego?"

With his back against the door, Diego could almost feel the secretary's trembling self as she knocked timidly at first, then with a little more confidence. Not much more, but at least the second time she knocked you could just about hear it if you strained your ears.

"Come in," Grossberg called, smiling gently when the secretary poked her head around the door. "Ah yes my dear, I've noticed that Diego has come in. Not to worry, we'll only be a short while. Do let me know if that client of ours calls, will you?"

"Y-Yes Sir."

Diego gave her a dazzling smile as he shut the door and strode over to Grossberg's desk.

"Lovely girl, she is," Grossberg said, looking at his documents again. "Can be a bit shy though, but give her a little while and she'll come out of her shell." Very deliberately, he placed the sheaf of papers perfectly flat and ordered on his desk. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Sir, it's about Mia Fey."

"Oh?" That had his attention, and Diego noted that as something to come back to later. ""What about her?"

"I want to know why you haven't let me see her."

"See her?" Grossberg laughed briefly, the laugh carefully disintegrating into a snuffle behind his mustache. "My dear boy, she works in the office opposite yours, you've seen her an awful lot this week I don't doubt."

Maybe he shouldn't have led with that sentence – now Grossberg would feel like he had the upper hand. He had to get it back somehow, and not sound so… "Sir, you haven't included me in her introductory schedule when you said you would. Instead, she's been wasting her time doing useless exercises in filing with Robert, and endless tours of the local area which to be honest isn't actually all that great apart from one or two highlights. She hasn't been to the courthouse, she hasn't looked at any current files and she hasn't even had the chance to speak to me."

"And why should that matter?" Grossberg looked as if he was struggling to hide a smile, and the image only made Diego a little angrier. "It's only her first week, Diego."

"She has a fine opportunity in working for this firm to make something of herself. You can't keep her hidden away doing stuff that isn't important! Maybe she shouldn't be handling a case on her own, but at the very least she should be following someone around that is."

"And that someone should be you?"

"Who else should it be?" Diego leaned forward, placing his hands either side of Grossberg's carefully stacked papers. "You know that there's nobody better at this firm than I am."

"I see."

"You haven't even included me in any of her meet and greets."

"You haven't been here, Diego."

"That's because you sent me off on a stupid mercy mission to that idiot client of ours."

"You shouldn't speak of our clients that way, Diego."

"Why not? He is an idiot, you know it and so does everyone else."

Grossberg sighed and shook his head. "Doesn't mean you should say it out loud, Diego. A client is a client. Besides, I trusted that you would take care of him where nobody else could."

"You mean nobody else would," Diego grumbled, pushing himself away from the table in frustration.

"Diego, my boy," Grossberg said soothingly, waving a hand dismissively, "what exactly are you complaining about here? About not having a chance to see the newest member of the firm when she's only been here a week? About being asked to take a job which I gave to you in confidence? Or having work to do in general? You were in court earlier this week as well, if I recall correctly. So are you impatient, or are you unwilling to work? I must admit, neither seems like you." Despite the gentle tone, Diego knew he was being reprimanded slightly. For a moment, he regretted his own unprofessionalism; it would have been better to wait and maybe ask Grossberg casually instead of barging into his office.

I should have kept my cool. "None of the above, Sir. I just—" He took a moment to think about the next avenue of attack. "You say you trust me, that I'm one of your best workers." He smiled easily, almost cockily at that. "And then you don't let me near your shining rookie? It seems a bit… counterproductive."

Pleased at Diego's change in tone, and looking like he was happier being on more familiar ground, Grossberg nodded slowly. "I can see why it might have appeared that way; I know how you don't like being excluded particularly when we have new staff in the office." He didn't say it, but Diego knew he was thinking of the word female. "She's a very special young woman, is our Ms Fey, I've known that from the moment I laid eyes on her application. Your protests are noted, but you really haven't been around, Diego. Apart from being dispatched to deal with Toperman, you have had other work on. Robert has had a lighter caseload than you this week."

With some effort, Grossberg got to his feet. He was shorter than Diego, but unfazed by having to look up to meet his eyes, studying him carefully before taking a deliberate breath and continuing, as if the following information was being extracted slowly and painfully out of him. "Diego, my boy. I was going to tell you, but you didn't let me get a word in. I've… decided to assign you to Ms Fey as a mentor, at least for the first month that she's at this firm."

"…What?"

"Don't look so surprised, Diego! Isn't that what you were just complaining about?" Grossberg laughed and coughed at the same time, one large hand held in front of his mouth. "I simply don't have the time to take her under my wing, Robert is perhaps a little too, errm, old for her, although please don't tell him I said that and well, there isn't anyone else here in such a position to be a mentor. You're a perfect match for her, wouldn't you agree? Wasn't that what you were just saying?"

Did… Grossberg just wink at him? No, he was blinking away as if there was some dust in his right eye. Realizing that there wasn't, and that it was most likely just a speck on his glasses, Grossberg removed them and immediately began cleaning them with a silk handkerchief produced out of nowhere. He looked strange without his glasses, his eyes almost too small for his face and two faint dents were on the bridge of his nose.

"Anyway," Grossberg continued, rubbing away at the lenses with the fabric as he slowly paced behind his desk, "I think it might be especially good for you to be a mentor. Give you a change of pace. Let you pass on all that knowledge you have in that bright head of yours. The younger generation is the one we have to watch out for, Diego. You'll remember me saying something very similar to you when you first started here and I was your mentor for a brief while." His glasses finally cleaned, Grossberg held them up to the light to give them a quick inspection, squinting as he held them above his head.

"So then why didn't you give her to me on Monday?" Diego blurted out. "Why make me wait?"

Grossberg made him wait for a response as he put his glasses back on, only to peer at Diego over the tops of the frame. "Diego, my dear boy," he said finally, and Diego could swear that he was almost laughing, "I didn't make you wait! Toperman was being very demanding and besides, there was some compulsory material to work through that would have bored you to tears! I believe I was in fact doing you a favor."

"But—"

When Grossberg held up a hand, Diego knew the conversation was over. "Just be glad, Diego. I've already spoken to Ms Fey, and she'll check in with you on Monday morning. Now have a nice weekend."

Diego was about to say something else, to have the last word, but Grossberg sat back down, picked up his fountain pen and waved him away. He had no choice except to leave and head back to his own office.

After going inside and closing the door, Diego tried to calm down a little. Why was he so flustered? Wasn't this better than just being part of Mia's introduction? He was assigned as her mentor. That would give him ample opportunity to spend time with her during working hours, get to know her in a way that nobody else at Grossberg Law Offices would. Besides, he hadn't properly been a mentor before; he had only offered advice to people here and there. He hadn't actually had someone shadow him. Grossberg Law Offices had a good buddying system, but Diego had never really been on the other side of that until now. It was a good opportunity. Grossberg was right, of course.

Still, he knew that Grossberg had been delaying it by a week on purpose. That man was infuriating, sometimes.

A knock on his door distracted him for a moment. "Come in," he called.

Mia opened the door slightly, hovering between the corridor and Diego's office, unsure of whether to step in or stay out. "I'm leaving now, Mr Armando."

"Are you?" Diego managed a weak smile. "Well then, have a nice weekend."

"Thank you… and you." Her small hand was curled elegantly around the handle of a battered-looking leather satchel, the edges of the straps slightly furry and the buckles that held its large flap in place dull with age. Probably one that had seen her through law school – sentimentality was the strongest reason to be carrying something that looked like that in a place like this. She was swinging it idly as if it was a schoolbag and she was a shy teenager. "I… look forward to working with you next week, Mr Armando."

Yes, Grossberg said he had told her. This time, his smile wasn't entirely forced. "Me too, Ms Fey. I'll see you bright and early on Monday."

"Yes, Sir." She nodded to him, the corner of her mouth lifting gently in a solemn smile before she left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Diego had to take a deep breath, leaning against the wall for one moment. He laughed a little to himself as he felt all of the week's troubles simply melting away. He would have to make sure he rested up this weekend. Although the thought of having to wait a few more days grated a little, the thought of having her all to himself was soothing. Just then, unbidden, the image of her shy half-smile came into his mind, and he found himself wondering what it would be like to tease a full smile out of her pretty mouth. He would have to make that his goal for the next week, to see if the image he had in his head matched the reality.