Leo Fitz stared at the grubby floor of the tube train as he sped through the London Underground. He wanted to close his eyes to get away from the irritating lights that flickered every other second but knew if he did he'd more than likely end up falling asleep. It certainly wouldn't be the first time it had happened; he'd been late to meetings for that sole reason far too many times.

The stench of the tube was enough to put him off any remote feelings of happiness or joy; it was full to bursting with sweaty, sickly people coughing all over each other or nearly punching others in the face as they held a book out in front of themselves. Leo was practically pressed against the metal door and had been for a good ten minutes, meaning his back was beginning to ache from where his heavy black case was strapped over his shoulder and digging into him.

On top of that, he knew the second he got out of that boiling, grotty, putrid metal cage he'd spend much longer than he should do zig zagging through a ridiculous amount of people to get out of the underground and onto the streets of London. And when he did, the forecasted torrential rain would be constantly smacking against him as he hurriedly made his way to work.

He rolled his sleeve up to check the time – he still had half an hour and not much left of a torturous tube journey, so at least that was one thing that wouldn't get him down. It was just a shame about the thirty billion things that did.

As he struggled to breath due to an overweight (or as his mother said, 'horizontally challenged') man leaning into his chest, Leo's thoughts returned to the question he'd asked himself every time he'd taken such a similar journey.

How did it all come to this?

He thought being a photographer would be a perfect way of life. He'd be doing something he enjoyed and earning money for it; he'd always been good at it and his college tutor was always so enthusiastic about the work he produced. He'd wanted to pursue a career in it, and he did. Except instead of raking in thousands of pounds and living a life of luxury, he was stuck travelling on a tube with a heavy camera in a better condition than he was over his shoulder on his way to make just enough money to pay the rent.

It's not like he even got anything culturally stimulating and exciting from it. Jobs were rare as it was, so he had to take any he could get, but he'd never gotten to take beautiful landscape shots or snap famous celebrities. He was taking photos of people who were still unknown but still more successful than him. Leo Fitz was the underdog to the underdog.

He'd been so full of energy and hope when he'd moved to London (despite his mother's reservations about his career choice) and it had all been drained away as time went on. He just wasn't getting the thrill from photography he used to – there was nothing to be excited for and nothing to inject happiness into his life. He was single, practically penniless and ashamed of himself; so much for a perfect way of life.

After enduring the rest of the journey, Leo navigated through the maze of passengers and out into the busy streets. Holding his camera case over his head to shelter him from the rain, he moved hurriedly down road after road before finally reaching his destination – May's Modelling, the rising star of the modelling world. It was a somewhat new company but it had been making a hell of an impact; the founder, Melinda May, was quickly becoming something of an icon.

Leo had been surprised when May's Modelling contacted him directly asking for his services, claiming to have seen his work online and being impressed. He was reluctant to accept since Melinda May was rumoured to be absolutely terrifying, but he needed the money and May's paid exceptionally well.

The building itself was a pristine white with black and red furniture in each and every room; Leo appreciated the consistency as he was directed to the fifth floor, which was reserved solely for Melinda May herself to work from. Leo looked around and noticed that the view from the large panel windows would be incredible when the sun was out.

In all of the commotion of the journey and taking in the building itself, Leo hadn't taken notice of the woman sat smiling at him behind a glossy black desk. It was packed with notepads and phones and books and magazines yet it was all kept very tidy and organised. In fact, the only thing Leo didn't particularly like was the large red lamps hanging from the ceiling; they were just a bit too bright.

"…Can I help you?" The woman at the desk smiled politely. Leo finally noticed her and was taken back by her beauty. Did the models do the admin work as well? She had soft brown hair and matching eyes, and a natural warmth to her and her voice. Quite appropriate qualities for a receptionist, Leo noted.

"…Yeah. Sorry. Didn't see you there; I was kinda overwhelmed by all this." Leo smiled nervously, hoping he could blame his blushing cheeks on the overbearing lighting.

"I was the same when I first came here, don't worry. I still wish they'd change the lights, but Melinda likes it so I have to pretend to." The woman smiled. Leo looked at the nametag on the pretty woman and saw her name was Jemma. He'd always liked that name.

"She must like you if you call her Melinda." Leo noted.

"She demands everyone be on first name terms here; she lives for mutual respect, it's quite an endearing quality. I take it you have an appointment with her since they sent you up here?" Jemma wondered.

"Oh, yeah. Well, I'm supposed to be taking photos for her, apparently." Leo explained.

"Your camera case looks wet; will you be able to without electrocuting yourself?" Jemma smiled.

"I would hope so. I used it as cover as I walked down here. I needed to keep myself dry, didn't I?" Leo chuckled.

"Have you heard of a clever little device called an umbrella?" Jemma giggled adorably (Leo found it adorable, anyway).

"I…I have. That would have been a good idea." Leo chuckled.

"What time is your appointment?" Jemma asked.

"Uh, quarter to. I'm a bit early." Leo revealed.

"Melinda will appreciate that." Jemma said, typing some details into the computer in front of her while Leo stared at the door on the opposite end of the room where Melinda May was likely to be sat on the other side of.

"…Oh my god! You're Leo Fitz?" Jemma asked excitedly as details came up on her computer.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Leo asked, confused.

"…This is amazing!" Jemma squealed.

"…I think I'm missing something." Leo said.

"…Oh, sorry, I just…well…I'm Melinda's personal assistant, you see. I interviewed for the job about a month ago and there were four other people who applied. As part of our interviews we had to pitch the work of a little-known photographer as if we wanted Melinda to hire them to do work for the firm. I, uh…I pitched you." Jemma admitted, slightly embarrassed as she got to the end of her explanation.

"…You did? Really? Me?" Leo asked, bewildered and flattered.

"Yeah. I was searching through blog after blog online for someone to pitch, about to give up and withdraw my application completely and then I came across yours. It blew me away, honestly. Melinda normally doesn't follow up on anyone's pitches, but she looked at your site and told me she'd hired you. It'd slipped my mind that it was today!" Jemma explained happily.

"Wow. I don't know what to say." Leo said with a grin.

"You could say, "thank you Jemma, for getting me a job"." Jemma teased playfully.

"Technically, I got you a job too." Leo smiled.

"…That you did." Jemma smiled back.

Leo noticed that Jemma's smile lit up the room far better than the lights could ever hope to. Jemma noticed that Leo had the most gorgeous blue eyes.

"I applaud your bravery, facing Melinda May in person like that." Leo said when he decided he'd been staring at Jemma so long she was probably getting freak out (though she was too busy staring at him to notice).

"She's actually really nice when you get to know her; show her respect and you'll get it back. Plus, I needed to get this job. From this position you can work your way up in the field and either take a managerial role in the firm or become a model for them. I've dreamt of being a model since I was a little girl, but I only seriously started exploring it in the last few years." Jemma explained.

"Well I, uh, I hope you make it. Maybe I could take some photos of you some day. NOT IN A WEIRD WAY. Not like, 'there's great lighting in my basement', but because you'd be a model and I'd be a photographer…sorry, I ramble and say stupid things in front of beautiful girls. NOT THAT I…I mean, not beautiful girls…I mean, you are beautiful but I didn't want to imply that…I need to stop." Leo said, his face bright red. Jemma stared at him and chuckled lightly.

"You're sweet." She said sweetly. Leo smiled at her before the door on the other end of the room opened and Melinda May herself stepped out, dressed in a stylish black outfit and walking like she owned the world (at the rate she was going, she probably would one day).

"…Is this him?" Melinda asked, looking Leo up and down.

"Yes. This is Leo Fitz." Jemma smiled. Leo gulped nervously.

"You're a little soggy." Melinda stated.

"…I am, yes." Leo nodded.

"I've just got a few emails to send. Send him in in two minutes." Melinda ordered and Jemma nodded as she headed back into her office.

"…So that's Melinda." Jemma said.

"I think she hates me." Leo said nervously.

"She's like that with everyone she doesn't know, don't worry. Hang on; let me get you a towel to dry yourself off a bit." Jemma said, rushing into the room behind her desk and returning with a towel, handing it to Leo with a smile and watching as he rubbed his face and hair dry.

"Thanks." Leo said.

"No problem." Jemma smiled.

"I've been dripping all over the floor." Leo said.

"Don't worry about that, you need to go in. I'll mop it up." Jemma said, taking the towel back and gesturing towards the door.

"…Okay. Thank you." Leo said, cautiously walking over to the door. As he reached it, he turned back and saw Jemma mouth 'good luck' with a wide grin. He smiled back, opened the door and headed inside.

The décor of Melinda May's office was in keeping with the rest of the building; red panelled windows, black desk and an impressive set up of computers and monitors mounted on the walls. A puffy red sofa was pressed against one wall, upon which Melinda May was sat.

"…Are you having a stroke?" Melinda asked.

"Uh, no." Leo said.

"Then why don't you sit down?" Melinda asked, gesturing to the space next to her on the sofa. Leo nodded and hurried over, sitting down and taking his camera case off and gently placing it by his side.

"Don't look so nervous, we've already hired you." Melinda said.

"Doesn't mean you can't fire me, though." Leo said.

"…A good point." Melinda nodded.

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity." Leo said.

"I know. You seem quite uplifted despite being damp with rain." Melinda observed.

"Well, I'm excited to be working here." Leo explained.

"Really, because when I was watching you through the CCTV when you walked in you looked like you'd been hit by two buses and slapped in the face." Melinda said.

"…Thank you?"

"You think that's a good thing?" Melinda asked.

"I doubt it."

"Correct. Something tells me it was my personal assistant that put you in a good mood." Melinda smirked.

"…Well, she's a fan of my work. That's always flattering to hear, especially when you're an unknown." Leo explained.

"She certainly is. The passion and enthusiasm she showed for you work is what got her the job, and what got me interested in your blog. I was rather impressed with your style. I was anxious to find out why you have never taken a photo straight on. Your photos are always on angles or from a different perspective." Melinda said.

"Because life is art, so art should reflect life. Life is never simple or straight forward, so my work shouldn't be." Leo explained. Melinda smiled at his answer.

"That's a very good answer. I'm glad to see you possess a lot of intelligence. Before I work with a photographer I need to get to know them and get a sense of them, hence why I'm asking you all of this and why I observed you as you walked in today. I like you and your portfolio, but do you know what would have happened if you walked in here today and left me unimpressed?" Melinda asked.

"I'd be fired." Leo said.

"No, I'd have let you do your job anyway. You know why?" Melinda wondered.

"Why?"

"Because Jemma likes your work, and I trust Jemma. I wanted a few promotional shots done with our three new models, but I wanted mirrors incorporated into the background. I thought your use of angles would come in handy; I'd been waiting for a job for you to come along and I found one. How long do you think it'll take?" Melinda asked.

"As long as it takes to get it right." Leo answered and Melinda smiled.

"Right answer."

"I didn't know that was a test." Leo said.

"When you work for me, everything's a test. If you pass, you'll almost certainly be getting more jobs from me again. I'll introduce you to the models then we can head to the studio on the floor above where the shoot has been set up. Ready?" Melinda asked.

"Absolutely. I won't let you down." Leo said.

"I'd hope not. It wouldn't be wise to do that. You're Scottish; disappoint me and you'd be begging for the fate of William Wallace compared to what I'd do." Melinda said, standing up and leading him to the door. Leo had no idea if she was joking or not.

The two headed out and Jemma smiled at them as she sat at the desk stapling some papers together.

"Head to the lift at the end of the corridor. I'll be right there." Melinda ordered and Leo nodded, waving at Jemma as he left. Jemma waved back with a smile before turning to Melinda.

"Well?" Jemma asked.

"…He shows promise." Melinda said.

"That's high praise as far as you're concerned." Jemma grinned.

"You have a good taste in photographers, Jemma. Don't lose that. Though I don't think it was his photography skills that struck you about him today. You haven't been able to take the smile off your face since I took him into my office." Melinda smirked.

"…You said you would never watch me on the CCTV again!" Jemma stated.

"I say a lot of things. Expect to see a lot more of Leo Fitz around here." Melinda smiled before walking out and leaving Jemma alone with her thoughts.

The smile on her face grew even wider.