Easy wasn't a word Caroline used often. If something were easy, that usually meant she wasn't putting in as much effort as she could, and if Caroline didn't give something her all, she didn't truly deserve it. Caroline learned early on that the world was pitted against her, that the only way she could make a name for herself was by clawing her way through every obstacle and against every adversary. Her studies taught her how to survive, and her career taught her how to fight. And not a single day was ever easy.

That is, until he happened.

Like all of her professional pursuits, acquiring work at Aperture Science was a struggle for Caroline. She studied to be a scientist, to learn how things worked and to always ask questions. What she didn't study for was to take calls and write down names as people came and went throughout the facility. However, all it took was one look at her from the head of Aperture's hiring department to decide Caroline would be better suited as a secretary, rather than an entry-level lab boy. Appearances were always valued over hard facts like degrees or academic awards, after all.

Even so, Caroline took it all in stride. If taking calls and writing down names was where she would be forced to start, she would do a damn good job of it. No one would see her slack or grow weary; she would give every day her all and never once allow herself to accept easy work. If a problem arose, she would solve it. If her superiors gave her a pat on the head and assured her that it was okay to not find a solution, that no one would think less of her for falling behind in a "man's world", she would deliver results in record time just to prove she could. They wouldn't see her slow; they wouldn't see her bow.

Perhaps that defiance is what caught his eye; that strive to "do what she must because she could"? Whatever the reason, it wasn't long before Caroline took the notice of CEO and founder of Aperture Science, Cave Johnson, himself. Whispers and break-room gossip would say it was her womanly charms that won the boss over, but anyone who knew Cave Johnson would know he wasn't so easily impressed by something so superficial. A bonus, yes, but when one had an entire business to run, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by the shining eyes of a pretty secretary. No, what caught Cave Johnson's interest was Caroline's work ethic, her ambition. And what could possibly be better suited for the boss as a personal assistant than someone as equally determined as himself?

Caroline didn't ask questions, she wouldn't even blink. She was smart enough to know that such a promotion couldn't be as effortless as a little tenacity on her part and expected ulterior motives at every corner. But they never came. Despite the rumors of the other women in her previous office, never once did the infamous CEO make unwanted advances towards her. Never once did a request of overtime venture any further than, believe it or not, actual work, and the occasional pat on the shoulder and a "Good work today," said with a grin and a fond look of pride. Caroline found herself relaxing in her new position, a small part of her accepting that perhaps she had earned it, after all. Working alongside Cave Johnson was rewarding, exciting, relieving.

Easy.

Of course, the work itself wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. As long as there was science to be done, Caroline never expected easy solutions to impossible problems. But that didn't mean finding the will to tackle such problems was difficult, nor was voicing her opinions or ideas to her boss. Cave Johnson, an egotistical man by nature, of course always found pride in hearing himself speak, and alternatively being the one to put two-and-two together. However, he also seemed to find equal amounts of pride in Caroline solving the consistent puzzles of their predicaments as well. It was a pride of knowing that his assistant, his Caroline, was the one to keep them moving forward.

Caroline never missed when he referred to her as "his Caroline".

She was like property to him, nothing more. That's what Caroline told herself. His pride in her wasn't out of any fondness or interest, but rather out of what he saw in her to be used, to be utilized for his own gain. Never mind that he always remembered how she took her coffee, or that she liked to go home on time every Thursday so she could phone her aging parents. Never mind that he remembered her birthday, or that he asked about her weekends.

Never mind the way he grinned when she greeted him every morning.

"His Caroline."

Caroline knew better than to get distracted, than to allow herself the hope that something for once in her life could be given to her simply because she deserved a gift. Caroline learned not to hope long ago, and no amount of approving looks in Cave Johnson's eyes would change that. But despite herself, in the deepest recesses of Caroline's mind, a tiny hope was sparking all the same. And as the days turned into weeks, into months, into years, Caroline allowed herself to smile more freely, to lean into every chaste touch, to speak without reserve the words she wanted to say. In time, the barriers Caroline had spent her whole life building had begun to form doors, and Cave Johnson was granted a key.

Easy wasn't a word Caroline used often, and when it came to work, she would always take the more difficult path. However, maybe some things could be easy. Smiling with genuine happiness could be easy, as could laughing without restraint. A look of admiration and loyalty could be easy, as could receiving them in return. Kind words and gentle touches could be easy and accepting them without fear of secret ill-intent as well.

Love could also be easy, Caroline decided. And no one could ever tell her she didn't deserve it.