The Start of a New Page
Normally she would be unnerved at the sight that lay before her very kind eyes, but Caroline was a forgiving woman. She'd always been that way, no matter what be the case she'd move on. Although the hamartia in this trait would be simple, overtime those the bigger problems would add up. Her eyes were in shock as she gawked still disbelieving the mess that was once her boss's office. A rather devious employee, well former employee had taken very unstable waste from the test tracks and slung it all over the sacred mahogany room. Caroline's mind blinked back to what seemed to be her average cold, snowy, and bleak Michigan morning.
It was about 5 am when Caroline had gotten to work that morning, she always showed up an hour or two early. As per usual Mr. Johnson was just pulling in, she smiled and figured she'd wait up for him. Caroline walked over to him to see if he needed any help.
"Need me to carry your briefcase Sir?" She chirped in her professional perky voice.
"Now Caroline, you're not even clocked in and you act like you're on the job. How is that any fun?" He teased.
"Well I just wanted to help if you needed." Her face tuned an embarrassed shade of pink.
"I'm just joking," He smirked. "Now what are you doing in that flimsy jacket, this time of year?" He ducked in to his car to retrieve his coat, wrapping it around his assistant. "Better?"
She smiled and said in a quiet tone. "Thank you, Sir."
So the two walked quietly into the sleepy building, and like any other morning they were the first to arrive. With the opening of the front door their morning routine started. Cave teasing Caroline just to make her blush, and Caroline trying to act professional when every atom of her make up was screaming for her to just let lose a bit. They were a perfect match, because they had enough in common to be empathetic, yet enough differences to keep it fresh. Though the pair could be quite blind to it, but they were slowly falling for each other. It was this exact morning Cave decided to make a move and ask her on a date. He'd been planning for about a month now, wanting to get it just right.
"Say , how's this morning's schedule?" He asked as they walked in to Caroline's small office.
"It's not terrible, just a small meeting with the Board of Directors, then you have quite a bit of free time to tie up lose ends of documents, and look over a few project proposals." She smiled.
"Now why would I do that with my spare time?" He winked.
The young woman grew quiet, knowing vaguely where he was going. "Now Sir, that didn't sound very proper for work." She sighed a bit.
"Now why would I ever imply something like that?"
She let up a bit, and smiled."Mr. Johnson to be fair you do tend to joke quite often about this."
"Caroline, you've worked by my side for over four years, would it kill you to call me Cave just once? Besides-" He paused for a moment not sure weather or not to finish. "Er, what if I'm not joking and I'm being genuine?"
"Now Mr. John-"
He made a small noise at this.
"Cave." She quickly corrected, knowing it would take some time to warm up to.
"Hmm?"
"You can't be serious?" Her heart seemed to flutter a bit, and she felt weak in the knees causing her to sit down.
"I'll prove it to you, how about I take you to lunch?" He grinned.
"Well , I suppose that'd be nice." She smiled shyly.
Cave turned the shiny gold knob, and opened his door and with it a strong rotten oder wafted in the air. He grumbled a bit, motioning to turn on the light, only to have his hand coated in a thick ooze. The light jumped on, revealing a murky green slime coating most of the open walls, that weren't lined with books, his floor, and his desk. The kicker was the note taped matter a factly to his over stuffed chair. He angrily ripped the note off the chair while Caroline stood shocked hiding in the doorway.
'Cave Johnson, go to hell.
~ Gaylord Harker'
He stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him. Caroline instinctively picked up her phone and called Janitorial Services, hoping someone would be in. To her luck, someone picked up.
"Hello?" The voice sounded a bit fuzzy and asleep.'
"Hello this is Mr. Johnson's assistant Caroline, we have a bit of an urgent situation in his office."
"Now miss, if he spilled his coffee on that priceless rug of his it's not that urgent" The woman said mockingly.
"Excuse me do you know, who you're talking to?" Her voice rose a bit, as the woman had struck a nerve. "Listen, if you fancy keeping your job, I'd advise you get up here and clean the green ooze of his walls, before someone gets fired."
The woman muttered a bit as she grabbed some supplies. "Fine I'll be right up."
Caroline heard the line go dead when the snarky woman slammed down the phone. She sighed a bit and thought, "I really must do something about her."
Caroline could hear Cave yelling at someone a ways down the hallway, most likely the employee that defaced his office. The man was probably just walking in as Cave caught him and fired him on the spot telling him that he was going to pay for the damages.
It wasn't long after that the woman showed up to clean his office though Caroline had already started on the gruesome task. She had borrowed one of her boss's old t shirts out of the luckily untouched closet and found a pair of beat up jeans. He kept them around just as a precaution though he had a more professional outfits tucked away in case of a spilled coffee. The young assistant had managed to find a bucket in a nearby supply closet and was scoping the slime into in with her rubber glove clad hands. The cleaning woman started working on the other side of the room quietly, she seemed a bit remorseful seeing Caroline working to fix her boss's morning. Caroline's mind started to wonder being as Cave had been gone for quiet some time, she sighed and kept at wiping down his desk and sorting through the mushy papers that lay in a heap. Most of them couldn't be salvaged tough she believed the bulk it was just an old news paper. Caroline was checking the desk drawers to make sure things were somewhat clean, as she knew how disorganized Cave could get, when she came across a small photo of her and Cave at a company Christmas party.
'Why would he keep this in his top drawer?' She asked herself. Cave was wearing a black suit and a red tie, his arm wrapped around Caroline smiling ever so proudly. She blushed to herself as she felt Cave's firm grasp on her shoulder.
"I see you found my little treasure." He whispered as he knelt down next to her.
Caroline stayed quiet and nodded. She put the photo back in the drawer and closed it.
"Sir, may I have a word with you alone?" She glanced at the cleaning woman who was blatantly trying to eavesdrop.
He cleared his throat. "Of course I suppose you need to tell me about some classified testing information." He walked out of the room into the front office, as Caroline followed and closed the door.
"Sir, be straight with me." Her face tightened. "Don't lead me on, if this is some sort of silly game don't bother, you'll have my resignation by noon. I'm not here to be the CEO's little plaything." Her eyes narrowed.
"Now Caroline-" He paused for quite some time. "Why would I joke about this, I'd never want to hurt you."
She felt enraged at this. "From what I've heard in the past you like to play around with women, treat them like gold until you tire of them. So let me tell you this Mr. Johnson just because I'm a woman doesn't mean you can-"
Cave cut her off by kissing her sweetly on the lips. Time seemed to stand till around them, nervous thoughts seemed to plague their brains but after that nothing seemed to matter. Cave moved to wrap his arms around her, he whispered. "Now next time I tell you that I'd never hurt you you'll know I mean it." He smiled a bit.
Caroline was speechless, her mind was spinning out of control. 'This has to be a dream.' She screamed internally.
Cave laughed a bit, realizing his assistant was wearing his clothes and covered in green slop. "Now kid, who told you it was ok for you to work this hard?"
"Well um, I just wanted to make sure things were done right. Files all accounted for, books on shelfs just so, and more importantly you being happy."
"Why don't you get out of that, and we'll take today off?"
"Sir-"
"Cave" He sternly corrected.
"Fine. Cave, I can't there's too much to get done. Science doesn't test it's self."
"Science will be here tomorrow, the cleaning woman can finish her job, and you need a day off."
"I'm only going to end up bringing my work home." She shrugged.
Cave sighed. "Fine, how about you take the day off or you're fired?" He teased.
"Now be reasonable, who will give you your coffee in the morning's and rub your back in the evening?"
Cave's laugh boomed. "Now you sound like a concerned wife, kid. I'd never fire you, you're the best damn assistant I've had. You're never late and your coffee doesn't taste like dishwater hell, I can't find one thing that's wrong with you. So what do ya say? Let's ditch this place and have a good time."
"If it'll make you happy S-, Cave. She sat at her desk and finished organizing some paperwork.
Cave frowned "What happened to taking the day of?"
She turned to a filing cabinet and stored the papers neatly. "Well I need to take care of a few things before I leave. It'll just take me a bit."
"Alright, I'll go harass those ninny's that call themselves scientists." He strode out the door with his million dollar smile plastered to his face.
It was three hours later when Caroline found Cave waiting for her in the break room. He looked so out of place sitting alone at a vacant table, while other employees congregated together sharing theories. Everyone seemed to avoid Cave and ignore him altogether.
"Damn it kid, I thought you stood me up." His laugh boomed and silenced the room. Everyone was eagerly staring at them. Cave glared at them. "I don't pay you to gawk at me like pigeons, get back to work breaks over!" Some workers scattered.
"Now Mr. Johnson I had to take care of a small mishap in accounting, not to mention fix the sign error in one of the blue prints from Lab 4."
"Now let's get out of here before you find something else that needs your magic touch."
She giggled. "Mr. Johnson!"
It was noon when Cave told her to close her eyes and not open them until he said so. She protested at first but later gave in. He drove her to his place where he planned to make her lunch.
"Cave can I open my eyes yet?" She whined at him, it had been about a fifteen minute ride to his house.
"Not yet." He opened her door and lead her to the door to his large home.
"Now come on I feel blind." She pouted.
"Just give me a little. Maybe this will change your mind, hmmm?" He sweetly kissed her cheek and moved her toward the large couch in his living room. "You can sit down now ok, I'll be back in a bit. Just don't peek, or I'll make you take a whole week off."
"Fine, fine, I'll keep um' closed." She heaved a heavy sigh.
Cave wasn't exactly sure what he had in mind for lunch, hell he hadn't even had a guest over in close to a year. He decided just to make something simple yet sweet, something he couldn't screw up. Cave could cook fine, it just wasn't his strong point, he'd always been a man of words and ideas.
Caroline started to get alarmed when she smelled something burning, and Cave curing to himself.
"Everything ok?" She asked nervously, she hadn't opened her eyes once.
"Uh. It;s supposed to smell like that. Heh, just relax."
"Sir, I'm going to find my way over to you."
"CAROLINE DON'T YOU DARE!" He roared.
She was used to these sudden out bursts when something went terribly wrong, she guessed he some how managed to light something a blaze. She got up eyes still clamped shut and tried to make a move toward the commotion. Except Cave caught her.
"Now come on, you can't trust me not even with lunch?"
"I can smell smoke and and something burnt."
"You can open your eyes now."
Caroline opened her eyes to find herself in a large room with with a few overstuffed leather chairs and a sofa. The room had large open windows scaling up to the second floor's ceiling with a balcony looking down on the room. Cave motioned to a set of double doors that lead to a dining room set for two. On the table was a burning candle and perfect grilled cheese sandwiches. Caroline couldn't help but to laugh at this.
"Now what's so funny?"
"It's perfect" she smiled softly "and I wouldn't change it for the world."
"See kiddo, ole' Cave knows how to cook, I just forgot I left the burner on."
"Stop it, you're only two years older than I am." she teased.
"I know, but it bothers you so it's going to stick around." he pulled her chair out so she could sit.
"Thanks." Cave sat down across from her and held his glass up as a toast. "To the best damn woman I've met in my life."
"And to the nicest man I've met."
They clanked their glasses together, sealing the toast. The two ate their lunch in harmony making small talk about different things. Mostly about their morning, and how Cave thought it was the most thoughtful thing for her to try and fix his office. Caroline pointed outside to the bits of snow flaking down onto the lush landscape, of fields and evergreen trees.
"I remember then I was a girl my mother would stuff me into so many coats I couldn't move so when I finally did get into the snow all I could do was flop onto the ground and make awkward snow angels."
"I think all our mothers did that to us." He let out a hardy chuckle. "Looks like theres a good amount of snow outside, wanna relive some old memories?"
"Just as long as I can still move my arms" she teased.
The pair quickly cleaned up and put on their coats to go play in the glittering snow. The wind whipped a frosty chill around them as they emerged into the winter landscape. The yard was breathtaking, rolling hills dotted the land and a dark evergreen forest curved in and out of the land. Small bits of snow dusted across their heads as they surveyed the yard for the perfect place.
"Why not over there?" Caroline asked excitedly. "We can make a bug snowman right there!"
"Alright, sounds perfect!" Cave and Caroline started to roll a ball in the snow over to the place.
Two snowmen, five snow angels, and a snowball fight started by Caroline later they retreated inside. The two decided to make a tall strong looking snowman and Caroline told Cave it resembled him, so in turn the couple made another thinner snowman to be Caroline. The snow couple peered into the living room window and watched as Caroline curled up under a thick quilt with Cave in front of the fireplace. Cave sipped his hot coca and smiled, this was the best day he'd had in years.
"Cave?" she asked sheepishly.
"Hmm?" he looked over to her.
"I want you to know something, I loved you ever since the day we met, I guess I never fully realized this until now." she smiled shyly.
Cave nodded "I know the feeling," he smiled and kissed her cheek "I love you too kid."
"Say it's getting dark out, I should probably go home." She sighed not wanting to go.
"The roads are going to be a mess out this far, might not be serviced for a day or so."
"I guess that explains the days when you get 'snowed in'." she laughed and he started to join in.
"Yeah, so I guess I'll show you the guest room when it comes time." he added dryly.
"Alright, well let's just stay here for now I still feel frozen solid."
"I told you that jacket was to thin!" His voice filled the air with warmth as he teased her.
Caroline quickly changed the subject, "So you live alone in this big house uh?"
He shrugged "I have a house keeper, but she doesn't hang around. Gets the job done and leaves. Besides I'm at Aperture most of my time."
"You get lonely don't you?" she thought of her tiny apartment with its paper thin walls.
He stayed quiet as she continued.
"That's why you put in those long hours, be honest. I know you don't need to be there every day."
He nodded, "You caught me."
"It's ok, I do the same myself. My tiny cubicle of an apartment gets to be cold and lifeless too."
Cave yawned, "What do ya say we hit the hay?"
"I guess if you're tired," she smiled and stretched.
Cave led her upstairs into a long hallway and opened a door for her to reveal a large bedroom with a large welcoming bed. The walls were painted pink with hand painted red roses, and the bed was covered in a red satin blanket with matching pillows.
"This ok, sweetheart?"
"Cave, this is beautiful!"
"Had it made up like this just for you." he added quietly.
It was a few hours later when Caroline heard a faint knock on her door, she was lying in bed reading a book that was placed on the night stand. At first she just ignored it until she heard another slightly louder knock.
"Come in?" she questioned.
Cave appeared in the door frame shirtless in a pair of pajama bottoms. "I take it you can't sleep either?" pointing to the book.
She marked her paged and closed the book placing it on the nightstand. "Not really, the winds been whipping up against the window for hours."
He walked over to the bed sitting down next to her. Caroline felt oddly comfortable with this, she guessed after all the years of being by his side it just felt right.
"You can stay here with me if you like, there's no point in being alone." she added.
"I might just take you up on that." he smiled softly pulling the covers over him.
"Seems like this should have happened a long time ago, you know the two of us?"
Cave yawned, "Yeah, but some things are worth the wait." He wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her close to him.
His assistant smiled and kissed him softly. "Goodnight, Cave."