It's been a while, but I finally wrote something I don't hate. This fic is what happens when I discover the livejournal writing challenge communities, write stuff with the intent to join the challenge...and then realise that hell will freeze over before I complete the whole thing. I think this was based off the Breaking Point theme on the 100 Special Moments challenge...hence the title. Hope people like it!

Disclaimer: Don't own, just borrowing.

Breaking Point

Elena had been a Turk for a month now, and apart from that one trip out through the Mythril Mines where she'd 'accidentally' let slip some information to AVALANCHE, she'd done nothing remotely interesting.

She felt like a secretary. Paperwork, paperwork, reports about nothing, and more paperwork. This was not the life she'd been promised the day she became a Turk. On the contrary, she had been warned not to expect much peace. "We're about to get involved in something big." Tseng had said to her, "So don't expect this to be easy."

Screw this, she'd happily give up some of this free time in return for a bomb scare or something, just so she'd have something to do. She'd already contemplated hacking into Scarlet's computer and moving things around, perhaps renaming a few files for the hell of it, as a temporary end to the boredom.

Plus, watching Reno deal with Scarlet was always entertaining. If a little loud.

She sighed. Sometime soon, she was going to scream.

"Lena, you're distracting. And not in a good way. Quit mumbling and sighing and do something." Had she heard right? Reno, complaining about being distracted? That had to be a first.

"What is there to do? I've done pretty much everything I can think of in the office, and there's nothing on the fieldwork front either."

"And if there was, I'd get it first. You aren't the only one bored, Lena. The rest of us could do with getting out of here too. Tseng's got the worst of it, y'know. He's the one stuck in meetings about this Avalanche crap all day long. I'd go crazy if I had to sit next to that freak Hojo every day."

Elena had to agree with him on that. Tseng was the worst affected of the lot of them. He was the ultimate Turk, but he was still itching to do something that mattered. It had crossed Elena's mind more than once to ask him out for a drink or something, to let off some steam, but she hadn't quite found the courage yet. Till she did, she'd have to make the most of being around him during work hours.

"Geez, I shouldn't have said anything. One mention of our fearless leader and you're gone, aren't ya? You're as bad as that secretary chick."

"N-no. I don't see Tseng as anything other than our leader. No way." Elena groaned internally. Overdid the denials a bit, didn't you Ellie? "…What secretary chick?"

There were dozens of secretaries hanging round the building. New girls were always wandering around, carrying piles of paperwork, pretending to work and more than one of them had an eye on one or other of the high-ups. Reno was popular (because he responded well to their flirting - and often initiated it…) and to a lesser extent so was Reeve (apparently sincerity was valued over ambition in some cases), but Rufus was by far the most lusted after male in the company. There's no accounting for taste…Elena had smirked to herself when she'd discovered this.

Unfortunately, Tseng was also very popular with the secretaries. Elena suspected it was something to do with him being goodlooking, intelligent and just all-round perfect.

"You know. That blonde with the miniskirt."

"That's half of them." The secondary occupation of a Shinra secretary was to meet a man with good prospects in the company, and how else would they get said male's attention than with short skirts?

"The blonde with the miniskirt who always happens to be around when Tseng has just gotten out of a meeting."

That one. Elena knew her now. She'd made a habit of showing up with coffee every day at around the time Tseng needed a fix. She giggled and flipped her hair a lot. Elena had hated her on sight. Rude ignored her completely. Reno flirted with her during the rare times she wasn't hanging around Tseng.

"What's up, Lena? Scared you have competition? Tseng ain't interested, he only acknowledges her because she brings him coffee." Reno grinned. "Plus, she's a complete loony. Had a breakdown on her second day."

"You're kidding." Elena wondered for a second what this girl would do if she'd had a job that involved more than making coffee and moving paper from floor to floor.

"You know, you reminded me of her a bit when you first started." Reno grinned. "I figured you wouldn't last long. I said to Rude, 'She's a breakdown in the supply closet away from being the same person.' Clearly I was wrong 'bout that."

This was rare. As Reno went, this was virtually praise. Elena was honestly surprised. "Uh…Thanks, I guess."

The redhead smirked. "Yeah I was wrong. Really, you're a miniskirt away from being her."

end

...Okay, I admit it. A certain line was shamelessly taken from an episode of Scrubs. But it seems to fit here (and Elena reminds me a little of Elliot...only slightly more competent). Review and tell me what you think?