Not Here For War.
Chapter 1: Summer Sun.
The California sun blazed down on Amelia Hart, much to her annoyance and discomfort. She hopped out of her SUV, wiping away the light sweat that formed on her brow. She heaved out an exhausted sounding sigh as she moved around the truck.
Amelia had moved to L.A. about five months ago, and she was finding out quickly how different it was from Washington, DC. Weather wise especially. The weather she could handle, because in the end she found L.A. to be gorgeous, the blazing heat was just something she'd grow accustomed to. It was the loss and dramatic turn her life took that would have her waking up from migraines in the middle of the night. It was the stress that was wearing her down.
Five months ago, her sister Amanda and her husband Richard died in a car accident. So not only did she have to deal with the tragic loss of her sister, but as it turned out Amanda and Richard had a will naming Amelia to become the sole guardian of their two daughters, Maggie and Abby, whom she was helping out of the car right now.
"Aunt Amelia, I don't want to go to school today." Maggie, the eight year old whined as she hopped out of the truck, pout cutely formed on her face.
Amelia rolled her eyes as she helped five-year-old Abby from the truck. The little girl held tightly onto her aunt's hand as she was set to the ground. "Maggie," Amelia began exasperated as she smoothed out Abby's rumpled shirt. "You can't miss school today. In fact, you can't miss any day of school unless you're sick. Which you are not, so don't even try and play that game with me."
Maggie's pout deepened and she huffed crossing her small arms over her chest.
"Maggie, stop your pouting." Amelia demanded in a soft tone and held out her hand to the eight year old so they could cross the street to James Monroe Elementary. The girl continued to pout and didn't move. Amelia sighed in defeat. "Maggie… if you will please behave for the rest of the day, I'll take you and Abby out for ice cream after school."
Maggie took a moment to consider it before nodding satisfied and took her aunt's hand, while Abby happily cheered about ice cream.
After getting the girl's settled at school, Amelia drove back home. She still had a hard time calling it home. It was Amanda and Richard's house. They had paid for it and cared for it—and they had left it to Amelia in their will so she could continue to raise their children in it.
It's a medium sized blue house. Two levels. It has a good portion of land as well that was occupied with the girl's jungle gym, patio, and pool. It wasn't a difficult home to afford and care for. Though Amelia is a single woman now having two extra mouths to feed and send off to school, she finds financially it hasn't been so difficult just yet since the government also steps in to help in these sorts of situations. Not to mention the job she received with the CIA was a godsend when she moved to LA.
Being a doctor, Amelia planned on transferring from MedStar Washington Hospital to a local hospital here in LA. The first month after her sister's death, she worried because all of the closest hospitals were already fully staffed and not currently hiring. She desperately wanted to respect Amanda and Richard's wishes with keeping the girls in LA to grow up and finish school, but at one point it didn't seem like that was going to happen.
Then the CIA actually gave her a call about being their headquarters newest doctor/physician. Though she was shocked, Amelia eagerly accepted the job. It paid well and there were benefits. And they even gave her the time to settle in with Maggie and Abby. It wasn't a bad deal at all and she almost couldn't believe how lucky she had been in that front.
Today is going to be her first day at work. As she walked into the house, she contemplates what she should wear. She's not entirely sure what the dress code is with the CIA. She decided on a conservative gray dress and of course her white lab coat. She's a bit unsure of the black stilettos she's wearing, but she likes to be a little stylish. She just hopes her new boss isn't absurdly conservative. She once worked in a hospital that hardly allowed anyone to not wear scrubs at all times. That was in the beginning of her career, and oh! How she hated it.
Glancing up at the clock, she saw she has another hour to kill before she's supposed to be at headquarters. She figured that she should get there earlier to set up her new office and meet her new boss in person. She's only spoken to Ms. Collins a few times over the phone, and they were very brief conversations.
Walking into CIA headquarters with her box of supplies for her office was a bit nerve wrecking. This was a whole new ball game for Amelia. She had always worked in hospitals, never a government agency! She's surprised they even called her—she never even applied here. Although lately, she's been thrown into a lot of new things and put into a bunch of new ball games—such as parenthood.
Yet Amelia Hart kept her head up and a kind smile on her face as she passed by actual CIA agents. Never let anyone tell you that Amelia Hart wasn't brave for she has proven many times in her thirty-one years of life how damn brave she can be.
However, when she felt a hand firmly on her shoulder, she nearly screamed. It comes out more as a strangled gasp when she turned to face her 'assailant'.
A tall dark skinned woman stood before her in a conservative gray business suit. Her arms were crossed over her chest and a hard eyebrow was raised. Her expression was deadly serious. "Dr. Amelia Hart?" She questioned and Amelia nodded quickly. "You're here early. Welcome to CIA headquarters. I'm Collins. Follow me to my office." She said before swiftly turning on her heel motioning for the doctor to follow.
Amelia eyed her box of supplies, which seemed to be getting heavier by the second in her arms. Yet she scurried after her new boss not wanting to make a bad impression.
"You can put that down." Collins gestured to the box and motioned to one of the chairs in her office.
Amelia gratefully set the box down. "Oh, thank you, Ms. Collins."
"Just Collins, Dr. Hart." The woman responded leaning against her desk, arms once again crossed. "Now, I am well aware of the situation with your sister and nieces," she paused a moment. "My condolences." She said after consideration. "We are usually moderate with the time of absence for our workers. We're also very strict with our rules. Considering that you are not an agent and working in our medical field where we have plenty of back up, your time off can be flexible. Being a single parent, we understand that there will be emergencies. However, I want you to understand that I will not tolerate lateness. I expect you to be here on time and if you cannot be I expect you to call your supervisor to let him know." Collin stated in her firm authoritative tone.
"I completely understand." Amelia said with a nod.
"Good. Also, as I'm sure you already know, you'll be working under Dr. Rosenburg. You will be taking more of the younger agents as patients, but age ranges could be sporadic between the both of you depending on who's on the clock. There are some low level doctors and then there are trainees, so I don't think you'll ever get too overwhelmed." Amelia nodded again in understanding. "Do you have any questions, Dr. Hart?"
Amelia considered it. Most questions she would have most likely were better directed towards Dr. Rosenburg, her supervisor.
"Do I…" She trailed off wondering if this was a silly question, but Collins motioned for her to continue. "Um, do I have to do any type of… special training?"
Surprisingly, Collins smiled somewhat. "Getting trained in self defense is entirely up to you. We have a list of recommended places for that. You are not an agent, Dr. Hart, and we have no intention of putting you in any danger. I recommend knowledge in self defense, but like I said, it's up to you." Amelia smiled and nodded once more. "Anymore questions?"
Amelia was almost tempted to ask why she was hired for this job in the first place. She had never applied, but when someone called and told her that they were looking for someone for the job, they explained that they look through the applicants of overstaffed hospitals to see who was available. Still, she found it a bit odd that they picked her out of what she was sure were many applicants.
"No, ma'am. Thank you." She responded reaching her hand out for her boss to shake.
Collins stood at her full height and towered over the small brunette. Amelia was slightly embarrassed, but most people do tower over her 5'2 form even when she donned on heels. Collins' handshake is firm and Amelia was impressed with how strong the woman is.
Box back in her arms; Amelia was escorted out of the office by Collins who went over by the rail and yelled for two agents to go into her office. The doctor attempted to scurry away for that one. It didn't sound like it would be a pleasant conversation.
"Dr. Hart," Collins demanding voice stopped her in her tracks. Amelia quickly turned around to find another small smile on the other woman's lips. "Nice shoes."
A/N: Alright, so this is going to be my first multi-chaptered fic I've written in a long time, and I'm writing this mainly for my own pleasure. I know that a lot of mistakes are going to be made especially since I'm not all that knowledgeable in the medical field or in the CIA. Most information I'm getting is from the internet, but if you see any noticeable mistakes, please don't hesitate to let me know, I appreciate advice!
EDIT: So, I did a bit of an edit and tried keeping the format in one tense. Decided on past tense. I apologize if it's still confusing or annoying to anyone, but I tried fixing the issue.
Disclaimer: I do not own This Means War or any of it's characters. I only own the OC's that will be seen and mentioned in this fan fiction.
Chapter Song: Summer Sun by Jukebox the Ghost