I've been reading Friends fanfiction for a long time, and I've never come across a fanfic with the same kind of concept as this. (That doesn't mean one doesn't exist though.) That doesn't mean one doesn't exist though. Anyway, this fanfic is the tale of 13 young, sexy, powerful stock brokers in New York City. It's based around the original six members of the gang, plus a bunch of characters that were guest stars on the show that are main characters in this also. This fic is Friends + Sex in the City + Cruel Intentions + Scream. It's been a lot of fun to write, and I hope it's just as fun to read. For the sake of clarity, this chapter is all just background information about the characters in the setting. It will become very clear that my knowledge of the New York Stock Exchange is very limited, but it's not real important so it doesn't matter.
Also for the sake of clarity, I'm going to provide a character list here, with the characters names from Friends and the actor that played them on the show, since a lot of them were minor guest roles. Also, some of the characters (Jill, Cassie, even Ross) were related to each other in the show. Their last names have been changed for this AU fic because in it, they're not related. Here's the character list, in no particular order.
Chandler Bing Matthew Perry
Ross Stevens David Schwimmer
Rachel Green Jennifer Aniston
Monica Gellar Courteney Cox Arquette
Joey Tribbiani Matt LeBlanc
Phoebe Buffay Lisa Kudrow
Emily Waltham Helen Baxendale
Cassie Campbell Denise Richards
Will Colbert Brad Pitt
Susan Bunch Jessica Hecht
Carol Parker Jane Sibbel
Jill Christensen Reese Witherspoon
Susie Moss Julia Roberts
Richard Burke Tom Selleck
Paul Stevens Bruce Willis
Pete Becker Jon Favrea
EricaLaningham Anna Faris
The New York Stock Exchange: It looked nice and peaceful in the morning, when some overweight CEO or celebrity turned entrepreneur rang the opening bell so that their faces could be shown on the CNN stock updates, but once the cameras turned off, it was nothing short of a war zone. Millions of dollars were made and lost everyday on its floor. Some people's lives were saved and others' lives were ruined. But no matter how bad the loss or how big the gain; a select few always walked away winners. The brokers. Commission was a lovely concept.
Every broker inside the building was required to possess certain character traits. Greed, desire, plus the willingness to bend, and if need be, break all of the rules.
In the center of the stock exchange was the pit, where all the money was made and lost. But deep in the back of the building were several break rooms where those who wanted to could escape the noise and insanity of the pit. The room had everything. Each room had a word processor, tables, and plenty of pens so that a last minute deal was never hard to finalize. There were coffee machines and coke machines to quench anyone's thirst, and there were countless snack machines that made sure people could survive the long hours without leaving the building.
Of course, it was NYSE policy that all the rooms are open to anyone who wanted to use them. But the very last room, the room farthest way from the pit, the room most secluded from the chaos and the madness, the one room with it's own restroom, room 124, or as it was later renamed by it's occupants, room 469, was unofficially reserved. The same 12 brokers occupied it everyday. When they weren't in the pit, making, never losing, millions of dollars, they were in room 469 celebrating their victories.
They were the combined trading staffs of Paul Stevens Trading and Burke Brokers Incorporated, and they were the twelve sexiest people to step foot on the trading floor every day of the workweek. To everyone else in the building, they were known as The Assassins. They would steal your clients, sleep with your spouse, and spill coffee on your favorite suit all in the same day. They only answered to the almighty dollar. No one else.
No one dared enter room 469, not even the janitors who cleaned the building at night. It was Assassin territory. And the unwritten rule stated that no one trespassed on Assassin territory, not unless they had a death wish. Not all of the Assassins got along with each other. But they dealt with each other, because of their command bond, their common loves. Money, power, and parties.
Paul Stevens, owner of Paul Stevens Trading, or PST, lived in a mansion on the coast of Costa Rica. He never left it. He stayed there, living the high life of sun, beer, and women. He entrusted his billion-dollar business to his six brokers in New York City. They were six of the best…they were six of the Assassins.
Chandler Bing, the richest, most powerful, and most moral of all the Assassins, was the leader of the PST team. Just like all the other Assassins, he was in late 20s, and failure was never an option to him. Under him in the PST ranks was his girlfriend of a year, Susie Moss. She was an attractive redhead who had spent her whole life around stocks. Her father and mother were both brokers, and by the time she was 17 she was already being hit up for stock tips. She was born to play the game.
Also a part of the team were Chandler's two best friends, Ross Stevens and Joey Tribbiani. Ross was the son of the owner, Paul Stevens, and he too had spent all his life near the pit. There were only two reasons he wasn't running the company. One, Chandler had more experience, and two, Ross just didn't care. He was earning just as much money, was having just as much fun, and was doing half the work. It was a nice life he led. Joey Tribbiani was the third of PST's trio of attractive young men. Not the brightest of the bunch, he understood how to operate in the war zone. His IQ might not have been high, but his bank balance sure was. Joey partied just as much as his friends, but a portion of his life was secret. Neither Chandler nor Ross had figured out what Joey Tribbiani was mixed up in.
Rounding out the PST team were two women of completely opposite natures. The first was Emily Waltham, a native of London, England. At a very young age a vacationing Paul Stevens discovered her talents and she was sent to NYC to train under the CEO himself. She very quickly became one of the top traders in the NYSE. She was all about the business, the illegal and the under the table type of trading never went through her desk. She was clean. The other was Jill Christensen, a seductive, powerful, greedy woman who stepped on many people on her way to the top. To others she was considered pure evil, to the Assassins, she was just another broker. A perfect fit.
Richard Burke cared a lot about his money. He was constantly on the lookout for new talent, for new blood to add to the stable of his gifted young traders. The more talented human beings under his control, the more money he made. And to him, life was all about the money. Burke was never in the same town for long. He would spend a week in Houston on a scouting trip, then ten days in the Philippines on vacation, followed by a day in NYC to make sure everything was in order and then another vacation to the ski resorts of Switzerland.
And Richard Burke loved the ladies. He caught constant criticism over the fact that his brokers were all women.
In charge of BBI in Richard's absence was the ruthless, limitless, incredibly beautiful Rachel Green. She had no inhibitions about using her looks and/or body to get what she wanted. And that's why she was the best. The only thing millionaires craved more than money was sex. And although she never actually slept them, she had no shame in leading them on long enough for them to sign the proper papers. She ran a tight ship, if someone didn't perform, they were gone. Richard Burke never questioned her judgement, he knew just how good she was.
Cleaning up any of the messes Rachel might have left behind was Monica Gellar. Just like PST's Emily Waltham, Monica was all about the business. She was Rachel's right hand woman, but not by choice. She loved the stock market, and she enjoyed the game. And she would do whatever it took to remain a player, even if it meant being Rachel Green's lap dog.
Cassie Campbell was the third member of BBI's top triumvarate. She was treacherous and vengeful, and hardly ever honest. She would do whatever it took to earn the dollars, and then do whatever it took to cover up her tracks. She would break the rules, but she would never admit it. Countless people had taken falls for her crimes. She seemed to be immune to the guilt.
Phoebe Buffay was the most outgoing of all the Assassins. She was funny, she was loud, and she was always seen at NYC's top parties. She was the epitome of a social diva. She loved to be on everyone's A List, and she was. A party just wasn't a party without Phoebe. But even she, the most popular of the Assassins, had secrets and lies that people would be shocked to hear.
The duo of Carol Parker and Susan Bunch rounded out the BBI stable. The two were best friends, and frequently closed out deals together. One was never seen about town without the other, causing some rumors to spread about their sexual orientation. Everyone guessed about it, but no one really cared. Whether they were two hot straight girls, or two hot lesbians didn't matter to anyone. They were Assassin quality, pure and simple.
Rarely was blood removed or added to the Assassins. The crew had been the same for years, and it didn't seem as if any changes were going to be made, at least not by choice. But in the NYSE, jobs are lost and people disappear without consequence.
It was all a part of the game. And the game was a war.
So here's the background information, the plot will get underway in the next chapter. This was just stuff I thought you all of you needed to know to fully enjoy the story. Murder, blackmail, deceit, and mystery do follow. Will love be able to overcome so many obstacles? We'll all find out in the following chapters.