A/N: My take on pre-Portal events. Mostly Caroline/Cave fluff and such. Fear not, readers of my other stories, new chapters are on their way. It's summer now so I have more time, except when I'm in New York for a week, but more on that later. Review?

)O(

"Caroline, can you take Table 5's order for me?" The evening was in full swing now.

"Sure, Mimi, I'm on it." the dark-haired waitress replied, rushing out of the stuffy kitchen and through the crowded diner until she reached the table in the corner. A rather handsome blond man was seated there. Caroline's heart skipped a beat when she realized who he was. Cave Johnson, the larger than life, self-made man of science who had amassed his fortune from selling shower curtains to most of the military and now owned a salt mine here in Michigan which he used to house the new Aperture Science facility.

Who wasn't in awe of the way he made up his own rules? She'd heard that astronauts, war heroes, and even Olympians came from across the country just to see Aperture in action and get a chance to participate in the groundbreaking research that went on there. The entirety of Black Mesa, rivaled by one man's ambition.

"Can I take your order?" she prompted.

'Yes," Cave Johnson said, looking at the menu and then at her. "What do you recommend?"

"Oh, I don't know, sir," Caroline felt all the blood in her body gather in her cheeks. "Anything you want."

"I want to know what you want."

I want my shift to be over."The steak is very good." she blurted out.

"Sounds great," he smiled, handing her the menu.

"H-How would you like it cooked?" Caroline stumbled over her words like a starry-eyed schoolgirl. She was better than this. Get a grip, girl!

"Hmm...I'll go with...rare," Then he smiled again. "And to drink...lemonade." That surprised her. She figured he was the type who would have hard liquor with his steak. Still, she did not comment on it, but simply scurried away to place the order.

He ate everything on his plate. When Caroline returned to the table to clean it and collect her tip, she couldn't believe her eyes. She counted it again and again. It was too much money. Surely there must have been some mistake. What other logical explanation was there?

Caroline ran out the door after him, desperate to give the hundred dollar bills back. This needed to be put right.

"Sir!" she called loudly. It was raining but he still heard her. Cave Johnson turned around slowly, smiling. She stopped, forcing the cash into his hands without letting him say a word. Then she turned, out of breath not to mention embarrassed, and started walking toward the diner.

"Wait," Caroline froze at the sound of his voice. "You forgot something."

He slipped the money back into her palm and closed her hand around it. She didn't know what to say. "Sir, I...I can't accept this. I'm sorry, but I couldn't possibly...It's too much." It was more than she made in a month.

"I want you to have it." Cave Johnson insisted. Then he left her standing there in the rain, not knowing where to go next or what to do. She didn't know anything anymore.

)O(

By mid-morning the following day, her head was back in order again. Cave Johnson's apparent motiveless generosity was a mystery best left unsolved, she figured. The money would go toward rent, maybe something special for herself, too. No reason to question it further. Besides, the breakfast rush was well underway and she had work to do.

That's when she saw him.

It took all her will to appear aloof as she approached his table.

"Just coffee, thanks." Cave Johnson gave her that magnificent smile again. "No cream or sugar."

Caroline blinked. "Are you certain that's all you want, sir? Have you eaten today?" His hesitance to respond was all the answer she needed.

"I'm a busy man." he finally said.

"I'll be right back." Caroline barged into the kitchen purposefully and began making him a bacon and egg sandwich. Sometimes men were stupid. They didn't always know what they needed, but a woman did. That's what her mother had always said.

"What's this?" Cave asked when she set the plate in front of him along with the coffee he'd ordered.

"It's breakfast, sir," Caroline replied. "The most important meal of the day."

He devoured the whole thing and complimented her repeatedly, which caused her to blush. So much for remaining aloof. Oh no, what if he tried to pay a ridiculous amount of money again? She might just die!

"It was nothing, sir, really."

"So modest," Cave observed, sipping his coffee. "Tell me, why is a pretty girl like you working in a place like this?" Why is a rich man like you eating in a place like this?

"It pays the bills," she explained, shrugging. "I was a secretary for a while."

"You don't say..." He suddenly looked thoughtful. "You know, I can tell you're not just a pretty face. You're smart, too. I bet you have tons of great ideas in that head of yours. You probably know who I am, but what's your name?"

"I'm Caroline, sir..." She wasn't sure where this was going.

"Well, Caroline," Cave Johnson smiled and took her hand. "Have you ever considered a career in science?"