I really hate putting these up here, but I think I have to. I had three different ideas for chapter 18 of 'Easy as 1,2,3' so I decided that I'd write all three and just pick one for the chapter and the other two could be fics of their own. I decided this one wouldn't be for 'Easy' cuz it's just too long and cuz that story's supposed to be about parts of their life, you know? This isn't really their life's journey, but a new version of it, I guess. Anyways, you don't have to read 'Easy' first but you may just want to read the second part of the fourth chapter cuz this is what would happen if that scene didn't happen, I guess. Read on!

"How many temps does it take to screw in a light bulb?" asked Lucas, Pleasant Time's top filer, with a wide smile. Everyone around the table seemed to lean in, waiting for the punch line. "One!" Lucas, along with everyone else at the table erupted with laughter. Well, everyone except Travis. He never really understood temp jokes. He smiled slightly, though, as to not hurt the poor guy's feelings. He really didn't want to go out to dinner with some coworkers when he could have been home, watching something random on Discovery Channel (You can't really go wrong with a single show on Discovery Channel during Shark Week!), but he needed to get on the boss's good side. Rumor had it that the agency was downsizing. He needed that job as the office's secretary. Hell no was he going back to the DMV with Denise or to Taco Bell to be the burrito filler.

"You look miserable," Shane noticed from beside him. Shane was the one person at work that Travis didn't want to punch in the throat. At first, Travis just liked hanging out with him because he had a British accent and whenever he screamed at a fly to "Piss off!" or ordered a "banger" for lunch, he couldn't help but laugh. And one time, when Lucas was being the most assy a person could possibly be, Shane called him a "Wanker," which Travis quickly learned was another word for a man who likes to . . . entertain himself. Conner said that his brother had a man crush on the British fellow, but Travis refused, calling him a wanker in return. It was hard not to believe Conner, though, when you saw the way Travis stared at the man or the way he practically swooned when Shane called him his "mate" for the first time.

"Really?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "I was trying more for 'amused and laughing at that awfully terrible joke that pretty much made no sense.'"

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "I see it now." Travis smiled and opened his mouth to reply when the office slut, Cindy, tapped Shane on the shoulder, bringing his attention to her. She leaned over, obviously showing off her ridiculously fake boobs. Travis nodded his head and looked away, not really interested in watching her raped Shane with her mind.

Absently spinning his spoon between his fingers, Travis looked over to his side at the rest of his coworkers inhabiting the table. The sight was sickening, really. To any passing bystander, it would be completely normal. A bunch of office workers talking and laughing and having a great time, but Travis had worked at Pleasant Times for a whole year now. He knew these people, and he knew these people well.

Linda Mouregoode was actually anything but more good. She was the bitch of the office and absolutely no one liked her. With her Prada bags and red lipstick, she thought she was the hottest thing since the sun. The only reason she still had a job was because she was having an affair with the boss.

Speaking of the boss, her name was Mika Miller. She seemed picture perfect. The family photos in her office showed her, her husband, and their two children. All of them wore matching denim outfits and gorgeous smiles. But in real life, they were anything but perfect. All her husband worried about was lottery tickets and getting on Deal or No Deal. Their daughter had become a drug addict, and their son had gotten his ex-girlfriend pregnant at 15. The stress and worry had built up and up and up until Mika couldn't handle it anymore. She exploded. But not on her family. On the office. Half the staff was fired on the spot. The only reason she calmed down was thanks to Linda. Who knew Mika was playing for both teams? The two tried to keep their relationship quiet but when Linda stayed after work or when Mika would suddenly call her into her office after getting a call from home, it wasn't that hard to figure it out.

Lucas Medina. He was perfect and amazing in every way possible. His shirts were always spotless and there was never a single wrinkle in his sleeves. His hair was always in place and his handwriting practically looked like a girl's. He had wash board abs (well, Travis imagined) and you pretty much needed sunglasses whenever he smiled. He was so ridiculously perfect. Travis hated him. A lot.

Next was Fred Shultz. He was apparently the 'funny guy' of the office, but Travis really couldn't see it. He always talked in third person and wore stupid ties with pictures of hula dancers on them. He and Cindy were practically like bunnies when in the same room.

And last but not least . . . who the hell was that guy? The small man at the end of the table looked around nervously. Did he even work at Pleasant Times?

Travis rolled his eyes and turned his head, searching for the waiter. He just wanted to get this over with.

As he looked at the nearby tables, his heart practically stopped. The waitress was gorgeous and she looked just like her. The waitress's hair was the same exact color he remembered and it curled at the ends like her's always did. And her-

No! Travis scolded himself, turning his face back towards the table. It's not her. You know it's not. That was the third Katie he'd seen all week. He thought after five years of being apart, he wouldn't see her smile whenever he looked at a flower or hear her laugh if he walked by Joe's Pizza, but it had just gotten worse with time.

He tried not to look, he really did, but what if it was her? Just this once? As he looked over once more at the waitress and they locked eyes, Travis gasped and turned back to the table quickly. He knew those eyes. He knew them so well. He saw those eyes every time he blinked, staring back at him, filled with hurt and pain, anger and hatred.

A blush quickly spread on his cheeks while at the same time a smile, a frown, and a groan of slight frustration clouded his face. He was happy beyond belief, but so terribly sad. He had missed her like crazy, seeing her in his dreams and hearing her voice coming out of random people's mouths. Just being able to see her again in real life made Travis's day. But the malice he saw in her eyes as she noticed it was indeed Travis Stoll she would soon be waiting on made him want to cry.

"You alright, chap?" Shane asked, patting him on the back.

Travis smiled weakly up at him. "Fine," he whispered, turning back to his menu.

Katie was pissed. But not at those eyes that she knew like the back of her hand. She was pissed at herself.

As soon as she saw Travis sitting there, her first thought was, "Holy shit. He got even hotter."

What the hell is wrong with her? After seeing your ex-fiance that left you 4 weeks pregnant and hasn't even sent a child support check for five years, she should most definitely not be thinking that! She was pissed.

Katie stomped over to the POS System, and glared at the screen as she rang up the receipt.

"You look miserable," stated Tiffany, a fellow waitress.

"I can't wait that table," Katie said, pointing over in Travis's direction. "I can't."

"May I ask why?" Tiffany questioned, eyebrow raised.

"Nope."

"Well then I'm not taking that table for you," she said, putting her nose in the air and walking away slowly.

"You wouldn't have anyways," Katie yelled after her with a small smile. Tiffany was one of the only people at work that she didn't hate.

Taking a deep breath, Katie walked up to the table with the biggest fake smile she could muster. "How are y'all folks doing tonight?"

Travis felt sick to his stomach when Katie walked up to the table, that white and smiley smile on her lips and her eyes looking everywhere but at him. As she took everyone else's drink orders, Travis couldn't help but stare. He stared at her long, dark hair and her wide, brown eyes and he watched as her nose crinkled up when she smiled, her teeth bright white and perfectly straight (her dad was a dentist, after all). As his eyes traveled south, he swallowed. He could imagine how soft her neck would feel on his lips as her hair tickled his face. He could practically hear her moan . . .

And then she was walking away and the whole image was ruined.

"Hey!" Fred exclaimed as she began to walk away. "Fred believes you forgot to take Travis's order!" She turned around slowly and smiled once again, looking Travis in the eyes for the first time.

"I am so sorry," she said, strolling back towards the table. "See how I did that? I apologized to your face and not in some crappy note I left you. Now, what can I get you to drink?"

Travis swallowed and smiled shyly up at her. "I'll just have some Coke."

Katie wrote something on her pad. She didn't look back up, not wanting to see him, while she said, "We have Cherry Coke, you know?"

"Excuse me?" Travis had always loved Cherry Coke, no matter what, especially after their first date. Travis had gone off because Joe's had been out of Cherry Coke but they had Dr. Pepper. Oh hell naw! Katie tried to tell him they were the same but he refused, leading them into a huge fight. They finally got over it, made out a little bit, and all was well but from then on, Cherry Coke was pretty much the only soda Travis drank.

"We have Cherry Coke," she said, still not looking at him. "It's new. They haven't had time to put it on the menu. But we have it."

Travis smiled widely, glad that she remembered. "I'd love some Cherry Coke." When she finally looked up, he could've sworn he saw the tiniest of smiles on her lips as she nodded and walked away.

"Fred is wondering what the hell that was!" Fred stated.

"And Shane's wondering how hard you have to punch a bloke in the face to get him to shut up," Shane said loudly before turning to Travis. "But, may I ask, what the hell was that?" he whispered in question.

Travis shook his head, staring at Katie's retreating figure as she walked away. "I don't even know."

So, after many, many failed attempts, I finally got this to save correctly! I'm quite lazy right now and don't really feel like talking much in this AN. I know! Me? Not talking much? Is there an apocolypse coming? Nope, it's just me being lazy and pretty pissed off.

I don't own anything!

Lather, rinse, review!

:) Jordan