"Bite to Bleed"
By Tenshi noyo ryu taiga
Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell or Twilight
GPR&W Law is a firm of my creation, as is its business structure. DO NOT COPY!
GPR&W Law © 2008 tenshi noyo ryu taiga
Pairing: Liz/Edward
Summary- Liz Parker can't take it anymore. She is sick of this alien crap, she thought that after graduation things would get better, but they're just getting worse. She moves to New York for some space and there she meets an odd man in the middle of the night.
Chapter Two:
Liz couldn't help the pout that made its way onto her face all day. Her car was stolen! And she couldn't even do anything about it, because then she'd have to explain that she had stolen it first. Well, maybe not first because she was ninety percent sure that couple in Virginia had stolen that car first, but still. That car must have been very unlucky or something to have three separate people steal it in the span of about two and a half days.
She sighed as she started driving away from the impound lot. Michael had taught her while on the road that the easiest, cheapest and most inconspicuous way to pick up a car was at an impound lot. She hated to admit it, but maybe this beat up, old car wasn't so bad.
A loud clank was heard as her car jumped slightly. Liz sighed, why did she even bother?
At least now she had money, clothes and food, so she could hit the road once more. She drove up north 81 and didn't stop until she hit upstate New York. Granted, upstate New York apparently counted as anything above New York City, but still…
Just saying New York made her feel free. New York was a new state, a new beginning, a fresh start.
Liz laid back on the hood of her car, spread out, basking in the warm sun. She casually sipped at her iced coffee, but all she wanted to do today was bask in her new life. She had seen a commercial while standing outside of the Starbucks where she got her coffee and had impulsively decided to call for an interview. Liz was scheduled to interview at GPR&W the next morning for a secretarial position for one of the heads of the firm. She had heard about GPR&W Law back in Roswell when her guidance counselor had suggested that Liz apply for an internship there, but her parents had said that they didn't have enough money to send her to New York City just for a couple of months, let alone afford an apartment. Plus, Jeff Parker's only daughter alone in a large city like New York? Enough said.
Still, Elizabeth remembered the infrastructure of the firm. There were four heads, but no one ever really heard from them. The heads would only communicate to their assistants who would give orders to their interns who ran around getting the message to whomever it needed to get to. Then there were four sets of three senior lawyers who sent up their reports to said assistants who then placed it on the desks of either "G", "P", "R" or "W" depending on which branch of law they worked on. Two of the three sets had an assistant and the third received an intern to help. Who received the intern switched every month so that the intern received as much experience as possible. Below them, were the intermediate lawyers who reported to the senior lawyers and they had almost the exact same structure as the senior lawyers, only they had three assistants and no interns, as did the beginning lawyers. There were only eight intern positions available at one of the best law firms at the world with people applying from everywhere.
Now, Liz was applying to one of the most sought after jobs in the entire firm. To be the personal assistant to one of the heads of the firm was an honor. Everyone knew that head assistants got nearly as many benefits as senior lawyers because the assistants handled even more confidentiality agreements than the senior lawyers did. Anything that had to go to a Head, had to go through their assistant first.
Liz turned to her side as she curled up on the hot hood of her car. She could feel a little worm of worry and nervousness in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know if she'd get the job, but she was feeling too free to worry too much about "what ifs" and "maybes". She'd do what she could; she'd throw herself out there. Liz felt like an entirely different person.
She let out a laugh as she turned back around to lay on her back for a few more seconds before getting up and sliding down off the car. She spotted a trash can a few feet away. Liz took aim and threw her cup like a basketball and smiled victoriously as it went in.
She lifted her hand to draw her sunglasses down as she slid into her car and turned around. She had a few hours drive ahead of her, if she was going to make it to New York City in enough time to buy a business suit. She needed to look good for her interview, after all…
Liz laughed as she walked down a busy Manhattan street. She was looking in designer shops for a business suit to wear. If she got her assistant job, then she would need to wear expensive, designer clothes all the time. She walked into Chanel and started flipping through a rack of dress shirts when a woman that worked at the store came towards her.
"Can I help you, Ma'am?" The blonde asked politely.
"Oh!" Liz gasped slightly startled, "Thanks. I'm looking for a business outfit for my job interview later this morning."
The woman nodded, "I see," Before turning around and heading toward another rack of clothing, "I suggest these then."
Liz smiled and said thanks before choosing three outfits to try on.
The first one was a black skirt and matching black blazer that was cut to accentuate her small waist. She wore a silk blue camisole underneath it. She turned around in front of the mirror and smiled, liking the outfit before she took it off to try the second one.
This time, it was a dark grey pencil skirt with a deep red silk blouse. Liz did a little twirl, liking the way the skirt made her legs look, but still unsure. Liz finally tried on the last outfit of a light grey pair of wide legged slacks and a white cotton shirt that was cut low enough for the intricate lace pattern of her silk light blue camisole to show.
Liz put back on her old clothes and sat on the bench in the changing room staring at all three outfits. She was having a Maria moment where she just couldn't seem to choose and for a second, Liz's heart gave a twinge. She really missed having Maria and Isabel there to help her…
Liz sighed before smiling as she made her decision. She chose the light grey slacks outfit and then, if she got the job, she'd come back and buy the other two outfits.
Happy to have finally made a decision, Liz came walking out of the dressing room to hear the blonde saleswoman from before talking to another woman who worked there.
"Did you see what she was wearing? And her hair?" The blonde whispered.
"The woman in the changing room? The brunette?" The red head asked loudly.
"Shh!" The blonde hushed as she scanned the are to see if Liz had come out. Luckily, Liz was still halfway inside the dressing room are and so couldn't be seen, "Yes, her. We have to keep an eye on her and the clothes she tried on. She did not look like she could pay for those clothes. I think she might ry something, so watch out, okay?"
"Oohhh. Okay, I understand," The red head nodded as the blonde smiled, "She's poor."
The blonde continued smiling for a second before blinking as her smile turned into a frown, "That's not what I'm saying. Well, sort of. Look, this is Chanel. Our clothes cost thousands of dollars. I'm sure she's not poor, but I'm just saying that I don't know that she can afford our clothing and that we have to make sure she's not just playing some sort of prank or causing trouble. Remember last month, that woman who tried to shoplift that handbag? I just want to be cautious."
"Riiight. Cautious," The red head said, making it obvious that she didn't believe the blonde.
The woman sighed before giving up and turning to walk into a different section of the store, passing by Liz without seeing her.
Liz did not know how she was supposed to feel about this. They were completely insulting her! On the one hand, she did have to admit that she didn't exactly look like the socialite princesses that usually shopped at Chanel, but that didn't mean they had to automatically think she was some sort of thief or vagabond looking to ruin them and their precious store. She looked down. Did she want to stir up some sort of fuss for talking about her like that? Or did she simply want to buy her clothes and not think about it again? Or did she want to show those bitches up?
Liz smirked. Yeah, she wanted to show them up.
She walked confidently out of the dressing rooms and right up to the cashier.
"Hello. I need you to hold these for me for an hour or two. I'm having trouble deciding, so I'm going to ask the opinions of some friends really quick. Is that alright?" Liz asked sweetly toward the red head, aware of the blonde woman hiding out behind a rack, keeping an eye on Liz.
"We can only hold an item for twenty four hours," The red head replied.
"Like I said, I only need one," Liz's smile turned from an icy smirk to a scowl.
The red head visibly looked behind Liz so Liz looked up and to the corner and smiled when she was in the reflective camera disk that the blonde manager behind her had nodded yes.
"Alright. What is the name I should save it under?" The woman asked.
"Elizabeth Parker."
The woman nodded and Liz walked out of the store with the biggest smirk ever.
Liz walked into the nearest bank and asked to make an account where she then deposited the twenty thousand dollars she had left. She left the bank with a tiny hop to her step and a wide grin on her face.
Once again, she entered Chanel to find that both women were still there and had frozen when she walked back in. She walked back up to the blonde who had switched positions with the redhead and was now acting as cashier.
"Hello, I'm here for the three outfits I had saved from before. I talked with my friends and we couldn't decide on which one to buy so I decided to buy all of them!" Liz smiled enjoying the way the blonde's face ashened.
"Lindsey? Get Miss Parker her clothes, please," The blonde told to the redhead.
"Buy you told me to put them back on the racks because there was no way that she could pay for them," Lindsey replied dumbly.
Liz raised an eyebrow as the blonde started sputtering, "No, that was the other woman's clothes, not Miss. Parker's," The blonde said as she left the counter and walked toward Lindsey.
"What other woman, Katie? She was the only one who- Ow!" Lindsey cried out as Katie grabbed her elbow and yanked her behind a rack and out of Liz's view.
Liz took the time to turn her head and snicker under her breath. This was too much fun!
Seconds later, Katie came out behind the rack holding Liz's three outfits, "These were it, correct, Ma'am?" She asked politely.
Liz looked down before raising an eyebrow, "These are the correct outfits, however they are in the wrong size. I am a zero."
"My mistake!" Katie said as she rushed back to the rack that Lindsey had yet to come out from behind, "These were the ones, correct?"
Liz nodded and paid using her new debit card. That would show them not to think she had the money…
Katie, despite everything, still thought that Liz's debit card would be rejected, but when it went through with ease, Katie started to shift uncomfortably. Despite the way Elizabeth Parker had dressed, she obviously had 6,700 lying around in her bank account to use on whim, especially if she had only come for one outfit and left with three.
Katie handed over the bags and smiled as Liz walked out the door before slumping over the counter. God, what a day.
Liz couldn't stop laughing, all the way to her car. She had earned herself more than one curious look, but she had ignored it in favor of picturing Katie's ashen face. Liz leaned against her car and took deep breaths to calm down before looking down at her watch. Her eyes widened as she realized she only had forty five minutes left.
She put two of the outfits in her car before taking the outfit with the grey slacks and going into a nearby fast food restaurant. She changed quickly in the bathroom before running out and dabbing on some perfumed lotion on her wrists and neck before running across the street to the firm's building.
Liz gave her name at the lobby's front desk and was directed up several floors to a waiting room. She left to go to the bathroom quickly so that she could put her hair up in a fast high pony tail which made her seem simple but sophisticated.
She walked back into the waiting room and just as she was about to sit, a beautiful, statuesque woman came out and told her that the Heads would see her now.
Liz's eyes widened in shock even as she followed the woman. The Heads? She thought she'd be meeting with one, not all four...
She walked into a large conference room and watched out of the corner of her eye as the woman left. Her side of the large table was brightly lit and she sat down in front of several sheets of paper which Liz realized was her resume.
On the other side of the table were four people, but it was so darkly lit that Liz couldn't make out any details.
"We apologize for the Skull and Bones routine…" A deep voice told her as he paused for his fellow heads to stop snickering at an inside joke. Liz wondered whether these people actually were in the Skull and Bones… "But we like to remain private and out of the public's eyes. Should you be hired as W's secretary-" He was cut off by a cough, "I mean assistant," The same cough turned into a please 'hnnn' "Then of course, this will no longer be needed and we will divulge the secrets, or in this case, identities, needed for you to do your job appropriately."
Liz nodded her understanding of the unique situation. The woman from before entered with another woman following closely behind, both holding a tray filled with a tall pitcher of ice water and several glasses. One was set on Liz's side and one on the other side. The women poured glasses for both Liz and the Heads before leaving.
"Now then, let's begin," Said another man's voice from the left side of the table.
Bite to Bleed/Bite to Bleed/Bite to Bleed/Bite to Bleed
"I can't, Alice," Jasper spoke into his cell phone as he sat down behind a large wooden desk at a fancy sky rise office, "I already took the other day off to go with you to help Emmett and Rosalie when their car got stolen… Well, what do you expect, Alice? You were the one who told me to stay at the hotel while you watched the woman, of course we didn't get any alone time," Jasper clicked onto his computer and started typing away at a file that he had to work on, "I'm sorry, Alice… I know you were interested in this girl, but she'd gone… If you were so curious, why did you take back the car… Emmett telling you so is not a valid excuse… Alright, I'll go tell them I'm leaving early, I'm not usually here during the day, anyway, it's only because it's cloudy… Okay, I'll see you soon… Love you… Bye."
Jasper sighed as he logged out of his computer and picked up his briefcase. He said goodbye to his secretary and headed toward the elevator.
It's a really good thing the bosses don't care when you work as long as you finish all your work by the deadline…
He smiled as he thought about his impatient wife. The family had decided to wait even longer this time. They had gone to high school in Forks, Washington before the five of them, Jasper, Alive, Emmett, Rose and Edward, had decided to go to Dartmouth for college while Esme and Carlisle stayed in Washington. After receiving their undergraduate degrees, they all split up. Rosalie and Emmett went to grad school at Harvard, Edward at Yale and Alice and Jasper went to Columbia. Alice and Jasper really loved the atmosphere of New York and decided to stay, dragging the entire family with them. Luckily, New York was the city that never sleeps and since the Cullens never slept either, it seemed like a perfect match for the time being. Of course, they all knew that soon they'd have to start all over again. Already, Jasper was getting comments about his young looks…
Jasper gave a slight, unneeded gasp as a small force ran into his side just as he was about to reach the elevator.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" a small woman exclaimed.
"It's okay," He chuckled as he sensed her emotions were all over the place. She was worried, apologetic, nervous, and if her breathing was any indication, on the verge of hyperventilating.
"I just had a really nerve wracking interview," She said, "Hence why I wasn't paying attention."
The elevator doors opened and they both stepped inside.
"I wasn't aware there were any openings, "Jasper's brow furrowed, "Except… oh! You were applying for the assistant position."
"Yeah, I was really worried."
"I'm sure you'll do fine," He said as they both stepped off the elevator and walked through the doors to the outdoors.
"Thanks, "She smiled.
"I'm Jasper Cullen," He introduced, his hand extended.
She shook his hand firmly, "Liz Parker. Thanks, Mr. Cullen, good bye!" she said as she walked away.