He no longer had the security of being a student; he was on his own and had to fend for himself. Graduation had been an exhilarating experience and he was ready to go out and be a top-notch lawyer. Of course the world didn't seem ready for him yet. The first three law firms had turned him down gently but sternly. They applauded graduation top three in his class and with honours but he didn't seem to be right for the job apparently. At his fourth interview, with a firm known as Brooks & Stone, he landed his first real job after graduation. He had not made partner or associate which, luckily, he understood but he was a practicing lawyer. He knew the chance at immediately becoming associate had been in his grasp with Callahan but the mere mention of his former professor's name made him nauseous. For now, he was happy where he was.

Besides, Harvard hadn't been able to get rid of him yet either.

The campus was sprinkled with orange, brown, red, and yellow hued leaves trickling down from the various trees across the lawn. Students were once more beginning to swarm the school, meeting friends after a seemingly short vacation and discussion which professors they had this time. Freshman timidly walked along the paved pathways, wary of stepping onto the grass that it may eat them whole despite higher graded students doing just that and quite clearly not being devoured.

Sauntering smartly across the university grounds as he had done many times over the summer (one of the few students who weren't able to get away it seemed), he made his way to the classroom of Professor Frederick Knightley, an intelligent but mad Welsh. After Emmett had so clearly defied Callahan, Knightley snagged Emmett so fast that the new graduate hadn't realized what had hit him. He found himself satisfied all the same—recommendations from such a professor would do him wonders.

"Professor Knightley, I got those files you wanted for today." He replied casually as he strolled towards the desk and handed them to the older man. Shoving his hands back in his jeans, he surveyed his superior's ever so animated face.

"Very good, Forrest. I daresay we might frighten a few students out of the class on the first day alone!"

The two men chuckled heartily and Emmett's eyebrows alone furrowed slightly. With Knightley's thick accent, people had to process the words for several moment s before actually figuring out what he had said. All the same, Emmett had a strong admiration for the man.

"Is that all you needed before class because I was thinking about grabbing a bit to eat real quick…"

"Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about before you take off."

The tone of Knightley's voice, unusually serious, caused Emmett to quirk a brow. He hadn't heard this tone very often and he was quite sure what to expect. "Yes, sir?"

"First off, don't call me sir. Makes me feel old." He gave a long sigh and ran a hand over his balding head. "Forrest, you're a bloody brilliant boy and I want to know your talent's not going to waste." He raised his brows at Emmett and anticipated an honest answer.

For several moments Emmett was too dumbfounded to give any answer. What in the world was Knightley getting at? "I got a job at Brooks & Stone and I'm working here as you know. I realize it's a slow process but I feel fine for now."

"It may not be as slow as you imagine it to be." This caused Emmett even more perplexity but before he question what that meant, Knightley spoke once more. "Brooks & Stone is a sturdy firm; you'll do well there. I'll tell Stone not to be too harsh on you as he can be a righteous prat when he wants to. Listen, Forrest, this is probably my last year teaching. I'm getting older and while these kids are no match for a bloke like me, there's more I want to do. As you very well know, the school will need to find a replacement." He paused.

"I've recommended you."

"S-Sir—" It simply was a habit Emmett could not get out of when speaking to superiors.

"Don't say anything, boy, you deserve it. If you thank me on the other hand, I'll tell the board you whacked your granny over the head with a skillet so you can't get the position. I can't think of anyone better for the job, though. Now get out of here while I think of ways to torture the students. Be back in an hour and a half sharp." A small smile spread over Knightley's face as he shooed Emmett away.

The world seemed to suddenly stop as Emmett departed from the room, unconscious of everything around him. This time next year it could be him asking an assistant to bring him files. He would be an actual professor. It could definetly help pay for the rest of his schooling. Would the board let someone this young teach? And this inexperienced (with teaching, that is)? Could he even handle such a job? The students may hate him. They man even—

His thought process was suddenly halted when someone walked right into him. He turned to the person and both spoke at once.

"I am so sorry, I wasn't—"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have just been—"

Both stopped speaking when they immediately recognized the other's voice.

"Omigod, Emmett!"

"Elle!"

The blonde threw her arms around Emmett's neck in a ferocious embrace. He, of course, found no other option that suited him but to hug her back. He could smell the scent of the ocean on her, contrasting sharply with the pine-scented grounds. He wished the hug could last for an eternity but soon he felt her arms slipping to a release and he had to give in to letting her go as well.

Pulling back, his eyes ran over he features. Nothing had changed except for her skin becoming a bit more tan from all the sun in California. Her eyes still lit up like a pair of stars and her smile melted away any morose thoughts he might have had.

"How was your summer?" he asked her, not able to take his eyes off the female. Yet he seemed distant almost; the news Knightley had told him still plagued his mind as a most unexpected boon.

"Fabulous!" she exclaimed jubilantly. "Listen, I've got to get to class but I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight? You know, to catch up and celebrate."

"Celebrate what?"

"You graduating and me making it to my second year, silly! What else?" She stuck her tongue out a bit and Emmett found himself extremely thankful he didn't have buckling knees.

"Didn't we already celebrate at Brooke's party?" He chuckled softly, watching her lovingly. He wasn't disputing spending time with her, he was just curious.

"Well, yes, but you can never do enough celebrating! Plus we didn't catch up."

"We didn't have anything to catch up on."

"But we do now!"

"All right, all right, what did you have in mind, missy?"

"I thought I'd let you decide that one." She continued to flash her infectious smile, clearly in a very good mood. As she noticed Emmett's gaze grow distant, though, her face fell ever so slightly. "Emmett, is something wrong?"

"N-No! I just…just got some exciting news."

"Ooh—!"

"I'll tell you all about it tonight. You need to get to class and I need to eat. I'll pick you up at your dorm at seven, all right?" With a small, final hug he said his good-bye and took off, leaving Elle to her imagination of what his news could be.

As he walked off, he clearly heard a small cry from the female.

"Wait, Emmett, that's not fair!"

-

The day had seemed to move like molasses; seven o'clock simply couldn't come fast enough for Emmett. His two jobs at Harvard and Brooks & Stone had made him busy, yes, but not busy enough. All day long his stomach had been squirming and he felt like he was in high school again, patiently (or not so patiently) awaiting his first date. Although in this case it wasn't a date—it was merely an outing between two friends.

Which meant he shouldn't have stood in front of the scratched up mirror for forty-five minutes wondering what the dress code was. She had bought him a suit to impress Callahan and now he wanted to impress her but with where he was taking her, a suit may not have been the best choice. She had called the scruffy vibe cute, right?

-

"If you don't tell me this exciting news of yours right now I'll dress Samson up again."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?"

Emmett gave a defeated sigh to the blonde and smile wistfully over towards her. He had no choice but to tell her now—seeing his cat dressed up once was bad enough. "Professor Knightley told me this would be his last year teaching and he recommended me for his position next year." Giving a small shrug, he acted as though it was nothing. After several moments of silence, Emmett wondered if possibly his news wasn't that exciting. Glancing over towards Elle, he figured out he was wrong. The smile on her face said it all—she was bubbling with excitement. "I see the great Elle Woods is at a loss for words."

Without any prior notice, there was a loud and lengthy squeal, causing Emmett to lose his grip on the steering wheel and swerve for just a moment (which caused him to curse softly under his breath). "Emmett, seriously?! That is amazing! I can't believe. We definetly have something to celebrate tonight." She bounced up and down in her seat which resulted in Emmett being profoundly baffled. Is this how people acted when they were excited? "Kay, now tell me where we're going."

"It's a surprise."

"Still?"

"Yes, still. Being at the intersection of Walnut and 4th doesn't excite me enough to tell you where we're going." He said sarcastically which resulted in the rolling of the blonde's eyes.

It certainly was wonderful to have her back.

-

"I was just wondering…" she pondered thoughtfully as she slid into the seat next to him. "Can we ask them to put the bumpers up?"

"What? The bumpers?" He asked in a shocked tone as he finished typing in their names and turned on the swivel chair to face her. "Are you telling me you can win a murder trial after having no prior law practice except for a year of law school but you need the bumpers up on the lane?"

"I'm not very good at bowling, Emmett. I would just prefer the bumpers up, please. That way you don't beat me that badly."

Producing a small yet affectionate smile, he shook his head somewhat. "No bumpers, Elle. I think it's time you took another leap so the bumpers are staying down," he said, lifting his brows as if to tell her not to try and convince him otherwise. "Now, go. It's your turn and I want to see just how bad you are." She playfully hit him as she got up to take her first turn and Emmett was immersed in everything that was around her—the way she moved, how she readied herself before throwing the ball, and, of course, the terrible throw that landed in the gutter. As did the second one.

He could tell she was disappointed but that assumption was soon shaken up as she barreled into him with an embrace. "What in the world…Elle? You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I just realized I never congratulated you properly on your new job!" She brought the hug back and held him for a moment, giggling quietly. Her scent had changed ever so slightly. The smell of old books now blended with the California ocean which, surprisingly, made for an intoxicating aroma. What he didn't know was that she was doing the exact same thing.

Soon enough they had both let go and were both laughing softly amongst themselves. "Well thank you, Elle, but I don't have the job yet."

"Oh, don't give me that, mister. You'll get it easy. Who could be a better teacher than you?"

Giving a paltry shrug, he remembered their games were timed and so he stepped up to bowl his turn. The ball glowed neon during the atomic hours which had simply amazed Elle. After all, she had told him that she hadn't been bowling for about four years or so. He went bowling quite often since it was a hobby of his ever since he had been eight years old. The sport just seemed to suit him well.

"How did you do that?" Elle exclaimed and watched him strut proudly in a joking manner back to the chair. "A spare? Come on. You can't be that good." He realized she was watching him quietly and he watched her right back, not able to figure out what was on her mind. "Well, teacher, care to show me just how you do it?"

"W-What?"

"Come on, show me."

Emmett was suddenly more thankful for the fact that atomic bowling was done in the dark than he ever had been. It was now impossible for her to see the scarlet blush creeping its way onto his cheeks. "Er, all right."

The two stepped up to the lane, Elle holding the ball as was proper. Standing behind her, he reached both arms around her and gripped her forearms. Swallowing roughly, he could feel his breaths decreasing in length with each passing moment. They had hugged many times but this was intimacy between them like never before. In a bowling alley, Emmett reminded himself. Very romantic. Shaking the thoughts, he moved with her as he muttered softly the technique of the movement when throwing the ball down the lane. The ball was thrown and though it wasn't the best in the world, she knocked down three pins and that seemed to satisfy her enough.

She jumped up and down, shrieking in delight as she hugged Emmett for a very brief moment. "See? You make a fantastic teacher." She said, prodding his chest with her index finger.

-

"Want to come up for a cup of hot cocoa?"

"Now how can I turn that down?"

The two walked in silence towards her dorm room, their steps in perfect sync with one another. This was just something else he adored about her: she seemed to fit so well with him that the silence wasn't threatening. They were each comfortable enough with each other that the mere knowledge of their presence was gratifying enough. Glances were exchanged along with small, flirty smiles on her part and gawkily sweet ones on his. The walk didn't take long because soon enough he found himself in the pink clad room of one Elle Woods.

"Lemme just whip up those drinks, all right?"

"Yeah, sure." Emmett knew this room all too well that he didn't need to marvel at the blatant colours adorning each and every prop. It suited her and made her stand out from the rest and he simply couldn't ask for more. Sitting down on her bed, he slipped off the jacket and tossed back on the bed behind him.

"Do you want marshmallows?"

"Of course. Can you have hot chocolate any other way?"

In due time they were each sitting on her bed with their hot cocoa in hands and chatting amorously together. Elle sat at the head of the bed while Emmett sat at the end, their attention on nothing else but one another.

"So, come on, tell me all the juicy details of your summer vacation." Emmett prodded her as he took a small sip from the already half empty mug.

"Oh, everything that I haven't already told you on the phone over the vacation?" She thought about it for a moment. "I don't think I have anything else. I pretty much did tell you everything on the phone. Oh! Wait a minute, there was that incident with Pilar at the spa. Nothing too major—just that her masseuse happened to be her ex-boyfriend. Not a very pleasant trip, I must say. She ended up throwing mud at him." Laughing aloud with Emmett, she shrugged somewhat. "Not impressive but that's Malibu life."

"What, no summer romance for you?" He gave the persona of being very non-chalant about the question but he was never very good at putting up fronts and inside he was aching to know if she had met someone in California that had won her heart.

"Nope, no summer fling. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, uhm, no reason. Just, you know, I figured every guy would be falling all over you out there." Chuckling nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck and gave a timid smile.

"Well, they were," she laughed once more and shook her head somewhat. "Besides, I met someone here last year that has me entranced."

"O-Oh? Do I know him?" His palms were starting to sweat and his heartbeat was racing wildly in pure nervousness.

"You might." She paused and flashed an alluring smile. "It's you."

Out of nowhere, he felt her lips on his lips and the warmth of her entire being shooting through him like bolts of lightning. He was too stunned to even respond to her and she was pulling away slowly before he could draw her back in.

"I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Obviously you—"

"No, don't apologize!" he said quickly and waved his hands in a small motion. "I just…I wasn't expecting it. You…Elle, you're wonderful. I didn't think—You and me—Oh, just come here."

Their lips clashed together, moving against one another as if they only had a few more minutes to live. Their lips didn't fit together perfectly like in the movies or in fairytales, but there was an ignited passion that caused them to move together as if their lips were made for one another. It was a frantic need to simply felt each other's contact, to know that this wasn't a dream.

"Hold on," Elle said breathlessly as she pulled away from him, leaving him to watch her hopelessly as she moved away for a moment to place their mugs on her desk. When she returned, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down beside her on the bed. Their kiss resumed where it had left off, this time their limbs entangling together as they smiled brightly into the kiss. Teeth bumped together in an awkward fashion but nothing could have ruined this moment for them as they found themselves blissfully in the company of the one person who understood them beyond any means.

The kiss broke sweetly, each one feeling each other's breath as Elle shifted down, snuggling her head to his chest as they simply held each other.

"No bumpers?" Emmett asked as he stroked her hair soothingly, watching her with droopy eyes.

She looked up towards him and their gazes locked, the world drifting away behind them. "No bumpers."

Well, I liked how that turned out. How about you guys? Leave reviews and let me know. Since I'm so terribly smitten with Elle and Emmett, I may just have to write more of them.