Here is a new story for you. This one is a collaboration piece with my dear friend Lezti Bella.

Note: This fic is purely AU (Alternate Universe), which means that the story is completely different from the original Candy Candy story. But there are a few elements from the manga that I've included into the story - you'll know which ;)

I'm not going to bother too much with my rambling. So without further ado, please enjoy -forever & Lezti Bella

Disclaimer: I don't own Candy Candy manga and all the characters in it, but the talented Kyoko Mizuki does. This fic is a product of my own twisted imagination. If any of the plots, specific scenes, or dialogues appears to be similar to that from another fic or story, it is purely unintentional and coincidental. 'Great minds think alike', after all.

Acknowledgement:

I want to thank my co-author, the lovely Lezti Bella. Without her, this story will not exist.

And last but not least, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read my stories and write a review. Again, thank you for your patience. My sincere appreciation goes to you. :)

Chasing William Andrew

By forever and Lezti Bella

Chapter 1: Mission Impossible

Candy had to drag her feet to ascend the last two steps of the staircase of her apartment building. She truly enjoyed living in this place she had called home for the last two year, but at this moment, she wished she could have lived in a modern building equipped with elevator instead. Climbing all the way to the fourth floor wasn't a fun thing to do when her body felt and weighed as if it were made entirely of lead.

Work had drained most of her energy. And Patty's last minute cancellation to go to dinner was a great disappointment and only made things worse. She had looked forward to a quiet and relaxing night while enjoying the fabulous Mediterranean food at the Acacia. Alas, that wouldn't happen since Patty had balked.

Trudging to the door, she shoved her hand into her jacket's pocket. But instead of keys, her fingers grasped nothing but the soft lining material that made the pocket of her spring jacket. She was so sure she had dropped the keys inside the pocket. Where could they be? With impatience that gradually escalated into frustration, she searched every single pocket in her entire outfit before she recalled that she had slipped her keys in the inner compartment of her work bag just before she had left the office.

Quickly, she unzipped her bag and peeked inside. There they were, just as they should be. With a satisfied smile, she retrieved the set of keys and unlocked the door as fast as she could, opening it with a firm push. As the door swung to a close with a muted bam, she reached for the switches mounted on the wall next to the door. As soon as her fingers flicked on the light switches, streams of brightness flooded the area, and she moved toward the living room.

Home sweet home! She released a loud sigh and tossed her work bag carelessly onto the sofa and slumped into the sumptuous leatherette cushion, raising her feet and propping them against the coffee table. The oversize couch might not be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but the comfort that it offered was more than enough to compensate for that.

Just when she could finally feel relaxed, the stern words from her boss echoed loudly in her ears, and she was reminded of the burden she had to carry. Her boss must have hated her with immense passion and wanted nothing but to destroy her career. Her boss, the indomitable Rita Wagner, had assigned her an impossible mission, a project that would go nowhere. She had to write an article about the mysterious magnate William Andrew, and it specifically had to be in the form of an interview piece. How could she even do that if the man had never revealed himself to the public? She even doubted this man's existence - his pictures couldn't be found anywhere. He could've been just a fabricated figure, a sham.

Whether this man was real or not wouldn't change her fate though. Rita had stressed to her that this was her last chance, which meant she had to do this or she would have to search for another job soon. Why wouldn't Rita be satisfied with what she had written so far? Surely, there were readers out there who would appreciate her articles about celebrity pets. But, no. Rita wanted something else, something preposterous, something utterly impossible. Then, as if that wasn't enough, there was a ridiculous time limit firmly tacked to her new assignment. Her boss demanded that the article must be published in the upcoming anniversary edition of the Intrigue, which was only three months away from today.

Three months for this crazy assignment?! Was Rita out of her mind? Unbelievable.

She didn't care about a pompous rich man, especially when the man had no interest to ever show his face in public - the man must have been an old scrooge. But Rita had given her no choice. Oh well, if she wanted to be a good reporter she had to deliver a good job and she would prove to Rita she could do this assignment, even if it would cost her an arm and a leg. Okay - that would be too extreme. She wouldn't want to lose her limbs for something so stupid like that - but she did want to keep her job because it might pave the way for her to meet her idol, Terrence Grandchester! He was one of the reasons why she had joined Intrigue Inc., an entertainment magazine publisher.

The man was to die for!

Right at that moment, when Terry's beautiful face flashes in her mind, she suddenly remembered that a new episode of Our Destiny would be playing on TV soon. She wouldn't want to miss an episode, not now, not ever. So she should stop her brooding and take a shower now.

As she made her way to the bathroom, she grabbed the universal remote for the media set from the console and pressed on the button. Immediately, Bruno Mars' catchy tune filled the room, and she began to sing along loudly almost right away.

"When I see your face,

there's not a thing that I would change,

cause' you're amazing

just the way you are …"

Oh how she loved this song! She didn't understand why would anyone not like it? Annie and Patty mocked her for having it as her ringtone, constantly jeering at her whenever her phone rang, "Do you dream on Terry telling you those things, Candy?"

The truth was she actually did. She did wish that one day Terry would speak those words to her with his adorable British accent. So she was a dreamer, a Cinderella stuck in a wrong era - Annie had labeled her as. But hey! It was harmless. Besides, she believed dreams did come true - Walt Disney agreed with her for sure, and despite all the evil doings of her step mother and sisters, Cinderella did marry her prince after all.

A sigh escaped her mouth as her mood turned mellow. Sometimes she wondered if she had chosen to stay with Tom would she have been happier, enjoying a fulfilling marriage life?

Suddenly something vibrated against her upper thigh before the sound of Bruno Mars singing the chorus of her favorite song could be heard. Who could it be? She dug her fingers into her pants pocket to fish her phone out. The name of the caller was displayed clearly on her phone's screen. It was Patty.

The feeling of annoyance returned in a rush, and she was tempted to ignore the call but decided to respond at the last minute. Patty needed a scolding for ruining her night, and she would give her just that.

"CANDY!"

Patty's shrill voice screeched at her ear drums as soon as her thumb tapped on the receive button.

"I hope you know that I'm not very happy with you, Miss O'Brien," she told Patty while her free hand fiddling with the remote buttons, switching on the TV but keeping its volume in mute.

"I'm sorry. There was an urgent meeting," Patty explained with a touch of remorse. "We managed to nab a huge contract with a very wealthy client that could worth more than a million."

"Yeah sure..." She absently flipped through the TV channels.

"No, I'm serious," Patty asserted. "This could possibly be the most high profile client we'll ever work with. This may very well be the breakthrough that we've been waiting for. If we can impress this client in a good way. This can lead to more amazing opportunities, opening more doors to us, celebrities events, political parties, and so on..."

"That sounds great..." The enthusiasm in her voice was obviously fake as she was not interested in Patty's rambling about work.

Patty was an aspiring chef. She graduated from an internationally acclaimed culinary school, and her dream was to open her own restaurant. But due to lack of resources, she resorted to start from small, running her own food truck business, Patty's Cupcake. So far, she had done well. Her cupcakes had become popular among the Bay Area residents.

"Anyway, I know that you don't care much about this," Patty conceded, much to Candy's relief. "But you would stop giving me the third degree once I tell you what I found out today."

She huffed in indifference. "Unless it's about Terry Grandchester - I wouldn't bet on it."

"Umm... Like I said, you'd appreciate this more than I-"

Her fingers stopped pressing on the remote. "No way! Is it really about Terry?" Moderating her excitement, she leaned her back against the wall. "Patty - I'm warning you. You'd better not trying to pull my legs here."

A stream of giggles flew to her ear. "Candy. Candy. Candy. When have I ever lied to you?"

Rolling her eyes, she snorted at Patty's absurd statement. "Ummm... Many times. Do I need to list all your transgressions, Miss O'Brien. We can start from-"

"OK fine," Patty intercepted hurriedly. "I'm not an angel - guess who has been spotted by Miranda at the Cafe Verona this morning?"

She jolted away from the wall in an instant. "Terry?! NO WAY!"

"Yes way!" Patty enthused. "After doing some more investigation, Miranda found out that the actor is a regular patron there. Can you believe it?"

"Terry? My gorgeous, hunky hunk, Terry? Only a block away from my office? And I didn't know this! Oh Patty! Are you sure?"

Patty broke into small giggles. "Yeah I thought of you instantly - his number one fan. So how about we meet for a coffee tomorrow at eight? It's my treat. Consider it as a retribution."

"Oh my God! Patty, yes please!"

"So does that mean that I'm forgiven, Candy?" Patty asked cautiously.

Candy sank into silence for a moment. In reality, her irritation had vanished; any news about Terry could manage to brighten her mood. An impish smile curved her lips as an idea sprung to her mind. But Patty didn't need to know that - let her suffer a little longer. "I'll think of a punishment for you, Miss O'Brien but now, my darling, Terry awaits me. Goodnight. See you tomorrow."

"Candy! Hey!"

Before Patty could say anything else, Candy had switched off her phone and placed it on the console.

Woo hoo! She was going to see Terry... She was going to see the strikingly handsome Terry Grandchester! Her one and only Terry...

She froze in her track.

Oh my God! Oh my God! What should she wear tomorrow? Oh crap! Her hair! She didn't want to show him her bird's nest of a hair. That would be a nightmare. She had to do something about it now... Oh darn! There was no more hot oil to tame her wild frizzy curls. She had forgotten to buy it last week, and the store would be close by now. What time would the salon open tomorrow morning? Oh great! This was just great. Her one chance to meet her prince would be ruined now...

"Okay, Candy. This is not the time for you to be depressed," she cheered herself.

There must be something she could do. She could probably use up the bottle of conditioner she had - she certainly could try that. With that thought, she dashed to her bedroom and prepared her bath.

It was not long after that when she found herself immersed up to her chin in perfumed bubbly water. While her muscles were in total relaxed state, her mind was sedated with nothing but thoughts of Terry.

Terry epitomized what she perceived to be an ideal man. Although it had begun from a crush that had turned into a slight obsession she had had toward one of the roles he had taken in a TV series, she didn't think it was just a crush anymore. Admittedly, she was 100% in love with the actor. His characters on TV were always so full of passion yet there was just enough gentleness that caused her heart to flutter and beat erratically, and his willingness to sacrifice his life for his loved ones moved her to tears. Oh how she longed to have him to be by her side! She believed his performance in TV projected what in real life he must be, and it would be a dream come true for her to know him in person. And that dream was not going to be a dream any longer by tomorrow...

*********ccccccc*********

"Good morning, San Francisco! Today is shaping up to be..."

Candy roused from her sleep at the familiar voice, letting out a loud yawn, her hands reaching for the snooze button on her alarm clock.

Mmmm... what time is it? The sun is shining and … Oh no! Terry!

Her eyes snapped open, and she jerked her head to the clock on her bedside table. It displayed 7:30 am. That late? She leaped from her bed briskly and ran to her bathroom. With no time to spare, she finished her morning rituals as quickly as she could and went to the closet, seeing nothing but a jumble of mess.

Crap! She had not chosen her outfit yet. The hot bath last night had made her drowsy and lethargic, so she had ended up falling asleep in the middle of drying her hair. And her hair looked atrocious now! But she had no time to deal with that. She only had two minutes to dress herself. Snatching a pair of black skinny jeans from the top pile of clothes on the floor and a purple knit top from the hanger, she scurried back to the bathroom and finished changing. She had to forgo sprucing herself up, making a mental note to apply some lipsticks later.

Patty would kill her for not being on time. Now she just needed her jacket and her briefcase for work. Great! She forgot about the hair. Oh well, she would just have to use a hair band for now. She hoped Terry didn't find her too bland. Seeing how late she was now, riding on the city bus wouldn't be a wise decision, especially with the rush hour underway. So it looked like that she had to fork deeper into her wallet and called a cab. She wasn't thrilled with the idea - but this was all for Terry.

After what felt like an eternity being trapped in a taxi that crawled along the crowded streets of San Francisco, she finally arrived. Exiting the yellow cab, she took a deep breath, her heart beating faster now that she was nearer. She sneaked a glance at her watch. Oh no! it was already 8.30am. She had texted Patty earlier to let her know she would be late, so she knew her friend would wait for her - but not Terry. Instantly, she broke in a jog and moved toward the cafe. From a distance, she could spot Patty sitting by the window, but there was no Terry in sight. Disappointment crept inside her but she quelled it at once and increased the pace of her steps. Maybe he was somewhere inside the posh coffee shop.

Without slowing down, she approached the entrance of the cafe and slammed her palm hard against the glass door, pushing it open.

"What the hell!" A baritone voice cried in anger.

Her step came to an abrupt halt, and she stood unmoving for a few seconds, dread creeping inside her. This wasn't supposed to happen - not part of her plan at all. With her heart pounding against her ears, she forced her head to turn to the side.

A loud gasp burst out of her, her hand covering her mouth. She couldn't move, paralyzed by the terrible mess before her. A paper cup lay on its side on the floor, partially immersed in a dark puddle that continuously grew in size as more dark liquid came dripping down from above, from someone's soaked pants and shirt. The man, whose shirt now sported a dark brown blotch, didn't look happy at all.

This was a nightmare! How could she be so careless! In her rush, she had neglected to see there was a man standing behind the door.

She wanted to scream and cry at the same time but then realized instead of wallowing in self pity, she should help the poor man instead. The hot coffee might burn him.

"I am really sorry! I'm so so sorry. Let me get some napkins." After laying her work bag on the floor, she spun on her heel and darted toward the nearby condiment counter, nearly knocking another stranger in the process. Pretending not to notice the mocking stares that were directed to her, she pulled as many napkins as she could from the metal holders and returned in a hurry to where the man was.

"You should be more careful, miss. Good thing, the coffee wasn't hot anymore," the man chided as she dabbed the napkins against his coffee drenched shirt. "This is not a place for breaking your running record."

Her hands ceased moving. She admitted she was at fault, but she wouldn't just give him a free ticket to badger her. As she lifted her eyes to him, whatever she was about to utter in a counterattack to his quip melted at the tip of her tongue, her thoughts astray.

The man was tall and sure was handsome! His wavy hair was blonde like hers but maybe a tad darker. The pair of beautiful blue eyes were a delight to see, both soothing and mesmerizing. His unblemished skin looked so soft, her fingers itching to caress it.

Her gaze drifted downward. His tall frame was not bulky by any standards but she could tell he was not made of bones either. His muscles felt firm to the touch. He must have worked out at the gym regularly, which was not surprising considering how most of the men in city by the bay cared a great deal about their health and appearance - metrosexual as they were famously called.

Suddenly, he snatched the napkins from her hands, catching her by surprise. "I can do it myself. Thanks."

Only then she realized what she had been doing and was overcome with mortification for her audacity of groping a man in public. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to help and... "

The man stopped wiping his shirt and erupted into laughter. "It's okay - I understand. It was an accident. And I don't mind to have a pretty girl touching me in the morning." He winked.

Her cheeks turned hot all of a sudden. The man was blatantly teasing her, and she couldn't do anything to respond. As she lowered her head to avoid looking directly at him, the unsightly dark coffee stain tainting his once pristine white shirt caught her eyes. She felt uneasy, guilt poking at her conscience. "Oh eeerm... Let me pay for your dry cleaning bill, or perhaps I can buy you a new shirt."

"No, that's not necessary." A reassuring smile materialized on his lips. "It's fine. I have a spare shirt in my office." His lips tilted in a playful smile while he leaned toward her slightly, causing her to hold her breath as she hadn't expected him to do that. "Maybe if we ever bump into each other again, you could buy me a coffee to replace the one you spilled today. How about that? Deal?"

She gaped. Was he saying that he wanted to see her again?

The man drew back from her and glanced down at his watch."But for now, I am late for work, so I should go." He then picked up her bag from the floor and handed it to her. "Just try not to drench people with coffee again next time, miss," he added with a laugh.

Reaching for her bag and taking it into her hand, she could only watch him as he pivoted and made his way to the door. Would she ever see him again? Did he work nearby?

Patty's loud laughter coming from behind her sliced right into her thoughts. "I'm so proud of you, Candy." She felt Patty's hand patting her back. "I didn't know that you had it in you to capture such a hunk this early in the morning. And you even forgot about your Terry."

"Eh, Terry? Oh crap! I forgot about that," she muttered out loud and whirled to face Patty. "I'm really sorry Patty I woke up late. Where is he? Is he still here?"

"No, he left through the side door while you were busy caressing another man," Patty told her with a smirk before she emitted another peals of laughter.

Embarrassed, Candy turned her head sideways, her face growing hot again as she remembered the incident. She still couldn't believe she had done something as daring as touching a man, something that she had not done for years. The only man she had ever really touched was Tom.

"He sat at the table in the corner nook right there," Patty continued, and Candy followed the direction of Patty's finger, pointing at the most secluded area of the cafe. "He was very quiet and didn't seem approachable. He was rather upset when some girls were trying to talk to him.

"Oh I don't blame him!" She rolled her eyes at Patty. "They were probably some annoying fans."

"And you're not?" asked Patty with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'm not a fan, Patty. I'm a journalist. There's a huge difference between a rabid fan and a highly motivated journalist."

"Oh yeah sure... " Patty replied in a mocking tone. "I'm sure he would love to know that a reporter has been stalking him."

"HEY! That's not-"

Patty didn't allow her to continue and draped an arm around her shoulder, maneuvering her to move toward the main counter. "I was just joking, my sweet friend. So what would you like? Espresso? Cappuccino?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Patty's bright smile and emitted a defeated sigh. She wasn't too content with the fact she had failed to meet with Terry because of her clumsiness and wasn't really in the mood to cope with Patty's insult and blather. But a dose of caffeine would give her enough boost that she would need to finish the long list of tasks waiting for her at work.

She had plenty of online reading to do today as she began her research on William Andrew. Hopefully, by the time she was done with her reading, she would find clues that could shed light on the identity of the mysterious tycoon. And before long, she would reveal to the whole world who William Andrew was, and Rita would finally acknowledge her as a competent journalist. But she wouldn't care about Rita anymore by then as her popularity would skyrocket, and everyone would know her by name, even Terry himself might recognize her.

Well, Mr. Andrew, your days as an incognito man are numbered. You can count on it!

"What's with that smile?" Patty suddenly asked her, bringing her musing to a stop.

"Uhm nothing... I was just thinking about something - that's all." She shrugged without bothering to explain further, dismissing Patty's skeptical look with a sweet smile. "A cup of cappuccino for me, please, Miss O'Brien."

To Be Continued

Please let us know what you think of this story.

Authors' Remark:

Lezti and I hope you like the first chapter of this new series. Once again, please keep in mind that this is (only very) loosely based on Candy Candy, so the plot, characters, and other details will be different. The only thing that is the same is the name of the characters.

This first chapter introduces us to our heroine and gives a brief glimpse of the other characters. The next chapter will introduce more characters. Will our heroine be able to fulfill her mission?

-Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Note:

Just The Way You Are was written by The Smeezingtons, Khalil Walton, Jon Ray, and Needlz and produced by The Smeezingtons, and Needlz. It is Bruno Mars' debut single. For more information you can check wiki.

PS: BTW, those of you who have been waiting for a new chapter of Ninety Days, it's cooking in the pot right now. And if you want, you can get a small morsel in my blog ;)