I want to run with the 'Cindy as Jimmy's lab assistant' theme for a few more one shots, so these next few one shots will be the prequel of sorts to the last one shot about Jimmy's migraine. I enjoy the idea of JC working together in the lab...:)

This one has no seasonal theme but whatever it's the JC that counts. (Right?)

Paying off law school wasn't easy when Cindy was subsisting on an entry-level income at a local firm. She had taken up a number of weekend jobs that didn't pay well. (Somehow, babysitting and dog walking wasn't what she had in mind when she'd first moved to New York City). Currently, she was working the Saturday shift at her local Duane Reade as a sales associate. It was minimum wage like most of the other on the side jobs she was doing, but she couldn't refuse any amount of money coming her way.

It was a bleak night. It had been pouring for hours now and customers tracked in water and dry leaves as they ducked in and out of the store. Cindy had been assigned to rearranging the cosmetics aisle. As she applied price stickers to bottles of nail polish, her eye caught a flyer wedged underneath the last shelf. Abandoning the last few bottles of puppy pink polish, she picked up the flyer.

"Scientist seeking competent lab assistant. Must have a firm grasp of college level chemistry and physics. (At the very least) Email resume and cover letter to following address. Pay will be considerably high."

That night, Cindy had pondered sending in her resume. She had taken a few advanced science courses in college and she'd aced them. And she did need the money…

She took out her laptop and started typing furiously.

On Thursday night, Cindy found herself in front of a red brick brownstone a few subway stations away from her crappy rundown studio apartment. Pea plants were growing all over the side of the building, and the second floor balcony was crammed with weird looking plants.

Before she even rung the doorbell, someone swung the door open. "Come in, I don't have all day." A man in a sterile white coat ushered her in. Cindy followed him through the eclectic apartment. Papers littered the carpets and sofas, and random science magazines were strewn about on the dining room table. "Sorry, I didn't get your name—"

He turned back to her with an exasperated expression. "It's James but call me Jimmy."

Cindy gasped. "You're James…Neutron?"

"Bravo." He gave a faux clap. "I certainly hope you catch on quicker when you're actually in the lab." Cindy frowned. She wondered if he was always this short with everyone. But he was a certified genius...and she had always known them to be eccentric figures.

"Okay…I don't know if I should be here…I mean didn't you win a Nobel Prize last year?"

"Yes, but your credentials seem fine, and I need an assistant." He faced her now, arms crossed over his coat. Cindy was caught off guard by his electric blue eyes. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks just as he turned away once more to rifle through some papers on the table behind him. "So, are you in or not, Miss Vortex? I've got to get back to my particle accelerator- "

Cindy bit her lip before breaking out into a wide smirk. "Cool your jets, I'm in, Neutron."

"Jimmy." He corrected, throwing her a pair of goggles over his shoulder. She caught them and put them on.

"Whatever you say, Nerdtron." She mumbled under her breath. This was going to be a fun experiment…