Authors note: Sorry for the slight (fucking huge) delay, clashing things and whatnot, blame Ellie51! (I'm kidding) But as promised here's the next part of this section of Parallels! Also, thanks to those of you leaving messages and comments it really does help and effect how we write so shout out to you guys! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: We do not own anyone, that is considered morally wrong in many countries.
Back and forth, back and forth. The endless pacing of Cordelia Goode was beginning to irritate every person in the room, everyone except Misty Day. She had taken matters into her own hands, yelling demands while calling two different people at once. It was hectic to say the very least.
"Where the fuck is she?" Cordelia growled.
"She's not picking up her phone Miss. Goode." Misty said.
"Great". Cordelia chewed on the inside of her cheek, folding her arms and clenching her fingers around her elbows in annoyance.
Spalding moved away from his camera and approached Cordelia with a scowl on his filthy face.
"I can't be here all day "
"Yes Mr. Spalding I understand that"
"No, you dont. If you did you would have gotten someone else to model."
"It's my mother's cover and as much as i hate to admit it, Madison knows the camera. Who else am I going to pull up right this second?"
Spalding pointed a shaking finger towards Misty who was threatening someone over the phone on the other side of the room. "What about her, we can get her make up done quickly and she's got the look."
"She's my assistant!"
He paused. "Does your mother know?"
"What about her being my assistant? No, she doesn't."
"Then you use her for the shoot and then you fire her. Pretend she was a model."
"Are you realistically suggesting I fire one of my best assistants just to lie to my mother?" Cordelia asked, frowning at Spalding.
"Yes, your mother is an important woman Cordelia. She," Spalding nodded his head towards Misty who was still on the phone, "Is an assistant, in all that she;s worth what is she to you? Nothing. Not in the grand scale of things Miss. Goode, there are plenty of other assistants available out there."
Cordelia hesitated. She wasn't quite sure how to handle this and for once, she had to seriously think about letting Misty go and that thought seemed utterly terrifying. She had no other choice. And besides, it would be for the best. She was becoming too close for comfort to her assistant. It was time for a change. "Fine," Cordelia said gritting her teeth slightly. "I'll ask her."
Cordelia walked up to Misty, suppressing every emotion she felt in her gut that was sure to keep her lying awake for weeks to come.
"Misty," Cordelia said warding the younger woman's attention.
The Cajun looked up, her hands digging into her scalp as she sighed and shook her head "I can't get a hold of anyone I'm really s-"
"Don't be sorry." She said sternly. "Look I need you to do something for me."
"Yeah, anythin'."
"I need you to model the shoot." Oh how she hopped the offer would be declined.
Misty stammered for a moment. "Miss cordelia I-"
She put a hand on the younger blonde;s shoulder. "You can do it."
There was a moment of pause, silence throughout the building. "Okay."
"Great!" Cordelia stitched a fake smile onto her lips while helping the girl up, gripping her shoulders.
"Miss. Goode," Misty asked following her boss to make-up. "Won't the other Miss. Goode be angry that you used me?"
Again the Creative Director gave a false grin. "Let me worry about my mother, you'll do great."
Misty gave a nervous smile as a make-up team swarmed her in seconds. It didn't take long to prep Misty, she didn't need heavy makeup or anything that took time to make her look like she belonged on the front cover. It was lucky some of the clothes fitted too otherwise all of this would be for nothing.
After Misty was finally fully prepped for the shoot, she left the prep closet and wandered over to Cordelia who was standing idly by the set, her head looking down at her phone.
"How do I look?" Misty asked, tapping Cordelia lightly on the shoulder to gain her attention.
Cordelia turned around, slightly startled by the sudden tapping on her shoulder. Facing her was Misty, her wild curly hair was styled in a similar fashion to one of Fiona's old looks and she was wearing a simple black outfit reminiscent of the one's Cordelia faintly remembered her mother wearing back in the 1980s, the highlight of her Fiona's career. Although Cordelia hated and despised absolutely everything about her mother, she had to admit that the fashion icon's style looked pretty good on Misty. Cordelia's eyes roamed up and down the younger woman's body taking it all in.
"You uh," Cordelia paused. "You look great Misty."
And she did, stunning in fact, Cordelia faced herself becoming rather nervous very quickly which begged the question why- why was she filling with colour at the sight of her assistant. Repress it. was the only thing echoing around her mind.
"Miss. Day, We're ready for you"
"Delia I-"
"Misty," Cordelia said calmly putting her hands on the womans face
"You'll do great"
Misty made her way up to the white background of the large set, a man walked out from behind the set with a large boa constrictor. pure white- he placed it around Misty's neck as he eyes lit up.
Spalding began taking photos a few snaps here and there but no enthusiastic clicking- which was slightly odd.
"I can't work with this." He said "We're trying to do a witch theme not a'I'm a happy little princess' theme."
"I'm sorry." Misty looked to Cordelia for some assistance "I've never-"
Cordelia sighed and moved toward Misty, putting her palm on Misty's face. The snake began to make its way up Cordelia's shoulder as she lent down by Misty's ear.
"Look at that camera like you look at me, you'll be fine."
She hesitated but gave a small unsure nod.
Spalding scowled at Cordelia as she moved away from the white background, watching her assistant change her technique to fit in with Spalding's demands for the shoot. The blonde's positions became much more robust and authoritative, just like how Fiona was on the cover of her last anniversary issue which Spalding was hoping to recreate now.
It seemed to be going well. With each shot Spalding became more enthusiastic (as enthusiastic as a bitter man such as himself could get anyway) and Cordelia could feel her stress about the shoot slowly going down. However, as the shoot progressed the Creative Director found herself increasingly drawn to the younger blonde's movements. There was something about the way her body looked so lithe and surprisingly comfortable in the various poses that Misty was currently doing.
The peacefulness didn't last for long though. As soon as Cordelia's mind began to wander she was interrupted by Madison Montgomery barging in on the shoot, doors swinging wide, demanding they redo everything with her instead of Misty.
"This is bullshit!" The young blonde yelled, crossing her arms over her chest as she stormed towards Cordelia. "How can you let her take my place? I was late by ten minutes and you assholes started without me?"
"Madison, you were late by an hour. We had no choice but to go on without you or Spalding would have left and then where would we be? Without a cover to my mothers 40th anniversary magazine"
"I was ten damn minutes late Cordelia, Get that bitch out of the studio and send her for coffee, that's all shes good for. Oh and Delia," She said pivoting on her heel "Use someone else and I'll see to it everyone knows what you do with your little staff toys"
"Back off Madison." Cordelia didn't know how but Misty had materialized behind Madison, her height being well utilized to her advantage to look as intimidating as she could.
Madison scoffed and looked at her up and down "Excuse you?"
"I said back off." Misty eyed the smaller girl with a glare that could freeze blood on chapped lips. the snake was abandoned on the floor somewhere behind her.
Madison shoved back the Cajun. "You back off you bayou bitch. Why don't you just go eat Cordelia out under the desk? Besides making mediocre coffee that's all you seem to be good at."
"You bitch." Misty saw red. She didn't even think before she realised that she was on top the younger model, holding her down and repeatedly smacking her in the head. Beneath her, Madison protested by squirming and writhing, trying to push the Cajun off her chest to no avail. Her hands moved to the models throat as the younger girl batted her arms around erratically, catching Misty on the nose, her head cracked to the side as she grunted. Madison threw off Misty and was half on her feet until the Cajun pulled her back, tearing fabric and clawing at skin as the model hit the ground hard. Misty straddled her, strong hands beating away relentlessly at Madison's face as her struggling subsided. Blood flew and It wasn't until Misty could feel Cordelia as well two security guards grabbing her beneath her arms, pulling her off the smaller girl that she fully realised the extent of her brutal onslaught.
When she was back on her feet, Misty straightened out her clothes, pressing down firmly on the crinkles in the fabric to try and get rid of them. She ran a hand quickly through her hair to push it away from her face and wiped the blood from her nose as the guards helped Madison up off the ground in her dazed state. After she was pulled to her feet the younger girl tried to wipe some of blood away from her lip and nose from where Misty had hit her.
The Cajun opened her mouth to apologise in a somewhat snub way, immediately regretting what she did. Not that she didn't want to hit Madison because god she did- but she could guess what repercussions she could face because of it due to it happening within Robichaux's grounds. Not just her but Cordelia as well.
"Madison-" she began
She held up a hand and stumbled over to the curly haired woman, paused and smacked her hand across Misty's face, her head snapping to the side "I'm going to sue this company into the ground." She hissed slowly.
Misty chewed her cheek as Cordelia brushed past her and glanced over her shoulder, it was hard to tell what emotion she was trying to carry the look was so brief but Misty's gut wrenched.
"Madison I'm real sorry-"
"No-" She laughed "No- no, you shut up, I don't need your apology."
"We can pay for health care and anything else you need."
Madison opened her mouth to pour out more vile name calling and threats but something in her eye lit up as her shrewd eyes caught Misty.
"Her." She extended a finger. "I want her gone and I want her sued for every dime she owns."
Cordelia glanced back at Misty for a moment "Madison-"
"Or I sue the whole company… seven digits."
Cordelia lowered her voice. "Fine but-"
"No, do it here, now. I want to watch."
Her sadistic request did not go unheard, it was hard not to and Misty was trying hard to convince herself that being tortured in a foreign country would be worse- but it wasn't, it definitely was not worse than this.
Cordelia slowly turned to face Misty who lowered her head. She needed to get rid of her anyway, but she truth be told, Cordelia only wanted to give her a suspension. Now, Misty would have to go.
"Cor- I- Um- Miss. Goode-"
"I don't want to hear it Misty." She barked. "You're fired!"
"But-"
"Turn around and leave the premises or I will have security escort you out."
Misty turned to the door biting down on a scream and holding back her tears.
"Oh and Misty? Our lawyers will be in touch" Her tone was cold and her composure stiff and rigid but her eyes seemed saddened, the light catching them a little more water filled than usual but Misty didn't bother to look that close, she couldn't, one of the security guards gave a small growl and moved toward her which forced her to flinch slightly. Madison chuckled lightly as Misty made her way out of the room quietly. Her head lowered and her eyes already stinging.
XXX
She regretted doing it, she shouldn't but she did and it hurt, it hurt alot. A tight pain in her chest made it seemingly impossible to breathe as she sat slumped half drunk on scotch in her office chair, her hair was a mess as she swirled the half empty glass that caught the lights of the city that twinkled from behind the floor to ceiling glass. The top button of her blouse was undone and the bags under her eyes were heavy and sore.
The dark room and its silence albeit the occasional siren and horn from the streets below was somewhat comforting to her as she sat slouched in her chair. She shouldn't be drinking but she needed to indulge herself. Besides, this took the edge off it.
Misty didn't deserve that, she was doing as she was told no more and no less… No, she did more, she never mixed up her coffee, she'd noticed what time Cordelia liked it, she had studied her file system and the way she looked at her, it was like she had spotted some kind of biological wonder yet unknown to science and the world. Yet Misty was ethereal in all her being and she had metaphorically clipped the wings of a young songbird and left it out in the cold and wet with the neighbours cat prowling in the bushes.
Another sip that quickly turned into the rest of the glass's contents were drained quickly down the back her throat.
She clumsily reached over for the rest of the bottle, knocking a couple papers from the desk and taking several tries to place the glass down on the table. She lifted the bottle and began to pour it but stopped and realised she could just drink from the bottle, there wasn't that much left anyway.
She took a deep breath and looked out over the city. She was down there somewhere, doing something, most likely crying, or drunk. Cordelia had already surpassed the first stage three hours ago.
There was a sudden ring of her office telephone, Cordelia scrunched up her eyebrows and gave the mouse a shake to display her monitor, the light came on and she closed her eyes as a wave of pain surged through her brain as she squinted at the screen; 3:45AM, Who would call at this time.
Cordelia reached over for the phone, forgetting her chair could infact move she fell onto the floor.
"Shit." She groaned.
The Creative Director desperately tried to pick herself up but her arms and legs seemed to have their own agendas, as did the ground which was moving sideways now…
She felt for the desk and used her arms to feel her way up the glass structure. She reached over for the phone just as it went to answer phone the small beep echoed around the room and there was a small silence.
There was an out of breath voice, footsteps, lots of footsteps, someone was running. "Cordelia!" Her name shattering of the person's tongue as their croaky voice came echoing down the phone line. "Help me!" She cried. Misty- that was Misty's voice, she knew it like the soft hum of a bird song. Now though was not the sweet melodic sound she was used to, Misty had called her and she sounded terrified.
"Get her!" A ghostish voice hollered from somewhere in the distance.
"Please help me! P-"
The line went dead.