ScipioPB, CAPJHMPAgirl, MikariStar, teamBLAZE, imagine believe, XxBlue and CrimsonxX: this chapter's for you! Thanks for reviewing, guys! You're all super special awesome~

I know it's been a lot less silly lately, but you're going to have to hang on one more chapter before things can get back to normal. And by normal, I mean these characters doing slightly or very illegal things at work. Anyways, this is the last chapter that has a dramatic focus for a good while. It's also the first chapter with a blatant OC, though she's based off of Tina from Magical Melody. So! Back to it then!

The Persuasive Papers Lonely Hearts Club

Vaughn woke up groggily, having an especially difficult time opening his eyes to the light of his living room. His neck was aching enough that it hurt to move it much. He caught sight of his coffee table before his nose. His coffee table?!

He sprung up into a sitting position, remembering where he was and why. Vaughn rubbed his sore head and peered around the room. He was on the floor, and the sofa and armchair were empty. He groaned. There was a clang of a cupboard from his kitchen.

"Oh, you're up!" Molly's voice carried over. She appeared over the top of the armchair, crossing her arms over it and smiling down at him. "How's your head?"

Vaughn frowned. "Been better. You?"

"Pfft, I'm fine!" She waved off his concern and went back to the kitchen. Vaughn smelled coffee, and she soon reappeared with a mug for him. "I don't get hangovers."

"You don't… what?" Vaughn found this talent of hers extremely irritating. After all, he hadn't had as much as she did, and his head felt like there was a jackhammer inside of it. He took the cup she held out for him and quickly swallowed some of the black brew even though it was scalding.

Molly shrugged, hands on her hips and still wearing the same sweater and jean combination she had on last night. "I just get sick once, and I'm generally good to go. Never had much trouble, but I pay for it with almost no tolerance. I'm such a lightweight!"

"Yeah…" Vaughn agreed, raising his eyebrows and sipping more life-giving coffee. He propped up his knee and found a blanket had been thrown over it. "How long you been up?"

"Just a couple of hours. Denny woke up after he heard me in the bathroom, and he said he had to take off for a family thing."

Having answered his only other question, Vaughn remained quiet with his drink. He half-wondered what time it was before something struck him as odd. "You stayed?"

"Well, I'm not that poor of a house guest," she said, staring at him strangely. "Don't you want breakfast or something? I was going to cook, but your fridge is pathetically understocked. I think that leftover take-out from China King you've got in there is starting to decay into something radioactive."

"I don't eat breakfast," Vaughn replied, finally standing and stretching with his empty mug. He ignored her snooping. "Coffee's good enough for me."

"Huh," Molly huffed her bangs out of her eyes. She clapped her hands of dust. "Then I guess this has been awkward enough. Thanks for… you know. I was kind of an idiot."

"Kind of?" His tone teased as he folded the blanket and slung it over the back of the couch.

"Haha," she rolled her eyes. Molly pulled her coat around her shoulders and ruffled her hair. "See you at work tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled. He never liked being reminded of work.

Molly quickly moved to the door but stopped. She bit her lip and turned around. "Did we…?"

"What?" Vaughn asked, the suggestion flying right over his head and off into the clouds.

"Never mind," she shook her head, trying to explain. "I just… don't remember… a lot, so…"

Vaughn got this wild look on his face as if she had suggested he liked ABBA. He poorly attempted a scoff. "What? No, no… You just talked… then you fell asleep. I must've passed out on the floor since that rat bastard took my couch."

Molly laughed and scratched the back of her head. "Okay, that sounds about right. Sorry for bothering you. See ya!"

The door slammed, and her footsteps soon traipsed down the hall and out of earshot. He wasn't sure why, but there was an awkward tension like he forgot something. Vaughn went to the sink and rinsed his mug, leaving it there to wash later. He realized that the dishes from yesterday had all disappeared back into their cupboards, squeaky clean and sparkling. Another quick look around his little home told him Molly had done a fair amount of straightening up. She even dusted!

Vaughn left the bathroom after a quick trip and a tooth brushing and passed a hand over his face, sighing and grumbling to himself. He snatched up his jacket and scarf. "Damn it all…"

Keys in his hand, Vaughn ran down the hall and thundered down the stairs. Two more flights found him in the lobby. He jogged out into the crisp, morning air. There was a cold bite that made him grateful he put on the ugly scarf. He went down the stoop and looked up and down the near-empty street. The sun was still drowsy, shooting colors of orange and yellow down behind the buildings, but it wasn't enough light that the streetlamps were through with their glow.

He caught sight of auburn hair at the end of the street and hurried to catch up with it. "Hey! Molly!"

Evident surprise in her eyes, Molly whirled around to wait for Vaughn. Hands in her coat pockets, she watched as he stopped and caught his breath. "What? Did I forget something?"

Vaughn shook his head, standing up straight. He pushed back his hair, staring up at where his breath was making clouds. "Nah, just… You're hungry, yeah?"

Molly blinked. "Well, yeah, but—"

"Let's go," Vaughn motioned for her to take the right crosswalk rather than head straight. The red hand flashed in warning when Vaughn was halfway across the quiet road, and without a retort, Molly was forced to clumsily run to catch up with him before getting stuck across the street. When she fell into step beside him as they hopped the curb, he explained: "I've got to grab my car from Sully's anyways."

"Oh. Okay," she nodded, though she still wasn't quite sure what was on his mind. Molly shrugged, deciding she'd never really know. "Since you're too dysfunctional to say it: yes, I'd love to go to breakfast with you, Vaughn."

He grimaced. "Why do you have to ruin it?"

Molly just laughed.

Half an hour later, Vaughn's car was parked outside a ho-bunk, mom-and-pop diner. Molly was poking the straw in her water glass, siphoning the water up and down in bored circles. Vaughn was sat back, arms crossed over his wrinkled shirt, and glaring at the empty tables around them.

Molly let out a long breath. "We look like sorry, college kids."

Vaughn snorted in agreement, sitting up. "At least we've got the day off."

"Do you really hate work that much?" Molly cocked her head to the side, still pushing her straw up and down.

Vaughn watched the motion in annoyance. "It's not what I envisioned doing with my life."

"Hm…" she wondered, staring up at the colored tiles on the ceiling. She changed the subject, pointing at him. "Okay, so tell me a story about your family!"

"What?" He deadpanned.

Molly glowered. "Come on, pass the time! If I knew you were going to be this grouchy in the morning, I would've let you huff it to Sully's alone."

"I'm grouchy every morning," he retorted, picking up his mug of coffee.

"Touché," she agreed. "Still doesn't make for conversation."

Vaughn spread out his silverware, aligning them just right. "I don't have many family stories."

"Oh, come on—" Molly rolled her eyes.

"I don't," he warned. "My father dumped me off with cousins. And I already told you once I never knew my mother."

Molly uncrossed her legs and slouched slightly in her seat. She still remained hopeful. "Still… what about your cousins, then? They're good people?"

Vaughn smirked, remembering Julia and her mother Mirabelle. Both as down-to-earth as they come. But he couldn't tell Molly too much since it wasn't long ago she was at Applebee's. If she remembered her waitress, there could be some suspicions and awkward explanations he didn't want to get into. "Yeah. They're good people."

"Good," Molly smiled, folding her hands in front of her. "My mother raised me alone, and it wasn't perfect, but she was a great person. I miss her sometimes… Ha, this one time I tried sliding down the stairs in a cardboard box with my sister Angela and—"

"You have a sister?" Vaughn asked, looking up in surprise. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"I didn't tell you? Huh," Molly shrugged. She forgot the story she was about to tell, but it didn't matter since their waitress reappeared.

"Order up!" The bubbly, young girl with long blonde tresses and a pin-stripe dress held a tray loaded with food balanced on the crook of her elbow. Her nametag read 'Felicity.' "Who got the short stack?"

"Here!" Molly raised her hand, taking the heavy plate of pancakes from the girl.

"Then you must've gotten the porridge," Felicity set the bowl down in front of him with a sweet smile.

"Thanks," Vaughn muttered.

"Enjoy!" She smiled, making a quick exit as a group of new patrons found themselves a table.

"I thought you didn't eat breakfast," Molly watched Vaughn carefully as she unfolded her napkin and found her fork.

Vaughn shrugged. "I don't."

She focused on her food, cutting into the triple stack of pancakes the size of her face. She fashioned a triangle and popped it in her mouth. "Then why'd you come?"

Vaughn slowly stirred the plain porridge, trying to cool it down faster. There was a long pause between them as the bell of the door tolled, the chef called out to the waitress, and the new customers laughed at a particularly funny joke. His boot squeaked against the tile. "Just… returning the thanks."

"For what?" Molly looked up. "If you're talking about coffee this morning, that wasn't exactly the greatest thing in the world."

"For straightening up. You didn't have to. Especially since you said you were sick," Vaughn shrugged, still not testing the hot mixture.

Molly was already a quarter way through. She took a sip of water. "Haven't you ever been to a friend's house or had someone over, and you woke up first? It's hella awkward. So, I decided to do something useful instead of stand around like an idiot."

Vaughn still didn't understand why she didn't just leave like Denny had, but he decided he probably wouldn't ever know. He looked up at her glass in question. "Can I borrow that?"

Molly nodded, unable to talk through her mouthful. Vaughn took her water glass and slowly tipped it over his porridge and returned it to her. Molly swallowed. "Ew, gross! Why'd you do that – won't it get cold?"

"No fooling," Vaughn said, finally able to take a taste. It was watered down, but at least it wasn't hot. He turned the ridicule on her. He pointed his spoon at her pancakes. "Isn't that a lot of food for a girl?"

Molly's face reddened in anger. She repeatedly stabbed her pancakes in anger. "N-No! So what, I don't eat like mousy, little Candace? You sexist jerk! I knew I shouldn't have – grah!"

Vaughn smiled at how easy it was to set her off and enjoyed the rest of his meal in quiet.

When Vaughn parked his car out in front of the office the next day, his sour demeanor had returned full force. He blinked back tears of exhaustion as he let out a wide yawn and trudged through the slush and snow to the front door. Pulling it open, he woke up a bit to see who was inside.

"No, this place looks really nice, Grandpa," a beautiful blonde woman was looking around the office lobby. Her eyes landed on the soda machine. "And it was really resourceful of you to make this your hiding spot. I'm proud of you!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Terry muttered, but the usual ice was gone from his tone. He spotted Vaughn lugging his briefcase and smirked, ready to show off his granddaughter. "Hey, guttersnipe! New Year's too rough on ya?"

Vaughn yawned in reply, but he stopped before the old man anyways. He had a familiar feeling about the blonde, but he couldn't place why. "Morning, Terry. Who's this and why?"

"Bring your kid to work day!" Terry shortly explained. He pointed to the busty girl. "This is my grandbaby Eve. Eve, say hello to the lousy salesman."

Eve giggled and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Vaughn was taken aback by being called sir, but the combination of her name and the ruby eyes on him had jogged his memory. She was the assistant manager down at the Hooter's Candace worked at. He shook her outstretched hand. "Vaughn. Don't you work down at…?"

"N-Never mind introductions!" She quickly cut him off, blushing and tearing her hand away. She pushed her grandfather down the hall. "Grandpa, why don't you show me the storage room full of all of those stolen coffee mugs you collect?"

"Oh, yeah, that sounds like fun. You should see the one I got from the tech geeks on the second floor – a picture appears when something hot's inside!" Terry allowed himself to be escorted away.

Vaughn watched them go, shaking his head. He entered the waiting elevator, but as he turned to press the third floor button, a little head was blocking the way.

"Ah!" Vaughn jumped back. The doors closed. He looked over the little girl who wore brunette pigtails and dirty overalls with unease. "Who the hell are you?"

"You said you were Vaughn," the shrewd little thing said. Her voice was listless, but her eyes were cold and observant. She sniffed.

"Yeah, can you just hit three?" Vaughn wasn't good with kids. He didn't know how to treat them or how to talk to them. For better or worse, he treated everyone with the same indifference and mild annoyance.

The little girl did as he asked, not even looking as she pressed the correct number by her ear. She never broke eye contact. Vaughn shuddered.

They rose in silence as two floors passed. Before the ding! could announce the third floor, the girl scrunched up her nose. "Are you a virgin?"

Flabbergasted, Vaughn recoiled and practically fell out of the elevator the second the doors pulled back. He looked back over his shoulder like he saw a ghost, which Molly was quick to comment on when he stopped at her secretary's desk.

"What's the matter? Tina still in the elevator?" She asked, munching on a granola bar.

"Who is she?!" Vaughn asked, feeling violated after hearing such a question from a tiny voice like hers.

Thumping footsteps behind him had both Vaughn and Molly look to see Tina running out of the elevator, pigtails bouncing. She ran straight for Dan, who was actually awake and sitting up for once, and she crawled up onto his lap.

"Bring your kid to work…?" Molly shrugged.

"Dan, I didn't know you had a kid," Vaughn spoke to the product team member.

Dan shrugged as Tina adjusted the man's lopsided bandana. She then folded her hands in her lap patiently. "She turned six this year. Dunno what to tell ya, man."

"Well… congratulations," he awkwardly said. "I didn't even know you were married."

Tina produced two dice from her pocket, shaking them in her fist proudly. "How much you wanna bet he's a virgin, Daddy?"

"Not now, baby," Dan set Tina down on the floor as Vaughn silently fumed. "Go ask that blond guy over in the corner if he's got any candy. Don't take no for an answer."

"Okay!" Tina sprinted to Gill's desk and owlishly peered over the top of it at him. "Hey, Mister! Gimme some candy!"

Vaughn was trying to wrap his head around Tina's unmistakable eyes. The same ones he had seen in the lobby. "She's not… Eve's…? From Hooter's? Terry's granddaughter?!"

"One and the same," Dan leaned back in his swivel chair, resting his hands behind his head. "Small world, eh?"

Mind sufficiently blown, Vaughn hobbled to his chair and collapsed. He brought up his desktop and found that his answering machine had no new calls. The New Year was always a slow start. He looked up and found Tina bouncing on her heels in front of him. He jumped.

"You wanna bet that tie on snake eyes?" She pointed at the plain black accessory around his neck. The dice she was holding were obviously rigged by the haughty smirk she wore.

"What? No!" Vaughn tried to look back at his computer, but the little girl remained.

"Gill's a virgin," she announced before happily skipping off.

Gill snapped his head up from whatever he was writing. He shook his fist after her, his bolo missing. Upon inspection, it was swinging from Tina's front overall's pocket. "You're a liar! LIAR!"

Unable to focus, Vaughn decided on a coffee break. He typed in Molly's number on his phone and waited. The secretary saw his call light up the ID, and she turned to him with a nod, setting down her work and pushing back her chair.

"Kids are fun, aren't they?" Molly asked with a bite of sarcasm.

Vaughn did a double take and found Tina had gone missing. He pushed open the door to the break room. "Yeah, they're great…"

The door shuttered closed behind the two who were looking in at Allen, the adult Tina, and a little girl sitting in one of the break chairs. They all looked up to see who entered.

"Hey, guys!" Tina waved from her spot on the counter. She hopped off, righting her airy blouse, and motioned to the girl at the table. "Meet my little cousin, Ying! She came a long way to visit and learn about everybody in the office!"

"Hi…" Ying said quietly, squeezing her stuffed panda toy tighter.

"Her hair is perfect," Allen said, twisting the long black locks back and forth. He was sitting on the table so he could have a good vantage point. He put a pink tie at the end with a flourish. "Voila! Ying, you're a beauty queen."

"Th-thanks, Mr. Allen…" Ying smiled, reaching back to feel the braid he completed.

"I didn't know you were good with kids," Molly smiled first at Allen.

"Not children – hair," Allen flipped his own back and crossed his arms. "It comes with having a sister."

"Hi, Ying," Molly bent down to say hello. "I'm Molly, the receptionist. Basically, I take calls, so people know where to go and who to talk to. This is Vaughn; he sells stuff and finds buyers."

"Hey," Vaughn held up a hand in greeting.

Ying silently waved, her face turning red at all of the attention. She coughed into her fist and turned to Tina who was immediately there with a hand on her shoulder. "Ying, why don't we go see Basil, our intern? He lives in a funny box; you'll love it! Luke even ordered a mini vending machine for treats, so we can throw food at him. Wanna feed Basil some duck pellets?"

Ying nodded and hopped up from the chair, smoothing her pink skirt. She took Tina's hand and was led out of the break room. She waved to them each. "Bye, Mr. Allen. Bye, Miss Molly. Bye, Mr. Vaughn."

"Bye, Ying!" Molly enthusiastically waved back.

"See you around, sweetheart," Allen waved his fingers as the door closed once again.

"She's adorable!" Molly squealed, taking Ying's vacated seat.

Vaughn leaned against the counter where Tina was sitting. "Does she have a cold?"

Allen shook his head, pulling his suit jacket straight after rising off the table. "No, Tina said she's just a little weak. Always has been."

"Aw…" Molly cooed and held her heart. "That's so sad…"

"Makes you think," Allen agreed.

Molly suddenly seemed frustrated, crossing her arms and letting out a huff. "What are we doing?"

Vaughn and Allen looked to each other. They shrugged.

"Standing?"

"Stalling work?"

"No! I mean in general. We're all in our mid to late twenties, yeah?" Molly asked. She wound a curl of hair around her finger. "Stuck in this office when people our age are getting married and having kids. It's just… irritating. I feel like I'm missing out."

Vaughn shook his head. "Sounds like the 'everybody's jumping off the bridge, so you follow them' argument. Live life at your own pace."

Allen pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I see Molly's argument. Clock's ticking if you want to be the fun kind of parent who can do things."

"Even Candace is…" Molly stopped herself, turning to Vaughn with a horrified look.

Vaughn glared, but Allen smiled evilly. "Oh? Candace is what, darling?"

Molly cursed under her breath, but she gave up the information. "She's… well, she said she's dating this guy she grew up with. She used to talk about him."

"Gee, you could've saved me a lot of time," Vaughn crossed his arms moodily, feeling betrayed.

"She was just giving you a fair chance," Allen went to Molly's defense. He marveled at the gossip. "What do you know? Our little Candace is off making babies."

Vaughn buried his face in his hands to hide the anger at Allen and the lingering feelings of protectiveness he had for the girl who wasn't ever coming around again. He felt like a fool.

"I never thought I'd say it, but…" Molly sighed. "We'd better get on task like Dan. And Candace, I suppose, but she's not married with children… yet."

"I can help you out, princess," Allen stroked her hair. Molly swatted him away, and Vaughn snorted.

"That is totally not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?"

Vaughn had never really given it thought, but Molly had a point. They were supposed to be having the best years of their lives. Starting relationships and families and going on vacations to exotic places. They shouldn't be paper pushing, stuck in a rut that was typically reserved for their forties. Seemed that Candace leaving was the best thing that could have happened to her… Vaughn became so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that Molly and Allen were still arguing.

"You weren't supposed to take it that way!" Molly had her hands over her beet red ears.

"Oh, come on," Allen easily balanced on the edge of the table over her, one hand in his pocket and a sly grin on his face. "How else was I going to take it?"

"There you are!"

Glad he didn't feel like a third wheel anymore, Vaughn was less glad to see it was Alice in the doorway. She primped her high ponytails that were reminiscent of little Tina's. "I should've known you three would be hiding in here. Gill's wondering where you are, so I suggest getting back to your desks and at least pretending to work if you don't want to get fired."

Everyone groaned, but they each filed out of the break room. Tina and Ying were standing before Dan and his daughter at his desk.

"Wow, so your name's Tina, too?!" Tina gasped, bouncing up and down and frightening Ying.

"For the last time, she wasn't named after you," Dan said. Tina wore the same glare as her father.

"I'm so honored!" Tina wiped a tear from her eye. She ripped her camera off of her neck and poised it at herself. "Everyone huddle up – Kodak moment!"

"That'll be ten bucks," little Tina held out her hand. Ying and Tina stared at it. "No free pics."

"That's my girl," Dan ruffled her hair.

Allen was still poking and prodding Molly up ahead as they walked, and the secretary was batting him away but giggling anyways. Vaughn was glad Alice kept quiet, but whenever she wasn't talking, he got suspicious. He did his best to ignore her as much as she was ignoring him as they all went to their proper seats.

Vaughn was surprised to see Gill staring at Hamilton's door when he got to his chair. It wasn't so unusual since he was like a golden retriever to the boss, but his expression seemed puzzled and worried. Vaughn tossed a paper clip at his forehead to get his attention.

Gill slowly turned to face him. "What?"

"What are you looking at Hamilton's office for?" He asked, prepping another paper clip between his fingers like a paper football. Vaughn launched it, hitting Gill in the lip.

Surprisingly, he took it in stride. Gill looked to the door once before going back to his computer. "I wasn't looking… I was listening."

Intrigued, Vaughn stood and walked over to the door.

"What are you doing?!" Gill bounded up.

Vaughn was about to rap on the door when he heard his boss' voice inside. It sounded serious for once. He put his ear to the door and leaned.

"…the company… … yes, of course… … … … I… but… …already laid off…"

Vaughn's eyes widened.

"What did you hear?" Gill whispered by his side.

"He's talking about lay-offs. Candace, I think, but it doesn't appear to be enough. Don't know who he's talking to," he answered shortly, listening closely.

Hamilton's voice rose, but it was mocking. "Ha! Never in a million years! … … still with… … there's absolutely no concern… … … Harvest Hobbies won't be… … … no…"

"Harvest Hobbies?" Vaughn mouthed. Gill shrugged.

"Of course, of course… … … because last year's… … looks good in red… … … very round…"

Vaughn quickly backed away, rubbing his ear like it was wet-willied.

"What? What happened?" Gill persisted.

"Dunno. Conversation switched. Didn't want to hear it," he shook his head and shuddered at the offending door.

"Harvest Hobbies…" Gill repeated, a hand to his chin in thought. His eyes sharply looked into Vaughn's. "Are you sure that's what you heard?"

"Yeah, why? Is it a rival?" Vaughn crossed his arms.

"Could be… I'll look into it," Gill said, turning to go back to his desk. He awkwardly looked back to Vaughn before taking his seat. "Er… thank you."

"No problem," Vaughn sat back down, spinning in his chair a few rounds. He took up a paper clip and flicked it at Gill's nose. Bulls-eye.

Gill glared, but Vaughn just whistled and shuffled the papers on his desk.

The lights started to go off one by one. Eve came up with Terry, and Tina jumped into her mother's arms, showing her the spoils she collected which included one of Gill's old bolos, Rod's favorite pen, Luke's lunch, and fifty cents from Molly. Dan shut off his desk lamp, and with his pillow under his arm, left the office with his family. Tina and Luke had scared their visitor with their crazy energy, so Ying's favorite worker of the day had been Louis, quiet and calm enough for her to talk to. Basil had actually eaten some of the duck pellets, so he went home sick.

Soon, it was just Gill and Vaughn finishing up. They each lingered by their desks until Hamilton's office door opened and the rotund man stepped out, wearing his nice winter coat and had his happy little briefcase at his side. There was a rainbow sticker on it. He locked his door and turned to the two men, smiling at them. "Evening, my humble employees!"

"Good evening, Mr. Hamilton," Gill bowed slightly in respect.

"Evening, sir," Vaughn nodded to him.

Hamilton felt uncomfortable under their questioning, knowing stares and shuffled his feet. "Well! I'll be off. See you tomorrow! Ha… ha… ha…"

On that note, Hamilton took off for the elevator. He dashed inside, avoided eye contact with them, rapidly pressed the ground floor button, and impatiently waited for the doors to hide his shame.

"He's so suspicious," Vaughn decided, packing up his own briefcase.

"Do you think we made him anxious?" Gill asked.

"Doubt it. He's hiding something, and he thinks we know about it," Vaughn said, looking back at the elevator skeptically.

Gill snapped his fingers in delight. "That means, if we play our cards right, he'll tell us what's going on without us having to ask! We just have to pretend we know! You follow?"

"Of course I follow," Vaughn said, staring at the Assistant Regional Manager like he had lost his last marble. "I'm just surprised you're so interested in all of this shifty business. Thought you were too loyal to Hamilton to play him like that."

"Not when my position's on the line," he said darkly. He nodded to Vaughn once, and Gill disappeared to the stairwell. The door slowly shut behind him.

Is that what he thinks? Vaughn wasn't sure it was all that serious. But if Gill was worried, maybe Vaughn should keep a look out. Just in case…

"Finally!"

Vaughn nearly jumped in the air at the scare. Grumpy that he was found so off guard, he didn't give Alice the satisfaction of addressing her. Instead, he went back to clearing up his work space as quickly as possible.

"I thought he'd never leave," she sighed, poising her hands on her hips. No one had noticed her earlier as she had been using Allen's cubicle wall as a hiding spot. She had now emerged from it, standing above Vaughn's desk with purpose. "We need to talk."

"What about?" He already regretted asking, but it sort of came out like word vomit. Too late to pretend she didn't exist.

Alice bit her lip. Now that the time to confront him had come, she wasn't sure she could do it. But that was ridiculous. Alice was queen of this office; she was the most confidant thing since Allen's hair flip! She clenched her fists, doing her best to keep her eyes on him if he met her gaze. "I know you read that message on my phone."

Vaughn paused. He had to think back to why he read it, but he didn't have a hard time remembering what was on the touch screen. Comforting words from Tina. 'He's a good guy – just be patient!'

Stubborn to not give up his poker face, Vaughn snapped his briefcase closed. He looked up at her. "You paid for our drinks on New Year's. Why?"

Confused by the question at first, Alice shrugged her shoulders lightly. She was pleasantly surprised he had observed the fact. "You were busy, and there was no way that Molly could afford the gargantuan amount of drinks she had," she thought a moment about that night, remembering Vaughn and Denny with a limp Molly between them. "…That was a nice thing you did."

Vaughn looked down at his desktop and all of the clutter there. "What do you want me to say?"

Alice faltered, digging the tip of her heel into the carpet. With her hands fumbling behind her back, she almost looked shy. She shrugged. "I don't know… acknowledge it? That I'm not just fooling around with you? Do something maybe…? …Say something, please."

Vaughn looked away, finding the air suddenly stifling. He honestly wasn't sure how to act upon something like that. What did she want him to do? Suddenly take the Prince Charming role and cart her off? He grunted. Probably.

She wouldn't allow herself to look away or else she'd lose her nerve; she knew it. Alice took a deep breath. "Look, you can't blame me for trying. I know it's against policy, but…"

"Against policy? That hasn't stopped you before," Vaughn was quick to point out her exploits with Allen. Alice stared at him, not getting it. He hated that he was forced to elaborate. "You know… you and Allen? On Gill's desk…?"

Alice suddenly burst into laughter, holding a hand over her mouth to quiet her chuckles. "Really?! Wow… You really shouldn't believe everything you hear!"

Vaughn was taken aback, now feeling foolish. "You mean… that's not…"

"Pfft, of course not! And it only happened once," Alice rolled her eyes, waving her hand at the distant memory. "Besides, it was Hamilton's desk. It was funnier that way."

It was still true but only to a degree, which at least made more sense. Now less baffled, Vaughn decided it was time to take his leave of this loon before rumors about the two of them started. He swung his briefcase off of his desk and went to turn out the light.

"Hey, wait!" Alice was red in the face, rushing around his desk to stop him. She covered the lamp's switch with both hands.

"What now?!" Vaughn barked.

"Just… just hear me out!" She demanded, not budging in the slightest. She had missed out on New Year's Eve, and though she wasn't expecting for her good deed to make up for it now, Alice was still clinging to a lost hope it wasn't all in vain. That she'd get to do what she had wanted to do, had planned to do, down at Sully's. When she had the excuse of being drunk off her rocker. Now, the cards were on the table. It was raw here. Real.

Vaughn looked to the window behind Gill's desk. As it was the dead of winter, it was already pitch black outside. "Make it quick, Alice."

"Okay…" she promised, rising from his desk. She lingered next to it, looking down at the dusty surface. "I know you don't like me, too. And… it's okay. And I know now that it's nothing to do with waiting for you to like me or even notice me. It's not about putting my hair up in pigtails since you liked Candace so much on days when she wore them."

He couldn't help but feel his face burning at the accusation. Vaughn scowled.

Alice stared at his angry face and smiled wider. She could relate. "I bet you get this angry whenever someone sees through you…"

"Quick," he reminded, his temper as short a fuse as the word.

She nodded. Somehow, she had gotten around his desk and was standing right under him. "It's true. You're such a great guy, Vaughn. You really are… so… So, all I ask is for one last, little thing. Just one. Then I promise I won't ever bother you again. Or, at least, I won't try to… I won't talk to you, I won't look at you, I won't sit on your desk—"

"What is it?" Vaughn's irritation ebbed at her strange, frantic behavior. What was she getting at? What was so important to grant him a lifetime of peace?

"Well, do you agree? It's a deal?" Alice smiled hopefully, her heart racing.

"Depends on what the hell you're talking about," he gruffly said.

"Okay… this is me giving up," Alice sighed, a small smile on her lips.

Vaughn was about to tell her to get to the point or let him leave when she did the former. Alice reached for his shoulders and pulled him down for a kiss, nearly scaring the poor man to death. Though it should have been obvious by that point, Vaughn was an incredibly dense idiot.

Before he realized what he was doing, Vaughn was kissing her back. His briefcase had fallen to the floor, and he was holding her face in his hands. Alice's hand slipped, accidentally or otherwise, and his desk light went out, leaving them in darkness.

At the door to the stairwell, a person looking for their misplaced subway pass was awestruck at the scene no one was supposed to see. She quickly snatched what she needed from atop her desk by her cactus where she had left it, quietly creeping back to the stairs and successfully going unnoticed. She held her heart and leaned against the dirty, old wall, unsure of what to make of the encounter she had witnessed. Molly shook her head and ran down the flight of steps.

The second the light went off, Vaughn was suspicious again. He regained his senses apparently at the same time as Alice, and she broke away first. She hugged him tight around the neck, her hair itching his face as she did so.

"Bye, Vaughn."

Alice had whispered over his shoulder and fallen back from him. He couldn't see in the shadows, but he felt the air brush by as she disappeared. The light of the elevator revealed her silhouette before she slipped inside and quickly pressed the button to close the doors. The elevator was feeling merciful, so the doors quickly shut after her, but Vaughn saw Alice wipe away a tear in the dusty overhead light above her.

Shell-shocked, it took a few minutes for Vaughn to collect himself and relax his shoulders. He ran a hand through his hair and took up his briefcase. He opted to take the stairs tonight.