A Good Investment - Chapter Three
Man, I'm really sorry I let this one go. Forgive me?
Title: A Good Investment
Rating: PG (some language, some adult material)
Pairing: Andy/Jocelyn, Emily/Serena?
Summary: There are benefits to being friends with the first assistant. And then there are benefits.
Disclaimers: I don't own any of them. Like everything else I write, I will never make a dime from this.
A/N: I conceived this for Rebecca Mader, in the wake of the 2/11/09 episode of "Lost". And for Jocelyn, who never gets to be the star. Also, this takes place in an AU where Andrea doesn't quit after Paris.
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Chapter 3
"I suppose you think you're clever."
Jocelyn looked up from the article she was proofing. It wasn't exactly an assignment she could finish at her leisure, but Serena had materialized in her office and closed the door behind her. Evidently they'd be having this conversation whether she wanted to or not. "I'm sorry, Serena, is there a problem?" she asked innocently.
"Look who's Andy Sachs' new best friend," Serena sneered. "I didn't realize you'd been such pals all this time."
"Is there something I can help you with, Serena? Something, I don't know, that actually involves you? I don't need your permission to spend time with people," Jocelyn retorted.
"It involves me when you're twisting the knife in Emily's back," Serena said angrily. "She's given Miranda everything she's had since she started working here, and now Miranda is screwing her over by favoring that silly porker who's only borrowing Nigel's fashion sense!"
"How am I twisting a knife in her back?" Jocelyn asked. "Blame Miranda, not me."
"Emily's by no means stupid, Jocelyn," Serena said. "She can see perfectly well what's happening to her. Which means she can also see perfectly well that you're attaching yourself to Andy like a leech so you can start taking advantage of her. Emily's still first assistant, damn it, but you're acting like she's already gone!"
Jocelyn leaned back in her chair. "You'll forgive me if I'm not overcome with remorse, Serena. She may be first assistant now, but in a month she'll either be gone, or she'll be switching desks with Andy. And you're only upset because you couldn't make your move first." She smirked. "Emily was your own personal edge at Runway, and now she's worthless to you. I'll be the one here with the inside track on where Miranda goes, who she sees, when she's coming, and when she's going. I guess payback's a bitch, huh?"
"The only bitch I know about is the one I'm looking at," Serena said coldly. "You really think I'd have been with Emily all this time if I was just using her? If I didn't care about her?"
"Well," Jocelyn said, hiding her bitterness, "that's nice for you. Your loyalty certainly screwed you over here, though. Things could have been better for you, you know, if you weren't so hung up on Emily."
"Better how?" Serena asked. Jocelyn looked into her eyes and was startled to see the loathing there. "Better if I'd tossed Emily aside and made a play for Andy? Or if I'd just started fucking you in the first place?"
Jocelyn blanched.
"Oh yes," Serena continued. "You thought you were being subtle about it, didn't you? Em and I thought it was one big laugh. It's pathetic the way you're still mooning after me, you know."
"Shut up," Jocelyn snarled.
"You've pulled off the impossible, Jocelyn," Serena said. "You've made me feel sorry for Andy. Because if you get your hooks into her, she'll never know that it's all a lie until you throw her over for the girl who replaces her."
"Get out of my office," Jocelyn told her, infuriated. "Get out, and never speak to me again unless it's about work, Serena."
"Why would I?" Serena asked, turning around. "When I can talk to Emily, why would I ever speak to a sniveling, manipulative parasite like you?"
She opened Jocelyn's door and stormed out, leaving the editor shaking with rage - and burning with embarrassment. Serena had known about her pathetic schoolgirl crush all this time. And she'd laughed about it when she was alone with Emily.
"Just you wait, Serena," she whispered. "When Emily's fired and I'm having lunch with Andy every day, you'll be the pathetic one."
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"Are you all right?" Andy asked.
"What?"
"You look a little pale."
"Oh," Jocelyn said, startled. Her confrontation with Serena had been hours ago! "I didn't have time to eat today."
"Me neither," Andy said. "Shocker, huh?"
Jocelyn nodded. Andy was waiting for the Book and Jocelyn had come to say hello - once she was certain Emily had left for the night. The memory of Serena's words was way too fresh for her to be able to stand having Emily's eyes on her. "I'm sorry. You won't be eating any time soon either."
Andy sighed. "Yeah, well, it's nothing I haven't suffered through before. I'm a slave to the Book."
"Everyone thinks we don't eat because we're trying to lose weight," Jocelyn said. "When really we just don't have the time to eat more than five hundred calories a day. Nigel will start having to call you 'Four' before long."
Andy laughed, turning a little bit red. "I guess I can't complain TOO much about dropping down a size."
"That's the spirit," Jocelyn said. She'd be a clacker yet. Then she hesitated. "Have dinner with me."
"Huh?" Andy asked, blinking. "Um, I'm not going to be leaving for a while. You shouldn't have to wait until - "
"No, silly," Jocelyn said. "I'll run out and get something for the two of us. It's not like Miranda is here to watch you shove an unacceptable amount of carbohydrates into your mouth."
"You wouldn't mind?"
"It would be my pleasure."
Andy beamed at her. "There's that pad Thai place down the street - "
"I know it," Jocelyn said. "What can I get you?"
"Oh, just, you know, whatever you're having."
"That's possibly the easiest assignment I've ever been given in this building," Jocelyn said.
"Then you'd better have it back here in five minutes," Andy replied coldly.
Jocelyn gaped at her until Andy grinned at her. "Like my Miranda impression?"
"That's scary. Never do that again. You'll give me a stroke."
"Sorry," Andy said, clearly not meaning it. "It's nice to be able to try that out on someone. Emily, well . . . "
"Forget Emily," Jocelyn said. "If she won't be your friend, then I will."
And maybe, she thought, remembering the things Serena had said, something more.
To be continued . . .
A/N - I didn't mean for Jocelyn to sound this unpleasant. Trust me, this is not supposed to be an anti-Jocelyn fic.
Sincerely, Allaine
Title: A Good Investment
Rating: PG (some language, some adult material)
Pairing: Andy/Jocelyn, Emily/Serena?
Summary: There are benefits to being friends with the first assistant. And then there are benefits.
Disclaimers: I don't own any of them. Like everything else I write, I will never make a dime from this.
A/N: I conceived this for Rebecca Mader, in the wake of the 2/11/09 episode of "Lost". And for Jocelyn, who never gets to be the star. Also, this takes place in an AU where Andrea doesn't quit after Paris.
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Chapter 3
"I suppose you think you're clever."
Jocelyn looked up from the article she was proofing. It wasn't exactly an assignment she could finish at her leisure, but Serena had materialized in her office and closed the door behind her. Evidently they'd be having this conversation whether she wanted to or not. "I'm sorry, Serena, is there a problem?" she asked innocently.
"Look who's Andy Sachs' new best friend," Serena sneered. "I didn't realize you'd been such pals all this time."
"Is there something I can help you with, Serena? Something, I don't know, that actually involves you? I don't need your permission to spend time with people," Jocelyn retorted.
"It involves me when you're twisting the knife in Emily's back," Serena said angrily. "She's given Miranda everything she's had since she started working here, and now Miranda is screwing her over by favoring that silly porker who's only borrowing Nigel's fashion sense!"
"How am I twisting a knife in her back?" Jocelyn asked. "Blame Miranda, not me."
"Emily's by no means stupid, Jocelyn," Serena said. "She can see perfectly well what's happening to her. Which means she can also see perfectly well that you're attaching yourself to Andy like a leech so you can start taking advantage of her. Emily's still first assistant, damn it, but you're acting like she's already gone!"
Jocelyn leaned back in her chair. "You'll forgive me if I'm not overcome with remorse, Serena. She may be first assistant now, but in a month she'll either be gone, or she'll be switching desks with Andy. And you're only upset because you couldn't make your move first." She smirked. "Emily was your own personal edge at Runway, and now she's worthless to you. I'll be the one here with the inside track on where Miranda goes, who she sees, when she's coming, and when she's going. I guess payback's a bitch, huh?"
"The only bitch I know about is the one I'm looking at," Serena said coldly. "You really think I'd have been with Emily all this time if I was just using her? If I didn't care about her?"
"Well," Jocelyn said, hiding her bitterness, "that's nice for you. Your loyalty certainly screwed you over here, though. Things could have been better for you, you know, if you weren't so hung up on Emily."
"Better how?" Serena asked. Jocelyn looked into her eyes and was startled to see the loathing there. "Better if I'd tossed Emily aside and made a play for Andy? Or if I'd just started fucking you in the first place?"
Jocelyn blanched.
"Oh yes," Serena continued. "You thought you were being subtle about it, didn't you? Em and I thought it was one big laugh. It's pathetic the way you're still mooning after me, you know."
"Shut up," Jocelyn snarled.
"You've pulled off the impossible, Jocelyn," Serena said. "You've made me feel sorry for Andy. Because if you get your hooks into her, she'll never know that it's all a lie until you throw her over for the girl who replaces her."
"Get out of my office," Jocelyn told her, infuriated. "Get out, and never speak to me again unless it's about work, Serena."
"Why would I?" Serena asked, turning around. "When I can talk to Emily, why would I ever speak to a sniveling, manipulative parasite like you?"
She opened Jocelyn's door and stormed out, leaving the editor shaking with rage - and burning with embarrassment. Serena had known about her pathetic schoolgirl crush all this time. And she'd laughed about it when she was alone with Emily.
"Just you wait, Serena," she whispered. "When Emily's fired and I'm having lunch with Andy every day, you'll be the pathetic one."
____________________________________________
"Are you all right?" Andy asked.
"What?"
"You look a little pale."
"Oh," Jocelyn said, startled. Her confrontation with Serena had been hours ago! "I didn't have time to eat today."
"Me neither," Andy said. "Shocker, huh?"
Jocelyn nodded. Andy was waiting for the Book and Jocelyn had come to say hello - once she was certain Emily had left for the night. The memory of Serena's words was way too fresh for her to be able to stand having Emily's eyes on her. "I'm sorry. You won't be eating any time soon either."
Andy sighed. "Yeah, well, it's nothing I haven't suffered through before. I'm a slave to the Book."
"Everyone thinks we don't eat because we're trying to lose weight," Jocelyn said. "When really we just don't have the time to eat more than five hundred calories a day. Nigel will start having to call you 'Four' before long."
Andy laughed, turning a little bit red. "I guess I can't complain TOO much about dropping down a size."
"That's the spirit," Jocelyn said. She'd be a clacker yet. Then she hesitated. "Have dinner with me."
"Huh?" Andy asked, blinking. "Um, I'm not going to be leaving for a while. You shouldn't have to wait until - "
"No, silly," Jocelyn said. "I'll run out and get something for the two of us. It's not like Miranda is here to watch you shove an unacceptable amount of carbohydrates into your mouth."
"You wouldn't mind?"
"It would be my pleasure."
Andy beamed at her. "There's that pad Thai place down the street - "
"I know it," Jocelyn said. "What can I get you?"
"Oh, just, you know, whatever you're having."
"That's possibly the easiest assignment I've ever been given in this building," Jocelyn said.
"Then you'd better have it back here in five minutes," Andy replied coldly.
Jocelyn gaped at her until Andy grinned at her. "Like my Miranda impression?"
"That's scary. Never do that again. You'll give me a stroke."
"Sorry," Andy said, clearly not meaning it. "It's nice to be able to try that out on someone. Emily, well . . . "
"Forget Emily," Jocelyn said. "If she won't be your friend, then I will."
And maybe, she thought, remembering the things Serena had said, something more.
To be continued . . .
A/N - I didn't mean for Jocelyn to sound this unpleasant. Trust me, this is not supposed to be an anti-Jocelyn fic.
Sincerely, Allaine