Fic: Five Times Emmet Didn't Meet Elle (Legally Blonde, 1/5)
TITLE: Five Times Emmett Didn’t Meet Elle
AUTHOR: empressearwig
PAIRING: Emmett/Elle, with mentions of Elle/Warner and Warner/Vivienne
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: What if Elle hadn’t ended up at Harvard Law…
DISCLAIMER: The characters of the Legally Blonde: The Musical belong to their owner. No copyright infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to normative_jean for reading this first.
Part 1: What You Want
She was beautiful.
That was the first thing Emmett thought when he saw her walking through the maze of hallways in Houser.
The second was that she had to be horribly lost.
The intent way she read the number on each door was a dead giveaway, but what struck Emmett most was how out of place she looked. The shine of her glossy blonde hair and brightness of the pink dress she wore stood in sharp contrast to the dark woods of the hall and the muted colors everyone else wore. Everything about her screamed “I do not belong.”
He had just decided to be the gentleman his mother’s boyfriends had not taught him to be, and offer her directions, when she approached him instead.
“Hello,” she said. “I’m a little lost, and you seem to know your way around. Do you think you could point me in the right direction?”
Emmett smiled. “Of course. I was just about to offer to help anyway. Where are you supposed to be?”
She laughed, a high, lilting sound. “Was it that obvious?” She extended a hand. “I’m Elle Woods, by the way.”
He shook her hand. “Emmett Forrest.” Relinquishing her hand, he continued, “It’s not that it was obvious, you just don’t blend into the normal Harvard crowd.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “So what can I help you find?”
“I’m looking for Criminal Law with Professor Callahan,” Elle said. “Do you know where that meets?”
Emmett studied her quizzically. “I do. I’m the teaching assistant for the course.” He paused. Slowly, he asked, “You’re not a new student are you?”
Elle laughed again. “Me, a law student?” She shook her head slightly. “No, my fiancé Warner is a student, and I’m supposed to meet him for lunch.”
“Oh,” Emmett said, mentally scolding himself for not noticing the ring that sat prominently on her left hand. Careful to keep any signs of disappointment out of his voice, he offered, “I’m actually headed there now. Did you want to walk with me?”
Her face lit up. “That’s so nice of you!”
He smiled back ruefully. “It’s not a problem.” Gesturing down the hall, he asked, “Shall we?”
She started walking in the direction he’d indicated and they fell into step together easily.
They were silent for a moment.
Emmett mentally cursed his inability to talk easily to beautiful women. He racked his brain to try to think of something, anything to say to the intriguing woman next to him. Finally, he turned his head toward her, and started, “So, how long have you…”
At the same time, she turned towards him and asked, “So do you like…”
They both laughed.
He gestured slightly, and said, “Go ahead.”
She smiled. “I was just going to ask if you like being a teaching assistant. And what Professor Callahan is like.”
Emmett smiled back. “Being a teaching assistant is alright. It helps pay the bills, and I’m really just waiting to be hired as an associate at a big law firm.” He paused, considering the other part of her question. “Professor Callahan,” he began slowly, “He’s one of the toughest professors at the school. But he makes the students learn, so whatever it is he does, it works.” He tilted his head toward her. “So should I ask you my question now?”
Her lilting laugh rang again. “Sure, go ahead,” she said.
“How long have you been living here?” Emmett asked. “You can’t be a native, not with that accent.”
A smile broke out on her face. “Only for the last few months, actually,” she explained. “Warner and I graduated from UCLA in May, and we moved out here so that I could look for a job before he started school. “She looked at him questioningly. “Do I stick out that much? That’s the second time you’ve pointed out how different I am.”
Emmett quickly rushed to explain. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” He gestured towards his own clothing. “I’m not exactly blending in myself, which is probably why I keep referring to you as different. It’s not bad, believe me. I think different is good.” He smiled. “But to answer your question, yes, you do stick out. Look around you. Everyone in the same dark colors, the same hair, the same blue blooded Boston accent. You just stand out.”
Elle blushed slightly. “Thank you, I think.” She looked down at her pointy toed shoes. Softly, she continued, “I’m trying to blend in better. Warner wants me to fit in with his friends, and we couldn’t be more different.”
Emmett frowned. “Why should you have to change? I mean, I don’t know you, but you seem nice, you’re a lively conversationalist, and you seem like you would be fun, so why should you need to change yourself to fit in with a bunch of rich snobs?”
She smiled gently. “Thank you for saying that.” Her smile slid into a frown as she continued, “But being here, being with these people, that’s what Warner wants. And since I want Warner, I’m just going to have to adapt.” She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “What else am I supposed to do?”
As they drew up to the door, Emmett asked, “Want a nickel’s worth of free advice from a virtual stranger?”
They drew to a halt outside the classroom. Elle turned to look at him. “Sure, why not?”
Looking her straight in the eye, he said, “Don’t forget about what you want. There must be something more than Warner. That should matter just as much.”
They stared at each other for a long, silent moment.
The silence was broken by the rush of students filing out of the classroom. Elle began searching the crowd for the sight of the Warner. Spotting him, a wide smile broke out, and she waved her arm wildly through the air, calling out, “Warner!”
Warner broke off from the crowd of students he was with, and walked over to join Elle. When he reached them, he wrapped an arm around Elle, and leaned down to kiss her, slightly too intensely for public consumption.
Emmett looked down, shuffling his feet, and coughed discreetly.
When they broke apart, Warner turned to face Emmett. Keeping one arm wrapped around Elle’s shoulders, he extended the other towards Emmett. “Warner Huntington the Third, and you are?”
Emmett shook his hand briefly. “Emmett Forrest. I’m your TA for this class; we met the first day?”
Nodding in recognition, Warner said, “Oh, I knew I recognized you.” Leaning his head Elle’s direction, and tightening the arm around her shoulders possessively, he asked, “So how do you know my Pooh Bear?”
Elle blushed, and answered, “He was just showing me the way to the classroom, Warner.” She looked up at him expectantly. “Wasn’t that nice of him?”
Warner smiled slightly at her. “Of course it was.” Looking back at Emmett, he said, “I hope you’ll excuse us, we need to meet some people for lunch.” Starting to usher Elle away, he called back, “It was nice to meet you again Forrest…”
Elle didn’t move. “Warner, I thought it was going to be just us.” She said accusingly, her face tightening.
Warner adopted a pleading tone. “I’m sorry, Poor Bear, I forgot I promised my friends. You don’t want to disappoint them, do you?”
Elle sighed. “Fine.” She turned to Emmett. “It was very nice to meet you Emmett. Thanks for all your help.” She smiled, and Warner starts ushering her away again. This time, she let him, but called back, “Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.”
Emmett watched them disappear into the crowd.
He sighs, and turns to try to find Callahan. He tries to put the thought of Elle, and the man he can already tell isn’t good enough for her out of his head.
He needs to focus on his own life, his own goals, not whether or not all the vibrancy is going to smothered out of someone he doesn’t even know.
Suddenly, a laugh rings out over the din of the crowd, and Emmett can tell instantly it belongs to Elle.
That’s when he realizes it won’t be quite so easy to forget.
AUTHOR: empressearwig
PAIRING: Emmett/Elle, with mentions of Elle/Warner and Warner/Vivienne
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: What if Elle hadn’t ended up at Harvard Law…
DISCLAIMER: The characters of the Legally Blonde: The Musical belong to their owner. No copyright infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to normative_jean for reading this first.
Part 1: What You Want
She was beautiful.
That was the first thing Emmett thought when he saw her walking through the maze of hallways in Houser.
The second was that she had to be horribly lost.
The intent way she read the number on each door was a dead giveaway, but what struck Emmett most was how out of place she looked. The shine of her glossy blonde hair and brightness of the pink dress she wore stood in sharp contrast to the dark woods of the hall and the muted colors everyone else wore. Everything about her screamed “I do not belong.”
He had just decided to be the gentleman his mother’s boyfriends had not taught him to be, and offer her directions, when she approached him instead.
“Hello,” she said. “I’m a little lost, and you seem to know your way around. Do you think you could point me in the right direction?”
Emmett smiled. “Of course. I was just about to offer to help anyway. Where are you supposed to be?”
She laughed, a high, lilting sound. “Was it that obvious?” She extended a hand. “I’m Elle Woods, by the way.”
He shook her hand. “Emmett Forrest.” Relinquishing her hand, he continued, “It’s not that it was obvious, you just don’t blend into the normal Harvard crowd.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “So what can I help you find?”
“I’m looking for Criminal Law with Professor Callahan,” Elle said. “Do you know where that meets?”
Emmett studied her quizzically. “I do. I’m the teaching assistant for the course.” He paused. Slowly, he asked, “You’re not a new student are you?”
Elle laughed again. “Me, a law student?” She shook her head slightly. “No, my fiancé Warner is a student, and I’m supposed to meet him for lunch.”
“Oh,” Emmett said, mentally scolding himself for not noticing the ring that sat prominently on her left hand. Careful to keep any signs of disappointment out of his voice, he offered, “I’m actually headed there now. Did you want to walk with me?”
Her face lit up. “That’s so nice of you!”
He smiled back ruefully. “It’s not a problem.” Gesturing down the hall, he asked, “Shall we?”
She started walking in the direction he’d indicated and they fell into step together easily.
They were silent for a moment.
Emmett mentally cursed his inability to talk easily to beautiful women. He racked his brain to try to think of something, anything to say to the intriguing woman next to him. Finally, he turned his head toward her, and started, “So, how long have you…”
At the same time, she turned towards him and asked, “So do you like…”
They both laughed.
He gestured slightly, and said, “Go ahead.”
She smiled. “I was just going to ask if you like being a teaching assistant. And what Professor Callahan is like.”
Emmett smiled back. “Being a teaching assistant is alright. It helps pay the bills, and I’m really just waiting to be hired as an associate at a big law firm.” He paused, considering the other part of her question. “Professor Callahan,” he began slowly, “He’s one of the toughest professors at the school. But he makes the students learn, so whatever it is he does, it works.” He tilted his head toward her. “So should I ask you my question now?”
Her lilting laugh rang again. “Sure, go ahead,” she said.
“How long have you been living here?” Emmett asked. “You can’t be a native, not with that accent.”
A smile broke out on her face. “Only for the last few months, actually,” she explained. “Warner and I graduated from UCLA in May, and we moved out here so that I could look for a job before he started school. “She looked at him questioningly. “Do I stick out that much? That’s the second time you’ve pointed out how different I am.”
Emmett quickly rushed to explain. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” He gestured towards his own clothing. “I’m not exactly blending in myself, which is probably why I keep referring to you as different. It’s not bad, believe me. I think different is good.” He smiled. “But to answer your question, yes, you do stick out. Look around you. Everyone in the same dark colors, the same hair, the same blue blooded Boston accent. You just stand out.”
Elle blushed slightly. “Thank you, I think.” She looked down at her pointy toed shoes. Softly, she continued, “I’m trying to blend in better. Warner wants me to fit in with his friends, and we couldn’t be more different.”
Emmett frowned. “Why should you have to change? I mean, I don’t know you, but you seem nice, you’re a lively conversationalist, and you seem like you would be fun, so why should you need to change yourself to fit in with a bunch of rich snobs?”
She smiled gently. “Thank you for saying that.” Her smile slid into a frown as she continued, “But being here, being with these people, that’s what Warner wants. And since I want Warner, I’m just going to have to adapt.” She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “What else am I supposed to do?”
As they drew up to the door, Emmett asked, “Want a nickel’s worth of free advice from a virtual stranger?”
They drew to a halt outside the classroom. Elle turned to look at him. “Sure, why not?”
Looking her straight in the eye, he said, “Don’t forget about what you want. There must be something more than Warner. That should matter just as much.”
They stared at each other for a long, silent moment.
The silence was broken by the rush of students filing out of the classroom. Elle began searching the crowd for the sight of the Warner. Spotting him, a wide smile broke out, and she waved her arm wildly through the air, calling out, “Warner!”
Warner broke off from the crowd of students he was with, and walked over to join Elle. When he reached them, he wrapped an arm around Elle, and leaned down to kiss her, slightly too intensely for public consumption.
Emmett looked down, shuffling his feet, and coughed discreetly.
When they broke apart, Warner turned to face Emmett. Keeping one arm wrapped around Elle’s shoulders, he extended the other towards Emmett. “Warner Huntington the Third, and you are?”
Emmett shook his hand briefly. “Emmett Forrest. I’m your TA for this class; we met the first day?”
Nodding in recognition, Warner said, “Oh, I knew I recognized you.” Leaning his head Elle’s direction, and tightening the arm around her shoulders possessively, he asked, “So how do you know my Pooh Bear?”
Elle blushed, and answered, “He was just showing me the way to the classroom, Warner.” She looked up at him expectantly. “Wasn’t that nice of him?”
Warner smiled slightly at her. “Of course it was.” Looking back at Emmett, he said, “I hope you’ll excuse us, we need to meet some people for lunch.” Starting to usher Elle away, he called back, “It was nice to meet you again Forrest…”
Elle didn’t move. “Warner, I thought it was going to be just us.” She said accusingly, her face tightening.
Warner adopted a pleading tone. “I’m sorry, Poor Bear, I forgot I promised my friends. You don’t want to disappoint them, do you?”
Elle sighed. “Fine.” She turned to Emmett. “It was very nice to meet you Emmett. Thanks for all your help.” She smiled, and Warner starts ushering her away again. This time, she let him, but called back, “Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.”
Emmett watched them disappear into the crowd.
He sighs, and turns to try to find Callahan. He tries to put the thought of Elle, and the man he can already tell isn’t good enough for her out of his head.
He needs to focus on his own life, his own goals, not whether or not all the vibrancy is going to smothered out of someone he doesn’t even know.
Suddenly, a laugh rings out over the din of the crowd, and Emmett can tell instantly it belongs to Elle.
That’s when he realizes it won’t be quite so easy to forget.