"Severance" Part Three
Fandom: Portal
Pairing: Cave/Caroline
Rating: T
Summary: Back at Aperture, Cave tries to cope without his secretary.
Disclaimer: Portal and all associated characters belong to Valve. I just borrow them for my own sick pleasure.
Gina Mancini was new to Aperture Science, but she considered herself a rising star-barely a month into her new job pushing paper in Accounting, and she was already being called on to fill in for the personal assistant of Cave Johnson, the boss himself. His secretary had taken an abrupt and indefinite sick leave, apparently, though office gossip was that indefinite meant very long, or permanent. She couldn’t help hoping to scoop up the job for keeps. She didn’t have much secretarial experience, but she’d asked around and apparently his current assistant hadn’t started with much experience either-she’d come in with nothing but a shapely figure and a pretty smile. Gina sure had those, and if it meant a cushy salary, an office of her own, and bragging rights that surpassed any other woman in the facility, she was sure willing to use them.
Of course, she took into consideration that her predecessor’s absence might be because Johnson had finally knocked her up-again, office gossip-but Gina would be careful to avoid that. She was twenty-two, she’d dealt with men before, and she knew how to keep herself out of trouble. This should’ve been easy enough. Just follow orders, be sugary sweet, and work that pretty smile.
By the end of her first week, however, it was clear that her new position wasn’t the cakewalk she’d hoped for. Mr. Johnson was a demanding boss, and his secretary was in charge of more than she’d realized. Much more. Enough to make her wonder if she’d gotten the temp job because no one else would take it. But it was the end of the week, and she’d survived, barely. Just a little longer and she could go home.
She sighed and stared at the stack of papers that had been steadily growing on her desk. It was now about the thickness of a telephone book, and she really should sort it before she gave it to her boss. She really should, but she really didn’t want to. She didn’t want to go back there at all. Cave Johnson had turned out to be every bit as bad as the stories she’d heard about him-his temper flared at the slightest misstep, he was surly and standoffish with everyone, and nothing ever met his standards. When he wasn’t irate, he was despondent and dull. He never seemed happy. And he certainly never seemed to respond to her, no matter how many flirtatious tricks she tried, even though he sure looked like he could use a woman. She suspected there was something wrong with him.
Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall-less than an hour to go. She could do this. Collecting the stack of paperwork, she steeled her nerves and poked her head into his office.
“Mr. Johnson?”
He jumped as if startled, looked up, and visibly drooped when he saw it was her. He always seemed to do that when she called his name. His shoulders settled into their familiar dejected slump. “What is it, Gina?”
She entered with the sheaf of papers clutched over her chest, smiling sweetly for all she was worth. “This week’s results are in from the labs, and Accounting sent up the projected budget for next month.”
“The what?”
She blinked-shouldn’t he know about this?-and started to explain slowly. “Accounting ran the projected numbers for profit and spending in the next month, and-”
“No, no, I know, but Caroline usually-” He cut himself off and swallowed the rest of his sentence. “Never mind. Give it here, sweetheart.”
“Yes sir.” She dropped the papers with a thump on his desk. “Anything else you need?”
“Nah,” he waved her away. “Hell, it’s almost time for you to head home anyway. Take the rest of the night off.”
She perked up immediately. “Really?”
“Yeah, yeah. Get outta here.” He attempted a halfhearted smile.
“Thanks, Mr. J! See you tomorrow!” She didn’t notice his wince at the pet name as she breezed out the door.
As soon as it shut behind her, his expression lapsed into a grimace. He slumped back onto his desk, squeezed the bridge of his nose against a headache, and muttered, “For chrissake, get outta here.” That plastic grin of hers was starting to make him sick. He’d give anything for his secretary’s honest smile right now.
Almost a week without her. In that week he’d been living on stolen employee lunches and coffee from the break room-shoddy coffee at that, since Gina couldn’t seem to make it like Caroline did-because he couldn’t make himself go home. In lieu of showering, he’d been cleaning himself up in the bathroom sink every morning, and had almost a week’s work of stubble to show for the time away from his razor. He hadn’t even had a good night’s sleep in a real bed. Every night since she walked out that door, he’d fallen asleep at his desk, head pillowed on paperwork, with a bottle Jack Daniel’s close at hand. He told himself it was because there was more work to do without her around. It certainly wasn’t because he hoped she’d come back. In fact, he hoped she didn’t come back-and if she did, he’d throw her out on her job-leaving ass. Yeah. That would show her.
Bitch. Smart, sexy, doe-eyed bitch, with her perfect tits and her perfect legs and her perfect little genius brain. To hell with her. Why couldn’t he get her out of his head?
At this time last week she’d been leaning over his shoulder, right here, helping him go over sales reports. He had to push away the memory of her honey-sweet voice, warm and intimate in his ear, and the way her perfume teased his nose. Had she really been so unhappy? Not that her petty complaints were his problem-if she got her panties in a bunch over the least little thing, he was better off with her gone-but he found himself wondering what it would take to get her back.
Now wait just a minute. He shook himself out of the thought. He was Cave Johnson, and he was not going to beg on his knees to win over some broad. Even if that broad was the best thing that ever happened to him. Which Caroline wasn’t. He’d run this place on his own for years-he didn’t need her. He didn’t need anyone.
He finished the last cup of coffee Gina had brought him-cold by now, and much too weak to begin with-and forced the thoughts out of his mind. No time for navel-gazing. He had a company to run.
He picked up the stack of papers and started to leaf through, noticing with annoyance that the temp hadn’t bothered to sort them, but was interrupted by a pointed cough from the direction of the door. He raised his head to see a dapper-looking man in an expensive suit standing in his doorway.
The man greeted him with a polite smile. “Mr. Johnson?”
Cave’s brow furrowed. “Who the hell let you in here?”
The stranger’s smile didn’t waver. “The young lady in the outer office let me in as she was leaving. Charming girl. Is she new?”
“She’s a temp. The hell do you want?”
“Ah yes, I don’t suppose you’ve found a permanent replacement yet.” That smile was much too knowing. Cave didn’t like it. “Sad, really, the whole affair. It must be hard to lose an employee as important to you as your dear secretary.”
That did it. He bristled aggressively. “What the hell-”
“Yes, I should explain myself. I apologize.” Still smiling, the stranger took a seat across from Cave’s desk and folded his hands as comfortably as if he owned the place. “My name is Richard Wolfe. I represent Black Mesa.”
Cave’s face went purple. His response came out in a low growl. “Get the hell outta my office.”
“Now, Mr. Johnson, I know our respective companies have had differences in the past, but I’m here on a more personal matter. I mentioned your secretary?”
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are-”
“I just thought you should know that she’s alright.”
“-But-what?”
“Of course, if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. She did seem terribly upset by the whole incident when she came to meet with me.”
“What?”
“Black Mesa heard about her… terminated employment, and naturally we were concerned. I was sent to check up on her. We had a very interesting talk.” He continued smoothly over Cave’s splutters of disbelief, “The poor woman’s been with your organization so long that finally getting away left her rather shell-shocked. I was more than happy to be there for her. She had quite a lot to get off her chest.”
“Wh…” The words caught in his throat. “What did she… say?”
“Oh, this and that. Things about Aperture, about her dissatisfaction here-about you. Quite a lot about you. And I told her that should she ever need anything, Black Mesa would be there to lend a hand. She took the offer quite well.”
His speech was convincing, but something about his words sounded wrong. Cave’s jaw clenched. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true. His tone was dangerously quiet as he made the accusation. “You’re a liar.”
“Excuse me?”
His voice rose with mounting rage. “You’re a goddamn liar, now get outta my facility-”
“Mr. Johnson, let’s be civil-”
“Get the hell out of this office or I’ll break your fucking jaw!”
Wolfe was taken aback as Cave’s fury propelled him up from behind the desk. He scrambled to his feet as well, but in a heartbeat regained his composure and faced the seething CEO with cold dispassion.
“D’you hear me? Get out right the hell now or-”
Unfazed now by Cave’s threats, Wolfe flicked a hand into his suit jacket, pulling from his inside pocket a small square of cloth. The tiny motion caught Cave’s eye-his words cut off abruptly, and his brows knit as he watched the object in the other man’s hand. Wolfe examined the square himself, turning it carefully over and over, eyes fixed on it as he spoke. “Your secretary left this with me. Forgot it in my hotel room.” The fabric flowed and pooled hypnotically in his grasp. “Caroline’s… quite a woman, isn’t she?” A self-satisfied smirk played across his lips.
For the first time in his life, Cave Johnson was speechless.
He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. He could only watch as the too-familiar scarf played like a live thing around Wolfe’s fingers. He felt like his heart might stop.
Wolfe watched from in front of the desk and smiled.
“I should return it to her the next time I see her… but… perhaps you’d like to keep it? Something to remember her by?” The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried to contain his triumph. He couldn’t resist a final jab. “I don’t suppose she’ll miss it much, since she forgot it so easily.”
He received no response from the stupefied man behind the desk. That was enough.
The false politeness returned to his smile as he dropped the scarf like a fallen flag between them. Cave’s eyes followed it unwaveringly. “Good day, Mr. Johnson. I’ll tell Caroline you said hello.” And then the door closed behind him, and he was gone.
Cave didn’t even notice him leave. He sank unsteadily back into his chair, his fingers shaking as he gingerly picked up the scarf. A silky square the size of a large handkerchief, white in the middle, bordered with dark wine-red-the last time he’d seen it, it had been knotted around her perfect pale neck. He’d edged it aside to reveal a hidden lovebite from the night before, kissed that delicate throat as he held her close, felt her fingers trail across his back as she purred gently in his ear…
He pressed the soft fabric to his lips, desperate for some fleeting taste of her. It still smelled of her perfume. The intoxicating scent brought a flood of memories crashing down. He tried his hardest to drown himself in them, remembering so many nights with her-her shape in his arms, her lips on his skin, her panting breath as he pounded into her-the delicious feeling of possessing her completely, her howls of climax as she screamed his name-and the afterglow of holding her, cuddled against his chest in sweat-soaked satisfaction, when they were through. It only worsened the impact when reality came slamming home.
I’ll never have her again.
His stomach ached like he’d taken a punch to the gut. His chest felt painfully tight. It hurt to breathe.
She’s gone.
Every bit of his considerable confidence crumbled away in that moment. He stared distantly at the fabric in his fingers, not seeing it, feeling more lost and alone than he ever had in his life. It was all a lie. More than ten years she’d been with the company, and everything she’d said to him, every word, was a lie. She was a liar, and a fake, and she never gave a damn about him or his science, and why did she have to be so beautiful?
His sinuses ached, and his nose began to itch. He realized with a twinge of horror that his eyes were tearing up. Oh, no. Not happening. He blinked the tears back. No way was he going to bawl like a bitch over some girl. He was a grown man, and he was not going to cry. He was a go-getter-he should get up off his sorry ass and do something. He wanted to kill that smug bastard Wolfe, and kill his whore secretary too. He wanted to kill everyone who ever worked for Black Mesa. He wanted to burn their goddamn building down. More than anything he wanted to curl up and die. He wiped his eyes because they itched.
How could he be so stupid? Cave Johnson, certified ladykiller, getting this bent out of shape over a doe-eyed kid. It was ridiculous. He was Cave Johnson, and women were a dime a dozen-just because this one was smart, and sweet, and hardworking, and reliable, with the most gorgeous body he’d ever seen and a smile that could stop his poor old heart-just because this one was perfect-
Perfect. Yeah. Best secretary in the world. His breath hitched painfully, and he felt a drop roll down his nose. Best damn secretary in the goddamn world, and she went and stabbed me in the back.
The scarf in his hand showed a round wet stain where the tear had fallen. He saw it and felt his stomach clench tighter. Dammit, dammit, god dammit… But as he succumbed at last to the sobs that wracked his body, there was nothing he could do. Cave Johnson sank onto his desk and cried.
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5
PART 6
PART 7
EPILOGUE: Coming Soon
Pairing: Cave/Caroline
Rating: T
Summary: Back at Aperture, Cave tries to cope without his secretary.
Disclaimer: Portal and all associated characters belong to Valve. I just borrow them for my own sick pleasure.
Gina Mancini was new to Aperture Science, but she considered herself a rising star-barely a month into her new job pushing paper in Accounting, and she was already being called on to fill in for the personal assistant of Cave Johnson, the boss himself. His secretary had taken an abrupt and indefinite sick leave, apparently, though office gossip was that indefinite meant very long, or permanent. She couldn’t help hoping to scoop up the job for keeps. She didn’t have much secretarial experience, but she’d asked around and apparently his current assistant hadn’t started with much experience either-she’d come in with nothing but a shapely figure and a pretty smile. Gina sure had those, and if it meant a cushy salary, an office of her own, and bragging rights that surpassed any other woman in the facility, she was sure willing to use them.
Of course, she took into consideration that her predecessor’s absence might be because Johnson had finally knocked her up-again, office gossip-but Gina would be careful to avoid that. She was twenty-two, she’d dealt with men before, and she knew how to keep herself out of trouble. This should’ve been easy enough. Just follow orders, be sugary sweet, and work that pretty smile.
By the end of her first week, however, it was clear that her new position wasn’t the cakewalk she’d hoped for. Mr. Johnson was a demanding boss, and his secretary was in charge of more than she’d realized. Much more. Enough to make her wonder if she’d gotten the temp job because no one else would take it. But it was the end of the week, and she’d survived, barely. Just a little longer and she could go home.
She sighed and stared at the stack of papers that had been steadily growing on her desk. It was now about the thickness of a telephone book, and she really should sort it before she gave it to her boss. She really should, but she really didn’t want to. She didn’t want to go back there at all. Cave Johnson had turned out to be every bit as bad as the stories she’d heard about him-his temper flared at the slightest misstep, he was surly and standoffish with everyone, and nothing ever met his standards. When he wasn’t irate, he was despondent and dull. He never seemed happy. And he certainly never seemed to respond to her, no matter how many flirtatious tricks she tried, even though he sure looked like he could use a woman. She suspected there was something wrong with him.
Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall-less than an hour to go. She could do this. Collecting the stack of paperwork, she steeled her nerves and poked her head into his office.
“Mr. Johnson?”
He jumped as if startled, looked up, and visibly drooped when he saw it was her. He always seemed to do that when she called his name. His shoulders settled into their familiar dejected slump. “What is it, Gina?”
She entered with the sheaf of papers clutched over her chest, smiling sweetly for all she was worth. “This week’s results are in from the labs, and Accounting sent up the projected budget for next month.”
“The what?”
She blinked-shouldn’t he know about this?-and started to explain slowly. “Accounting ran the projected numbers for profit and spending in the next month, and-”
“No, no, I know, but Caroline usually-” He cut himself off and swallowed the rest of his sentence. “Never mind. Give it here, sweetheart.”
“Yes sir.” She dropped the papers with a thump on his desk. “Anything else you need?”
“Nah,” he waved her away. “Hell, it’s almost time for you to head home anyway. Take the rest of the night off.”
She perked up immediately. “Really?”
“Yeah, yeah. Get outta here.” He attempted a halfhearted smile.
“Thanks, Mr. J! See you tomorrow!” She didn’t notice his wince at the pet name as she breezed out the door.
As soon as it shut behind her, his expression lapsed into a grimace. He slumped back onto his desk, squeezed the bridge of his nose against a headache, and muttered, “For chrissake, get outta here.” That plastic grin of hers was starting to make him sick. He’d give anything for his secretary’s honest smile right now.
Almost a week without her. In that week he’d been living on stolen employee lunches and coffee from the break room-shoddy coffee at that, since Gina couldn’t seem to make it like Caroline did-because he couldn’t make himself go home. In lieu of showering, he’d been cleaning himself up in the bathroom sink every morning, and had almost a week’s work of stubble to show for the time away from his razor. He hadn’t even had a good night’s sleep in a real bed. Every night since she walked out that door, he’d fallen asleep at his desk, head pillowed on paperwork, with a bottle Jack Daniel’s close at hand. He told himself it was because there was more work to do without her around. It certainly wasn’t because he hoped she’d come back. In fact, he hoped she didn’t come back-and if she did, he’d throw her out on her job-leaving ass. Yeah. That would show her.
Bitch. Smart, sexy, doe-eyed bitch, with her perfect tits and her perfect legs and her perfect little genius brain. To hell with her. Why couldn’t he get her out of his head?
At this time last week she’d been leaning over his shoulder, right here, helping him go over sales reports. He had to push away the memory of her honey-sweet voice, warm and intimate in his ear, and the way her perfume teased his nose. Had she really been so unhappy? Not that her petty complaints were his problem-if she got her panties in a bunch over the least little thing, he was better off with her gone-but he found himself wondering what it would take to get her back.
Now wait just a minute. He shook himself out of the thought. He was Cave Johnson, and he was not going to beg on his knees to win over some broad. Even if that broad was the best thing that ever happened to him. Which Caroline wasn’t. He’d run this place on his own for years-he didn’t need her. He didn’t need anyone.
He finished the last cup of coffee Gina had brought him-cold by now, and much too weak to begin with-and forced the thoughts out of his mind. No time for navel-gazing. He had a company to run.
He picked up the stack of papers and started to leaf through, noticing with annoyance that the temp hadn’t bothered to sort them, but was interrupted by a pointed cough from the direction of the door. He raised his head to see a dapper-looking man in an expensive suit standing in his doorway.
The man greeted him with a polite smile. “Mr. Johnson?”
Cave’s brow furrowed. “Who the hell let you in here?”
The stranger’s smile didn’t waver. “The young lady in the outer office let me in as she was leaving. Charming girl. Is she new?”
“She’s a temp. The hell do you want?”
“Ah yes, I don’t suppose you’ve found a permanent replacement yet.” That smile was much too knowing. Cave didn’t like it. “Sad, really, the whole affair. It must be hard to lose an employee as important to you as your dear secretary.”
That did it. He bristled aggressively. “What the hell-”
“Yes, I should explain myself. I apologize.” Still smiling, the stranger took a seat across from Cave’s desk and folded his hands as comfortably as if he owned the place. “My name is Richard Wolfe. I represent Black Mesa.”
Cave’s face went purple. His response came out in a low growl. “Get the hell outta my office.”
“Now, Mr. Johnson, I know our respective companies have had differences in the past, but I’m here on a more personal matter. I mentioned your secretary?”
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are-”
“I just thought you should know that she’s alright.”
“-But-what?”
“Of course, if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand. She did seem terribly upset by the whole incident when she came to meet with me.”
“What?”
“Black Mesa heard about her… terminated employment, and naturally we were concerned. I was sent to check up on her. We had a very interesting talk.” He continued smoothly over Cave’s splutters of disbelief, “The poor woman’s been with your organization so long that finally getting away left her rather shell-shocked. I was more than happy to be there for her. She had quite a lot to get off her chest.”
“Wh…” The words caught in his throat. “What did she… say?”
“Oh, this and that. Things about Aperture, about her dissatisfaction here-about you. Quite a lot about you. And I told her that should she ever need anything, Black Mesa would be there to lend a hand. She took the offer quite well.”
His speech was convincing, but something about his words sounded wrong. Cave’s jaw clenched. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true. His tone was dangerously quiet as he made the accusation. “You’re a liar.”
“Excuse me?”
His voice rose with mounting rage. “You’re a goddamn liar, now get outta my facility-”
“Mr. Johnson, let’s be civil-”
“Get the hell out of this office or I’ll break your fucking jaw!”
Wolfe was taken aback as Cave’s fury propelled him up from behind the desk. He scrambled to his feet as well, but in a heartbeat regained his composure and faced the seething CEO with cold dispassion.
“D’you hear me? Get out right the hell now or-”
Unfazed now by Cave’s threats, Wolfe flicked a hand into his suit jacket, pulling from his inside pocket a small square of cloth. The tiny motion caught Cave’s eye-his words cut off abruptly, and his brows knit as he watched the object in the other man’s hand. Wolfe examined the square himself, turning it carefully over and over, eyes fixed on it as he spoke. “Your secretary left this with me. Forgot it in my hotel room.” The fabric flowed and pooled hypnotically in his grasp. “Caroline’s… quite a woman, isn’t she?” A self-satisfied smirk played across his lips.
For the first time in his life, Cave Johnson was speechless.
He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. He could only watch as the too-familiar scarf played like a live thing around Wolfe’s fingers. He felt like his heart might stop.
Wolfe watched from in front of the desk and smiled.
“I should return it to her the next time I see her… but… perhaps you’d like to keep it? Something to remember her by?” The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried to contain his triumph. He couldn’t resist a final jab. “I don’t suppose she’ll miss it much, since she forgot it so easily.”
He received no response from the stupefied man behind the desk. That was enough.
The false politeness returned to his smile as he dropped the scarf like a fallen flag between them. Cave’s eyes followed it unwaveringly. “Good day, Mr. Johnson. I’ll tell Caroline you said hello.” And then the door closed behind him, and he was gone.
Cave didn’t even notice him leave. He sank unsteadily back into his chair, his fingers shaking as he gingerly picked up the scarf. A silky square the size of a large handkerchief, white in the middle, bordered with dark wine-red-the last time he’d seen it, it had been knotted around her perfect pale neck. He’d edged it aside to reveal a hidden lovebite from the night before, kissed that delicate throat as he held her close, felt her fingers trail across his back as she purred gently in his ear…
He pressed the soft fabric to his lips, desperate for some fleeting taste of her. It still smelled of her perfume. The intoxicating scent brought a flood of memories crashing down. He tried his hardest to drown himself in them, remembering so many nights with her-her shape in his arms, her lips on his skin, her panting breath as he pounded into her-the delicious feeling of possessing her completely, her howls of climax as she screamed his name-and the afterglow of holding her, cuddled against his chest in sweat-soaked satisfaction, when they were through. It only worsened the impact when reality came slamming home.
I’ll never have her again.
His stomach ached like he’d taken a punch to the gut. His chest felt painfully tight. It hurt to breathe.
She’s gone.
Every bit of his considerable confidence crumbled away in that moment. He stared distantly at the fabric in his fingers, not seeing it, feeling more lost and alone than he ever had in his life. It was all a lie. More than ten years she’d been with the company, and everything she’d said to him, every word, was a lie. She was a liar, and a fake, and she never gave a damn about him or his science, and why did she have to be so beautiful?
His sinuses ached, and his nose began to itch. He realized with a twinge of horror that his eyes were tearing up. Oh, no. Not happening. He blinked the tears back. No way was he going to bawl like a bitch over some girl. He was a grown man, and he was not going to cry. He was a go-getter-he should get up off his sorry ass and do something. He wanted to kill that smug bastard Wolfe, and kill his whore secretary too. He wanted to kill everyone who ever worked for Black Mesa. He wanted to burn their goddamn building down. More than anything he wanted to curl up and die. He wiped his eyes because they itched.
How could he be so stupid? Cave Johnson, certified ladykiller, getting this bent out of shape over a doe-eyed kid. It was ridiculous. He was Cave Johnson, and women were a dime a dozen-just because this one was smart, and sweet, and hardworking, and reliable, with the most gorgeous body he’d ever seen and a smile that could stop his poor old heart-just because this one was perfect-
Perfect. Yeah. Best secretary in the world. His breath hitched painfully, and he felt a drop roll down his nose. Best damn secretary in the goddamn world, and she went and stabbed me in the back.
The scarf in his hand showed a round wet stain where the tear had fallen. He saw it and felt his stomach clench tighter. Dammit, dammit, god dammit… But as he succumbed at last to the sobs that wracked his body, there was nothing he could do. Cave Johnson sank onto his desk and cried.
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5
PART 6
PART 7
EPILOGUE: Coming Soon