fic - Not About Love
Title: Not About Love
Rating: G
Genre: gen
Word Count: 536
Pairings or Characters: Elle, Bob, mentions of Noah Bennet and Gabriel
Warnings: None
Summary: Elle visits her dad after her assignments but can't get a certain question out of her head.
“How many times have I told you, Elle? This isn’t about-” Bob’s nose wrinkled at the thought. “-love. This is about doing the job I assigned you. And you failed.”
Elle’s gaze dropped from his desk to the floor. His voice told her that it was only natural she'd failed, and she tried desperately to try to redeem herself, if only a little. “I didn’t know Eden was there!”
“No excuses, Elle!” Bob sighed and closed his eyes. It was bad enough that Elle was failing at everything and making him a laughingstock at the Company, but to be caught by Bennet red-handed? “I’ve got another assignment for you. Bennet has the necessary documents. See him.”
Her relief at still being an agent disappeared. She’d thought, if he were still sending her on assignments, she was still in his good graces, but this… She frowned. “What? Why Bennet? He’s- But I don’t like him.”
Bob gripped the edges of his desk. “Elle. This job is not about liking people. It is not about loving them. It is about being a good agent so you can help people. Bennet is the best agent we’ve got. You can learn from him. Go talk to him about this stuff. I’m busy.” With that, he went back to studying the papers she’d distracted him from when she’d entered.
Elle’s hand lingered on the doorknob as she left the office. She’d only asked if her dad still loved her.
-
She stood in his office again, frowning at the paneled wood of the desk.
“Bennet said you did a good job with Gray. I’m proud, Elle.”
Elle frowned, not as pleased with his praise as she usually was. “Dad, I think we handled that badly. He didn’t have to kill-”
“Elle. Let people who know more about it take care of it. For now, run along and treat yourself to something.” He picked up a pen from his desk and turned it into gold before handing it over. He always gave her such knick-knacks when he was especially pleased with her.
“But Dad, Gabriel wasn’t-”
“Gabriel? Call him Gray, Elle. Don’t make the mistake of getting too friendly with him.” He looked at her over his spectacles, pen still held out to her. “I hope you know you were only pretending to love him.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Elle?”
She took the pen but didn’t meet his eyes. “Yes, Dad.”
“Don’t forget what I told you. This job is not about love.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Afterward, Elle went straight to her room to add the pen to the other trinkets he had given her over the years. As she sat on her bed and rifled through the collection, she wished something at the Company were about love. She’d hoped that if Bob couldn’t love her, Gabriel might. And really, she thought as she stared at a gold paper clip and gold stamp, why couldn’t she be loved?
She hid her collection in her closet and changed clothes. She’d feel better after she got through playing with her toys in Level 5. They always loved her. Eventually.
Rating: G
Genre: gen
Word Count: 536
Pairings or Characters: Elle, Bob, mentions of Noah Bennet and Gabriel
Warnings: None
Summary: Elle visits her dad after her assignments but can't get a certain question out of her head.
“How many times have I told you, Elle? This isn’t about-” Bob’s nose wrinkled at the thought. “-love. This is about doing the job I assigned you. And you failed.”
Elle’s gaze dropped from his desk to the floor. His voice told her that it was only natural she'd failed, and she tried desperately to try to redeem herself, if only a little. “I didn’t know Eden was there!”
“No excuses, Elle!” Bob sighed and closed his eyes. It was bad enough that Elle was failing at everything and making him a laughingstock at the Company, but to be caught by Bennet red-handed? “I’ve got another assignment for you. Bennet has the necessary documents. See him.”
Her relief at still being an agent disappeared. She’d thought, if he were still sending her on assignments, she was still in his good graces, but this… She frowned. “What? Why Bennet? He’s- But I don’t like him.”
Bob gripped the edges of his desk. “Elle. This job is not about liking people. It is not about loving them. It is about being a good agent so you can help people. Bennet is the best agent we’ve got. You can learn from him. Go talk to him about this stuff. I’m busy.” With that, he went back to studying the papers she’d distracted him from when she’d entered.
Elle’s hand lingered on the doorknob as she left the office. She’d only asked if her dad still loved her.
-
She stood in his office again, frowning at the paneled wood of the desk.
“Bennet said you did a good job with Gray. I’m proud, Elle.”
Elle frowned, not as pleased with his praise as she usually was. “Dad, I think we handled that badly. He didn’t have to kill-”
“Elle. Let people who know more about it take care of it. For now, run along and treat yourself to something.” He picked up a pen from his desk and turned it into gold before handing it over. He always gave her such knick-knacks when he was especially pleased with her.
“But Dad, Gabriel wasn’t-”
“Gabriel? Call him Gray, Elle. Don’t make the mistake of getting too friendly with him.” He looked at her over his spectacles, pen still held out to her. “I hope you know you were only pretending to love him.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Elle?”
She took the pen but didn’t meet his eyes. “Yes, Dad.”
“Don’t forget what I told you. This job is not about love.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Afterward, Elle went straight to her room to add the pen to the other trinkets he had given her over the years. As she sat on her bed and rifled through the collection, she wished something at the Company were about love. She’d hoped that if Bob couldn’t love her, Gabriel might. And really, she thought as she stared at a gold paper clip and gold stamp, why couldn’t she be loved?
She hid her collection in her closet and changed clothes. She’d feel better after she got through playing with her toys in Level 5. They always loved her. Eventually.