Please understand that this is a hobby writing blog that I do on top of life and my job. Updates will be slow, but I will never ever discontinue a fanfiction/story. I will put them on hiatus occasionally, but this is rare. I much prefer to finish writing my long fanfictions before posting them anywhere.
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Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) x Elaine Roswell (Black Female OC)
This is a lawyer x paralegal story.
|{ Ao3 Link }|{ Incredibles Masterlist }|
This work is complete. Chapters update weekly.
NEXT CHAPTER - Chapter 9: Christopher Werner
Note: Okay so fun fact I did something like this at my last job except I forgot to produce documents that were due the day before and I'm not gonna lie I cried like a freaking baby to my atty who was like "oh no its traumatized, here have a chocolate. also that wasn't actually due until next week you're fine."
It's early morning when Elaine sits at her desk, her landline pressed to her ear. She's frantic, attempting to get in touch with Simon's go-to court reporting company, her heart pounding with anxiety. They have a deposition scheduled for two days from now, and she realized in the middle of the night she forgot to schedule them. She got in an hour early, too restless to focus on sleeping. Now, she's doing everything she can to fix her mistake before it's too late.
Her voice trembles as she explains the situation to the woman on the other line. "Good morning, this is Elaine from Paladino Law. I need to schedule a court reporter for a deposition in two days. I know it's short notice, and I'm really sorry for that, but is there any way I could get one scheduled?"
The representative responds, "Yeah we can do that, but there will be an additional fee."
Her stomach sinks at the confirmation, now knowing the extra cost is inevitable.
"That's alright!" her words spilling with fake politeness trying to hide the strain in her voice, "What would the cost be and is there anything other than the Notice that you need from us?"
"It's an extra $75 and you can drop the Notice off at the front desk with our scheduler. I'll put you on on our schedule right now, but we need the Notice for our records."
"Of course! I'll be there this afternoon then. Is there any way for me to receive a confirmation sheet for this?"
"Yes, I'll leave it with the scheduler to hand to you. Have a good day."
"Thank you, goodbye," Elaine sighs with a mixture of relief and impending doom. At least she has that on the books but now she needs to at least try and find one that won't charge extra...and tell Simon about her mistake.
She spends the next twenty minutes calling around to other court reporting companies for quotes. Sadly, most of them don't answer before their offices officially open despite their scheduling department starting thirty minutes to an hour beforehand. She's left sitting in her own haze of mounting anxiety with each passing moment. The clock ticks closer to 8:00 a.m., Simon's usual time to arrive. Her chest tightens with dread at the thought.
At some point, she gets up to make coffee just to keep busy. But she can't really remember doing it, her mind so lost in panic, she barely registers the sound of the beeping coffee pot signaling the finished brew. Her thoughts keep circling around her mistake, the potential cost, and the disappointment from Simon she knows she is going to face if she can't find a place that won't cost him more money.
Her eyes shoot to the front door hearing it unlock. Simon arrives right on the hour. Messenger bag on his shoulder and in a navy suit. He quickly says good morning to her, but before she can speak, he glances into his office at the sound of his landline ringing. He glances at the clock on the wall and announces he'll be back in a moment after the call. Mumbling that the call was set for 8:15, not 8 o'clock. Without hesitation he rushes into his office, leaving her to simmer in her anxiety and wait. She watches him walk away, her stomach twisting with guilt and fear. The minutes drag by, each one feeling heavier than the last. When Simon finishes his call twenty-eight minutes later, he heads out of his office to the kitchen, pours himself a cup of coffee, and heads back into his office door left open. He no longer keeps the single brew pot on his desk. Having placed it in storage after hiring her and swapping it for a sizeable six cup pot in the kitchen.
Elaine hesitates, her heart pounding so loudly she fears it might burst out of her chest. She takes a deep breath, then steps into his office, her hands are wringing behind her back and sweating so bad she can feel them become slick as her lotion wears off.
"Uhm, Simon?"
He looks up, surprised, her voice so soft he almost didn't hear her, "what's going on, Elaine?"
She pauses trying to find the right words. Her voice stutters a little as she speaks, "I made a huge mistake regarding the deposition. I accidentally forgot to schedule the court reporter for two days from now. I thought I had everything done, I think I was working on something else and it slipped past me. I called around and was able to book the normal company you usually use, but they're going to charge an additional fee because it's on short notice. I also reached out to some other court reporters, and I'm waiting to hear back from them. I'm so sorry! I thought—I thought I remembered to do this until I realized last night."
Her eyes flick up to his face with a mix of frustration at herself and worry over his reaction. "I just—I hope I haven't created a situation that's hard to fix or costs too much. I, uhm,…I well…" she trails off.
Simon listens quietly, his expression calm and composed. He stands from behind his desk and slowly makes his way over to her. Gently, he places his hands on the side of her shoulders, his tone soft, voice low and reassuring, "Elaine, I'm not mad at you. I'm glad you told me instead of saying nothing and I'm glad that you worked hard to fix it. Most things in our line of work can be fixed, and this is one of those things, which you have already gone through the effort of doing and from what you just told me, has already worked out. You can book with the usual company. I don't mind paying an extra fee for the short notice."
Elaine looks up at him felling the tension in her shoulders ease slightly, but the guilt still lingers.
He gives her a small reassuring squeeze as he turns to sit back down, "be sure you get the Notice to them and when the other companies call you back tell them you were able to book with someone else."
She nods, "I'll go there this afternoon."
"Sounds like a solid plan then," his comforting smile warms her heart, "could you close my door on your way out? I have another call with Mrs. Koch today."
"Of course," Elaine exits his office softly closing the door behind her while Simon dials in Mrs. Koch's number. She takes a massive breath letting it out slow to calm her nerves.
Well, I didn't get fired, screamed at, or called useless like I thought.
The tension she holds eases from her body. Her heart rate finally taking a break. Her hand leaves the door handle as she turns to head back to her desk. She settles in her chair, grabbing the receiver to the landline to start calling back the other companies. She still feels a little shaky, but her mind feels clearer now. Her gaze drifts to the clock on the wall as she dials. There's still plenty of time for her to print off the Notice and get it out the door after lunch. She makes a mental note to double-check everything.
"Okay, I've got this."
For the first time all day, a small smile forms on her lips. She knows she's not perfect and that mistakes happen, but she survived her worst fear since she started working for Simon. His reaction to her making a near catastrophic mistake was far better than she could have imagined, and she feels grateful to be working with someone with such an understanding heart.
-
A week has gone by since the chaos of securing the court reporter. Elaine sits at her desk, the hum of her small desk fan filling the surrounding space keeping her cool. As she types away drafting up filings or entering new information in an exhibit index her gaze keeps drifting toward the phone sitting on her desk, silently awaiting its next call.
Her fingers tap anxiously on the polished wood surface, each tap echoing softly in her ears, a nervous rhythm she isn't going to bother trying to control. Every time she looks at the phone her stomach clenches, a familiar flutter of anticipation twisting inside her. She knew it was stupid to get this worked up. Everything was taken care of and the court reporter happily told them the transcript would be ready three days after the deposition took place. But that small seed of doubt still gnaws at her. What if they were missing something? What if she forgot a document they suddenly added to their requirements? What if, what if, what if.
She decides to throw herself into a mountain of other tasks—reviewing Simon's notes, organizing stacks of new documents, and cross-referencing the new information he uncovered from the deposition. Her hands move swiftly almost instinctively, typing, sorting, and organizing like a machine to keep her mind busy.
Thankfully, the deposition went well for them. Her and Simon worked like a seasoned team despite her time there being less than six months now. He acted pleased with the outcome that day. The deponent's testimony had aligned with what he suspected. He praised her handsomely after it was over even though he looked exhausted due to it lasting three more hours than what either of them had anticipated. Still, her recent mistake lingered in her mind which has caused her to quadruple check everything her hands or eyes lay on.
She rubs her temple in a steady motion, her headache slowly starting to ease up after taking a couple Midol. Her eyes flick over to the clock on the wall. It was mid-afternoon now, but the seconds felt so slow, almost exaggerated, each one dragging as if time itself was hesitant to move forward and make that darn phone ring. A soft knock on her desk pulls her from her thoughts. Simon stands there a few notes in hand. His expression is calm with a slight edge of concern she assumes is a reaction to her previous action.
"I'm alright, it 's only a small headache," she answers his question before his mouth can form any words, "what can I help you with?"
He clears his throat, "I've been going over the new details from the deposition. I think we're in a better spot than we were before. Her testimony lines up with some of the evidence I gathered earlier, but there's still more to look into. Can you call the client to confirm the dates she spoke about? I want a better timeline than what I wrote up before. Don't work off of the one I made, make a new one. Your notes are much better than mine."
"Will do, and the transcript should be ready for pick up today or tomorrow."
<p>"Great, then let's shoot to get this done by Thursday if we get the final transcript in the next couple of days."
Simon turns around after leaving his notes with her. She starts leafing through the stapled packet but looks up when she hears him abruptly turn back around. His hand pointing in the air upon remembering something else to tell her.
"Oh, uh, right! Can you also schedule a time for me to talk with the client to go over everything that happened in the depo so we're all on the same page?"
She nods at him.
"Thank you Elaine! You're the best!"
He heads back into his office while she writes a few notes for the call she is about to make. She glances at his office door, a smile blooming on her face at his praise.
As she dials the client's number she suddenly remembers that they are, like her, at work. Instead of finishing she hangs up the receiver and writes on a purple sticky note to call them in a few hours.
I'm ready for the godwyn fics but Damn I wasn't ready for Gazerbeam to shoot to the top of my list? 🙏🙏 Thank you for the food
I promise godwyn is coming! I just really prefer to finish writing my longer stories and then posting them so no one has to wait when I go on a hiatus while writing them.
Omg yaaay!! I hope you enjoy it as the story continues! You're very welcome for the food anon <3
(again sorry for the two week gap. I really missed all these in my inbox whoops)
I found your fic on Ao3 and let me just say I NEEDED THIS SO BAD OMFG THANK YOUUUUU I'm ready to see how this goes also we love a successful black queen in law
Thank you anon! Just you wait! I'm cooking up two more fics. One for Downburst and Cora and another for Fironic and Nici. I'm trying to hold off until I finish writing my Tobirama x OC fic but it's like hecka long so one of those might get finished while I'm still writing the Tobirama one like what happened with Wanting Means Losing.
Also sorry for responding so late I literally did not see this in my Inbox for two weeks
Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) x Elaine Roswell (Black Female OC)
This is a lawyer x paralegal story.
|{ Ao3 Link }|{ Incredibles Masterlist }|
This work is complete. Chapters update weekly.
NEXT CHAPTER - Chapter 8: Don't freak out!
Note: I'm going away on vacation and in a good mood so DOUBLE POOOOOST!!! I hope you all enjoy these next few chapters! I'll post this Thursday (like normal) and Friday night or Saturday afternoon :D Prepare yourselves! After these it's gonna start getting a little fun~
Two hours and thirty-two minutes.
Elaine has been waiting for Simon for two hours and thirty-two—no, thirty-three minutes.
She completed her morning routine just like she's done over the last month and handful of days since she started. Make coffee for them, refill her creamer container, flip her reed diffuser, check Simon's 'Out' tray, and check her own trays for anything new. Then she continues the previous day's project. Today its organizing exhibits for an upcoming deposition.
She took her first break and no Simon.
Came back from said break and no Simon.
Worked for another twenty minutes and still no Simon. Now she is standing in the lobby area staring at the huge 30-inch TV frantically flipping through the various news channels for any chance he got caught up in a criminal attack or worse.
Where is he? Is he okay? Did something happen?
Elaine continues going through each news channel as they all update on the happenings of Municiberg.
"…after this break we will discuss dinner with—"
"This power line with a branch—"
"…high 70's later in the week—"
"…puppy adoption power hour—"
"In Midtown an attack on—"
"Now to get the healthiest version of—"
Wait.
Elaine frantically clicks back to the Channel 13 news. Midtown, where?!
As the channel focuses, a blonde woman in a purple dress stands in front of a building speaking to the camera. The reporter starts informing the masses of the situation in Midtown.
Please don't be there. Please don't be there. Anywhere but that building.
"Earlier this morning District 3 officers were dispatched to RenderThis Marketing, where an attempt to retrieve a final paycheck turned violent. Officers stated 42 year old, Jonathan Nicholas Phillips, was written up over a dozen times for sexual misconduct while employed there. Phillips returned to the building behind me today to receive his last paycheck, but when he was denied access to speak with a male employee he claimed to be a good friend of, things turned violent. The altercation ended up with Phillips screaming at other employees around him, placing one of them in a headlock, and getting ahold of a security guard's gun—"
Elaine's jaw drops as the reporter continues talking. The screen cuts to an employee speaking with the reporter who was only on the first floor when the situation escalated and exited the building along with a few others. Elaine starts looking through the crowd in the background for any sign of Simon. Of course the one time he has to physically go somewhere a situation like this happens.
She moves closer to the screen, looking for any flash of him. Hoping he didn't get caught up with what happened inside.
Sure, she's only been working for the man a little over a month now, but who wouldn't be worried about their boss? Any decent person would be concerned. What if he got shot!
Suddenly the cameraman focuses on the entrance of the building as a group of people exit, escorted by a couple police officers. Still no sign of Simon. Maybe he left in time?
Then a bright red burst of light from the third floor temporarily blinds Elaine with how close she is to the television. The cameraman starts to try zooming in on that floor looking for the cause of the blast. Sadly, it's far too blurry to tell what is really going on and the glare from the sun blocks most of the view. Another burst of light emits from the building this time on the second floor. So whoever is left in there is moving and most likely being chased by a super.
Officers start instructing bystanders to move further back. The reporter and her cameraman move up the hill at the end of the midsized parking lot to get a better view of everything. Another officer comes through the double doors of the main entrance again escorting more people out of the building.
Elaine's stomach sinks not being able to see any sign of Simon. She sees another reporter through the Channel 13's camera who is lined up perfectly at the entrance. Her thumb smashes the down button on the remote going to channel 2 for a better view.
No luck.
The bystanders start to crowd around the entrance. Elaine can feel the energy change due to a bystander spotting something through a window causing others to chatter in excitement. Officers form a line in front of the crowd to keep them a safe distance away. Gazerbeam, clad in his classic blue outfit, strides through the double doors with a handcuffed man firmly in his grip. A few officers travel behind the two with one guiding the remaining civilians to safety as they cross the threshold.
Gazerbeam says something to the officers and reporter on his right, but Elaine misses it entirely still trying to find Simon anywhere in the small group walking to an EMT or the crowd surrounding the super. She focuses back on what he's saying and nearly misses him informing the public that no one got hurt and everyone made it out safely.
His deep voice sounds so soothing to her ears but she can't help but frown. She wonders if Simon got pulled aside to talk with the officers at the scene. That would make sense for him to stay behind since he is an attorney after all. Technically it would sort of fall under his scope of practice…but he said he wasn't taking on anything else for the next two months and they're only halfway through month one! Maybe he offered them some insight about what happened since he was most likely in the building or he gave them free legal advice.
Elaine's growling stomach pulls her out of blankly staring at the television now playing commercials. She pats her stomach deciding to eat at the office instead of heading to the park. She got into a bit of a routine, breaks on the bench out front and lunch at the park. There is no way she's going to do that today though and risk missing him come back from what happened at RenderThis.
Her stomach lets out another loud growl, urging her to rise and head for the kitchen to heat up her lunch.
As the microwave hums Elaine wonders what situation Simon got himself into.
-
Gazerbeam takes a deep breath, the adrenaline having worn off and the tiredness settling in but not quite as deep as exhaustion. He is trying hard to make it back to the office but keeps getting interrupted. First by a couple robbers he happened to cross paths with, then a runaway car, then a hunk of debris flying at a group of civilians during a battle, the list goes on. The list…doesn't stop actually. He feels guilty having left Elaine there to basically fend for herself and even more guilty because he should be helping those in need around him as his duty being a super calls for. He is thankful though, work at the office is being taken care of now. At least he will be able to focus on the bigger things quicker since he has a paralegal. He is also thankful the two of them have a good rhythm and "Simon" always makes sure she has at least a short list of background projects to work on. Still, he can only imagine how bored she is doing mundane tasks with him being gone.
Alright, where is that building?
Gazerbeam scans the area as if he's looking for more crime, which he is, but he's also looking for one of the NSA safe zones to get a change of clothes and make it back to RenderThis. He still needs to go get his car and the outfit he left behind that he stuffed in a ceiling tile of the bathroom on the third floor.
While walking he waves to a few citizens recognizing the super as they go about their day. A few stop him asking for a quick autograph and let him go on his way picking up on the fact that he is heading somewhere. It's clear from his leaning stance and previously fast pace he has somewhere he needs to be. Still, he takes time to smile politely at a few fans and signs his autograph when asked. An older gentleman hands him an ice cold bottle of water thanking the super for his hard work in protecting the city just before Gazerbeam continues on his way.
There are no other interruptions as he walks the remaining distance to the safe zone. It looks like any other building on the street. There's a receptionist up front, hair in a professional bun and long acrylic nails typing away at the computer in front of her. She glances over to Gazerbeam.
"Are you here to see Mr. Taylor, sir?" her voice drones.
"Yes, ma'am."
"I'll buzz you in."
She turns pressing a button on the counter activating an elevator to her right for him to go into. He can hear the clank of the elevator arriving from below them. It creaks to a halt then dings loudly once it stops at their floor. He enters as soon as the door opens without saying anything else to the receptionist.
It's a short ride to the basement. The NSA installed a few of these all over the city for supers to be able to duck into when they needed a change or quick getaway to clean up. Thankfully, Gazerbeam didn't need a shower, having kept his running down to a minimum but some deodorant would do him good. The room was built like a boring locker room. Nothing remarkable. Just a couple showers, a few toilets, several cleaning products to use, and varying sizes of clothes. This one wasn't used all that much being in a part of the city that didn't have a high crime rate.
He grabs a basic outfit, black slacks and white button down, then changes in one of the shower areas. Peeling off his supersuit reveals a couple of old bruises almost done healing along his back. Gazerbeam carefully takes off his visor then puts it along with his suit in a duffle bag he grabbed hanging on the wall next to the elevator. The white button down is itchy and cheap but fits good enough to get him where he needs to go. He adjusts the slacks to hang over his boots positioning them to sit low, just above his hip bones for full coverage.
He grabs the duffle bag containing his supersuit and heads for the elevator riding it back up to the first floor. He waves at the receptionist who barely pays him any mind. Turning on the street Simon starts his trek back to RenderThis thanking whatever luck he's running on today that it's only a short bus ride away. Turns out, he left the NSA safe zone right on time to catch the afternoon one and he's got just enough pocket change to get to his destination.
The bus shakes hitting bumps and jostles around its riders as it travels through the streets over unforgiving potholes. It makes a handful of stops dropping people off or picking up new riders. Simon stares out the window taking in the scenery. Nothing of note except for a few colorful business signs and citizens going about their day-to-day lives. Within twenty minutes he's already at his destination. To his surprise there are quite a few people waiting at the stop to travel home or somewhere else and some vehicles left in the parking lot. He expected the lot to be empty on account of what happened this morning. He sighs with a shrug. Corporate.
Simon makes his way across the lot dropping the duffel bag in the trunk of his car on his way inside. He waves to the new front desk worker who signals him to come over once he passes by the same security guard he spoke with that morning.
"Hello sir! Can I get your name and reason for business today?" the young man asks.
"Yes, of course. I'm Simon Paladino. I was here this morning speaking with Janice in your legal department but had to leave some of my belongings behind due to the…situation."
"Oh! Yes, yes we've had a few people come back. If you'll follow me I'll take you to the floor you were on." He looks over to his coworker that just appeared from a side hallway.
"Chris can you watch the front while I escort Mr. Paladino to floor…?"
"Three, please."
Chris replies, "Yeah, I'll keep an eye up here."
The young man signals for Simon to follow him to the large elevators down the center hall. He scans a badge to call one down. While they wait Simon starts to idly look around. They added one extra security guard on the main floor. The cameras seem to actually be on compared to this morning since they all have blinking red lights signaling feedback going through the connection. He can't believe how many workers are still here though. Even if the attack wasn't life altering, it should have been enough to warrant a break for the remainder of the day.
They step onto the elevator after the light blinks and doors open. His boots clicking on the polished floor then thudding on the carpet of the elevator. The worker scans their badge again to bring them to the third floor where he just beat the snot out of some creep. His jaw tightens at the thought of the guy being able to sucker punch him in the side then jump down a flight of steps to the second floor. How he didn't break his ankles is beyond him. It didn't seem like he had any sort of abnormal durability but he acted like his laser didn't hurt until he used two eyes instead of one.
The young man instructs Simon to follow him through the various hallways to Janice's office in the back. He as him wait just outside her office while he speaks with Janice. She knows who he is and why he's there. They were just talking this morning about settlement checks before everything escalated. Janice peaks out of her office door standing halfway outside of it smiling gently at Simon.
"Hello! Listen, would we be able to continue our conversation in a few days?" she asks.
"I actually came here to ask you the same thing and get my bag I left behind. I believe it is in the restroom or somewhere else. I lost track of it with everything that happened."
"Ah, yeah that was…a lot. Uhhmm, I will call you by the end of the week for us to get those checks sorted. The restroom is right around the corner! Mike here will show you before he heads downstairs. I trust you can find your way back afterward?"
"Yes, thank you," then he follows Mike again to the restroom who says a quick goodbye and heads back to the front desk.
Simon checks each stall for anyone inside before quickly retrieving his leather messenger bag from the ceiling. He washes his hands after wiping down his bag of debris from the ceiling. The bag collected a light coat of dust and debris from being tossed up there.
He then travels through the building and exits heading straight for his car. He shoves his hand in a pocket of his bag to retrieve his wrist watch checking it for the time and—holy smokes! It's nearing 1 p.m.! He panics a little at the thought of being gone basically the whole day. Where had the time gone?! Elaine was going to have his head for this. Not that she ever expressed anger like that towards him but if he were in her shoes he wouldn't have been happy about it.
He quickly gets his things in his car and drives off to get back to the office. He makes one quick stop for gas and to change into the much more comfortable outfit he left his apartment in this morning. A dark gray suit with a black button down, matching tie, and black brogues. It didn't look spectacular but it was so comfortable since it's one of his more worn suits. He's had it since his third job before he decided to try and run his own solo practice.
The rest of his drive his quiet except for the radio playing low jazz in the background. Soon he's pulling into the back lot of his firm's building carrying his messenger bag up front. He isn't the biggest fan of entering through the back door anymore. He scared the daylights out of poor Elaine when he came in that way last time. She was not prepared to see him emerge from his office when she was the first in and hadn't seen or heard him enter. He just materialized according to her. Simon stuck his key in the front door to unlock it pausing to glance behind him and confirm that Elaine is in fact inside upon seeing her car. He takes a deep breath preparing himself to get scolded then pushes the door open. Only to find…nothing. He looks around the space stepping further in while locking the door behind him. Absolutely nothing. He wonders if she left to go to the park like usual. But the sound of her loafers on carpet coming from the archive room stops that train of thought.
"Simon? That you?"
From his left emerges Elaine with a worried expression. Wait worried? Did something happen here while he was gone?
She rushes over to him looking him up, down, and center, "oh goodness you're alright! I thought something happened while you were gone! I saw the news about that man at RenderThis. Are you O.K.? He's in jail right? I saw Gazerbeam drag him outta there."
Simon stands stunned at the rapid fire questions. More so her concern for him. He truly believed she was going to rip into him for not saying a word all day.
He sighs in relief, "yes I'm alright. I was able to leave the building after it started but stayed behind to speak with the officers since I was on the third floor when it happened."
Her eyes widen in shock, "you were there?! Are you sure you're alright?"
He puts his hands up to try soothing her, "yes I promise I'm alright Elaine."
She stares at him a little longer trying to find any sort of lie in his tone or body language. She starts slow, "…if you're sure." She pauses. "You didn't take on another case while you were there, right?"
He chuckles nervously, "no"
She takes a breath reassured, "thank goodness. You said you weren't and I've had other attorneys tell me that before just to end up with more clients. I don't need you overworking yourself more than necessary."
"Thank you for thinking of me Elaine," he says smiling warmly.
"What kind of paralegal would I be if I didn't think of you!"
The joke feels more serious to Simon than she realizes.
Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) x Elaine Roswell (Black Female OC)
This is a lawyer x paralegal story.
|{ Ao3 Link }|{ Incredibles Masterlist }|
This work is complete. Chapters update weekly.
NEXT CHAPTER - Chapter 7: Unbalanced
Note: Sorry for posting so late! I had to do some overtime and hadn't gotten a chance to post it until now.
Simon leans back in his chair, eyes slowly reading through the pleading Elaine left on his desk earlier in the morning. The soft mid-morning light filters through the wooden blinds, casting gentle shadows across his desk and the pristine sheets of paper in his hand. It's a surprise that everything is perfect, no corrections, no edits, no marks, or notes. He reads through the first few pages again, thinking he missed something. But this is impeccable. He was expecting something to need to be tweaked or improved, but no. He sets down his blue pen, which had been poised to mark any errors or changes for him to do later.
He continues reading through the last two pages of the document, then slowly flips to the last page. His eyebrows raise a little at what he finds. A small purple sticky note with neat handwriting reads:
<i>'If you need anything changed let me know! -Elaine'</i>
Next to her name is a tiny smiley face. Simon pauses. Oh, how adorable.
He can't help but smile to himself at the gesture. It's been a little over a week and he's already picked up on a few of her quirks. Smiley faces when she completes a task. Pot of coffee already made when she gets to the office before him. The colorful rainbow of trays to keep everything organized, which he now uses in his own office. His personal favorite, not asking how the coffee pot stays warm all day. Well–she did ask once but he simply told her he messed with the wiring a little to keep it warm without burning the coffee. He reheats it during her mid-morning break, lunch, and mid-afternoon break. She doesn't need to know the real reason. Simon chuckles to himself at the memory of her gobsmacked reaction after telling her about the required breaks before her hour-long lunch and the end of the day. That was not even on her radar of something to have the luxury of enjoying.
Simon leans and reaches to his left to grab a muted blue sticky note from its dispenser. He uses his black pen to write back to Elaine:
'No changes! Please file. -Simon'
He left off a smiley face though. He pauses before placing the sticky note on the page. Now wondering why they sign their names when it's obvious who is writing to who and their different handwriting styles. He grabs another bright blue sticky note, writes the same thing, and leaves his name off. He places the note right next to hers and gets up from his seat getting a good stretch in while walking to Elaine's desk in the next room. He gently places the document in her sage green 'To File' tray, then heads for the kitchen to eat his lunch. She already left for her own lunch, probably at a local restaurant or eating outside. He thinks he remembers hearing the microwave turn on? He isn't entirely sure.
As the microwave comes to life heating up his leftover grilled steak and potatoes from over the weekend in it Simon leans on the countertop, lost in thought. He reflects more on the past week with Elaine.
Overall, he is quite pleased with her performance and the way she is adapting. Sure, there were a few mistakes, but he expects that while she grasps his way of working. It's nice that she's eager to learn and genuinely trying to help him though some things he does not need her to do. Like the pleading he just reviewed, at no point did he ask her to do this. He remembers briefly mentioning it as something he would work on over the weekend but finalize later in the week only to come back to the office today to find that Elaine completed the whole thing for him. What a happy Tuesday surprise! She took initiative and while she did overstep a tiny bit in his eyes, it's clear her intentions were good. Plus, she probably had to do something like this before while working for Gerald. Her enthusiasm is very refreshing to him though. She reminds him of himself at his first firm where he was so eager to please and prove he had a reason to be there. Sadly, he got taken advantage of up until he walked out the door, probably in the same fashion as Elaine.
He tilts his head remembering the list of previous work experience on her resume. All of them had a good 4-7 years of history except for the obvious one. Simon called them all and they each had fantastic things to say, but it looked like Elaine kept moving. They were all within the same general practice area just in different cities or a whole new state. Maybe Municiberg was her home plate now? He hopes so or else he's probably not going to look for another paralegal. Gosh, he hadn't even looked for her. This was more like pure luck their paths crossed and they both just happened to know the right people.
Simon chews the inside of his cheek moving his eyes to another spot before he blows something up. Now that he thinks about it, he probably should have called all her previous firms–and conducted a real interview–before hiring her, but Lucius insisted he wouldn't regret it purely based on the way Honey raved about her close friend after their group left Zeke's diner that day. He did speak with a few of the previous attorneys who worked at Gerald's firm either alongside Elaine or before she came to Municiberg, none of them had anything good to say except for the fact that working there helped them get a job elsewhere. What Macy said seemed to be a shared sentiment, "having that firm on your resume means you survived working under a demon's contract." How the hell did Elaine last that long working for Gerald?
Simon jumps a little when the microwave beeps. Breaking him out of his thoughts. He pulls the plate out of the microwave traveling back to his office, the aroma of grilled steak and seasoned potatoes filling the space. A sigh leaves his mouth as he takes his seat at the nook in his office. Simon decides that he will definitely keep her on if things continue to go well after they have a quick discussion on what he does and does not want her to draft. There's no reason for her to carry an extra load while he's perfectly capable of doing it himself…at least, that is until she works on her first trial with him.
The office door opens quietly as Elaine steps back inside, her keys jingle against the door while she balances her leftovers in a brown paper bag, her mid-sized purse, and a yoga mat. Who knew there would be a local park with a perfect open spot away from everyone else? The extra sun and stretching gave her more energy to continue through the rather slow day they've been having…or Simon is purposefully not giving her much to work on right now.
-
She sets her things down on her desk, glancing around at anything new. The only difference is a case file in her overflow box and two documents for her to file in her sage green tray. She looks over leaning back slightly to get a view of Simon's office, he's typing something up while glancing between several binders. She assumes he ate lunch judging by the empty plate on his spare table. She doesn't think he heard her enter when she came back in since she didn't hear him acknowledge anything.
One thing Elaine has noticed about Simon is his ability to get so focused on what he's working on that he doesn't seem to comprehend anything outside of what is directly in front of him. It's kind of a superpower honestly. Like how he was able to keep pushing through the massive stack she saw on his desk at the beginning of last week was phenomenal. There was some kind of construction going on in the building next door. The loud bangs and thumps drove her up a wall while she was trying to focus on taking additional notes inside the binder Simon handed her on his process and workflow. He just kept working like it was any other normal Monday. Hopefully that doesn't happen a lot or she might need to get some ear plugs.
Speaking of, that binder is like a legal bible. Not only did Simon give her instructions on how he likes to prepare and organize literally everything in this office, but he also included diagrams for basic documents (not like she needed this section), charts on formatting for specific judges, which attorneys she should and should not speak with about his cases, and thorough expectations on how he wants their first month to go as they get used to each other. The only thing he left out of that binder was something related to trials. He included enough about working up to a trial but nothing about what to do when they took place. She's praying it's not gonna be a situation where that's his one major flaw. She can work with just about anything, but an attorney that can't handle trials is a death sentence. Especially while everyone is stressed out so bad they end up doing or saying something horrible. She can't go through that again.
Elaine grabs the two documents from her 'To File' tray, leafing through them as she sits down. A smile forms as she sees Simon's short reply to her original sticky note on one and telling her to send them both certified on the other. Thankfully, the office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. so she can easily swing by the post office on her way home at 3:40 p.m. instead of staying until 4 p.m. to beat traffic. Man, was it nice! The two times he's needed her to drive to another place he was sure to make it during actual working hours and not have it so she either had to get up extra early or do more right after work was so nice. Plus, he left money on her desk for gas the next morning.
She gets them ready to take with her placing her keys on top of the envelopes with case numbers and last names on them. She actually enjoys driving over to the courthouse because she likes to grab a cherry cream cheese danish from the cafe next door. Maybe she'll try blueberry today?
Elaine cracks her knuckles and gets right back to business after moving a few things around on her desk. He gave her a project to start indexing Mrs. Koch's documents in his style to make it easier for him to read through everything that took place. This one was going to be a doozy since she exchanged thousands of pages with the opposing attorney. Thankfully, Elaine already had her own index she kept up to date along with a printed version in Mrs. Koch's file. All she had to do was scan it in, copy/paste like crazy, and double check everything, being sure to include what Simon likes. Easy peasy!
As the last few hours of the day fly by Elaine sits up hearing Simon's footsteps travel through his office. He walks through the doorway nose buried in a brown binder the size of an encyclopedia mumbling to himself. She watches him go straight to the other end of the office passing the bathroom on the right and opens the door to the large archive room. Clearly he's looking for research materials or resources he intends to use in citations to be going in there. Elaine had actually re-organized it on Friday after realizing that room needed attention from Simon most likely running in and out of it looking for anything to help with the whistle blower case he has with Jessie Baas, a family man who spoke up about a highly dangerous construction site he was working on two years ago. Simon told her he only took about 8 or 9 of those cases a year since he somehow ended up with rather heavy ones each time. This particular one made him pause taking on any others due to its complexity.
Just then, he comes back out of the archive room with a couple large files in hand. Pauses in the kitchen for a glass of water, still reading from the binder, and heads back to his office. However, Elaine notices one of the files tucked under his arm is about to slip and she jumps into action to catch it. Before the file gets halfway out of his grip Elaine grabs it and tugs it from under his arm successfully catching a small dictionary he was also balancing on top of the binder and the file.
Simon pauses his reading to turn and look at her, dumbfounded. He blinks looking between her hands holding the file and dictionary then to his side where he had it all in his grip a moment ago.
"Oh...thank you." Simon says.
Elaine mumbles a soft, "you're welcome."
He shifts the items in his arms to take what she caught back.
Elaine stares at him for a moment then purses her lips walking right by him, "I'll put these on your desk for you."
Simon follows her into his office, her light perfume wafting right in his face. A mixture of lavender, roses, and honey. He actually likes it a lot. It's not strong, more pleasant and relaxing instead of overtaking his senses.
Simon watches her carefully set things down in the only open spot available then reaches out to him to grab what remains in his arms. He lightens his hold letting her take them one at a time without throwing off his balance. He sets his glass on his coaster after going around to the other side of his desk. He looks up to say something else to Elaine but she's gone. Already settling back at her desk judging by the creak of her chair and the sound of typing on a keyboard.
Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) x Elaine Roswell (Black Female OC)
This is a lawyer x paralegal story.
|{ Ao3 Link }|{ Incredibles Masterlist }|
This work is complete. Chapters update weekly.
NEXT CHAPTER - Chapter 6: New start
Elaine and Honey enter Zeke's diner with the ring of an overhead bell. The wonderful smell of coffee, bacon, eggs, and an assortment of other breakfast foods cooking on four extra large griddles hits their noses. They make their way over to a booth against the wall of windows where Elaine has her back to the rest of the diner and her front facing towards the entrance. Honey sits across from her and grabs a menu passing it over to Elaine.
"This place is wonderful! It's a true classic diner," she says enthusiastic about Elaine's first experience here.
She grabs the menu from her then browses through the menu. Grits with bacon, eggs, and toast sounds amazing to her right now, her stomach growls at the thought. A waiter comes over in a green polo and black apron to set down a small steel coffee carafe, two mugs, cream, and sugar.
"Welcome in you two! Honey, good to see you again. Is there anything other than coffee you'd like this morning?"
"I'm good, Elaine?"
She shakes her head no.
The waiter, Joel, from what Elaine can see on his name tag speaks again, "ready to order food then?"
Elaine smiles politely, "yes please. I'd like grits, bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs."
"Got it and the usual for you Honey?" He turns to look at her while writing out Elaine's order.
"Yes sir! Can you make my bacon crispy this time though?"
"Sure thing. I'll come back once that's all done for you two." He walks away to the cook to yell out their order then continues to the next table waiting to be served.
Elaine turns away to pull out a small notepad from her purse. "So, I've started writing out a few places I think I might want to apply to and others I'm not so sure about. I know for a fact I want to stay far away from family law. It's just too much for me not to get emotional about those cases. So that means Ellis Law, Dunker Family Practice, and Goldheart are all on my no list. I haven't applied anywhere yet but I'm hoping to start this coming week after I get more places narrowed down. Plus, you said you had a list for me too?"
Honey tilts her head side to side in an unsure manner, "well not really a list anymore just one or two people. But that's better than nothing!"
"It is! Thank you sis for helping me you really did not need to do that," Elaine reaches across the table squeezing her best friend's hand.
"Oh it's nothing girl, we've always got each other's backs."
In a flash their waiter Joel appears with their food.
"Wow that was fast," Elaine says.
"Uh-huh! Mikey is the best cook around and gets our food out quick! Let's dig in!"
Elaine turns to the waiter thanking him for bringing their food then digs into her meal. Instead of normal grits Elaine prefers to add maple syrup with a good slab of salted butter. The contrasting salty sweet taste is so delicious and pairs perfectly with her bacon and eggs. Sometimes she'll put it all together to make a sandwich but today she eats her toast alone. Honey on the other hand got a stack of blueberry pancakes with crispy bacon and fried eggs.
They both savor every bite and sip coffee in between to wash it down. They enjoy an easy conversation outside of Elaine's job hunt and catch up on the latest hot TV show, Just Wild, about a group of people surviving on a remote island with nothing but a rope, pocket knife, or fire starter. It's brought up a lot of debates in their circle and Honey even got a whole voting system started at her job.
As the two talk about the latest episode, the diner erupts with boisterous laughter from the other end coming from another booth. The women turn to peek at what's got everyone in an energetic state. From what Honey can tell the three men are all laughing at a joke, adding on to the joke, and laughing even harder. The scene makes both of them smile but Honey pauses when she catches one man's eye.
In the middle of a hearty wheeze, Lucius leans his head over to the side when he spots some movement near the entrance. Looking back at him is Honey. A friend who he keeps running into at random. It kept happening so often after saving her from a burning building four months ago he had to explain he was not stalking her or tracking her movements. The universe simply kept putting them in the same places and it seems like today was another instance of that happening. He has no idea that Honey had actually planned on running into him here by chance out of thoughtfulness for her friend.
He smiles brightly at her waving with two fingers then waves to beckon her over.
Honey shoots a glance over to Elaine, "wait here I'll be right back. Looks like luck is on our side right now!"
Elaine watches Honey walk over to the booth and gets a look at the man who waved her over. Tall, thin, fit, charming smile, and ohhh one of their own. Wait. That must be Lucius! Elaine ponders while watching them interact with each other and then everyone else at the table. She turns back forward to sip at her coffee waiting on Honey to return.
Lucius looks away from Honey to Bob as Bob says, "it's wonderful to see you again. How is everything going at the office?"
"Great! We just finished voting on this week's episode of Just Wild I think Marissa will get voted off next."
Lucius looks up at her, "you watch that? Is it good? My niece recommended it to me."
Bob echoes mocking him, "my niece recommended it to me," then turns to Honey, "he already started watching it when you told him about it the last time we all ran into you."
Honey leans on one hip, "oh really?"
Lucius glares at him, grabbing his drink to cover his face while Bob and Simon laugh at him. "it was my niece."
Simon adds, "yeah his niece who so happens to also be named Honey."
This gets Bob going and he laughs a bit harder while Lucius cries out in frustration at their antics. Honey smiles at the three fondly then glances in the direction of her table where Elaine is staring at her curiously.
"Y'know since I'm over here I might as well introduce you to my friend, Elaine." Honey waves her over to the group for introductions.
Elaine walks over leaving their nearly cleared plates behind. She already got a good look at Lucius and the large blonde man next to him but not the third who is seated opposite to them. He doesn't turn around to look at her but he does turn his head to look up at her when she arrives next to Honey at their table. The first thing Elaine notices are his bright blue eyes. Goodness, they were so vivid, almost sparkling due to the bright morning sun.
She turns to look at them all and waves politely, "hello, nice to meet you all! I'm Elaine."
"Hey, I'm Bob! This is Lucius," he waves his hand from it's resting position on the windowsill to his left then gestures towards the man to Elaine's left after saying Lucius' name and then to the man on Elaine's right, "and this is our friend Simon."
Simon smiles politely up at her reaching out a hand, "a pleasure to meet you Elaine."
Now Elaine has learned to always shake a man's hand firmly 'to assert yourself' her mother would say. But something tells her that this is not the time to do that and boy, was she right. Simon's hand completely engulfs her own in a warm comforting embrace before squeezing gently then parting as he let's go.
Honey watches the whole thing and can immediately tell her dear friend likes the guy already. Good. This might be easier than she expected.
From across the table Bob says, "so what do you do for work? Honey said you two met around the time you moved here from out of state. I'm guessing that's what brought you to Municiberg."
"Yes, I was looking for a new start since out West was a little lacking for me. I'm a paralegal," Elaine fights the urge to fiddle with her own hands since everyone's eyes are on her.
The three men immediately perk up at that. Bob and Lucius zone right in on Simon who is still looking just past her head at the ceiling avoiding eye contact with his friends.
"Aaahhh a paralegal you say? Did you do any schooling for that?" Lucius says while very pointedly looking between Honey and her.
"Uhm yes, I graduated from Minnow South in Arizona with a Bachelor's and then completed the state's JLAO program followed by my NPHA certificate."
Lucius and Bob look lost but she fully has Simon's attention who asks, "you went to Minnow? My mentor graduated from there before he got his start. I wasn't aware you could enter in the National Paralegal Highflyers Association with a Bachelor's and Junior Legal Aid certificate. Good on you! You must have scored exceptionally well to enter without a Master's. I take it, the law firm you are currently with feels grateful to have you."
The disgusted expression Honey makes grabs the men's attention and then Elaine's to figure out what they're all staring at.
"Well to be blunt," Honey starts, "Gerald was a bit of a jackass so grateful is stretching it."
Elaine's jaw drops before she drags a hand through her hair in embarrassment, "sorry," she says to the table, "Honey!" Elaine goes to reprimand her for saying something like that in front of everyone out in public.
"It's true! Gerald was a raging—"
Elaine hurriedly interrupts Honey before she starts ranting about her former boss in front of brand new people, "I think they get it! Sorry! He was uhm…a different personality to work with."
Simon chuckles at the scene in front of him, "if you're talking about Gerald Weiler that is a very polite way of describing him. I agree with Honey on this."
"You know the guy Simon?" Lucius asks.
"Yes, we went to the same undergrad. I'm surprised he's able to still practice law right now. I'm guessing that was your doing Elaine?"
She nods in shock that he knows about Gerald and even went to school with him. "His old paralegal helped him a lot too until she left."
Bob pipes in, "sounds like you got out of a pretty crappy place…you did leave right?"
Elaine nods again then Honey says, "recently actually! So if any of you know someone who needs a paralegal…" she trails off in a sing-song voice.
Both Lucius and Bob look directly at Simon who looks back at the two of them because they know for a fact he could use an extra hand in the office. This would make it easier for Simon to help out more as a super. Truly, it would be a tremendous help to them. Especially, since Simon has been running himself ragged even though they know he would rather eat nails than admit that.
Everyone's attention diverts to the sound of tapping on the window. Through the glass, they spot an older woman waving nervously at them. Elaine's eyes widen in surprise, and she quickly recognizes her as Mrs. Koch, one of Gerald's clients.
"That's…Mrs. Koch?" Elaine whispers more to herself, a mixture of curiosity and concern.
Mrs. Koch points towards Elaine than makes a gestures between the two of them then points towards the diner door for them to meet.
Honey's brow furrows, "how'd she find you, Elaine?"
"No idea," she looks towards the table, "excuse me a moment please." Elaine starts to make her way to the door but doesn't make it far since the older woman is only a couple of tables away rushing towards her with so much hope in her eyes it makes Elaine pause in shock. The rest of the table turns to watch, curious what is going to happen next.
"Oh, Ms. Roswell I'm so glad I found you dear! Listen, you have to help me with my case!" she pleads.
"Mrs. Koch! What a surprise to see you here. What happened? Are you alright?"
"I'm as surprised as you are to run into you here. I thought I would never see you again after Gerald told me you left. Now Gerald is moving towards settlement but it's for much lower than what the three of us originally discussed and too far ahead of what we scheduled. He said there isn't much else to my case for him to argue for, but we both know that can't be true. He said it's only worth my medical and nothing more."
Elaine sucks in a breath causing a hissing noise. She knows that is not true. She's still seeing several doctors and has a major surgery coming up for her arm. Why on Earth would Gerald try to settle for less? That makes no sense.
Mrs. Koch continues, "I don't know why he would do this but I know I'm not the only one. Monica and George said they feel he is giving up on their cases too because you worked on them the most. Maybe he's just lost or confused? If you could please help the three of us it would be an immense burden off our shoulders. If you could just contact the other lawyer guys and tell them not to mind whatever else Gerald sends them. I tried to reach out to their office to tell them I fired him but they weren't there when I went downtown."
Elaine squeezes her hand, sympathetic to her and the other's problem all because she decided to quit, "Mrs. Koch I'm so sorry but I can't do that. As much as I would love to help you I'm not a licensed attorney. However, I can—"
From behind them Simon clears his throat trying to politely insert himself in the conversation between the two women. They both look toward him as he walks the short distance to them.
"Pardon me for interrupting Elaine and…Mrs. Koch, correct?"
She nods then he continues.
"My name is Simon Paladino and I am a licensed attorney. I would love to help you and the others you mentioned. I am in the same practice area as Mr. Weiler. I have my own firm on Hemper Lane."
Mrs. Koch looks between Elaine and Simon once…then twice connecting the dots. She exclaims, "oh! Are you who she's working for now? That's wonderful!"
Simon's shoulders rise in shock not expecting this turn in conversation. "Well ma'am—you see…" He trails off unsure how to explain the misunderstanding.
Mrs. Koch pats Simon's forearm, "this is the greatest outcome! Elaine has been just wonderful throughout my case and she already knows all the details so she can fill you in on everything. I only trust her judgment and I know she will do what's right and fair. Goodness, this is such a relief. You've got yourself a shining star of paralegal Mr. Paladino."
Bob and Lucius watch on in surprise at Simon's acceptance of the older woman. Did he really end up with a paralegal just like that? Lucius leans towards Bob and they give each other a look to verify they are both seeing and hearing what the other is hearing.
Mrs. Koch turns towards Elaine, "I'll bring my case file with me on Monday if you have time. I believe everything is in there but you would know better than me. I am glad you found a new firm quickly," she looks up at Simon, "like I said Elaine is just wonderful. I'll see you two tomorrow?"
Simon nods then smiles, "tomorrow it is Mrs. Koch."
Elaine stops Mrs. Koch before she turns to leave, "uhm do you need a business card ma'am? Maybe a couple for Monica and George?" Elaine looks over to Simon who reaches for his wallet then pulls out a few business cards.
"Good thinking Elaine. Here you are Mrs. Koch, we'll see you tomorrow."
"Thank you dear!" She turns and leaves the diner with a pep in her step.
Elaine watches Mrs. Koch walk away, her mind spinning with a whirlwind of thoughts. She bites her bottom lip nervously, feeling a mix of guilt and frustration. The older woman had trusted her without question and assumed that Elaine is now working for Simon. She should have corrected her. She should not have stepped aside while the two of them spoke to each other and spoke up. She had a chance to say something before Simon said they would both see Mrs. Koch tomorrow. There is no way this man is about to hire me.
Elaine watches Simon turnaround to her, a calm and confident expression his face. She is still lost in her own thoughts, replaying the moment when Mrs. Koch assumed Elaine was working for him. She half-expects Simon to wave her off, to say he would handle the case along or that she should stay out of it and away from him altogether.
But instead, Simon looks at her with a gentle smile and says, "I'll see you tomorrow, Elaine. A pleasure to have you join my firm."
Elaine's eyes widen in surprise. She gawks at him, her mouth slightly open, disbelief flickering across her face. That was not what she had been expecting at all.
"Wait—what?" she manages to say, blinking a few times. "You're…you're serious?"
He nods, his smile reassuring. "Of course. Clearly you are well respected and I believe we will make a good team. So, I will see you tomorrow."
Elaine's heart flutters with a rush of gratitude. Her eyes shimmering with emotion as she looks up at him, overwhelmed by the kindness and confident he was showing her.
Bob, who was quietly watching the exhange along with the others, chuckles and adds, "well, that means Simon will be able to hang out with us more, since we won't be as stressed out trying to get everything done himself. Looks like you've got yourself a paralegal pal. Which means you're coming bowling with us on Thursday."
Elaine's neck and cheeks feel warm, she couldn't help but smile even wider, "thank you! Really thank you, I won't let you down sir."
"Oh please, Simon is just fine!"
Honey throws an arm over Elaine's shoulder, "told you luck was on our side today."
Elaine felt a wave of relief wash over her, knowing that she could sleep easy tonight with a new job lined up. This is the start of something new and she is going to fully embrace it. She just hopes she doesn't cause trouble for Simon. Going from being solo to having even one extra person is a lot to handle. Hopefully, this won't be too difficult or the two of them.
Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) x Elaine Roswell (Black Female OC)
This is a lawyer x paralegal story.
|{ Ao3 Link }|{ Incredibles Masterlist }|
This work is complete. Chapters update weekly.
NEXT CHAPTER - Chapter 5: Zeke's Diner
Simon Paladino arrives at his modest office just as the first light of dawn seeps through the wood blinds. The hum of the city waking up outside contrasts with the peacefulness inside his space. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts from a small kettle on his desk, mingling with the faint aroma of paper and a cedar forest stick incense. His office is outlined by dark brown wooden bookshelves lined with research files, legal books, and a few magazines that he made it onto the front page of over the years. His desk sits at the back of the office opposite to the door backed by a small nook and ceiling high windows. Simon rarely sits there but once in a blue moon he will take a seat to enjoy a cup of coffee or his lunch. To the right of his desk against the wall is a plain dark wood side table where he keeps any spare files or legal pads with his notes written on it. To his left is another desk with trays of organized case files and binders. He likes to keep everything as neat as he can and following his system. He has a storage space for everything else in a walk-in closet down the hall but that is mostly for older cases that have closed or aren't on his radar at the moment.
As a solo attorney, Simon takes pride in his meticulous organization. All except for the wide chair in the corner where he keeps things to be handled later. He usually only abandons things in that chair when he is suddenly called away for super work. It happens often enough that he bought a second chair just like it to sit right next to the older one for more space. He should replace the chairs with a table but he has yet to get around to it.
After setting his suit jacket on the coat rack and shoulder bag down next to his desk Simon settles in his comfortable chair. His one and only saving grace from having the worst lower back in the city. He invested in it after his first successful criminal capture while working with Bob to take down some crazy guy on a super charged polo stick bouncing around stealing people's purses and bags.
Simon rubs his eyes briefly before turning on his computer, provided by the NSA after he let his agent know he burned a hole in the last one by accident. His morning routine is the same. Get to the office, get a second cup of coffee, review recent case files or continue where he left off the night before, draft, prepare, file, and repeat. Sometimes he has to make a call or go to the courthouse but that is still nothing crazy or out of the ordinary for him.
He glances at a photo of him with Bob, Jack, and Lucius at an NSA getaway then his gaze travels over to photos of him with the Phantasmics and the Thrilling Three. They all worked out fine but there's only so much one person can do when placed on a team that had such conflicting personalities. He's glad DynaGuy enthusiastically took his role as leader back when he healed from his injuries. Honestly, none of them thought he was going to make it back into super work. It's a miracle his cape ripped in time to lessen the damage.
His thoughts drift back to Bob, Jack, and Lucius. They plan on meeting in a few days at Zeke's diner where Bob originally approached him about becoming a super. Thank God he took a leap of faith that day. He wouldn't want his life any other way.
Simon averts his attention back to the work in front of him. Throughout the morning, he handles a few negotiations for two cases he wants to settle and updating his wall calendar for upcoming client calls. The few he answers today are all within his normal scope except for the Hendrick family. A whistle blower case from a former construction worker at Alderman Works. This one is already a doozy and they have barely entered the discovery phase. He has several depositions coming up in four months he needs to prepare for as well as prepare his client for his own.
By late afternoon, the city outside already shifts into its evening bustle. Simon carefully packs away his papers for tomorrow, closing the file cabinet in the hallway with a soft click. He takes a deep breath, then reaches for his briefcase holding his super outfit and helmet. The outfit is formfitting and incredibly comfortable thanks to Edna Mode. His helmet's visor works beautifully with his eyes so he never has to worry about blasting a hole in someone or something from staring too long. If only they could figure out the same technology for a pair of glasses. With an almost ritualistic motion he slips into his suit in the restroom and comes out as Gazerbeam. He doesn't need to worry about dropping his car off at home since he took a bus then walked to the office today. The morning breeze felt just right so he didn't end up sweating through his tailored suit while walking into the office several hours ago. The great thing about his office's location is almost no one will ever spot him when he goes out the back door dressed as Gazerbeam. There's a maze of side roads and alleys between the buildings that nearly blocks the whole door. He placed an awning on the back of it going around each corner for him to make an even easier exit into the rest of the city as his super persona.
As Gazerbeam exits through said door the city comes alive, humming with distant sirens, flashing lights, and the murmur of voices. He moves swiftly through different hiding placing remaining inconspicuous. His eyes scanning the streets. This time in the city is unpredictable, dangers lurks around every corner and near every shadow.
Today, chaos is already unfolding. Up the street a robbery is in progress, the alarm blaring loud enough he could hear it from a block away. There are two masked figures threatening a lone shopkeeper and customer in a small corner store.
Gazerbeam focuses in entering the store through an open window in the back. He angles himself just right so he's able to laser the gun one of the criminals is holding in their left hand.
What he does not expect is a blast of air from a small canon to hit him and knock him backwards into the freezer section door behind him. It wasn't hard enough to knock the wind outta him but he sure felt it. Gazerbeam dodges to the left behind shelves as another air blast is shot in his direction. He lunges himself down the next aisle using his laser to hit the other criminal with the small canon in the chest pushing them hard into the cashier's counter. The customer ducks out of the way of the incoming fight and hides in the back of the store.
The first criminal's arm is burnt with a clear red mark showing through their black outfit. He comes forward with his fist ready to punch Gazerbeam in the face. He ducks under his punch and loops his own arm around his midsection flipping him over his back. He lands with him crushing the guy into the floor then rolls to recover and blast the other criminal again who recovered from being hit into the counter. Gazerbeam goes to apprehend the criminal in front of him but the one by the counter starts to recover quicker than he anticipated. He rarely uses more than half of his lasers power, usually only focusing one eye on criminals to prevent them from dying. As the other guy continues to go for his air canon the one below him slips from his grip shouldering him in the chin.
Gazerbeam recovers quickly and lunges after him but the canon is aimed right at him. In the blink of an eye an ice shield appears between the three of them successfully sectioning off the two criminals now stuck to the ground.
Frozone appears in the main doorway.
"Hey there four eyes! N-ice to see you again," Frozone says casually walking over to his friend.
"Frozone! A pleasure pal! What brings you here? Couldn't have been a ski trip right?"
He chuckles at Gazerbeams lame joke before answering, "the usual. Picking up bad guys, taking a few photos, and seeing some bright red flashes coming from this place. You got the rest handled?"
"Of course, thank you for the help," he smiles gratefully at his friend who turns to leave and head to the next zone of chaos when a laser flies past his left shoulder and hits a third bulkier criminal square in the face blinding him instantly. The man yells out in pain then goes to rub his face only to make it worse and yell louder.
Frozone dodges to the right out of surprise, he knows Gazerbeam would never hit him, "whoa! Nice shot!"
Gazerbeam lowers his hand while Frozone shoots the guy in the face with a blast of ice to minimize the burning.
Gazerbeam smirks, "I'm sure it's only a 2nd degree burn and lifelong blindness. At least you won't be causing anyone else problems."
Just then the police enter the establishment to take in the three criminals, talk with the two supers, and get the two citizens taken care of to get back home without anymore issues.
After finishing up with the officers Frozone turns to Gazerbeam, "I'll see you in a few days right? We're going to—"
He's interrupted by a blast further into the city. They both rush to the door to look at the damage and see GammaJack flying out of a cloud of smoke.
Gazerbeam looks at Frozone, "yeah I'll see you in a few days. Want me to come with?"
They watch DynaGuy fly from a different direction into the smoke his canon booms making him pick up speed towards the explosion.
"No, I think they have it handled. I'll see you in a few days though," Frozone sets his ice in a course to head off in a different direction to patrol the city and equips his skis.
"See you then!" Gazerbeam watches him speed off into the distant, a streak of ice forming and melting as he goes.
He turns to the officers who now have both criminals in handcuffs, walknig them to their cars. Gazerbeam lets them know he already called the NSA about the air canon and an agent will be around to confiscate it.
A few hours later, after entering a few more fights and arresting more criminals Gazerbeam makes his way home. He steps into his apartment now dressed down into his button down and slacks. The space he rents is nice and more than enough room for him. Three bedrooms for sleeping, office work, and a spare for the days he wants to sit back and relax. His furnishing consists of muted blues and greens. Posters of other supers or himself line the walls along with artwork and strategically placed mirrors in the event of a break-in.
Simon drags himself over to the bathroom to access the damage from getting knocked around. Nothing horrible a few light bruises he'll quickly heal from over the next few days. After exiting his bathroom he heads for the kitchen to warm up leftovers then settles into his plush beige sofa in the living room. Simon thinks about turning on the TV for a moment but changes his mind deciding he needs to continue where he left off on a draft for work earlier.
Simon glances at the clock a few minutes later and—holy smokes! It's midnight! The soft glow of the lamps in his living room illuminates the scattered papers and open file. He leans back in his set, rubbing his eyes tiredly, but the weight of his unfinished work presses on him. His mind races through the details of the Hendrick case and other looming deadlines.
He exhales slowly, eyes drifting over the cluttered table in front of him, "just a little longer," he whispers to himself, "I can handle this." He's told himself this several times and each time he wonders why he keeps bringing his work home with him. He should relax but deadlines are due and things need to get out the door.
The only sound in the room is him shuffling papers around and the scratch of his pen on two legal pads for another half hour. He considers stopping, but a stubborn part of him insists that he's got this. He always has and will continue to do it. But when he glances up at the clock again he knows, he should probably sleep.
He blinks a few times feeling his eyes burn from exhaustion instead of his powers and decides that he needs to relent and go to sleep. With a long sigh he rubs his face roughly and stands up leaving everything in the open in the order he needs it in when he wakes up in a few hours. While making his way to his bedroom he feels how tired his body is as it slows trying to kick up enough effort to make it to his large bed.
Maybe he should hold off on accepting any new cases this month.
Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) x Elaine Roswell (Black Female OC)
This is a lawyer x paralegal story.
|{ Ao3 Link }|{ Incredibles Masterlist }|
This work is complete. Chapters update weekly.
NEXT CHAPTER - Chapter 4: I can handle this
Note: Posted a day early because I've got a lot going on this weekend! Happy Juneteenth!
Cora settles comfortably into a cozy corner of the bustling pizza restaurant, feeling the energetic hum of activity around her. The air is thick with the aroma of freshly made pizza, pasta, and wings on trays waiters are delivering to different tables. One waiter is making their way to her table with the order she got for her, Honey, and Elaine earlier. Whoever makes it to a restaurant first will order and the rest will either give them cash or make it before the rest to order ahead of time. The waiter sets down a colorful platter of sweet and tangy wings, salads, steaming alfredo, and a large meat lovers pizza with green peppers. Cora thanks them then takes in a deep breath of the tempting plates in front of her.
The chatter and bursts of laughter create a lively atmosphere around her. She takes a deep breath as her gaze drifts lazily toward the door, waiting patiently for Honey and Elaine. A mother and her children walk through. One on her hip while the other is holding her hand. Behind them their father is holding the door for the rest of their little family. He also has another kid on his hip while the other is holding onto the end of his shorts. Cora's gaze shifts past them where she sees Elaine coming up behind them.
Once Elaine is through the door she looks around for Cora. She raises her hand to show Elaine her location in the restaurant, on the opposite side of their normal corner. Elaine lights up as soon as she spots her raised hand. She hurriedly crosses the room with enthusiasm, weaving between tables and patrons with a burst of energy that seems to brighten the entire space. She's clutching her small handbag to her chest while making her way over and grinning broadly.
"Right on time I see!" Elaine exclaims, sliding into the seat next to Cora. "I have so much to tell you and Honey. I don't even know where to start!"
"Yes, ma'am! I got everything ready for us and I'm ready for the details! I'm sure Honey will be too once she gets here," Cora chuckles softly at the end.
Elaine's eyes sparkle as she relaxes into the seat next to Cora chuckling along with her. It's not like Honey is late, she actually arrives exactly on time down to the second when they meet up to hang out. It's strange. Cora and Elaine are convinced Honey has a super power to be able to that—or she can teleport, they haven't figured it out yet. Unlike their third best friend, Cora and Elaine always arrive early. Elaine gets to places early due to being in the legal field and Cora simply likes to be early so she is not caught off guard by menus or getting lost in a building.
Just then, the restaurant door swings open, and Honey enters with her usual confident stride. Her bright brown eyes immediately scan the room and, spotting her friends, she grins as she makes her way over.
"Hey!" Honey says, sliding into the seat across from Cora and Elaine to set her red purse down.
The friends get out of the seats to exchange greetings, warm hugs, and genuine smiles before settling back down at their table. Their order is still piping hot ready to be devoured.
As the three begin to eat snippets of nearby conversations float over, the distance giggles of children chasing each other around a table before their parent gets them to stop, someone softly arguing over a pet's misbehavior, a couple whispering about weekend plans. The restaurant buzzes with life everyone tending to their own little corner of the world around them.
After a few bites, Elaine leans back, her expression turning serious. Her fork pauses above her alfredo dish as she glances at her friends, her face thoughtful.
"So…I have some…big news," she says softly, her voice barely above the hum of the pizza place, "I may have quit my job on Thursday."
Honey's hand bangs on the table causing Elaine to jump a tiny bit in surprise, "What? No way!"
Cora's eyes widen in disbelief, "Whoa, are you serious? Did you curse Gerald out?"
Elaine nods at Honey's disbelief and eyes Cora with a sheepish smile.
"I wouldn't say a whole curse out but I did leave an impression."
Honey's jaws drops lower at her words and Cora starts laughing.
"That's our girl! What happened? Did he say anything back?"
"No, he didn't say anything back to me. He—he lost his mind over a single typo because that client had a crazy last name. He didn't even look it over until he filed it!" Elaine tosses her hands up over the memory of being in his office. "I go so sick of it I just started going about it and even brought up is ex-wife."
Cora's eyes get wider, "the one who got onto a few magazines?"
Elaine nods, "yep, that's the one. Then Gerald had the nerve to tell me he shouldn't have to read over anything before filing it. Like, it's your license you're puttin' on the line idiot," she brushes a hand through her long dreadlocks.
Honey says, "I hope he does lose that stupid license of his. I can't believe he passed that bar in the first place."
Elaine gives her a dry look. They all know he wasn't dumb, just incredibly lazy. Still they have wondered if he got someone else to take it for him with the way he acted towards his staff.
"Are you going to be okay Elaine? Do you have something else lined up?" Honey says, eyebrows furrowing in concern.
"Yeah I'll be alright and no but I've got enough saved up for a while. At least all that overtime paid off for something. I'll take a few days into next week to relax a little. I'm not going to start applying until then."
"Well you already know this but Honey and I've got your back. Plus Honey has those contacts she can reach out to right?" Cora looks to Honey.
She nods, "Yes I do and you should come with me to Zeke's diner, Elaine. I'll be seeing Lucius there and hopefully the guy he knows is with them. I think his name is Jack…Mac maybe? I can't quite remember since we only met in passing but Lucius said he's fantastic and could always use a spare hand in the office."
Elaine smiles gratefully, "you're the best you know that? I'm not that worried—" Elaine is obviously lying since she is a bit nervous over what the future holds, "—and I know worst case scenario Macy would definitely take me on but she's on the other side of the state. We could make it work though!"
"We could buuuut you'll be staying here so there's no reason to even have to consider that," Cora says taking a sip of her drink.
The conversation shifts to lighter topics, but Elaine's decision still lingers in their minds. They finish their meals in comfortable silence when picking at their food and chatter, sharing stories, laughter, and teasing each other about silly things. Each of them happily indulging in their friendship and delicious food.
"Wait a second," Cora holds a hand up interrupting Elaine's dramatic retelling of her younger brother blowing up his toaster, "who is Lucius, Honey?!"
Elaine turns to Honey, "yeah who is he? I don't remember you talking about him before."
"Oh! Uhhh he's no one really just an acquaintance. We've met a few times while he was doing things for…uhhmm work. Honest it's nothing special."
"Work, huh?" Cora smiles slyly. "sounds like more than work girlie."
"I'm being serious! We just ran into each other a few times that's all."
"Oh a few times!" Elaine's voice mocks her.
"Okay, maybe more than a few but we are strictly acquaintances right now!"
"Nothing elssse?" Cora leans forward dramatically dragging out the 's.'
"No! Not right now at least. Maybe later? I don't know I'm not looking at the moment."
Elaine bumps Cora's side with her shoulder lightly, "Alrighty we'll let up. Make sure to keep us updated though."
Later, feeling in a lighter mood after their dinner, the three friends decide to take a walk in the nearby park. The sky is clear, the sun's golden glow shines brightly, casting an orange glow over everything. A gentle breeze rustles the leaves around them carrying the scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass. Honey guides them along a winding dirt trail lined with vibrant blossoms, towering trees, and patches of sunlight that dance on the ground.
"This is exactly what I need," Cora says, her voice calm and content as she look around. "Full stomach, fresh air, sunshine, and the best company in the world."
"I'll say," Elaine agrees softly, her eyes relaxing as she takes in the scenery.
From her spot up front Honey adds, "This is what we all need!"
They wander along the trail, their footsteps brushing against the soft earth, blending with the sounds of chirping birds and distant laughter from other friends and families in the park. It's a bit lively with everyone else around, but still peaceful.
They reach a small clearing with a tranquil pond. Ducks float gracefully across the water, ripples spreading outward as they paddle around with ducklings following them around everywhere. An older man is across the way tossing peas and corn into the water for one family of ducks near him. The is adorable as they happily quack while picking at the food. Honey sits in the center of a park bench, patting the seats beside her for her friends to join.
"Come sit for a bit. Let's take a small break," she says beaming at them.
They settle onto the bench, gazing at the gentle ripples and the ducks gliding across the water. The cool breeze brushes against their skin, carrying the scent of fresh grass and blooming flower. The sun is warm on their faces, and the world seems to slow down for a moment. No stress, no deadlines, and no worries.
Off in the distance they hear a runner approaching, probably training for a marathon or just enjoying a nice job around the park. Cora's head turns in the direction of their footsepts and from around the corner comes a familiar face. It is Eric Lidell, Nici's neighbor and someone the three of them have met several times over the years at block parties Nici invites them to when her neighborhood hosts them during the holidays. He's got a kind demeanor that makes him a very easygoing and approachable guy. Upon seeing Cora, he smiles at her and veers his orignal course towards the group.
"Well, if it isn't my neighbor's favorite best friends," Eric says, a playful grin spreading across his face. "Fancy seeing you all out here."
"Excuse you," Elaine pipes up, "we are her only favorite best friends."
"Sure, sure whatever you say."
Honey's face lights up, "Eric! Hey! How's it going? You haven't burned down Nici's house have you?"
"No, I have not and never will," Eric chuckles at the double meaning Honey has no clue she's just implied.
Cora 's polite smile does not match her words, "it's safe for you to admit it to us you know. We've all almost burned down Nici's house at least once. Her candle system is a lot."
"It's really not that hard to follow her instructions. I can't believe you caught her dish towel on fire," Elaine says.
"It was an accident and how was I supposed to know that was the wax towel? Who even keeps a wax towel next to their dish towels."
Eric laughs at Cora who gives him a dirty look. Their antics are normal to him, but the dish towel was hilarious to get a house call about after getting off work from doing super work as Fironic. He's done a lot of stupid stuff with his powers, setting a dish towel on fire was not one of them.
Honey says, "I don't know about Cora, but Elaine and I would happily check in on Nici's place if you need us to. I know you two have covered for each other a lot over the years. The offer still stands for us to check in when you're too busy."
Eric shoves a hand in his pocket, "I appreciate the offer. However, Nici and I have this routine when either of us are gone. Don't tell her I told you this but we've got this streak of 'I owe you one's' going I really don't want to break. I don't want to lose out on my punch card."
"Punch card?" Honey questions.
Eric pulls out his wallet to show them a business sized punch card with a star at the end of the bottom row showing the word food in bold red letter. "We'll buy the other person dinner for it. Since Nici has to go to the other side of town for one of her candle deliveries I get pizza from around there. It's the best in town but the drive is too far for me sometimes."
In truth, he could easily fly over there to get the pizza or drive himself. But why do that when Nici will be there anyway and he can enjoy dinner with his lovely neighbor.
"Ohhh I see! So you make the woman do all of the work huh big guy?" Elaine Cora jokes crossing her arms.
"You know damn well I wouldn't dream of it. She makes me get her that Annie BBQ Delight platter from down South and then doesn't even share it with me! The nerve of your best friend I tell ya…"
Cora laughs in his face, "Oh hush you can feed yourself! Plus, I know she feeds you when you bring it back. She told me you got her some just the other day and I thought I could get a couple ribs from her leftover just to open her fridge and find nothing!"
"You go digging for her leftovers?" Honey asks with a concerned look, "you said you hated leftovers!"
"Well I don't hate BBQ leftovers," Cora tries to explain.
"No no you've got a point there Honey," Eric butts in, "I also know you don't like leftovers, but BBQ is free game?"
"Yes it's free game because it's delicious!"
Eric raises an eyebrow a playful smirk tugging on his lips. "Well anyway I best get back to my run and make sure Nici's house doesn't magically blow up.
Elaine smiles at him, "we'll see you around Eric! Nici comes back in three more weeks right?"
Eric nods, "Yes! Want me to call you guys when she gets back?"
"No, let her settle in and call us. See ya around!"
"Yeah see ya," Cora waves.
"Bye!" Honey also waves watching him jog away then turn around the corner further uphill.
They move their attention back to the pond in front of them. The late-afternoon sun casts long shadows across the ground, and the gentle sounds of nature surround them once more. The old man that was across the way is gone now leaving only them there to watch the ducks paddle around and quack happily. Elaine looks over at her friends, grateful to have them in her lives to keep her mood up even in the face of the unknown.
Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) x Elaine Roswell (Black Female OC)
This is a lawyer x paralegal story.
|{ Ao3 Link }|{ Incredibles Masterlist }|
This work is complete. Chapters update weekly.
NEXT CHAPTER - Chapter 3: Breaking the news
Note: I got too excited so here is another chapter!
The moment Elaine walks through the glass door of the office building, she felt the familiar heaviness settle over her. The air is thick with the low hum of conversations, phones ringing, and printers whirring. All of it background noise to her now. She takes a deep breath trying to steady herself then moves toward her cubicle. The fluorescent lights flicker softly overhead, casting a disgustingly white glow over the sea of desks and busy colleagues.
As she passes by, Michael, another paralegal, comments, "he isn't happy you took off on Friday. Get yourself ready."
Elaine thanks him and continues to her desk. She slips into her seat, the chair creaking beneath her weight and immediately feels like she's drowning. There is a mountainous stack of papers and folders on her desk to her right. She can just barely move her mouse to get her blocky computer to start up. It blinks to life, displaying an overflowing inbox. She hesitates for a moment, then opens a few emails, her eyes darting across the screen while her mind is miles away.
Her fingers hover over the keyboard as her thoughts drift to Michael's comment. What could she have done wrong? She got everything ready before she left. She asked off nearly three months ago for one day off that wasn't a holiday. She even gave him a list of what she got done, what needed to be done, and a sticky note for the motion deadline. Shoot she even spoke directly to him before leaving Thursday night.
Elaine gets started on the pile of papers and files. Marking what needs to be filed in a cabinet, what needs to be closed in their system, and which clients she needs to call or needs a new contract sent to them. Over the next hour, she gets halfway through the piles but the mass of emails have yet to be touched other than a quick glance. She's thankful none of them are pressing matters so she can focus on clearing her desk.
Her gaze drifts to her desk phone when it starts to ring from an incoming call. She sees Gerald's name pop up and a knot forms in her stomach. Her hand trembles a little, hesitating, then finally reaches out and grabs the receiver to respond.
"Yes?"
"Elaine, I need you in my office. Now."
"Yes, sir I'll be right—"
He hangs up before she's able to finish.
Elaine sighs, shoulders dropping. this is not going to be a good conversation. She knows this means she failed at doing something from the sound of Michael's comment earlier and Gerald's voice just now. She looks around at her coworkers' desks, overhearing snippets of conversation, the clatter of keyboard, the distant laughter of a colleague. She catches Michael's gaze who gives her a sympathetic look. He knows whatever is coming is not going to be good.
All of them despise getting assigned to one of Gerald's cases. He puts all of the work on the chosen paralegal/legal assistant pairing and loses it when they do something wrong. Especially, if it's for pleadings they definitely should not have a hand in writing or researching. Everyone knows clients would lose it if they knew they were paying for an attorney that didn't even touch the documents they are getting billed for. The only one who had enough bravery to stand up to Gerald and push aside the admittedly decent pay they received was Macy.
Before leaving, Macy was the only one who would work for Gerald and the only one who would actively push to be assigned to Gerald's cases. To this day she's seen as a legend for being the only one to work under him for more than three years. She lasted six, six years! No one could figure out how or why she stayed until the day she left. Not a single person in the office knew they were together until she marched in one day with fire in her eyes and had an all out screaming match with him about forgetting to fix a broken cabinet at their house. It was clear the cabinet wasn't the problem, but it sure broke the dam. After that day, Gina never came back and no one heard from her until she sent two boxes of magazines with her own law firm on the cover announcing her as one of the top five lawyers in the state. Gerald couldn't be approached by anyone for two weeks after that.
Elaine thinks about how cruel he was that week and hopes that is not what she is about to walk into. She swallows hard, and pushes herself to her feet then makes her way to his office. Her kitten heels click against the tile as she moves down the hall, each step heavier than the last. The lights seem brighter, harsher, as if putting her on full display to everyone as she walks herself to the plank.
She reaches Gerald's door, half-open, as always and peeks inside. His stern expression is waiting for her a look of expectation etched in every fake crusty tan line. Her heart hammers in her chest as she pushes the door open wider then softly closes it behind her.
"Sit," he commands, his voice devoid of warmth.
Elaine's stomach clenches painfully as she crosses the room. The stiff wood chair squeaks as she sinks into it, the cold wood causing goosebumps to raise up underneath her slacks. Her hands rest in her lap, wringing nervously as she looks at his cold unforgiving expressions.
Gerald's gaze flicks over her briefly before he leans forward, clasping his hands on the desk. "I want to talk about the work you left behind before leaving on your extensive vacation. The pile that I'm sure is still on your desk right now."
Her heart rate picks up as her mind races. What? That wasn't there when she left. Her desk was clear.
His eyes narrow at the confused look on her face, "don't try to come up with an excuse Elaine. You were supposed to have that taken care of before you left on Thursday. You also failed to tell me you were going to be off that day as well."
"But everything in that stack is all new. What you and Jules gave me to do Wednesday was finished. I gave you a report of all my completed projects, and my day off is on your calendar." Her eyes dart to the desk calendar and sure enough 'Elaine - Out' is written on the 17th day of the month.
"Excuses! You are always to remind me of this stuff. You know it's best to give me reminders. I pay you to do the work given to you and remind me what's on my calendar. What the hell is the point of having you here if you can't keep up with such basic instructions?"
Elaine decides not to mention the bright orange sticky note sitting next to his desk phone she knows for a fact he read and chose to ignore. Despite its large size, the room is starting to feel too small, too stifling.
"Get it together and actually be responsible adult, got it?"
She looks down at her now trembling hands, "yes sir."
"Now get out and get to work on that pile you've left untouched all morning."
She doesn't even try to tell him he's wrong. She just gets up in a hurry trying to stifle the need to talk back to him. It wouldn't do anything but cause him to actually yell at her. Her mind spins, frustration bubbling beneath her skin. Her hands clench in front of her before she opens the door and leaves his office making sure it clicks shut softly.
Gerald scoffs leaning back in his chair mumbling to himself. "Useless…"
Elaine sits at her desk a few days later. The afternoon feels bleak, her shoulders are slumped and eyes dull. She's exhausted down to her core. She's been fighting through the grind all week, her mind is numb, and her body is drained. Every new task feels like another mile of uphill struggles. The weight of her talk with Gerald on Monday is still pressing at the forefront of her mind. She's close to the point of being…done. Maybe Honey and Cora were right.
Then, her desk phone rings sharply cutting through the silence like a whip. She glances at the caller ID, speak of the devil. Her stomach tightens with nerves as she drags the receiver to her ear.
"Yes sir?"
"My office," then he promptly hangs up. Now she wants to go home. She glances at the exit. That sweet precious escape from this place. Maybe…no. She is not going to throw away what she's worked so hard to achieve.
She stands slowly, back and legs popping from being in the same position for hours. Her shoulders are heavy, her eyelids even heavier. Every step towards his office feels like she's walking the same nerveracking plank from Monday. She pushes open the door, steps inside, and sees Gerald sitting there eyes sharp and unyielding.
He doesn't say anything just motions at the seat in front of his desk.
Elaine sinks into the chair her body slumped. Her mind takes a moment to catch up and start racing at the possibilities of why she's in Gerald's office for a second time this week.
Gerald leans forward, voice rising as he speaks, "I need to talk about that motion I filed yesterday. On the fourth page you missed a very obvious typo of Mr. Watqeens name. Anyone with half a brain should have caught that. Instead you just sent it over to me like you didn't care how this looks for our firm. Like you're not even trying to pay attention."
Her chest clenches at his words. This time it's not from nerves but frustration over such a small mistake. Yes, she should have caught that but he should be looking over every document that gets filed with the court. She feels her jaw tighten, her fists clench in her lap trying to hold back the flood of annoyance over his laziness.
He continues, "You could've fixed it," his voice increases in volume, "you should've fixed it. But no. You just gave it to me in this sloppy form like you don't give two shits about my reputation. It's lazy. You're lazy!"
Her eyes start burning as angry tears fill up her vision. She shakes her head to steel her resolve and steady her tired voice. "It's a typo. Just one small typo. I'm not being careless or lazy. Sometimes things get missed we're all just human after all. It can be fixed and filed again. All I have to do is call the clerk and—"
"Yes we are human. And you know what humans can do? Be perfect. Like I expect all of my staff to be! But you—you don't care about perfection! You care about making look bad! I have done everything to be reasonable here Elaine. I hired you on fresh from another state with a degree and certifications to back up all the exemplary work I was told you did. But look what I've got. Someone who just loves to make the attorneys she works for look like 3rd graders who can't even hold a pencil correctly!!"
That's it. Elaine's breath catches hard. She feels her vision darken around the edges. All the exhaustion, all the frustration, the late nights over the years, the crying—it's too much. Her whole body trembles as anger builds up inside her.
"I've had enough!" she finally says, voice loud enough she's sure her coworkers with desks near Gerald's office heard her. "I can't do this anymore!"
He sits back in his seat shocked at her outburst as she stood over his desk towards him before the starts talking again.
"You are the lazy and careless one! What kind of so-called attorney doesn't look over their pleadings before filing them? Do you have any idea how close you've been to losing your license if it weren't for me dotting your I's and crossing your T's?!"
Elaine abruptly turns to the door yanking it open. Before she walks through it she yells back at him, "this bullshit is exactly why Macy couldn't put up with you and became better than you ever will be! It's why everyone that leaves this godforsaken place looks like they love life again! It's all you!"
She slams his door shut, marches down the hallway, feeling a surge of relief over what she'd just done. Every step she takes is heavy from the exhaustion she still feels but the adrenaline is keeping her going. She makes it to her desk, grabs her purse, hugs Michael, and gives him her home phone number in case he ever needs a good reference. She walks right out of the building not looking back once. she doesn't care if Gerald tries to end her career. She doesn't care if she ends up without a job for the next few weeks. All she cares about is getting her happiness and sanity back.
Gazerbeam (Simon J. Paladino) x Elaine Roswell (Black Female OC)
|{ Ao3 Link }|{ Incredibles Masterlist }|
This work is complete. Chapters update weekly.
NEXT CHAPTER - Chapter 2: Ruffle those feathers
The sun's warmth embraces all of the inhabitants of Johnston Lake who are enjoying vacation, a day off, or students celebrating a much-needed break. The nearby trees rustle from the gentle breeze, as cheerful sounds of laughter and conversation explode from the cabins up the hill. Families are all across the shoreline with colorful umbrellas and blankets as children splash and squeal while playing in the lake. A small group of students gather in a grassy patch, books and snacks spread out around them, chatting eagerly about their plans for the rest of the week. In the distance a couple rowing a small boat breaks off from the rest of their group to explore another portion of the lake. The day is perfect for relaxation. An escape where everyone seems to leave their worries behind and simply enjoy the moment.
Elaine, Cora, and Honey sit comfortably on a small island not far from the main shore, enjoying a rare moment of peace and friendship. With their brown skin glowing in the sunlight, they radiate warmth as they soak up their quiet natural surroundings. The sun’s gentle rays kiss their skin, and the soothing breeze carries the sounds of laughter and easy conversation. They share stories, smiles, and the simple joy of being together, each feeling the weight of the world momentarily lift from their shoulders. For these women, this quiet retreat is a precious escape. It's an opportunity to reconnect and recharge before the chaos of the work week intrudes once again. The peaceful scene around them feels like a small miracle, especially to Elaine who is rarely given a chance to take time off from work.
A distant rumble shatters the peaceful hum of the lake. The booms grow louder, more aggressive, and closer like a storm approaching. A series of four explosions erupt from just beyond the trees and suddenly a large plume of smoke, dust, and debris broke through the trees bringing three supers and two villains with it. From the ground, Gazerbeam is shouting orders at civilians to start running to safety. In the sky, Hypershock and Fironic are trading blows with two villains no one has ever seen before. One is in a skintight black jumpsuit with red accents shooting some sort of ray gun at Hypershock's hammers and rocket attempting to knock him out of the sky. The other villain is in a baggy white top, green tights, and white knee-high boots with some strange box strapped to their back with cords attached to their arms. She is wielding a comically large mace in both hands swinging like mad at Fironic who is easily able to avoid their blows but struggling to land a hand on them to melt the mace. The two villains are tossing a duffel bag between them to keep away from the supers. Screams from civilians are as loud as the sounds of the punches coming from the four flying people. One scream hits a higher pitch than the rest and it is coming directly from Cora. She's the first to notice that the battle is coming towards them. The three of them are stuck on an island with a boat that is now spinning in the air due to a stray blast from the gun.
"Come on Cora we gotta move and start swimming," Honey yells pushing Cora and Elaine towards the opposite end of the island.
"Swim, where?! They're coming right towards us!"
"Anywhere but here," Elaine answers while they continue moving to the other end.
Just as the trio reaches the tip of the island to dive into the water, another blast from the ray gun shoots the ground causing a spray of debris to fan up into the air at them. They all come to a sliding stop and claw back in the direction they came from. Elaine yanks Honey back towards her by the arm, narrowly missing a thick tree branch stabbing into the ground in front of them. The three yelp in surprise and fear.
"Thanks," Honey says.
"Yeah," Elaine huffs, out of breath.
Suddenly, a streak of red and silver comes barreling towards them and lands to their right. Hypershock's sleek helmet gleams in the sunlight. His eyes fall on the three of them. He glances at the main shore where Gazerbeam is still ushering a few citizens away from the chaos.
"You three! Hold on to me, I'm going to get you somewhere safe," his voice booms over the noise of the fight above them.
Before they could say anything, he grabs them gently, Elaine on his left, Honey on his right, and Cora hanging off his front like an apron with her arms locked around his neck. Within seconds they are soaring away from the fight between Fironic and the two villains, the rocket on his back propelling them through the air to the shore. The wind whips past their faces as Hypershock skillfully navigates the flying debris from the ray gun. He gently sets the three of them down, gives them a once over to ensure they aren't injured, then turns back towards the fight.
Elaine watches Hypershock blast himself back up into the air to assist Fironic. He angles himself to end up behind the villain with the giant mace and uses one of his hammers to knock her off balance mid-swing. The momentum causes her to spin out where Fironic is able to finally get a hand on the mace and melt half of it to a red-hot liquid. An explosive blast to the villain's side causes her to completely lose control of her air bound state sending her crashing into the middle island. Elaine starts to turn and run with her friends glancing back at the battle to keep track of everyone's whereabouts.
Suddenly, a monstrous tree is thrown in their direction—a towering pine uprooted with violent force. It's aimed at the shore right where they are running. Cora's scream pierces the air as the giant trunk comes barreling towards them. Honey instinctively reaches out to push her friend aside out of the tree's landing spot, but the speed was impossible for her to outrun or pivot in time and get Elaine out of the way.
As the massive tree flies forward time felt like it was slowing down until out of nowhere Gazerbeam appears in front of Elaine, his hand hovering above the joint in his helmet.
"Get down!" Gazerbeam orders. His eyes flash brightly behind the opaque visor as a red beam shoots from it, splitting the giant trunk into two halves then another blast from his eyes turns the tree into floating pieces of ash. The leftover debris floats around them, onto the shore, and into the water. The threat of getting crushed is neutralized in a flash.
Gazerbeam turns around swiftly to their group. "Get to safety—go!" he commands.
"Thank you," Elaine's voice is thick with emotion.
Gazerbeam gives her a quick nod, charming half-smile, then rejoins the fight unleashing a barrage of laser blasts to keep the villains at bay while everyone continues to escape.
They rush over to the car they just drove to the lake that morning to continue their relaxing weekend. Elaine hops into the driver's seat as Honey joins Cora in the back seat. They are all so thankful they decided to keep their important belongings in the car. As Elaine backs out of the spot she glances at her best friends—Honey is consoling Cora who is shaking from the events that just took place. They all could have been crushed. If the supers weren't there, they probably would not have come out of this unscathed.
"What the hell! That came out of nowhere," Cora says from her spot in Honey's arms.
"I still can't believe how crazy that all was," Honey says, shaking her head, "thank goodness Hypershock was able to swoop down and get us off that island, but Gazerbeam definitely saved the day there. I wonder what started that fight anyway."
Elaine nods her voice thick with relief, "Yeah, they really saved our skins! Maybe those criminals were trying to take something? I did see that woman with the mace holding a duffel bag."
"I just wanted a full weekend to relax," Cora groans, "instead we nearly got crushed by a freaking tree."
"Me too girl. At least we got to enjoy most of our long weekend," Honey says.
"Yeah, at least we did get to enjoy most of it," Elaine speeds the car out of the lot and towards home, "you doing alright Cora? Honey?"
"Yes, I'll be alright…I think I need another vacation though," Cora chuckles.
"You and me both! I doubt Gerald would allow that though," Elaine says.
Honey's face contorts into a look of disgust, "screw Gerald! He's been the worst attorney you've ever worked for. When are the other two gonna leave so you can follow them? I bet if you got hurt Gerald would say something stupid about it 'building character' or that dumb bravery quote he says all the time."
Cora laughs a little, "the one about bravery being the seed of manly strength?"
"Yeah that's the one! It's so stupid."
"Alright, I get your point Honey. Michelle and Jules have only talked about leaving. They get a lot of money from their cut of settlements. I doubt they'd want to give that up yet and I can't even begin to think about the bull crap I'd deal with putting in my two weeks right now."
"Okay, well…then just leave," Cora says like it's so easy to do.
"Y'know Cora that can't be your answer every time we—"
"It's the best answer though! Realistically what's gonna happen?"
Honey mouths exactly what Elaine says next, "Gerald will bad mouth me to every living, breathing attorney in the city, I'll never get a job, end up homeless, and then have to move, and then I would never see you guys again and then—"
"Elaine…" Cora touches her shoulder reassuringly over the seat, "that won't happen. We would force you to stay with one of us."
"And what? mooch?"
"Mooch, no. Live with one of your besties and have a party every night, yes," Honey adds, "Plus, I know a lot of people that would happily help you out."
Elaine rolls her eyes at Honey's comment, "so mooch and be a charity case."
"It's not charity or mooching! I've already name dropped you a few times anyway. It wouldn't hurt you to consider it."
Elaine and Cora's heads snap to Honey before Elaine looks back at the road, "you what?!" they yell in unison.
"Hey! Don't come after me! You've been talking about how stressed out you are and how you had to fight tooth and nail just to come on this vacation and that was for what? One day off on a Friday. At least the guy I know would actually let you enjoy life. Just think about it before you reject the idea of trying to keep pushing through working for that jerk. It's easy, Elaine!"
"You really think it's that's easy, huh?" she sighs, glancing over at Honey with a mixture of exasperation and concern.
Honey shrugs, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe not easy, but worth considering. You deserve a real break Elaine. This is the first time we've gotten to hang out together in months without you biting your nails thinking the sky is gonna fall down when you get back to the office."
Cora nods in agreement, "honestly, I think we'd all be better off if you took a leap of faith. Gerald can take that stupid fake tan of his and shove it up his--"
"Okay, okay I got it! Maybe you're right. Maybe I've been holding on too tight, trying to please everyone else. I just…don't want to lose everything I've worked for. I spent six years getting my degree and certificates. I would hate to just watch all that hard work get yanked away because of some petty man-child."
Honey reaches over the seat and squeezes Elaine's arm, "you're not goin' to lose anything that truly matters. You've got us, your soon-to-be happiness, and your much needed sanity."
Elaine makes a face while Cora laughs and Honey grins before continuing, "once you've got all of that, we are going on a proper vacation soon! No work, no stress, and most importantly no Gerald. Just the four of us once Nici is all finished up with her business marketing tour, and maybe a little drunk chaos."
Elaine chuckles, a genuine smile spreading across her face, "Deal. And maybe, just maybe, I'll finally get to enjoy a vacation that's more than two days off of work."
The friends share a quiet moment of relief as the car continues down the road, leaving the chaos at Johnston Lake behind and looking toward a brighter, calmer future.
When the cozy 10k story turns into a cozy 40k+ fic LOL
Idk what happened. My love for Gazerbeam is too strong!
Anyways, prepare yourselves for a Gazerbeam/Simon Paladino x OFC story! I do have two more stories I ended up outlining in The Incredibles in the same space as this one, so I look forward to posting those and seeing what people think!
Hopefully, there are still people around in The Incredibles fandom that will enjoy them. They are Gazerbeam x OFC, Downburst x OFC, and Fironic x OFC. All of the OFC characters are civilians that have unregistered powers so they very rarely use them unless absolutely necessary.
Edit:
I forgot to add that I will be including Scott and Thunderhead but I want to get these other three finished first.
This includes short and long stories. All of my OFCs are black because I want fics about people like me finding love.
Short
Long
Wanting Means Losing || Gazerbeam aka Simon J. Paladino x Elaine Roswell (My OFC) || 49 Chapters
[Title Pending] || Downburst aka Maverick Heinfeld x Cora June (My OFC) (I did come up with his name. I headcanon him as mixed. Idk what with yet but that's what felt right.)
Behind The Neighbor's Door || Fironic aka Eric Lidell (Also came up with his name) x Nici Davis (My OFC)
I titled this ‘Order of Events’ instead of ‘Timeline’ because I feel no matter what fandom, people see the word timeline and automatically think it’s a rigid structure. I believe that a good portion of the events below are interchangeable since not all of them need to happen before a different event. The events below are under different Eras instead of a set chronological order because of this.
ANCIENT
Ancient dragons rule the land.
Beastmen gain intelligence.
Beastmen Stone Age
Beastmen Iron Age
Farum Azula is built. (This time’s Royal City.)
Emergence of humanity.
Placidusax becomes the True 1st Elden Lord to our knowledge. Their god is unknown.
Fought Bayle
Their god left and now Placidusax is locked beyond time.
Frerrassi (OC) the Warrior becomes Frerrassi the Archivist.
Dynast civilization begins.
Fall of Farum Azula.
Modern dragons born from those left.
Death rite birds priests emerge and practice within the Land of Shadow BEFORE it became known as the Land of Shadow. (Could have happened sooner with the emergence of humanity)
Several civilizations arrive and settle in the Lands Between.
PRE-CRUCIBLE/CRUCIBLE
Modern dragons live in the mountains. Possibly let the Zamor live with them as well.
War between the Giants and Dragons in the mountains.
Invention of Giant Smithing.
Astrologer civilizations begin near the Giants in the mountains.
Chieftain Hoarah Loux fights in the Badlands outside of the Lands Between
Marika escapes from the Hornsent
ASCENSION
Empyrean Marika ascends to godhood
Rune of Death/Destined Death is sealed away and the Land of Shadow is hidden.
Gloam-Eyed Queen killed by Marika/Maliketh.
Leyndell is built. Citizens coming from all over to live there. (Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was Leyndell)
Messmer is born.
Melina is born.
Hoarah Loux becomes Godfrey First Elden Lord.
ERDTREE AND MARIKA’S REIGN
Erdtree sprouts from the Crucible.
Godfrey’s war with Stormlord and ‘settles’ Stormveil.
I think this was with the Stormhawk King (an absolutely massive hawk)
Godfery’s siege of Castle Morne.
War with Fire Giants. Godfrey and Co. are helped by the trolls and Zamorians.
Giant flame confined. Fire monks help contain it.
Erdtree is true great, Marika is the one true god, and the Age of Plenty begins.
Godfrey establishes the Colosseums and ritualistic battle.
Rennala establishes the Carians as royalty and becomes their queen.
Godwyn is born.
Champion Radagon wins First Liurnian War.
Morgott and Mohg are born.
Champion Radagon marries Queen Rennala and ends Second Liurnian War.
Radahn, Rykard, and Ranni are born.
Somehow, somewhere Messmer meets and forms a relationship with Radahn.
Radahn studies under the Onyx Lord and forms a relationship with Commander Gaius.
Messmer’s Crusade begins.
Radahn becomes Starscourge Radahn after mastering gravity magic to save Sellia
Gransax attacks Leyndell and is killed.
War with Ancient Dragons begins.
Godwyn fights Fortissax and befriends Fortissax.
Ancient Dragon Cult of Leyndell is formed.
Marika removed grace from Godfrey and his warriors.
Marika banishes Godfrey from the Lands Between.
Morgott & Mohg are imprisoned in the Shunning Grounds (Marika secretly tried hiding their Omen nature from the public)
Radagon abandons Rennala and marries Marika.
Rykard becomes Praetor Rykard.
Malenia and Miquella are born.
Development of Golden Order Fundamentalism - created by Radagon and Miquella
FALL OF PEACE
Miquella becomes unalloyed and plants the Haligtree. He swears Radahn into being his consort.
Academy of Raya Lucaria and Cuckoos rebel against and imprison Queen Rennala
Ranni conspires with the Nox
Godwyn murdered on the Night of the Black Knives
Ranni escapes her Empyrean flesh and is now on a quest to kill her Two Fingers
Burial of Godwyn
Rise of Those Who Live in Death. Hunted down by Golden Order Fundamentalists.
Fortissax enters Godwyn’s dream to help his fallen friend.
THE SHATTERING WAR(s)
Marika shatters the Elden Ring. Her children fight for the Great Runes. She is strung up by the Greater Will/Elden Beast/Golden Order with Radagon.(At some point Morgott fought Radahn)
First Defense of Leyndell. Where Godefroy the Grafted was stopped/captured by Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff of Leyndell.
Godrick the Grafted fled Leyndell to Stormveil.
Morgott the Grace Given/Veiled King embraces the persona Margit the Fell Omen.
The Night’s Cavalry follows him.
Perfumers of Leyndell use their healing arts for battle. Took away the fear of death to keep fighting for the Royal Capital.
Second Defense of Leyndell. Where Morgott kept the inner wall secure and fought anyone trying to become Elden Lord.
Rykard possibly burned a Minor Erdtree. Lead the worst battle in history on Mt. Gelmir where a lot of his troops and Leyndell’s died.
Rykard fully gave himself to the serpent and now sought to devour the gods.
Malenia and her Cleanrot Knights march South to Caelid.
Raya Lucaria locks their gates and do not participate in The Shattering.
Malenia defeats Godrick. He stays in Stormveil and starts grafting more bodies onto himself.
Miquella cocoons himself within the Haligtree.
CLIMAX OF THE SHATTERING WAR(s)
Malenia fights Radahn.
She releases the Scarlet Aeonia taking out herself, Radahn, and the entirety of Caelid.
Miquella is “kidnapped”
Malenia is dragged back to the Haligtree where she waits for Miquella.
TARNISHED CALLED TO BECOME ELDEN LORD
Grace is extended to the Tarnished after The Shattering is pretty much concluded where no one won.
[stepping out from watching Elden Ring "lore" videos] can people go back to calling their stuff theories instead of professing it as straight up Lore and facts?
