Sweet Ambitions

A World Apart

Anais sat against her bedhead scrolling back and forth between the pictures she had of that strange man following her earlier in the week. It'd been two days since she'd snapped the pictures and since then Anais couldn't shake the feeling of being followed no matter where she went. It was difficult to start a new life with a stalker but it wasn't going to stop her anytime soon.

The cellphone in her hand went off, flashing the ID of her mother. "Hi, Mom," she greeted in a way that would throw off her mother from any suspicions of a problem.

"Hi sweetheart!" her mother was cheery by default. "I didn't know if it was too early to call but—"

"No, I'm due at work in about thirty minutes," Anais reminded.

"Yes! At your brand new job!" Her mother laughed in excitement despite the news being kind of old now.

Anais still smiled though. Her parents were incredibly proud of her that she'd managed to snag a job at one of the most important media places. "Yes, Mom, I know. Please don't do that when you come by."

Her mother laughed. "I will try my hardest but you know your father. He's even happier than I am!"

"Was there something you needed, Mom? Not to be rude or anything but...I have to get to work in a bit, remember?"

"No, uh, no...well..." her mother took a suspicious pause, "...you do remember that your father and I will be stopping by the day after tomorrow?"

"Believe me I have not forgotten," Anais promised her. Her eyes roamed her pretty desolate bedroom she'd yet to furnish.

"We just want to check up on you, sweetheart," her mother said, knowing well where her daughter's thoughts were. "We just want to make sure you're stable and that you're not over-exerting yourself at the DEO."

"Trust me mother, I'm not," Anais hated to repeat herself but if it was what her parents needed so that they wouldn't be around all the time, so be it.

"Well, take care of yourself, then," her mother said. "And just to let you know, your godparents are already in the city so you be sure to give them a call to get together."

Anais tilted her head back and brought a hand up to her forehead. My God I love you, Mom, but why? She should be used to her parents' over protectiveness, really. "Yes, Mom, I will."

With that, she ended the call.

She got out of bed and set her hands on her hips. "Oh Mom." She quickly sped around the room to make her bed - which was comprised of some of Kara's old sheets and covers - and went into the shower. In less than two minutes she was showered, dressed and hair-dryed. Her breakfast came in the form cereal, a banana, cookies and possibly the entire box of donuts Kara recently bought yesterday.

"You're going to buy more donuts on your way back from work," Kara warned when the two walked out the CatCo. elevator together. "You know I like eating the sprinkle donuts after work."

"Only took me a week but yeah, I learned," Anais chuckled. "Just take a quick cupcake out of that—" she nodded to the white box Kara held in her hands, "—and hold on until tonight."

Kara's snort was rather loud, making her the object of attention in the room. "I may be bulletproof but Cat Grant scares me sometimes."

It was Anais' turn to laugh. While only working for Cat two days, she learned that the woman did have quite an attitude that wasn't good for the faint hearted. Still, it made the working experience all the more interesting.

"Better get these to her right now," Kara went around Anais and headed into Cat's office.

Anais stopped by Winn's desk before going to her own which was closer to James' office. "Hey, what did the DEO say about...you know...?"