From Rags to Riches

A new friend and an old enemy

Rebecca:

Two weeks of throwing up and I'm ready to give birth already. Sienna's pregnancy was easy, I only threw up a few times, had no cravings and didn't put on much weight. I have a feeling this one is going to be very different. I manage to get myself and Sienna ready this morning before throwing up just before breakfast.

"Don't go into work" Jordan says as he pulls my hair back from my face for the hundredth time. I shake my head as I stand up to brush my teeth again.
"No I need to go in, I need to prepare for a presentation on Friday. I'll be fine once I get going" I give him a quick kiss before walking back out and finding a bowl of granola with strawberries and yogurt at my seat. I look up at Cara and give her a smile before diving in; praying I can keep it down.
"Daddy" Sienna gets Jordan's attention while eating her pancakes as usual. Cara spoils her too much.
"Yes princess?"
"Can we name the baby after a Disney princess?" She asks him and I roll my eyes as Jordan chuckles.
"Which one? And what if it's a boy?" Jordan points out and I giggle at Sienna's little concentration face.
"Well I want a sister so I don't need to think of a boys name" Sienna informs us and I continue to giggle. So stubborn.
"Ok then what girls name?" I join in and she turns to face me.
"Elsa" she nods with confirmation.
"Hmm ok we will add that to the list. Anyway school time, let's go" I quickly change the subject to get her to stop suggesting other ridiculous names.
"It's going to be Cinderella soon" Jordan whispers to me and I just elbow him in the ribs before grabbing my jacket; ignoring his complaint.

"Goodness Rebecca please put some makeup on" Evelynn greets me so kindly the minute I walk out of the elevator.
"Good morning to you too, Evelynn. And I have put makeup on" I scowl at her and she pulls a face.
"Well put some more on, you look like shit" she tells me before stepping into the open elevator.
"Bitch" I mumble under my breath.
"Heard that" she shouts out as the doors close. I just roll my eyes and walk through to my office. Allie is at her desk as always with two mugs of tea; decaf for me as ordered by Jordan the minute he found out I was pregnant.

"Good morning, Rebecca" she greets me kindly and I smile before I really take in her new look. Her long hair has been cut up to her shoulders and her golden tone has gone lighter. It makes her almost teal coloured eyes pop.

"Morning Allie, loving the new look!" I compliment her and she grins before running her fingers through her hair.
"Thankyou, my partner insisted on using me as a dummy this weekend" she giggles and I smile. I grab my mug of tea and take a sip before continuing.
"Is he a hairdresser?" I ask casually and her smile falters slightly.
"Erm, she owns the hair salon five blocks down from here" she admits and I'm slightly taken aback. I don't know much about Allie's personal life, she's very private and she hasn't personalised her desk with any photos.
"Sorry I didn't mean to assume" I apologise and she just shakes her head.
"You're not the first"
"Well after what she's done I might need to change hairdressers" I say with a small giggle before making my way into my office.

"Come in" I shout out at the knock on my door just before lunchtime. Allie opens the door and walks in with the manuscript I sent her on Friday.
"Bloody hell I didn't need this until Thursday" I comment as I take the papers from her.
"What can I say? I'm too talented for my own good" she winks and I laugh. She hovers slightly before walking towards the chair in front of me.
"Can I ask you a question? If you're not busy?" She asks timidly and I nod encouragingly and gesture for her to sit down.
"Of course, ask away" I say and she sits down; playing with her hands.
"Allie, are you ok?" I ask. Allie comes across as very confident, so it's quite strange seeing her look so unsure of herself. She nods before straightening up and making eye contact.
"Does it bother you? That I'm with a woman?" The fear in her eyes is evident as she asks the question and I'm shocked. Why would she ask such a question?
"Of course it doesn't, love who you want why would it-" then it all clicks. The only thing Evelynn and I questioned about Allie's resume was the fact that she had a lot of different jobs in a short space of time.
"Hang on, is this why you've been through three jobs in eight months?" I ask and by the look on her face I know I've hit the nail on the head.
"You serious? You've been fired because of who you're with?" I'm shocked to say the least. Do people still think we live in the eighteen hundreds? I scoff before standing up and grabbing my jacket and bag;  heading to the door.
"Come on, we are going for lunch. My treat" I say and Allie takes a few seconds before she scrambles up and walks out to her desk.
"Why?" She asks confused as we make our way to the elevator.
"Because now that you have nothing to worry about in terms of your job I want to know everything about you" I grin at her as the doors close.

"Right come on, spill. Tell me everything about her" I start grilling Allie after we order our toasted sandwiches.
"I don't really know what to say" she shrugs and I sigh.
"You've never spoken about her have you?" I ask sadly and she shakes her head.
"It's not that I don't want to, trust me I could talk about her all day" she giggles before slightly losing that mega watt grin.
"I'm not ashamed or anything, when we are in public I couldn't give a shit about who sees us and what people think. But when it messes with your income and any chance of having a good career, that's when I try not to give too much away" she admits and I smile sadly at her as I reach over and place my hand on her arm.
"Then talk about her. You've got nothing to worry about" I assure her and she nods before she grins.
"Her name is Bea, and she's a hairdresser. Erm she's thirty-four, so she's seven years older than me and we met three years ago; together for two" she tells me and the light in her eyes screams love and worship towards this Bea.

"How did you meet?" I continue my questions as our sandwiches arrive and I delve into my BLT.
"That's a long story"
"We have an hour"
"Wow you're nosey aren't you?" She laughs before continuing.
"Ok basically, three years ago I went for a run one evening and I went over on my ankle. I called my roommate and she took me to the ER. As we came out of the room this gurney rushed by with paramedics surrounding it and a teenage girl following  behind. She was hysterical and no one was telling her anything. They told her to wait outside and she just crumbled to the floor in tears. I sent my roommate home and took the girl into the waiting room. I stayed with her all night until mid morning the next day when Bea finally woke up. Bea had been abused by her husband since she was eighteen, and he went too far and caused her lung to collapse and gave her two fractured ribs and a concussion. I haven't left her since"

I'm speechless. Allie has such a confident light about her and striking presence, I never would have guessed she went through that.
"Wow" is all I manage to choke out. Allie just nods as she takes a bite of her chicken and mushroom toastie.
"So she has a daughter?" I try and lighten the mood and it seems to work. Allie grins and gets her phone out; showing me a photo of her and two others who look very similar.
"So Bea is the redhead" Allie points out and I smile. Her hair was a flame red colour, obviously dyed and not natural like Evelynn's, and her features were very prominent. Her cheek bones were almost carved into her face and her eyes were pure chocolate. The exact same as her daughters. Her daughter had the same curly hair but a dark brunette colour.
"And then that's Imogen, or our prodigy child as I call her. There's nothing she can't do. She's got legs up to her ears and can lift her leg up to her ear with the amount of dancing she does. Sings, acts, 4.0 GPA, on every sports team, the lot. So proud of her considering her dad was an arsehole" Allie explains with a grin on her face like the Cheshire Cat.
"How did she react when you two got together?" I ask as I hand her phone back.
"It took her a bit of getting used to, but she's a smart girl, her mum was happy and that's all that mattered to her. She's sixteen now" Allie smiles and I can't help but grin back.

"Now I have a question for you" she says and I nod.
"Only fair"
"Why do you have a stalker?" She nods towards Reid who is at the bar with a coffee and I giggle.
"You know that NDA you signed when you started?" I jog her memory and she nods.
"That's because my fiancé is pretty well known. He's very protective; too protective for my liking, and gave me a bodyguard for protection" I tell her and her eyes widen.
"Blimey. Give me the details later?" She winks and I laugh before nodding.
"Of course"

I pay the bill and we make our way back to work and the atmosphere is already different. It's apparent that Allie has had a weight lifted off her shoulders now that I know about her love life, and I'm glad that she finally feels comfortable to tell me things. But obviously that feeling is too good to be true, and within the hour Reid comes into my office.
"Miss. Kramer, Bianca Williams is downstairs" he informs me and the blood drains from my body. There's only one Bianca I know, and I do not have time for this.