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Teddy was usually in the office early. It was rare to be there without knowing she was constantly present, buried in whatever new stint of work called her attention. Today was no exception. She'd been wandering back and forth on the phone for at least an hour, trailing uneven paths in her office with clear looks of exasperation.
Things seemed to develop in fast waves. She'd spent a better part of the morning completely closed off from anything and anyone else that could have needed her attention.
Finally she went out, past the glass door and straight towards Olivia's desk. Pressing a hand against it was the only way she made herself known. "We need to talk." Teddy offered her quickly, and without a second look she turned on a heel and made her way back to her office.
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140 Words
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i'm driving fast now
don't think i know how to go slow
After the whole Emmett debacle, Olivia tried not to toe the line with Teddy. She remained professional in the office with the occasional casual familiarity of the friendship they had built outside of the office. She wasn't going to jeopardise her career over a silly misunderstanding.
Teddy however, seemed preoccupied as of late but Olivia knew it was not over a personal affair. It didn't stop her from cringing when Teddy walked over to her desk telling her that they needed to talk. She grabbed her little notebook she had habitually brought around whenever she was with Teddy and stuck a pen in the spiral spine of the notebook before following the taller woman.
She pushed against the door and stepped into the office, giving Teddy a second before speaking up. "Teddy? Is there a development in the Strasser case?"
our road is long
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There was a small stint of silence once Teddy was back in her own office. It was good for her; just that little moment for her to breathe and piece everything back together. Stress wasn't something she often wore, especially in the company of those who worked for her.
She didn't bother returning to her chair just yet. Instead, she turned back to look at the woman who followed her in. It was as if she knew where Teddy's mind had been all morning. "Yes." She declared, which was good. They were instantly on the same page. She brought her hands together before her.
"They want to try to settle out of court." Given obvious prejudices, that was a good thing. It meant they might have some kind of control over repercussions as opposed to sitting it in a judge's hands. That was like roulette. But the problem must have been clear to her already; "That's not something that can be done from across the country. Time's not really on our side, anymore." Thankfully, it was still early in the morning.
"You don't have... Plans, do you? For the next few days, I mean."
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126 Words
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i'm driving fast now
don't think i know how to go slow
Surprise didn't quite define what Olivia was feeling then. They had been trying to crack the case open for the past few days without much budge on either side. Now they finally settled on a solution and it took all of Olivia not to jump for joy.
She was all ready to ask Teddy if she wanted her to make the travel plans for her when Teddy mentioned not having time. But then her boss asked whether she had any plans. Was Teddy sending her on a cross country trip to settle the case?
"Uh...no." She shook her head. "But I can settle your travel and accommodations in three minutes. I don't need days." She joked lightly, a hint of a smile on her face.
our road is long
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No plans. That was good. A little flash of relief pooled in Teddy's bright eyes before it faded out again.
There was a defined break in Teddy's perfect expression then. The corner of her mouth dragged upward and she held the threat of a smile. Then, she allowed it to grow when she realised she hadn't been as obvious as she thought she was.
"You're coming with me." Teddy pointed out easily, easing back for a half step before she turned back to her desk.
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78 Words
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i'm driving fast now
don't think i know how to go slow
The smile dropped a fraction when Teddy announced that Olivia was joining her. The time it took for Teddy to turn and go back to the desk allowed Olivia to freak out a little before composing herself, clearing her throat.
"W-we're both going?" She asked just to confirm. "Okay. Um. When do you want to leave?" She asked, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She was already trying to tell herself that this was just a work trip.
our road is long
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Teddy let the information settle in Olivia's mind. She even granted her the ability to do so without speculation, because even she knew from time to time that her gaze could be too much. Once questioned, Teddy was fast to give her an explanation. "It's too important to go alone. I need you with me." She explained simply, like it could really be that simple. This was a big opportunity for her to learn, and Teddy knew that.
She looked back at her again, deciding it was surely enough time to piece together how she should feel about the news. "Today or tonight, if possible." She explained, "In a perfect world, we'd be sitting with them tomorrow." As such, the sooner the better.
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208 Words
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i'm driving fast now
don't think i know how to go slow
She immediately put herself in an assistant's position and she knew this was an excellent opportunity for her so she gave Teddy a smile and a nod. She was excited, obviously. The Strasser case was a big one and as a junior assistant to have landed an opportunity to assist in such a big case was a huge deal. She shouldn't squander it, even it means having to squash all personal thoughts out of her head.
She took out her phone and used her flight application to find flights and found two nonstop flights from Portland to New York. "The earliest is at seven tonight and it'll be a 6 hour flight in Business." She looked up at Teddy with a questioning look before opening up another application for accomodations central to where they didn't have to travel too far for their business. Due to the last minute plans, there weren't a lot of options so she looked to Teddy again for advice.
"There's a hotel two blocks away from their office building but the standard rooms are all booked up. They do have a two bedroom suite which is a little pricey." She walked over to Teddy to show her what the place and cost looked like.
our road is long
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And just like that everything was piecing together so perfectly. At least Olivia knew not to undermine her boss by offering her anything less than business class. Teddy nodded in approval.
The threat of a frown crept across her face, but Olivia managed to diminish it by offering that at least they had somewhere. When she moved in closer Teddy didn't hesitate to glance at the option over her shoulder. She didn't move as she turned her attention back towards her again. "Looks perfect." She declared.
Besides, it wouldn't kill her to share the space with someone whose company she liked. "Do you have any questions?"
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90 Words
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i'm driving fast now
don't think i know how to go slow
Teddy's approval had Olivia nodding as she confirmed the arrangements. Once she received the confirmation email for both along with the electronic ticket for their flights, Olivia pocketed her phone and looked at Teddy.
"I don't think so. I've already got the forms filed. I'll probably need to make copies for them to sign but other than that, we're good to go." She paused before realising something. "Will you be leaving from the office? We could carpool to the airport or I could call you a car, whichever you prefer."
our road is long
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Finally, Teddy managed to catch her eyes again. It wasn't difficult to notice the way she seemed so in her element. She'd managed to go from borderline nervous about the news of the impromptu plan to a natural. It was impressive, really. More to the point, it made her life so much easier to take all the little details out of her hands.
"I'll need to pack, but I can do that relatively quickly." She had no intention of leaving work so early in the day despite hew future plans. "You can leave early, if you'd like, and I can pick you up from your place on the way." It was common sense not to take separate cars considering they were going to the exact same place. "Feel free to say no. You are going to be stuck with me for the next few days, after all."
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135 Words
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i'm driving fast now
don't think i know how to go slow
Olivia gave a brief glance at her watch and shook her head. "I don't have to leave early. I can do my packing during lunch." She shrugged. The advantages of living close to the office, really.
When Teddy offered her an out, Olivia laughed lightly. "You've taught me not to squander opportunities and this is a pretty big one. And I won't be stuck with you. If you haven't noticed, I quite enjoy your company." Olivia admitted freely. It was the truth, no matter how she spun it. Even if it did cause her cheeks to heat up.
"Anyway, I think your place has a straight road towards the airport so I'll just pick you up. Then you won't have to go all the way to my place and then turn around for the airport."
our road is long
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Far be it for Teddy to push her own work ethic on other people. She was asking a lot of the person before her, and as such she deserved some kind of allowances. To hear she didn't want to take the opportunity to leave a little bit earlier was surprising, but she shouldn't have been surprised.
"I'm glad to hear it." She offered, a little stint of relief in her tone. She had a mild belief that those weekly dinners together might have just been because Teddy kept turning up at a particular time. Conveniently.
She didn't hesitate to consider the better option laid out before her. She had no idea where Olivia lived, but the reverse of that had been readily available for a while now. "Absolutely, then. Thank you." She added with a quick smile.
"Are you nervous? You shouldn't be." Teddy added then; regardless of whether she felt that way or not, she offered some great confidence; "I believe you can handle this."
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189 Words
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i'm driving fast now
don't think i know how to go slow
She was glad Teddy didn't insist she take off early. Apart from the Strasser case, she did have a lot of other things to do and she wanted to be away from her desk for days without much worry.
Smiling at Teddy's response, Olivia didn't offer the same self-depracating remark because she had a feeling Teddy would rebuke and it would be a whole thing and Olivia wasn't about to blush even more around the woman she would be spending a few days alone with.
"Of course." Olivia offered with a tone that suggested that it should have been obvious. When Teddy asked if she was nervous, and then offered words of encouragement, Olivia couldn't help but grin. "I'm absolutely nervous but I do know I can handle it. You're at the helm, it's not like you're throwing me in a pit of sharks with no backup."
She looked at Teddy and her smile softened a little. "I'm looking forward to crushing it with you." She paused before offering. "Oh, would you like coffee? I'm going to make a fresh pot. You look like you could need a cup."
our road is long
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Again, the little answer given proved just how different Olivia was. For Teddy, she saw a level of natural trust in the fact that she could admit she was nervous. Anyone would be. Hell, the first time she was in such a position, she was an internal wreck. The only thing that mattered was that people couldn't see that when they inevitably all sat down together.
"I will absolutely have your back. One-hundred percent." She offered then. She wouldn't be so cruel, "Throwing you out on your own comes much later. You know, like the second time around."
And there, In the midst of trying to bolster her confidence, she was offering a little care to her boss. It mightn't have seemed like much, but it meant the world to Teddy. "That would be amazing, actually. I've been so busy this morning I hadn't even thought about it. Given we just added seven hours to our day, it sounds necessary."
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