Charlize Remi - Fan Fiction by Zuzka (Mia) Slaměníková: Chapter 2

Written by Zuzka (Mia) Slaměníková.

Note from Charlize: This piece follows on from Zuzka's (Mia) gorgeous adaptation, which can be found here. Be sure to read that first, if yu haven't already!

“You know… you could stay.” 

Katie propped herself up on her elbows, leaning against the pillows so she could  get a better look at Andrea, who stood near the bed, getting dressed. She tried to make  the offer sound casual. She didn’t want the night to end so soon, especially when  Andrea was already preparing to leave.

Andrea pulled her dark top over her head. 

Katie couldn’t take her eyes off her. 

She was the kind of woman people noticed without her having to do anything to draw attention to herself. High cheekbones, a straight nose and full lips gave her a distinctive beauty. Her blonde hair fell loosely around her face, its slightly tousled appearance contrasting with her otherwise polished elegance. Yet her expression was usually focused and almost inaccessible. Few people could guess what was going through her mind. 

Her slender, toned figure showed beneath the dark top. Even in an ordinary movement, she carried herself with effortless confidence. There was nothing fragile or  submissive about her femininity. She possessed a strength she had no need to  emphasise. 

Andrea had a natural authority about her. Her confidence didn’t come from any  need to control others, but from the conviction that she knew what she was doing. She  didn’t need to raise her voice to command respect, and people thought carefully about every word they said in her presence. Very little escaped her notice. 

Katie watched her from the bed. Andrea maintained her usual distance, and even in  private, she didn’t seem like someone who felt the need to reveal her innermost self.  Yet Katie was drawn to her reserve and the certainty with which she kept others at arm’s length. That was what made Andrea so difficult to read. 

She didn’t need heavy make-up or flashy jewellery. The delicate chain around her neck caught the light, subtly accentuating her collarbones. Katie wanted to know what lay behind Andrea’s detached gaze, and whether anything could ever break through the carefully guarded control she maintained. 

Andrea straightened her top one last time and reached for her things. She could feel Katie’s eyes on her, but gave no sign that she had noticed. 

“We could go out for coffee in the morning, have breakfast,” Katie continued. “We could be like normal people, Andrea.” 

Andrea turned her head towards her. The thought of sharing breakfast and an ordinary morning brought a faint, surprised smile to her lips. 

“Normal? I can’t say I’ve ever tried that.”

Katie smiled. 

“But you should.” She paused for a moment. “Who knows? You might even like it.” 

Andrea held her gaze. She was just drawing breath to answer when she stopped herself and turned her attention elsewhere. 

Katie lay back against the bed and stared at the ceiling. She was silent for a  moment before deciding to change the subject. 

“What do you actually do? You’ve never told me.” 

Andrea turned her head towards her and raised an eyebrow slightly. “What do you mean?” 

"What do you do for a living, Andrea? What’s your job?” 

“I’m a scientist.” 

Katie blinked in surprise. 

“A scientist? Wow. I can’t believe you’ve never told me that. What field?”

“I’m a botanist.” 

The corners of Andrea’s mouth lifted ever so slightly as she said it. Katie’s  reaction amused her. Her work was such an obvious part of her life that it had never  occurred to her that someone else might find it surprising. 

Katie looked at her for a moment before smiling. Surprise and amusement mingled  in her expression. 

“Thank you for telling me. Now go.” 

Andrea turned her head towards her. Just moments ago, Katie had been trying to persuade her to stay, and now she was the one sending her away. Andrea studied her for a moment before realising Katie was serious. 

“Get some sleep,” Katie added. “And let me know when you have time again.” 

Andrea looked at her briefly once more. Then she gathered her things and headed  for the door. 

The following morning, Billie arrived at the lab earlier than she needed to. She wanted to get as much work done as possible before Andrea was swallowed up by her scheduled meetings. She knew how much Andrea had ahead of her and wanted to take  at least some of the workload off her shoulders. 

When Andrea entered the lab and saw Billie, she paused for a moment.

“You’re here early.” 

Billie turned towards her with a broad smile. Even this early in the morning, she  seemed full of energy. 

“Good morning.” 

She immediately explained why she had come in so early. 

“I came in early because you have a lot of meetings today, as well as a pile of  samples that need cataloguing.” 

She spoke confidently and matter-of-factly. She wanted Andrea to see that she  took her work seriously and that she could be relied upon. Andrea’s approval mattered  to her more than she cared to admit. 

“I brought you a coffee. I didn’t know what you liked, so I got you a latte.” 

She hesitated for a moment. She wasn’t sure whether she had chosen something  Andrea would enjoy. 

Andrea looked at her in surprise. Billie had brought her coffee without being  asked, and now she was waiting for a reaction. 

Billie noticed her silence. Her smile began to fade. 

“And if you don’t like lattes, then…” 

She stopped. Then she looked at Andrea again, trying to rescue the situation in her  own way. 

“Do me a favour. Pretend you like it.” 

Andrea didn’t answer. She looked at Billie, unable to bring herself to respond.  Usually, she had a quick reply ready before the other person had even finished  speaking. But now Billie had caught her off guard with the simple thoughtfulness of  bringing her coffee, and with the plea she had made in an attempt to cover up her own  uncertainty. 

Billie’s smile faded. She began to wonder whether she had overstepped by making  the gesture. 

“You hate lattes.” 

Andrea’s lips parted slightly. 

“No, I…”  She drew breath to answer, but Billie got in first, quickly changing the subject. 

“I noticed all that data on the printer, so I assumed you’d need it today. I sorted it  into separate categories. I think that’s everything.” 

She spoke more quickly now, turning her attention to the work she had already  completed. This was something she felt confident about.

Andrea smiled faintly. Billie had done a good job, and her initiative deserved  recognition. Still, Andrea was aware that Billie was paying her more attention than the  work itself required. And that was precisely what she needed to keep an eye on. 

“Thank you.” 

Billie visibly relaxed. 

“What kind of coffee do you actually drink?” 

Andrea suppressed an amused smile. 

“Latte.” 

Billie hesitated before realising Andrea was serious. 

“Okay. Then enjoy it.” Billie turned back to her work. 

“Is there anything else you need before your busy day gets underway?” 

“No,” Andrea replied too quickly. A moment later, she realised how curt it had  sounded. She wanted to soften her answer, but couldn’t think of what to add. 

“Okay. Well, good luck.” 

“I’ll see you later, Miss Fisher,” Andrea said, amusement in her voice. 

“Billie.” She smiled at her, a gentle glint of amusement in her eyes. With that  single word, she reminded Andrea once again that she didn’t have to address her so  formally. 

But Andrea knew she wasn’t going to let her get away with that little reminder so  easily. 

“Now off you go. I’ll see you later.” 

Billie laughed and headed out. Andrea’s gaze lingered on her for a moment after  she had gone. Their conversation had left her with a pleasant feeling she needed to  shake off before it began to interfere with her work. 

Her smile slowly faded. Billie was her subordinate, and she couldn’t afford to let  personal feelings interfere with their professional relationship. 

She leaned against the desk and took a deep breath. She needed to calm herself, but  the feeling that she had just lost her footing wouldn’t go away. Billie hadn’t done  anything extraordinary. She had simply brought her coffee and tried to rescue herself  from an awkward moment. And yet, she had managed to stir something in Andrea that  she couldn’t easily control. 

That was what frightened her most. It took so little for Billie to unsettle the  composure Andrea had spent her entire life carefully guarding. 

Andrea clenched her jaw.

“Shit!” 

The atmosphere in the greenhouse, meanwhile, was quite different. 

Billie wandered slowly through the greenhouse, but her attention was drawn once  again to the unusual plant in its pot. She slowed down and stopped in front of it.  Leaning closer, she studied its strange leaves carefully. The longer she examined  them, the more fascinated she became by their unusual shapes and the details she  hadn’t noticed before. 

Gradually, she stopped noticing everything around her. The plant stirred a curiosity  in her that she couldn’t suppress. She wanted to understand what exactly she was  looking at and what made this organism so different from all the others. 

“What are you?” she whispered. 

While Billie devoted all her attention to the mystery before her, Andrea found  herself unable to concentrate on anything around her. 

She sat at the conference table among the other meeting attendees, but her thoughts  were somewhere else entirely. The conversation around the table reached her as little  more than indistinct background noise. She couldn’t shake the memory of her  encounter with Billie that morning, or how effortlessly a single smile had robbed her  of her usual composure. 

“Dr Williams?” 

Andrea didn’t respond. 

“Dr Williams?” 

The second call pulled her out of her thoughts. She raised her head and focused her  gaze. Only then did she realise she was sitting in the middle of a meeting, with  everyone waiting for her response. 

The woman opposite her was looking at her with undisguised displeasure. She sat  upright, her expression stern, irritation evident in her eyes. Andrea’s inattention was  clearly not to her liking. 

“Well, Andrea?” 

Andrea raised an eyebrow slightly. Surprise quickly gave way to her usual cool  expression. She let out a quiet sigh. 

She offered no explanation or apology. She remained seated, gazing at the woman  opposite her with an inscrutable expression. It was impossible to tell whether the  woman’s irritation annoyed her or whether she simply didn’t care.

Andrea was still struggling with her own thoughts in the meeting. Meanwhile,  Billie was focused on her work in the lab. 

“Billie!” 

At the sound of her name, she looked up. Dr Burrows immediately brought a smile  to her face. 

“Dr Burrows!” 

Burrows sat down opposite her and smiled faintly. 

“So, tell me. How is our most talented doctoral student getting on?” 

The praise pleased her, although being called the most talented doctoral student  caught her slightly off guard. 

“Very well.” 

Burrows gave her a brief, assessing look before moving on to his next question. “And how are things going with Andrea?” 

The question caught her less prepared than she had expected. She took a moment  before answering. 

“Dr Williams?” 

She paused. Was she supposed to talk only about their working relationship, or  should her answer reflect something else she hadn’t yet been able to put into words  herself? 

“Good,” she finally replied. 

“Actually, great.” 

Burrows’ expression grew serious. 

“Look, I know she can sometimes be difficult to get along with. But there’s a  reason for that. Andrea is considered the best in her field.” 

There was respect in his voice. He wanted Billie to understand why Andrea had  earned such an exceptional reputation in her field, even if her high standards weren’t  always easy for everyone to deal with. 

Billie tilted her head slightly. 

“What exactly do you mean?” 

Burrows raised an eyebrow. 

“Demanding?” 

“She’s strict. Serious. Disciplined,” he continued. “I’ve lost count of how many  researchers have left here in tears.”

Billie was surprised. None of that matched the Andrea she had come to know so  far. 

“That’s why I’m concerned about you,” Burrows continued. “Andrea means well.  She’s incredibly capable and talented, but don’t let it all get to you.” 

Billie didn’t quite understand his concern. She had no doubts about Andrea’s  abilities, and so far, she had no reason to change her opinion of the way Andrea  treated her. 

“Dr Williams has been really welcoming towards me. She’s been very kind.” Burrows paused. 

“Kind?” 

“She’s been wonderful to me. She showed me everything I needed to know, was  patient with all my questions, and…” 

Billie stopped. Suddenly, she wasn’t sure whether she was still talking about her  supervisor or revealing more than she had intended. 

Burrows smiled, amused. 

“I’ve known Andrea for a long time,” he said. “And I’m glad to hear that.” Curiosity prompted her to ask another question. 

“How long have you known Dr Williams?” 

“Well, now…” Burrows smiled faintly. “Practically her entire life.” Billie listened in surprise. 

“How is that possible?” 

“I was a good friend of her father’s. He was a wonderful man.” 

Burrows’ expression grew serious. He fell silent for a moment, as though he  needed to gather his thoughts before continuing. 

“He was a botanist. He died many years ago, when Andrea was about eighteen or  nineteen.” 

Billie listened carefully. At the mention of Andrea’s age, her expression grew  solemn. 

“How did he die?” 

Burrows was silent for a moment, his gaze drifting into the distance. The answer  clearly wasn’t an easy one for him. 

“Cancer. It was awful.” 

After a moment, a faint smile softened his features.

“His name was Lewis.” 

“He would have been very proud of Andrea if he could see her today.” 

Billie fell silent for a moment. Just minutes earlier, they had been talking about  Andrea’s strictness and high standards. Now Burrows had revealed a part of her life  Billie had known nothing about. 

The news of Andrea’s father’s death affected her. She felt sorry that Andrea had  lost her father at such a young age. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. She  suddenly realised how little she really knew about the woman whose skill and  presence drew her in so strongly. 

The meeting was over, but the tension lingered. Andrea stepped into the corridor,  her expression serious, giving no indication of how the discussion had affected her.  Before she could leave, a sharp female voice called out behind her. 

“What was that supposed to mean, Andrea?” 

Andrea turned to Brenda, who had just approached her. Her hair was pulled back  into a tight bun, and her stern expression only added to her austere appearance. Her  clenched jaw and indignant stare made it clear she had no intention of letting Andrea  brush her off. 

Andrea raised an eyebrow. “What, Brenda?” Her voice was cold and indifferent,  as though she couldn’t understand why Brenda had stopped her in the first place. 

“In there! Do you realise those people could cut funding for the entire facility?  Your funding, Andrea?” 

Andrea remained silent for several seconds. Then she lifted her chin and stepped  closer to Brenda. She was used to making decisions and rarely took kindly to anyone  questioning her judgement. When she finally spoke, she didn’t need to raise her voice. 

“Don’t lecture me.” 

Brenda didn’t move. Her expression simply hardened, and her voice grew sharper. 

“You made some very bold claims, Andrea. And right now, you have very little to  show for the money invested in research project L17.” 

Andrea pressed her lips together. The mention of project L17 hit home, but she  wouldn’t let Brenda see how deeply her words had cut. 

“This conversation is over.” Andrea turned away from Brenda and started  walking, as though that settled the matter. 

“NO!” Brenda shouted, grabbing her arm sharply. 

Andrea stopped and looked down at Brenda’s hand gripping her. Then she raised  her eyes to Brenda’s face. The cold composure she had maintained until then gave  way to open anger.

“We are NOT finished!” Brenda snapped. 

Andrea wrenched herself free and straightened. The anger she had been holding  back showed in her gaze and clenched jaw. When she spoke, her voice was hard and  uncompromising. 

“Touch me one more time, and I will personally make sure your pathetic career is  destroyed.” 

Silence fell between them. Andrea didn’t look away from Brenda. She didn’t need  to say anything more; the threat had been perfectly clear. 

Brenda held her gaze. The two women stood facing each other, neither willing to  back down. 

“Results,” Brenda said sharply. 

Andrea didn’t move. 

“You’ll get results. You and everyone else. And now we’re done.” 

Brenda didn’t take a single step back, but Andrea had no intention of prolonging  the confrontation. She turned and walked away without waiting for a reply. 

After her heated exchange with Brenda, Andrea returned to the lab. The tension  from the confrontation still lingered, but the moment she stepped inside, her attention  was drawn to Billie. 

Billie stood at the workbench, concentrating on handling the chemicals. Andrea  stopped. She watched Billie at work, and the tension she had carried back from the  meeting began to ease. She didn’t even realise a faint smile had appeared on her lips. 

“Hi.” 

Billie startled at the unexpected greeting and splashed some of the chemical onto  her hand. 

“Oh my God, Billie!” Sudden concern entered Andrea’s voice. For the moment,  Brenda and their argument were forgotten. 

She hurried over to her. 

“What chemical was it?” 

Billie glanced at her affected hand. When she looked up at Andrea, she was too  flustered to answer. 

“It was… I…” 

“Come with me.” 

Without another word, Andrea led her to the sink and held her hand under running  water.

At first, Andrea focused entirely on the affected area. She held Billie’s hand under  the running water, rinsing it carefully, concentrating solely on helping her. Only when  the initial urgency had passed did she begin to notice something beyond the task itself.  Billie’s hand rested in her palm, and Andrea became aware of the softness of her skin  and the slight movements of her fingers. Her own touch gradually lost its initial,  purposeful certainty. She was no longer in a hurry. 

Billie watched her silently. A shy smile played on her lips, and she made no  attempt to look away from Andrea. A silence settled between them, one that no longer  belonged solely to the concentration of their work. Andrea continued to hold Billie’s  hand under the water, although she no longer needed to pay quite so much attention to  the rinsing itself. She was acutely aware of Billie’s closeness, and the intensity of that  awareness took her by surprise. For a moment, the lab, the work, and everything that  had occupied her mind only moments earlier seemed to cease to exist.

Neither of them made any attempt to break the moment. Andrea could feel Billie’s  hand in hers, while Billie followed her every movement. The professional distance  that had always formed a natural boundary between them was giving way to  something far more personal. There was no need to say anything; the silence itself  allowed them to remain close in a way they might not have permitted themselves  under other circumstances. 

Then Andrea realised she was still holding Billie’s hand, even though there was no  longer any reason to do so. Her fingers went still. What had begun as a simple act of  assistance had turned into something she could no longer explain away as mere  concern for a colleague. And the moment she admitted that to herself, she realised she  needed to pull back. 

She looked up just as Billie raised her eyes to meet hers. 

Their gazes met, and Billie’s smile faltered for a moment. Andrea searched for  words that might break the awkwardness without forcing her to admit what had  caused it. At last, she smiled faintly. 

“You probably could have managed that on your own.” 

Billie smiled back. Her expression held a mixture of embarrassment and a hint of  something more intense. 

“I definitely needed your help.” There was a playful note in her voice that her  innocent expression couldn’t quite conceal. 

Katie sat at her desk, staring intently at her computer screen. She was trying to  catch every detail and uncover something she had missed until now. Her curiosity had  consumed her so completely that, for a moment, she stopped noticing everything  around her. 

“Hey, Katie?”

She tore her gaze away from the screen. Her concentrated expression gave way  almost instantly to a bright smile. 

“Yes?” 

“You’ve got a customer waiting for you out front.” 

Katie pushed her chair back and stood up, as though the news pleased her. “Great.” 

She replied lightly and cheerfully, ready to attend to the customer. 

She had no idea yet how difficult it would be to win the woman she longed for.  Andrea might never be able to give her what she herself wanted so desperately.

What Did Katie Discover When She Began Investigating Andrea’s Past? 

Searching for “Andrea botanist Boston” returned a surprising number of results.  Scientific articles, academic publications, and research projects. Dr Andrea  Williams’s name appeared in far more places than Katie had expected. 

Andrea had authored or co-authored numerous academic papers on plant research,  cellular regeneration, and the mechanisms that enabled plants to adapt to adverse  conditions. 

Then she came across Andrea’s profile on the website of the research organisation  EcoScience Pty Ltd. 

Andrea’s photograph appeared on the screen. Wearing a white lab coat, she looked  exactly as Katie remembered her: confident, focused, and wearing an expression that  rarely allowed anyone to see beneath the surface. 

Her full name and academic title were listed beneath the photograph. Katie leaned back in her chair and began to read…