A/N: Hi guys! This is my first non-crossover fic, and I've had this idea for awhile so please please please review, follow, favorite or anything! Hope you lot like it!

disclaimer: I do not own any of the TID cast. All that belongs to Cassie C!

thanks again for reading!

Tessa nervously combed her fingers through her hair-which was up in what she hoped to be a tight bun, though she wasn't sure if it was exactly tight anymore, or resembled a bun at all, for that matter. Shuffling through her papers, she practiced inhaling and exhaling, hoping to calm down. The up arrow's light blinked on, and the faint ding that signaled the elevator had arrived echoed through the massive marble lobby. Cheeks burning red, Tessa wiped her palms on her pencil skirt, making sure her hands weren't sweaty if she had to shake anyone's hand, and stepped inside the elevator.

However, before she had even gotten a foot into the elevator, somebody came barreling past her and straight into the elevator- nearly knocking Tessa over. Inside the elevator now, Tessa could fully see who had almost made her fall.

It was a very attractive man.

Tessa sucked in a breath. She had just arrived in New York City only a month ago, and still, she marveled at how put together some people were. Having lived in a small town on the edge of New York before, the city was something of a sight to her, and it's people were even more fascinating. Take, for example, the man who had almost ran straight into her- despite his wild, fiery essence, he still looked impeccable. His jet black hair shone slightly, as though a light amount of hair product had been applied- matting down any frizz that might have occurred. The suit he was wearing was obviously tailored to perfection, with each arm the exact same length, and not a single thread out of place. She had seen some suits like the one he was wearing in an exclusive boutique's window on the first day she had come here. Tessa couldn't remember the boutique's name, but she knew it was in French.

The man's intense blue eyes flitted up to her, and gave her a once over, immediately putting Tessa on her guard. Was this man assessing her? Crossing her arms across her chest as the elevator doors closed, Tessa said, in an indignant tone, "I think you owe me an apology."

The man's eyes widened in shock, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "And what do I have to apologize for, exactly?" She could hear a strong English accent in his voice, and he seemed to roll his r's in a way that reminded her of another language, but she couldn't quite place it right now.

"For nearly knocking me over," She replied, slightly surprised that he didn't know what he'd done. "I could've toppled over and spilled all my papers on my first day of work."

The man looked as though something had clicked, and his face suddenly broke out into a mishchevious grin that made Tessa apprehensive. "Your first day? Where, might I ask, are you working?"

"You still haven't apologized," Tessa noted, purposefully not acknowledging his query.

He rolled his eyes. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Fine. I'm working at London Institute," She said, a hint of pride in her voice. London Institute was one of the most highly regarded Corporations in the US, and it was considered an honor to work there- even if she was only working as an assistant, this guy didn't have to know that.

"Oh, really?" The man asked his voice now containing some excited deviltry, and Tessa realized, with a shock, that he wasn't even really a man. He looked to be more like a nineteen year old, but she supposed it was the suit that had fooled her. This guy couldn't have been a year older than herself. "How interesting."

The elevator dinged once more, and the doors opened on the London Institute's floor- which was at the top of the building. Tessa glanced over at the open doors, then turned back to finish speaking to her rude elevator partner, only to find that he wasn't there anymore; instead, she only saw the back of his navy suit running off onto her new office's floor.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she understood: that meant that this guy was going to be working with her. Suddenly feeling very ill, Tessa had to resist the urge to jam the button to go back down to the lobby, and then run home from there; however, she just stepped out of the elevator, wobbling slightly due to her heels- which she wasn't used to wearing, since, being very tall for a girl, they seemed rather unnecessary.

She walked over to a large desk, which she assumed was the lobby of LI's offices. Tapping on the desk to get the girl who was sitting behind its attention, Tessa smiled when she looked up. "Hi," Tessa said, plastering on her best smile, despite her disastrous encounter in the elevator. "I'm Theresa Gray; I'm starting my job here today." The girl- who looked to be roughly Tessa's age- returned her smile.

"I'm Sophie," She replied, sticking out her hand. Tessa made sure not to comment on her hairstyle- she wore it in a way that covered half of her face, and shook Sophie's hand.

"Tessa- oh wait... I already said that." Blushing slightly, Tessa chastised herself for acting like such a fool, but Sophie only smiled reassuringly.

"It's alright. I was nervous on my first day too," She looked over at her computer, clicking the mouse a couple times. "Now let's see... Theresa..." She scrolled down a bit, and Tessa tried to catch a glance at the screen, but it was angled in a way that made it impossible for Tessa to see. "Alright, you're the new assistant to Mr. Carstairs." Sophie beamed at her, obviously pleased. "You're working for one of the best heads of departments here! You're really lucky; you could've ended up with Mr. Herondale or Mr. Lightwood. Mr. Carstairs is absolutely lovely- you'll have a blast." The printer next to Sophie's computer made a whirring noise, and a black and white sheet of paper shot out of it, which Sophie picked up and handed to Tessa. "That's the map of the offices- which are huge, by the way; I swear, I got lost in here too many times to count. We're right here," Sophie tapped the middle of the map, where a circular figure was printed- which Tessa presumed was the desk. "To get to Mr. Carstairs' office, you'll have to go to here," She circled an office on the end of the floor with a red pen. "And the lunchroom's over this way," Sophie circled another place on the map- this one much larger than Mr. Carstairs' office. "You'll be able to see me eating at one of the tables; hopefully we'll be able to hang out then." Tessa, at that moment, decided she like Sophie, and that she'd make a wonderful friend while she worked at LI. "If you need anything, I'm usually right here. Got it?"

Tessa nodded, taking the map for herself and studying it. The office floor seemed more like a jungle than a work environment, but she knew she'd need to learn her way around here quickly. "Thank you for all the help," Tessa said, a smile playing at her lips. At least she'd have one friend here. "I'll see you at lunch, then?"

"Okay," Sophie beamed, then returned to her work, seeming much happier than when Tessa had walked in.

Now looking at her map, Tessa followed the hallways to where the red circle that stood for Mr. Carstairs' office was. Passing several clear-glass offices, she could tell many old employees were eyeing her- though what they were thinking of her, Tessa had no idea. Rounding a corner, she finally found the door with a shiny silver plaquer that read, "Carstairs." Biting her lip, Tessa opened the door- and immediately wished she had knocked.

Standing before her seemed to be a picture straight out of a fairytale. There was a man- who she could only assume was Mr. Carstairs himself- playing the most beautiful song she'd ever heard on a violin. However, the fact that he was playing a violin was not the only fairtale-esque thing about him- his appearance was what really made Tessa compare him to the princes she'd read about when she was younger. He had a shock of silver hair, which fell loosely over his eyes, and Tessa subconsciously wondered if it got in the way of his playing. His pale hair was matched his pale skin- which seemed to almost be translucent. Mr. Carstairs looked up from his violin playing, and Tessa immediately felt guilty for making the music stop.

Turning to face her, Tessa breath caught upon seeing his face. His eyes were the same color as his hair. Not wanting to make a big deal about it, Tessa was glad when he gave her an easy way to avoid the subject when he asked, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm-uh-I'm," Think Tessa, think. "I'm Tessa," She said finally, looking down, embarrassed. "Well really my name's Theressa, but no one ever calls me that and I- I'm rambling now, sorry." God, I'm making a fool of myself.

"I'm James, but you can call me Jem. Everyone does," He eyed her curiously- though the way he looked at her was far different from the way the man in the elevator had. Mr Carstairs- or Jem, as he had asked her to call him- seemed to be more intrigued by her presence, whereas the man in the elevator looked at her as though he were examining a car to buy- as though she were a possession. She felt more comfortable with Jem right now.

"I'm your new assistant," She stammered out, holding up the paper she had printed at home. Jem placed his violin down on the table next to him, and stepped closer to her to read the paper.

After several seconds of his eyes scanning it over, he proclaimed, "Indeed you are. I was only aware I was getting a new one less than a week ago. Frankly I wasn't so sure about getting one, but you seem quite lovely; though your knocking skills might need to be improved upon."

Tessa blushed pink, but Jem smiled at her as though to let her know he meant it in a friendly way. "Anyways," He continued, glancing up at his clock- which was rimmed in hardwood, making for a modern feel. In fact, his entire office- as well as the rest of the floor, seemed to be very modern. But Tessa expected that from such a successful company. "I have a meeting to get to, would you like to join me?"

"Of course," Tessa responded, not sure if there was another appropriate answer- it wasn't as though she could tell her new boss "no I will not accompany you to your foolish meeting."

"Wonderful," He smiled at her, and she realized that his smile really did reach his eyes- unlike a lot of other fake people she had met in the city, whose smiles were deceitful. He headed for the door, and Tessa- realizing her position, opened it for him. Startled by this gesture, Jem seemed to be taken aback, but quickly realized why she was doing it, and gave her a nervous yet thankful smile. "You really don't need to do that, if you start doing everything for me, I'll become horribly incompetent." As he walked out the door, and Tessa followed after him, shutting it behind her, he asked, "Do you have any questions for me? Anything you'd like to know about the company, or even any questions about myself?"

Tessa thought about this for a second, and since she had a million questions buzzing around in her head, she choose the first one she could think of. "What department do you head?"

"Oh that's easy; I head advertising- you know, slogans and whatnot." He seemed to be leading them a certain way, and Tessa knew better than to argue which way to go, especially since she didn't know herself. "How about another question?"

"Alright. How about..." She paused for a moment, and then asked, "How did you become so successful? You're a department head at one of the biggest businesses in the States."

He chuckled softly at her question, but answered anyways, "Well I was an exchange student from England when I came here with my greatest friend- who's also a department head now, funny how that works- and I applied for a small job here. I ran the copy room." He seemed slightly embarrassed by this fact- but Tessa thought it was honorable. He worked his way up, rather than just having it handed to him. She felt a grudging respect towards him. "Slowly I started gaining more say and importance and then, last month, I was promoted to head of the department. Now I have an unlimited lunch card, which is the best perk of being HOD," He grinned at her, and Tessa knew Sophie was right- she had gotten the best Boss.

They turned a corner, and Jem stopped in front of a large black door labeled "Discussion Room."

"Here we are," He gestured towards the door, and then pushed it open.

"Isn't that my job?" Tessa asked good-naturedly as he held the door open for her, but she accepted his courteousness anyways and went into the room. She was immediately greeted by a large drop in temperature- this room obviously had an outstanding air conditioning system. The cold air wasn't the only off-putting thing about the room, however; there was a large black table that stretched the length of the room, and Tessa immediately felt a shiver run up her spine- though not due to the sub zero temperature.

She saw who was sitting at the table.

And she didn't like who she saw one bit.