Gwen’s phone rings and Harvey glances up from his cup of coffee, swallowing the bite of muffin in his mouth.

“Who’s that?” He asks, taking a drink of his coffee. Gwen shrugs, pulling her phone from her pocket, checking the screen.

“It’s Reginald.” She says and Harvey frowns, his hands curling around his coffee cup. Gwen touches his hand.

“It’s fine.” Harvey shakes his head.

“It’s not! He only gives you one day off during the whole week and now he’s gonna ask you to come in today or something.” Harvey protests.

“Let me find out what he wants, alright? I’ll try and keep it short.” Harvey sighs and squeezes her hand.

“Alright. Be sure to tell him it’s your day off.” He says as Gwen stands. She squeezes his hand again, giving him a gentle smile.

“I will. Don’t go anywhere.” Harvey chuckles.

“I’ll be right here.” He says and Gwen gives his hand another squeeze before moving away from him, sliding her thumb across the screen of her phone, accepting the call. A gruff voice starts speaking before Gwen can even get her ‘hello’ out of her mouth.

“I need you to come in today.” Gwen sighs and pushes open the door to the cafe, stepping outside into the cold morning air.

“It’s my day off, Reginald.”

“I need you to come in today.” He repeats.

“My only day off this week, might I add,” Gwen replies.

“Look, I need you to come in today. Right now. I need you to head this project. I want to get it underway today, so I need you to come in.” Gwen sighs and rubs her forehead.

“Reginald… It’s wrong. It’s breaking so many moral codes. It… It isn’t right.”

“I don’t give a damn whether or not it’s wrong. This project is being funded by the government. The government, Gwendolyn. I’m not gonna throw all that funding out the window just because one person thinks it’s wrong. Get to the lab as soon as you can. That’s an order.” 

Reginald snarls and hangs up, leaving Gwen behind with the dial tone. She grits her teeth and shoves her phone back into her pocket, going back into the cafe. Harvey glances up at the jingling of the bell above the door and smiles. She walks over and slides back into her seat, glaring down at the tabletop. Harvey takes her hands, lacing their fingers together.

“I have to go in.” She mutters.

“He’s gotta be fucking kidding. Today of all days? Is he fucking serious?” Harvey snarls, squeezing her hands gently, his thumbs running over her knuckles.

“I have to go change and get my things.”

“Alright. Let’s go then.” He says and they stand, Harvey grabbing their coffee before exiting the cafe behind Gwen. It doesn’t take them very long to walk back home. Once there, Gwen changes into a pair of jeans, a crisp white button-down, and her converse.

“You have everything?” Harvey asks from the bed, his laptop on his legs. Gwen hums, pulling on her sweater.

“I think so. Where’d I put my bag?” She asks and Harvey glances up, eyebrows furrowing.

“Didn’t you just have it?” He asks and Gwen nods, looking around the room.

“Where the hell…” She trails off, spotting her messenger bag by the door.

“Nevermind.” She says, grabbing it and carrying it to the bed. She opens it and pulls out the folders, thumbing through the tabs. She stuffs them back into the bag after making sure all folders are present and accounted for.

“Alright. I’ll be back.” She sighs, and moves closer to Harvey, leaning down slightly to press a kiss to his forehead.

“I love you, Lynn.” He murmurs and she hums, moving her head to kiss his cheek.

“I’ll see you later.” She whispers and he hums. He sets the laptop aside and hugs her, his face in her shoulder.

“Be safe, alright?” He mumbles and she nods, kissing the top of his head.

“I will. I’ll see you later tonight.”

“Say hi to the lab nerds for me, alright?” He asks, pulling his face from her shoulder, arms still around her waist.

“Alright. I really should go now.”

“Alright. Love you.” He says and Gwen nods.

“Love you too. See you later.” He smiles and Gwen waves to him as she leaves the room, heading for the door.

“Oh! Hold on a minute!” Harvey says, sliding around the corner in his socks.

“What?” She asks and Harvey pulls open the fridge, pulling out a lunch box.

“I made you a lunch.” He says, holding it out to her. Gwen takes it from him and smiles at him.

“Thank you.” She says, her voice soft. Harvey shrugs.

“No need. Go science.” He says.

“Alright. Love you.” Harvey smiles at her, watching her pull open the door.

“I know.” He murmurs, Gwen closing the door behind her as she leaves the house. Gwen sighs, and moves to her car, tugging on the door handle only to find it locked.

“Knew I forgot something.” She mutters to herself, moving back to the house. The door opens, Harvey holding her keys.

“You probably need these.” He says and she hums, holding out her hand. He lets them drop from his fingers, the keys jingling as they land in Gwen’s palm.

“For real this time. I’m going to work. I’ll see you later. No parties, alright?” She asks and Harvey scowls.

“Damn. Guess I’ll cancel the DJ.” Gwen snorts, laughing.

“Drive safe,” Harvey says and Gwen nods, moving back to her car. She unlocks it, Harvey still standing in the doorway.  She slides into the car, starting the engine. Harvey waves as she pulls her door shut and buckles. She rolls down her window.

“Don’t burn the house down, either.” She calls and Harvey laughs.

“Of course not. See you later.” He says, waving. She waves back and watches him disappear into the house, the door closing behind him. She rolls the window back up and turns on the radio, pulling out of the driveway.

“And now… Back to the music.”

---

Gwen tugs her sweater off and replaces it with her lab coat, stuffing the sweater into her locker with her lunch. She shuts the locker, fixing her I.D. badge that’s clipped to her breast pocket. She shoulders her bag again, walking down the hallway toward the lab. She scans her badge and presses her hand to the scanner, waiting as the green rays of light match her fingerprints to the badge I.D. It emits two quick beeps and the door hisses open, allowing Gwen inside.

“Gwen! What’re you doing here?” A voice asks and Gwen pauses, glancing to her left. Alison Webster, her brown hair cut short, her chocolate brown eyes currently hidden behind a pair of reading glasses, stands in the middle of the room, holding a clipboard.

“Gwen. What’re you doing here? It’s your day off. It’s… It’s the 5th.” She says softly and Gwen nods, forcing a smile.

“I know. Reginald called me in.” Alison scowls, her grip on the clipboard tightening.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me. Did he call you in? On today of all days?” Alison snarls and Gwen shrugs, adjusting the shoulder strap of her bag.

“You sound like Harvey,” Gwen says and Alison rolls her eyes, walking over.

“Well, Reginald shouldn’t be calling you in for work today. How’re you doing?” She asks and Gwen swallows, shrugging.

“I’m ok.” Alison purses her lips.

“Harvey and I… We went to visit them,” Gwen says before Alison can say anything else. Alison nods, holding the clipboard to her chest.

“That’s good. How’s Harvey?” Alison asks and Gwen shrugs.

“Harvey. He’s doing alright. He’s nervous about the wedding. He keeps thinking he’ll do something to mess up but I’m sure he’ll do fine.” Gwen says, moving towards her desk. Alison follows, chuckling.

“He’ll do just fine. I’m really happy for you two.” Alison says with a hint of longing in her voice. Gwen raises an eyebrow at her, setting her bag on the desk. Alison chuckles and looks away.

“Mel’s ecstatic about being the maid of honor. Not sure if you knew that, but it’s literally all she talks about now.” Alison says and Gwen breathes a laugh.

“How are you two doing, by the way?” Gwen asks and Alison grins.

“Amazing. Better than my last relationship, that’s for sure.” She mutters and there’s the sound of a chair rolling. A man, dressed in jeans, a dark green t-shirt, lab coat, and sneakers, his brown hair neatly combed, green eyes glinting with mischief, rolls into view on a desk chair.

“I’m literally right here, Ali.” He says and Alison flips him off. The man laughs, standing from his chair. He walks over, slinging an arm around Gwen’s shoulders.

“What’re you doing here? Thought you’d be taking it easy, relaxing with your fiance, having a picnic, being anywhere but here.” The man mutters and Gwen pulls his arm away from her shoulders.

“Reginald called me in. Said it was important that I be here today. A new project he wants me to lead.” The man scoffs.

“That asshole.”

“It’s fine, Joseph. It’ll be alright.” Gwen says and Joseph scowls.

“Bullshit. Today of all days and he decides, ‘Hey, Gwen’s on her only day off this week. Let’s call her in. Oh, by the way, it’s the 20th anniversary of her parent’s death. She doesn’t need a day off.’ That’s fucking bullshit. I’m gonna go talk to him.”

“I told you, it’s fine. I’m ok with being here. Honest.” Joseph purses his lips.

“If you say so. But, honestly. The nerve of that guy…” Joseph trails off.

“Yeah, well… Can’t really do anything about it.” Gwen says, pulling folders from her bag.

“Could you get Melanie, George, Oliver, Robert, and Iris and tell them to meet me in the boardroom?” 

Alison and Joseph nod and move away to go find the people Gwen just listed. Gwen gathers the folders in her arms and moves away from her desk, pushing open a door at the back of the room, revealing another hallway. A set of double doors stand at the end and she makes her way toward them, scanning her badge on the scanner. The door beeps and unlocks, Gwen pushing the door open with her elbow. A long table dominates the room, surrounded by plush office chairs. Gwen moves around the table, sitting at the head of it, facing the doors. Slowly, people begin to trickle in through the doors. First, a tall man, about 6 feet, enters the room, pulling the door shut behind him. He’s wearing a pair of glasses, blue eyes hidden behind the lenses. His short blond hair is messy, as well as the beard on his chin. He sits down in a seat near the door, eyes on the tabletop. George Quinn.

“Morning, George,” Gwen says and George grunts in response, obviously preoccupied with his own thoughts. The door beeps faintly and another man steps inside, this one slightly taller than George. A shock of unruly red hair, with bright green eyes and circular glasses, makes up Oliver Reese’s appearance. He holds his phone in his hand.

“Good morning,” Gwen says and Oliver glances up, smiling.

“Morning.” He responds, slipping into the seat across from George. The door beeps again and two people enter, chatting softly to each other. One is a man about the same height as George, with messy blond hair, gray eyes, and a crooked nose. Robert Phillips. The woman talking to him is shorter, about 5’7”, with chin-length auburn hair and steely gray eyes. Freckles are scattered over her cheeks and across her forehead. Iris Morgan. The door beeps once more and Joseph pushes the door open, holding it open to allow Melanie and Alison to walk into the room. They nod their thanks to Joseph and take the chairs closest to Gwen, leaving Joseph to sit in between Alison and George. The room is quiet for a few minutes. She lets out a heavy sigh and stands, pressing her palms against the oak table. Everyone’s eyes move to her, watching her.

“Good morning, everyone.” She says firmly. A few good mornings are murmured back to her and she nods, picking up the top folder from the stack in front of her. She flips it open.

“Project Phoenix.” She states, pulling papers from the folder. They all say the same thing and she passes them down the table, watching everyone scan over the sheet.

“Cloning?” Robert asks, confusion in his eyes.

“Ask Reginald. He’s the one who assigned us this.”

“Um… I can’t be the only one who finds this… Extremely distasteful. Right?” Melanie asks.

“Cloning… Who wants to guess how many people will openly protest this?” Alison asks her eyes on the paper. Joseph coughs, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I can’t bee-lieve we’re starting with a goddamn bee,” Joseph says with a smirk. Silence sweeps through the room.

“This isn’t a time for jokes. Read the mood, you idiot.” Alison snaps.

“Aw, c’mon. Did my joke sting?” Joseph asks, cackling at Alison’s expression as she glares at him.

“Want me to buzz off?” Joseph asks.

“Enough!” Gwen snaps. Joseph sinks slightly in his seat like a child being scolded at the dinner table.

“Joseph, this is a serious situation. There is no room for jokes here, understand?” Gwen snarls and Joseph nods quickly, almost like he’s afraid of making Gwen angrier.

“Good, now,” She flips open the folder in her hands.

“This project is being funded by the government, so it is critical that we don’t screw this up.” She says with a very pointed look at Joseph, who sinks in his seat more.

“Eventually, we will have to attempt to clone a human being.” Gwen’s words are met with a tense silence, everyone shifting nervously in their seats.

"What if people find out what we’re doing? What happens then? What if people protest and we lose the funding?” Melanie asks.

“I’m sure Reginald has that aspect under control. We have very little to worry about at the moment.” Gwen states and Joseph groans.

“What now, Joseph?” Alison snaps and Joseph shoots her a glare.

“What if he doesn’t have it under control? He can’t even control his goddamn intercom and that was a scarring experience I never want to relive.” He shudders in disgust for effect. Gwen bites her lip, seeing Joseph’s point. She frowns.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it if it should happen. Let’s just hope it doesn’t.” She says and everyone nods in agreement, some glancing at Joseph.

“What, why are you looking at me?” Joseph asks, voice loud.

“You are a bit of a blabbermouth,” Alison mutters and Joseph scowls.

“That was one time!” He protests and Alison gives him a look.

“Fuck off.” Joseph snaps and Gwen sighs.

“Look, if we can get through this, without a word of us cloning shit getting on the news, we’re golden. However, if the media does get word of this, you better believe that I won't hesitate to kick all your asses.” Gwen says calmly.

“That’s a promise,” Gwen adds and everyone nods.

 Gwen picks up the stack of folders.

“Each of you has a different job to do. Everything you need to know about this is in these folders.” She passes them down the table.

“Get to work,” Gwen says, sitting down in her chair. The door creaks open as people exit, no one speaking.

“So… How’s this gonna go down?” Joseph asks, making Gwen look up from the folders in front of her. Alison, Melanie, and Joseph look at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“What’re you guys doing? I said get to work.” Alison rolls her eyes, propping her head up in her hand.

“We were there, Gwen.” She says.

“Then why are you three still here?” Gwen asks and Melanie reaches out, grabbing Gwen’s hand.

“Go home. Get some rest. You honestly look like you haven’t slept at all.” Melanie says, her tone soft. Gwen shakes her head, pulling her hand away from Melanie’s grasp.

“I can’t. I have a job to do here.”

“I can’t.” She repeats firmly.

“I have a job to do, and I’m going to do it.”