Windows on the World (OLD VERSION) [BEING REWRITTEN]

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After Elena received a quick explanation when she gave Phoebe a ride home, they also shared a couple more phone calls to cover the rest of the story.

Elena heard all about Walter's deeds, and had a similar reaction to Gina; even without being one of his acquaintances, she could recognize it was still a rare thing. A stranger helping another stranger so generously? New York was too big and populated for anyone to afford those kind of big, selfless acts, at least in a regular manner.

Which was why Elena offered Phoebe some advice after also hearing about the clash the girl had with his theological nature; to rise above it. To show that his actions were more important to her than focusing on who he believed his Messiah to be. She reminded her not to treat him any differently than she would like to be treated. Phoebe took it to heart, using those ideals like a wall between her true self and the viewpoints that had been imposed on top of that later on in her life, and prevent them from ever breaking out again.

Normally, she had a hard time listening and taking advice, but those conversations with Elena were greatly appreciated and enjoyed by Phoebe. It was like being able to confide in Dana, without it actually being Dana. Phoebe didn't feel confident in letting her cousin know these things, at least not for the moment. It wasn't because she didn't trust her to keep it to herself, but because it could be all that was needed to spark a chain reaction that would bring the whole undertaking down. They'd already been close to disaster with the school principal knowing.

A couple of days before Phoebe was supposed to begin working for Walter, she received a phone call from him. Well, a few of them. Phoebe hadn't been able to hear the first eight calls. At home, she always left the phone on vibration, scared to death that Dana would find out, even in moments when her cousin wasn't even at the apartment.

"I notified my boss that I would be hiring an assistant and he told me to go ahead, so I'll need you to drop by to sign the contract," he informed her. "Oh, and I'm fairly certain you're going to need to go shopping."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't expect to show up in ripped jeans and gangsta rap tops to the office, do you?"

Phoebe was hit with a mental picture of herself with some sort of tied up hairdo, reading glasses, and a pencil skirt, looking like a character straight out from the movie '9 to 5'. It gave her shivers that ran through her whole body. What had she gotten herself into?

"Oh, shit."

"Exactly." Walter didn't even try to hide his amusement. Because he had attempted to visualize such a picture too, however, he simply could not imagine Phoebe so stringently dressed. "I think you're going to be spending a good chunk of my dollar bills on that."

"Ugh, okay. Can you come with, at least?"

"Shopping?" He said with a hint of loathing. "What do you want me there for?"

"I've no idea what it is you want me to dress like. I would rather you help me out so I don't waste money on stuff just for you to then tell me it's not appropriate. And you know, the whole being alone thing." He made a hopeless grunt as a way to agree. He asked himself why he couldn't just say no to her. "Oh, and bring the contract with you."

"I will," Walter said without hiding his contempt.

"Thanks." Phoebe used a sweet voice while thanking him, trying to soothe the frustration he had with her demands.

Without seeing his face there was no way to tell if that little trick had worked or not, but he sounded truthful when he told her it was 'no problem'.

So a little later on, Walter picked her up from her street with some other, nicer, more commercially inclined streets as a destination.