A/N: I decided to write another Legally Blonde one-shot, after watching it again (for the millionth time) yesterday. This starts during Legally Blonde the ballad, and then continues.

As she ran back to her dorm to get out of this living hell, Elle remembered, suddenly, Emmett. She was supposed to catch up with him, and instead…she stopped in her tracks. There he was, leaning against her front door, smiling.

“There she is, intern of the year.”

Maybe she could smile back, pretend everything was alright, avoid what had happened, but when she looked into his eyes, every bit of resolve she had left.

“Thanks for your help and for all you’ve done. Thank you for treating me decently.”

Emmett noticed, then, that she had been crying. “What’s wrong?”

“Maybe someday you can visit me. Give me a call, say hello.”

She shut her eyes for a moment, trying to comprehend that she might never see him again.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Sorry I’m letting down everyone.”

“What brought on this?”

“You did your best with a hopeless case.”

That’s all she was now, a hopeless case. Who had she been kidding when she thought she could do this?

“That’s ludicrous!”

She held his arms, trying to convince him that he had nothing to do with why she was leaving.

“You are the best thing about this place!”

Emmett weighed his options and knew he had to tell her, before it was too late… “Elle, you should know-“

“Callahan hit on me.”

Everything in him stopped. He had done what? Callahan had always been a jerk, but he never thought he would go so low as to do that to an intern…

“Callahan did what?”

Elle sighed. “He kissed me, he fired me, and he made it very clear I don’t belong here.”

Her voice broke and she made a dash for the door, but he stopped her. “We can fix this, we can fight it!” he pleaded, and she stopped him.

“Emmett, please.” She brought her hand to his face, ran it along his cheek, and dropped it, tears filling her eyes. “There’s no reason for me to stay.”

She hurried herself into the door, and he stood there, staring at the wood in front of him. No reason to stay?

“What about…love?” he whispered, cursing himself for waiting to tell her how he felt, “I never mentioned love…” He wondered if maybe, just maybe, she could hear him. “The timing’s bad, I know. But perhaps if I’d made it more clear that you belong right here, you wouldn’t have to go…”

The thought of losing her forever was…impossible for him to think about. So he used his last ditch effort, his last shot. “’cause you’d know that I’m so much in love!”

On the other side, Elle had given up. It was over, so over, and she could hear Emmett as she moved to the door and reached her hand to rest on it, as if she could touch him through the wood.

“We both know you’re worth so much more…”

She couldn’t. She couldn’t hurt him that way. This was his big break, his chance to be associate, and she couldn’t ask him to give that up for her.

“It’s not up to me, just let me be…legally blonde…”

She stood there alone, hearing his footsteps walking away slowly.

He didn’t want to leave her, not like this, but what choice did he have? He couldn’t sit in her hallway all night, waiting for her to come out. So he started walking, reluctantly, down the hall when he heard a door suddenly click open. He whipped around and she was running to him, crying, and threw herself into his arms.

He was frozen for a second, grasping what was happening, then finally made himself able to react.

“Okay, come here. It’s okay.” His arms wrapped around her as she sobbed into him, and his heart broke for her. He hated seeing her like this; he hated to see her broken.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She mumbled into his coat, and he smoothed her hair and whispered, “Don’t be sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong. Shh, you’re okay.”

He remembered then that they were in a dorm hallway, and she didn’t need her whole hall to see her like this, especially not now.

“Hey, let’s go inside, okay? Come on.”

He lead her to her dorm, shut the door behind them, and sat them both down on the edge of her bed. She rested her head on him, trying to regain composure, and he ran his hand over her back soothingly.

“Feel any better?”

She looked up at him for the first time since she had come to him in the hall and wiped her eyes. “Not really. A little. It’s just…I thought I was more. I thought I was better than this, but I’m just one big blonde joke, and that’s all Callahan saw. All anyone sees.”

“Not me.” He said, putting his hand on top of hers. “You are so much more than that, Elle. Callahan is a jerk, and you shouldn’t listen to him. I know that you’re better than this, and so do you.”

She laughed hoarsely. “Why do you always have to be right?”

He smiled. “I’m not. With you, I just am.” He said, doing a perfect imitation of her when they had gone shopping.

She mock-glared, hitting him, then sighed. “Thank you. I needed…I needed someone to tell me that I’m not a failure.”

“Well, you’re not.”

“But Emmett, I was fired. What else am I supposed to do?”

“I think I have an idea…” he said, and started to go through the law handbook sitting on Elle’s desk.

XXX

The trial had been, to say the least, surprising. Emmett had found a way to have her represent Brooke, and she still couldn’t believe she was here. She was brought out of her thoughts when Chutney stood and exclaimed, “You think I liked being older than my father’s arm-candy wife?! I didn’t mean to shoot him. I didn’t mean to shoot my father. I thought it was Brooke coming through the door!”

Elle’s jaw dropped. Oh. My. God.

“Take her into custody, you’re free, and we apologize!”

She had done it. They had won the case!

As congratulations were said all around and everyone started pouring out of the house, she turned to see Emmett standing in the corner. She ran, smiling, and was picked up, kicking her legs out behind her. As he went to set her down, she moved in impulsively, moving to kiss him, and he pulled back.

“I think someone needs to talk to you.” He said, looking behind her, and there stood Warner. Of course he has to show up at the worst minute possible…

“That’s okay.” Emmett said, smiling, “I’m gonna see you later.”

She watched him walk away and gave him one last stare before turning to Warner, knowing that she wouldn’t like whatever he was about to say.

XXX

Emmett was in his apartment, walking to his bedroom to change out of his suit, when there was a knock at the door. He opened it and saw Elle, still in her pink suit, a smile widening on her face when she saw him.

“Hi.”

He smiled back, suddenly not knowing what to say. “Hi.”

They stood in silence. “Um, can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah! Right. Come in.”

It was suddenly awkward, and he watched as she walked past him into his living room.

“So, Warner proposed to me.” His heart clenched. Hadn’t she tried to kiss him earlier? He must have been imagining things. He should have known he’d never measure up to-

“Isn’t that ridiculous? I mean, as if I’d ever take back such a total moron.”

He sighed, relieved, and she walked over to him. “Emmett, I…” She was lost for words, trying to find the perfect way to tell him what she’d been denying for months. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

Oh, no. She’s leaving, isn’t she? She’s going back to California. There’s no reason for her to stay, remember? Emmett’s thoughts were swirling in his head as Elle stammered on, trying to find the right words. She sighed, frustrated.

“Okay, you know what? Screw this.” There was a sudden fire in her eyes, and she grabbed the lapels of his suit coat to pull herself closer to him. “I love you, Emmett.” It took him a second to realize that her lips were on his and he responded, running his hand through her hair and wrapping his other arm around her waist. They pulled apart for oxygen and he smiled. “God, Elle, I love you too. I’ve loved you for so long.” He kissed her and they stayed there together, in the middle of his living room.

She had won a case as a law student. He’d broken out of his obsession with impressing Callahan and was a better lawyer because of it. They were better than that, both of them, and together, they knew they were worth so much more.