Figures how there still isn't any reviews or signs some people are reading this. Perhaps I should send out some PMs to authors who wrote in here before. Either way, I think I'll write another chapter to make some closure (though I might just open it up again at the end) This time, I will switch to Juliet's PoV. Harder? Indeed, since we don't get a look at the marketing place. But hey, isn't one of the ideas of fanfiction is to use your imagination?

…Well enough of the real life ramble. Onward to the second chapter!

The lounge in marketing was alright, Juliet supposed. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was when the guys would go in a pack and share stories of their youth, usually involving how they won a beer pong game before passing out or how their home run won the softball game. They were all the same: snarky, egotistical, and need she say it, horny. A day never went by where they didn't try to flirt with her. Of course, it was all the same. "Hey there Juliet, you're looking sexy today! I was thinking about practicing at the diamond after work. Wanna join?" In which she would reply with, "Um... no thanks. I'm busy." In reality, she had nothing to do. But that was better than hooking up with a snarker like them.

What happened to all the men that cared about anything other than softball? She wondered to herself as she sat at her desk rummaging through files. That was all who were attracted to her, it seems. A few that she has been interested in herself wouldn't be able to last. She still remembered the anguish that both of them felt when she went on a business trip to Seattle and met Charles, another marketing man. If only she were able to make enough to be able to live where she wants, or at least find a place that paid better. Just as she was thinking about other places she could work at, the paper she was looking for showed itself in the cabinet. Rather mechanically, it was pulled out and set on the desk to be reviewed by her. She was about to start on it when- Where did my pen go? After a quick scanning on her desktop, it was clear that she needed to pull another out of the drawer. Herbert must have taken it again... It wasn't worth it to get up and track him down for the trivial writing utensil, so she reached over to the drawer that was seldom opened and began to find another. When she felt a plastic cylinder in there, she pulled it out and was about to use it to write before pausing suddenly. Another glance over the object she was holding showed that it was not a pen at all.

It was a coffee stirrer.

There was a reason indeed why a coffee stirrer was kept in here and not thrown away. It was the exact stirrer that had come from a cup of coffee made in the engineering lounge that was plucked out and had been in her mouth before... Which was returned to the original owner for a while before he gave it back to her.

Yes, that was the stirrer of Dilbert's.

This only succeeded in making her even more heart sick. Of all the men that she was given in life, of all the qualities they had, it was only Dilbert that had felt right to her. No, not just felt right, it was right. It had to be the divide between the engineers and marketers that complicated everything, from being able to have a steady relationship to social acceptance. Then again, when was social acceptance important? As long as it wasn't incest or pedophilia, there was nothing wrong with it. If them being together was neither of those, then why did so many people look down on it? Perhaps society is just corrupt like that, the only acceptable couple being "perfect".

Honestly, does perfect even exist? With so many personalities, races, hobby interests, gender identities and sexualities what can be defined as the best since they all have their pros and cons? If there was a definition of perfect, the lack of variety would make the world an even more dull place than it already was.

At least in this office.

There seemed to be no escape from the gray world that was her job. If there wasn't a way to add color to it, the best thing to do would be to keep it from becoming even more dull. Maybe just finding more ways to push off the flirting men (perhaps they would be called boys) would help some, but maybe not. Even the bad and annoying can be the spice of life.

Once again, the human brain shows its way of getting off track and wandering to other thoughts.

She was pulled back by the sound of her phone ringing. After realizing she had been staring off into the coffee stirrer, she gently set it down in front of the computer screen and picked up the receiver with her generic, "This is Juliet of Marketing. How may I help you?"

"Ah, glad to get a hold of you, Juliet! I need to ask you something."

She pulled the phone away from her head as she sighed. Of all the times for her boss to call and to start with a statement like that... After a second of gathering her thoughts, she pulled the phone back and tried to sound optimistic. "Sure, go right ahead."

"Okay. First of all, have you filled out the sheet of marketing slots I gave to you on Thursday?

She bit her lip for a moment. "Well, I have it in front of me. Didn't you say it was due this Wednesday?" (It was the typical Monday at this time)

"Indeed I did. But we need to rush it now. Our neighboring engineers want to send their new product through us before being released commercially. They also want it to be done tomorrow and we need to send some people over to help in that. We're shooting for the two o'clock time slot and I thought you would be up to it. Would you like to?"

Truthfully, she had frozen on the word "engineer". That word made her think of that man. Or, as she would like to think of it, her man. In another second, everything her boss said finally registered. Her silent prayers were answered! She had another chance to see him and maybe get past the social barrier! There was no way she could pass up this opportunity...

"...Hello? Juliet, are you still there?"

For the second time in a minute, she was awakened from a thought trance. "Oh... Oh! Yes, I would love to!"

"Glad to hear that! Just fill out that sheet and in the "Other" section write that one down. Be sure to turn it in to me by four o'clock, okay?"

"No problem. I will do so."

"Alright then. I'll see you at four." With that, the click was heard.

Not a split second after that was the phone hastily placed back and she blew through the rest of the time slots. When she reached the "Other" category, tomorrow's date was scribbled down along with "Two" and "P.M." circled. She almost broke into a run as she rushed to the boss's office (taking an elevator three floors up, which did not help the sense of rush) and almost slammed down the paper onto the polished mahogany desk. The boss looked up quizzically for a few seconds, then took the paper with a muttering of "Thank you, Juliet." Casually, she walked out of the office, then almost skipped to the elevator with a huge smile on her face, which she hadn't had for at least two weeks.

This is it! She thought happily. I will finally be reunited with Dilbert! I won't let anything separate us this time, being a poisoned hot dog or the drunken marketers!

Stayed up until 1 A.M. With my boyfriend working on this. Hope it was worth it. Peace.