2025-09-10 0:45:57 ¶ ●

I am always thinking about Gertrude’s time as The Archivist so here are my headcanon’s on what I think OG Archivist Assistants relationship’s were like outside of what we know in canon.

Emma and Michael’s relationship always had the vibes of “putting up with your annoying family member because it’s the holidays and grandma invented them,” from Michael’s side of things. He had noticed all the times Emma didn’t refill the coffee maker after pouring the last cup, or how his pens sometimes ended up on her desk without his permission. But he bit his lip about it. He never wanted to be the workplace drama starter, and besides, if she was always checking on Gertrude then she couldn’t be THAT bad of a person. Just a consistently annoying one who heated fish in the microwave and asked him weird questions like “Have you noticed anything yet?” before walking off when he gets visibly confused.

Their entire dynamic is Emma going “I have him right where I want him. He doesn’t suspect a thing,” and Michael judgmentally squinting his eyes going “What’s her problem??”

Emma and Eric’s relationship was a nonexistent one. Even without Mary involved Emma saw that Eric was someone who could look into the dark and stare back into the nothing without looking for a light, and that wasn’t good for her mechanisms. Eric meanwhile never really talked to Emma. Yet he still felt disillusioned by her. When he started to become resentful of Gertrude he began to resent the people around her too, especially The Assistant who was her closest confidant. He did not trust Emma in the end. And he never realized how right he was to do so.

Emma and Fiona’s relationship was a completely one-sided distaste. Emma never liked Fiona, but Fiona thought Emma was darling. She spent a lot of time cornering her near the water cooler to talk forever about London’s weather, or a shirt she saw on clearance, or the new mole on her back. Much to Emma’s despair their conversations were never particularly stimulating, but Fiona loved that she had a “gossiping buddy” in her own words. Though they never actually gossiped about anyone. Fiona would have found that mean. Emma would have found it a significant improvement.

Emma and Sarah’s relationship was the worst thing Emma ever did. Sarah genuinely looked up to Emma. She saw her as someone who had survived the strange and came out the other side stronger and more cunning for it. She wanted to be just like her when she got older, unaware of that fact that Emma herself would be the one to prevent that. Emma genuinely liked Sarah too. She would slip her snacks from her lunch whenever she complained about being hungry, and she even helped her mend a jacket that got torn by a Hunter. Her fondness wasn’t enough to stop her curiosity. However, she did feel much more guilt for what happened with Sarah than any thing else she did.

Sarah and Michael’s relationship was a genuine friendship. Michael admired Sarah’s fiery spirt, and Sarah found Michael’s kindness to be welcome. They spent a lot of time at each other’s desk talking about tv shows or books that came recently, and there were quite a few times that Sarah almost used those opportunities to tell Michael about the fears. Though she didn’t because she assumed he was being kept in the dark for a reason that involved his safety. Overall they liked each other a lot, and Michael even brought her (And Eric and Gertrude) some fruits for his garden in the warmer months.

Michael and Eric’s relationship was a friendship that went sour. When they first joined The Archives they got along right away. They had a similar intense interest in the paranormal and loved a lot of the same media. This started a friendship that existed even outside of work. They got lunch or went to the local library together pretty often. For awhile. Once Eric started dating Mary his resentment for Gertrude and The Institute grew strong and fast. He began to resent anything tied to it. including Michael who would shut down any all rants about Gertrude before they could really get off the ground.

When Eric fell off the face of the Earth Michael never understood why. But he was still bitter about their abrupt ending.

Eric and Fiona’s relationship was the one thing Eric missed about The Institute. She would always listen to his rants about Gertrude even though it was obvious that she didn’t agree with everything he said. And in return he was more than happy to hear about her cats and book collection. They would even bring cards in sometimes and play a round of poker on slow work days, which would sometimes last long after closing. It was pretty normal of them to go to a bar and finish their game.

Fiona’s smile was something Eric missed very much when he quit.