It was borderline obsession, he realized, but it was the only way he kept his emotions at bay. He added to the collection often, however, he refrained from lingering over his collection for long, removing them from its hiding place for fear of discovery. Should someone the it, he would never live it down.
There were times he thought about moving his collection but no place seemed safe. What if he got caught during he transfer? If they were found in his possession, there would be no way for him to deny ownership, so he left it where it was. He often worked late into the night, not always to catch up on paperwork, but because he needed to see those images of Grell. You could order the pictures to watch as Grell's hair grew as she morphed into the 'woman' she was now.
Then the dreaded thing happened. Ronald Knox was good in off and tripped, knocking over the rubber plant. William had been in the hall at the time, but he heard the sound of the pot breaking and knew what it meant even before he heard Ronald's surprised cry. They were gong to have to replace it.
Ronald got up and brushed himself off. "Oh, Ronnie, are you all right?" Asked the woman he had been showing off to.
"Yeah, I'm all right. Nothing bruised but my- hey, what's this?" He reached down into the mess and pulled out a bit bundle of photographs.
"Woah!" he exclaimed as he flipped through the stack. Several had been taken at a distance and quite evidently without Grell's permission. "Grell, you should come take a look at this."
"What is it?" she asked, not having bothered to even look as she filed her nail with her feet propped up on her desk.
"Some fucked up shit is what," said Eric, coming to peer over Ronald's shoulder. "Someone's been keeping pictures of you in this plant.
Grell perked up, sitting up properly and clasping her hands together in excitement. "Like a secret admirer?"
"No, like a stalker," answered Ronald.
"A stalker?" she darted over to see. "How exciting. Oo, I look good in this one."
"Not exciting, Grell, serious," Alan corrected. "This person could be dangerous."
Grell let out a manic laugh. "No one is more dangerous than I."
"True," Eric agreed. "But still…"
"But who's wanna stalk Grell?" asked Ronald. "Eh, no offense, senpai."
"You know, you can be a right brat sometimes?" Grell responded.
"We must take this to Mr. Spears and report it," said Alan.
William adjusted his glasses and stepped into the room. There was a brief glance to the plant and its surrounding area. Some of the fake leaves had come off and lay beside it. "Will!" trilled Grell at the sight of him and stepped closer to stand beside him. "Guess what? I have a stalker!" she advanced cheerfully with a slight blush on her cheeks. "What is my darling ice Prince going to do about it?"
An irritated glare from William told her to back off. She didn't, of course and he continued to glare at her as he stated, "First, I am going to once again state that I am none of those things you just accessed me as. Second, protocol demands that a report be filed along with the evidence." Alan took the photos Ronald was still gawking over, snatched a rather provocative one from Eric and handed them over to William. Grell could have sworn she saw a slight bush on William's cheeks as he took the photos. "Come with me, Sutcliff, so we may file the report."
"Then what will happen?" Grell asked curiously. A stalker, how exciting! Not bothered by the possible dangers, she speculated on who it could be. One of the younger reapers perhaps? However, there were photos dating back to around the time she graduated the academy, so it was more likely a reaper who graduated around the same time as she.
"There will be an investigation," William answered, "If warranted. In this case that is likely to be so, as there is evidence someone is stalking you. Unless, of course, this is some ridiculous infatuation which could pass at any time. Though who would have the idiocy to be obsessed with a creature such as you, I cannot fathom. Frankly, I wouldn't doubt you panted those photos yourself in order to garner attention."
Grell giggled at his pun, intended or not, likely not. Then his last statement sank in and she grew a little hot as she defended herself. "How could you say such a thing? William!" she cried as he ignored her, stepping into his office and picking up a form off his desk. There was a large stack of these forms next to his phone. "How come you have so many?" she asked.
"Because I have to file them frequently."
Grell leaned seductively against his desk. "Having trouble with the secretaries? Not that I blame them though, however, flirting is all they are doing. I do not know what I would do if one of them stole my man."
William looked at her with his eyes narrowed. "No, Sutcliff. I keep them there on account of you. I file at least one a week for sexual harassment."
"Oh, if only you would let me sexually harass you…then you wouldn't need to file anymore. William held his gaze (or glare) at her as he handed her the document and grabbed another off the stack and began filling out one himself.
Grell slouched back in the chair across from William with her legs crossed and fanned herself gently with the document as she regarded Will. "Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked.
He glanced at her briefly and resumed writing. "Your looks are of no consequence. Though I may remark they are barely tolerable and are in no danger of tempting me."
"Mr. Darcy said almost the exact same thing of Elizabeth Bennet and look what happened," she grinned.
"I have no idea whom you are speaking of. Nor do I have any interest in any fool notions you gained from reading those inappropriate and ridiculous 'romance novels' or whatever you call them."
"Pride and Prejudice is no mere 'romance' novel and is in no wise inappropriate. It is a thrilling love story between a wealthy gentleman and a woman of lower social status who learn to love each other despite their societal differences."
"Good for them. Our lives, however, are not fictional. They are not something out of a novel. Do not expect what happened to them happen between us, if that is what you are thinking."
"You write uncommonly fast, Mr. Darcy," she quoted as she watched his pen scratch across the paper.
"And you are not writing at all. Please fill out that report and return to your duties."
Grell set the paper on her end of the desk and grabbed a pen from the holder on the corner of the desk. She took her time filling it out so she could stay longer. She finally tossed the pen down on the desk beside the paper and sat back in her chair. "What will be become of the pictures?"
"I will hold them as evidence for now. They will be needed if this supposed stalker is ever found," he answered, placing a fresh rubber band around the photographs and put them in a manila envelope, sealed it ad locked it in a drawer.
"And if he is not found, or if he is taken care of, do I get the photographs? Some of them are quite nice."
"Enough," he said, dismissing her. "Get back to work."
With a pout, Grell got up to leave. "I wonder if he is handsome," she mused out loud as she neared the door. William made no answer, having returned to his work.
(X)
His secret had been found. There was to be an investigation, what was he to do? What if he was found out?
A stalker. Was that what he was? Yes he had taken a few without permission, the rest were acquired through various means. Some bestowed upon him by the subject herself. Did collecting these photographs make him a stalker? Is this what he had become?
He wondered if it would be better to just come clean about the whole thing.
No.
He would kiss a demon first. Things would not work between them. In the first place, emotions were to be kept out of the work place. There was no place for them here. On top of this, his reputation would be tarnished.
This life was a punishment. They were here for a second chance to redeem themselves. Either of them could reach redemption at any time. And then what? The other would be left to grieve the loss of the other, and he could not do that to her.
That's why he needed those pictures. He needed her.
No one was around. It was late. He busted the lock on the office door and then on the drawer that held his treasure. Working swiftly, he retrieved them and fled the scene. He would need to find a new hiding place. Some place they would not be found.