A/N: Thanks for such nice feedback on the first chapter. I have a lot of fun trying to get Eliza and Henry's voices down. They're such great characters. Chapter 2 here seems to be lending itself to a lengthier multichapter. Here's hoping people are still interested. :D All comments and feedback are genuinely appreciated an re-read a million times.

It seemed Henry was destined to never know what "on a break" truly meant. Just as Eliza had opened her cherry glazed lips to answer his breathy question, Saperstein himself had slipped through Henry's open door, a beaming smile spread across his face.

"Henry, my boy, kudos for handling that nightmare of a PR crisis like a champ." He rounded the desk to clap Henry on the shoulder, pride positively radiating from him.

"Ah, no sir, the credit surely goes to our outstanding public relations team. I merely helped with a few rebranding ideas…" He trailed off, suddenly feeling the weight of the conversation he'd been having with Eliza, his eyes helplessly drawn away from his boss as he peeked over at her.

She looked warm. It was a peculiar thought that jumped into his head apropo of nothing, but he didn't know how else to describe her glowing eyes or the faint pink flush creeping up her neck. Pink was supposed to be a no-no for redheads, he supposed, but he could think of few things more beautiful than Eliza Dooley blushing, the tiny almost unnoticeable freckles across the bridge of her nose darkening slightly.

Henry was too much in his own head, failing to note the lengthy stretch of silence that settled over the room, but Sam Saperstein wasn't so much preoccupied with errant thoughts. He could feel the tension in the air between his subordinates, thick like cold syrup hanging around them. He shook his head, mildly disgusted with the inertia that seemed to plague Henry when it came to the delicately boned sales maven seated in front of the desk.

The older man shook his head, clearing his throat with a rattling grunt. "Higgs, I do think the success of our little experiment in synergy has given me an idea."

Henry swallowed, his attention whipped away from Eliza as he eyed his boss with trepidation. Saperstein's ideas were always an erratic mix of genius and insanity. "And that would be?"

He slipped back in front of the desk, this time placing a hand on the back of Eliza's chair. "I think we've become too complacent in our roles here at Kindercare. You do your best work when confronted with unfamiliar territory. I know just the thing that'll keep you on your toes. Mental agility is vital component of creativity, after all."

Henry's brows furrowed, a confused expression marring his graceful features. "Um, sir, I'm not quite sure what you're getting at."

Saperstein brought his palms together in a loud clap, causing Eliza and Henry both to jump in their seats. "Miss Eliza Dooley, top sales rep at Kindercare will mentor you, Henry Higgs, head of marketing."

Henry frowned. "Surely it would be a better use of my time to focus on my own job, specifically honing the skills required to compose effective marketing campaigns." He glanced at Eliza, feeling a little short of breath, the faintest sheen of perspiration cooling his skin. "I, uh, ahem.." He was stammering now. "I'm not sure what would be gained…"

"Eliza is the best at what she does, and she's young and hip to boot."

"You bet your ass, I am." She sported a shy smile now, glancing between Sam and Henry. It was the first thing she'd said since she'd very nearly stunned Henry with her declaration of being "on a break," and it pulled him out of his anxiety.

"Language, Eliza. That's unprofessional."

She shrugged. "If you ask me, you're obsession with perf language skills is a bit condescending, Henry. I did graduate Magna Cum Laude, a couple physical education reqs bumping me totes out of the Magnas, but you get it. I'm a boss ass bitch. I know it, and so should everyone else." She leaned forward, a bit of confidence flowing through her once again, the hair seeming to perform it's magic once again. "I talk this way because it's relatable, and an quick way to put my peers at ease."

Everything clicked into place, and the ever present grin on Saperstein's face broadened as he had a true epiphany. "That's it!"

"What's it, sir?"

"Relatability." Sliding his hands into his pockets, he rocked back on his heels, fully prepared to manipulate Henry and Eliza into realizing what was best for them. "I hate to say it Henry, but the positive responses in the test groups we show your ad campaigns to have been skewing old."

Henry was aghast, mouth dropping open as he considered his boss's statement. "Skewing old?"

Saperstein nodded, feigning disappointment. "Yes, Henry, It's not a problem yet, but unless you want to be stuck writing radio ads for fiber tablets, I suggest you let Eliza take you under her wing. She's actually a representative of our most desirable demographic."

"Most desirable?" Henry felt hot under the collar, watching Eliza's mirth rise as Sam continued to talk.

"Of course. Women eighteen to thirty five with disposable incomes. Which is pretty convenient for you, even if she's lacking the biggest factor in Kindercare over the counter pharmaceutical sales. Motherhood."

At this proclamation, Eliza's formerly bubbly enjoyment of the conversation disappeared completely, a brief echo of the jealousy she'd felt when confronted with her pregnant sister making itself known once again. Her mouth snapped shut, and she quickly looked back and forth between the two men in front of her. "MOTHERHOOD?"

Saperstein ignored her strangled question, waving off her red faced sputtering. "Of course, who knows, even that may change in the near future." He winked at Henry in a most disturbing manner. " But, even lacking that, she has plenty of qualities that could very well make your approach to marketing a bit more… fresh."

"Fresh." Henry and Eliza both seemed to have developed the unfortunate and seemingly moronic habit of repeating everything their boss said.

Spinning on his heel, Saperstein strode from Henry's office, calling out behind him as he left. "Henry, I expect you to spend all week in sales with Eliza. No arguments, my friend!"

And with that, Saperstein was happily striding down the hall, sure that he had just effectively secured happiness for two people he cared a great deal about.

Henry and Eliza stared at each other awkwardly for a full minute, their boss's words still echoing in their minds. Eliza stewing over the motherhood comment, Henry fretting over doing so much one on one work with someone he spent an inordinate time thinking about kissing.

Eliza was the first to break the silence, propelling herself out of her chair suddenly, nearly stumbling as she rose to her feet. "Well, um… if you're gonna learn about sales, I suppose you should pop on over to my cubicle. It's not nearly as nice as your supes fancy leather adorned abode, but it'll do in a pinch. I have a nine by five print of a Banksy original hanging beside my autographed Grumpy Cat photo, so you'll have something to look at while listening to me charm the balls off of potential clients."

She was walking as she talked, and Henry followed wordlessly behind her, somewhat grateful for this forced togetherness Saperstein enacted. It was nice to feel the pull of Eliza and simply give into it as she tiptoed along on her dangerously high heels. "Eliza, please don't ever use that expression again, no one wants their balls charmed off, and how on earth does one attain an autograph from a famous cat?"

"I knew you loved grumpy cat." She smiled over her shoulder at him.

Henry laughed, slipping his hands in his pockets as they walked. "Love is a strong word, but I am familiar with the feline. Considering you send me at least one photo of him a day, captioned no less with 'Higgs, this is totes you, stop being a grouchy little kittty' it would be strange if I didn't recognize him."

"Her, Henry. Grumpy cat is a girl." They rounded the corner to her cubicle, Eliza snagging a stray rolly chair as they settled into her work area. She plopped down into it, immediately kicking her shoes off, a flash of her bright teal pedicure winking at Henry before she scooted up to her desk. "And, her name is Tardar Sauce, not grumpy cat." This last sentence was accompanied by a Vanna-White-like gesture as she framed the small poster on the wall of her cubicle. "Verdict, adorbs."

Henry sat down, frowning as he noted the lack of lumbar support in the tiny chair, trying fruitlessly to adopt a nonchalant pose as he watched Eliza settle in to her job. "I suppose I would be grumpy too if I had such a ridiculous name."

Eliza donned her headset, custom made apparently, little interlocking LV's printed across the chocolaty leather covering the thin plastic. "Alright, quiet time, Henry. It's time for you to learn how to be more relatable." She pressed one slim finger to two pouty lips in the universal sign for silence, giving him a semi-stern glance.

And with that she entered sales mode, her voice modulating slightly depending in the client she was talking to, hands flying around as she spoke, as though her clients could appreciate the unseen gestures. Henry shivered when she unexpectedly let out a deep throated real laugh, one he so rarely heard.

She was a wonder to watch, intermingling current cyber slang, with medical jargon and the typical schmoozing that went along with selling anything. He hadn't always respected her, and it was something that he had never been more ashamed of than at this very moment. Eliza was so much more than he'd been willing to see in the beginning.

He was lost in his ruminations, leaning back in his chair as he took her in, the urge to gather her to him and kiss her senseless stronger than ever. This bit of unexpected daydreaming was abruptly interrupted by the object of his affection spinning around in her chair and holding out her headset. "Your turn!"

"Ah, no, Eliza. I,uh, don't think…"

He couldn't really tell her that he had been in another world for the past half hour, learning absolutely nothing from her. She would have wanted to know what he had been thinking about, and he most certainly wasn't prepared to articulate his thoughts on the way her porcelain skin reflected the fluorescent lights.

She sighed grandiosely, getting up to settle the wireless headset over his hair, the tips of her fingers grazing his ears as she straightened it. "Come on, Higgsies, it's easy, just relax."

The corner of his mouth twitched at the silly name, and surprisingly he did feel relaxed, anxiety over this experience draining right out of him. In fact, it was as if all his worries flitted away, an assuredness filling the voids they left. It was time to enact his "no fear" policy, and this really seemed like the perfect place to start. Getting into the spirit of things, he said, "Alright, Doolio, hit me with your best shot."