A/N: Another remastered chapter. Chapter headings were kept because I'm immature and I still find them funny.
Spoilers: Mostly for Vows, eventually The Pack
Warnings: a bit more snark, a little language later and adult themes MUCH later (Xanatos/Fox for those of you worried I was going somewhere else with that.)
Disclaimer: Gargoyles… Disney… Buena Vista… Greg Weisman… not me.
Chapter 2: The First Time They Work Together
"He the most efficient worker in the company," this was said in a low voice and David leaned toward the two women. Myra and Belinda shared a look. "Mr. Renard has said so himself… more than once."
"Really?" David was skeptical. If Owen was riding the coattails of a more experienced relative then there'd be no reason for him to put any outstanding effort into his work. But Myra and Belinda nodded at him seriously.
"He's up to date on everything," Belinda said conspiratorially. "He keeps up on all the projects and how they're going, even the ones he's not working on himself," she paused and looked around as though concerned that someone might have been listening. "He knows more about my department than I do."
David thought about how Owen had known what file to pull without being told what David had been looking for. David was only personally involved in one project at that moment; it made sense that he'd only be looking for information about that specifically. His mental image of Owen improved.
"It was going around that after the promotion-"
"That one a lot of people were up in arms about, saying that a new office assistant shouldn't get to be promoted so soon, especially one so young."
"Right. It was going around after that that Burnett was aiming for Vogel's job," the women shared a look, something unsaid passing between them.
"I know the ladies up on that floor would have appreciated the change," Belinda said a bit sharply, her eyebrows raised in a significant fashion. David wondered what else was going unsaid, but decided not to stray from his purpose.
"They don't think that anymore?" he asked carefully. Better to let them think that he was only after the office gossip than digging for specifics. Myra shook her head.
"He's not really the type, is he?" she shrugged.
"'Not the type'?" David frowned while Belinda raised an eyebrow at him. "If he's so good at keeping up with-"
"I only meant that he's not really the ambitious sort," Myra interrupted, waving a carrot stick at him. "And he isn't. The order to promote him came after some big deal with one of the project managers. A lot of people got moved around after he was let go but Owen was the only one promoted and it was a big one too, wasn't it?"
"People said a lot of nasty things back then," Belinda shook her head. "They were just angry, right? But he's the youngest guy on that team and what they were saying, sometimes not even behind his back, can't have helped him fit in, huh?"
"And he doesn't do the office politics thing," Myra paused to bite the carrot she'd been holding since the conversation had started. "You'd think after that, as responsible as he is, he'd be trying to get to the top, but he just won't play those games."
"There was this big thing, a few weeks before you came in, between two office heads. Well no one wants to admit it but Owen is like teacher's pet with those big wigs. Everything on time, everything triple checked and twice confirmed, they probably don't even scratch their own butts when he's at their beck and call," Belinda took a long drink from her soda. "Well these two guys started angling for more power. Mr. Renard was making noise about cutting one of them because it'd be more efficient or some such, I dunno. It split the whole division, everyone took a side even though it was obvious who was gonna get the spot. Not Owen. This would have been his chance to be promoted again as the winner's personal assistant or partner or whatever, but he kept quiet, stuck to his work, didn't make waves…"
"So he doesn't do office politics," David rested his chin on his folded hands, frowning.
"Probably doesn't have the guts for it," Myra made an affronted noise and Belinda raised her hands in surrender. "I just mean, he's so quiet he probably wouldn't know how and he's not making any friends is he? Even if he tried he wouldn't get far."
David doubted that.
(Line Break)
Halcyon Renard had never liked David Xanatos. David suspected that it had a lot to do with the fact that the man's nineteen year old daughter and only child had something of a crush on him, but since David really was waiting for a more appropriate time to return the young woman's affections and since David was qualified for the position, Renard had had little choice but to accept the man's application.
It was with great reluctance that Halcyon allowed David to take over his own research division and with even greater reluctance that he allowed David to hand pick the other members of his team. But take 'Golden-Boy Burnett'? Not without a fight.
"I can name ten men with more experience that aren't busy with their own work and who would be better suited for the job," David smiled serenely. He was a little surprised at the older man's reluctance to lend him the junior researcher, but he suspected that Renard's reluctance stemmed from a loyalty toward his own personal assistant Preston Vogel.
"Certainly there are more qualified men available, but I think the experience would be beneficial for Mr. Burnett."
"What does it matter to you if he benefits from the experience?" Halcyon's eyes narrowed and David gave him a surprised look.
"Of course it matters to me. He's a bright young man and I'd hate to see him stuck in a junior research position when it's obvious he could be doing so much more," Halcyon didn't look convinced and David would have been disappointed if he had been. "Honestly? I've heard nothing but good things about him. He's impressed me with his organizational skills, his work ethic and his reasoning ability. I want him to help me manage the project. It would look good for him to have the experience, later on."
"Are you implying I'd let him go?" Halcyon raised an eyebrow and David smiled.
"Keep holding him back and you might not have a choice."
(Line Break)
If David expected Owen to show any sort of excitement or appreciation for being temporarily promoted to the position of a manager – at twenty-two he would be the youngest in the company's history – he was, again, disappointed. Owen behaved as though this sort of advancement were neither out of the ordinary nor unexpected but managed, somehow, not to seem arrogant. David had picked the rest of his team for their ability to the work he was demanding of them, but as he was still relatively new and didn't necessarily care about how well his underlings got along, he failed to see that some of his choices were going to become problem areas.
"It would be easier to-"
"Easier, perhaps, but efficiency and quality would suffer," David frowned, rounding a corner. Owen was in a staring contest with one of the scientists David had been loaned for the initial stages of the project and the surprisingly large man in a lab coat was clenching his fists. "Please, follow my instructions and-"
"What makes you think you're qualified to tell me how to do my job? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get these components to work in perfect synchronization? Do you know how long it takes?" The man was turning red. If his obvious anger and color changing abilities bothered Owen he didn't show it.
"Yes, I do," Owen calmly pushed his glasses up his nose with his middle finger. Whether this was habit or an insult, David couldn't tell, but the scientist was clearly going to take it as an insult. "Just follow my instructions and there shouldn't be any problem with the time management that you seem so worried about."
"Listen you little-" the bigger man took a threatening step forward and Owen moved not at all.
"Is there a problem here?" David raised his voice so that anyone in the general vicinity would hear. The scientist jerked his head to look at the man that was effectively his boss for the foreseeable future and visibly paled. Owen turned to face him at a more leisurely pace. If he was feeling grateful for being saved from what would have probably turned into a very painful encounter, he hid it well.
"Not at all, Mr. Xanatos," Owen shifted his grip on the files he carried under his arm. "I was simply explaining to Dr. Green why sticking to the time table I've laid out would be more productive than any alternative."
"I see," David clasped his hands behind his back and approached the two. Dr. Green looked progressively more nervous as he approached. "I trust your judgment. Doctor?"
"I- there's no problem," the scientist turned and fled the scene. David waited a moment before turning to Owen. Once he was fully facing the blonde, Owen pulled some papers from a file and started looking them over.
"Initial tests have suggested that it would be better to change the chemical mix from a percentage of-"
"Mr. Burnett?" Owen looked up from the paper and David was struck by just how young the other man was. Almost a full decade younger than himself.
"Yes, sir?" pure professionalism. Suit pressed, tie straight, hair carefully combed, shoulder's back, posture perfect; at an age when most men were still living at home or just starting college, Owen Burnett acted like he'd been working in the business world for years. For a moment David wondered if he was looking at someone with a mild case Asperger's Syndrome. He immediately disregarded the thought as unlikely, though not impossible, if only because he'd seen Owen's work space and it looked more like it belonged to someone with a bad case of OCD than it did someone prone to creative outbursts.
"How is the second team progressing?" Owen blinked and for a brief moment David thought he'd caught the young man off guard and unprepared. He was proven wrong however when Owen replaced the papers he'd been holding and removed a new sheet from the file.
"The reports are due tomorrow sir, but this is accurate up to yesterday."
A/N: I for one think the new version of that conversation is vastly improved. R&R Please.