"I see she's working on a high-profile case, Ronald Knox."
"You mean the one with Baroness-"
"Yes, the Madam Red case." William cut off the boy's sentence rather abruptly, not wanting to hear the full name of the person on trial.
It was a miserable November afternoon, dampened with cold rain. William brought up the subject - almost too casually - as the two bid farewell at the gate of the chamber.
Grell was staying behind in her office for the umpteenth time in a month.
"She's really focused on it. We barely talk anymore." Ronald answered.
William's eyebrows twitched alarmingly, "She didn't let you follow up on that case?"
"No, she never lets me access any of the materials - kept everything in a red folder."
"I know."
The young man knitted his brows in concern, "It's insane. I can't believe I can only learn more about my supervisor's case through the news."
William shut his eyes as he opened his umbrella, "She's like that sometimes. I guess this case is simply too important for her to risk getting a second opinion. Or she's just avoiding any opinion. Either way, this doesn't sound good."
"What are you going to do, Mr Spears?"
William opened his emerald eyes and stared forward, "I'll see you on Monday, Ronald Knox." He watched as the boy hesitantly dash through the rain without cover and disappear into the underground station, then closed his umbrella and walked right back into the chamber.
William carefully pushed the door open and entered Grell's office, "You're surprisingly diligent lately."
Grell yawned before smiling tiredly at him, "I take that as a compliment."
William stopped in front of her desk, glancing across the mess that is her workspace, "Ever thought about using some help?"
Grell giggled, like a little girl plotting a prank, "Not this time. The kid is too young for a case like this. We can give him hell all we want in his second six, but right now, let's just make his life a little easier."
"You are not usually this considerate."
"Again, I take that as a compliment, my dear." she winked at him.
William sighed at her lack of seriousness, but he knew he shouldn't be surprised at all. "Your case has been making headlines for the past weeks. But don't put too much pressure on yourself. I know it's a difficult argument to make." he could see Grell's expression change as he spoke.
The redhead sat up from her chair and leaned forward, her voice drifting lower, "Are you questioning my ability to handle this case, Will?"
"Honestly, I said no such thi-"
"But that's what you're thinking." she let out a sarcastic laugh, "You think I'm overly confident, too proud to ask for assistance and too obsessed with the case to even consider the tiny chance of failure."
"The Phantomhives are determined to put her in prison for life. I'm not saying you're not qualified to fight them, but given how solid the evidence is, pleading not guilty seems a bit - how should I say - too ambitious. The chances are stacked against her. Maybe you should-"
"I told you that's exactly what is on your mind." Grell rose impatiently, "I don't work for you, Mr Spears. We happened to have the same job title and you work in an office opposite to mine, that's it. This is my case and I shall do whatever I can to keep my client out of jail. Period." she then pointed to her half-open door, "It's late. I'm sure you'd like to go home since you resent spending time here after work."
William stared solemnly at her, "Do you remember why we became barristers in the first place?"
Feeling more humiliated by his remarks than ever, Grell lashed out the moment she heard the question, "Out!" sharp teeth visible between her angry lips.
"Don't invest too much emotion in one case. It'd hinder your judgment."
"I don't need a B student to lecture me on how I should do my job!" she made the final call, her arm remained in the air, "Get out of my office, NOW!"
William opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He fell silent for a while before nodding slightly and retreating from the room, "I'll leave you alone then." he whispered. There was no point in talking sense into her anymore, he realized. He has seen this Grell before. It didn't end well last time, and he was sure it wouldn't this time around, either. What frustrated him the most was that he didn't know what to do. A familiar sense of hopelessness floored him, bringing him back events he wished had ended differently, fond memories of a relationship he wished hadn't fallen apart.
He hated himself for not being able to do more then, and he hates himself now for not being able to do anything.
Maybe he is indeed that sadistic control freak she once accused him of being. Maybe he should just leave her alone this time. She could be going down a risky path, but his concerns seemed to have always made the matter worse. He wanted to change her mind, but she would not stand being challenged. He could be wrong this time and maybe she would get what she wanted. He doesn't like being wrong, but he hope he is.
After all, she doesn't work for him. What right does he have to question her decisions?
He probably cared too much anyway.
Agreeing to Eric's invitation to hit the bar was definitely a bad idea, although it didn't take Ronald Knox long to strike off a mildly suggestive conversation with someone 3 minutes after he entered the place. It was a miracle that he'd even have the time to hang out in places like this during his first six. His supervisors are definitely going easy on him, he thought. But it also reminded Ronald that one of them refused to share her case with him. Is it because she didn't trust him? Or she thought he wasn't qualified to even hear about her case? And Mr Spears' reaction was even more curious. Was he not pleased with her secrecy? What would he do? There were so many questions in his head that he didn't even notice when his companion left the stool.
"I'm sorry, where are yo-" he turned around, "Oh…"
Eric arrived, alone.
He should have seen this coming.
Eric definitely knows how to suck energy from people around to feed his infectious glamour. Whether he declared his inavailability to people of the female persuasion doesn't change a thing, and Ronald envied him for that.
There he was, chatting with the girl who 30 seconds ago was mentally making out with Ronald. But it didn't take long for Eric to realize that his guest had arrived before him, "Hey, Ron!" he waved as he approached the boy, now sulking alone at the corner, "You're early."
"You're late." Ronald replied dryly.
Eric snickered, "Why are you looking at me like this? Sour grapes?"
Ronald sighed, "Nevermind." and the moment he finished, another girl came up to greet Eric, completely ignoring the blond next to him.
Eric obviously felt the boy's unease, but he didn't like turning people away, so he stayed where he was and engaged the girl in what appeared to be a very interesting conversation.
Ronald heard none of it and only rolled his eyes with a smirk before ordering another drink.
As long as Eric is around, his evening is doomed.
Having only a fraction of Eric's fun, Ronald gritted his teeth and headed outside to get some fresh air when he unexpectedly bumped into his savior, "Alan!"
Seconds after he shouted the clerk's name, Eric was behind him, eagerly dragging the brunnette inside by the wrist, "I've been waiting for you forever. Let's get you a drink, Alan!"
Ronald almost smiled ear to ear: if only Alan had arrived earlier!
The three sat down at a table and Ronald could finally revenge by being the unmovable third wheel.
"Hey, Ron, why don't you go talk to those ladies over there?" Eric suggested, his hands on the table, anxiously waiting to move closer to Alan's.
Ronald shook his head, a wide, innocent smile plastered onto his face, "No, I'm pretty comfortable here."
"Let him stay, Eric." Alan said, completely unaware of the tension, "He had a long day at the chamber. Am I right, Ronald?"
"Certainly." Ronald answered.
"Speaking of the chamber," Eric leaned back against his seat, an arm sneaking behind Alan's shoulders, "what's with Grell? I've been reading about her case from the papers, but she wouldn't say a word about it."
"You mean the Madam Red case?" Alan asked, "She's going to court next week."
"Pleading not guilty with a crystal-clear motive and broken alibi, she's got herself in some dicey business... Also, how did she get her hands on this case in the first place? I know she can be directly accessed now, but I don't remember the Madam Red people ever approaching her. Know anything, Alan?"
Alan shook his head, "I don't have the details, sorry. But I think she's very determined to get the Baroness off the charges. Maybe she just wants to concentrate on the case. She's an experienced barrister, after all. She knows what she's doing."
Ronald audibly swallowed, not sure if he was supposed to bring up William's reactions from earlier, instead, he settled for a different set of questions he had been brewing for some time, "Ms Sutcliff and Mr Spears…" he stared blankly into his empty glass, "are they old friends?"
Eric chuckled, "They're friend like Alan and I are just friends."
"Eric!" Alan gently slapped the taller man on his chest, his face red with embarrassment, "But we are friends."
Still caught in his own thoughts, Ronald continued, "So they are like...lovers?"
"I'm surprised you never heard about their days in the Inn." Eric sat up, "They were inseparable."
"Really?" Ronald found that hard to imagine, "But what happened? I mean, they sure know each other quite well but they're not what I'd call close… You know what I mean?"
"Totally. I had the same questions when I started working with them." Eric nodded, "But no one knows the answer, sorry, Ron. They are just weird people, and weird people have weird reasons for break-up, I guess."
T.B.C.