From Behind The Glass

From Behind The Glass

Part Six

In the middle of the vast city was a tall, majestic building that stood proud amidst the different structures that surrounded it. Inside, hundreds of feet could be heard moving about the marble floors. The elevators were in constant motion as multitudes of people made their way up to their respective offices. On the different floors, men and women could be seen running around. Small discussions could be heard at every corner as well as some small, whispered curses that seem to be directed towards 'worthless' machines that break down at the most crucial moments. It was, as usual, another busy day at the Winner building.

Quatre was beaming as he exited the parking lot. He made his way towards his office, occasionally stopping to greet and be greeted by several people.

"Good morning Mr. Winner. How was your vacation?"

"Short but pleasurable. However, I may have appreciated a longer break."

"Okay. We'll talk later. I don't want to keep you. Better hurry before the next crowd of well wishers come by to stop you."

As Quatre walked towards the elevator, dozens of greetings and words of flattery could be heard coming from all directions. Being the nice person that he was, Quatre gladly answered every question, voicing out his opinions every now and then. He also took part in small conversations that his employees indulged in. From time to time, though, he would answer reflexively as a result of his daily routine.

"Good morning Mr. Winner."

"A good morning to you too."

"The place was lonely without you Mr. Winner."

"Thank you. That's very nice."

"How was your vacation Mr. Winner?"

"It was quite nice to see my friends again."

"It's about time you took a vacation Mr. Winner."

"Well, you know I can't do that very often."

"You look nice today Mr. Winner."

"Thank you."

"We all missed you Mr. Winner."

"I missed all of you too."

" *I* missed you Mr. Winner."

"and I you."

"Will you marry me Mr. Winner?"

"Yes, of course. ... WHA..?"

"RELAX! I was just checking if you've gone into your robotic mode. You know, I can't give you an account of what happened the last four days if your mind is somewhere else."

"Anne, I didn't even notice you. Ummm, how many more floors?"

The figure, a tall, cheerful lady that was Quatre's assistant pointed towards the top of the elevator door.

"You have eyes. It's about ten more. Just keep on going with the flow. We're almost there. Go ahead with your routine. Smile and answer politely. Now, isn't that a good little boy."

"Hey, stop teasing."

As much as Quatre loved the constant teasing coming from his assistant, he hated the fact that she would call him a little boy. He was, after all, an adult now. In fact, not only was he an adult, he was also the one of the richest, most powerful men in existence. Nevertheless, he indulged in her company. He couldn't quite understand the reason why, but it may have been because her personality resembled Duo's.

This cheery person was also very perceptive. So far, she had been the only one that had noticed his mechanical answers that automatically came out of his mouth every morning. He had to admit, it was getting old, but he knew that he had to be polite with everyone around him. He had been trained for years to act this way, to prepare for his ultimate responsibility. It was the same every morning, day in and day out. Be a good little boy to everybody, just like his father said.

"Without me teasing you, you'll turn into a ..." Before she could finish, two people entered the elevator and acknowledged Quatre's presence.

"Good morning Mr. Winner. How was your vacation?"

"As enjoyable as always."

Two floors later, one person left as three more came in.

"Good morning Mr. Winner. Enjoy your vacation?"

"Yes, of course."

"How was it?"

"Very calm and very, very, *very* quiet."

When the elevator was finally empty, Quatre's assistant turned towards him with a questioning look.

"What? So I can't give little hints while still answering politely."

"I think you need another break."

After what seemed like forever, Quatre and his assistant finally reached the top floor.

"I never knew that the question 'how was your vacation' could be asked and answered in so many ways."

"Very funny."

"Hey, don't tell me that you're grumpy. You haven't even started working yet. Besides, you gotta brace yourself."

"Brace myself for what?"

Quatre turned around to look at the direction his assistant was pointing just in time to see his secretary running in break neck speed towards him.

"I told you. She's totally obsessed with you." Anne was able to whisper in Quatre's ear just before the impact.

Quatre tried to steady himself as two arms were swung around him trapping him in a tight hug.

"Mr. Winner! I missed you sooo much. Don't you ever leave me again!" The words were said with such vigor and emotion that Anne started laughing out loud.

"What's wrong? I *did* miss Qua... Mr. Winner! Hmph! Stop it!"

"I'm sorry." The still laughing assistant said. She was still trying to suppress her laughter as she continued. "It's just that I've heard that same line before coming from Mr. Barton. Kind of sweet, isn't it?"

With the mention of Trowa's name, the secretary's expression turned from one of joy to that of anger.

"I'm going back to work now." she muttered, stiing down on her chair, violently handling the papers, the pens, the stapler, the phone, and everything else around her.

"It's nice to see you again. Don't worry, I won't be taking another vacation for quite some time, I won't be leaving you any time soon." Quatre said these words in such a gentle manner that his secretary's frown quickly turned into a smile.

"Oh, by the way," he said as he was following Anne towards the door to his office "Trowa's coming over at lunch. If he comes early and calls, would you please tell him that I'll be coming down right away."

His secretary pouted but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it. She sighed and answered, defeated "Yes Mr. Winner."

"Thanks."

When the door closed behind them, Anne pulled Quatre to a chair and gave him a review of what went on during his four days of absence. It took more than two hours to discuss the small details. When she was done, she made sure Quatre was ready for the day and left to get back to her own work.

Before leaving she said "You say you're fine but I know there's something wrong. Better take care of yourself. Oh, and tell Trowa to come by and visit me some time."

She closed the door and walked towards the elevator in a hurry. Just before the elevator door open, she suddenly heard an angered whisper coming from the secretary.

"You'll never have him."

Quite amused, Anne turned back and said in return "Neither will you. He's already taken, remember?"

The floor was instantly vacated except for the secretary who gossiped over the phone and Quatre who was standing by the door, staring at his desk. He had not realized it when he came in but his desk was full of stacked folders, waiting to be read, reread and signed. Knowing that he couldn't will the workload to disappear, he walked slowly to his desk and flopped down on his large chair. He reached for the top folder and started reading its contents.