**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my ideas, not Virginia, not Tony,
not Christine, not Robin Hood, not even the bouncy castles. I do however
own Jason and, although she really doesn't matter, Chloe. Also, let it be
known that I'm not making any money whatsoever for writing
this...hmmm...guess I should look into that problem! :-p
A/N : Sorry it's been so long in coming but chapters 4 and 5 are almost done so I promise more will be up soon!
Chapter 3 - "She Seen Her Share of Devils"
Tony was sitting at his desk working when he heard a knock on his door. It annoyed him, because just them he was trying to finish his production report so he could go home to the girls early. He was hoping to surprise them and maybe they could all curl up on the sofa in the den for a movie after dinner. He didn't really have time to be interrupted.
"Come in," he said without taking his eyes off of his work, and letting a little of the annoyance he felt into his voice.
"Ummm...sir?" Tony recognized the hesitant voice of his Head of Finance, Jason Walters, and looked up. Jason's face was whiter than new fallen snow and little beads of perspiration were rolling down his forehead.
"Yes, what is it?" Tony's voice echoed the concern etched on Jason's face.
"You know how you told me to re-invest the profits from the Bouncy Castles to develop the new Robin Hood line?" He paused and waited for Tony to nod before continuing. "Well ... the Hood castles are a flop ... only 300 were finished and those don't hold the air that well. We were rushing them through production too fast ... we didn't run the quality checks like we should have. The demand went to our heads." Jason lowered his head. "I'm sorry, sir."
"It's...it's all right," Tony heard himself say. "Somehow we'll get through this. It'll be all right."
Slowly, Tony got up from his desk and walked towards the door of his office. He took the finance reports from Jason's outstretched hand and glanced at them shakily. It was all there. Jason wasn't overreacting on bit. The red ink on the page jumped out at Tony's eyes like the brightest flames though they gave him no warmth. Tony's once-Million-dollar company was going bankrupt! He walked over to his desk phone and paged his secretary, Chloe.
"Call a meeting at 9 tomorrow morning for all Heads of departments," Tony said briskly, hoping Chloe wouldn't notice that anything was wrong. The last thing he needed right now was a panic.
"Yes, sir," Chloe said and hung up the phone.
Tony glanced over at Jason. Both of their faces were gaining some color back but Tony suddenly felt like he was going to throw-up. "I'm going home," he told Jason as he walked out the door of his office. "Tell everyone to go home..." Jason nodded and Tony turned and walked down the hallway mumbling as much to himself as to Jason "It's all right...everything's going to be all right."
Somehow Tony made it out to his car and safely home. By the time he reached his front door his mind had cleared and a plan had started to form in the back of his mind. He still had the other castle lines and there was that new branch in climbers they had started recently. They were both showing promise. If he could just cancel the Hood line, pull money from some other lines and get the climbers on solid ground the company might just squeak through.
"Hmmm...." Tony could almost smile at the irony of it being the Robin Hood line that was losing money for him. Almost. *Guess he really does steal from the rich!* Tony thought. He opened the front door, walked in and hung his coat in the front closet.
"Trin? Ginney?! I'm home," he called. Normally, the girls would come rushing up to him as soon as they heard him come in. It was one of his favorite times of the day. Hugging the two most important people in his life always reminded him of why he got up at 5 every morning and went to work to support them. Today, however, there was no sound of running feet. In fact, the house was strangely still. The only sound Tony heard was the bathtub being filled upstairs. *Strange,* thought Tony. *Normally Christine doesn't take baths during the day and Virginia only takes baths before bed.* He didn't let it worry him too much though, probably Christine was just stressed out over something and wanted to relax while soaking in the bath. As he thought this over, Tony walked up to the bathroom door and knocked.
"Trin? Ginney?!" There was no answer. He knocked a little harder and called out "Virginia? Christine?" Still no answer. He reached down and turned the doorknob. A small gasp escaped from the room he was about to enter. Tony pushed on the door and walked into the bathroom.
A/N : Sorry it's been so long in coming but chapters 4 and 5 are almost done so I promise more will be up soon!
Chapter 3 - "She Seen Her Share of Devils"
Tony was sitting at his desk working when he heard a knock on his door. It annoyed him, because just them he was trying to finish his production report so he could go home to the girls early. He was hoping to surprise them and maybe they could all curl up on the sofa in the den for a movie after dinner. He didn't really have time to be interrupted.
"Come in," he said without taking his eyes off of his work, and letting a little of the annoyance he felt into his voice.
"Ummm...sir?" Tony recognized the hesitant voice of his Head of Finance, Jason Walters, and looked up. Jason's face was whiter than new fallen snow and little beads of perspiration were rolling down his forehead.
"Yes, what is it?" Tony's voice echoed the concern etched on Jason's face.
"You know how you told me to re-invest the profits from the Bouncy Castles to develop the new Robin Hood line?" He paused and waited for Tony to nod before continuing. "Well ... the Hood castles are a flop ... only 300 were finished and those don't hold the air that well. We were rushing them through production too fast ... we didn't run the quality checks like we should have. The demand went to our heads." Jason lowered his head. "I'm sorry, sir."
"It's...it's all right," Tony heard himself say. "Somehow we'll get through this. It'll be all right."
Slowly, Tony got up from his desk and walked towards the door of his office. He took the finance reports from Jason's outstretched hand and glanced at them shakily. It was all there. Jason wasn't overreacting on bit. The red ink on the page jumped out at Tony's eyes like the brightest flames though they gave him no warmth. Tony's once-Million-dollar company was going bankrupt! He walked over to his desk phone and paged his secretary, Chloe.
"Call a meeting at 9 tomorrow morning for all Heads of departments," Tony said briskly, hoping Chloe wouldn't notice that anything was wrong. The last thing he needed right now was a panic.
"Yes, sir," Chloe said and hung up the phone.
Tony glanced over at Jason. Both of their faces were gaining some color back but Tony suddenly felt like he was going to throw-up. "I'm going home," he told Jason as he walked out the door of his office. "Tell everyone to go home..." Jason nodded and Tony turned and walked down the hallway mumbling as much to himself as to Jason "It's all right...everything's going to be all right."
Somehow Tony made it out to his car and safely home. By the time he reached his front door his mind had cleared and a plan had started to form in the back of his mind. He still had the other castle lines and there was that new branch in climbers they had started recently. They were both showing promise. If he could just cancel the Hood line, pull money from some other lines and get the climbers on solid ground the company might just squeak through.
"Hmmm...." Tony could almost smile at the irony of it being the Robin Hood line that was losing money for him. Almost. *Guess he really does steal from the rich!* Tony thought. He opened the front door, walked in and hung his coat in the front closet.
"Trin? Ginney?! I'm home," he called. Normally, the girls would come rushing up to him as soon as they heard him come in. It was one of his favorite times of the day. Hugging the two most important people in his life always reminded him of why he got up at 5 every morning and went to work to support them. Today, however, there was no sound of running feet. In fact, the house was strangely still. The only sound Tony heard was the bathtub being filled upstairs. *Strange,* thought Tony. *Normally Christine doesn't take baths during the day and Virginia only takes baths before bed.* He didn't let it worry him too much though, probably Christine was just stressed out over something and wanted to relax while soaking in the bath. As he thought this over, Tony walked up to the bathroom door and knocked.
"Trin? Ginney?!" There was no answer. He knocked a little harder and called out "Virginia? Christine?" Still no answer. He reached down and turned the doorknob. A small gasp escaped from the room he was about to enter. Tony pushed on the door and walked into the bathroom.