A/N: So this started as a one piece for the Scarleteer fanfic challenge, but it has taken on a life of it's own and created it own little story... I hope you like Part 3.

Part 3

Eliza stood in the shadows under the arch of the train bridge, staring intently at the steps up to the main entrance of Scotland Yard. People were entering and leaving like clockwork, while she mentally gave herself the biggest pep talk of her life.

She could do this, she told herself. All she had to do was walk up the steps, go inside the building, act normal and pretend that nothing had happened. Pretend that she and William hadn't kissed, and that everything was the same as it was a week ago.

Only, everything had changed, they had kissed, multiple times, and she didn't know how to act normal anymore, or not feel awkward. She didn't know how William would behave when she got inside, if he would act any differently towards her, or even if any of his officers had seen her kiss him in his office the other day. Even just the thought that someone had seen them kiss brought a distinct feeling of dread over her.

Deep down, she knew she had to go in there. William was expecting her, and he had a paying job for her. A job she could little afford not to take, because she honestly needed the money. She leaned back against the cold archway wall and groaned, whilst gently banging the back of her head against it lightly.

"Stop being so stupid," she grumbled to herself.

With a last heavy sigh, she knew she couldn't put it off for much longer, it was time she pulled herself together, acted like the lady she was and just got on with it. She'd dealt with William for years now, so how hard could it be walking into his office. The image of kissing him in the middle of his office filled her mind and she felt her whole-body tense again.

"Damn it," she muttered. This was her own doing, and now she had to just deal with the consequences.

She pushed herself off the wall, rolled her shoulders to square them up firmly and made herself appear as confident and tall as she possibly could. 'Walk in like you own the place, and less people will stop you', she heard her father's voice say. Clutching her handbag tightly in her left hand, she stepped out of the shadows and into the bright sunlight of the day.

It was busy in the main reception, with officers milling around, a handful of people queuing to make reports, and two suspects cuffed awaiting booking into the cells. Eliza was grateful that no one seemed to notice her presence as she slipped into the main building unquestioned. Even the corridors towards William's office seem busy with officers moving around, but no one seemed to stop her. That wasn't odd, most of them were used to seeing her around the building these days. Indeed, nothing seemed any different to any other time she'd come by to work with William.

Whilst her head told her to stop as she approached William's open office door, so she could collect her thoughts one final time before going in, it seemed her feet had other intentions. They carried her straight into his office, and her eyes instantly found William, standing in the middle of his office near his desk with his back to her with an open folder in his hands. He was sans jacket, that had been left on the back of his chair. He appeared to be reading the file he was holding, and for once, he hadn't noticed her arrive.

She took a few seconds to admire his form and run her eyes over him in a way she'd always stopped herself from doing previously. His forearms were bare as his shirt cuffs were rolled up to his elbows. The white shirt sleeves were loose, hiding his taut biceps and broad shoulders that had recently held her. The sunbeams from the office windows glimmered against the silk material of his black and deep red patterned waistcoat that covered his toned muscular back. Finally, her eyes moved up and landed on the dark curl of hair at the base of his neck in contrast to the bright white of his collar. She remembered her fingers playing and stroking it the previous evening. Her breath caught in her throat as she realised, somehow, he suddenly seemed larger and more striking than he ever had.

Eliza felt a shudder down her spine, as footsteps echoed in the corridor, and she panicked about being caught staring at him. She quickly cleared her throat to announce her presence and attempted to look natural despite feeling anything but.

"Eliza."

William rolled her name in his kindest tone, quietly dropped the E, without even turning around. It was almost as if he knew she was there staring at him. He slowly turned towards her and dropped the file down a little.

Eliza gingerly took a few steps towards William, noticing that he was smiling, seemingly happy at her arrival. That, she thought, was definitely different.

William looked at her appreciatively and then glanced towards his open office door checking for any loitering officers. Feeling safe no one would notice, William stepped forward and boldly brushed a hand against her waist whilst planting a soundless unexpected kiss on Eliza's cheek, leaving her slightly dazed. He stepped backwards and smiled, before shifting backwards and acting like nothing had happened as he looked back at his file.

"I wasn't sure you were coming." William said, pretending to be distracted by his file.

Secretly, he'd spent most of the morning staring at his doorway wondering if she would indeed turn up as she had said she would, or if she would continue to avoid him.

"You asked me to," Eliza replied, attempting to sound far more normal than she felt.

She was slightly knocked off balance by his impromptu kiss, and she took a deep breath as she recovered herself. She wasn't sure what William was trying to do with his actions, but she wasn't going to let him win or think that he'd somehow unsettled her.

"Since when have you ever done as I have asked?" William challenged with a grin.

"Well, there is a first time for everything," she huffed.

"I supposed there is," he agreed.

William's smile grew a little wider as he looked up from the file and teasingly held her eyes. He watched as a small smile appeared on Eliza's lips, and unlike before, she didn't pull away from his intense look. Instead, she seemed almost resolute that she was going to appear unphased by him.

"So, what is this job that you have for me?" Eliza firmly set her jaw and as she stared waiting for his next move.

William chuckled to himself that she clearly was trying to keep it business as usual. He turned his attention to her and pointed to a large stack of files on his desk, and the case he was working on.

"I'm investigating a string of robberies, and somewhere in these is an associate of a Mr Tim Brewing…"

William folded close the file in his hand and held it out towards Eliza. She looked at him a little confused while she took it from him and opened it up to look it over.

"He's previously been a low-level thief, usually it's just pick-pocketing, the odd trinket or petty theft that he's been arrested for, but we arrested him breaking and entering at a house in Bloomsbury. Clearly, he's upped his game. I've link him to a string of other recent break ins and thefts, but I doubt he's the brains of the operation. Someone must have recruited him. He's in the cells, but not saying much. He's done this before and knows the longer he keeps quiet, the less we have on him."

Eliza listened intently to William, only her heart was starting to pound with a slight panic causing a pain in her temple. This job he was offering meant she would be sat opposite him at his desk all afternoon judging by the number of files to read through. They'd done this before, it wasn't something new going through files with him, but that was before anything had changed.

"I'm sorry, you need me to sit in here with you and go through all those files?" She confirmed, with a slightly angry tone because she in no way wanted to be uncomfortably trapped in his office with him for the whole afternoon. She had been hoping that the job he was offering was something she could quietly work on back at her office, far away from him.

"Yes, the sooner I can find the person working with him, the sooner I can put an end to this crime spree," William lied, for once rather convincingly.

The truth was, no he didn't need her to. He could of course ask one of the junior detectives to go through these files and find the clue he was looking for. Yet, the prospect of spending the whole afternoon with Eliza was too good an opportunity to pass up, even if it was reading over dull files.

Eliza stared at him with her mouth slightly opened. This was hard enough, coming back in here after what had happened, and now he wanted her to sit in here with him, possibly for hours, practically staring at each other. What was he thinking!

"Are you serious?" She asked, wondering if this was some form of personal torment that he'd picked out just for her.

"Of course. Is that a problem?" William smiled mischievously and moved to hold out the chair by his desk opposite his.

Eliza huffed; it was as if he knew that the last thing she wanted was to be sat facing him all afternoon. She thought momentarily about turning around and walking out his office in a strop. However, she needed money and she didn't have a luxury of turning down work. So instead, she smiled amusingly, and moved straight past him.

"Fine! I'll sit over here." She confirmed with a pleased look, as she walked past him and placed her bag down on the far desk in the corner near the fireplace. At least at that desk she would have her back to him and would be able to concentrate without having to worry about accidentally staring.

"Sit wherever you like," William confirmed with amusement.

He certainly didn't mind, because even at that desk he could steal glances at her and not fear getting caught by her. He picked up half the pile of files and moved them on to the desk she'd chosen to sit at, then made his way back to his own chair.

William stretched his legs under his desk, his eyes locked on Eliza's back, as he watched her remove her hat and settle herself in her chair. Calmly, she set up a pencil and paper, before opening the file he'd given her on their culprit, Tim Brewing. It wasn't unusual for him to watch her when he thought she wouldn't notice, only now it didn't feel as inappropriate as before they had kissed.

Privately, he smiled as he glanced over her perfectly twisted blonde hair and he imagined her pursed lips and serious inquisitive look that she usually had when concentrating on a case file. He dropped his eyes to her wonderful creamy pale neck that he now knew felt silky smooth against his touch, and then further to her tight blue jacket. He allowed himself a brief moment to wonder if he would get the chance to convince her to take it off, not in his office of course, but perhaps the next time they were alone in her drawing room maybe.

He stopped himself from thinking further, because if she turned round his thoughts would be written all over his face, and possibly other places, if he allowed himself to dwell on them too long. William cleared his throat then dragged himself back to the present and forced his concentration on his work, as he pulled off the top file in his pile and picked up his own pen and paper to make his own case notes.

Eliza settled into reading each file with vigour. She had thought she was being smart choosing to sit with her back to William, meaning she didn't have to look him in the face the whole time. The downside was her mind was working overtime as she wondered what he was doing behind her. Every so often she'd hear him cough or shuffle his paper and she had to stop herself from turning round or trying to subtly move her head to see what he was up to. Was he intently reading though files, or was he feeling as uncomfortable as she was?

William really was trying to focus, it wasn't his fault that his mind was somewhat distracted by Eliza, who he could always see over the top of his paperwork. He was desperately trying to concentrate on the words on the paper he was holding and not let his mind wander, but every time he heard her sigh he was reminded of the sound of her breathing while they were kissing in her drawing room. Perhaps, he realised, having her sit directly in his eye line, even if it was the back of her, still wasn't the best idea for a productive afternoon.

After a while, Eliza heard William stand up and she side eyed him as he walked out the office. Alone, she sat back in her chair as she breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly realised just how tense she'd been feeling being in here with him. Her shoulders ached from being so on edge and she stretched her neck, before finally being able to concentrate without worrying what he was up to behind her.

William was gone for long enough that she got completely engrossed in the file she was reading. So much so, she didn't notice him slip back in or approach her with a hot mug of tea in his hand until he was next to her.

His knuckles brushed against her arm as he tried to place the mug down on the desk next to her. She was so surprised that he was so close to her that she visibly jumped and almost knocked the mug right out of William's hand.

"Jesus, make a noise why don't you!" She exclaimed, whilst she tried to regain her composure and slow her fast-beating heart, while William tried not to spill the hot liquid all over the desk and paperwork.

"Me? You're the jumpy one. I just thought you'd like some tea." William wasn't sure what he'd done wrong, since it was an innocent assumption that after over an hour of them sitting in silence reading through files that she might like a drink.

Once he was certain that he hadn't split any tea, he retreated to his desk with a slight grump as he and poured himself a glass of whiskey from the open bottle behind his desk, before slumping back into his chair.

"I'm sorry, I just I didn't hear you come back in." Eliza said softly, as she realised, she was doing him a disservice being angry at him, as he was just trying to be nice.

"I shall try to remember to announce myself next time!" William offered with a heavy tone of annoyance.

She watched as he seemed to sadly curl his fingers to rest his forehead against his knuckles while he returned his concentration firmly to the open file. He was seemingly intent on ignoring her completely.

Eliza turned back and dropped her shoulders as she sat back in her chair while she looked at the wall in front of her. This wasn't going to do. They couldn't go on like this or they would more than likely drive each other even more crazy then previously.

Picking up the warm mug and the file she was reading, Eliza stood up, walked the couple of paces towards William's desk and casually sat down on the chair at his desk opposite him. She noticed him raise his eyes without moving his head and he eyed her intrigued as he silently questioned what she was doing. Eliza smiled and shrugged before looking back at her file while she drank her tea. William returned her smile, and quietly the angry tension diffused.

Sitting opposite each other seemed to put them both a little more at ease and strangely helped them focus on working. Once she finished her tea, Eliza got up and moved the rest of her unread files and her notepad from the spare desk over to Williams' and settled into her place opposite him.

Eliza tucked herself into the gap under the desk and she accidently nudged William's outstretched right foot. They both promptly looked up, their bodies frozen at the unexpected contact while neither made any move nor tried to recoil their feet. They held each other's gaze across the desk while they waited for the other to make a move or pull away. Instinctively, sharing a knowing look and almost in sync, they each moved their leg closer, so their covered ankles rested lightly against each other's, and their shoed feet curled together slightly.

It was a simple action, and the lightest of contact yet it had the desired effect of reassurance that they weren't alone in their quiet thoughts. Eliza's skirt would hide them should any officer walk in. So subtly linked, supportively being able to feel the other, they returned to their files and remained that way as they read and made their notes.

Every so often one would steal a momentary glance at the other when they thought they wouldn't be caught. They even enjoyed the calming noise of the ticking clock behind William. Only once, they both managed to look up at the same time and catch each other's gaze. They both smiled and their eyes sparkled with embarrassment at being caught staring before they quickly returned to their reading.

With their minds focused on the case, another hour ticked away before Eliza sat up a little straighter and William felt her foot move, but her ankle didn't leave his leg. She seemed to flick through the pile of files and pull one that she was clearly looking for.

He could see she thought she had discovered something, because her eyes started darting across the page, and she had that serious look on her face that he always saw, right before she was about to drop on him that she'd beaten him to the prize.

"Come on then." William announced as he sat back smiling waiting for her to reveal what she was reading.

Eliza glanced up from the file and tried her best for once not to seem too smug, after all, it was plausible that had William picked up the right file he would have found the connection instead of her.

"Tim had a four-month spell in Millbank Prison and was released three months ago. This name, Billy Watkins, keeps coming up in these files so I found his prison record. He's well known for robbery, he was in Millbank at the same time, and … it looks like they shared a cell."

Eliza handed the file over the desk to William for him to review the record.

"Billy was released two months ago, about the time these robberies started happening…"

William smirked as he looked over the prison record, and indeed this could be the lead he'd been looking for, Eliza was smiling, and for once he didn't care that she'd beaten him to the answer, because his reward for that was her beautiful smile.

"Wait here." William spoke, motioning with a finger, as he finally removed his leg from against hers, and he stood up to leave. Eliza's eyes followed him as he walked across the office and out the door.

She was pleased with herself, that despite the initial awkwardness, they had managed to work perfectly comfortably, and she even managed to find what they had been looking for. Perhaps this would be okay. That just possibly, they could work perfectly fine together, even if they had kissed, or continued to do so.

William took so long that Eliza started tidying up the files on his desk while she waited for him, so they were all neatly stacked in order to be returned the to archives. When finally he returned, he jokingly knocked on the door as he entered this time, to make sure she knew he'd returned. Eliza rolled her eyes as she watched him walking with a grin, straight to his desk then he started unrolling his shirtsleeves and buttoned up a cuff.

"So, shall we go track down this Billy Watkins then?" He asked, like it was nothing.

"You want me to come with you to arrest him?" Eliza confirmed, a little shocked.

"Well, I don't know if we can arrest him, but... Tim just gave me a location to look into…" William smiled.

Eliza took a moment to think, William didn't usually invite her along, unless it was just questioning or interviewing. Anything remotely dangerous, he would usually side-line her swiftly.

"Sure, I can send a message to Ivy that I will be late for dinner." Eliza shrugged, pretending it was no big deal to join him, when really it was.

William smiled, handed her a piece of paper to write her note and picked up his jacket from the back of his chair to put it on.

To be continued…