Drew raised her brow as she made her way down the hall seeing her door open. The light was on. She checked her watch seeing it was just after six thirty in the morning. Who was at her office at this hour, and how did they get in?

She'd said she'd be ready to meet with Aro at ten to go over what her findings for the bodies. She had been pacing in her apartment for most of the night after talking with Marcus, until she finally gave in and called Aro.

She grabbed the edge of her counter as she watched the phone connect. Her fingers itching to dive into her already yanked curls. Lord knew what she was doing calling the man this late at night. It was almost eleven at night. She should have texted.

"Whatever could have you up at this hour, Doctor?"

She blushed hearing the man answer after one ring.

"I am so sorry Aro. I should have asked you. You haven't even been down to the labs yet. This is your project and I completely overstepped. Please –"

"Drew." He cut her off.

The words died in her throat, hearing the firmness in his tone.

"Take a deep breath."

She did as she was told.

"Good girl. Now in slow words, tell me, what has you awake at this hour? It is nearly midnight, and as I recall you have an early day."

"I couldn't take it." She blurted, cheeks burning. "I had to tell you."

"Specifically, now?" He mused. "In what context?"

The question out of place, she scrunched her nose up. Had he not heard from his brother? She had thought he'd make it more obvious what he was doing… she paused, did the brothers even live together? She'd made such an assumption.

"I can hear the wheels turning in your head Doctor,"

"I took liberty of digging for information on the bodies. I over stepped, I'm sorry. I should have told you what was happening the connections and invasive exploration I was doing. Aro, please forgive me. I was going to tell you, when I had answers but the guilt when I spoke with your brother today it got to me. I didn't mean to over step and go into your family's history without permission."

Silence was her answer.

She stiffened pulling the phone off speaker and putting it to her ear.

A few muffled laughs and crashes echoed over the line.

"Aro, are you alright?"

"Perfectly fine," He exhaled, exasperation in the sigh.

She bit her bottom lip, feeling shame pour over her, as ice dripping down her back. "I'm sorry. I understand if you let me go."

"No." he snapped. "No… I am not firing you –I owe you my own apologies Drew, my brother is in the same room as I. He decided now would be a good time to interrupt. I am not mad at you, slightly confused but not angry. Why don't we discuss this at a better time, you need to sleep."

"Oh… Does ten in the morning work for you? I have a team meeting at 8 before they go out to the site."

"It does, now go to sleep, Doctor."

"G 'night." She yawned.

Aro wouldn't show up now and change his mind, would he? He'd always been punctual in the few weeks she'd known him. He did show up unexpected sometimes, like his annoying brother.

She got to the door that was swung open, she hesitantly peered around the corner to see inside her office. There humming quietly with a mop in hand was a cleaner. She relaxed stepping back looking around her door. There she saw the cart parked. She blinked. Cleaners existed. They did tend to odd hours.

She knocked on the door to announce her presence.

The woman didn't look up.

Drew looked the woman over. Long auburn hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. Her skin a few shades lighter than her own. She was in a pair of what looked like grey scrubs.

"Hello?" Drew called.

The woman turned slowly humming as she went. Dark hazel eyes widened seeing her. Her hand flew to her chest as a small scream escaped her.

Her hands frantically moved. "Sorry, we are behind on schedule due to a spill in one of the labs."

"You're deaf," Drew signed. "It is of no problem. I am sorry for scaring you."

The woman smiled. "You know BSL."

"Yes,"

"The professors usually don't bother with any sign."

"Not a professor. I'm an archeologist." She replied. "Thank you for cleaning regardless, without you this place would be like the dump."

"Makes sense then. I'm Marianna." She introduced herself with a laugh.

"I'm Drew, a pleasure."

"I should get back to this, it's nice to meet you." Freya waved goodbye.

She watched Marianna leave who waved as she passed by Aro. Drew approached her desk rounding up seeing him. She stood up straighter.

"Sit down, you are in your own office." Aro dismissed the silent question on her lips. He sat down in the process. "You know sign language?"

He leant back knee lazily over his other with his hands clasped.

"Yeah. I had a friend who happened to be deaf. She taught me ASL so we could talk as much as we wanted. We got tired of her trying to read lips. I was insistent we be friends. We had the same shirt on. Also, when I was doing work in university, I had a few deaf classmates who used BSL, so I learnt it as well. Languages come easy to me. Always have." She explained.

"I learn something new about you each time we meet," he marveled.

"My turn for a question."

"Ask away,"

"What are you doing here so early? The meeting is not for another three and a half hours." She questioned eyeing her watch.

"Three hours and nineteen minutes."

She rolled her eyes. "You are still three hours early, and we agreed to meet in your office last I checked. You have a habit of that."

She leant into her hands on propped elbows to stare at him.

"I was making some rounds. Thought I would stop by."

"Bit of a presumption I would be here."

"You are not without your own habits Doctor." He smirked. "You do not start until seven, yet you arrive early. Unpaid mind you. You then insist on ignoring the riposo despite working the same hours as everyone else. I believe that is called a workaholic, am I correct? You really must learn to take your proper lunch."

"I took my lunch last week with my colleagues. A restaurant that worked around the busy riposo." She argued.

"One out of the many months you've been here. You have many hours of overtime unpaid. You come in do your work, work over the time and do so continuously. This is the definition of Workaholic. This is correct?" He pressed leaning forward on her desk.

"You know you are." She huffed. "I'm not used to long lunches. An hour is usually the max at most companies in North America. Some less."

"This is why North Americans suffer from bad hearts, and stress." He sighed. "You do not wish to risk your life, do you? Dying young for a job, it is a waste of such a wonderous woman."

"That is where you seem confused Sir, this is not a mere job. This is my passion. The discoveries. I live for this."

"Do you not have other hobbies that keep you busy, family, or friends?"

Drew sat back. "I have a work life balance. It may not be that of the average Italian, but I do. I do have many friends here and back home. Family is a touchy topic I don't wish to discuss right now."

"My sincerest apologies, Drew I did not mean to make you uncomfortable." He took her hand that she tried to hide. He ran his cool thumb over her knuckles, eyes hooded in his concern.

She gulped trying to look away. "I think we're even."

He raised a brow to her.

"I went snooping through your family's business without permission. I ordered a few Archives from your brother and didn't even think about the access I may need to be granted to do so. I just jumped into action looking for answers to my own questions without consulting you. I don't even know if your curious for the source of those bodies. I understand if you let me go or write me up."

"Ah, that." He nodded once pulling back. "Marcus is more than capable than knowing what is allowed out of the archives for our history. If it was classified, it'd not be provided to you. His teasing was in ill taste. He told me of what happened. I assure you no reparations will come from this."

"Oh." She blinked. "You didn't answer the other half of what I said."

"Personally, I do not care if we know the origins of the bodies in detail, as long as they are not recent. I think for the archives it may be a good idea to have it in writing why they were there, in case. I am alright if you do go looking into all of this, causes of deaths as well." He permitted.

"Yes!" She bounced in her seat spinning around. He laughed as her cheeks heated. "Sorry. I'm relieved that you aren't punishing me for looking into it, or angry. A small part of me may be happy I get to continue finding out. While it's not the most fascinating to everyone else. It is for me."

"If it makes you happy, I will be more than willing to provide my brother as your personal assistant for this project as well to get to your answers." He offered.

"You'd really send over your brother to assist?"

"He's the best with familial knowledge and the archives. It has always been his project. I don't see the harm in forcing him to come up from his layer now and then." Aro smiled.

"You're really wicked at times Aro," she chuckled.

"I have been told this before," he agreed standing from his seat. She mirrored his actions. "Now that our ten o'clock has opened, we still have a meeting. You will join me for a morning coffee and stroll around the castle grounds."

"You are certain? Aren't you busy running your businesses?"

"For you, cara mia. I will always make time." He bowed over her hand taking it kissing the back of each.

"Okay, see you then…" She watched as he left her office giving her a wink before closing her door.

The morning meeting ran a bit longer than intended. Drew hurried herself as much as she could in her flats. She mentally cursed herself for not wearing something more appropriate for walking on uneven cobble stones. She glanced at her watch. Dread washed over her.

10:01

The hands mocked her as she hurried on. All because Azrael needed to be right about some building material. She exhaled. She'd been one of the catalysts to the argument. She questioned why they put up with her at times. She hurried into the town hall barely catching her breath as she stopped right in front of a wide-eyed secretary.

"I have a meeting with Sir Turi –Aro." She took a deep breath, feeling her cheeks warm.

"It's seven minutes passed ten. Sir Turi does not wait for anyone." The receptionist replied eyeing Drew over.

Drew knew she didn't look the most put together right now. Her curls were probably standing all over despite her styling them that morning. Her eyeliner could be running because of her own stress tears she'd wiped away on the way over. No time to look in a mirror. Her gut dropped.

"I –I know it's passed ten, my last meeting—"

"Sir Turi is a very important man. He does not wait around for tardy people."

"Gianna, in this case I will make the exception. Dr. Danvers is one of my archeologists on a private project." Aro interrupted.

Drew whirled around finding him standing a foot away. Her eyes went wide as she met his dark gaze. Her heart slammed into her chest. throat suddenly dry.

How was it he managed to look so perfect every time she saw him? She returned his smile despite the increased heart rate.

He motioned her forward towards his office. She turned beginning to walk. Aro stepped in line with her.

"You are never late Doctor,"

"The team meeting went on longer than intended. I am so sorry Aro. If I've messed up your schedule, I seriously don't mind rescheduling." She rambled on.

"If I remember correctly, we were to be getting a drink and going for a stroll. A few minutes is hardly a crime. This was a meeting to relax you, not stress you out." He offered his arm.

"Still."

"You live so close by the clock you forget to truly be in the moment." He commented guiding her back the way she'd come through the cloudy court yard.

"My life has been pretty much controlled by a clock since I was a kid. I don't know how I would function if we lost them." She murmured looking ahead.

The morning rushing crowd had long disappeared. a person now and then would pass but no one remained. Aro kept hold of her arm however guiding her to one of the cafés nearby.

"You would work as all ancient people did. There were other ways to get tasks done in a timely fashion before we revolved around little clocks."

"When we only worried to survive." She quipped. "Humans have been struggling to survive since the dawn of it all. Whether it's hunting and gathering, to current late teer capitalism. Well, whatever this era is influenced by. The economical crash and growing disproportionate wealth between the poor and ultra-rich. We humans are doomed to the same existence bound by time, ending in dust."

"A very grim overview, doctor." Aro mused.

"On the contrary it is a reminder how precious and fragile our lives are. We may be tiny organisms in the vast universe barely existing, does not mean it isn't something. Each dust is as wonderful as the star we orbit. We are all one within each other."

"Yet you work away the hours with your limited time." He reminded bringing their conversation back to the beginning.

"I'm young, caught up in the want to know everything." She smiled. "Old habits."

"One you must learn to let go."

"It's what happens when my passion is so intertwined with my work." She looked over to him before they reached the café counter. "What about you Aro, surely you are as much a workaholic as I."

"A fair point."

They paused to get a cup of tea. The cool September sky was surprisingly grey for what usually was always full of sun. she accepted the to go cup from the barista with pleasure. It was not long until Aro was leading her back towards the main city hall and old town fort that housed the Turi family.

"My leisure time is in perfect balance. I have known when to go home."

"Yet you accept my calls at any time of night it seems." She chuckled.

"Now that I did not expect to be a work call." He admitted looking over to her.

Drew paused, cheeks heating. "I –I'm not really good with the whole…" she gestured to him. "Wow that came out wrong! I meant I'm terrible at reading the whole situation on us. You ask me to a gala, under the guise of work function. I don't want to offend you Aro, am I reading into this situation wrong? If I am, seriously tell me… I –have you been flirting with me?"

Aro laughed lightly turning her to stand in front of him. He slid a finger under her chin bringing her gaze back to him, not allowing her to escape. She remained focused on his dark eyes. How the iris was swallowed by black. In times her Gran had told her to run from black eyed people. Yet here she was ignoring it, with the urge to follow up where ever.

"It has been a long time since I have vied for the attention of a young woman, I am the one who should be apologizing. I thought I was being very clear in my intentions towards you." He clarified. "I mean to get to know you, Doctor."

Drew's throat went dry. Her mouth falling open as she stared. A few seconds passed as she tried in vain to get a hold of her own self.

He liked her. He meant for the gala to be something more. Drew fought the urge to smack herself.

"My Gran used to call me thick headed. I get what she meant…"

"What are your thoughts upon this revelation?" He questioned, not louder than the breeze around them.

"I would like that very much." She nodded pulling back slightly. "I'm warning you now though Aro. I'm not so good at the whole dating aspect of life. I haven't been in a relation ship in quite some time, even then it wasn't with a man."

Aro arched his brow a small smirk on his lips. "Yes, I do believe I had heard from a Ms. Siobhan."

"We didn't date!" Drew defended. "We were just really good friends…"

"Remind me to move her departments from you."

"What, afraid of a little competition?" she teased taking a step back.

He caught her hand returning it to his offered arm. "I do not see much of a competition. Something tells me I will win."

"Cocky."

"You haven't the faintiest idea dear, such is an earned privilege." He whispered to her.

"Okay a few ground rules," she exhaled. "We remain professional at work. Meaning no special treatment, nothing. We do not alert our co-workers of this, nor show affection beyond pleasantries. I refuse to be looked at differently and to be thought of earning my spot by sleeping with the boss."

"I will try to uphold these rules, but I cannot make promises I am tempted to break." He replied.

"Fair." She cleared her throat. "As for your brother, how soon can I use his aid?"

"I thought you wanted no special treatment?" He teased.

She shot him a look.

"He can be as ready by this afternoon,"

"Amazing. When am I allowed back in the field? It's been nearly a month since the incident."

"How is next week?"

"A deal sir," she smiled following him along further into the streets enjoying the late summer stroll.

A/N: Hi Y'all I apologize seriously for being gone so long, I was recently officially diagnosed with ADHD and given meds that have taken some time to adjust to. I also have just gotten really busy in life and hit a wall of no motivation to write. I am not abandoning these fics I am still going to be writing. I Adore you all. thank you for reading :)