Giana poised herself at the base of the flight of stone steps before her and straightened her hat. She was nervous but excited and extremely relieved to finally be here. This was it. This was the place that she had been searching for over the past four months and she had found it all on her own. After setting her teeth, the young girl gathered her long skirt in her hands and began to climb the stairs.

The massive building that loomed before her was unlike any she had ever seen. Her surroundings were strange as though they were from another world, yet they also seemed oddly familiar. She casually glanced over at a plaque beside the front door, which read in bold, gleaming letters: The Reapers Association. While she wasn't exactly sure what that meant, it didn't really matter. She would find out soon enough.

Everything about the building was far more sleek and pristine than she had ever believed could be possible. All the walls were impossibly white all the way to the ceiling and a strange white light filtered throughout the building even though there weren't enough windows to allow that much illumination.

As she walked through the doors, she began to get the feeling that others were curious about her presence. There were many people in the lobby, mostly young men and a few young women, all working together in perfect harmony. It was a bit of an odd sight to Giana. But as more and more people began to cast curious or perplexed glances her way, she began to worry slightly.

I hope that I won't be removed from the premises, she fervently prayed. I never thought that I might not be welcome here. Oh well, it's too late now. The only thing to do is to act as though I have every right to be here. It will repress doubt in others.

Straightening her posture, Giana made eye contact with several curious young men and then looked away curtly, her nose in the air. This had the desired effect and everyone got the feeling that this girl knew what she was doing, and so, left her alone.

Making her way over to a desk where a young woman was sitting, Giana spoke in soft, polite tones, getting the woman's attention.

"Excuse me, ma'am," she began.

"Yes? How can I help… you?" The young woman looked up and met her eyes before pausing in mid-sentence slightly, confusion spreading across her face.

The woman had rather piercing eyes, which contained two vibrant shades of green, which gazed at her through her bold glasses.

"I am looking for someone who is employed here," Giana continued, causing even an even more perplexed expression to appear on the woman's face.

"Do you have the name of this person?" The woman asked, extracting a large container of files out from underneath her desk. It was most likely an employment record and her fingers were poised to select the correct file at the mention of a name.

"Yes, I do," the young girl responded. "Sutcliff, Grell Sutcliff. That's his name."

The woman froze and looked up at the girl standing before her in surprise and slight alarm.

"Grell Sutcliff?" The woman asked, looking incredulous.

"Yes." She began to get worried. "Doesn't he work here?"

"Oh, yes," the woman sighed in exasperation as she rubbed a hand over her suddenly tired-looking eyes. "He works here. What kind of business could you possibly have with him?"

Giana was slightly taken aback by this change of attitude. "I'm afraid that's private. But it is very important that I speak with him! Can you tell him that there is someone here to see him?"

"I think he out on a job right now," she stated looking at the girl doubtfully.

"Do you know when he'll be back?" Giana asked, inadvertently wringing her hands and rising up onto her tiptoes.

"No, there's really no way to tell. He might be back in five minutes or three hours and I can't imagine that you'd be willing to wait that-"

"I'll wait!" Giana cut in a bit rudely. The woman flashed her an annoyed look. "I'll be perfectly happy to wait, if you'll just put me somewhere where I won't be in the way. It's terribly important that I see him as soon as possible! I've searched for him for four months!"

"Alright! Alright!" The woman raised her hands in defeat and slumped in her seat with a sigh. "You can wait here for that lunatic to come back!"

Giana felt a bit uneasy when the woman called him a lunatic, but she quickly shook it off and gripped the edge of the desk as she leaned forward.

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, yeah," the woman brushed her off in a dismissive manner as she extracted a pen from behind her ear and placed the tip on a piece of paper in front of her. "What is your name just in case you change your mind and decide to leave?"

"Giana, Giana Thompson."

"Can you spell that for me?"

"Certainly, G-I-A-N-A T-H-O-M-P-S-O-N."

"Alright, I'll be sure to have this delivered to Mr. Sutcliff on the event that he returns and you are not here," the woman told the her after she had finished writing.

"Thank you very much. Where would you prefer that I wait?"

"Er…" The woman looked around before standing up and waving down a passing young man. "Hey, Ron! Ronald!"

The young man stopped in his tracks and looked up at the women before taking his hands out of his pockets and walking their way. He had a messy mop of blond hair with black roots and goggle-like glasses over his green eyes.

"What's the scoop, Evangeline?" He asked casually with a playful smile.

Giana looked at Ronald curiously. She had never seen anyone that looked, spoke, or acted quite like him. He noticed her staring up at him with those wide, observant, blue-green orbs of hers and he winked at her while giving her a flirty smile. He watched in amusement as a blush rose in the young girl's cheeks.

"You know I don't like you calling me by my first name," the woman at the desk hissed so venomously that it took Giana by surprise.

Why was everyone here so rude? She wondered.

"Ha," Ronald chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that you're such a party pooper." He laughed again as he saw the woman's face turning a bit dark and he quickly tried to smooth things over. "Anyways, what was it that you needed?"

"This is Miss Giana Thompson," she motioned to the girl standing on his left.

"Ah… ~Hello Miss Thompson," he grinned, taking in how attractive she was before taking her hand and kissing it. She blushed again. "I'm Ronald Knox. And, by the way, red looks good on you," he stated flirtatiously, brushing a finger over her flushed cheek.

"But I'm not wearing any re- Oh," she paused once she understood his flirtation. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Knox," she gave a small curtsey and a shy smile.

"Well now, what is it that you need?" He asked, looking at Giana's eyes.

"Oh… er… well…" The girl became a bit flustered and she looked to the woman behind the desk beseechingly.

"Ronald, you work on the same floor as Grell Sutcliff, don't you?" She asked.

The man sighed and rubbed the back of his neck again. "Yeah, I do, unfortunately."

"Would you take Miss Thompson up to Mr. Sutcliff's office, please?"

"But… no one's there right now," he stated, slightly confused. He turned to Giana. "Are you going to wait there all alone until he comes back?"

"Yes," the blue-eyed girl responded.

"But… but that could take forever!"

"I'll wait as long as I need to."

"Feh, suit yourself!" He shrugged, walking away. "Follow me then."

"A-Alright," Giana fumbled a bit before following the young man.

The two of them walked through many polished rooms, many of which were filled with objects that utterly befuddled Giana. Everything here seemed to be far advanced from anything she had ever seen. Ronald led her past rows and rows of cubicles and up lots of stairs. Eventually, they made it to a floor where there were nothing but cubicles and several offices in the corners of the room. Ronald started towards one of the enclosed offices, then stopped and looked around. There was virtually no one else on the entire floor.

"What is it?" Giana asked.

With a mischievous grin, he reached down, grabbed her hand, and lifted a finger to his lips as he winked. Then he pulled her towards a bigger office on the other side of the room.

"Mr. Knox," she began warily as he pulled her inside and closed the door behind them. "Is this Grell Sutcliff's office?"

"Well, no," he grinned, rubbing his neck. "Not exactly. But this one has comfier chairs! And look!" He cried out, dashing over to one side of the small room. "A water dispenser!" Taking a small disposable paper cup, he held it out, offering it to her. "Care for some?"

"Not just yet, thank you," she answered politely.

"More for me then," he teased, filling up the small cup.

"So, is this your office then?" She asked sitting down on a plush seat.

"Mine?" He laughed, collapsing down onto the seat next to her. "Naw, not mine. I have a little cubicle out there." He motioned towards the door.

"Then whose office is this?" She asked worriedly. "Are we allowed to be in here?"

"Beautiful, don't worry about it! Trust me! I know my way around!" He assured her.

"Are you sure?" She asked yet again.

"Absolutely," he grinned at her and leaned closer to her over the arm of his seat. "I just wanted to make sure that, if you were going to wait a long time, you had comfy chairs! That and I don't have anything to do right now, so I wanted to have somewhere nice to wait with you."

She gave him a soft, grateful smile. "That's very kind of you, thank you."

"Not at all," he assured her.

Letting her eyes peruse the room casually, Giana took in everything, observing just how neat everything was. She made a mental note to remember to leave the room just as it was when she entered it. Looking up at the desk, she noticed a small name plaque perched near the edge of the desktop. William T. Spears, it read.

"Who is 'William T. Spears'?" She asked her companion.

"Ah, he's my… boss… sort of," he shrugged.

"He keeps a very neat office," she mused.

"Yes, that he does. It's neater than Mr. Sutcliff's anyways."

She paused for a moment, biting her lower lip slightly.

"Mr. Knox?"

"Oh gosh, please call me Ronald, or Ron, or Ronny, or whatever," he said with a flirty smile. "Just anything that doesn't start with 'Mr.'!"

"A-Alright, then Ronald?"

"Yes?"

"What is Mr. Sutcliff like?"

He looked at her in shock. "You mean you haven't met him yet?!" She shook her head in response. "Oh gut-wrenching grief," he exclaimed, "then why on earth do you want to meet him so badly?"

"I-I can't tell you… yet. It's personal, I'm sorry. But now you have me worried. What's he like?"

"Er… well," he rubbed the back of his neck in his usual nervous habit. "I wouldn't say he's a bad sort of guy at all. A bit eccentric: definitely. Annoying: sometimes. Absurd: occasionally. But I wouldn't say that he's anyone you should really be worried about," he smiled jokingly, "unless you're on his to-die-lis-"

He stopped in mid-sentence as the door to the office opened and a black haired young woman in a pencil-skirt stood in the doorway, a stack of papers in her hands. Her eyes turned huge at the sight of the two people sitting in the office.

"Uh… hey Madge," Ronald smiled nervously.

"Ronald!" The woman exclaimed, looking jealous. "Who… who is that?!" She pointed to Giana.

"No one!" He stated hastily, earning a surprised look from Giana. "Well, that is, she's sort of a… customer."

"A customer?" Madge asked, enraged. "A customer?"

"Yeah!"

"We don't get customer's here," she stated. "We get reapers and trainees, but not customers. Or is she one of your customers?" She asked with distain, obviously indicating something rude.

"No she's not… ugh… well I didn't know what else to call her," he shrugged, sinking into his seat. "But she not my customer!"

"I came to see Mr. Grell Sutcliff about something very important," Giana jumped in to help Ronald, who seemed to be having trouble with Madge.

The other woman turned back to Ronald in shock. "So you brought her in here?!" She shouted. "Are you an idiot? Or did you just get lost? You're going to get into such big trouble!"

Giana looked over at Ronald, shocked that he had lied to her, but also worried for him. The last thing she wanted was for him to get into trouble on her account. He looked a bit uncomfortable, but like he was trying to make the best of it.

"But we've got comfy chairs," he shrugged simply.

"William might make you work overtime again!"

He winced slightly, but grinned guiltily in supplication. "Did I mention we have comfy chairs?"

"Yeah, you did," Madge snapped sarcastically. "But do you know why I came in here?"

"Er… 'cause you wanted to sit on the comfy chairs too?" Ronald guessed, pulling for a laugh.

"No! Because Will is on his way up here right now and I hadn't put my filed assignment on his desk yet!"

Ronald turned a bit pale and leapt to his feet. "Crap!"

Giana stood up as well and grabbed Ronald's arm. "I thought you said we wouldn't get in trouble!"

He looked down at her a bit guiltily and rubbed his neck again. "Well, I didn't expect him to be back so soon."

"Who didn't you expect, now?" A smooth, slightly cross sounding voice sounded from behind Madge, who instinctively jumped, then moved out of the person's way.

Giana felt Ronald go tense as she held his arm and her own eyes went wide as she saw the person who had spoken. William T. Spears stood in the doorway of the office… his office. His narrowed green eyes swept over everyone in his workspace sternly from behind his dark, bold-rimmed glasses. He was tall and wore a very clean, very professional-looking black suit. His dark hair was neatly combed into a part and he held a tool in his hand that—oddly enough—bore a strong resemblance to a long pair of hedge trimmers.

He was very handsome and Giana found herself blushing when his cold eyes settled on her. In fact, she might've given a small squeak and tried to duck behind Ronald slightly, but, if she did, it was only for a moment.

"Miss Gentry," Will began turning to Madge slightly. "You are excused."

The young woman gratefully turned to leave. She was stopped in her tracks, however, by the hedge trimmers as they crossed in front of her. William held out an expectant, gloved hand to her, not looking away from Ronald and Giana. Madge Gentry quickly placed her papers in his hand, then left.

Taking another step inside, William looked gravely at Ronald and the girl with him.

"Ronald," he started out calmly. "Would you mind telling me what you were doing in my office with this young woman?"

The young man looked to the side, rubbing his neck. "Well, when you say it like that, it makes it sound awkward," he mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?" William said, stepping forwards again. "I couldn't quite hear you. Did you answer my question?"

Ronald mumbled something under his breath again, causing his well-dressed superior to sigh and look at the ceiling in exasperation. Giana took a deep breath, summoned her courage, and stepped forward.

"If I may, sir," she began respectfully. "Please do not be too cross with Ronald Knox. He was merely keeping me company while I waited."

"Ah, did you make an appointment to see me?" William asked.

"Er, no, sir," she played with her fingers. "Not exactly."

"Then what were you doing waiting in my office, miss?" He asked with a stern look.

Giana opened her mouth slightly to explain what had happened, but she closed it a moment later, prolonging the silence. She didn't want to place blame on Ronald, but she found it very difficult to tell the truth without doing so. Luckily, it was then that Ronald found his voice again and came to her rescue.

"She did not know that it was the wrong office, sir," he took the blame. "I was the one who was supposed to bring her up here to wait for someone else, but your door was open and you were gone and…"

"…And you saw an opportunity," William finished for him with a sigh. "Very well then, although I am not completely taken aback by this, I am surprised that you considered that a wise decision considering your recent 'punishments.' But if you wish to work overtime for another week starting this Wednesday, then who am I to refuse?"

"What?!" The young man exclaimed in agitation. A single, severe look from William was enough to silence him and make him bow his head slightly. "Alright then, fine."

"Good, you are excused now, Mr. Knox."

"But she's—" He began pointing at Giana.

"I will take care of everything from here on out," he cut him off with measured, deliberate words. "You may go now."

Looking a bit deflated, the young man rubbed the back of his neck one last time before tossing a small smile to Giana, then he ducked out the door, closing it behind him.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room for a moment, then William sighed and walked over to his desk, setting down the stack of papers in his hand and lowering himself collectedly into his chair. Giana watched him awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Finally having composed himself, Mr. Spears looked up at the young woman and gestured toward a chair facing him.

"Please, miss," he spoke softly. "Sit."

As she did, she lowered her eyes to the desktop in front of her and kept them there, not wanting to meet the green orbs of the intense man looking at her attentively.

"Sir, I apologize for causing such trouble and disturbing your routine," she said sincerely. "I should've known that this wasn't the correct office. I saw your name here on the desk, but I was too timid to raise my doubts. I'm sorry."

"What's done is done," he stated blandly. "Now, miss, so you don't take up any more of my schedule than necessary, would you tell me your name and your purpose here?"

"M-My name is Giana Thompson," she introduced herself, slightly surprised by his straightforwardness but also very appreciative of it. "And I came here to see a certain Mr. Grell Sutcliff." She gauged his reaction carefully comparing to others' upon hearing his name.

Surprisingly enough, his reaction was minimal. A mere raise of an eyebrow was all she got from him.

"Grell Sutcliff?" He asked with a slightly more incredulous voice than his expression had led her to expect.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "I've been looking for him for several months."

"I see," he responded slowly. Leaning forward on his desk, he stared into her blue-green eyes attentively, inspecting them. His own vibrant green ones narrowed slightly in faint suspicion. "And where, may I inquire, are you from?"

"London, sir," she replied.

"Hmm, I thought as much," he returned, pulling a slight frown. "I didn't expect that you would be a reaper, not with those eyes. Although, it is surprising that you were able to find your way here despite that."

"M-My… eyes?" She asked, her bright eyes in question widening in slight concern and bewilderment. "What's wrong with my eyes?"

He let out a breath and looked to the side for a moment before continuing. "Do you know what reapers are, Miss Thompson?"

"That's the name for the people that work here, isn't it? The reapers of the Reaper's Association?"

"Yes, you are correct. Do you know what our line of work is?" He asked.

"Why, no. No, I don't," she answered.

"I see." He stopped and looked towards the ground for a moment. "Miss, what exactly is your business with Grell Sutcliff?"

"I-I…" She trailed off for a moment, considering not telling him about her business with Grell Sutcliff either, but she had grown tired of that. She gave a sigh and looked back up at him. "You are his superior, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then, I suppose that it would be proper for you to know." Drawing in a deep breath, she prepared herself to tell him. "You see, Mr. Sutcliff is—"

Just then the door to the office flew open and a loud figure appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, WILL~!" The figure shouted, their voice full of flirty sass.

Mr. Spears hung his head and shoulders slightly and rubbed his forehead with gloved fingers.

"Speak of the devil," he sighed.

Giana's eyes became huge as she looked at the startling figure. This was Grell Sutcliff? She eyed the… man from head to foot in bafflement. From all of the groan-worthy reactions to hearing his name mentioned, Giana had prepared herself for an abrasive, obnoxious, loud personality, but this exceeded all of her previous expectations.

If one thing was to be taken from this man's appearance, it was that he loved the color red. From his waist-length, flowing, scarlet hair, to his draping red coat and his passion-crimson shoes, this man was officially the most bizarre, surprising creature she had ever seen.

Grell Sutcliff paraded over towards the desk and flounced a sheet or two of papers down before his superior with a proud smirk plastered on his face, revealing pointed teeth.

"See, Will dear?" The red clad man pushed the papers towards him as he let his voice rise into an exceptionally feminine sounding warble. "I finished half of my assignments from yesterday while I was out!" Throwing back his mane of red hair and looking dramatically at the ceiling, he looked as though he might swoon. "It was ever such hard work! Compliment me! Compliment me!"

Not really responding to his underling's antics, William stood slowly and caused Grell to look over at him curiously, pouting slightly that he hadn't drowned him in praise yet. That was when he noticed Giana's presence. His expression changed from one of pitiful mock lightheadedness to roused interest.

"Oh, why hello there," he greeted her in the attentive voice someone would use if they happened upon a cute puppy. "Will, however did a reaper as grim as you manage to find an adorable thing like her?"

She stared up into the eyes of the man she had come here to see in total shock. Seeing that the young woman was understandably overwhelmed, William sighed and intervened, laying a hand on the scarlet man's shoulder. Looking from Grell Sutcliff to the young woman he spoke slowly and precisely, becoming a stable, calm center to this bizarre situation.

"Grell, this young woman came to see you," William stated. "If I understand her correctly she has been in search of your for several months. Isn't that correct, miss?"

She nodded. "Yes, Mr. Spears, sir. It is."

"You came to see me?!" Mr. Sutcliff exclaimed joyously. "Oh! La! What a gorgeous surprise this is! You being such a cute thing and all, I would never have imagined that you would be a… customer."

"I would not have either," William Spears murmured. As Grell continued to rant, his superior turned to the girl and looked at her levelly. "Well then, Miss Thompson, go on and tell him what it is that appears to be so important."

Grell fell silent and turned towards the young woman, looking at her with curious intent.

Giana opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly felt hesitant and a bit afraid. The thing she had to say was life-changing and now that she had seen and met with the man for the first time, she was tempted to make up a reason for her presence and simply leave with a curtsy. But she wasn't such a coward that she would simply run away.

She looked up with a blush as Mr. Spears cleared his throat slightly.

"I'm afraid that you may not be able to keep his attention for very long, miss," the man stated honestly. "I suggest that you state what you have to say as efficiently as possible."

"Huh?!" Grell fussed. "Just what does that mean, William?!"

"Grell," the man sighed in response. "Please, pay attention to the young lady."

Taking a quick breath, Giana forced herself to spit out the words she had held in her mouth for so long.

"Mr. Sutcliff," she blurted. "You are my father."

Stunned silence filled the room and both William and Grell were left speechless and slightly disbelieving. Grell was the first person to speak after this shocking news.

"Wh-What?!" He shouted incredulously. "Th-That's not possible! I have no daughter! Ha ha," he laughed nervously, "you silly girl! You must be mistaken!"

"No," she replied calmly. "I know I'm not. You are my father. I am your daughter, Giana Thompson… well, I suppose that's Giana Sutcliff now…"

"No! No! No!" Mr. Sutcliff shouted, panicking slightly. "You have the wrong person!"

"Miss Giana," William began carefully. "Are you sure?"

In a sudden stroke of inspiration as she gazed at the red headed man before her, Giana reached up, extracted her hat pin, and then swiftly removed her hat. This allowed the long thick head of hair, which had been piled on top of her head, hidden by her hat entirely, to fall down to her mid-back in cascades of vibrant scarlet. The two men stared in surprise. The girl's hair color matched her supposed father's perfectly, although it was slightly shorter and a bit more tame.

"Quite sure," she replied firmly, with a slightly saucy air. "I have searched for my birth-father for a long time and I can say that, without a doubt, that I have found him. My mother is gone, dead, and I have no other family. Therefore, Mr. Sutcliff, you are the only one that has the legal right to take care of me."

Staring wide-eyed at the young woman who had suddenly become his daughter, Grell Sutcliff wavered on his feet before giving a weak moan and swooning flat out onto the floor. No one tried to catch him.