One Night Only

Disclaimer: William T Spears, Ronald Knox, Grell Sutcliff and Alan Humphries belong to Yana Toboso

Chapter 13:

The offices of the Shinigami Directors were not a comforting sight, the tall mahogany doors and polished gold name plates giving the hallway a very tense and heavy atmosphere. William walked stiffly down the dark corridor, his shoes silent on the deep carpet. This was not his first encounter with those doors and the directors, with each subsequent visit he hoped it would be his last, but sadly this never seemed to come to pass. The door at the very end of the hallway came into William's view, one he knew a little too well. It was the door to the Head Director's office, identical to every other office door yet somehow even more imposing. William stopped and read the name plate carefully,

Mr Richard. J. Slingby. Shinigami Head Director and Chairman of the Board

William quickly fixed his tie and smoothed the lapels of his suit, merely delays to his inevitable meeting. Taking a deep breath, he raised one hand and knocked politely on the door with his knuckles,

"Enter"

The voice was gruff, the man's Scottish accent more prominent than Eric's. William shuddered involuntarily, carefully opening the door and walking in. Richard Slingby was sat at his desk, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The man's appearance was as imposing as hs title; a brawny Scotsman with scruffy blond curls and thick stubble. Green eyes flashed behind his blue tinted glasses, clearly he was not a patient man. William finally stopped at the desk, bowing in respect,

"Thank you, Mr Slingby" he said, his eyes to the carpet "William T Spears, you requested a meeting, sir"

Richard grunted, sighing and taking a long drag on his cigarette. He balanced on his ash tray, the end still smoldering a little,

"Sit down, Spears"

William sat on the nearby chair obediently, watching as Richard sorted through his files. He carefully held his tongue, a suggestion against the Head Director's filing system would be more than his job's worth. Richard finally pulled out a hefty file, dropping it on the desk with a thud. He flipped through the numerous pages, stopping when he found the most recent reports,

"Yer reports are concernin' me" Richard looked at William over the top of his glasses, his expression harsh "Yer two officers down, an' th'ones yer do 'ave seem to be slackin', what d'y'ave t'say?"

William cleared his throat, trying not to make it sound as nervous as he felt. He opened up the folder he had brought with him, taking out several of his own reports he had prepared prior,

"Although our Dispatch is short, sir, I feel we are managing well despite recent circumstances" he placed some papers on the desk "Ronald Knox is proving his resourcefulness, because of him Alan Humphries will be back to work sooner than expected" William pushed up his glasses "Grell Sutcliff is a slightly different situation, but I cannot forsee any reason he won't be returning as soon as he is able following his delivery"

Richard briefly scanned the papers William had presented him with, moving them away with disinterest. He picked up his cigarette and placed it between his lips, taking a quick drag and puffing the smoke out,

"Yer quick with y'excuses" he said "But y'officers and current work plan are not sustainable" another puff of smoke rose from his lips "I need ta see some improvement Spears, y'already treading a delicate line here"

William nodded quickly, taking the papers back and putting them away. He looked up at Richard,

"I understand Sir, I assure you I will bring my team back to the proper standards"

Richard sighed angrily, he'd heard the same words from William many times before. He stubbed out his cigarette and pulled a fresh one from his suit pocket,

"Y'say th'same thing t'me time an' time again, y'a broken record Spears" he said gruffly "I'm gettin' tired of it, I need a manager who gets results"

Willaim stiffened, Richard's words stinging him harshly. He tried not to shake, trying to keep his gaze on his senior steady,

"Yes sir"

Richard ran his fingers through his curls, tapping his cigarette on his desk,

"I think you an' I should 'ave a performance meetin', make sure y'can handle y'role" he said "Y'got a month t'prove me wrong Spears"

William's eyes widened as he added up the dates in his head, he quickly pushed up his glasses and tried keep his composure,

"With all due respect Sir, one month is quite impossible, after all Grell is-" A loud slam cut off his words,

"Spears!" Richard's eyes blazed angrily "Did I stutter t'yer? One month, am I clear?"

William flinched at his senior's yelling, he nodded and looked down at his lap,

"Yes sir, perfectly sir"

Richard sighed and placed the cigarette between his teeth, fumbling for his lighter

"Good, get out"

William grabbed his folder and stood up hastily, bowing politely before hurrying to the door. As soon as he was back in the safety of the hallway, he sighed deeply and leaned against the wall, sliding down to the carpet. Richard had threatened his job before, but this time it seemed serious. William couldn't afford to lose his job, not with the baby only a couple months away from being born, and the wedding to pay for. He ran a hand through his hair, what was he going to tell Grell? He couldn't put that much stress on the red head, but he couldn't lie to him either. Another heavy sigh left his lips, William closed his eyes to try and aid his thinking. The sounds of the hallway seemed suddenly amplified. He could hear, the window rattling above him, murmured voices from the offices...footsteps? William opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. Footsteps were echoing from the other end of the corridor, growing closer to him. They were hurried, panicky. William quickly stood up, growing concerned. Ronald appeared, panting heavily as he ran down the carpet,

"William!" he shouted "William, it's Grell!"

William's eyes widened, he rushed forward and grabbed the blond,

"What about Grell?" he demanded "Is he hurt?"

Ronald took a few deep breaths, grabbing William's hands. He looked up, fear in his eyes,

"He's gone into labour"

*as Mushu* I LIVE!

Random burst of inspiration, hopefully it will last.

I own Richard Slingby, he's Eric's father