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When Owen Burnett awoke on Monday morning, he was not in an all together pleasant mood. It didn't show, of course- nothing ever showed with Owen- but he rather dreaded getting up and starting work. He'd been up late the night before, and the reason behind that made him wince when he thought of it. And that evening he had an important business party to attend with Mr. Xanatos, and most of the people there were almost as tiring as the ones he'd been in the company of last night.
He ignored these thoughts, of course. It was his duty to go and do his part for Mr. Xanatos, and that was what he would do. He swung himself up out of bed, folded the sheets neatly down, and walked across the room to find some clothes.
He paused.
There was a plate of muffins on his bureau. Owen picked one up and smelled it. Bran. Curious. He supposed Alexander must have put them there, and a brief smile crossed his face. He supposed he should eat one, if only to be polite.
The muffin was quite good, really. He had eaten two before he decided it was getting late, and he should take the rest out for Alexander. He dressed quickly, threw on some shoes, and walked- Owen Burnett never hurried-to the office of Mr. David Xanatos.
"Good morning, Owen." Mr. Xanatos greeted Owen with a smile. His eyes turned to the plate Owen carried. "...Muffins? What's the occasion?"
"Master Alexander put them in my room," said Owen. "I thought he'd like the rest."
"Alex?" Xanatos asked. "Are you sure?"
"With all due respect, Mr. Xanatos, who else would it be?" Owen paused. "Was it you?"
"Not me," Xanatos replied. "And it wasn't Alex. He's been in school all morning. Maybe Fox knows."
"Perhaps," said Owen, wondering privately why Fox Xanatos would know anything at all about muffins. "What's our first order of business?"
"I just need a few of these documents sorted before the dinner. I'd do them myself, but I have to phone the caterer. Fox is frantic and she won't calm down until everything is ready." Xanatos gestured at a square pile of folders on his desk. It was more than 'a few documents', but Owen nodded anyway.
'Certainly, Mr. Xanatos. And give my regards to Mrs. Xanatos."
"I will," said Xanatos, smiling. Owen took the pile of folders to his small closet-office. Whenever he stayed in Mr. Xanatos' large room people tended to call looking for him, and Owen knew that when Mr. Xanatos was with family he hated to be disturbed. It was easier to sort in peace and quiet, anyway.
When Owen reached his desk, he looked at his seat out of habit. The previous week Alexander had put a noisemaker on Mrs. Xanatos' seat, which made a rude noise when she sat down. When he tried the same trick on his father everyone in the house made a ritual of checking their seats before sitting down. Owen was particularly vigilant; he refused to be tricked on principle. Today, however, there was something on his seat. A fat white cushion with gold edges sat there. Owen lifted it; he squeezed it, but no sound came out, so he put it back on the chair and sat on it. It was a very soft cushion. Owen decided he'd leave it there while he sorted the papers.
It was a peculiar afternoon for Owen Burnett. Once, when he opened his desk drawer for a pen, he found a flat plate of chocolate chip cookies. On stretching his legs, he noticed that the back of his office door had a paper stuck to it which, on investigation, turned out to be a drawing of a smile. The cushion was extremely comfortable, though after a while Owen began to find it distracting and removed it. Still, it was with a faint smile that he finished sorting files and left his office to file them.
Owen typed in the combination on Mr. Xanatos' keyboard and a panel on the wall slid out, revealing a tall, locked filing cabinet. Owen unlocked it, at the same time wondering why Alexander was being so... unusual. The cookies had been pleasant, and the note amusing enough, but it was so unlike the playful Alexander that Owen was curious all the same. When he finished filing he picked up the phone and dialed his boss.
"Hello?" Xanatos said.
"The filing is finished, Mr. Xanatos."
"Ah, thanks, Owen. Hey, come on down, it's 2:30. You haven't had lunch yet."
"I'll be right down," said Owen. He picked up the tray the cookies had been on, locked up the cabinet again, and headed down the elevator to where the Xanatos family lived.
When he stepped into the kitchen, Mr. Xanatos was messaging somebody on his mobile phone. When he saw Owen he smiled. "You just missed Alex; he's gone up to get cleaned up. He had a close encounter with a piece of cake." Xanatos laughed. "Anyway, the others will be here in a few hours, if you'd like the rest of the afternoon off."
"Thank you, sir," Owen said. "I think I'll get some rest." He went up to his room, still a bit tired from his late night, and sank onto a round beige chair. He'd need to speak to Alexander...
Owen awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. Disappointed that his nap had been cut short, he answered it.
"Hello?"
"Owen! Good, you're up. It's 4:30. Where are you?"
Owen very nearly jumped. "I'm sorry, Mr. Xanatos. I'll be right down."
"Are you all right?" Xanatos asked.
"Perfectly fine," replied Owen. "Thank you." He stood up quickly. He'd had no idea it was so late. He really was going to have to start ignoring those late-night calls.
He froze. There was a suit lying across his bed, pressed and ironed, and his shoes were sitting in front of it. They were shining like new.
What was going on today? He put the suit on. It smelled of fabric softener. It was certainly much less wrinkled than the one he had fallen asleep in.
Not for the first time that day, he nearly smiled.
He arrived downstairs a few minutes later. Mr. Xanatos and his wife were standing there waiting. "Owen! Glad you could make it!" said Xanatos.
"Indeed, sir. Is Master Alexander anywhere near?" Owen asked.
"He's right in there," Xanatos said, pointing into the next room.
Owen found Alexander sitting on the couch, talking politely with a couple who Owen assumed were potential investors. When he saw Owen, Alexander's demeanor changed. He grinned and waved. "Owen!"
"Master Alexander," Owen said. "May I have a word?"
"Sure thing," Alexander said. He turned to the couple. "I'll be right back." He ran over to where Owen stood, not noticing the lady smiling and chattering to her husband. They clearly thought he was adorable.
"What's up?" Alexander asked. "Hey, you've got to see what I've been working on.
"I'll see it later on. Master Alexander, have you been sneaking around today?" Owen asked.
"Sneaking around?" Alex asked. "What do you mean?"
"Were you in my office?"
"No," Alex said. "Dad's been keeping me busy all day. Why? Was someone in there?"
"Indeed. And I think your father was in my room earlier."
"You can ask him," Alex shrugged. "But it wasn't me."
Owen looked at him steadily. He looked quite innocent. Owen knew Alexander had his father's talent for trickery-Owen had been doing his best to make sure of it- but it didn't seem like a trick.
"Thank you, Master Alexander." he said at last. "Enjoy the party."
"See you!" Alex called. Owen watched him go before heading back out into the hall.
"Mr. Xanatos, may I have a moment?" he asked.
"Certainly," Xanatos said. "Is something the matter?"
"No," Owen said. "What was your aim, sir, calling me earlier when you knew where I was?"
"I didn't," Xanatos said. "What are you talking about?"
"There's no need to lie, Mr. Xanatos. I only wanted to know."
"I'm sorry, Owen, but I don't know what you're talking about. Is this about the muffins again?"
He really did seem oblivious. Owen shook his head. "No, sir. Thank you, sir."
Owen walked back into the room where Alexander and the guests were. If it was neither Alexander nor Mr. Xanatos, he couldn't think of who it was. Someone had been sneaking around, doing things for him, and Owen was almost entirely filled with confusion as to who it could be and why.
But a small part of him thought back to the cushion and the note in his office, and it was this part that brought a small, but very real, smile onto his face. It was such a peculiar thing- such a human thing to do.
But he was grateful, all the same.