Compassion. That's the best way to describe the feeling William got when looking out the window. He didn't like Sutcliff, but what he liked less was seeing his subordinate being beaten up by some other Dispatch members.

William tried to stay focused on the meeting, but he couldn't. There, near the garbage cans, four against one. They had had their fun and left their victim covered in garbage.

"…and I'll see all of you again next week."

William hardly noticed when the meeting ended. He packed his things and walked in the opposite direction of his colleagues. It was the end of the workday. Everyone was going home. But William couldn't leave just yet.

He found Grell, a red figure underneath a pile of garbage. "Sutcliff?"

"Just do it, Will," Grell groaned, not moving.

"What?"

"I didn't finish the reports. You can kick me. Go ahead."

"Those reports can wait."

Grell looked up and William froze. Her nose was a bleeding mess. There were cracks and bruises everywhere. Fresh blood was still trickling down. "I'll hand them in tomorrow, Will, I promise. Could you please leave me alone now?"

"No."

Grell gave him a pleading look. What did he want? Was it so hard to understand that she wanted to be alone right now?

"Are you planning on laying here all night, Sutcliff?"

"I-I'll go home in a bit…"

"And you'll be alone the rest of the night? With no one to look after you?"

Grell shrugged and flinched in pain. "…Yes?"

"Wrong answer. You're coming with me."

"Will, dear, I really…"

William stretched out his hand and Grell hesitantly took it. It hurt to get up, and she leaned heavily on William. He made sure his grip didn't hurt her before guiding the way. He knew Grell wasn't only hurting on the outside. If she had been, she'd have chattered non-stop the entire way, injuries or not. She'd have flirted and squealed at the thought of being invited to William's apartment. But she didn't say a word. It was the quietest he had ever seen her. He didn't like it one bit.

William guided Grell through his apartment, taking off her shoes and her dirty coat. She never looked anywhere other than blankly ahead. He sat her down on a kitchen chair and turned on the lights. "Let's take a look at the damage, Sutcliff. See if we can patch you up." He examined her wounds, made sure nothing was broken. "Nothing that won't heal. We need to clean you, though. And get rid of that stench…"

This was all wrong. Grell should be screaming, lamenting her appearance. Not… this.

"Alright, we haven't got all night." William put the kettle on and assembled some tea leaves for a blend he himself always drank to unwind. He hurried to the bathroom to assemble some towels and washcloths. When he returned, Grell was sitting right where he had left her, still lost in her own thoughts. The kettle whistled and William poured a cup of tea. He gave it to Grell, who clasped her hands around it and stared into its depths. William found a large bowl and filled it with lukewarm water. He grabbed one of the washcloths and started wiping the blood away. "I'll have to wash your hair, too. There's quite some disgusting stuff stuck in it. Those bastards. Four against one. Cowards. If they were in my division…"

"I'm going to cut it."

William was startled by the sudden monotone sound coming from Grell's mouth. "What did you say?"

"My hair. I'm going to cut it. It looks stupid." She took a sip from her tea.

William didn't know what to say for a moment. "Is this because of what those guys said to you?"

No answer.

William continued to clean the wounds, saying things like "It'll heal nicely" and "It's not as bad as it looks". Grell finished her tea and he took the cup from her. He placed the chair in front of the sink and washed her hair, twice. He checked the wounds again. "I think we're done. It might be best to skip work tomorrow so your body can…"

Grell hid her face in her hands and started sobbing. William placed an arm around her shoulders and let her head rest against his chest. He let her cry until she had no tears left.

"I hate myself," she whimpered.

"No. Grell, I'm not letting you go down that road."

"Will, stop. I'm just being stupid, and those men kindly pointed it out to me. They're right. Me, a woman? What was I thinking?"

"Grell, I'm going to need you to tell me exactly what happened. There's a lot of nonsense stuck in your head and we need to filter it out."

"Will, please…"

"Are you going to disobey a direct order from your boss?"

"N-No…"

"Sutcliff, report."

Grell took a deep breath, pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "I-I was just talking to this coworker. Her hair always looks so beautiful, it's like the sun always shines on it, even in that worthless light that we have at the office, that makes you look really sick and makes your makeup look really cheap, so that you…"

"Sutcliff, this isn't going anywhere." William was actually quite happy that Grell had found her tongue back.

"Ah, right. So I wanted to know what she uses on her hair, but then her boyfriend and his friends showed up and they were angry with me."

"Angry? What for?"

"They said it's weird for a man to be interested in beauty products. So I told them that I'm a woman. That's when they took me outside to 'teach me a lesson'. They made it clear to me what I really am."

"And what might that be?"

"Sick."

"And do you believe that?"

Grell nodded as more tears streamed down her face. "Of course I am. Will, just look at me…" She leaned slightly away from him. "And I know you think it, too."

"What? No…"

"Don't lie to me, Will. I see the way you look at me. You think I'm disgusting."

"That's not true."

She turned her face away from him.

"Grell, look at me." She didn't so he grabbed her shoulders. "Grell, I need you to listen to me very, very carefully right now. Am I annoyed by your infinite amount of energy? Often, yes. Am I annoyed that you're out flirting with demons and whatnot, instead of doing your job? Definitely. But do I blame you for being a woman?"

Grell raised her eyes up at him. "Do you?"

"Grell, I see you every day. You are a woman. Everything about you. I'll be honest, at first I too denied it, but after spending this many years around you, I can't not see it. You are a woman. And I don't know what kind of sick trick nature has played on you, but I don't ever want you to blame yourself for it. And don't you dare let others convince you there's something wrong with you. They're just jealous that you're more beautiful than their girlfriends."

Grell smiled and a blush spread across her cheeks. "D-do you really mean that? Will?"

"Yes. You wear pride well."

She bit her lip and look back down. "I know you're lying. They're not jealous of me. They hate me because I'm different. Because they don't understand me."

"Grell…"

"I get your point, though. They can't tell me who I am. And the only way I can beat them is by loving myself more than they hate me."

William sighed in relief. "Yes. I never thought I'd say this, but please don't change a single thing about yourself. Although… you could try to hand your reports in a bit earlier."

Grell's eyes shot up to meet his. She looked at him for a few seconds before throwing her arms around him. "Thank you, Will. You have no idea how much this means to me."

William hugged her back, not caring about the smell of garbage stuck in her clothes. "I want you to come to me when something like this happens again, understood? I won't let these people go unpunished. I might even arrange an opportunity for you to take revenge by yourself."

"I'd like that."

William brought Grell to the bathroom, where she could wash the remains of the garbage off. He dried the kitchen floor, put Grell's clothes in the laundry bag and hung her coat on the balcony to air through. She probably wouldn't trust her precious coat with the Laundry Department. At least this way the stench wouldn't stick in William's living room. He found a nightgown in his cabinet and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yes, dear?"

"I've found something for you to wear once you're finished in there."

"But Will, it's such a hot night, wouldn't it be better if…"

"No."

"Okay, okay. Killjoy."

William smirked. Yes, Grell was herself again. He opened the door slightly, placed the gown on the floor and closed the door again. He was already putting on his pajamas when Grell's shocked gasp sounded from the bathroom.

"You've still got this? Oh, Will, please don't tell me you're still wearing it!"

"No, Grell, you have nothing to worry about."

One night Grell had showed up on his doorstep for some stupid reason William couldn't remember. Upon seeing him, Grell had gone on and on about how nightgowns were now hopelessly outdated. "Every respectable man in London is replacing his gowns for this new thing called pajamas. I may not have a say in what we wear during work hours, but at least I can make sure you're properly dressed in your free time." So, Grell had bought pajamas for William. And she wasn't pleased to find out he still owned such an out of fashion piece of clothing.

"Will, you better not be wearing one of these right now."

"Don't worry, I still had this one lying around. You can also borrow a pair of pajamas, if you like."

"Me? A woman? Will, we both know pajamas are for men only. I shall be wearing this nightgown, as a proper lady."

"Then hurry up. I'm tired."

"What are you waiting on me for? I know the way to the couch. I've slept there before, remember? Oh, Will, you were terribly ill. I had to take care of you for two whole days, poor thing. I hated seeing such a strong, dominant man in such a helpless state…"

"Grell."

"Yes, dear?"

William walked over to the bathroom door. "You know, you don't have to sleep on the couch…"

"Then where am I supposed to sleep? Unless you invite me to sleep in your bed, of course. But we both know you would never…"

"Actually, that's exactly what I'm proposing."

There was a silence on the other side of the door.

"Grell?"

The door flew open, and in a flash of red her arms were around him. "Oh, Will…"

"I just thought that after what happened, you might not want to sleep on a cold hard couch all by yourself."

Grell nuzzled her face in his neck. "So thoughtful. You know exactly how to treat a lady in distress. My sexy hero in pajamas…"

"Get in the bed before I change my mind."

Within seconds Grell disappeared underneath the sheets. She placed her glasses on the nightstand and curled up, waiting for William to do the same. He turned off the lights and climbed into the bed.

"As your boss, I'm giving you the day off tomorrow," he said, searching for her eyes in the dark. "You need rest. I need my subordinates to be in perfect health, and you're not at the moment."

"Yes, sir."

"Furthermore, I want you to come to me when something like this happens again. 'Perfect health' means both mentally and physically. If someone makes you feel bad about yourself, come to me. Use me as a safe haven so you can keep on being yourself despite other people's opinions."

"Yes, Will."

"Good. Then, I hope you sleep well and…"

"I love you, Will."

William didn't know what to say. He found himself grabbing Grell's hand and holding it. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, darling."

William fell asleep long after Grell did. He was worried about other people's bad intentions towards her. He was thrown off by her affection. There was much going on in his head, but of two things he was certain. One, Grell could count on his protection, anytime. And two, he found it strangely pleasant to lie in one bed with her. Maybe, just maybe, he could invite her over more often…