The girl ran.

She ran until her lungs burned and her feet ached. She ran until her short copper hair, slick with sweat, whipped into her eyes and stung. She ran until she fell, exhausted, into a small bush in the forest. With a sigh, she passed out, not even bothering to put her knapsack under her head for a pillow.

~three hours later~

"What's this?" a male voice asked. "A girl, asleep in the bushes? What's a pretty girl like that doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" The girl jerked awake and tried to bolt and run, but the man who had spoken held her arm. "Now just wait a moment, miss. We're not going to hurt you. I promise." The girl stopped struggling and looked the man up and down with large blue-silver eyes. He was a little taller than she, with impossibly bright green eyes, glasses, and messy blond hair that was dyed black in the back. Kind of funny-looking, but also kinda cute.

"Who are you?" she demanded, trying to keep a tremor out of her voice. The man smiled reassuringly.

"My name's Ronald Knox." He bowed slightly and kissed her hand. "At your service." He gestured to the other man with him, a short fellow with mousy brown hair, glasses, and those same green eyes. "This is my colleague, Alan Humphries." Alan also bowed.

"Um... hi." The girl blushed.

"You're injured," the one called Alan said, taking her chin in one hand. She flinched, not used to being touched after so long alone.

"It's just a scratch," she retorted.

"An infected one. What happened?" The girl hesitated.

"A bullet grazed me," she said finally. The two men raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Well, come on," said Ronald cheerily. "We can't just leave you out here. Let's get you back to the Dispatch."

"Dispatch?" the girl said. Then she realized. "Oh my gosh. You're Grim Reapers." She had heard legends about them: cold, silent men in black business suits with calculating green eyes hidden behind spectacles. But, these two seemed far from cold. On the contrary, the one called Ronald seemed actually friendly. The one called Alan...she was going to have to think about that. He wasn't evil though, she could tell that much.

Ronald nodded. ''I had a hunch you guys weren't human." Her new friends chuckled.

"Come on. Its getting late and cold and dangerous. We're not leaving you out here to freeze." Ronald whipped off his black trench coat and tucked it around her shoulders. She burrowed into it, grateful for the warmth. She didn't even mind or notice when he scooped her up, carrying her bridal style. "By the way," Ronald remarked, "I don't believe I got your name." The girl began to respond, then stopped. Should she? After all that had happened, could she trust these two reapers? She thought so, but just to be sure...

"S-Sable," she said finally. "My name is Sable." Ronald nodded.

"Sable," he repeated softly, getting a feel for the name. "I like it." He solidified his grip on her and started walking. "Shall we keep her at your place, Alan? At least until she's healed?" Alan grunted in response.

"What are you planning to do once she's well?" he asked, falling into step with his friend. Ronald sighed.

"We'll have to take her to William. Sooner or later, he'd find out anyhow." Half-asleep, the girl now known as Sable perked up her ears. Who was this William they referred to? She certainly hoped he would be as nice as Ronald.

She was in and out of consciousness for several days. Ronald stayed over at Alan's house for those few days just to tend her himself. His own house, as he told the older reaper, "wasn't fit for a dog, much less a lady".

One morning, Sable awoke to find someone picking up her knapsack. "What are you doing?!" She sat bolt upright and grabbed the person by the collar. She snatched the knapsack with the other hand. "Mine!" she snapped.

"I'm sorry!" The knapsack was released, and she pulled it to herself, cradling it like a child. Slowly, she looked up at the intruder, revealed to be Ronald. "I... I didn't know." Sable sighed and laid the knapsack beside her.

"I should be apologizing, not you," she mumbled. "I had no call to snap like that. I'm sorry." She stiffened at the hand on her shoulder. Ronald sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into a warm, tender hug. She remained rigid for several moments, then relaxed and laid her head against his shoulder.

"You don't need to apologize to me, little one." His voice had changed. Before, it had been loud, sharp, and cheerful. The voice of a man who loved life and wasn't afraid to show it. Now there was almost a sad tone about it. She could barely detect a lilt in his voice that was really rather comforting. She closed her eyes. "Whatever happened to you... it wasn't your fault." He pulled away and brushed away the tears that were spilling from her eyes. "It's all right, Sable. I won't judge you if you cry. It's not a sign of weakness for someone to cry. Just means they're human. We reapers want to cry too, sometimes." He stroked her cheek tenderly. "Go ahead and let it out, little one. They're only tears." She looked up at him for a moment, blinked, then dissolved into sobs. She hid her face in his chest and cried her heart out. And all the while he just sat there. Holding her.