Perchance to Dream

Idea suggested by Deona Lindholm.

Chapter 1:

Grell sat on the peak of a roof in the pouring rain; the tears streaking down her pale face mixing seamlessly with the rainwater. There had been times in her long life that she had been upset, but never before had felt so shattered. With just five little words, William had manage to rip her heart from her chest to leave her completely broken and empty on the inside.

No one can love you.

Those words, those simple, simple words, echoed in her mind and painfully bounced off the confines of her skull. Each time she thought of what William had said, new tears filled her eyes as the pain in the void where her heart was located grew sharper and more poignant. No one can love you. She sobbed again, although the sound of her crying was lost in the rumbling of thunder overhead. It seemed like the whole world was crying with her.

Doing her best to calm her heartache, she stubborn wiped away her tears and retrieved a handkerchief to attend to her nose. She had caught a quick glimpse of herself earlier in a window pane when a streak of lightning had briefly illuminated the world, and it hadn't been a pretty sight. Her hair had frizzed in the moisture, her eyes were puffy, and she found that her nose was one thing that didn't look good in red. Right now, she understand how no could find her desirable.

Although William had never cared for her when she had looked her best.

It wasn't as if Will hadn't made it clear in the past that he wasn't interested in her and pushed her away at every opportunity. She had continued undaunted as she convinced herself he would succumb eventually. It became routine, a game of sorts, but her true feelings hadn't diminished. She genuinely and sincerely loved her prince of ice and iron rules, and it was better to convince herself that there was a slim chance to admit that William could possible return her feelings one day. Each day, she began the same game anew while hoping for a different outcome.

Today had been no different for her, but Will seemed to be in an especially bitter mood. She had flirted as usual, but then she had asked the question that had caused her so much heartache. "Will," she had cooed, "when will you love me?"

Coldly, he adjusted his glasses as he fixed her with a hard stare. "Honestly, Sutcliff, why do you even ask? The way you act is an annoyance."

"But Will," she had whined.

"That's what I'm talking about. You throw yourself at everyone halfway attractive man. You're lazy and rarely finish assignments correctly. With the way you are now," he paused as he shook his head. "No one can love you."

The words had struck a deeper wound than any blade. Will hadn't noticed her face as he walked out of the room, but she had stood there for several minutes trying to choke back tears. She didn't want to break down in front of everyone, so she had hurried up and grabbed her list so she could leave the office. She would cry when she was alone. It seemed that she was always alone, and perhaps she always would be.

After all, no one could love her.

The thought caused another sob to wrack her body, but she did her best to pull herself together. After all, no matter how bad she was hurt or how disagreeable her appearance, she still had a job to do. Readying her chainsaw, she set out to collect the soul that had been on her list.

Her runny nose and completely distracted state hindered her senses, so she didn't even sense the demon until he was already too close. She whirled about, but only caught a brief glimpse of an unfamiliar face before he struck and her body was flung into a nearby wall. The pain was intense as her form broke through the stone and mortar, but she regained her feet quickly as she prepared to fight. Just because her body and spirit was broken didn't mean that she wasn't going to defend herself, but that's she realized an awful truth.

The demon wasn't alone.

Against one or even a couple of demons, she could have certainly held her own, but a large group like this would have been trouble for any agent. She couldn't create a portal since the demons could have followed, so the only thing she could do was to stand and fight. Her sharp toothed companion roared to live as she leapt forward and drove it into the abdomen of a scantily clad female demon, but that's when felt the sting of claws pierce into her back. The sound of their horrid laughter filled her ears, and a part of her fear that it was the last thing she would ever hear. Would anyone even mourn if she was died?

Besides, she was unlovable.

((X))

Ronald's collections had gone well that evening, and he was actually preparing for a quick stop at a local pub when the stench of demon assaulted his nostrils. It was sickening, and there obviously had been a good deal of them in the area, so he prepared to leave but then he noticed he could also sense a reaper in the area and the faintest hint of a rose perfume. Having worked in close proximity to Grell, he recognized this as his usual scent, and the realization caused him to shiver slightly. Even the redhead would have trouble handling that many demons.

Remaining cautious of any demons, he followed the trail of the perfume, but he was unprepared for what he saw. Grell was lying in an alleyway, even more covered by the color he so adored. However, this red wasn't his hair or that hastily sewn coat, but Grell's own blood that covered his visible face like a red, silk mask. The blood was everywhere, congealing on the street and the walls, and Ronald feared his beloved mentor might be dead. He hurried to his side, ignoring the blood staining his pants as he knelt, and checked for a pulse. It was there. It was very faint and very weak, but it was there.

Carefully, he gathered Grell up in his arms, a bit surprised by how light he actually was, as he prepared to create a portal. However, something nagged his normally carefree mind. Looking at the state of dried blood, this incident had occurred at least a few hours ago, but it didn't look Grell had even begun to heal. The injuries must have been even worse than Ronald realized because a reaper always began to heal almost immediately. The only exception was when they had no desire to heal, and of course Grell would want to recover.

Wouldn't he?