III. The Coincidence

The next morning, Grell once again awoke to an empty bed. It was made up on William's side, and his suit jacket that usually hung on their coat rack was gone too. The only evidence that he had slept last night was the one-quarter full glass of water that had not been there when she'd gone to bed, and the fact that her book was closed and on her nightstand, as opposed to where it had previously been lying open and spine up at the end of the duvet. The book was replaced by Charlie, who was curled in a blond and white ball in its place.

She yawned and stretched her arm and grabbed her glasses, before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Charlie lifted his head and followed her. Her bare feet touched the carpeted floor, and she made her way across the room into the master bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, and quickly ran a brush through her long, thick hair. She moved rather hastily, nearly trimming on the hem of her long, red-tinted, Victorian style nightgown. She was hoping to catch William before he left for the office.

He was drinking coffee and reading the morning paper, which, for some reason, they still received regularly, despite the fact that they were currently in the age of technology.

"Good morning." she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Good morning." William replied, voice monotone and half-hearted as usual.

She wanted to give him a kiss, but she knew he didn't like morning breath, and he was too focused on his paper to turn his head to receive it. So, she settled for pecking him on the cheek. She then fed Charlie, before she made her own pot of coffee. She sat down at the little table beside him with the steaming mug. This was one of the only times the couple was together during the week. For some reason, though, William wasn't talking. She felt like he was upset with her for some reason...though she couldn't think of anything she could have possibly done to upset him. With the rustle of paper, he set the newsprint on the table and met gazes with his wife.

"Why were you home so late last night?" he finally looked up from his paper, "You never work overtime."

"I was at the theatre. They were showing A Midsummer Night's Dream. I didn't think you'd mind...you always work from home...I figured you'd want me out of your way."

"So you deserted your place to go to a play?"

"No, I didn't! I was observing someone on the "To-Die" list. She happened to be at the theatre. I also finished the other two reapings I had as well." she retorted, "You know my days of not taking my job seriously are behind us now. I got myself together to make you happy. I have to keep you happy. That's my job as a wife." And your job as my husband…

"Observing victims is for students. Not professional reapers. Why are you wasting your time doing that?"

"I'm being thorough. You always say that reapers don't make errors. So I'm merely ensuring that she's meant to be on the "To-Die" list."

William adjusted his glasses, "Fine. Glad to hear that you are being thorough. Just make sure not to over analyze or let your emotions get in the way of your job."

"I know, Will. You always tell me that."

"Quite so. Anyway. You only have a couple of reapings scheduled for today if I am not mistaken."

"Yes. I was going to do the grocery shopping between my soul collections."

"I need you to pay the rent as well, I'm not going to have any time to do so myself."

"Of course. And I'll have dinner ready for you when you get home."

"Good." he glanced over at the digital clock on the oven, "I must be going now."

"Okay, my love. I'll see you when you get home."

The dark-haired man got up and put his coffee cup beside the sink. Grell walked him to the door, and helped him with his coat, before he gave her a chaste kiss goodbye and left the flat. She locked the door behind him and sighed, before she turned and headed back into the bedroom to get ready for her own day.

Once she'd gotten dressed, she put the harness and leash on her dog to take him for a morning walk.

-xXx-

As she walked down the quiet streets of the grim reaper realm, a feeling of loneliness once again swept over her. It was peaceful, but it was a lonely peaceful, and the silence gave her far too much time to have bouts of random thought streams. Some were pleasant, and some were not, but more than anything, there was a feeling of despair and solemness that set over her. She knew getting emotionally involved with a soul destined to die was a terrible idea. Most of the time, she could avoid that feeling. But in the case of Chaplin, she could not fight that feeling, and she found it frustrating.

These frivolous thoughts plagued her mind for the entirety of the morning, putting her in a bad mood. She continued to be in this state after she dropped her dog off at home and began heading to the land of the living to collect the two charges she had for the day. One was before luncheon, and the other was to be collected in the late afternoon near five o'clock PM.

-xXx-

The first soul was dull. Some young, average girl that had no love life to speak of. So, of course there wasn't anything particularly interesting about her cinematic record.

With a sigh, she sent the soul to the next world, stamped the red "Completed" circle onto the girl's profile, and then closed up the large, old book. Then, she checked the time on her cell phone. It was about half-past noon. Her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten anything for breakfast this morning, so now she was hungry. Deciding she needed a pick-me-up, she chose go to one of her favorite cafes in Brighton. She was only about twenty or so minutes from the town if she used the agility and speed she'd been given when she had become a grim reaper to get to her destination. She leapt onto the nearest rooftop from where she stood on the pavement and made her way across, nimbly leaping from building to building. She loved the feeling she got when she leapt through the air. It was such a carefree feelings- what with the adrenaline she felt, the wind buffeting her long red hair and how fast everything moved past her. It made her feel like she was flying.

It cheered her up some, and by the time she got to the cafe she was in a slightly better mood. It was then that she noticed that the sun had decided to peek its head out from behind the clouds in England's overcast sky. It perpetuated a bit of warmth that she hoped lasted for awhile. The familiar sight of the cafe building with its soft yellow and white painted exterior and planters with tiny, blooming pink flowers on the balconies filled her with a familiar tranquil joy. It was always so pleasant. The outdoor seating area, set up on the red cobbled pavement was surrounded by striped roping, held up by pillars displaying the menus. There were neatly set square tables with umbrellas over each table, set with white tablecloths and black chairs. Many of them were filled with groups of people young and old laughing and engaging in pleasant conversation. There were black and white suited waiters and waitresses moving about the areas as well, with warm expressions on their faces as they took orders and served food and drink.

She looked around for an open table. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any. Everyone was flocking to the restaurant for the lunchtime rush. Dammit. Looks like I'll be eating inside. Oh well…

However, her keen eyes were quickly drawn to a small corner table close to one of the large windows when she caught sight of a familiar figure with blonde hair. Grell smiled. She wouldn't have to be miserable eating alone today. Tucking her thick To-Die list under her arm, she skipped over to Chaplin's table.

"Hello Chaplin!" she greeted cheerfully.

The woman looked up from her menu, "Oh! Hello Grell." she was smiling, looking as alive and vibrant as she had been the day before.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

"No, go ahead." Chaplin returned her smiling expression.

"Thank you, dear!" Grell pulled out the other chair and set her heavy book on the table without thinking.

"That's a big book." Chaplin commented, "What is it called?"

Grell snapped her gaze toward the large, thick book with the the yellowing pages and the aged and faded brown leather cover. Oh crap! She pulled it off the table.

"It's...umm...files for work." Not exactly a lie… she said, "It's dead boring, really."

"Ahh. I see."

"Anyway," Grell put the To-Die list under her chair, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, yourself?"

"I'm doing well, thank you for asking. The sun finally came out so I'm happy about that."

"I would agree. The only thing I don't like about England is the constantly cold and overcast weather."

There was a block of silence, until Chaplin waved down a nearby waiter, "Excuse me, sir?"

It seemed as though he did not hear her the first time, his back was turned as he cleaned off one of the other tables.

"Excuse me, sir?" Chaplin repeated.

He turned to acknowledge her, "Sorry, did you need something?"

"Yes. I was wondering if I could get another menu for my friend here." Friend, hmm? Grell quite liked the sound of that. It made her feel good to know that Chaplin didn't think her an irritation like a lot of her co-workers and her husband seemed to.

"Of course! Let me go and grab one for you, Ma'am."

"Thank you, dear." Grell replied.

The waiter nodded and went to fetch another menu. He returned quickly, only for Grell to take a couple seconds to skim the menu she already had memorized and put it down. Before they ordered their food. They actually both ordered the same dish: clam chowder.

-xXx-

While they waited, and after they received their lunch the two women were engaged in pleasant conversation. They talked about life, and geeked out about theater. However, Grell did most of the talking. She talked so fast and animated, telling amusing stories, that Chaplin sometimes did nothing but nodded along, since she was difficult to understand at times, as English was the Japanese woman's second language.

"It seems like the more we talk and run into each other, the more we have in common." Grell commented, sipping on her chowder, "It's quite nice actually."

Chaplin nodded in agreement. "I've never met someone that I had so much in common with. It's nice to get to know someone so similar to me."

"I know, right? Anyway, I've another question for you. Are you on hormones too?"

"Yes. I am, actually."

"It's miserable sometimes, don't you think? I've never wanted so much chocolate before in my life."

Chaplin laughed, "Yes. It is. But when I think about the long term effects and changes it's going to have on my body, it's far more tolerable."

"I would definitely agree with that."

-xXx-

For awhile, they ate in a companionable silence. After they had finished, once they'd been at the cafe for a couple of hours and exchanged phone numbers, Chaplin was first to suggest they leave.

"I really must be going now. I'm teaching class in less than an hour." she said.

"I should get going too, I have a couple of errands to run and then I have to go back to work."

"It was wonderful to see you again." Chaplin said.

"Likewise. I had a lovely time." Grell agreed.

The blonde smiled, before picking up her purse that hung from the back of her chair and swinging it over her shoulder. Grell followed suit, pushing out her chair and picking up her To Die list from underneath her chair.

They made their way out of the cafe sitting area, walking side by side in step with one another. However, they did not walk together for long, as they quickly realized they were going separate ways. Grell was going to do her grocery shopping, and Chaplin was going back to her theatre, which were at two opposite ends of the streets.

"I'll see you at next week's auditions if I don't see you before then." Chaplin said.

"Alright darling, I'll see you later then."

Chaplin bowed curtly and turned and headed towards the end of the street they were walking alongside of. Grell kept her smile on her face as she waved after her, but the moment Chaplin was gone, she opened her book to her file, glanced at it, sighed, and sadly shook her head. Such a shame, truly…

There was no longer denying the fact that she had taken quite a liking to this other woman. It had only been a couple of days, but they had spent a lot of time talking and getting to know one another, and Chaplin was both amazing and fascinating.

She closed the book, tucked it under her arm, and turned and walked down the street away from the direction of theatre, heading to the grocery store.

-xXx-

After finishing her tedious grocery shopping, she went back home to let the dog out to relieve himself while she put away the groceries she had acquired. After she had finished that, she and Charlie went downstairs to give their landlord his check. She then spent the couple of hours she had left before the scheduled reaping watching her television dramas and sipping on coffee.

She left early enough to be at the site thirty minutes before the reaping. The wait was tedious, and the elderly man's soul proved to be less dull than the girl's had been, but dull nonetheless. She stamped his file feeling unsatisfied, and then returned her To-Die list to the grim reaper library, before going back to her apartment.

When she arrived home to stay, she remounted her chainsaw death scythe onto the shelf it sat on when she wasn't using it. Then, she changed into her house-lounging clothes- baggy sweats and a simple, form-fitting, short-sleeved crop top- in a striking shade of red, of course. After she'd changed, she pulled her long crimson hair into a quick updo. Once she'd finished that, she put her her frilly red and white polka-dot apron and got started on dinner.

It was a very simple chicken and rice meal, and she finished just in time for William's usual arrival home from work, which was around 6:30 in the evening. She set the table nicely with plates, glasses of water, silver, and napkins. Once that was done, instead of sitting down, she did the dishes so she would not be tempted to eat the delicious smelling food. She finished the dishes and checked the time. It was nearly 7, which made her a bit worried. A majority of the time, William was home by no later than 6:35 at the absolute latest. He hated overtime at the office. However, it was confusing to her. He hated overtime...but when he came home, he did more work. She sighed. She supposed she understood him wanting the comforts of his own home after and long day at the office, even he did come home just to close himself in his personal office and do more work.

-xXx-

William walked through the door at 7:15. Grell was sitting on the couch watching The Notebook with Charlie in her lap when the door swung open.

When she heard her husband get home, she quickly wiped away her tears and runny makeup with a tissue before pausing the movie and getting up.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, "About time you got home, darling!"

"Work." he said bluntly.

"Yes, I know." she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a chaste kiss, "I tried to wait for you for dinner, but it was getting cold so I ate already. Do you want me to warm up your plate for you.

"Yes. Fine." he adjusted his spectacles.

"In the meantime, why don't you sit down at the table." His coat was barely off and she was pushing him towards their table. She forced him to sit down and then went to pour him a new glass of water, using the old one to water a plant in her kitchen window.

"Grell, you're showing your midriff again." his voice was monotone and condescending as usual.

"And? It's 2018, not 1889. Women wearing crop tops and showing a bit more skin is a la mode." she replied as she put his plate in the microwave, "I would have thought you liked seeing a bit more of my skin."

"Honestly. You aren't the slightest bit cold?"

"No." she replied.

The dark-haired reaper sighed.

"Why do crop tops bother you, Will? I wear them to show off the womanly, hourglass body shape I'm achieving."

He studied her for a moment. Okay William...now would be the time to say, "you do look beautiful…"

"Honestly. You know how it is. It's hard for me to adjust to fashion trends when they constantly change. Especially since both of us have been around since the 19th century."

"Okay. Fine. Although, I am quite enjoying this era of acceptance, self-expression, and less censorship."

"Yes, I know." he replied, and then added, "I suppose this would be the time for me to say that I am glad you can finally achieve the body you want."

Grell squealed happily, "It's wonderful, isn't it? And you know, I'm very much anticipating getting approved for surgery in the near future."

Will nodded and adjusted his glasses, "Speaking of that, did you take your pills today?"

"Of course I did, you know I never forget to take them." she replied, setting William's plate down in front of him. She then refilled her water glass and joined him at the table, sitting across from him. They sat together in silence, but it still made Grell feel a bit happier, considering the fact that little moments like this reminded her that William still did love her very much.

Dinner was a short affair, as usual. William tried to dismiss himself to his office to do more work. However, Grell stopped him from doing so.

"William," she said, voice etched with concern. She set a hand on his shoulder and said, "Please don't shut yourself in your office. You've already worked overtime all week. Take a break, darling. Finish a movie with me? Come to bed?" what was meant to be statement sounded more like a pleading question than anything else.

William was silent for a moment as he considered her request. Eventually, he sighed, adjusted his glasses and said, "Alright. I suppose."

Again, Grell squealed with delight, jumping up and doing a little twirl. Then, she whisked William's plate from him and rinsed it off, before putting it in the dishwasher and then pulling William out of his seat.

"Let me go change into something more comfortable first though." William replied.

"Alright, my love! Hurry up though! I want to finish this movie!"

"Honestly." William adjusted his glasses before walking to the back of the apartment into their bedroom.