Holding the Leash

Notes: I'm a little worried I'm rushing this one but I don't want it to take forever to get to where I want it.

Chapter 2

It had been three days since she thought she had seen Michaelis, but it still weighed heavily on Annabelle's mind. It was nearly six o'clock, almost time to call it a day. She found herself at her desk, staring at a piece of paperwork for several minutes. Her mind was wandering, her pen still.

She did not realize how long she had been staring at the papers on her desk until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, then managed a small smile for William. "Don't tell me you're finished with your work before I am," she said. "This must be a first."

"Surprisingly, yes," William T. Spears replied, pushing his glasses back into position.

She turned her attention back to her desk. Pushing a lock of hair that escaped from her braid out of the way, she said, "I only have a little left to do. If you want to go home without me, go ahead."

"I'll wait," William told her. He waited for her in silence. Annabelle nearly forgot he was there until she had completed her papers, looked through them to make sure she had not missed anything, and dropped them onto the tray on her desk.

They left in silence, but the walk home did not remain that way. William glanced at her before asking, "Is anything troubling you, Annabelle?" When she did not answer him, he added, "You seem to be distracted. You also seem quite restless at night."

He continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye as he walked. She looked as though she was searching for the right words. "There has been a lot on my mind," she admitted. "It's been quite a busy time for us, hasn't it?"

"Yes," William said, knowing exactly what she was talking about, "but we do not have to worry about that demon anymore."

"I know," Annabelle muttered. She stepped closer to him, close enough to rest her head on his shoulder. "It's still a little hard to stop worrying about."

"I understand it's hard, Annabelle," William said, lowering his voice as to not be overheard by a group of teenagers leaning against a nearby building, "but it isn't like you to get completely distracted."

"I know," she said again, her tone indicating that she wanted the conversation over with. "Just give me more time, William. I'll make sure I don't mess anything up. If it will make you feel better, you can go through my paperwork at the end of the day yourself."

He agreed to do just that and let the subject drop as they had reached their apartment.

He nearly smiled to himself as Annabelle unlocked the door with one hand and freed her hair from her braid with the other. He knew many people took their shoes off as soon as they stepped inside their home. Annabelle took her hair down before doing anything else. It was a small quirk of hers but he found it endearing.

Annabelle was deep in thought for most of the evening. William allowed her to think recent troubles through. Though she hardly said anything to him, she would occasionally look up as though she was making sure he was still around.

She went to bed before him. Despite the fact that he was not tired, William soon followed her to bed. After changing into his pajamas, he sat down on the bed, careful to not disturb her.

As she had for many nights in recent weeks, Annabelle was sleeping but fitfully. She was laying on her side of the bed, her knees drawn up, her left hand tucked under her and her right arm stretched out under her pillow. She whimpered faintly, trying to draw herself into a smaller ball.

William slipped under the blankets without waking her. He pulled her close to him, her back to his stomach. She cried out faintly, her cry all but confirming the fact that she dreamed of some adversary. Then she sighed faintly and murmured his name. He brushed a strand of her black hair from his face, worrying it would be a long night.

The following morning Annabelle found herself leaning over the edge of a two story building. She was awaiting the death of three people due to a carriage accident. Her thoughts drifted to the conversation she had with William the night before.

"He's just worried," she told herself, glad there was no children, or anyone else, on the roof to listen to her talk to herself. "As am I," she admitted to herself. "I've been pretty high strung this past month or so. What I need is a vacation."

She then laughed aloud. Management, giving her a vacation? Unheard of! London was short handed still, despite several new recruits and about a half dozen transfers. Besides, even if she could get a vacation, she did not see William taking one. A vacation would be no fun without him.

"Get a grip on this, Annabelle," she told herself, hearing the crash, the sounds of the horses whinnying, the cries of pain and surprise. She hopped down from her perch, landing gracefully in the alley below. Alleys were the best place to land in her mind. If there was anyone in the alley, which there hardly ever was, that poor soul was usually too drunk to understand what was going on.

She had three souls to collect in a hurry. Accidents usually drew gawkers. She darted forth, slicing the first victim with her scythe as she went. She did not stop until she reached the darkness of a stairwell directly across the street. The end of her death scythe held the Cinematic Record of one Julie Cross.

She completed her judgment on the woman and glanced back towards the accident. A crowd was growing. Annabelle swore under her breath but saw her spot. Again she raced forward, too fast for the humans to see. She cut this one very close, ruffling a young woman's skirt as she did.

Collecting all three souls was a bit of work, but the deed was done within minutes. By now some in the crowd of humans had realized the victims were gone and were tending to the young man who still showed signs of life. Annabelle glanced over her shoulder at the mess in the road once more before hurrying down the alley and leaping over the fence at the end.

She exhaled slowly on the other side, a faint smile at her lips. She had expected some trouble and found none. Perhaps it was the aftereffects of that horrible she-demon's wrath. She went to her next assignment with a slight bounce in her step. That bounce would not stay for long.