Thank you for the kind reviews on the prologue, you guys! Well, we won't be keeping you waiting too long, here's chapter one! Enjoooy! (Also, no, William won't be a jerk all the time. Just this once, I promise.) And you know, more reviews means you'll get chapter 2 faster! ^^

Disclaimer: Yeahhhh, not mine.


Chapter I

Grell grunted when he arrived home that day, letting himself sink on an open coffin while Undertaker was closing up shop.

"What's the matter, dear?" The elder shinigami asked, his curiosity spiked by the redhead's frown.

"I had a rough day. Gods, I thought I'd asked him not to give me..."

"Oh dear..." Undertaker put down everything and walked over to Grell, knowing exactly what he meant. It had been one of those days when William had assigned him a death list with a baby or child's soul to harvest. It broke Grell's heart every time and he came home miserable. Undertaker didn't understand it either: Grell had asked William over and over not to give him death lists with children on it, yet he kept doing so. Didn't William realize how much those deaths bothered Grell? They probably botheres the other reapers too, but none of them were parents, nor did they want to bear children as desperately as Grell did. He helf Grell in his arms while he looked into the distance, lost in thoughts, for once hating the blood on his hands. He looked down at them. They were already clean - actually, they had never been dirty in the first place since he had been wearing gloves - but he could still see and feel the blood on his hands.

"I hate this job, sometimes..."

"I know. I did too. That's why I retired." Grell sighed and leaned into Undertaker's touch.

"Nevermind. This is never going to change. Well now..." He started, seeking Undertaker's lips with his own to steal a kiss from the mortician. "I'll go make dinner." The scarred reaper watched him as he hung his coat on the coat rack and then followed him into the kitchen. Grell put on an apron and got to work under the undertaker's loving gaze.

"Y'know what..." The elder said, stepping up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist, planting a kiss on his neck. "I'll do it. You go rest." Grell shook his head.

"I need to be doing something. If I don't I'll start thinking about it and that won't solve a thing." Undertaker nodded.

"Very well, then. Will you be fine if I go out for a bit? I'll only be gone for about an hour."

"Sure. This will take a while anyway." The silver-haired shinigami smiled and kissed Grell's cheek.

"I won't be gone for long."

-/-

"We need to talk." The legendary death god said, waltzing into William's office, sitting across from him, much like Grell usually did.

"Yes?" William said, putting down his pen. He never did that for Grell, of course, but he owed Undertaker respect.

"I want you to stop giving her death lists with kids on them."

"Her? Oh." William asked, but realized immediately who Undertaker was referring. "I can't, it would be favoritism. And I can't let him be bothered by it. He's a reaper, he has to be toughened up."

"Well, it's not working. In fact, it's doing quite the opposite. I'm tired of having her come home to me crying her heart out because of the baby or child you made her kill. You know how badly she wants babies and can't have them, you're just rubbing it in her face."

"I don't care, he-"

"But I do!" Undertaker interrupted, slamming his palms on William's desk and standing up.

"Undertaker." The active shinigami started, pushing his glasses up his nose. "It's his job. Surely you didn't make this sort of exception when you were-"

"Because I never had a simillar case to deal with. And don't compare me to you - I had a heart when I was the one working behind that desk."

"I can't make an exception. It's favoritism."

"Gods, William, it's not favoritism! You're killing her!"

"Maybe, if he wasn't so stupid to the point of thinking he can have children, he-" William was once again interrupted, this time not by Undertaker's voice, but by the back of his hand hitting his face. William was shocked silent - he never thought Undertaker would hit him, specially not with his ring hand. The elder's lips were pursed and his whole posture said he was furious.

"Never." He hissed, sounding threatening and leaning over William's desk. "Speak of her like that in my presence ever. Again."

"He's working for me. He does what I tell him to, I'm his supervisor, it's his job to do so. We're short-staffed already, I can't be picky about it." The next thing he knew, Undertaker's hand was holding his chin, forcing him to look at him, his long nails piercing his cheeks.

"The thing is, if this happens once more, I won't allow her to come to work, and I'll contact your superiors about the emotional distress you're causing her. That should be okay since you're short-staffed already, right?" William's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would. And I will if it happens again. I'm sure your superiors would be displeased, but I'm the Undertaker, who's going to say no to me?"

"...Fine." The younger reaper caved in, averting his eyes. "It won't happen again."

"Good!" Undertaker let go of William's chin, standing straight and adopting a cheerful tone. "Nice to do business with you!"