*Author's note: Hello! Thank you guys so much if you've read this far! This story is honestly a blast for me! I think around this chapter is where the plot picks up a bit! I really hope you enjoy it! Please comment and tell me what you think! Will and Undertaker will definitely be showing up in the plot later, so keep your eyes open!

Disclaimer: Yeah... Still don't own any of the characters besides my originals, Riley, Hansen and his butler, Malcolm.*

With a flash, Grell was in the realm of the reapers, standing before the entrance of a special building.

Inside the building, the superior reapers went about their daily business. There were three head reapers inside at all times, so Grell knew he would be able to speak with someone.

A ways off, Grell saw Will, and at first wanted to say hello, but decided against it. This had to be done as quickly as possible.

Grell entered the building and approached a desk.

There was a man sitting there, and he waited a good ten minutes before even acknowledging Grell.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I need to speak to the superior reapers," Grell stated.

"Business?"

"Request for Reconsideration," Grell replied, leaning his elbows on the desk, in a bored fashion.

"The superiors are tied for three more hours. There's an opening then," the man said.

"I've got time!" Grell exclaimed happily.

"You must stay inside the building to hold your spot," the man relayed. "If you're gone when your time comes, it goes to someone else."

"I'll be here!" Grell said. "Don't you worry!"

He plopped down in a chair in a small waiting room, and crossed his legs patiently.

He had time.

It was three hours later, and Grell was still sitting in the chair, waiting with the patience of a saint.

The man behind the counter had called the names of other people, and Grell hoped that one of them had given up and gone home so he could go early.

But someone approached the counter for each name and Grell huffed, but still waited.

Finally, the man called his name, and Grell stood up enthusiastically, and approached the door beside the counter.

"Thank you!" Grell exclaimed dramatically, and walked into the back room of the building.

There was a long table high up in the room, and three superiors sitting up like the judges of a courtroom, waiting to hear what was brought before them.

"Good evening, superiors!" Grell exclaimed happily. "My name is Grell Sutcliff, and I've come to request a Reconsideration."

"Sutcliff," the man in the middle said. "I've heard of you."

Judging by the man's tart expression, they hadn't been good things, either.

"State the name of the soul you request to save," the man to the right said.

"Riley Fairchild," Grell said.

There was a pause as they wrote the name down.

"And what good do you think she will accomplish in her lifetime?" the last man asked.

Grell took a deep breath and thought of the best way to explain.

"This soul, I believe, won't do just one great thing in her lifetime, but many! Already, she has saved several lives, and has retaliated for the injustices of others," Grell replied. He continued to explain about how she had saved the lives of her younger siblings, knowing that they'd grow up the same way she had.

And he explained about how she killed those who deserved it, and how she created harmony and justice in that way.

After a while, he started talking about why he thought she should be spared.

"Because she had such a terrible past, she deserves the chance to have a better future, and that's one reason I'd like to spare her soul," Grell finished.

"Come back tomorrow," the middle man said again. "We need time to reconsider and deliberate."

"Of course!" Grell replied and quickly walked back out of the room, his heart pounding. He'd plead her case as best as he could. He'd put the entirety of his heart and soul into his argument.

All he could do now was wait.

It was going to be the longest day of his life.

At least he was early to wake up Riley. It was only one in the morning.

Riley felt someone shake her shoulder gently, and she woke up from her sleep.

"Grell?" she asked, still in her half asleep haze.

"You bet!" Grell's voice exclaimed. "It's three in the morning, darling! Time to have some fun!"

Riley sat up too quickly, and she noticed her face was really close to Grell's.

She stared at him for a moment, surprised, and he stared back at her, his eyes wide.

Then he grinned.

"Come on!" he sang, grabbing her hand to haul her out of bed.

Riley stumbled and shook her head, still a bit disorientated.

"You're awfully chipper about killing someone," Riley muttered, rubbing her eyes as she stood there. "How are you so happy all the time?"

"Just think, cupcake! Maybe this whole fiasco is almost over at last!" Grell exclaimed, turning his hair brown again in case they got caught. "I've already found out which hall has his bedroom! Let's go!"

He opened the door and let Riley go first. She put a knife in her stockings, to hide it, and her gun was in her right hand.

"This way," Grell said, motioning down the hall.

They walked for a few more minutes in silence.

Suddenly, Grell turned a corner, then slammed back around, practically running into Riley.

"What-" Riley started, but Grell covered her mouth with his hand, his eyes wide.

"Sh," he mouthed. "There is a guard in front of his bedroom door."

Riley was in disbelief.

"A guard?" she whispered.

Grell removed his hand and motioned for her to walk back where they'd came.

They popped into an empty closet to talk without being heard.

"A guard?" Riley exclaimed, angrily.

"He wasn't there, earlier!" Grell replied, crossing his arms. "Well, what do you want to do now, cupcake?"

"I don't know," Riley said. "We can't distract the guard because we'd make too much noise. I guess... We'll just have to try to kill him tomorrow." She tucked her gun into her hosiery as well.

Grell sighed in frustration, and put a hand on his hip.

"Whatever you say," he said, opening the closet door.

Riley walked out, and ran into someone, who'd been walking down the hall.

It was a maid, who was doing laundry, at three in the morning.

She looked surprised to see anyone awake, and she dropped her wooden laundry basket.

"I'm so sorry!" Riley exclaimed, picking her basket up for her.

Grell walked out of the closet, a confused expression on his face.

"No, my lady, I'm so very sorry!" the maid squeaked, as she realised that Riley and her 'butler' had just been in a closet together at three in the morning. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything- I- I'm so very sorry!"

It took Riley a moment to understand what she was saying, then her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"No, no, this isn't anything like that at all!" Riley exclaimed, holding her palms out to the lady. "We were- we-"

She tried to think of a good excuse as to why they had been in the closet together, but her hurried mind couldn't think of a single one.

"A good night to you both," the maid left the scene, red-faced, trying to get away as quickly as possible.

As soon as they were alone, Grell burst into laughter.

He doubled over, putting his hands on his knees.

"Grell," Riley chastised. "Stop. This isn't funny."

"Wh- what are the ch-chances-" he cut off to continue to laugh, "that a maid! Would be doing laundry! At three in the morning!"

He stood back up and removed his glasses to wipe a tear from his eyes. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and was silent for a moment.

"Are you quite fini-" Riley started, but then Grell burst into another fit of hysterics.

"Grell! Quiet! You're going to wake up everyone in the estate!" Riley said, crossing her arms angrily and waiting for him to stop.

Grell finally put a hand to his mouth and took another deep breath. Tears were literally streaming down his face. "I'm glad you found this so amusing!" Riley said, sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, darling! It was the look on your face that got me!" Grell replied, in a half-whisper.

"Let's just get back before Hansen has us arrested," Riley said, irritably.

Grell caught up with her as she walked.

"I still have that dress if we need something to pass the time," Grell added, with a wink.

"I will punch you in the mouth," Riley replied calmly, and Grell laughed again.

"Don't be so touchy, sweetheart," he chuckled. "It was just a suggestion!"

The next morning, when Grell woke Riley up around eight, it was absolutely pouring outside.

The rain was so thick, that it was impossible to see anything.

Grell actually cooked Riley breakfast, much to his own dismay. He'd obviously been hoping to get out of there quickly to avoid such situations.

Riley ate her breakfast in the dining hall, with Grell, aka Sutcliff, standing behind her formally.

"Good morning!" Benjamin Hansen called as he entered the dining hall.

"Good morning, my lord," Riley greeted. "Will you be having breakfast this morning?"

"Not today," he replied, approaching her. "I'm not much for breakfast, to be quite honest."

He looked down at her once he was close enough to whisper. "I was most saddened when you did not come to visit me last night. Imagine my surprise when I heard this morning that you had been... adventuring with your butler."

Riley choked on the tea she'd been drinking and looked up at the man in surprise.

So, the maid had ratted them out then.

"I assure you, Lord Hansen, that it was nothing of the sort," Riley replied. "I had difficulty sleeping last night, so I asked Sutcliff to make me something hot to drink. I went along with him, and I accidentally got us both lost. I'm quite accident-prone, honestly."

Hansen stared down at her, then looked over at Sutcliff, who was standing behind Riley's chair, expressionlessly.

"Well, no matter," Hansen gave her a haughty look. "I've got work to do in my office. But I simply can't allow you to leave yet. The weather outside is simply awful! It's no way for a lovely woman to travel. Please, I insist that you wait until the rain lets up before you take your leave."

"Thank you," Riley replied, with a polite smile. "We shall be out of your hair shortly."

"Take as long as you need," he replied. "And, you may come up into my office and visit me at any time of the day, my Lady. I promise you, I won't mind at all."

He gave her a suggestive expression and held her eye contact for longer than necessary.

As he stood there, Riley noticed something. It looked like a mark, but it was on the side of his neck... Like a star with a circle around it. She tried to get a better glimpse of it nonchalantly, but he turned his head.

Riley didn't respond to his blunt invitations, and Hansen finally turned and left the dining hall.

"What a pervert!" Grell exclaimed when they were alone again. "He really has a thing for you, darling! I respect his tastes, but he's going about it all wrong!"

"He disgusts me," Riley replied, finishing her food. "Everything he says, everything he does. Did you see that mark on his neck, hidden by his hair?" She looked up at Grell, who gave her a confused expression.

"What mark?" he asked.

Riley shook her head, doubting herself suddenly.

"Never mind. Maybe I imagined it. When can we kill him, do you think?"

"I've got a little something I need to do first, cupcake," Grell said. "Tell them you've sent me on a run. I'll be back, hopefully within the hour!"

"Where are you going?" Riley asked, surprised.

"It's a secret," Grell winked.

"You're honestly going to leave me alone with that pig?" Riley inquired.

"You don't think you could take him yourself, darling?" Grell chuckled.

"I could if I had to," Riley answered, not completely confident.

"Don't you worry!" Grell said, bending down and rubbing his hand over her hair like she was a child. "I'll be right back!"

He gave her a grin and she stared at him, trying to relay how unhappy she was about this.

Suddenly, Grell became serious and gave her a bitter smile.

"Really, though, cupcake, if he does anything to you, just tell me and I'll kill him," Grell said, his voice not dramatic in the least. "I am a reaper. I have a death scythe. I could make it long and painful. Easy as one, two, three!"

He stood back up and gave her a wink, sticking out his tongue, pretty well back to normal.

"Toodaloo, angel face!" Grell called as he exited through the kitchen door, which led into the garden.