Chapter Ten

The contents of the beaker glowed green, but the taste was palatable. Undertaker set it aside and examined his patient, lifting the sterile cloth from the stitches in Grell's abdomen. He nodded when he saw the redness and swelling of the surrounding skin diminishing. He removed the cloth from Grell's mouth, but left the blindfold over his taped eyelids.

For ease of carrying, Undertaker tightly bound Grell in a sheet. As he had the first time, Undertaker carried Grell up the stairs. It had been weeks since they'd first been together, but he'd finally perfected a serum for infecting Grell with offspring and added his own essence to the mix. Now all they had to do was wait while Grell took the medicine he'd developed.

In between his mortician work and Grell's reaper duties, they'd had precious little time together, but they took what they could get. Regardless, Grell's smiles always brightened his mood. There was still the worry concerning Grell's job, but they had decided to broach that subject when they knew the pregnancy had taken. Grell planned to demand maternity leave, rather than retiring completely. He seemed to believe the shock from a male reaper pregnancy would get him almost anything he asked for, and might even get him a dismissal.

They could hope. If things didn't go their way, Grell could always join Undertaker in hiding. However, if that happened, Undertaker had a whole bunch of dollies he planned to release on mankind as punishment for the shinigami dispatch. He giggled thinking about it as he laid his Princess onto the bed and unwound the sheet. He removed the blindfold and peeled the tape from Grell's eyes, careful not to dislodge the false eyelashes his lady favored and had so painstakingly applied.

It would be an hour or so before Grell became coherent and Undertaker wanted the room nice and toasty for his Princess. He stoked the fire and added a couple of logs. Spring would be on them soon, though, and they could forgo the heat.

At Grell's insistence, the bedroom had been cleaned top to bottom and made cozy with cushioned chairs, rugs and pillows. There was also a small cradle sitting in the corner. When the young reaper had found out that Undertaker would in some way be the father of his child, he had insisted on Undertaker helping him build a cradle. Of course Grell had outright rejected Undertaker's first design as it had been in the shape of a coffin, so Undertaker had allowed Grell to design the next one and he'd built it. It rested under the window, all cherry stained wood. Varnished and gleaming, it was a proper cradle.

Of all things, Grell had begun learning to knit so that his baby would be nice and warm. He'd refused the gowns Undertaker kept on hand for children's corpses. Already, Undertaker could see that he would need to accept the queen's coin for some of his work from now on.

If Grell wouldn't change the child's diapers and wash them, Undertaker would hire a nanny. They might even need a wet nurse. Undertaker couldn't be certain what the infant would require for nutrition. He would provide whatever they needed. He would do anything for Grell.

Undertaker's problem was simple. He needed to work in order to support his new family and a child was going to be expensive. He hated working for coin, but it was worth it for Grell and a child. It was an excellent trade off. Instead of charging jokes from his customers as payment, Grell would be there to make him smile.

Undertaker only hoped the pregnancy took. Grell had been so happy and excited at the prospect of becoming a new mother that Undertaker couldn't imagine disappointing his Princess. He would need to make certain he logged every little detail of this experiment. He settled into the rocker they'd purchased, picked up his experiment log and began writing as he waited for Grell to awaken.

Less than an hour later, Grell opened his groggy eyes, blinked and shifted. "Ung."

Undertaker set his book aside and hurried to the redhead's side. "Hello there, Princess," he murmured and bent down to press a kiss to Grell's forehead. Grell was smiling when Undertaker pulled away.

"How'd it go?" Grell asked in a raspy voice.

"The surgery went very well," Undertaker replied. "As soon as you're able, I need you to drink something for me. Perhaps in half an hour."

"Kay," Grell said, his voice sounding scratchy and tired.

"Rest. I'll go get your drink," Undertaker said and brushed his fingers over Grell's forehead until Grell's eyes closed.

Grell nodded, so Undertaker left and retrieved the green concoction from his lab, not bothering to put it in a container other than the beaker. Grell had taken some the night before the surgery, but Undertaker wanted to make certain that his body was a receptive host to its new component. It would make the redhead weak for a day or so, but that's why Grell had managed to gain two days off from work. He'd be bedridden in the interim.

Undertaker sat the drink on the table beside the bed and sat down on the mattress. "How do you feel?"

"Sleepy," Grell said, his eyes still closed.

"Any pain?" Undertaker asked.

"Not yet, though I'm sure that'll change," Grell replied, but smiled anyway, opening his eyes.

"I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen. We'll keep the stitches moist and sterile until I can take them out, probably tomorrow."

"Why so long?" Grell asked and took the beaker of liquid Undertaker handed to him.

"The medicine has weakened your system and it will take longer to heal. Also, if the pregnancy takes, your strength will be sapped by the little parasite," Undertaker replied with a smile as he watched Grell drink the medicine.

Grell glared angrily at the mortician. "Don't call our baby a parasite!"

Undertaker chuckled. "Well, that's exactly what it is going to be before it is born. It will suck nutrients from your body, causing you to heal more slowly, which is why I still say you shouldn't go back to work."

"Told you I'd be careful," Grell mumbled. "Besides, no one will believe me until they can see proof."

"That's why you go to one of your physicians as soon as you return," Undertaker said.

"But...I'm scared. What if...what if they want to kill our baby?" Grell asked, his fear showing clearly in his eyes.

Undertaker gave Grell a reassuring smile. "How could they? I doubt it was added to a birth list, so how could it be on a death list? And they don't know how it was conceived, so they have no authority to harm it, or you."

"I'm still scared," Grell muttered.

"Shhh," Undertaker soothed, then leaned down and kissed Grell on the tip of his nose.

Undertaker wanted to reassure Grell, but wasn't sure how, short of returning with him. His presence was tolerated by some at London dispatch, but not by all. Most didn't even know who he was. Well, if he wanted to risk it all, Undertaker supposed this was the perfect time to do it. It would lay down in stone the path he and Grell would travel.

"Would it help if I went with you?" Undertaker asked.

Grell nodded and looked up at Undertaker, biting his lip. "I would feel safer."

Undertaker grinned, pleased that his presence reassured his lover. "All right. I'll go with you when you return."

Grell's face lit up with a grateful smile. "Who knows, maybe we won't have to hide from anyone!"

"It's a possibility," Undertaker said encouragingly, but inside, he was highly doubtful.

They would find out soon enough.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters.