A/N: Oh yes, double up date. Go me! That's it for now, that was hard work. I don't know how Mina does it. So, welcome back Ronnie. It's not looking good. It never really does those, does it. So, thank you for your reviews and please keep them coming.
"Why are you even bothering to leave a note?" Eric said, folding his arms. "He's not going to listen to reason. I think we're passed sitting down and talking it out. We have less than twelve hours before Lucy has to tell the higher ups about Ronald and we lose our chance. We have to stop being so soft about this. Plan B is looking good."
"Yes, and if we can't find him I don't think it's going to do much good," William snapped. "He's in and out of the apartment, he feeds Grim and cleans up the place while I'm away but he doesn't stay long enough to bump into us. If we can keep him here until I get back then maybe we can keep him calm enough to pull off your plan and maybe talk some sense into him."
Eric sighed and nodded. He knew it was true. He stuck the note to the fridge with a magnet. It was a long shot, but he hoped Ronald would see sense. After all, they didn't have long. They'd managed to capture another few hybrids for Dr Burns to examine. They could only hope he found a cure in time.
The rain was driving down in London. William pulled his raincoat closer around him. This wasn't good. There were figures hidden behind the curtains of rain. He caught them every now and again, when their eyes flashed. He'd ignored them as best he could and carried on searching. He'd find Ronald soon. He had to.
He stopped suddenly. There was one of them was watching from the roof top above him. This one had dark, bloody red eyes. William had never seen any demon with eyes like that but Ronald's when he was about to feed. He jumped up to the roof as the hybrid dashed away across the roofs. Not before he caught a flash of rain soaked blonde hair though. William chased after him struggling to avoid slipping on the slick tiles. The hybrid jumped from the roof to the back street below and William followed without a moment's hesitation.
"Ronald!" he called over the pounding rain. "Please, wait."
He couldn't see him anymore, but he couldn't hear the splashing of footsteps anymore either. Hopefully that meant Ronald, if it really was Ronald, was just out of sight at a safe distance, listening quietly. He stopped took a few deep breaths and before calling out again.
"Ronald? Is that you?" There was no answer. Of course there wasn't. "Ronald, we're only trying to help you. At midnight tonight, Miss Rose is going to hold a meeting with the higher ups to inform them of your situation. Come home with me now and we can sort everything out, I promise." Still nothing, but still no sign of him moving away either. He sighed and ran a hand through his soaked hair. "Listen to me, Ronald, I only want to help you. I know you're hungry, I can get you a soul if you want. Like I said, I only want to keep you safe and happy. I'd rather give you a soul myself than have you get in a position where you're absolutely starved and go after one on your own. I don't want you to get hurt. One human soul won't matter if it keeps you safe." He pushed up his glasses and wiped the rain from the lenses. "Even if you don't make a choice now, that's ok. Just think about it. After what happened with Eric and Alan people are starting to doubt you. If you don't come and find me by midnight they'll be nothing more I can do to keep what's going on a secret."
His footsteps moved away and William smiled slightly. It had been Ronald. It had to have been. And he'd listened. There was hope. He could still reach him. Now there was very little he could do but give him time. For now, he go and have a hot drink, maybe with a few drops of something stronger, and see what Ronald decided.
He sat in a cafe with a cup of coffee, thinking it over quietly. Maybe Eric and Alan or Grell would bump into him and help talk Ronald down too. William could only hope he was going to see sense. Eric was still watching over Alan constantly. With his arm still in a cast no one was sure he should have been out reaping but Dr Burns assured them he was fine. Of course, with William knowing there was still the threat of the Thorns returning he was even less sure. Since their scythes had remade, they'd both been eager to get out into the field again.
"Hey, William," Alan said quietly. He and Eric sat around the table with him. "Any sign yet?"
"I think I might have bumped into him, yes," William said. "He stayed out of sight and didn't say anything but I'm pretty sure it was him. I explained to him what was going on and that he needed to come and find us as soon as possible. He didn't run off. He stayed until I was done."
"That's a good sign at least," Eric muttered.
William nodded and pulled off his glasses to wipe them and dry them from the water dripping from his hair before slipping them back on. The Undertaker had yet to report of any attempts on his life. There was less than a day until her prediction of his death was proven wrong. He hoped she was wrong. The Undertaker was a powerful ally, he knew what to expect from Lucifer, he wasn't sure they could do it without him. Grell was distracted by what seemed to be a budding relationship with the Undertaker, although for some reason he seemed to denying it all together. It was very unlike him. And that worried William. He'd known Grell all his life, even if that hadn't always pleased him, and he'd never seen him so secretive about a relationship.
"So, you never did tell me how much Ronald told you," the Undertaker said. Grell frowned and tilted the red hate he'd picked up from the back room. "It's important to know how much he knew beforehand."
"Well," Grell said quietly. "He said that he wanted to help the hybrids because it wasn't their fault that the demons created them and were going to use them as weapons. He wanted to protect them from that fate if he could because he didn't want them to be involved in with the demons attacking the reapers."
"So he knew they were going to attack?" The Undertaker sighed and wrapped his arms around Grell's shoulders, tipping his head up. "I wish you'd told me sooner."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"It doesn't matter," he laughed.
He tilted Grell's head up and kissed his forehead. It was troubling. If Ronald knew of the demons attacking before they'd met with Lucifer then he knew far more than he was letting on. How far would he go to protect them and keep them being used as weapons?
"Undertaker?"
"Perhaps he is not as brainwashed as everyone assumes."
"What?"
"Nothing. Like I said, it doesn't matter." He captured Grell's lips with his, pressing him forcefully back to the coffin before standing straight and turning away. "I have a funeral to prepare for, we should continue this afterwards." Grell sat up, pouting slightly. "Don't look at me like that. Funerals are important. I'll return soon, I need to get the horses ready to pull the carriage."
He pulled on a coat and stepped out into the rain. The horses were unusually edgy, even for such a foul day. There was movement in one of the stables and the Undertaker smiled. It could have just been the boy he paid to watch over the stables but he knew better. He smiled turned back to the other two, grooming them quietly and slipping on their harnesses.
The funeral was boring as far as funerals went. He watched quietly before returning to the stables. Grell was waiting outside with an umbrella. The Undertaker put the horses away quietly and turned to the third stable. In the darkness he could see the young figure grooming the big black mare lovingly. Grell called him back over and he smiled, slowly returning.
Inside William, Eric and Alan were waiting. He frowned. It seemed he'd have to wait a while longer before continuing what he'd started with Grell. William seemed less agitated than he had been recently at least. He smiled and sat on the desk, snaking his arm around Grell's waist and pulling him close roughly, kissing him firmly.
"So, Mr Spears," he chuckled. "What can I do for you?"
"We just wanted to check up on you," Eric said. "After all, there have been threats made against your life."
"Not for the first time," the Undertaker laughed. "Not at all the first time someone has tried to kill me. If that's all you wanted, you don't need to worry. I've got Grell here if there's any trouble. I'm sure my lady has no problems with protecting such a feeble old man."
"If you're sure," William said. "In that case, we'll leave you to... whatever it is you want to do... we'll actually get on with looking for Ronald."
"Please, feel free to stop back any time."
As they strode back out into the rain, Alan took Eric's hand and squeezed gently. Eric glanced down and smiled. Alan's heart was pounding. How was he supposed to tell Eric there was a chance he hadn't been cured of the Thorns, just temporarily set back? After all he'd done and risked to save him. The idea brought tears to his eyes. Luckily the rain hid most of it and Eric didn't notice. He just smiled as Alan leant against his arm.
Eric had always been like that though. He'd always tried his best to keep Alan safe, just like William did with Ronald, no matter what the consequences. He'd thought being cured would mean Eric could be less delicate with him but it didn't seem to do any good. He was still a mess.
"Eric," he whispered. "I need to tell you something."
"I'll leave you two to it," William said.
Eric watched him go, then turned to Alan. Smiling awkwardly, Alan took his hand and pulled him under cover, squeezing tightly. "Eric..."
Smiling gently, Eric brushed the water running down his face and for the first time seemed to realise he was crying. "Alan? Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
"Eric, they think..." He sighed and shook his head. "Eric, there are sign that what happened with the Thorns..." He stopped again and Eric gazed down at him, a sad realisation seeming to come to his eyes. "They might have just been pushed back. There are signs that they might be... they might be coming back..."
He whimpered and fell against Eric's chest, letting him wrap his arms around him and stroke his hair. He didn't want to put Eric through all that again. He'd suffer next to him and everything seemed so much better once they thought he was cured.
"Alan," Eric whispered. "No, Ala... Ron?"
Alan swung around just in time to catch a flash of red eyes and soaked blonde hair. "Ronald! Ronald, wait!"
He went to run after him but Eric caught his hand and pulled him back. "No. No, let him go. Al..." He sighed and leant against him, gently rubbing his arm in the cast. "It's not certain though?"
"No. They're going to run tests again." He sighed and gazed up at him. "We need to go after Ronald, before things get too bad."
"No hard work for you," Eric said firmly. "Come on. William can look after Ron. We should go home. Come on."
"But- but-"
"No buts, come on. Let's go."
The Undertaker sighed watching Grell sleeping in the coffin. It was time to go and face what was waiting. Lucifer had sent the best he had to kill him. A grin spread across his lips and he picked up his scythe, throwing off his robes and hat and striding out into the rain. In the yard by the stables, Lucifer's assassin was waiting, sitting on the roof in the rain, watching quietly.
"Hello, Undertaker," he called. "You're finally ready."
"Good evening, Ronald," the Undertaker called back. "I hope you know how rude this is." Ronald stepped down from the roof and tapped a demon sword against the damp ground. "This is kind of awkward."
"Yes, I suppose so," Ronald replied quietly. "You know why I'm here then." His eyes flashed a vicious red and he smirked. "You know I wouldn't normally be so disrespectful to my seniors but it's you or me, and I like self preservation. I suppose there's no point putting it off any longer."
"You know a demon sword can't stand against a death scythe."
"That's what death scythes are for," Ronald replied pulling out one of his knives. "So?"
The Undertaker nodded and stepped forwards, swinging his scythe for Ronald in a testing arc. The blonde ducked easily below the blade and shot forwards. He wasn't playing around. He thrust the demon blade for him. Stepped back and swinging for him again only to be blocked by his knife. Well, he was doing better than he used to. The demonic powers had made him more agile and quick than he used to be.
The demon sword didn't bother him so much. Demons healed quickly so they didn't bother developing medicine, unlike the reapers. While the wound itself would never heal, they had figured out ways around it. It was about as dangerous to a reaper as a normal death scythe wound. If it was a fatal blow, it would kill, if not it could be dealt with if seen to quickly enough. Ronald must have know this, reapers were taught it, and would be looking to get a killing blow. He didn't intend to lose to some young upstart though.
Ronald was surprisingly quick across the wet concrete, their scythes clashing as Ronald kept the demon sword from getting hit by his scythe. Ducking under the scythe and spinning on the spot, swinging upwards with his sword, cutting off a few strands of hair. Not impressing the Undertaker in the slightest. Swinging around , Ronald drove him elbow into the Undertaker's stomach, eyes glowing a violent red. Growing, the Undertaker swung around the end of his scythe, catching Ronald's back as he darted away, knocking him to the ground. The blonde glared up at him over his shoulder, the sword falling from his hand, and scampered back to his feet as quickly as he could, whipping out the second knife, ready to face him head on.
Ronald shot forwards again and the Undertaker swung his scythe in a wide arc. To his surprise, Ronald leapt up, landing daintily on the blade as it stuck in the wall and took a bow before flipping off and lashing out with his knives. Chuckling slightly, the Undertaker dodged every strike before sensing an opening and driving his knee into Ronald's chin, sending him stumbling back.
"Ronnie!" Grell yelled.
The Undertaker swung around to see Grell in the doorway. When he turned back to Ronald he'd got the demon sword back and drove it up into the Undertaker. He gasped and a choked out cry of pain. Grell almost screamed in rage his chainsaw revved. Just as he swung for Ronald, the blonde pulled out the sword and kicked the Undertaker away, just about avoiding the spinning teeth, blood dripping down the blade.
"Ronald, what have you done?" Grell cried. "Ronald?" Ronald staged back and there was a soft chuckle. "Ronald, don't you back away from this. You have to stay here and face what you've done."
"He's killed the Undertaker," Lucifer chuckled, wrapping an arm around Ronald's waist from behind. "Just like I asked him too. Good boy."
Ronald spun and drove one of his knives into Lucifer's shoulder, making his howl in pain. Within moment he'd darted away, pulled open one of the stable doors and bolted away on one the big black horse, already saddled up. Lucifer growled and vanished into the darkness. Grell went to go after them but the Undertaker grabbed his arm and pulled him back. There was blood pouring from the wound just below his shoulder. Not a killing blow by any means of the word and easily healed if they got to the medical wing soon. He struggled to open a porthole and Grell helped him up.
"This isn't good," Grell whispered.
The Undertaker chuckled and shook his head. "No..."