"Ann, please. You're hurt. At least allow me to take a look at it."

Albeit not making any attempt to hide her annoyance, the doctor finally pulled off her coat to expose her dress, the right sleeve of which had been slashed badly from about her shoulder to her wrist. The skin beneath it was cut deeply, leaving a gash far down her arm. She winced when she sat down beside her butler, who stared at it in horror. How could anyone manage to do that to her? She's far too - Grelle set her thoughts aside, instead forcing herself to focus. After a moment of hesitation, she reached over to take a closer look at Angelina's arm. It was still bleeding, but only a little. Much of the blood had either dried or clotted around her arm, and the parts of her sleeve the blood had been caught on. She shook a little when she took a look at it herself. Within seconds, Grelle reached out and held onto it to keep it steady. She found her mind wandering once again, as if enraptured by the wound. It horrified her. It also interested her. Just like Will always snaps at me over. I'm too interested and impulsive. She closed her eyes. Some days, it was harder than others to remember that, like humans, reapers needed to eat, drink, and sleep. Angelina shivered, drawing Grelle back to her again.

"She fought back," Angelina muttered. "I never should have confronted her in her home, but I did not want to take the risk of becoming, as the police might say, 'predictable.' What a mess. I suppose I should count myself lucky that I took off my coat when I entered. Otherwise I would have had to explain my…injury."

Grelle winced. "I'm just glad my absence did not result in anything worse happening to you."

"You and I both know the arrangement," Angelina said, rather tiredly. "If I were too injured, you would have needed to kill me. If she had lived, you would have needed to kill me."

"If you are caught or on the verge of being handed over, I'll have to kill you," Grelle concluded. "I know. You also know I cannot guarantee I wouldn't lose my temper in a moment like that."

"Were our positions reversed, I certainly wouldn't begrudge you that," Angelina said, turning to face her. "I have lost my temper on you more than once. I can only imagine how you would feel if I were to allow myself to become in the last position I truly want. Of being taken away. Judged harshly by society. Executed."

"And that's your greatest fear," Grelle eyed her worriedly when the doctor did not say anything more, nor did she flinch when the reaper began to examine her wound again. "It would be mine, too."

Angelina glanced at her from the corners of her eyes, though her mind was wandering with every prick her wounded skin felt to remind her of its presence.

"Dr. Durless?" Marlene Clay had nearly fallen back in surprise, both from the heavy wind outside and her surprise at seeing the woman before her. Quickly, she pulled her inside, closing the door while the doctor took off her coat, hanging it up on the stand. "I hadn't expected you to come by so soon."

Angelina had smiled, but with no happiness. "I find it especially important to check in on my patients," She said, her fingers wrapping around the sheathed knife in a concealed pocket of her dress. "Especially those of whom have recently gone through surgery."

"Well, I'm doing quite well, all things considered," Marlene had begun laughing. "You did an incredibly quick job of it. I never thought it would be so easy. I had assumed it would be more difficult. Then again, I've mostly seen men doctors. They don't understand what a nuisance all of that is."

"Nuisance?" Angelina had probed. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean to imply that seeing a doctor was a nuisance!" Marlene had quickly said. "I was referring to pregnancy! I have five kids - they're travelling with my husband to see their grandparents, the poor things! My father has fallen ill, but I had to remain for a few days of work, and, of course, the operation. I will be joining them in a few days."

Angelina had said nothing, her mind spinning.

"Oh, dear!" Marlene had waved her to sit down on the small couch. "I forgot you're a noble woman! Allow me to make you some tea! You must think my manners are so poor! I'm so sorry!"

"You needn't do that," Angelina had said, reaching over to have Marlene sat across from her. "I can only imagine how tired you are. Recovery after surgery can be quite difficult. That is why I'm here, as I already said. Please, calm down."

Marlene had awkwardly smiled. "You are too kind. I cannot thank you enough."

Angelina had stood up again, still wrapping her fingers around the knife in her dress.

"Allow me to try and ease up your shoulders," She had said, her voice wavering a little. "You seem to be incredibly tense."

Marlene had nodded. "It's unavoidable," She had explained. "In my line of work, where I have to keep the true nature of it from my husband, I am always under stress. I cannot expect you to understand, as a wealthy noble woman, that is."

"We are quite different people," Angelina had agreed, barely able to hide her upset. "I became a doctor to attempt to care for my sister, and, eventually, after he was born, my nephew. She had terrible asthma, was very fragile. I had hoped to cure her, at first. But I've come to realise that was not realistic."

"How charitable of you!" Marlene had exclaimed. "You truly are the best kind of woman! A true noble woman, able to truly see the world, and pass sound judgement on it! You truly know how to -"

"Interesting that you mention passing judgement," Angelina had said, one of her hands setting onto the woman's shoulders. "Many people don't presume that being a member of the nobility implies passing judgement on others."

"Were you not born noble?" Marlene had said, curiosity superseding her. "I find that surprising."

"Many nobles don't marry other nobles. But they do tend to marry others from wealthy families," Angelina had replied. "My sister and I, our parents, were quite wealthy of their own accord. My father was a merchant, and a very profitable one at that. I became friends with Baron Burnett, and he and I eventually married. My sister, however, caught the eye of the then lord of the Phantomhive family, Vincent."

"Ah, yes," Marlene had started laughing again. "That's how your nephew is a Phantomhive! That teenage boy, the one who reappeared after that terrible ordeal! Ciel is his name, isn't it?"

"Yes," Angelina had felt her hand tighten around the knife. "He is the only one I have left. I lost my husband, I lost my sister, I lost her husband, and I thought I had lost my nephew."

Marlene had paused. "That's horrific, Dr. Durless. You are so strong. As I said, you are the epitome of a noble."

"Perhaps," Angelina had said, struggling not to clench the whore's shoulder. "They aren't all I lost, however. When I lost my husband, it was to a carriage accident we were both in. I was…six months pregnant at the time. And I lost my baby. That's not quite accurate, as it happens."

"How could you go through such a tragedy and come out alive?" Marlene had shaken her head. "The more you speak, the more awe I can see in you."

"I lost my babies. I had demanded to see them after they had to remove my uterus to save my life, and, with it, my dead babies. Babies. I hadn't realised I was going to have twins. And I," Angelina's voice had wavered, and she had pulled her knife in her hand. "Saw them, once. They were so small. I clothed them, and buried them with their father."

"No wonder you continued to work as a doctor after!" Marlene had declared. "It all makes sense!"

"Only my sister and her husband were present. My nephew was…too young to remember. I lost the one thing I wanted more than anything else. My children," Angelina had, with no hesitation, whipped the knife around, her other hand restraining Marlene by her shoulder. "And you throw that away without so much as thinking twice!"

Marlene had screamed, when the knife pressed into her throat. She had been faster, however, than Angelina had ever accounted for. Though blood started to seep out from her throat, she flailed her arms up fast enough to pull Angelina's hand away. The knife had plunged into her shoulder, and she felt Angelina's hands let go and grab her from the other side of her neck. Marlene had managed to get up onto her feet, struggling to wrench away from her. Angelina did not let go, trying to snap her neck. Yet again, she had not been fast enough, and Marlene had managed to pull the knife out from her shoulder. She grabbed at Angelina's arm, and managed to graze the knife down, sharp enough to cut through the sleeve of her dress, and cut through her skin. Angelina had let out a scream, and, her heart pounding and feeling almost as if it would beat her senseless, a flash of adrenaline came over her. Her arm stinging badly, and blood starting to drip down, she snatched the knife back. Then, fear, anger, upset, and everything in between had come over Angelina, and, the knife back in hand again, tackled Marlene over her couch. She had started stabbing her in the chest, her breathing becoming heavier and heavier. With every stab, and every breath, she had found herself struggling to keep her hands from so badly shaking.

Marlene had begun to twitch, letting out a few more cries.

Angelina had kept pulling the knife up and down.

Marlene had writhed, and weakly struggled.

Angelina had struggled to keep breathing normally enough to keep going.

Marlene had started to become more still, and then finally limp.

Angelina had stabbed a few more times before falling over on top of the woman she had killed.

"Just another whore," Angelina's voice had wavered. "Throwing away the one thing I always wanted…"

She had whimpered, starting to cry. She was completely alone. The wind rustled trees that scratched at the harshly shut windows. The faint hiss and crackle of gas lamps outside were there, too, with that terrible ringing that remains when all is otherwise completely silent. It was terrifying. It was lonely.

"Ann…" Grelle had said, nervously starting to stitch up her arm. "It's okay. I don't blame you for being scared. I…I would have been too."

"She acted as if she could not understand why," Angelina began shaking again when she took a look at Grelle stitching up her arm. "I'm surprised you learnt how to do this."

"You've stitched me up a few times," She replied with a bit of a smile. "Of course I was going to learn how to do it, at least a little."

Angelina closed her eyes, but reached over to Grelle's free hand with her own, trying to stop herself from continuing to shake. Grelle did not pull away, and she instead wrapped her hand as comfortingly as she could around Ann's. Even while she continued to work with her other hand, stitching up the baroness' arm, the reaper found her mind consumed by her, not by taking care of her wound. Angelina Durless. Grelle couldn't help but smile when she looked at her. Even when she finally opened her eyes again, Angelina's eyes were a bit hazy when they met the reaper's. Grelle leaned over the little she needed to softly kiss her, pausing the stitching. Just the feeling of Ann's lips against hers was a warm feeling. It was almost perfect. The only other times that were this calm, this lovely when it was just the two of them, were curled up in bed. Usually, they were curled up, about to fall asleep, whispering the most non sequitur stories to each other. But the times, too, where they had sex, when Ann accepted her as she was, were the most impactful. The most profound. She was Ann's lover, and, practically, her secret life. She doesn't care that I was born a man. She sees me as I am, and the woman I am, And the two of us…we may be unusual women. We may make some…unusual choices. But, no matter what, I will support her through it all. When they finally let go, the reaper held onto the baroness' hands for just a moment longer, before finally moving to be able to finish the stitches.

"I'm lucky to have someone like you in my life," Angelina said, her voice unusually quiet. "And…to what you said earlier…I trust you. I love you. And…and if you ever have to kill me…can you promise me one thing?"

Grelle paused her stitching one last time, nearly finished. "What is it?" She replied, her voice equally quiet.

"I know your scythe can hack anyone into tiny pieces," Angelina sighed. "But if…if you ever have to kill me…please…"

"Ann," Grelle said softly. "I will do anything you ask me too. Are you asking me to ensure it won't hurt?"

She nodded. "That," She said. "But also…please leave me as…myself. Not anything close to what we do to those whores."

Grelle dropped the needle, having finished the stitches. Her hands shook, for a moment, and she tightly embraced Angelina the second she turned towards her. Angelina's breathing became unsteady again, and she held onto her reaper for dear life.

"You would feel no pain, Ann," Grelle said, pulling away only a little to hold Angelina's face in her hands. "I would never do that to you, no matter how angry I was, no matter how vicious, no matter how…I'm sorry, Ann. I don't know what I would do if I ever have to kill you. And…"

"I already told you, I know I would be…" She shook her head. "What are we becoming?"

"It may be one of those things we'll never know," Grelle murmured. "Things we'll never know, and…and we may just have to let them go."

"Yes, I suppose you're right…" Angelina bit at the inside of her cheek. "If it ever happens, if you…" Her voice wavered again. "If you have to kill me one day, I imagine it would feel much the same as it did for me when I…I first became a killer."

Grelle let her curl up against her, shivering a bit with her torn up sleeve still stinging. Swiftly, she pulled the thick, soft blanket off from over the top of the couch, and wrapped it around them both. It was so long that it trailed a great deal on the floor, even wrapped around them, keeping them warm. Angelina let Grelle wrap an arm loosely around her, holding her close in her arms. This is how things are meant to be. If only she and I could have a child together. If only were were able to take a child, maybe from one of those whores…play the long game, perhaps. It would be perfect. In another life, that would be us. And we wouldn't have to hide any of it. She glanced up at Grelle, whose glasses were starting to slide down her pale face. We both are so pale we look as if we could be vampires. I suppose that may be fitting. Delicately, she slid the reaper's glasses back up for her, smiling when her dark eyes met Grelle's green ones. She kissed her again, almost afraid of what would happen if she were to not. If she were to even try to relax for just a second. But it wasn't long before Grelle held her steady, the two women finally beginning to feel somewhat normal. As normal as things could be on such a scary night. As normal as things could be when the two of them found themselves always afraid of what might happen if the two of them were to step out into the light as they truly were.

"If I could marry you, I would," Grelle spoke so gently, she almost wondered if she had spoken at all. "I love you more than I can say, Ann."

"I know you do. I love you as well, Grelle. I hope you know that. I know I certainly don't say it enough," She fell silent for a moment, and then sighed. "Grelle? If I die…even if you ever have to kill me…I want you to take my coat."

She stared at her in surprise. "I've never even imagined you not wearing it."

"If I can't wear it anymore, as would be the case then…" She let her head rest lightly against Grelle's chest. "I wouldn't want anyone else to wear it but you."

"Then, of course I'll wear it," Grelle kissed her ever so briefly. "I promise, if that ever happens, that I will never go without it."

"Good," Angelina replied with a smile. "You mean the world to me. I haven't felt that in so long. I suppose you could say that you're the best thing that's ever been mine."

"And I feel the same as you," Grelle said, smiling just as much. "You're the most wonderful woman I have ever known."

Angelina hesitated. "I wish I could feel that," She said. "But I haven't been able to feel that way in a long time. Not after…"

"It's going to be alright," Grelle promised, cupping her cheek. "Do you still need to talk about it? About that first time? I only wish I could have been there to help you, but it wasn't until…"

"The third," Angelina finished. "I didn't meet you until the third," She fell quiet. "I don't know what came over me that day. I had been seeing a patient, mind they were across my desk from me. They told me what was happening, what they wanted me to do, and, as their doctor, how could I have refused to? But I…this terrible, overwhelming sense of loss came over me after she left. And that night? That night I came across her by chance…and at that point, I can't remember much. But eventually there was blood all around me, she was dead, and I ran back to my office. Cleaned myself up. And, numbly, went home. I…"

"If you need to weep, then weep," Grelle gently brushed aside the tears falling down Angelina's face. "I'm here, and it's alright, Ann. It's alright."

She sighed. "I didn't leave my home for a few days after that," She whispered. "I said I was sick. It wasn't until my nephew came by to check in, having heard I wasn't out. He seemed so perplexed by it. I suppose he now knows how I felt when I first found out he was alive. I came rushing into the room, embraced him so tightly I felt I could never let him go or he would disappear. I brushed his hair out of his eyes, took care of him. I couldn't imagine losing him. I don't even know how…how he's alive. But, as I said…I suppose he now understands how I felt to see him alive. Except…he saw me almost completely numb. Completely…"

"Frightened by what's on the outside?"

"Yes. Because, if what's out there is like what's in here, there is everything to fear."

"You're more than that," Grelle softly promised. "And, no matter what, even if I one day am wearing your coat, you will always be more than just a spectre. You are an almost impossibly complicated person, Ann. But you are also the most wonderful part of every world you step into. If anything…please don't forget that."

"Only if you promise not to forget one thing either," Angelina quietly replied. "Because…even if I die, even when I die…I love you. And I always will."

Grelle nodded, her fingers lightly treading through Angelina's hair.

"Of course. I can promise you that regardless of what may happen. I will never forget you."