Forgiven

[death_glare]

[ No one questioned anything when William suddenly left his office that morning. "I've been called to a meeting" was all the information he gave the rest of Dispatch. To them, it wasn't surprising, seeing as he was the head of the department. For William, however, the summoning came with zero notice. As he made his way to the upper managements' offices, all he could wonder was what issue his subordinates caused that he'd have to clean up after, this time.

It wasn't until lunch break that William returned to Dispatch. The others expected they'd get reprimanded for something, but William remained quiet, his face expressionless as he closed the door to his office. ]

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[death_glare]

[ Replacing the bottle, he paces over, stopping at her side to look down. She really is a pathetic sight there on the ground, but what's most concerning is the way she's speaking. They're both all too familiar with those sorts of phrases. ]

Stop. Get that idea out of your head. You've lived that part of your life already, we don't need it resurfacing. Now, get up. I'm taking you back to headquarters.

[ He'd normally kick her to get her to pay attention and do what she's told, but that wouldn't help her wound. So for now, he extends a hand. ]

[untodeath]

[ Blearily, she peers up at him from beneath her throw. While her focus shifts to his hand, she doesn't take it, believing it won't actually do anything to help her up, all considered. ]

I'm not going back there.

[ Torso teetering back, she cups a hand over her wound, eye travelling wayward and settling nowhere in particular amongst the expanse of the ceiling. ]

This is much more preferable. And that's saying something, I imagine.

[death_glare]

Yes, you are.

[ Huffing, he takes a firm hold of her upper harm, yanking hard enough to pull her to her knees. ]

I didn't come here to deal with your uncooperative attitude or back talk. We're going, now.

[untodeath]

[ Grell's shriek of surprise dulls into a groaning whimper, her free hand clutching the material over her chest. Her eyes are a mixture of confusion and terror, as she cowers under him-- and yet, she clutches onto him. ]

Yo--you're real...? [ Shaking, she reaches out to lay her hand over his. ] No-- no, I can't be imagining this...

[death_glare]

You aren't imagining anything. I am really here, and that should be saying something. Now, get up.

[ Another tug, and a bit of help hoisting her up by the back of her shirt and she's on her feet. He immediately lets go of her arm, and gives a slightly concerned look at her wound. ]

[untodeath]

[ The blanket's fallen from her shoulder and pooled onto the floor, leaving her hair messy and half-pulled from her ponytail. It's doing her no favours, considering the state she's in-- she's a right mess.

Her wound has been stitched up no better than that old red coat she'd kept around, and it's apparent that isn't the only one she has, just the worst of them.

That's the furthest thing from Grell's mind right now, though. Despite being hoisted up like a dumb pup, she's looking at him with some incredible wonder. Reaching up, she cautiously touches her fingertips to his cheek, just below his eye. ]

I-- don't understand what in Death's name is going on.

[death_glare]

[ His violet eyes look into her's, ever so slightly less cold than a moment before. With a gentler touch he removes her hand from his face and leaves her to balance there. Finding where a spare clean bandage is on the table, he grabs it and makes his way back over. ]

I was asked to come back and get you under control. Since, apparently, no one else is capable.

[ Why no one else can figure out how to tame her is beyond him. It just comes so naturally, after all. ]

Move your shirt. You shouldn't leave this uncovered, you can still get sick as a reaper.

[untodeath]

[ Grell's hand is left hovering, her breath baited. She doesn't want him to go - albeit only a few steps away, but it makes her heart still, even so. ]

I see. [ Looking away, her mouth works in place just so. Of course, he wasn't back of his own volition. It was a work thing. ] They could've just let me go. But of course, they wouldn't allow it to be so simple.

[ She pulls at the cuffs of her shirt to slip it off her shoulders. Might as well let him help. ]

This isn't going to persuade me any more, you know.

[death_glare]

[ He steps away again after he sees the state of the wound, apparently to find a cloth to dampen and clean it. ]

I am not here to persuade you. You're going to do what I tell you to do.

[ He presses the dampened cloth to the wound long enough to loosen the dried blood. Then he carefully cleans up the edges. ]

[untodeath]

[ With a stubborn frown more characteristic of her nature, she drapes her hands about her waist as she waits for him. ]

No, I'm not.

[ Wincing, she sways on her legs - enough to make her reach out and grasp his sleeve. Her breathing is struggled with the pain. Perhaps she had let it go for too long. She's managed with worse. ]

[death_glare]

I'm not having this argument with you. I gave management two choices on how to deal with you. Both of which require you to do as I say.

Now stay still while I bandage you properly.

[ His arms extend around her middle as he wraps the bandaging tightly enough to restrict any further bleeding. ]

[untodeath]

[ Closing her eyes, her brows furrow as she tries to suck it up. ]

What choices would those be?

[ At least she's willing to listen to that much. ]

[death_glare]

Either they allow you to cross back over with me, essentially giving you a free pass - which I highly doubt they will agree to. Or, I stay.

[ Tying a tight knot in the bandage he fetches her shirt from the ground, handing it back to her to put on. ]

[untodeath]

[ William won't witness her jaw drop, but he'll certainly catch sight of her gaping at him with absolute bewilderment. ]

There is positively no chance of this happening. I've truly lost it.

[ She says, even as she takes her shirt, too numb to put it on just yet. Instead, she makes her way over to the bed to sit down, staring at her shoes for a moment as she recollects herself. ]

[death_glare]

Either you believe me and play along or I will simply leave again, if you'd prefer that. But make your mind up, the stench of that corpse is not something I ever wanted to endure again.

[ He glances towards Gertrude, before sighing and shaking his head. ]

[untodeath]

[ That certainly gets her to look at him again! It seems that she wants anything BUT that. ]

I'll try to, but I need you to explain it to me, so that it makes sense. Why would you do such a thing?

[death_glare]

I'm not completely uncaring.

[ Stated as if it should be obvious to her. ]

[untodeath]

[ With a huffy pout, she frowns at him! ]

William, it's more than that. You've planned to stay here-- give up heaven. For me.

[ She almost looks upset! ]

It doesn't add up!

[death_glare]

Heaven isn't quite as blissful as one would have you imagine. If anything, I was feeling the same as I had here.

[ His own eyes cast to the side and he sighs. ]

And perhaps I'll admit that I'd been a bit lonely. Bored, even.

[untodeath]

...Ah.

[ Well, there might be a bit of hope to her eye, at that. Her hands fiddle at her shirt, as she wills back some of the energy to be her old self. ]

Are you-- saying that you missed me?

[death_glare]

I wanted to believe you'd move on without me here. Wishful thinking, I suppose.

[ Clearing his throat, he continues on. ]

When they'd contacted me about you... [ He guesses he has to come out and say it. ] I felt guilty. I had no intention of hurting you by leaving, but it was inevitable, it seems.

[untodeath]

Guilt, was it...

[ Her hope falls flat, leaving the redhead to sigh quietly. With a touch of struggle, she sets to putting on her shirt. ]

You're only going to resent me, you realise. Coming back for something like that.

[death_glare]

Yes, guilt. That means that you mean something to me, otherwise I wouldn't care what happened to you. I would have stayed in heaven.

[ Back to being completely blunt because she's not taking him seriously enough! ]

I'm not doing this as a favor to management, I'm doing it for you. Like I did the last time you decided to go rogue. Do you know how much I had to do to persuade them to lessen your punishment? You were set to be transferred to another branch entirely and your scythe to be revoked indefinitely.

[untodeath]

[ Grell blinks incredulously. ]

What? [ Pausing in fastening her buttons, she simply forgets about them! ] What do you mean? How did you convince them?

[death_glare]

I told them that I desperately needed you as one of my agents, because, at least in the field, you are one of the top at reaping. Also, I took the dock in pay that they would have done for you, as well as the negative marks on my performance report.

[ Perhaps not as romantic of a sacrifice as she was hoping, but it was a big one in William's mind. He points at her shirt, insisting she finish buttoning it up. ]