Mutual Friends of Death (Undertaker Romance)

The Storm that Started it All

She woke up in an alley, completely unsure about where she was and how she got there. She opened her eyes and saw the ominous clouds in the sky that brought the promise of rain. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember something that would give her a clue as to where she laid, but her eyes widened when she realized that she had no memories at all. Her breathing picks up as she begins to panic, trying her best to remember anything at all, even if it would be something as simple as what she looked like. The wind began to pick up and blow harshly, whipping through the alley. A large crash of thunder caused her to jump to her feet, which she soon regretted as a wave dizziness forced her to lean against the wall of the alley until the world righted itself again.

Once she had her bearings, she made her way to the main street. Soon after, the clouds made good on their promise, drenching the world and washing it clean. She was soaked after having been in the rain for a few minutes, so she ducked into the nearest store front in search of shelter. She froze in the doorway when she saw coffins littering almost every space of the store with a few pathways winding between them, allowing access to the counter and the back of the store. She was about to turn around to leave again, liking her chances with the rain better than staying in the store until the rain let up, when the wind slammed the door shut with such force that she fell, tripped over a coffin and finally came to rest with her legs on top of one wooden box while her head and upper back leaned against another.

She closed her eyes as she attempted to calm her heart and take stock of what injuries she might have sustained in the fall. She jerked and became a bit stuck between the two coffins when a giggle came from close by. Her eyes snapped open and she instantly squeaked and tried to shy away from the face that was only inches from her own, but she couldn't get very far due to the position she was in. He appeared to be an older man, due to his rather long silver hair, but she couldn't be sure since she couldn't see most of his face. He grinned and chuckled a little bit more.

~Hello, dearie. Hiding from the storm or planning on dying soon?~ Her eyes widened slightly in fear, unsure of this strange man and whether what he said included a threat or not. When he did not move, but simply continued to look at her with a grin (staying much too close to her than she would have liked) she opened her mouth to stutter out an answer. She failed in that attempt, however, since her throat was much too dry to do much more than make a croaking noise. What she could see of his face looked slightly concerned for just a moment before he grinned again.

~How about a bit of tea, hm? That'll do the trick. And help you warm up a bit more if dying isn't on your to-do list anytime soon.~ He stood up and went to the back of the shop, leaving the room she was currently in. After taking a few deep breaths, she attempted to sit up, but she was more stuck than she previously estimated. She made a few noises in frustration as she continued to get off the floor. The man came back into the room and couldn't contain his laughter. He placed the beaker of tea on the counter just before he fell to the floor, giggling uncontrollably. She sighed, entirely frustrated with this matter before shooting a glare in his direction. He eventually calmed down enough to pick himself off of the floor. He still had a grin on his face as he made his way over. When he offered her his hands, she hesitated. Her brief courage offered by her frustration had faded by this point and her fear had resurfaced. She tried to make herself smaller, and he tsked, his grin fading slightly.

~Now, now, dearie. It's alright. I promise I won't try to hurt you, I promise.~ When she continued to simply look at him, unsure if she should trust him, he sighed. He stooped down and quickly picked her up from between the coffins, into his arms. She tensed and squeaked again, but his strong grip kept her against his chest, despite her movements away.

~Shhh, dearie. It's okay. I said I wouldn't hurt you, didn't I? Just relax. Unless you would like me to simply let you go back out in the rain, hm?~ There was another loud crash of thunder that caused her to jump slightly before she gradually began to relax against him. His grin changed to a gentle smile before he placed her back on her feet. He then looked down at himself and chuckled.

~Ah, well, dearie, we should probably find you a change of clothes. You were more soaked than I thought.~ She looked at him and cringed slightly. One could clearly see where he held her, the water from her hair and clothes, creating a wet outline of her on his robes. He kept chuckling as he gently placed a hand on her back between her shoulders to guide her towards the back of his shop, making sure she stayed on her feet and didn't try to run away from him. He led her through a small hallway to a decent sized bedroom with a queen sized bed. He went to the closet and looked through it. He glanced back at her before pulling out a matching set of the robes he was currently wearing. He turned to face her with a grin and holds them out to her.

~These will be rather large on you, but I can personally guarantee they are comfortable.~ He pointed towards a different door in the room. ~The bathroom is right through-~ She didn't hear the rest of what he said before everything went black.