The sun was dropping toward the horizon when Sam pulled up into the parking lot of his apartment. With a sigh, he turned the engine off, grabbed his backpack, and began to walk up to his apartment.

He had barely been able to focus during his two classes that afternoon. Even though Sinclair's lecture had been interesting, concerning the weapons wielded by the ancient Greeks in the Iliad, Sam had only taken notes half-heartedly, probably missing more than half of what he said. Part of him wished that Sinclair had lectured on weapons on a different day, since he had even had replicas to show the class. It would have been quite interesting if the end of Sam's world hadn't been approaching at a rapid pace.

Cate was leaning against the wall outside his door, her booted foot up against the wall. She was dressed similarly to how she had looked yesterday, complete with the sword. Giving Sam a grin, she gestured toward his door. "Ready to catch a serial killer?"

Sam gave her a long suffering look and Cate just laughed as he opened the door. Then he stopped dead.

He had completely forgotten about his roommates.

Like normal, Marcus sat on the couch working, humming tunelessly under his breath, while Raj typed furiously on his laptop as he sat in an armchair, notebook resting precariously on the arm of the chair. Sam glanced from them to Cate apprehensively, his mind working swiftly to find an explanation for her presence in their apartment.

Girlfriend? They wouldn't believe it. Friend? Probably wouldn't believe that either. Second cousin once removed who I just realized is attending the same college as me? Hmm. They might buy that.

Sam reflected on how sad it was that his roommates would believe the most complicated of the three stories, but not the two simpler ones. Also, he thought it annoying they wouldn't think him capable of finding a girl like Cate who would go out or even just hang out with him.

Cate's not a girl. She's...I'm not even sure what she is. Goddess? Reaper? Deathly personage?

"Don't worry," Cate told Sam, noting his look. "Your roommates can't see me."

Sam was about to sigh in relief when Raj started, knocking his notebook off of the armrest. His eyes wide, he stared around the living space, gripping the laptop with a deathly grip. "What was that?" he gasped, glancing at Sam. Then he went pale.

Marcus frowned, glancing up at Raj and then looking to Sam. "What? What was what? Raj, for crying out loud, what has gotten into you lately?"

Raj didn't answer him, just kept his eyes pinned on what should be empty space to him, if Cate was right. But the look on his face made Sam think Cate wasn't right. He glanced at her, lifting an eyebrow.

"Okay, screw that," Cate said warily, regarding Raj with a puzzled look. "One of them can see me."

Marcus, meanwhile, looked again from Raj to Sam, taking in the one's frightened expression and the other's questioning look, both of them looking at apparently empty air. Sam was not too surprised when he twirled his finger in an insane gesture. "What is wrong with you two?"

"Cate?" Sam asked, ignoring him. "Why can Raj see you?"

Cate directed herself to Raj. "Raj, have you ever seen someone die?"

Pale, Raj nodded reluctantly. "My grandparents," he murmured.

Cate looked to Sam. "That's why. Sometimes, those who watch a close loved one die can see us."

"Did I miss something?" Marcus suddenly exploded. "Who's Cate? Why is Raj nodding? What about his grandparents? Who in the hell are you talking about? Or to?"

With a sigh, Cate closed her eyes and her form shimmered briefly. When she opened her eyes, Marcus' jaw dropped.

"Who in the...." he started, trailing off, before beginning again. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Cate," Cate said, giving him a casual smile. "I'm sorry, we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Cate, a...a friend of Sam's. And you would be?"

Marcus lifted a skeptical eyebrow at her. "Yeah, right. You appeared out of thin air, lady. Try again."

Cate rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm the Grim Reaper's little sister. Happy?"

"Okay," Marcus said, giving her a strange look. "How about you try something that's not an obvious lie?"

Cate spun on Sam. "How come you believed me when I told you who I was, and he doesn't?"

"Well, you didn't threaten to kill him before introducing yourself," Sam told her. "That's a handy motivator when it comes to believing someone's telling the truth. At least for me, it was."

Cate sighed noisily, turning back around. "Sam, tell him."

"She's the Grim Reaper's sister," Sam told Marcus. "For real, Marcus. Remember that letter I got from the IRS? It wasn't from the IRS – it was from the GRS, Grim Reaper Services."

Together, Sam and Cate explained about the letter, Sam's lack of records, the GRS, and the Slit-Gag Killer. Marcus and Raj stared at them incredulously throughout the entire thing, homework forgotten. When they finished, there were several moments of silence before Marcus spoke.

"But they just arrested Jake's killer. Selena Anderson, Sam's coworker. So...the quest is over."

Cate sighed. "No, it's not. The DBI got the wrong person."

"FBI," Raj corrected.

"No, she means DBI," Sam told him. "Deathly Bureau of Investigation." He briefly explained about the whole framing concept.

"Selena is the suspect the DBI were trying to frame," Cate informed them. "Almost everything about her fits the profile they're looking at, except for her age."

Raj frowned. "So you're saying she's not the killer?"

Cate shook her head. "No. At least, both Pete and I don't think so. Yeah, she shares some traits with serial killers, but she's kinda young for it. She would have been around eight or ten when the first known murder occurred and that's just not plausible."

"Kids can kill, though," Marcus pointed out. "Like, brutally kill."

"Yes, but kids are sloppy," Cate replied patiently. "It's still horrific, yes, but they're not going to be sophisticated. Not like the Slit-Gag Killer. Besides, the first victim was a twenty year old football player. You telling me a little girl took him out with only a knife to the wrists and throat, in that order?"

Marcus shrugged. "Still possible. He could have been drunk."

"He wasn't," Cate said flatly. "I've got the tox screen reports. He wasn't drunk or high."

Marcus held up his hands. "Okay, I concede. Selena likely didn't do it. So why can't your DBI see that?"

"Because she otherwise fits," Cate said with a sigh. "She's been in every location there was a killing and she aligns with several symptoms of being a sociopath. She fits nine out of ten signs for having the Death Defect, which means she can see and interact with us. And her people skills are minimal."

"Less than minimal, more like," Raj muttered.

"That's right," Sam said softly, thinking back. "She saw your brother at the crime scene, Cate. She seemed a bit surprised that I could also see him."

"Pete's trying to get through to the DBI now," Cate continued. "But they've had him on hold for an hour or so. He'll be joining us once he's through with them."

Raj frowned. "Pete?"

"Her brother," Sam answered. "The Grim Reaper."

Raj and Marcus exchanged amused looks, biting their lips to keep from laughing. Then Marcus looked back to Cate, his expression once again serious. "Okay, we're in."

"In?" Cate repeated, puzzled. "In for what?"

"Catching the serial killer," Raj said. "At least, that is what I'm assuming you're referring to, Marcus. We're in to help."

"Guys, you don't want into this," Sam warned, as Cate furrowed her brow in confusion. "I'm only doing this because I'll be terminated if I don't."

"But you're still dead if you don't catch him in time, right?" Marcus checked. When both Sam and Cate nodded, he cocked an eyebrow at Sam. "Right. You think I want to see another roommate dead within two weeks? No, I don't. So I'm in."

"Same here," Raj added. "We'll help. Four have got to be better than two."

"Three," Sam said, thinking of the Grim Reaper.

Cate turned to Marcus and Raj. "You two don't know what you're getting into. This isn't a game."

"We know," Raj said quietly. "But he killed our friend, and you'll kill our other friend if he doesn't succeed. Seems like the best alternative is if we all help."

"We're not letting you kill Sam," Marcus declared. "We're in."

Despite the dangerous proposition they were agreeing to, Sam felt warmth fill his chest. Having his two best friends joining the mission to try and save his life made him feel better about this whole thing. Perhaps there was a chance, a chance both for him to live and for them to avenge Jake.

Cate sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Can't say Pete's going to be happy about it." She turned to Sam. "You do your homework. I'm going to get pizza."

"I'll drive –" Marcus started to say, beginning to rise, but Cate turned and vanished into sudden darkness. He sat back, blinking. "I guess not."

There was silence for a moment, before Sam moved toward the table, slinging his backpack down and pulling out his laptop. Marcus stood, Raj setting his laptop aside, and both walked over to the table, looking troubled.

"You technically don't exist, Sam?" Marcus asked, then forced a laugh, although there was no humor in his eyes. "Man, no wonder you can't get a girlfriend."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Funny, coming from the guy who does exist and still can't get one."

"Ouch," Marcus muttered.

"You know, it's odd that out of the four of us, Jake was the only one with a girlfriend," Raj said thoughtfully.

Sam laughed slightly. "Yeah, we should all be ashamed at that."

"I miss him," Marcus said into the silence that followed, and they all nodded. Sam pulled up his differential equations problem set and yanked his textbook out of his backpack, beginning to study the first question.

"Okay!" he heard Cate's voice ring out and twisted to see her appearing in their living room, two pizza boxes balanced in her hands. "Pizza is here! Virginia has no good pizza, so I took the liberty of picking it up from a New York City pizzeria."

All three boys just looked at her, before Marcus shook his head and took the boxes from Cate, carrying them into the kitchen and mumbling something under his breath. Cate slung a sack down from her shoulder and rummaged inside it as she followed Marcus, drawing out three black thermoses. "You done, Sam?"

"Done with what?" Sam asked, looking at her in confusion.

"Homework," Cate stated, lifting an eyebrow at him. "Are you finished with it?"

Incredulous, Sam gaped at her. "Done? How can I be done? I've barely even started!"

Cate frowned. "What? Hurry up!" Impatiently, she stalked around to stand behind his chair and peered at the computer screen, leaning over his shoulder. Sam was suddenly very aware of her proximity to him, her smell filling his nostrils. It was a nice smell, he decided, of scented soap and lemon shampoo, before mentally shaking his head. Quit it!

"What is this demonic sorcery?" Cate demanded, narrowing her eyes at the differential equation Sam had been staring at.

"That'd be the differential equations, then," Marcus laughed, lifting a slice of pizza out of the box. The delicious smell of melted cheese filled the air, Sam sniffing appreciatively. The piece Marcus was holding folded over as he placed it down on his plate, Raj shoving him aside to get his own.

After Sam and Cate had gotten their food, the four sat around the kitchen table, eating and drinking sodas Raj had grabbed out of the fridge. Marcus gave Sam help on his problem set as they ate, cutting down the amount of time he had estimated needing to finish.

"So what's the plan?" Sam asked as he closed his laptop, tucking it into his backpack.

Cate gestured to the thermoses clustered together on the counter. "You three will drink from those. They hold what we in the death community like to call black coffee. The strongest stuff you'll ever taste, and it will keep you awake for hours. We normally don't have mortals help us out, but when we do, we give them that. Helps them accomplish more work on a tight schedule."

Sam eyed the thermoses dubiously. "Man, if that's what they do, you could make a fortune selling them to college students."

Raj shoved away from the table, his brow knit in thought. He hurried away toward his room.

Just as he left, the air in the living room was ripped apart, turning inky black as the Grim Reaper stepped through, the gap closing behind him. He looked ticked off. "The damn DBI," he muttered. "We ready, Cate?"

Cate nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. Sam's roommates are going to help."

Marcus frowned. "Who are you talking to?"

Raj hurried back into the room and promptly dropped the stack of notebooks and papers he had been carrying. The Grim Reaper glanced back at him, frowning, and then glanced to Cate. "Why?"

"Because we're not letting you kill Sam," Raj said defiantly. "So you're stuck with us."

Marcus threw up his hands. "Who's stuck with us? Did Pete show up?"

The Grim Reaper turned such a blistering glare on Marcus, it was almost a shame he couldn't see it. "You will address me as the Grim Reaper," he stated emphatically.

"He can't hear you, Pete," Cate said patiently. "Or see you. Marcus has never come close enough to death to be able to recognize either of us without help."

The Grim Reaper muttered something uncomplimentary and then closed his eyes. His form glowed for a moment and then Marcus' eyes widened. "Okay, I think Pete showed up."

"Don't call him Pete," Sam advised his friend. "He doesn't like it coming from mortals."

Cate gave the Grim Reaper a tight smile. "Pete, meet Marcus and Raj. Marcus and Raj, my brother, the Grim Reaper."

Marcus raised his hand. "If he gets a fancy name, can I have one? I don't like undead people calling me Marcus."

Sam and Raj both leveled looks at him, causing Marcus to raise his hands. "What? I don't." He pointed at the Grim Reaper. "You can call me the Track Star."

"This is why I don't like mortals," the Grim Reaper muttered, hands on his hips as he glanced up at the ceiling. He took a deep breath and turned so that he was addressing Cate, looking on edge. "The DBI refuses to budge. They're still convinced Selena Anderson is the Slit-Gag Killer. As a result, the FBI are also convinced. We need to move quickly. Halloween's just around the corner and we don't have enough time to make sure...to make sure this ends before then."

"Right," Cate said grimly, looking at the three boys. "Take a thermos and drink up. We've got a long night ahead of us."