Author's note: Hey everyone, another story to bring to you. A small one-shot, no real continuity to relate to the source material with. About as much a romantic fluff as GrimxMandy can receive in character. Read, Review, and enjoy!

And Legal BS: I do not own Grim Tales, that is the owned works of Bleedman. Any of the mentioned shows and characters do not belong to me. They are all owned by their respective creators. Please don't sue!

There is one of few things that Mandy, the Bitch Queen, would not let be known. She is capable being tired or stressed. She will never let anyone be aware of that fact. Especially in terms of conquest. The only being in the cosmos that witness such is Grim, and she had him punished severely for it, teaching him to forget he saw anything.

Secretly inside herself, Mandy had to admit she found herself exhausted from her recent conquest. And one of no rewarding outcome. It was a particular, and bizarre, pocket dimension. A void that held containment to various creatures from beyond the stars. She had a portion of her and Grim's forces attempt to conquer it. She had received a small following of a cult in her name within it. But no actually victory. The void itself was too expanding to put absolute occupation. And the inhabitants, she realized, were beneath her to turn into servants of her rule. Not worth her time and effort anymore.

She scrapped the dimension out of concealed frustration. Used a certain skull and a wish to send the dimension into a space in between spaces. Grim predicts it will be back at some point though.

After returning from such, Mandy felt exhausted. A feeling she felt irritated for feeling in the first place. Out of frustration, she decided to put the castle servants to various task of work. Even her parenting duties over Grim Junior. Later on, deciding to indulge a certain, stress relieving hobby of hers. A delightful game of "Pest Control".

'What's "Pest Control"', You may ask.

Well, it involves Mandy having the castle servants releasing a small pack of undead puppies into the castle court yard. A court yard that includes an impressive hedge maze. Dying hedges, of course. As for the undead puppies, Mandy would chase them, armed with her customized pistols. These special, crimson pistols which are loaded with explosive rounds. Explosive rounds.

Already she had built up quite the chase, taking out three of the zombified canines. Catching upon number four of the pack. The little things would screech and whimper out of fear. She slightly smirked satisfied by these sounds. The poor mutt, frighten by the remains of his revenant brethren across the yards. Only makes sense to delay it's immortal anguish, right?

Mandy did not hesitate in taking aim on the creature, pulling the trigger. The explosive round sent flying from the barrel, through the air, and entering through the little thing's skull. And, well, exploding. Bits and pieces of it flying in all directions around it. Mandy couldn't help but ponder on how they all missed her. Oh well, the little mutt's spared from any future wrath for doing so.

Mandy had taken a deep breath and exhaled from relaxation. Relief from a tiresome venture. And got to massacre some innocent creatures while she was at. She concluded that this tiny victory called for a cigarette. Actually, victory or not, she would've called for it anyway due to addiction. Kind of the true stress relief for her, one could say.

She lit the cigarette in her mouth, followed by her taking notice of her husband, Grim, approaching her. Usually the Jamaican skeleton would know better than to approach during her "Me time". What could he possibly want? Although she had noticed him holding a small box behind his back.

"What's in the box, Grim?" She asked, cutting to the chase, and pegged with curiosity.

"You do know what day is coming up this week, right?" The Reaper asked, a bit nervous being weary of his wife's demeanor.

"The anniversary of our marriage.", she stated nonchantly, "Never celebrate it before. Why does it call for a box all of a sudden?"

"Well, I figured since you been a little tense lately, maybe I could change it up a bit this year." Grim said, with a nervous chuckle.

"Grim, you know better than to speak of me having tension." She said with dominance in her voice, giving the skeleton a vicious glare.

Grim gulped, "Noted. But again, figured a gift for you. Thirteen years of 'friendship', five years of marriage. Doesn't happen for everyone, you know."

Mandy glanced at the box, then back to Grim. She took a second to analyze the situation before saying anything.

"Your sentimental bullshit aside, you have a point. What did you get me?" Curiosity after her cruel comment.

Grim did not speak, merely just handed her the gift wrapped box. Placed in her hands, she had simply stared at it before opening it. As if it were an obscene and confusing item, not knowing what to do with it. It seemed like an ordinary, red and white wrapped present. So why did Grim Reaper bother giving it to her? She answered her queries by opening the very thing.

As she opened her gift, flying out came a small. green blob of supposedly ectoplasm. Mandy's brain instantly registered this to be the likes of a ghost. The blob of it remained shapeless, hovering and spinning it's way around her. The blob then hovered towards the ground, then taking upon a form.

A form that she had more than recognized. Something she would know from anywhere. Especially from the past years of her early childhood.

"S-saliva?" Came out as a stuttered whisper, sneaking it's way from her lips.

Grim's boney face couldn't resist a smirk at such a reaction of hers. Not everyday his wife would express anything close to emotion. He knew she was going to his block off later, but he couldn't resist a smirk at the least.

The small dog of her past sat before her, wagging it's now ectoplasmic tail in joy. His form nearly identical to his one from life. The small stature of body, his abnormally shaped head, and of course, the ridiculous amount drool leaking from his mouth. The only exception was that his once white coloring was now a brighten, ghostly green. Obviously the quality of now being a ghost.

She had not seen Saliva since his death back in her youth. He had died of a snapped synapse, upon snapping at the irritating Mindy a second time. Mandy's only reaction at then was a solemn face and honoring words at his burial. A befitting reward for his short life of loyalty and affections. The one death she honored.

Mandy couldn't help but kneel down before the canine spirit, petted him upon the head. Her what little emotions would be summoned, flaming with familiarity and nostalgia. Saliva would respond to her affection by pawing his way up on her, and licking her on the face. Leaving behind a blot of drool.

If this were any other being in the cosmos, Mandy would have violently exterminated it into a plane beyond the afterlife. Grim knew that for a fact. But she merely chose to wipe the saliva from her face, and resume petting her childhood dog. This was her loyal Saliva, after all.

"How did you get him?" She asked Grim, yet her scarlet eyes not tearing away from Saliva's presence.

"Found him in the Ghost Zone." Said Grim, "Supposedly the one dog who didn't go to Heaven. Too much of an annoyance. Had to break a deal with Walker to allow to leave the realm."

"A deal? What kind of deal?" Mandy asked, not wanting to the Family Grim to be in debt to Walker, even if over Saliva. The only thing she believed on owing him is a barbed rod, shoved up his arse.

"Just for me to escort the next passing soul to the Ghost Zone, rather than any other realm. Nothing that would leave any effect on our part." Grim mused.

Mandy agreed that it was of no consequence. A part was honestly amazed that Bonehead here was capable of getting Walker to be lenient of a rule of his. For Walker was a stickler for rules, beyond all forms of comprehension. She noted quite the achievement for the likes of Grim. She never thought she would ever come across such a notion.

Saliva had merely performed what he does best, and that was him being affectionate towards Mandy. That, and drooling beyond reason. Serious, how much saliva does the dog have in his physical being?

Grim had figured that Mandy's silence was a sign to leave her be. He turned and began heading back to the interior of Castle Grim. He was then stopped by the words of his wife.

"Grim"

"Yes Mandy?" He turned to her and asked.

Mandy remained quiet for a second, still starring at Saliva. She would then turn towards Grim, with a decided look in her eyes.

"You won't be sleeping on the couch tonight." She said, with a firm tone that showed this was the decided outcome for the night.

Grim showed confusion at her words, musing before groaning out of irritation and sleep depravity.

"You're right. With my luck, I'll be falling asleep at me desk after another work load." Clutching the top of skull, feeling like that should been the obvious notion.

Mandy responded by standing up, with once more, a firm and serious look in her eyes. Followed by her speaking with a voiced order. One that left no room for further debate.

"No. You will be sleeping with me in the bedroom tonight. And work will wait for tomorrow."

Grim had again be confused by her words. Until the phrasing of her order had then dawned with realization in his mind. Grim couldn't help but have his skeletal grin with a sly smile.

Hell, Grim could sworn for even a flash of a second, that Mandy had shown a sly smile of her own.

The Bitch Queen and Reaper had then brought Saliva into the Castle Grim. Instructing the servants to take absolute care of him. Followed by noting the grave consequence of any failure. Grim Junior showed glee at the idea of a puppy. He and Saliva quickly showed joy of each other's company.

By nightfall, Mandy and Grim had the master bedroom, then followed by closing of the door.

The next day-

Come morning in the Castle Grim, servants and royalty enacted awake. Mandy had gone through the day, same demeanor as ever. Although taking some time to spare by playing with Saliva in the court yard. Grim had gone through his work schedule for the day, although maintaining a joyful grin on his skeleton face. As if he was bright eyed and bushy tailed, and had endured the highlight of his afterlife.

The servants and the Prince of Death, on the other hand... Not so much. They had looked of exhaustion upon their brows. Sleep depravity from the unspeakable noises sourcing from the master bedroom last night. The servants have not heard such noises since the day the Grim Reaper had first Mandy to the castle years ago.

As for Grim Junior...The skeletal prince had sat at the table, eating his breakfast. Minor trembling due to disturbance upon his underage psyche. A trauma that will never let him view his mother and father in the same light ever again...And sadly he will live for a long time.

From this day forward, the anniversary between Death and the Bitch Queen, will be the marked day of equipping with ear plugs.

Hope y'all enjoy! And for those unaware, the void mentioned at the beginning was the Null Void of the Ben 10 franchise. I couldn't think of another fictional afterlife realm to mention.