Elizabeth Middleford knocked softly on the open door. "Ciel?"
Ciel looked up and then back to his work. "Yes, Elizabeth?"
Lizzy glided across the floor and stood in front of the working lord's desk. "Ciel, can we play a game?"
"I'm working right now, Lizzy, perhaps later."
"Just for a little while?" Tears welled up her eyes, "Please, Ciel? You like chess, why don't we play that?"
Ciel put down his pen and turned to the pretty blond. "Chess can get rather boring. What do you want to play, Lizzy?"
"I enjoy Old Maid." Lizzy said shyly.
"Alright, we'll play Old Maid."
Lizzy smiled. She was happy, but she wondered if Ciel was really ever happy. Lost in her thoughts for a moment her smile slipped into a slight frown.
"What's wrong, Lizzy?" Ciel moved around the desk and was in front of her, a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, nothing." Lizzy said fixing her smile.
Ciel cocked his head to the side. "Sure, Lizzy." He grabbed her hand and walked her over to the chair in front of his desk.
Lizzy sat down in the chair Ciel led her to and brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt, as her thoughts lingered on the smile she missed to see. Ciel's.
Ciel walked over to his chair and sat down. He picked up the deck of cards and began to shuffle them. "Ready?" He asked as he dealt the cards out.
"Yes." She looks up at him, and smiled away her thoughts.
Ciel looked down at his cards and realized that the old maid was in his hand. "Pick which ever you would like." He held out his hand to her.
"um.." Lizzy thought for a second moving her finger over Ciel's cards. She decided and picked a card near the center of his hand. "This one."
"Did you get anything good?" He looked down seeing he still had the old maid.
"I got a match." Lizzy smiled and placed the pair down in front of her. "Your turn, Ciel."
Ciel reached out his hand without fear, with the old maid in his hand he couldn't get someone bad. "How about this one?" He pulled the card and turned to look at it. "A match as well." He put the pair down.
Lizzy picked a card all the way at the left edge of Ciel's hand.
She placed the card in her hand, but no match. She had picked the old maid from Ciel's hand. "Oh well, your turn, Ciel."
Ciel looked down at his hand and a small smirk formed ever so faintly on his mouth when he noticed what card Lizzy had picked. "Well let see here." Ciel reached out knowing where she had placed the card that she had just pulled and grabbed for one away from it. "There we go." No match but at least it wasn't the old maid.
Lizzy hoped that Ciel would pick the old maid but he picked a different card near it.
"oh" slightly disappointed and then picked a card from Ciel's hand, "a match," she said happily.
Another card picked but it was not the old maid. "Ah I've seem to have a match." He placed the two cards down. "So Lizzy, does you Mother know you're here this time?"
Lizzy picked a card, it was a match to a card in her hand, and put the pair down in front of her before she answered, "No, not really."
A sigh came from Ciel's lips. "Lizzy, how many times to I have to tell you? Stop sneaking out." He reached out and picked a card not really paying attention he grabbed the old maid.
"Many times." She answered him and picked a card from his hand. It was another match and she laid it down. "You never come to see me, Ciel. I miss you when I am home. Sometimes I miss you so terribly and I wish you would..." She trailed off. "I'm sorry, Ciel, I won't sneak out anymore."
"You wish I would what?" Ciel folded his arms and leaned back in his seat.
Lizzy looked down at her cards, almost avoiding Ciel's gaze. "I wish you be happy enough to smile again... like before." She looked up as she spoke 'before'. "I like your smile, Ciel."
Ciel closed his eyes, "A lot has changed Lizzy, one thing being that smile."
"If it will make you happy, I won't sneak out anymore. I'll even send a letter to let you know when I'll come to see you." Lizzy whipped away a tear falling down her cheek, she hadn't noticed she was crying at first. "I'm sorry, Ciel. I wish I could make you happy again."
In a swift movement Ciel stood and walked around his desk so he was kneeling in front of her.
"Lizzy, stop crying. Knowing that you care about me that much makes me happier then I've been in a while." He brought his hand up and wiped away a tear, "and about sneaking out, its just too dangerous for someone so close to me to travel by themselves."
"I won't." She whipped the rest of the tears away, and then wrapped her arms around Ciel.
Ciel's eye widened at the sudden embrace but he let his arms wrap around her slowly.
Ciel, maybe one day, I will see your smile again. I hope. "Ciel?"
Ciel pulled back a bit and looked at Lizzy. "Yes?"
Lizzy kissed his cheek.
Ciel gasped and his hand went to his cheek. "Lizzy?" He tried to figure out what to do. Ciel took a deep breath before leaning in a giving Lizzy a kiss on her forehead. A blush slowly formed on his cheek.
Lizzy blushed. Even though she had known Ciel her whole life, he was surprising her more and more lately. "Thank you, Ciel."
A small smile flashed across Ciel's face, he cleared his throat and stood up. "Shall we get back to the game?"