All Hallows Eve was long into the black velvety moonless night. The dark butler toiled on the main floor tiding up after the Hallows celebration at Phantomhive manor. The hard cider had been sipped down to the bottom of the dry cask, mostly by Baldroy. The sugared doughnuts eagerly consumed to the last morsel by Finnian. May-Rin and Snake had been the tricksters of the evening. They had rigged baskets of cabbage leaves on door tops for poor mugs to open showering them in vegetable leaves. Tanaka was their victim many times over. The older butler took the tom foolery with grace and a chuckle while sipping away at his pumpkin tea, which Sebastian suspected had a touch of brandy to it. There had been much dancing to the chagrin of his master and to the delight of his master's fiancé. Paula the handmaid had told many stories of dark fairy's and witches. Sebastian had to admit he was surprised about the women's knowledge of wiccan lore. Paula had kept the guests on the edge of their seats with supernatural interest. All but his young master of course. Who sat slumped over chin in hand and skepticism about his aspect. But the boy didn't say a harsh word as he was dedicated to humoring his fiance's fancies, he simply sat silently enduring.

Said Fiancé had taken great care in the planning of this evenings festive soiree. She had planned nearly every last detail with exciting and fashionable ideas from her posh lady's periodicals. Sebastian took it all in stride of course, it was a mere snap of the fingers for one such as him. Lady Elizabeth had insisted upon the manor only being lit by jack o'lanterns, a few candelabras, and the warm flames of the hearth. Colorful corn husks adorned every door and tall corn stocks framed every window. The walls of the ballroom were covered in white yarn fashioned to look like cob webs. Spiders made of fine black beads dangled precariously from the lofty ceiling, they danced upon strings and flickered in the firelight. Lady Elizabeth had even undertook the task of tacking up lucky horse shoes above all the main entrance-ways in use this evening. Sebastian didn't think that was a suitable job for one of her station, but he knew far better than to argue with the Lady Midford. Every table had been topped with yellow chrysanthemums, fresh orange autumn foliage, and the reddest bittersweet berry's Finnian could find. The fare was light but decadent none the less. Scottish scones, indian pudding, roasted nuts, pumpkin soup, candied turnip, and cornish hen smothered with a thick apple and pear chutney. Agni had been responsible for preparing dessert, his famous hot cinnamon sugared doughnuts were a favorite among the Phantomhive household. Sebastian was still a little prickly about the Bengalis refusal to tell him what the secret ingredient was. The butler supposed it was saffron and a hint of orange marmalade, but couldn't be sure.

The future Mrs. Phantomhive had made sure everyone knew this was a costume party. She had dressed as the queen of hearts. All bustle and ruffles, with much fluff and flare. Miss Paula dressed as a witch with a rather large hat. Baldroy went as a goblin and Finnian a ghost. Tanaka painted his face up like a skeleton quite well and Mey-Rin went as a nun, which made the butler discretely chuckle. Snake had dressed as Medusa and his cold blooded cohorts spiraled around his head making the gruesome hair. Prince Soma was fittingly a clown and Agni a hooded Specter. His young Lord dressed as a king naturally, crown and all. He wore a gold crown trimmed with fur and velvet. His cape a sumptuous billowing swirl of blue silk and gold tasseling. The butler thought he had done a magnificent job, one to rival the most esteemed tailors of London's High Street. Sebastian aimed to have a little fun with his own costume. All Hallows Eve was a time when humans dressed as something they were not. So wasn't it the right time for him a dark creature to dress as something he actually was? It felt pleasant to let a little of his demonic self seep into this earthy realm unhidden. Yes why shouldn't a demon dress as his true self on a night like this mused Sebastian. His true self had been locked away in the depths of this human shell for far too long. The demon wore a thick collar of his own death black feathers masterfully arranged around his neck. They shimmered green and purple in the candlelight. He had traded his proper white butlers gloves for tight black leather ones. Sebastian had sewed a fletch of long luxurious feathers into the cuffs. Several smaller crow feathers were artfully weaved amongst his silky hair. He had placed a boutonniere of night shade in his lapel for demonic luck. The demon even took the time to smudge his eyes with a bit of coal liner. Yes tonight he had felt a little indulgent. He relished this night of supernatural forces. Also seeing the look on his master's face at his chosen costume was priceless. Even now hours later the corners of his smarmy mouth hitched up at the satisfying memory.

As the butler cleaned the grey ash from the hearth he thought of what this night had once represented and now what it had become. It was originally a great night of magic, the night where the barriers of this world and beyond were at the thinnest point of the year. Regretfully it was now mostly just like any other annul celebration one part christian idiocy and one part man's commercialism. The fact of the matter annoyed him deeply.

With an air of discontent the butler finished draining the large barrel used for apple bobbing. Which a thrilled Lady Elizabeth had won at. She had pulled out the largest and best looking apple without even piercing the flesh of the fruit. He was certain she had placed said apple under her pillow in hopes of dreaming of her fated lover and soon to be husband. The saccharine sweet young lady had kept that apple with her all night. She even tied a red ribbon that had been in her hair around it, dare he say she looked a bit smug while holding it. He had seen the master glancing dubiously at her prize of Eden. Sebastian would most certainly be teasing the boy on the morrow about his caprices fiancé. Oh yes the boy would be dripping with scorn for the demonic butler after his clever mockery.

Sebastian blew out the last jack o'lantern perched atop the marble mantel. Phantomhive manor was now blanketed in darkness besides the faint magenta glow of two eyes. With everything back as it should be Sebastian headed down the long hall to ensure all was well with the manors inhabitants. Rounding a corner he started in the servant's lodging. The cook was clearly passed out from too much cider and was snoring like a sawmill. Finnian was also in a deep slumber recovering from his sugar crash no doubt. Snake and his reptilian friends were coiled up together sleeping sweetly after the night's excitement. Tanaka wasn't in his room, but that was fine Sebastian had a pretty good idea where he was. Crossing a threshold and up a small flight of stairs, the butler could see just a faint bit of candlelight creeping out into the hall. He heard humorous gasps and giggles coming from May-Rins door. Apparently she and Tanaka were taking turns reading aloud some smutty gothic romance and passing around that bottle of brandy he was sure made up the majority of Tanakas tea cup. Sebastian supposed there was no harm in them staying up late. It certainly was a night to do so. Again the butler felt restless for he knew there were much better wicked things to be doing on such a night. Moving along Sebastian took silent steps into the guest quarters, passing by Prince Soma's room he heard the sounds of the price slumbering restfully. A few more doors brought him by Agni's room, who was most certainly not sleeping nor was his guest. Though the room was shaded in dark and the occupants were carefully holding back, his hearing was far to good. It appeared Lady Elizabeth's maid was just full of surprises. Well she was certainly about to be full of something if the up take in the beds creaking springs were anything to go by. "How Delightfully Demonic, Trick or Treat indeed." whispered the butler. "C'est la vie," he would leave them to it with the up-most discretion.

As the demon turned another corner he felt even antsier, such a lustful act was a perfect example of what one should be doing on All Hallows Eve. Getting into trouble stirring things up. Making things happen. He didn't bother to go down the young master hall for he knew the boy was asleep he could feel it via their mark. Of course there was no need to check Miss Paula's room she was busy elsewhere. So the Butler turned around and took a short cut to the kitchen. He had enough experience with Lady Elizabeth to know that she wouldn't be sleeping yet. It was likely she couldn't sleep as the excitement of her dream lover paying her a visit in the land of nod was too much for the girl. She would be in bed all enthusiasms and nerves tossing and turning. As he was a dutiful butler for his master he needed to be attentive to the upcoming mistress of the manor. Reaching the kitchen Sebastian began to warm some fresh cream for chamomile tea, his own special blend. Sure to guarantee Lady Elizabeth her rest. Sebastian had just placed a porcelain cup cradled by a fine doily upon a polished silver try when the clock struck 3 am.

Chime Chime Chime…

The butlers head snapped to the left and for a moment he dropped the try, though was able to catch it due to his demonic reflexes. He slipped the tray back onto the counter the tea forgotten. Something was afoot, he felt the tingling pull of black magic spilling about the grounds of Phantomhive manor. Its toxic inky stain calling to him. He walked not as the butler but as his true self, slithering in and out of the shadows towards the dark beacon that beckoned him. He seemed to be hovering just above the ground as he passed along the corridors. Slinking out into the chilled autumn air. Somebody was playing a deliciously sinful game and he very much wanted to watch. The demon passed through the stone arches of the garden and swiftly maneuvered around the ornate shrubbery to a distant corner not much used. He stopped mid step momentarily dumbfounded, he wondered if his demonic eyes deceived him? If the pitch black darkness had distorted what stood before him? But no his hellions eyes saw perfectly well the unholy visage. The demon was shocked to say the least.

The girl had surprised him greatly once before but this was something he never would have thought to see in a millennia. There under a moonless sky dressed rather scandalously only in her starch white shift was none other than his masters adorable fiancé Lady Elizabeth, casting a witches circle. Red candles and white rose petals adorned with ancient and demonic symbols, symbols that had been painted on with her own blood. He could see the wound on her left hand fairly fresh, an angry mark that had been hidden by supple satin gloves earlier this evening. Elizabeth brought out a gold dagger ornamented with emeralds on the hilt from a satchel next to her. She reopened her wound with a hiss and dripped her blood on an object that was wrapped in blue silk, the demon recognized this fabric as his young master favorite cravat. Elizabeth tide the object with a red ribbon, Sebastian realized the article within the silk must have been her prized apple from earlier. She tucked a freshly cut golden curl between the silk and the ribbon. Elizabeth placed the encased apple in the center of the pentagram bending over to place a tender kiss upon the fruit.

Sebastian wondered how humans so quickly forgot what it was to be a witch alight upon a pyre. His head swam a bit from all he had seen. What the demon witness next had him unraveling. Elizabeth drew from the satchel a pewter Phantomhive chalice and pouch of pre-mixed powdered herbs, wrinkling her nose at the smell she carefully poured the powder into the chalice. She than took a small box which held some bound moving thing. It was a bird…a nightingale. Elizabeth with a look of both regret and determination swiftly pierced the bird's heart with the dagger allowing the bird's life blood to flow into the chalice. She kissed the bird in some form of deranged affection and placed it back into the box. Next she held her own quivering hand over the chalice and drove her manicured nails into the wound with a wince. The crimson blood seeped through her finger and into the cup. Mixing her blood and that of the nightingale. She than took out a bottle of red wine pouring a small amount into the chalice, As the liquids merged with the powdered mix the demon could hear the demonic fizzle and fusion take place. Elizabeth set the chalice next to the apple and began to dance upon shaky feet around her magic circle. Stumbling as she stuttered her way through the ancient chant. Sebastian shuttered as he listened to the sweet melody of one so lovey and pure as her partaking in a rite that was not meant for the innocent and clean. He felt like a voyeur, this was her first circle casting. It was as if they were sharing this new dark experience together as one being. It was utterly intimate. He could feel her soul changing becoming deeper, ripened. The demon saw the heat rise off the virginal girls body, her flesh was steaming with her witchery effort. Her very essence was mingling with the cold air around them, he found it magnificent and mouthwatering. The ties of her shift had come undone and her hair was mussed, the dance becoming fevered as her confidence grew. Sebastian crept closer, still hidden in the shadow of night and yet only an arm's length away. The blond ended her chant with a shout to the fiery pit below imploring the netherworld to hear her call. She picked up the chalice and drank. Choking on the coppery brine as it burned down her throat. Deep vermilion sputtered from her lips and dripped down her chin onto her white shift that was now mostly open displaying a healthy glimpse of milky bosom.

Sebastian felt the familiar tingling of his fangs elongating, his eyes burned like the hottest lava at the scrumptious site before him. He wanted to lash his long tongue up and down those sticky red tendrils. To take her bare bosom in his claws and queeze the ripe fruit while partaking in the blasphemy that now surged around her. The demon had never had this privilege in all his long years, to see the exact moment a chaste daughter of the light becomes courtesan to Lucifer Lord of the fallen. How titillating in the most unholy sense. The butler knew the girl to be attractive in every way that she should be as a lady of good breeding. But now seeing her like this, she was raw and beautiful. This new path would surely make for an enchanting journey. Truthfully he felt a bit bewitched by her.

The demon mused on her determination, her commitment. She wanted the boys love so badly to willingly walk the line of damnation. Anything for Ciels affection. Sebastian thought it a bit of a waste for the boy would soon be gone. In the meantime even with such a fine love spell as this the empty boy wouldn't be able to show Elizabeth the kind of fierce passion she was begging for. This whisp of a young women wanted to play a dark game, as such she would need an apt opponent. Elizabeth made a depraved call out into the night and he a monster not the boy would do the answering. The demon thought fondly on the sport to come. It would be a subtle game slow at first. He would need to set the stage carefully. Plant his shadowy seed inside her mind. Let her smolder with want and need for him. Until everyone she ever loved were but mere cinders in comparison to the hottest of hell fires that coursed through her veins for him.

Elizabeth felt that her spell was working, she just knew it. She took her deadly sharp dagger and brought it to the apple still covered in ribbon and silk. Threw the fabric she sliced the apple clear in two. The bundle began to glow first green, than blue, Elizabeth smiled as the blue color turned to pink. She was about to open the cloth expecting to see the sliced apple show her loves initials C. P. in the center. But than the apple began to quake, the fine fabric was turning darker, she soon saw that the cloth was beginning to ooze what looked like black pitch. Elizabeth felt shaken and yet she must continue on, the spell was nearly done. Just two steps left. She knelt down and cautiously unraveled the cloth getting as little pitch on her fingers as possible. She gingerly held the apple with a sharp intake of breath she pulled the pieces apart to see what lay inside. Elizabeth was confused there were no initials to be found but instead a pentagram made of tar and in the center was a lone black feather. The young lady did not understand what this meant at all. She was perplexed and slightly frightened. She had gone over these steps in her mind many times and what she should have seen was Ciel's initials and after his reflection in the hand mirror she had placed next to the circle. Elizabeth couldn't stop now. She had read about the dangers of not finishing a spell. So she brought a trembling hand around the mirror and slowly stood. As she rose a sense of deep dread blossomed in her belly. She felt a dark force behind her, quickly turning her eyes saw nothing. Still it seemed as if an icy figure was hovering not but a breath away and ready to pounce. Elizabeth had begun to feel as if she had made a grave mistake in attempting to tamper with fate via the dark arts. She swallowed hard inwardly steadying herself. She was no expert perhaps things were going well. She just might yet see the face of her fiancé in the mirrors reflection. Elizabeth felt a little better after her inner pep talk. It was time to complete the spell, as she brought the mirror before her Elizabeth felt as if she were on pins and needles. She had slammed her eyes shut before she could see the reflection planning to open them on three. Her chest was heaving with anticipation. One…Two…THREE. Elizabeth's eyes flew open to see such an upsetting sight that she dropped the mirror at once and shrieked. Elizabeth heard the now broken shards shatter on the ground. She was in an extreme state of panic. Her mind started to grow dark and her legs turned to rubber, she was going to faint. Before the lady could spill to the hard ground strong arms snuck around her back. As Elizabeth's eyes started fluttering shut she saw the same eerie face peering down at her as was in the mirrors reflection. It was murky and shifted shape as if it were not solid but made of smoke, terrible eyes burned red, and black feathers seemed to come from everywhere. The overwhelming scent of ashes was thick in the air and made her lungs ache. This was undoubtedly a demon, yet the beast somehow seemed unnervingly familiar. Her mind could not take much more and she drifted to unconsciousness.

Sebastian smirked at the stance he held his Lady in, it was as if he had just twirled her around the gardens and now held her in an elegant dip. He thought it a tender moment the quiet before the fire storm. Gazing at her troubled expression he thought of what a complicated creature she was, bursting with riddles and contradictions. She would keep him guessing and that delighted him, fore he loved a challenge. After a night such as this she had piqued his interest and garnered his attention. He was justly enchanted. With a small fanged smile the demon pulled his boutonniere of deadly night shade from his lapel and lifted it above them in an imitation of mistletoe. Firm demonic lips crashed down upon the fragile lady's hard and wanting. He didn't pay any mind to how his fangs were cutting her delicate ruddy lips. "mmmm Elizabeth." murmured the creature. It was a kiss to close out a spell of wanted romance. The first of many thrilling and dark kisses to come.

Back at the manor the young master sat up-right in bed startled. He had been shaken from his pleasant dream to an odd feeling. He felt as if he had just lost out on something wonderful before he had the chance to truly be in want of it.