Hey people. I've been watching Black Butler for some time now and I had an idea for a fic because of it, so I'm going to post it and see what you think! This will be my first time writing a fic without a pre-planed story board so let's see how well I do.

This fic may contain some mature themes, hence the 'M' rating. This is my fist time posting anything with an 'M' rating so don't expect it to get too mature.

I don't own anything. Everything belongs to their respectful owners.


I stared at the reflection in the mirror. The face of a peasant boy blinked back at me. His white shirt was discoloured and his trousers had seen better days. The tweed blazer was well worn and frayed. The brown cap on his head sat firmly in place despite its age. I took a deep breath in. It was perfect! I had managed to make myself out to be a boy! Wahoo! I turned to see the ponytail that my blond hair had been pulled into. I had it bound with a piece of blue fabric, adding to the Victorian feel of my costume.

I was in London, England with my Senior High Drama class so that we could experience true Shakespearian Theater. We had been here for a few days and today was the day when we got to relive the Victorian Era through acting! And we weren't just dressing up in costumes; we were going to do an improvised scene based on who we were. I eyed my brother who was standing in front of a different mirror. His tall frame was swayed in the black tailcoat of a butler's uniform as he adjusted his black tie with white gloved hands. His hair was combed off to the side and his face held an elegant and refined expression. He seemed to be taking to his roll quite well. I had never been so proud of him.

"Maaah!" My brother laughed in a sheep-like manner as he pointed in my direction. "You're a boy!" Dropping character he threw his hands up and pranced off to the stage.

Remind me again how we're related…


We had been doing various scenes all morning and now we were on break. I dare say that my cockney a'cent was pretty right on! I was standing outside the theater to get a breath of fresh, cool air, which was greatly welcomed after standing in a spotlight all morning. I buttoned up the blazer to push back the chill in the air for a touch longer and thanked God for the fingerless gloves and the tattered scarf I had on. I allowed myself to soak in my surroundings. The cobble stone roads, the old fashioned buildings; it was all to die for. I really felt like Sherlock Holmes would come running around the corner any minute, hot on the tail of Jack the Ripper! I walked over to an alley entrance, admiring the scenery when I saw a horse and buggy roll by. I blinked, rubbed my eyes and opened them again just in time to see the end of the buggy roll out of sight. I ran down the alley and looked down the road where the buggy had gone. I could see it, but that wasn't all I saw. Through a newly settling mist I could see that everyone down the street was in Victorian clothing like what we were wearing for the acting workshop. I had to tell the others! This would be so cool! Maybe we could look around this place after the workshop! I ran back down the alley but I skidded to a stop when I reached the theater. The door was different. It wasn't a heavy glass door anymore. It was wooden! I looked up at the sign and saw that it was made of a different material now too!

What is going on here?

I decided that I had better just go back inside and spend the remaining fifteen minutes of the break with the others. I walked inside and saw that there was a finely dressed usher manning the door to the stage. He was definitely NOT there a minute ago.

"What are you doing here?" He asked coldly. "Shoo, shoo." He waved me away.

"But my Drama class is in there!" I protested, beginning to panic.

"Absurd." He scoffed. "The only Thespian troop here is from France."

"But-"

"I suggest you get out of here before I call Scotland Yard on you boy!"

I ran out of the building and back to the entrance to the alleyway. I stooped over to catch my breath, the usher's words echoing in my head. "Boy." He had called me a boy. I spied my reflection in a puddle of water by my feet. I still had my costume on, I guess it was only natural that I'd be mistaken for a boy looking like this. It didn't help that I lacked full lips or a big chest, but what do I care? I never worried about looking overly girly. I patted my chest to assure myself I was a girl. Yep, still have boobs, even if they are small. I cast a glance at the theatre. It still didn't look right. What is going on here? I looked back down the alley. Things had changed ever since I went down there, maybe the answer to all this was there. I slowly walked down the alley, holding my breath until I emerged from the other side.

Maybe this is all a prank. The Drama teacher likes to play jokes on us, maybe all this is staged.

I looked down the mist kissed street. There had to be about fifty people there. He couldn't have involved that many people in a prank. I turned around and saw the Tower Bridge and the air turned to ice in my lungs. The bridge was incomplete. It was still under construction! That had to mean…I was a hundred and seventeen years in the past! Clutching the sides on my head a scream erupted from deep within my diaphragm.

People stared at me as they walked by but made no move to check my condition, assuming it was an act to distract them so that other street children could pickpocket them.

This-this couldn't be…How could I? What? How am I? I dropped to my hands and knees in the middle of the street as warm salty tears trickled to the ground. My body wouldn't stop shaking, gripped with cold and fear. Everything I had worked for was taken away by some unexplained event. The trip I had been waiting years for and work to the bone to save up for had damned me. No…

"Oi! Kid! Get out of the street!" I looked up and saw another horse and buggy approaching. For a second I contemplated letting the horse trample me, ending this misery I was now plagued with, but by its own accord my body ran to the side of the road and let the man pass. I was stuck here…forever… A small laugh came past my lips. It grew, not in merriment, not in gayety, but in insanity. Hysteric, I made my way down the street, cackling wildly like a hyena as I swayed from side to side, as if I was in a drunken stupor. It was like that how I staggered down street after street. People avoiding me, swerving around me in passing, pulling their daughters close to protect them from the mad teen boy. It seemed like I would never snap out of it when I slipped and smashed the back of my skull into the hard ground, snapping some sense back into me. As I stared up at the Heavens belonging to the God who had betrayed me an idea formulated in my spinning head. I could end this. All I had to do was kill myself and I would be free. Surely there was no possible way to return to my time, at least this way I would be spared starvation and disease while waiting for death. Rain began to fall, tapping my face to keep me awake, telling me I was still there. I sat up, the back of my head aching as blood flowed through it. I pushed myself to stand and held the wall for support. I looked around, hoping that someone was still watching me, but I seemed to be invisible. Lords and Ladies had umbrellas over the heads while those less well-off didn't seem to notice the light drizzle. I made my way down the street, wishing I could just have my head chopped off so that I could be given peace for its endless moaning.


The rain didn't last long but the nobles didn't drop their parasols, perhaps unaware the sky was finished watering the earth. I turned down another street, not caring where I was or where I was going. I could have been in the opium district for all I cared. I was going to find some way to drop dead by night fall, even if it killed me! Ah…let me rephrase that. I wasn't going to let anything in the world stop me from dying. There, that's better. From a quick observation I concluded that I was in a shopping district, judging by the stores that lines the street. Up ahead a buggy was waiting outside a toy shop where I caught a glimpse of a colorful petty coat as it disappeared inside the carriage. A figure then emerged from the store, carrying far too many parcels and boxes than they could obviously handle. Even though I was in a rush to die, my helpful nature kicked in and I was soon sprinting towards the individual to aid them. With the timing of Father Time himself I caught several boxes as they fell from the top stack.

"Careful." I cautioned, steadying me own stack.

"Thank you." A pair of brown eyes thanked from the other side of 'Mt. Boxmore'.

"Paula." A young, high pitched voice called out. "What's taking so long?"

I turned to face behind me and saw a young girl's face, adorned with emerald eyes and framed by two spiraling pigtails. My stomach jumped into my throat as I gasped. It was Elizabeth Middleford from Black Butler! Then this woman was...

"Ah, I'm sorry My Lady. Please forgive me." The woman, who had been dubbed Paula, bowed her head, trying not to disturb the boxes.

Elizabeth then noticed me and gasped. "You would look so pretty if you were a girl!" She exclaimed.

I am a girl...

Lizzy poked her head out of the carriage. "Are you're parents around here?" She asked, being the first person to show concern for a 'street rat' like me.

"Um...No...They...aren't here anymore." I forced out, not sure about what to say to her.

Her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped again. "You don't have any parents?" Her eyes became watery, probably thinking about how Ciel was also an orphan. What am I saying? I'm no orphan! Not yet at least! Her head dropped with a melancholy tune. I looked back at Paula whose eyes were teary now too. I let out an exasperated sigh; things were just going to get crazy from here on out, I just knew it. At least they weren't calling me out on not having an accent. That would raise a whole mess of questions.

Elizabeth clasped my free hand in hers, stared into my eyes and abruptly said, "Would you like to work for me as a butler? I'm sure you would look cute in a butler uniform!"

God don't me that I've gone from being a Grade Twelve graduate to servant for a child in one day...

"Please say 'yes'!" The Lady begged. "I'll be willing to pay you £10 a day."

Ten pounds a day. Now think, since this is the Victorian era money was worth more back then. Let's see...A woman in Sherlock Holmes was left 750 pounds in her father's will and that was a small fortune so ten pounds would be...Holy cow, I'll have about half of that after a month of work!

"He seems too shocked to speak miss." Paula indicated, taking the parcels from my hands. Elizabeth took me by hand and led me into the carriage.

But...I was going to commit suicide today...

Lady Middleford sat me down in the seat across from her and Paula plopped down in the driver's seat outside once the rest of the packages were loaded up.

I stared dumbly at the girl. My next door neighbor had a girl no older than Elizabeth and yet this girl seemed so independent and confident.

"So how old are you?" Lizzy started to make conversation.

"Uh...eighteen." I responded nervously.

"So how long have you been without your parents?"

"...Uh...not long." I had no clue what to say to her other than the truth.

"Oh, so it was just recently that they died." Lizzy concluded solemnly. We sat silently for a minute. I watched the passing images on the other side of the window as the buggy was pulled along.

"Oh! I forgot to ask your name. I'm Elizabeth Middleford and you are..."

"...Stacy..." I said hesitantly.

"'Stacy'?" She repeated. "That is such a cute name for a boy!"

"...So I've been told..." I looked out the window again. "So where are we going?"

"To a shop." Lizzy chimed, not providing an answer.

"What type of shop?"

"A shop where we can get you fitted for a really cute uniform!" She squealed.

What did I do to deserve this God? The buggy jerked to a shop.

"Oh...it's closed...I guess we'll just have to go home for now..." Lady Elizabeth whined.

I will now take this moment to apologize to anyone whom I've had the pleasure of talking to death while regaling with the details of my interests when I was a child. Talking to Lizzy about cute things had to be God's way of saying that I shouldn't go on and on about cute things with other people unless they wanted to talk about it. Four an hour I listened to Liz as she described in perfect detail all the ribbons and buttons and such her stuffed animals wore. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Some of her toys even have *gasp* outfits. You heard me, she had clothes for some of her stuffed animals and I was stuck listening to her explain every lace, every ribbon, every piece of fabric for every plush toy in her house. If I was ready to die before I got into the carriage, I was jumping off London Bridge first chance I got now. This had to be a nightmare. I just had to still be asleep in my hotel room, away from all of this. It's not like this isn't the first time I had a dream where I had gone through what I thought was the following day. Yeah, that has to be it. I'm going through Black Butler withdraw. I haven't seen an episode in weeks. My mind must be writing its own episodes in my sleep until I can watch the genuine anime again. If this is a dream I should just sit back and enjoy the ride. Sooner or later the alarm clock I set will go off and I'll wake up. I can then go to the acting workshop and spend the whole day comparing the real event to this dream.

With the street light now dim, we pulled up to a magnificent townhouse, with charming window shutters, and a topiary menagerie in the garden. I spied a set of large windows with bright pink curtains adorning them. I'll give you two guesses on whose room that is, and I bet you only need one. Paula came around to the side and opened the door for Lizzy and I followed closely behind her. Paula quickened her pace and arrived at the doors in time to open them for us, gesturing for us to move inward. The house was so grand. White marble was the main material for construction for the stairs, pillars and floor. Elizabeth trotted into one room to the right and I quickly followed suit. In the room there was a roaring fire place and a large red couch and matching armchair. In the chair sat an old, fat man with graying hair and mustache.

"Good evening Papa." Elizabeth greeted to her father.

"Elizabeth." He growled. "Who is this?" He pointed his cane towards me.

"This is Stacy. He's agreed to serve as a butler for us!"

I stood stiffly. This man could reject me on the premise that I would steal from them. Not that I would of course, but if I was sent away it would be a very long and cold walk back to the river Thames, where I planned to drown myself.

"Meek looking boy, isn't he?" Her father speculated. Placing a lot of force on his cane, he came to his feet and stood before me. "Ever stolen anything, son?"

"No, sir." I answered with the discipline of a cadet.

"How long have you been living on the streets?"

"A matter of days, sir."

"What has your life been like so far?"

"My family has always been poor, sir." I answered, keeping to a steady beat. "We had little income but we never needed much."

His dull eyes examined me from behind his heavy bags and wrinkles. "You seem like an honest lad." His demeanor softened and his hard edge melted away. He almost reminded me of my uncle back home. He patted me on the head

"Tell me son, how old are you?"

"Eighteen, sir."

"Ah, good, good. Paula, take this young man to the servant's quarters so he can wash up."

"Of course my Lord." Paula curtsied and led me away.

"Now Elizabeth, I hope you realize that James doesn't have time to train a new butler. How do you suggest we prepare him for his new job?"

"Ciel's butler has trained one of Auntie's butlers before. I'm sure he could train Stacy."

"A capital idea my dear. We'll ship him out there tomorrow." The Earl said as he lifted his daughter into the air, laughing mirthfully.


Paula had led me to where I could wash up.

"Do you need any assistance Stacy?" She politely asked.

"Uh...no. I'm fine." I blushed, going into the bath room alone. From the other side of the door I heard her say, "Such a shy lad." with a giggle. She thought I was this cute young boy who was embarrassed to have a woman wash me. Good Lord is this what my life has become? I looked around the room and saw that it was very plain. There was a lowered section of the floor with a drain in the far right corner, which I assumed to be the original version of a shower, a mirror in the left near corner and a changing screen right across from the mirror. There were a wooden bucket on the ground and a pump. I guess this meant I was having a cold shower tonight. I grabbed the handle and pushed down hard. The first few pumps were the worst, but once it gained some momentum it became easier and I soon had a full bucket. I stepped behind the screen and removed my clothes, feeling very exposed in the unfamiliar room. I took a rag that was hanging off of the tap and dipped it into the water. I rubbed down my body and then scrubbed myself with an old bar of soap. Scraping the suds off my body, I rubbed them into my hair, since I didn't see a shampoo bottle anywhere. I then took the bucket and dumped it over myself for the rinse, being sure to leave some water to rinse my hair out with. Once finished I dried myself off with a tower and stepped behind the screen to re-dress. A knock came from the door. "Stacy?" Paula's voice called out. "I brought you a night shirt."

"Bring it in." I said, not wanting to open the door naked.

Paula opened the door and set the nightshirt on the screen. "You certainly are shy for your age." She giggled. "I can assure you I've seen the same things as your mum."

"It's alright...I don't like anyone seeing..."

"Seeing your wee?" She guessed sounding quiet amused. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

I let out a croaky groan. That's right. Servants usually attend to their masters while their in the bath. Well isn't this 'jolly-good'. I pulled the shirt off the screen. In all honesty it was a tad long to be called a shirt, it extended down to my knees. But this was a different time. It's not like pajama pants existed or anything. Throwing my bra on, I pulled on the shirt on over top and came out from behind the screen.

"My, my. With that long hair of yours you could pass for a girl." Paula stated, her cheek resting on her hand. "Here," She kindly held out a fine dark blue ribbon, "this might serve you better than that rag you've been using, love." I quickly tied as much of my hair back as I could and followed her out. "We'll have to see about getting you a haircut." The brunette suggested as she lead me down the hall.

"Oh, I'm fine. I like having my hair this long. I-I've always felt that this suited me best." I stammered, trying to dissuade her from cutting my hair.

"I understand. Some people are peculiar about these things. Here is your room." She stopped in front of a door and opened it for me. Inside there was a small bed in the corner with a table and lamp next to it, a desk with its own lamp and a small dresser. No more than the bare minimum from what I could see.

"Please try to get some rest." Paula said sweetly. "I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day." Just as she was about to close the door I called her name softly. She froze for a second, but then pushed the door open wider.

"Yes?"

"Could you bring me something to eat?" I asked shyly.

"Of course." She answered with a reassuring smile. She was so kind and pretty and nice. I was...happy that I would get to work with her.


I sat on my bed in the dark, eating the leftover Yorkshire pudding Paula brought me from the family's diner. It was good. I had tried my grandmother's before but somehow didn't have the same quality as authentic Yorkshire pudding. As soon as I finished I pulled back the covers and crawled in, very tired from the day's events. My alarm is going to go off now. I know it is. I just know it...It has too.


Well that's it for now. Please tell me what you think!

I'm trying to use British terminology like it would have been from that era, but it's hard since I grew up in Canada and don't really know a lot of the terms, other than what's said in the Harry Potter movies and Being Human. I really hoped you liked it and I would love to hear from you!