It has been two weeks since Adrian brought life back to Annabeth Phoenix. He loved how she was not only alive, but also continued to live as if she never died. The only thing missing was her memory, but he thought it was for the better; Mary was such a miserable woman who rarely smiled, but Annabeth was always filled with glee and smiles. She managed to put a smile on his face every time he saw her. It seemed that nothing could make her unhappy. She was just his little living doll with a permanent smile on her face.

Annabeth and Adrian were checking inventory of the shop, making sure that they had everything fully stocked. He did have all the things he needed for the job, such as embalming fluid and makeup, but he was lacking in some things. "I'm afraid we're running low on flour. If we don't buy some soon, we won't be making any freshly baked biscuits for a while," he told her as he looked through his cabinets close to the oven.

"Oh dear," she said as she looked in the cabinet as well. "Well, let's go buy some now. We don't have any customers to attend to."

"True, but I don't want to leave the shop unattended in case new customers arrive. Can you go pick them up for me?"

"Oh, sure," she said cheerfully. He wrote down a list of things for her to gather while she hurriedly looked for her purple scarf up in her room upstairs, which was just the same room with the machine and coffin. He didn't need to make another room for her since she didn't mind sleeping there. Even the coffin, which he thought would be uncomfortable, was actually comfy for her. Maybe it was because she didn't know what an actual bed felt like or was too polite to say otherwise. He has offered to buy her a bed in the past, but she respectfully declined it, saying she didn't need one. When Annabeth returned downstairs with her scarf around her neck, he handed her the list and she was about to go out the door, but she stopped herself. With a worried face, she asked, "C-Can you accompany me?"

"What is the matter, dearie?" Adrian asked, noticing the change in her tone.

"It's just . . . I've never been outside the shop. I wouldn't know where to go."

"It's a small grocery store a couple blocks down the street. You can't miss it. They display fresh fruit in the front."

"But . . . ," she said, not knowing the exact words to say. "I . . . I would be terribly lonely." He arched his eyebrows at the statement, but giggled.

"Tell you what: I'll accompany you to the store, but I'll leave you there to return to the shop. Like I said, I can't be gone for too long, so I would have to return as soon as possible. I'm sure you can make your way back if I guided you there."

"All right," she said with a nod as she waited for the silver-haired man to make his way to her. Before leaving, he put a sign on the window of his shop saying, "CLOSED". He then held his arm out for her to take, just like a gentleman should. She smiled at the gesture as she wrapped her arm around him. He even opened the door for her and she walked out, but covered her face as the sun's rays blessed her skin for the first time. His shop was always a dark place, so she needed to adjust to the light, but he provided her with a dark purple parasol which he got the same time he bought her scarf.

"You might need it, dearie," he said as he opened it and handed it to her. Annabeth giggled at the gesture and the two headed out to the market. On the way, she noticed all the different sights she never saw before: birds flying in the air, children playing in the streets with their Funtom toys, women chatting in cafés, and so much more. She felt the breeze kiss her skin for the first time and she shivered a bit, alarming Adrian, but he soon smiled. She really was a virgin to the world, just like a little child traveling to the city for the first time. He should take her out more often and go see all the sights that London has to offer. She smelled all the delicious foods from bakeries, cafés, and other places, making her stomach growl. He laughed as he said, "I see that you are hungry."

She nodded as she said, "Maybe one day, you can take me to one of these places?"

"Are you growing weary of my biscuits already?" he said with a grin.

"No, but I want to try a lot of things. Everything smells so delicious!"

"Maybe one day," he said as they proceeded to walk down the street. She kept admiring all the different sights she never had seen before and just let it all sink it. She just wished she could stay out here longer with Adrian, but he had to return as soon as possible. She wished she could change his mind, but once he had his mind on something, it was hard to change it. After some time, she noticed that some people were looking at her, but they had curious looks on their faces. At first, she didn't mind, but she saw some of them whisper to each other and point at her. She wondered if any of them somehow saw her scars and checked to see if they scarf was still there. Undertaker noticed the people staring at them and then saw her nervous face as she checked her scarf. He eased her by saying, "They can't see your scars, dearie."

"Then why are they staring?" she asked.

He giggled as he said, "It's because they've never seen an old man like me accompany a woman as beautiful as you."

She blushed at the compliment. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course; you have a unique beauty like no other woman I have ever met. Why else would I bring you back to see such beauty live again?"

She laughed as she said, "Oh you!" She put her head on his arm and he smiled.

Soon, the two of them reached the market and she let go of his arm, knowing he had to go back. However, before he did, he gave her some money for her to buy the items. "You know how to get back, don't you?" he asked. She nodded. "All right then. I'll be waiting for you," he said as he headed back to the shop. Annabeth was a little nervous being alone in this new world, but she put on a determined face and headed inside the shop. It took her a while, but she found everything listed on the list and proceeded to pay, but before she could, she accidentally bumped into someone, dropping all the items on the floor. "I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going," she said frantically as she bent down to gather the items.

"It's quite all right. I'm partly to blame," a low voice said as he helped her gather them. He handed her the bag of flour and she soon saw the gloved hands that looked awfully familiar. She looked up the arm and found herself looking into those crimson eyes that belonged to the man she met earlier.

"Oh, m-master butler! I-I-I didn't know it was you," she said with shock in her voice, nearly dropping everything again, but he caught anything that slipped out of her hands.

"Please, call me Sebastian," he said with a wicked grin. "Only the Undertaker calls me by that name, but I don't understand why he does."

"He respects you and the young lord. He finds calling you by your first name disrespectful."

He chuckled at the thought. "Either that or he fears me."

"Why would he fear you?"

"Let's just say that he and I have a long history together, but enough about him. What are you doing here, Ms. Phoenix?"

"I-I was just buying some things for Ad-Undertaker," she said as she checked her list one more time, checking to see if she had everything they needed. "Yep, I've got everything."

"Well, I'm sure you would like some help taking these back to the shop. Why don't I help you," he said as they walked together to the register.

"Oh, it's all right, Sebastian. I'll be fine," she said as she paid the amount needed.

"No, I insist," he said, but saw the cashier put everything in one bag and handed it to Annabeth.

"I'm fine, but thank you. It was nice seeing you again," she said as she took the bag and started heading back to the parlor, but he stopped her.

"I think there is no shame of me escorting you back. I'm afraid something bad might happen to you if you walked back by yourself."

"Oh, well . . . I guess you have a point," she said. She was very unfamiliar to this environment and now he gave her the impression that this new world would be unsafe for her if she went out alone. He smiled as he took the bag from her hand and carried it while also offering his arm for her to hold. She was reluctant, but held onto his arm. The two started walking back to the shop, but he made sure that he took his time.

"So, how long have you been working for the Undertaker, Ms. Phoenix?"

"It's been two weeks now. My, time sure flies by fast," she said as she marveled the sights yet again.

"And how did you get the job anyway? I've always known that man as being a lone wolf that wouldn't let anyone work for him."

"Well, he is a very kind man and an interesting one too. He let me work with him when I had nowhere else to go," she lied. She was told by Adrian that if anyone asked that question, she would have to use that line to throw off suspicion. If she were to say that she was a living corpse, it would either confuse or terrify anyone who asked.

"You must be very special for him to let you work for him," he said as he smelled the air. "Mm, there must be a new bakery open on this street."

She sniffed the air and she smiled, "Oh, it smells lovely!"

"Why don't we grab a quick bite to eat? I'm sure the Undertaker won't mind if you're a little late," he said with a wicked grin.

"Well . . . ," she said, looking toward the direction of the funeral parlor, but he turned her face away so that she was looking straight into his eyes.

"I'm sure that a woman like you couldn't say no to a delicious crêpe," he said almost seductively. She gulped at his touch and words, but looked inside the bakery, nearly salivating due to the delicious smell in the air. "That's what I thought." He then guided her to the bakery and ordered two strawberry crêpes. Annabeth was about to pay for hers, but he stopped her. "Please, allow me," he said as he paid for them both. She smiled at the gesture and they both sat down to eat. He didn't seem to eat much out of his, but he laughed as he saw her try the pastry for the first time. She was unsure how to eat it, but thanks to her subconscious table manners, she knew how to properly eat it. She tasted every sweet bite and marveled in its deliciousness.

"Mm, this is so good! I have to take Undertaker here some time," she said as she finished the crêpe rather quickly. He noticed there was some strawberry juice on her lip and chuckled as he pulled out a handkerchief to clean it off. She was surprised by the motion and pulled back, but he calmed her.

"You are a messy eater, my dear. I was just wiping off some excess juice," he said. With those words, she calmed herself as he wiped the juice off her face. He soon pulled back, put the handkerchief neatly in his pocket, and proceeded to eat the crêpe. She noticed one slice of strawberry fell out of the crêpe as he took one of his last bites and kept eyeing it. He noticed her stare and asked, "Would you like to eat it?" She looked at him with confusion in her eyes, but realized that she was actually staring at the fruit and began to blush in embarrassment. "It's all right if you want it. I'm quite full as it is."

"I would like it, please," she said politely. He smiled as he grabbed her fork and stabbed the strawberry with it.

He then pointed it toward her as he said, "Open wide." She did as she was told as she opened her mouth wide enough for him to place the strawberry on her tongue. Once it did, she closed her mouth so she could take the sweet fruit off the fork. She moaned with delight since this one seemed to taste sweeter than the ones she tasted previously.

"Mm," she said with a smile.

"I can clean up for you," he said as he took the plates from the table and put them in a dirty dishes corner of the counter. She giggled as she watched him be a gentleman for her.

"Where is she?" Adrian said as he looked at the clock. It has already been two hours since he dropped her off at the market. Surely the poor girl didn't get lost, did she? He was starting to think the worst the longer she was out there. He tried to calm himself, thinking that she might have been distracted by the sights and just wandered off, but then he thought that she was a lost puppy trying to find her way back, but couldn't. He then thought of some thuggish men approaching her and trying to hurt her, but he didn't know how she could defend herself. She was a sweet girl that wouldn't harm a fly, but he remembered that the bizarre dolls couldn't die like normal humans. However, Annabeth was a living doll. He didn't know how her body would react if she was hurt. Would she be fine or could she die? The fact he didn't know for certain bugged the hell out of him.

Speaking of hell, his ears perked up as he heard two people laughing outside his shop. He quickly ran to the window to see who they were and was relieved to see Annabeth with the bag of items in her arms . . . but also that devilish butler accompanying her. What the hell was he doing here and not back at the Phantomhive estate? Regardless, he hurriedly opened the door and said as calmly as he could with a giggle, "There you are, Annabeth! I was afraid you got hopeless lost."

"Oh, no, I just made a little detour with Sebastian. I tried a crêpe for the first time today and it was delicious," she said childishly.

"That's sounds wonderful. Why don't you put those things in the shop while master butler and I have a little private chat," he said in a slightly less cheery tone.

"Of course," she said as she carried the bag in the shop and closing the door behind her.

As the two men stood alone, Undertaker lost his usual smile as he asked, "So you've just happened to be in the neighborhood?"

"My young master sent me on a task to retrieve a certain brand of tea leaves only sold in that market and I ran into Ms. Phoenix. This time, she smells less . . . death-like," he said in an ominous tone.

Undertaker's eyebrow arched at the comment. "So you know?"

"Yes and so does the young master. It wasn't hard to piece together, especially since her last name comes from the mythological bird that can burn itself to death and come back to life through its ashes. Honestly, Undertaker, I am impressed you've managed to bring one back from the dead so successfully. We all know how badly the last ones turned out."

"Listen, demon, those creatures were not flawed. They just needed to learn how to behave normally, but you and those other Grim Reapers never gave them a chance," he said rather angrily.

"They were threatening my young master and I had to protect him through any means necessary. Your former coworkers seem to think they were abominations as well, including Lilliana."

"To hell what they think! Those creatures were beautiful, but why should such beauty be wasted by burying them or burning them until they are turned to ashes? I let their beauty live on."

"And with that, you created monsters feasting off the flesh of the living."

"They were just prototypes to my future creations. I've perfected the reanimation process through Ms. Annabeth Phoenix. As you can see, nothing is wrong with her."

"For now. However, she is quite the lady, if I do say so myself," he said with a subtle perverse tone.

"Don't you even think about it, Michaelis," he warned. "I may be retired, but if I remember correctly, I managed to do a number on you back on that ship."

"Just out of curiosity, have you ever . . . ,"

"You really are a demon! No, I haven't even thought of it! She is my creation and will be treated with the upmost care."

"Well, I'm sure she will be curious. After all, she is a woman and there will be men out there who want to explore every inch of her."

"And you're not one of those men?"

"I don't believe I am, but you seem to think so."

"I would be lying if I said I could trust you with her. I rather have it that you would never see her again."

"Is that a threat?"

"I hope it doesn't turn out that way, but if you come any closer to her, I'm afraid it could get violent."

Sebastian chuckled as he said, "I see. Well, I should be heading back to my master. I hope to see you again on a happier note."

"Farewell," he said as he watched the demon leave his side and away from the shop. Who does he think he is trying to get close to Annabeth? She is not some tramp on the street for his pleasure. She was a unique woman who should be preserved, not defiled. Demons like him just don't understand.

That night, Annabeth woke up in the middle of the night after having a wonderful dream about her day today. She was able to see things she never saw before and the atmosphere seemed to welcome her with open arms. Adrian was kind enough to take her to the market despite having to leave soon after and Sebastian was exceptionally kind to show her around. Since she met him a week ago, she thought he was rather . . . interesting, but for some reason, she didn't really think he was normally kind. If anything, she thought that he was just living life through the orders of his young master, but he can take breaks from that and show generosity to others.

She got up from her coffin bed, looked out her window, and saw the moon as it shone its beautiful light to the world below. She wished she could just go outside and bathe in the moonlight, but Adrian warned her to not go out at night alone. He said bad things happen to pretty girls like her, but promised to take her out one day. However, temptation took over her tonight as she grabbed her shoes and scarf and changed out of her nightgown into regular clothes. She made sure not to wear her shoes in fear that he would hear the clanking of her shoes on the hardwood floor. She tiptoed downstairs, making sure that she made as little noise as possible. She had to refrain from giggling; she was doing something naughty. If he found out what she was doing, she would get in a lot of trouble.

She slowly opened the door, making sure the bell didn't ring to alarm him. She had seen him jolt down the stairs in the middle of the night at the sound of the bell, so she was sure to keep quiet. Lucky for her, she managed to squeeze through the opening of the door and quietly shut it without making any noise. However, as she turned her body, she shrieked at the sight before her, but a gloved hand covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," Sebastian said apologetically as he removed his hand from her mouth. "I was just here to speak with you and the Undertaker about a certain proposal my master thought might interest you."

"It's the middle of the night, Sebastian. Couldn't it have waited until tomorrow?" she asked, but noticed the picnic basket hanging from his other arm.

"Unfortunately no; he wants to know an answer as soon as possible. I thought the two of us could discuss this under the moonlight. I even brought some strawberries in case the two of you would get hungry," he said.

"Oh, well, I can discuss it with you. I'm afraid Undertaker is very tired right now and he needs his rest," she lied, which made him smirk.

"Is that so? Well, I guess that's all right, as long as you repeat what I say to him."

"I will," she assured. He held out his arm for her to grasp. Sure enough, she did and the two headed off to a nearby park.

Adrian woke up after he heard a slight feminine shriek. Usually, a sound like that wouldn't wake him, but for some reason, it did. He slowly opened his eyes and stretched his limbs, feeling his body crack. "Annabeth, are you all right?" he asked, as if she was in the room with him, but even if she was, she wouldn't have heard him. "Annabeth?" he said louder, but he received no response. He didn't like getting out of bed if he didn't have to, but he had to make sure she was all right. "Annabeth, are you all right?" he repeated as he got up from bed, putting on his usual robes, and heading toward her room. When he walked to her door, he felt that something was . . . missing, but he brushed it off. He opened the door and noticed that her coffin lid was closed, like she normally would sleep. He chuckled every time he saw it like that. A living creature sleeping in a place reserved for the dead. How unusual. Still, he walked to the coffin and opened the lid slowly, not wanting to wake her, but to his surprise, she wasn't inside. "Is she downstairs?" he thought as he closed the coffin. With a hurry, he practically ran downstairs, but was even more worried when he realized that she wasn't there either. "Where did that bloody girl go?" He then noticed her scarf on the table near the door and got even more worried. "Did she . . . leave in the middle of the night?"

"The young lord wants me to work at his manor?" she repeated as she took another bite into her strawberry. They were so fresh and sweet that she had already eaten three before this one. The moonlight and the night breeze felt good on her skin, a feeling she was dying to feel for a long time.

"Yes, he believes that you would get a more rewarding experience working for him rather than the Undertaker. He says you're a lively young woman who should be able to work with a young lord, rather than a man obsessed with death."

"Oh, but I do enjoy working for Undertaker. His fascination with death may seem offsetting for some, but not me."

"I thought you might say that, but the benefits he is willing to give you are worthwhile. The pay is very good and room and board are provided for you. Plus, you will be granted two week vacation for the year while also making friends with the other servants."

"It sounds wonderful, but I don't know if I'm ready for a job like that yet," she said as she finished the strawberry, but just like before, some juice landed on her lip.

He chuckled as he tried to grab a handkerchief from his pocket, but to his "surprise", there wasn't one there. "Oh dear, I seem to have left my handkerchief at the manor," he said.

"Oh, that's ok," she said as she was about to wipe the juice with her sleeve, but he stopped her.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. You're a lady and what you were about to do isn't lady-like at all."

"Oh, then what are we to do?" she asked.

He smirked as he said, "The strawberry was sweet, yes?"

"Well, yes, very," she said, unsure to what he was hinting at.

"Well, since we have nothing to wipe your mouth with, mind if I . . . have a taste?"

Her eyes widened by the question. "You mean . . . lick it off?"

"I see no other option," he said, keeping that wicked smirk plastered on his face.

"Well . . . if there is no other way," she said reluctantly. "But please be quick. I'm not comfortable with this."

"Of course," he said as he leaned towards her. However, before he could touch her skin with his tongue, he was stopped by a Death Scythe.

"I told you to stay away from her, Michaelis," Adrian said with an angry tone.

"Adrian!" she shrieked as she quickly got up from the ground. "What are you doing with that?!"

"I have to teach this demon of a man a lesson about overstepping his boundaries," he said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him for protection.

"I didn't intend to cause any harm to Ms. Phoenix," he said, backing away from his Death Scythe, but holding out forks and knives in case he did attack suddenly.

"Oh, and what were you about to do to her?"

"I was just cleaning off the juice on her lip," he said with a smirk. Even he couldn't hide the fact that his intentions weren't pure.

"And you didn't have a handkerchief with you?"

"He didn't have one on him," Annabeth defended.

He scoffed. "This is master butler we are talking about. You are always prepared for anything, aren't you?" he said with a giggle, as if he was his usual self, but was far from it. "A butler of your breed is always ready for anything, especially as something as trivial as cleaning up."

He smirked as he said, "Well, I didn't come here just to speak with Ms. Phoenix. I came to propose something to you too."

Adrian scowled as he said, "What could you possibly want?"

"Well, the young master is very interested in Ms. Phoenix and thinks she would be a great addition to the Phantomhive family."

"Out of the question," he said as he held onto her tighter.

"Please let me finish. If you let us take her off your hands . . . my young master will no longer use the Campania incident as blackmail." Adrian arched his eyebrow at the proposal.

"The Campania incident?" she asked.

Adrian looked at her worried expression and said, "It's nothing for you to worry about." However, he sighed as he said, "If I let her work with you, do you promise to not defile her or anything of the sort."

Sebastian lifted a hand in the air as he said, "I swear. Besides, Ms. Kiliamo would be in charge of her."

Adrian looked at Annabeth again and asked, "Are you all right with this?"

"I . . . I don't know. Can I come back to visit the Undertaker?" she asked Sebastian.

"On your days off, yes, but you can't while working," he said. She didn't know what to do. This was her first real big decision and wanted to choose the right one. She didn't want to leave Adrian, but she also wanted to explore the world around her and surely being at the Phantomhive estate would allow her to be free. Adrian didn't seem to have a good relationship with Sebastian, but he was also somewhat willing to let her go.

She breathed in as she said, "All right, I'll go."

"Excellent," Sebastian said as he cleaned up the picnic.

"But-," she blurted, leaving the men curious to know what she would say next. "I don't want to go right away. Can I start working next week?"

Sebastian had a contemplative look on his face, but said, "I guess that would be all right, but next week, we will pick you up first thing in the morning and take you to the manor."

"Of course," she said.

With that, Sebastian gathered the picnic basket and said, "Well, I shall be off. I'll see you next week, Ms. Phoenix."

Adrian and Annabeth finally arrived to the funeral parlor, but she was uncomfortable throughout the walk back. He had an unusually angry expression on his face, which scared her. What happened to Adrian and Sebastian in the past that they would be on bad terms with each other? It must have been something pretty bad. Still, he didn't seem to be angry at just him. She thought that he was angry at her for accepting the offer. She hated that idea; she never wanted him to be angry at her for anything. He wouldn't even talk to her and to make things worse, once he got inside, he stormed to another room. She was about to cry, thinking it was her fault, but she saw him come back with a cloth and he wiped the juice off her face. "I can't believe that damn demon tried to kiss you," he said under his breath, but she heard him.

"Kiss me? No, he was cleaning my-," she tried to defend, but was interrupted.

"He was trying to kiss you. I know men like him and they try to seduce women to do their bidding."

"I . . . I didn't know. I wouldn't know. I've never been kissed before," she said. Adrian looked at her with a confused look, but remembered that she wasn't Mary Welch who was in two relationships in the past; she was the resurrected Annabeth Phoenix.

"That's right, you wouldn't know," he said.

"What's it like . . . to kiss someone?" she asked so innocently.

"It's nothing special," he said.

"Really?"

"Yes. People try to make it something special, but it is nothing more than a simple gesture."

"Well, if it isn't so special, than why would you be upset with Sebastian trying to kiss me?" she asked. Adrian looked at her and gave her a playful smile. She's a smart one, isn't she?

"He-he, I guess you're right. A kiss used to have meaning toward it; it meant that two people were in love, but nowadays, humans just kiss without any meaning behind it. Now, it's used to trick people and a just release for repressed emotions, but it no longer has the same meaning as it did before."

"Just a simple little action meant all that?"

"It used to, but it means nothing now. Watch," he said as he suddenly kissed her, trying to prove a point. She was surprised by the sudden contact, but she didn't pull back. Her heart was racing, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the sudden action . . . or something else. He pulled back and said, "See, nothing." However, she pulled him back for another kiss. He was surprised by the kiss and saw that she was closing her eyes while keeping their lips locked. She was really enjoying this and made sure that she kept their lips together for a long time. Eventually, she pulled back and smiled.

"We should do this again," she said with a smile.

"You really enjoyed that, didn't you?" he said with a laugh.

"Yes, very much. Why don't we kiss more often?"

"I told you that it is something reserved for two people in love."

"But you also said that it has lost its meaning over the years," she argued.

He giggled as he said, "I suppose, but I like to preserve the sanctity of a kiss." As he said that, he noticed the disappointed look on her face and sighed. "But a kiss on the cheek is different."

She looked at him with perked ears. "On the cheek?"

"When a person kisses someone on the cheek, it shows they care, but nothing as committed as love. Would you like that?"

"I would actually," Annabeth said with a smile. He then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and she giggled like a little girl.

"I promise to give you a kiss on the cheek every day if that would make you happy."

"Yes it would," she said with a sweet smile.

There was a moment of silence before Adrian said, "All right, it's already pretty late, dearie. It's time for you to go to bed," he said.

"Oh, I guess you're right," she said with a slightly sad tone. The two headed upstairs and he walked her to her coffin. He watched as she closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep, making him softly chuckle at the sight. She was a pretty little thing when she was asleep. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to see that sleeping face for long time since she would be away to the Phantomhive manor with Sebastian and Lilliana looming over her. Would she feel safe there? He didn't know and was afraid to know the answer. He wanted to keep her for as long as he could before he felt she was ready to explore the world, so for this next week, he was going to make sure that all her needs were met, hoping that she would be prepared for the next journey of her life. Actually, the real question wasn't if she was ready; it was if he was ready.

There is a character in this story (Lilliana Kiliamo) from another story called One Hell of a Reaper. If you want to know her backstory, go ahead and read it, but be warned that it is rated M.