CH:3 When In Rome...

I slowly began to regain consciousness just in time to hear voices.

"Hey Sebastian I just found this girl laying on the lawn. I think she's unconscious." I felt someone pick me up.

My eyes snapped open and I push myself out of the unfamiliar arms.

When my feet hit the ground tears instantly flooded my eyes and I fell to my knees. I looked down to see my ankle bruised and swollen.

"Miss, your hurt please allow me to assist you." I blinked and looked up at him. He was tall really tall, and lean, with short black hair and blood red eyes all wrapped up in a butler suit. Fake smile and all. He looked in a word sinister. My instincts had me backing away from him even though I was in pain.

"Miss please allow us to help you." I looked over at the other unfamiliar voice. A young man with short blond hair pulled back by several red hair clips, he had innocent blue eyes, and was dressed in gardener attire. I stared into his eyes; his eyes were kind unlike the butlers.

I nodded towards him before I scooted closer to him, I didn't want to be anywhere near the butler in my weakened state, something about him was off; he had the hair on my arms standing on edge.

The young gardener scooped me up after getting a look of approval from the butler.

"Where am I?" I asked breaking the silence.

"You are on the Phantomhive Estate." The butler said.

"Phantomhive Estate?" I said slowly before frowning. "How did I get here?"

They both looked at me in confusion.

"We were going to ask you the same thing." The blond said with a small smile.

I frowned. "I-I don't remember."

They both seemed to frown, although I highly doubted it was for the same reasons. We entered the large mansion and I was slightly impressed.

I was seated in a chair, and told to wait for the Earl Phantomhive.

I looked down at my ankle and grimaced, it didn't look so good.

"Um, I'm really sorry I've forgotten my manners, my name is Gabriella." I said to the blond. He had been told to wait with me while the butler went to retrieve the head of the house.

"No need for apologies miss, my name is Finnie." He said flashing me an easy smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Finnie." I said with a smile.

I thought about asking if they had any adhesive tape for my ankle but thought better of it. Guess I have to do this on my own. I started unbuttoning my dirt covered button up.

Finnie blushed immediately turning away. "W-what are you doing miss?"

I chuckled at his actions as I took off my shirt; I had on a lace camisole underneath. I looked for a tear, and when I found it grinned.

I looked up at Finnie's back. "My ankle is horribly swollen; I am going to wrap it before it becomes problematic. its ok you can turn around." With that I ripped the sleeve of my blouse off.

Finnie slowly turned around a blush still on his cheeks, but he watched as I took the fabric and carefully wrapped my ankle wincing every now and then. I tucked in the extra fabric before putting my shirt back on. I was missing a sleeve but that was the least of my worries.

The butler took that time to return but this time he had a young boy with him.

The young boy or either a very short teenager. He had navy blue hair and eyes. He was the definition of slim and delicate. He was dressed in what looked like a Victorian-era styled suit extensive and elegant I wondered if he was one of those kids into cosplaying. He looked like a cute porcelain doll.

Well he would have but his eyes, well eye; the eye that wasn't covered by the black eye patch was cold. Void. And full of suspicion.

He seemed to glare at me and look curious all at the same time. His eye raked over me, from my head to my shoes seemingly taking in every cut bruise and dirt stain.

"Follow me." The boy says curtly after finishing his examination. He turns and begins to walk away.

The butler looks to me giving me once more that fake smile before holding out his hand. The hairs on my neck stood. I shake my head. "No, thank you."

He opens his eyes to stare at me curious by my actions.

I stand on my own, wobbling for a second because of my ankle. I take a deep breath. Pain shoots up from my ankle and I shut my eyes willing the pain to go away.

"Miss please allow me to help you, you are hurt." His cold emotionless voice echoed.

I shake my head before opening my eyes and blowing out a breath.

"No thank you, I'm-I'm fine." I wasn't fine, but there was no way I was letting this guy touch me, every fiber of my being screamed to get distance between the two of us and that exactly what I did.

I didn't care how much pain each step hurt, how much I wanted to cry or pass out.

I held my head high and walked or rather limped passed the butler towards where I saw the young boy walking.

Hopefully taking me to his parents.

I felt eyes staring at me and just knew it was the butler, I didn't say anything though, I didn't want to talk to him if I didn't have too.

I followed the boy up to what I was guessing a study and sitting behind a huge desk was the young boy.

I frowned looking around for an adult.

"Who are you? What is your name?" The young boy asks as he studied me some more.

"I'm Gabriella. Gabriella Knightly." I say looking at him. "Um are you parent's home, I need to use a phone to call my mom, she's no doubt freaking out and have called NYPD because I'm not home..." I said with a sigh.

The boy looked at me like I was crazy. "What is this NYPD?"

I raised an eyebrow. "The New York Police Department."

"New York?" The boy muttered in confusion and I felt irritation bubble in me.

"Yeah you know, one of the many 50 states in America. It's where I'm from, you've never heard of New York? Where have you been under a rock or something? But seriously, where are your parents, I need to talk to the owner of this house."

"I am the owner of this house." The boy said chillingly easily hearing the attitude in my tone. "I am the Earl Ciel Phantomhive."

I look at him, he looked completely serious, but still he had to be lying right, I burst out laughing. "What are you like 10?"

"Ok, you got me. I almost fell for it..." I said wiping a tear from my eye. "Now seriously where are your parents?"

The boy glared at me, probably from me laughing at him. The butler walked over to the boy's side before whispering something in his ear. The boy seemed to relax slightly. "Why where you sleeping in my garden?"

I frowned. "I wasn't sleeping in your garden I…I." I touched my head as I felt a headache forming. "I don't remember how I got there. I remember I was running away from...uh..."

My head pounded as I tried to remember his name...but I couldn't all I could remember was... Run…run before I clip those wings….

I rubbed my temples trying to relieve some of the pain. "I was running, some creep, he was chasing me and then nothing...I guess I blacked out or something…"

I frowned my eyes fearful as I looked at him. "W-where am I exactly?"

The boy and the butler seemed to frown. "You are in London of course."

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. "L-London, I'm half way across the world? How long was I out for…it only felt like a couple of hours…"

My knees hit the floor, and I wrapped my arms around. Tears filled my eyes. "Wha-whats todays date?"

The date he told me had me shaking my head at the impossible implications, he simply held up a newspaper.

My eyes widened and my lip trembled as I looked at the date. All of a sudden, the way they talked and what the kid was dressed in made more sense. I was in the past. I was actually stuck in the past. It was impossible, but apparently very possible.

"My mother, she's-she's going to-to…." I began to panic and then seemly blocked out the other room occupants as I tried to sort everything out.

"Ok how long had I been in London? Did he catch me, well that's obvious, obviously he caught me he had too or else I wouldn't be in London. Oh my god, I'm in London, some creep kidnapped me, and took me to the past. Was he some type of time traveling freak? Again obviously he was or else I wouldn't even be here… How did he do it? Oh god what if he…what if he touched me." I wrapped my arms tighter around myself.

"Oh god oh god oh god. And what's worse my mother my poor mother, she didn't even know, she probably thinks I'm dead in a ditch somewhere. Oh god why do these terrible things always happen to me?"

"Miss?" I snapped my head towards the voice the butler was crouching next to me and I flinched quickly backing away at his closeness even in my panicked state I did not want to be near him. "My young master has permitted you stay here for the time being, let me show you to your room."

I stood on shaky legs. He offered to help me but I refused him. I followed behind him slowly; he gives me another one of those fake smiles when he stops.

"Miss Knightly if you need anything please call for me." He says before leaving.

"Not likely you creep…" I muttered to myself. I looked around the room, it beautiful in its own way, but the way I was feeling I couldn't quite appreciate it.

I limped over to the bed taking a pillow off before limping over to the window and I opened the curtains and got a breath taking view of the garden.

I sat on the window sill elevating my ankle and getting lost in the view while letting my mind wonder about my current predicament.

~Saint and Sinner~

I felt the hairs on my neck stand on edge and sighed in irritation. "Even if I am in a different country and somehow in the past, is it customary for people to enter without knocking first?"

I turn to see the butler's surprised face melt to cold indifference. He holds up a dress, and I assume it's for me to wear. "The young master wishes for you to eat with him so go take a bath and I will help you with your dress…"

I stand and surprisingly my ankle feels a lot better. I frowned applying pressure to it. There's I tiny spark of pain but that is all. Huh.

I follow the butler to the bathroom and I look around. It seemed the whole house was Victorian styled. I sighed this was just further proving that I was in the past.

"Would you like help?" The butler asks as he places a towel on the counter before turning to look at me.

"No, I'm more than capable of washing myself." I said with maybe just a pinch of attitude towards him than necessary for someone who was technically helping me.

But could you blame me, the guy just basically asked to wash me, it was insulting not to mention creepy he like 20 something. I don't care if I was in the past or in the future. What was I? Five?...it also had to do with the idea of him touching me.

He bows and leaves. I quickly take a bath and once I was done drying myself, I pulled on the undergarments the butler left. I stared at them in distain. It was hideous. I preferred bras and panties any day.

There was a knock on the door and I slowly open it to see a cute red dark red haired maid holding a corset.

I narrow my eyes at it. "What is that?"

She looked at me nervously. "It is a corset miss."

"I know what it is, what are you doing with it?" I grimaced.

"It's for you to put on…" She again stared at me nervously.

"Why?" I whined in frustration. I stared at her waiting for her to elaborate. When she didn't and just fiddled with the strings waiting for me I sighed. I let her help me into the corset; it wasn't as tight as I thought it'd be. Once she was done she put the dress on and attempted to do my hair.

Yes, attempted.

I twisted out of her grasp when I felt her hand touch my hair. "Thank you for all your help…um"

"Mey-Rin miss." She said with a small blush.

I nodded. "Well thank you Mey-Rin but you really don't have too, I can take it from here."

"Please Miss allow me to help you, my master instructed me to help you get ready for dinner and if I do not help you I'm disobeying his orders and-"

"Fine Mey-Rin, do what you wish just calm down." I said with a heavy sigh as I leaned against the vanity with my head in my hands, I closed my eyes as she began to brush my hair. "y-yes Miss..."

I opened my eyes when I felt her stop brushing my hair and looked at the finished results. Mey-rin hand brushed my curls out until they were loose waves.

I hummed looking at my hair. "It has been a long time since I have had my hand brushed by someone else, I forgot how relaxing it is."

I turned to Mey-Rin. "Thank-you for making my hair so pretty."

Mey-Rin flushed red waving her hand about rather animatedly. "No, I did nothing. Miss already had lovely hair to begin with."

I chuckled. "Awe your too cute!"

"Gah!" She squealed her face growing redder before she excused herself from the room to continue her duties. I looked towards the door when there was a knock before the butler stepped into the room.

I looked at him with a blank eyes. "I never said come in."

"My apologies, but the young master awaits you in the dining hall." His eyes raked over me before he leads me out of the room and to where the young boy was waiting. "Now please follow me."

I was seated by the boy; I wasn't really sure what I should say so I stayed quiet silently eating my food while subtly taking in all the décor around me.

I finally couldn't take the silence and was about to say something at the same moment the boy started speaking. "Tell me about yourself."

I cocked my head to the side while staring at him. "Why would you want to know something about me? Are all English people this inquisitive or is it just you?"

He returned my stare. "Do all Americans answer questions with more questions?"

I smiled at him before chuckling "Touché. Very well, let's see." I said folding my fingers together and leaning on them.

"I'm multi-lingual; I'm fluent in 15 different languages. I-"

"Really." He said cutting me off with a raised eyebrow "Which languages are you fluent in?"

"English obviously." I said with a smile. "French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Japanese, welsh, Lao, Romanian, Greek and Persian."

He stared at me with disbelief. "Sebastian." He said and the butler walked to his side. "Are you fluent in these languages?" The boy asked his butler curiously.

"I am fluent if you need me to be." The butler said with a smile towards the boy.

"I want you to converse with her, that's an order." The boy said and the butler nodded with a bow towards the young boy before he turned towards me and started firing off questions, I answered them with ease, switching from dialect to dialect as easy as changing underwear.

"So really where are Ciel's parents?" I asked him after learning the boys name. After all; my questions had yet to be answered.

"My young master's parents died in in a terrible fire several years ago." The butler said. My eyes widened as I glance towards Ciel who is watching us with keen eyes.

"That's so tragic." I said as tears threated to fall. "He's just a boy and yet he's all alone. He has to run this place too, that's simply tragic…" Before I could stop myself I reached over and grabbed his hand. Even though I did it slowly my action still seemed to catch him off guard as he jumped slightly.

"I am so sorry for your loss; no one should have to bare the misfortune of having their loved ones snatched from them, especially someone as young as you are." I smiled as I stared at him in his eyes, my eyes searching I nodded when I saw what I wanted. "But your strong and steadfast, I can see it in your eye, you're a fighter... keep fighting Ciel." I said squeezing his hand before letting it go.

He looked at Sebastian before clearing his throat, he was clearly uncomfortable I sighed. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable, it was not my intention."

Ciel nodded. "What other skills do you have?"

"Um I'm not really sure, I've done many things but I wouldn't call them a skill. I can cook sort of…" I said.

When he raised an eyebrow I sighed. "I just started taking interest not to long ago."

"Oh?"

"Yes, my family's personal chef had made this wonderful six layered chocolate cake, it was positively sinful." I said with a wistful sigh. "I learned how to make that one cake, that's as far as my cooking knowledge goes."

"And cleaning?"

I shook my head, then shrugged. "My family had maids and butlers."

"Gardening?"

My eyes brightened, "I love flowers, I like your garden, it reminds me of my own...back home…" I said saying the last part with a frown I shook my head trying to rid the sadness. "I've been told I'm quite the archer, I've been taught how to use a sword and how to ride a horse."

"Can you read?" I looked at Ciel like he was crazy for asking such a question.

"Of course I can read. I have knowledge of the history of the world, literature, mathematics, the arts and science." I frowned. "Why would you ask such a thing, are you not well versed in these subjects?"

His cheeks tinted pink. "Of course I am, I am an Earl."

My eyes brightened as the reason he asked me hit me. "Ahh, right how could I forget, most women of this time don't know how to read unless they are of noble birth, and even then their knowledge is limited correct?"

Ciel nodded.

"Grand. I'm stuck in a time where men are brainwashed to believe that they are superior to women…how positively lovely." I growled sarcastically.

"Are you saying that in your time men aren't?" His voice echoed disbelief.

"In my time women and men are considered equals, men and women can both get an education, can both work, vote, women have rights, we don't just stand there silently looking pretty all day…" I smile. "Even though we could if we wanted."

Ciel and Sebastian looked surprised.

"You're taking me being from the future very well, honestly I would have thought you'd think I was crazy or worse a liar." I said.

Ciel gave me a sinister smile. "How are you so sure that I don't think that?"

I shrugged. "Touché."

Ciel stared at me, and I could see for a spilt second childlike curiosity. "What does this 'touché' mean?"

"Well, besides using it in terms of fencing, 'touché' is also used as another of saying 'you've made a witty, but valid point'."

He raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway. We continued to eat the rest of our dinner in silence.

The next few days were weird; I felt eyes on me all the time.

I had already met the maid Mey-Rin but I was also introduced to the cook Baldroy and learned that Finnie was the gardener. They were all nice, and I liked them instantly. I still continued to keep my distance from the butler Sebastian though.

Ciel introduced me as a guest to my surprise. I assumed that he would hire me as a maid or something, especially after I offered. I still remembered his facial expression when I brought it up.

He scoffed. "Why would I hire you as a maid and you have no experience?"

"Well, you've made a valid point but cleaning can't be that hard right?" I picked up a spray bottle and towel and walked over to a window I sprayed the bottle. I dropped it while letting out a string of sugar coated profanities with my hands over my eyes. "Son off a biscuit eating bulldog!" I cried out.

I heard Ciel call for Sebastian, but I was already in a bathroom washing whatever cleaning solution that was in that spray bottle out of my eyes. 10 minutes after that fact I'm bashfully taking interest of the kind of carpet that was on the floor in Ciel's study, while he glares at me.

"Well," I said after getting tired of him glaring at me, "Clearly I underestimated what it takes to be a maid."

"Clearly." Ciel said dryly.

I huffed, "Well maybe I could be a cook or help him? I'm sure I could learn some things from chef Baldroy."

Ciel and Sebastian winced.

"That is out of the question." Ciel said quickly.

"Well then maybe I can help Finnie with the gardening?" I offered.

Ciel just shook his head. "You shall stay here as I guest, until we figure out how to send you back to your own time, however we will need a cover story for you."

"But-I, why? Why go through the trouble of keeping me here, I'm no one and useless to you." I said with a frown.

Ciel looked at me with a curious expression. "I'm sure you will be some use to me in the future..."

I stared at him in confusion before shrugging. "Well, if you insist. What kind of cover story are we talking about?" My eyes widen as an idea came to me.

"Ohh maybe I can be your ninja assassin." I said with a huge grin as I stood up making karate kicks and chopping motions in the air.

I stopped to look over at Ciel who had an amused expression on his face while Sebastian just stared at me emotionlessly.

"How about, she can be a distant relative of yours young master…a cousin perhaps…" Sebastian offered.

Ciel looked at me looking me over.

"Could I really be a cousin of yours?" I asked as I stood directly in front of him, I was I a couple of inches taller than him, and that was because of the heels I was currently wearing. "We look nothing alike though."

My light blonde hair glimmered under the sun's rays, as bright ever changing hazel eyes stared into his blue. We were polar opposites, the only thing we seemed to have in common now were our identical facial expressions and pale skin.

"Distant cousin but cousin none the less." Sebastian said as he stared at me with narrowed eyes.

Ciel seemed to agree with him. "I find that reasonable. From now on you are to be known as Gabriella Knightly Phantomhive, around company."

And so that is how I became a cousin of Ciel's and an official guest of the Phantomhive estate.

Revised 1.2.17