A/N 'Sup homos, here's chapter four.

Shoutouts:

Dog And Ghost Whisperer, thank you for the favorite and follow!

ciel . bean, I'm sorry about last chapter, the site thought your username was a website so it blocked it. But I want to say thanks for not just following the story, but me too! 3 Much love.

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promocat: Heh heh heh, she does? I was just having her say what I'd say around them haha.

Aurum

By: thewhiteleovaldez

CHAPTER FOUR

"Cieeeeeeell!"

Ciel Phantomhive braced himself as his fiance threw herself at him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Elizabeth," the Earl gasped out. "I can't...breathe!"

"Oh, Ciel, I'm so sorry." Elizabeth Midford loosened her grip a little but didn't let go. That is, she didn't let go until her mother grabbed her by the elbow and forcibly removed her from Ciel.

"Control yourself, Elizabeth," Francis Midford scolded. Edward Midford scowled at Ciel, no doubt blaming him for Elizabeth's enthusiasm.

"But I missed Ciel so much," Elizabeth whined.

"That is no excuse," the Marchioness said firmly. "Good afternoon, nephew," she greeted Ciel. "I trust you are doing well?"

"As well as can be expected, aunt, considering the subject of our phone call this morning," Ciel replied.

"I still say that distraction is no excuse for sloppiness," Francis said, casting a stern eye over Ciel and curling her lip at Sebastian. "Your butler certainly has the same air as before."

After a few moments, during which Ciel and Sebastian had had their appearances "fixed," Ciel led his aunt and cousins to the drawing room.

"I can't believe you have a sister, Ciel," Elizabeth said happily. "I'm so excited to meet her!"

"She was pleased when I told her you'd be visiting today," Ciel said, pausing in front of the door. From inside, he could hear his sister singing again, and he felt his heart sink when he realized what sort of a song she was singing.

"Oh, my mind was beating, my heart was keeping beats as we're moving, woo ooh, we both knew what was coming it was coming quick, a bumpin' and a grindin' and a lickety split, Oh, no sense pretending no you want what you want and I know it, woo, ooh, Oh I'm losin' track 'cause baby we don't stop, is it your turn or my turn, to be on top, so come on-"

Ciel threw open the doors. "Aurum!"

Aurum stopped singing and pulled out her earbuds. "Hey, Ciel."

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Ciel demanded, blushing slightly. His sister had just been singing a dirty song. In full earshot of himself, his aunt, his fiance, and his cousin.

"Is there anything else I should say?" Aurum's smile started to waver.

"Aurum, do you know who this is?" Ciel said through gritted teeth, gesturing to his aunt.

"Yep." Aurum sat up from where she's been lying on the floor quite contentedly. "Marchioness Francis Midford, née Phantomhive, our aunt, and the biggest neat-freak since Captain Levi of the Survey Corps." She bounced up to her feet and went over, holding out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

Marchioness Midford stared at her niece for several long, awkward moments, in which Ciel was sure Francis would begin yelling at Aurum. Edward and Elizabeth watched with apprehension as well. They knew what sort of person their mother was. Finally the Marchioness burst out laughing and grasped Aurum's hand quite firmly, giving it a solid shake.

"I must say, I had my doubts, but I like a woman who speaks her mind." Francis eyed Aurum thoughtfully. "Despite your other...faults." Aurum grinned and shook her hips a tiny bit, emphasizing the lack of a corset.

"Just be glad I wasn't singing something by Kesha," Aurum said with a wink, before moving on to her cousins. "Lizzie! It's so good to finally meet you! Oh my God your dress is so cute!" Aurum gushed, giving Elizabeth a big hug. Elizabeth seemed slightly confused, but she beamed with happiness at the compliment.

"Hello, Aurum! I'm happy to meet you too! Your dress is pretty but," Lizzie wrinkled her nose," it's not cute."

Aurum laughed. "No, it's not cute, thank God." Aurum's dress was a deep, dark blue, with a black stomacher that had horizontal lines of black lace on it. True to Aurum's threats, she wore no corset, petticoats, or underskirts with it, so it clung to her legs as she moved. Edward scowled at the sight.

"Good afternoon, cousin," he said to Aurum curtly, shaking the hand she offered.

"Edward," Aurum said with false-coldness, mimicking his tone. "A pleasure. I hope your studies at Weston College are going well?"

"Well enough."

"You're so boring, Edward," Elizabeth sighed at her brother, making a face.

"Well, what am I supposed to say, Lizzie?"

"Tell her about what happened!" Lizzie turned to Aurum. "Edward is such a good student, he got to be the prefect of his house!" Lizzie's smile was almost blinding.

"I know," Aurum muttered, just loud enough for Ciel to hear, before smiling again. "Well, congratulations, cousin."

"What's kesha?" Francis asked Ciel in an undertone while Aurum, Edward and Elizabeth talked.

"I have no clue, aunt," Ciel answered with a sigh. "Aurum says the strangest things sometimes and I don't understand them. It must be an American thing."

Ciel was slightly mortified. Aurum's table manners hadn't exactly fazed him when it was just them, but he could see Francis's judgment with every elbow on the table, every word with food in her mouth, and every misuse of a fork.

"Yeah, but I don't see why that's a thing," Aurum was saying to Elizabeth. "It seems kinda creepy, if you ask me."

Elizabeth chewed and swallowed before answering. "But Aurum, it's simply all the rage right now. Everyone simply must have one."

Aurum looked unconvinced. "And here I thought you British would be less into creepy witchy stuff by now."

"Aurum!" Lizzie looked profoundly shocked. "It's not witchy! I don't even think that witchy is a word!"

"Hey, I got nothing against witchy stuff," Aurum defended, "but seriously? A puppet made to look like you? That is where I draw the line."

"Oh, Aurum," Elizabeth sighed disappointedly.

"Lizzie." Aurum's voice was slightly softer. "Are you sure it's the best idea?"

Ciel caught the tone in Aurum's voice. He tapped his fork to get her attention and raised an eyebrow at her, cutting his eyes in Elizabeth's direction. Aurum nodded, then subtly decapitated a carrot on her plate. Ciel made a mental note to keep Lizzie away from any puppet-makers.

"Of course it's a good idea, cousin," Edward said to Aurum. "I think Lizzie should have one."

"I think you need to look to yourself before you try to improve other people's lives," Aurum said offhandedly.

Edward paled. Francis glared at Aurum. Ciel shook his head at Aurum, trying to tell her that such a thing was bad manners. Aurum caught his look.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Edward," Aurum said. "I have a sort of habit of responding rather harshly to people. It's just the way that all my friends back home talked to each other, and I know that here it's not the thing. I'm trying to break that habit. Will you forgive me?"

Edward nodded at his plate, still looking a bit ill. The Marchioness cleared her throat.

"Might I ask, Aurum, where it is that you were brought up? Your friends, I am sorry to say, sound incredibly rude."

"America," Aurum said promptly. "In a town called Bend."

"Bend?" The Marchioness asked. "I've never heard of it."

"Yes, well, it's not very well-known," Aurum muttered, squirming slightly in her seat.

"Edward, are you well?" Francis asked her son, who had just stood up.

"Excuse me," Edward said, then left the room. Ciel noted that he had disappeared in the direction of the bathroom and gave Aurum a look. What did you do? Aurum looked uncomfortable. She nodded at the door and then, with her spoon, smashed the end of another carrot into mush. Ciel was confused. Aurum sighed. I'll explain later, her expression said.

"Oh, I do hope he's alright," Lizzie said.

The awkward moment was broken by the telephone ringing in the telephone closet down the hall. Sebastian, who had been watching the scene with some amused interest, disappeared to answer it. A moment later he returned.

"My lord, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have a phone call. It's the dog-keeper."

That was their code for the Queen, and Ciel saw both Francis's and Aurum's expressions sharpen.

"Excuse me for a moment," Ciel said as he stood up. "I will return shortly." And with that he hurried into the telephone closet.

"Your Majesty," Ciel said into the phone. "What a surprise."

"No need for that, my boy," Queen Victoria said on the other end. "I was only calling to ask you if you'd go to the circus for me? Tell me all about what happens."

"I received your tickets, your Majesty. I've only been slightly delayed."

"By what?"

"Somebody's daughter."

"Who's daughter, my boy? I trust this isn't an affair," the Queen chuckled.

"No it is not, your Majesty, though you have most certainly not been the only person to ask that," Ciel said with a small bit of annoyance. "She is my father's daughter."

There was silence on the other end, for so long that Ciel was about to ask the Queen if she was alright. Then Victoria heaved a big sigh and chuckled a little into the phone.

"So she's been found."

"Wait...you knew?" Ciel was shocked.

"Oh, yes. When the girl's mother went to the police to tell them that her newborn daughter had been taken from the cradle on the night she was born, the Yard tracked the baby to the Phantomhive town house. I covered for my Guard Dog, of course, but I guessed that the baby was his daughter. And now she has returned? Where did he send her?"

"America."

"Understood. Well, my boy, congratulations on finding your sister. Is she to be treated as a full Phantomhive?"

Ciel knew what the Queen was really asking. "She knows about the leash, if that's what you are referring to, your Majesty."

"Did you tell her?"

"No."

"Hm. After you go to the circus, maybe you could bring her to meet me?"

Ciel hesitated. "Um…"

"What is it, my boy?"

"She is...unconventional."

"Even better. I shall expect to see her for tea soon after your circus trip."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Have fun, my boy." Queen Victoria hung up. Ciel placed the phone back on the cradle and took a deep breath.

"Are you alright, my lord?" Sebastian inquired.

"Perfectly fine," Ciel answered, starting back toward the dining room. When he slipped back into his seat, Lizzie and Aurum were discussing the benefits of lace. Aurum, despite vehemently condemning all lace that wasn't black, eyed Ciel in much the same way that the Marchioness was.

"I trust your kennels are secure?" Francis asked point-blank.

"Oh, yes," Ciel said. "The dog-keeper merely wanted to discuss the new addition to them, as well as the next hunt."

"Has the dog-keeper seen the latest addition yet?" Aurum asked.

"No," Ciel said, silently approving of how quickly Aurum had caught on about their double-speak. "It will be delivered to the dog-keeper after the next hunt."

Aurum nodded and went back to her conversation with Lizzie. Ciel was impressed by how unfazed Aurum seemed to be about meeting the Queen. Ciel surveyed his family with a slightly distant air. He was already planning his trip to the circus.