AN: Hello once again, readers! Now we can finally return to our original family. I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I've been excited to write this chapter for a while now. Now, the plot can truly begin.


Hannah's POV

Claude hadn't gone to work for seventeen days. Almost as many days as their son had been missing, give or take a year. He claimed it was because Hannah had bullied him too much over their 'non-existent' child, and that he felt clinically depressed. So, now he was sprawled out like the useless slug he was over the armchair by the pool. There were ducklings in the pool, and even though Claude normally loved those miraculous ducklings, today he showed not even a wink of interest in them.

Hannah found him to be disgusting, annoying and utterly bizarre. She had no room left in her to feel sorry for him as she was too busy feeling sorry for herself. But, he was still the attractive Italian foreigner she had been seduced by that faithful night.

"Claude, would you like anything to drink?"

"Just l'acqua my dear," he said.

Hannah felt tears singe her eyes. Perhaps he should drink them. But.. he never used to only drink water. Where was the brave man who sipped on romantic wines every night? Would they ever again see those days where they would take their wind drenched minds to beautiful lands together? As funny as it sounded, she missed passing out under the moon with him together.

Waltzing off to the kitchen, she stuck the glass under the tap. She paused. Picking up a bottle of Vodka, she stared at it for an entire minute. Smiling sadly, in the past he would have adored this Italian drink… well, maybe he could again. Pouring it into the glass, she quickly topped it up with another dose of water - and made her way back to the pool.

A scream erupted from her throat and at the same time the alcoholic drink of deceit shattered on the ground.

Claude was lying, face down, in the pool. Ducklings sitting on his back like imaginations of vultures. Like Tityos, he breathed in the water. Why had he done this? Was he bipolar as well as depressed? It seemed he truly had wanted l'acqua. But not like this, not in a glass. He wanted the taste of sleep, the eternal sleep, with the fishes.

And yet, Hannah had felt this impulse once or twice too often - and thought to herself to drown the handsome evil beautiful bastard that Claude was in this very pool… but to see his black tailcoat pooling out atop the water like a great black kraken, his face unmoving and unseeable, bubbles inflating all around - it was a ghastly, horrifying sight.

Wasting no time, Hannah leapt her curvaceous body into the pool. Her maid's dress absorbing most of the impact, she struggled forwards, gasping as she grabbed onto Claude after she cleared away the ducklings. Honking in disgruntlement, she hauled Claude's almost-corpse up onto the poolside, draping him on the edge like Titanic. But she would not drown like Leonardo DiCaprio… she managed to pull herself out of the cold, watery depths and collapsed atop Claude.

If she was honest, this reminded her of the first night they lay together. It had been summer and they had dined on the many juices of Dionysos: wine. Finding themselves down on the beach, they had made love between the seaweed and under a moonlit sea. And now, here they were again, desperate and gasping for breath.

"Claude, I could have lost you," Hannah wept. Why was he always trying to take her family away?

"Don't be silly, Hannah dearest, demons are impervious to drowning." Claude chuckled, water spewing out his mouth.

She screwed her eyes tight, trying to stop the tears. They were both soaked enough. So was their marriage. It was a burden almost too great to bear.

"Don't scare me like that again, Claude. Not again."

His eyes opened a crack, golden light spilling onto, but also out of, his eyes.

"Hannah, mia cara. Let me scare you just one more time," he whispered throatily.

The fear rose up in her, true to his word, as he spoke.

"Claude, only once more. You get one more and then I can't take it once more."

"Don't worry, I only need one more. When I was in the water, a plan came to me," he grinned broadly, "a family plan."

She didn't know what to say. The ducklings were often inspiration for his plans, but he never told her what they were.

"I'll be gone for tonight. I will return though, and I will bring back a ragazzo nuovo."

What did he mean? She could do no more than watch as he strode confidently away from the manor, still drenched with pool water. As he walked though, she saw his image blur and he began to become dry. He was evaporating the water. Her cheeks flushed; the mysterious art of demons.

Her heart was tight with worry. This was Claude's last chance. Their last chance. She could only pray that he would return and make everything alright again.


Claude's POV

Eight legs were faster than one, and so Claude had transformed into a spider. Scuttling down the British isles, he made his way towards his prey - his target. He knew not his destination, but he could sense it. Could sense that mark.

Hannah had been, now she was gone. Left behind in the home. She belonged there, anyway, because she would just destroy this mission of incredible importance by complaining about that Alois again. He didn't know why she was so obsessed with the boy, but soon she would have a new obsession. An obsession they could share.

Approaching a grand Aberdeen home, Claude shifted back into a human form. His own human form. It was striking just how strange it was to walk on two feet instead of eight. Quickly adjusting, he snuck in through the window. Running through the estate, he sniffed out what he could of his old rival's home.

Yes, Sebastian Michaelis, newly wed. Newly childed. Well, a year ago. A year and seventeen days ago. The day Hannah changed.

Sebastian seemed to be doing quite well for himself. Large, homely gardens. A well stocked fridge. He wondered how much money a butler like him could rake in… or if it was something to do with his doctor wife. Regardless, he reminisced about the old school days with Sebastian. The fights. The thrills. The sex.

But those days were long gone. All the same, as Claude stood outside of Sebastian's room, breathing in his faint scent - he couldn't help but feel the impulse to rush in there and start a fight before allowing it to descend into a passionate session of love. But, they were both married now.

Never mind, for Claude could still have one piece of Sebastian to carry with him forever. His son.

Following the pulse of the mark, he found himself in little Sebastian Jr's bedroom. Claude did not care or know the child's name. Picking up the writhing baby, he whispered gently to it, humming a tune. Reaching a hand forwards, he unlatched the child's eyepatch, examining the Spider's Mark that glew brilliantly on his purple iris.

Looking up towards the starry night sky, Claude thought cielo stellato.

"Ciel," Claude whispered. Looking around the bedroom, he notice a poster of Vincent Phantomhive. Ha. So Sebastian still worshipped that old goat. Claude remembered one instance of passionate lovemaking when Sebastian had called him 'Vincent' and they had not spoken again for six weeks, nor the rest of the session, so embarrassing. Now, however, it was just humourous.

"Ciel Phantomhive," Claude whispered. "That is what we will call you. In honor of your true father."

Leaping out the boy's bedroom, Claude made the long trek back to Mellerstain house, whispering and cooing to his new found baby the entire way.


AN: As always, please review. Your commentary is precious and priceless.