*****It's been too long! Hello all! I am recovering from a hard family loss, but determined to finish this fic out! Have patience with me please!*****
***Hello fans and readers! I have good news! Starting with chapter 1 and going alllll the way to chapter 22, I'M EDITING AND UPDATING ALL THE CHAPTERS! ALL OF IT! CONTENT WILL BE DIFFERENT (and hopefully better!)! ***
At breakfast the next morning, Ciel informed Sebastian that the household would be traveling to Houndsworth for a much needed vacation at the Hot Springs Resort. Sebastian stiffened. "Master, by 'the household' do you mean…" Dread laced his next words, "we're taking the three hooligans with us, too?" Ciel grinned, "Of course, Sebastian. I dare not leave them unsupervised in my mansion for an extended period of time." The butler cringed, which made Ciel and Elizabeth both laugh. "I will...go inform them of our plans, my lord," Sebastian said as he bowed and slowly retreated from the garden patio where they were eating breakfast in the sunshine.
As soon as Bard, Finny, and Mey-Rin caught wind of the word 'vacation' all hell broke loose. The Phantomhive mansion echoed with shouts of 'road trip,' 'vacation,' and general raucous shouts of joy. The three of them flew around the mansion packing things to take and searching for their bathing suits. Just as Sebastian cleared the breakfast dishes away, the servants descended on the lord and his lady. Ciel looked annoyed and alarmed at their incessant thank-you's and praises but Elizabeth just laughed. She laughed until her face was red and she had troubles breathing. Ciel glanced at her, annoyed beyond belief, but when he saw the state she was in he couldn't help but laugh, too.
Soon after, they heard the sound of a throat clearing and the servants immediately straightened and disappeared. Elizabeth and Ciel looked at each other, then at Sebastian's irked face, and dissolved into laughter again. Sebastian's eyebrow twitched with annoyance, but he bowed anyway and informed the couple that they would be leaving shortly.
20 minutes later, the carriage and the wagon were leaving the manor. The happy voices of the servants drifted from the wagon to the carriage and Ciel chuckled at their happy banter. Elizabeth had never seen them so happy before. She and Ciel talked and played games for two hours before she started yawning. Ciel insisted she come sit with him and sleep for the remainder of the journey. The curtains fluttered in the breeze and the songs of the servants floated in. Lizzie giggled at the raucous chorus and settled in to sleep.
Ciel was eternally grateful to Sebastian for putting the extra-thick cushions on the carriage seat, or else that would have been a very long six hours. He was afraid to move, lest he wake his sleeping lady love. She had lain across the seat with her head in his lap, so there was very little he could do. Not a moment too soon, Sebastian called down that they would be at their destination momentarily. Ciel was beginning to feel the need to relieve himself, and he was sure Lizzie would be in the same boat when she woke. Speaking of, he needed to wake her before the whole town saw her sleeping on his lap. "Lizzie," he gently nudged her. "Lizzie, we're here. Time to wake up now." Her emerald green eyes fluttered open and she yawned. Ciel helped her sit up and fix her hair. Together, they looked out the window of the carriage and he could hardly believe his eyes. In the 5 years since he had last visited, the town had grown and flourished. Gone were the dead trees and dog skulls. Gone were the drab-looking clothes the villagers wore. Flowers and bright colors were everywhere, and the people looked bright and cheerful. What a change, he thought.
The carriage rolled to a stop in front of the former mansion of Lord Henry, which now had been transformed into a glorious hotel for the resort. Ciel sighed with relief when Sebastian opened the door and let in the sunshine. Elizabeth left the carriage first and Ciel followed quickly. They smiled at each other at being able to stretch their legs and get out of the carriage. The wagon pulled up behind them and the servants all jumped out, stretching, too. A maid came out to greet them and rang a small bell. Minutes later, two stable boys ran out to get the horses and lead them around to the stables. With Sebastian carrying Ciel and Elizabeth's luggage and the servants each carrying their own, the maid escorted them to their rooms and left them to freshen up.
Ciel gaped at the interior of the mansion. The creepy taxidermy specimens had been replaced by fresh flowers and a welcoming picture of the queen. Also, he noticed that several light fixtures had been added to chase away the darkness that had reigned in the mansion previously. Lizzie, never having seen the 'before', was not quite as impressed, but thought it was a charming little space. Sebastian was given the room key and one maid escorted the trio to their rooms, while another led the servants to another part of the hotel.
Lizzie was thrilled when Ciel offered his arm to escort her, and she gladly accepted the small gesture. Sebastian hung back for a moment to threaten the hooligans before following his lord and lady to their room. A feeling of deja vu began to creep in as their journey led them to the back part of the mansion. When the maid left, Sebastian confronted his master. "My lord, did you specifically request the same room we stayed in 5 years ago?" Ciel looked at him in surprise, then surveyed his surroundings. "No, Sebastian, I did not. Curious, though, isn't it? Maybe the ghost of Lord Henry set this up," he added jokingly.
Sebastian chuckled and bowed, then moved to upack their trunks. "Freshen up quickly. We are meeting the others at a private hot spring I reserved for us. I'd like to keep an eye on them, if you don't mind, so they don't destroy this slice of paradise." Ciel nodded and Lizzie giggled, but they both set about getting ready. Ten minutes later, they were heading downstairs and outside to the back garden. Lizzie gasped. "Oh Ciel, it's so beautiful! Look at all the flowers!" Ciel chuckled at her reaction and promised her that this would be where they eat their breakfast in the mornings. Her smile warmed his heart and he led her to the path that led through the gardens and down to the springs. Sebastian was waiting to escort them to their reserved spring, although they could have found it just by following the loud laughter of Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard.
The servants all waved and greeted them from the far end of the spring, and Lizzie laughed and waved back. Ciel simply rolled his eyes. There was a small bathing house for them to use to change their clothes, and they quickly used it. The spring was a strange shade of green-ish blue, on account of the natural minerals, but Lizzie loved it. The steam gently rising from the surface of the water promised warmth and relaxation. When she and Ciel had both changed, they went to stand at the edge of the spring. Lizzie looked at Ciel. "You first," she giggled. Ciel grinned evilly and said, "Oh really?"
Lizzie began to back away, but Ciel grabbed her arm and pulled her close, stealing her breath at his nearness. His lips caught her eye and she couldn't stop staring at them. Only when they lifted in a grin did she look up at his eyes. He planted a kiss on her forehead and then did something she never would have expected. Ciel grabbed her waist and picked her up, throwing her backwards into the spring. An embarrassing scream escaped her lips at the unexpectedness of it all before she sunk into the water. When she surfaced, she sputtered indignantly at Ciel, who was laughing so hard he was bent over at the waist. Lizzie ducked under to push her hair off her face, then narrowed her eyes at him.
She spied Sebastian standing back by the bath house and immediately knew the best revenge. Since Ciel was so busy laughing at her, he didn't notice the eye contact made between his lady and his butler. The gleam in Sebastian's eyes was visible to Lizzie even as far away as she was. She nodded and a wide smile graced his lips. Sebastian, that ever-so-composed, perfect-at-everything, black-clad butler silently walked up to his still-laughing master and, before he even knew what hit him, grabbed his waist and threw him in. Lizzie immediately began laughing when Sebastian's powerful throw landed Ciel right in the middle of the hot spring, which was fairly large. The three servants were gaping at what had just occurred, but then they started laughing, too. Even Sebastian let out a chuckle when his master surfaced and began sputtering, his composure long gone. A growl escaped his lips at being made a fool of, but that didn't last long. Elizabeth had swum up behind him and pushed him back under the water playfully.
When he splashed his way back up to the surface, Lizzie was laughing so hard she could barely stay afloat. He shook his head and laughed with her. "I guess I deserved that, didn't I?" She could only nod, and Ciel helped her back to the shallow water. They found a natural rock shelf that was perfect for sitting, and snuggled up close to each other. On the other side of the spring, Bard and Finny were chasing Mey-Rin around trying to steal her glasses. Their shrieks and laughter brought smiles to Lizzie's face. "We all needed a vacation, didn't we?" Ciel glanced down at her face and was happy to see her looking so content. "Yes, Lizzie, we needed this." He suppressed the images of her being carried off by that sadistic reaper and instead kissed the top of her head.
After an hour in the springs, Sebastian informed them that supper would be served shortly, cutting their fun short. The servants groaned, but Ciel and Lizzie were beginning to feel hungry. They all changed and headed back up the path to the mansion. Bard, Finny, and Mey-Rin seemed really bummed that their time in the hot spring had been cut short, so Ciel called to them over his shoulder. "You three, you know we're going to be here for 5 days, right? You can go swimming every day. This spring has been reserved for us until we leave. Seeing as how you don't have any duties here, you are free to spend your time as you like." All three stopped in their tracks and stared at Ciel. Then they glanced at each other. The next thing Ciel knew, all three of his hooligans were hugging him, crying happy tears, and praising him for being the best master in England. "Get off me!" He cried from under them.
Lizzie stood off to the side and smiled, happy that Ciel had such faithful servants. They were more family than servants at this point, she thought. Sebastian cleared his throat and a second later Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard were all standing at attention with goofy smiles on their faces. Ciel sighed, and then continued up the path.
After supper, the five of them played card games while Sebastian kept unpacking and cleaning and doing his duties. Lizzie couldn't remember a time when she'd had so much fun. When she retired to her bedchamber that was connected to Ciel's, she was exhausted. The sun was good for her, as was the laughter. Lizzie changed into her white cotton nightgown, and absent-mindedly brushed her hair for awhile. A huge yawn crept up on her that finally signalled for her to put the brush down and crawl under the covers.
The next morning, Ciel and Lizzie were escorted around town by Sebastian. They stopped at a local market and a couple local shops, having their purchases sent back to the hotel, and ate lunch at a restaurant on the edge of town. It was surprisingly delicious. The afternoon held more swimming and more games, as well as a walk through the expansive gardens at sunset. Lizzie once again went to bed exhausted but happy. Little did she know what Ciel and Sebastian were planning.