I want to thank each and every one of you who have read, reviewed and or liked my story. I am honored that so many of you have taken the time to read it.

I rewrote the fic summary to fit the story more as it has changed a little since my original idea but there will still be the Sebby Ciel relationship so don't worry.

I am sorry it's taken me so long to update. I am now a full time college student with two jobs and it is harder than ever to be able to just sit down and write anything more than research papers but I have not forgotten any of you or this story so please be patient with me. I will finish this story, I promise.

To reader Loulyss: I am sorry I haven't been able to reply to your review but I will within the next few days and I appreciate all the feedback you gave me. I am a French student so it is always great to get some constructive criticism and I will be sure to change the things you addressed as soon as I can. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Historical Truths: The Battle of the Bulge: Hitler had convinced himself that the alliance between Britain, France and America in the western sector of Europe was not strong and that a major attack and defeat would break up the alliance. The battle started with a two hour bombardment of the Allies lines. The Germans experienced great success to start with however, this lasted for only 2 days. Such an attack required fuel to maintain it and the German's didn't possess such quantities. On December 22nd the weather started to clear and the Allies were able to bring air power into force. On the following day Americans started a counter-attack.

I wanted to get this chapter out on the 23rd for this specific reason. Even though I failed in updating fast enough I would still like to bring to light this piece of history. Historical Truths: On February 23rd 2014 Alice Herz-Sommer passed away. She was a pianist, music teacher, and super-centenarian from Bohemia and a survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp where she was sent by the Nazis because of her Jewish origins. She lived in Belsize Park in London from 1986 until her death, and at the age of 110 she was the world's oldest known Holocaust survivor.

The guard's gaze startled the Frenchman, almost enough to make him drop the rifle. Ciel jumped backwards but managed to keep his hold on the firearm as Sebastian watched him. The weapon was too big for the boy to handle properly but he was able to lift the butt of the rifle to his fragile shoulder by sheer willpower. If nothing else, Sebastian was surprised by his determination.

Ciel was familiar with firearms; he had shot many times when he and his father would go hunting for quail, however that had been years ago and with his own, custom weapon. Sebastian's rifle was awkward and heavy in his arms as he lifted the barrel to the guard's forehead.

It's just like killing quail. Ciel told himself. Hold, aim, squeeze… As easy as breathing…

At least, it should have been that easy, right? Animals, that's all the Germans were. Cruel, heartless animals. Worse even. No animal Ciel knew killed for pleasure. It wouldn't be a sin, he shouldn't feel guilty, no one would have blamed him. And yet…

Silence settled between the two as Ciel's body shook from the weight. Why was he hesitating? Hold, aim squeeze. It was simple, so why couldn't he pull the trigger? It wasn't wrong. Right? It was self-defense, for the good of humanity if there was one less killer… right?

"Go ahead." Sebastian repeated gently as he watched the boy's internal struggle.

"Shut up!" Ciel hissed. What was this? How could the guard act so damn calm? It was infuriating. Ciel wanted him to beg, to tremble as much as he was himself but all he could see on the German's face was quiet and calm acceptance which made Ciel even angrier.

Why was he always so weak? This man belonged to a group that had killed and tortured hundreds of thousands of people and Ciel couldn't stop his body from shaking in anxiety from the thought of killing him. By God, he was even close to tears!

"I understand that you hate me." Sebastian whispered softly, so softly Ciel almost didn't catch the words. "But if you kill me, you'll be killing yourself as well. Once you pull that trigger every one of the guards will be running through that door and they won't hesitate to shoot you."

"You honestly think I'm stupid don't you?" Ciel snapped. "Like I don't know what's going on here? Like I don't understand how your sick little world works? I've accepted the fact that I will die here, but I can at least take you down with me!"

Sebastian was about to respond when a knock on the door drew Ciel's gaze. It was only for a moment but it was enough time for Sebastian. With cat-like reflexes the guard stood behind the Frenchman, his hand pressed to Ciel's mouth to muffle his cry of indignation while his other hand pulled the rifle free.

Ciel flailed his arms, reaching to strike any part of the German that he could but his short limbs made it impossible. The guard only leaned back, away from Ciel's fists and held the smaller body tightly against himself, trying to prevent any further movement.

"Who is it?" Sebastian yelled over Ciel's muffled snorts of anger.

"Claude." The voice behind the door replied.

"What do you want?" Sebastian asked impatiently as Ciel had now bit down on the guard's palm and was succeeding in drawing blood.

"Can we talk for a moment?" Sebastian cursed under his breath and dragged Ciel over to the cot, throwing the lithe body onto the mattress just before he retrieved his handkerchief out of his pant pocket and quickly used it as a gag for the young Frenchman.

As a reflex Ciel reached up to remove the fabric but the movement only made his hands free for the guard to grab. Sebastian's hold was firm as he used one hand to hold Ciel down and the other to remove the belt from around his waist.

"Give me a second!" Sebastian yelled for Claude to hear, finally crawling over the cot to Ciel's writhing body and after a moment of struggle, the guard was able to bind Ciel's wrists together.

Ciel was livid. He made one last attempt to kick Sebastian's retreating form but missed by a good two feet. "Be quiet!" Sebastian demanded as he hurriedly removed his shirt and ruffled his hair so the raven black strands rested askew. Ciel hissed out muffled curses at the guard but was ignored as Sebastian finally walked over to the door, flinging it open to face Claude.

Ciel froze as golden flecked eyes found his. Claude was the same height and build as Sebastian but he seemed much colder and reserved. His gaze caused the Frenchman to shrink back warily as a smile graced the German's lips. "You really do like the French boy don't you Sebastian?" Claude asked lightly from the other side of the threshold.

Sebastian shifted himself so he was now leaning against the door frame, blocking Ciel from view. "As you can see Claude I was a little busy. What can I do for you?"

"May I come in for a moment? It won't take long." Sebastian couldn't think of an excuse to turn him away so he simply nodded to his chair, waiting until Claude was inside before he shut the door and took a seat on the cot by Ciel's legs.

Claude reclined back in his chair grinning as he reached into his jacket pocket and removed a cigarette. "Do you mind?"

"Yes actually. I only smoke outside." Claude chuckled at his response but nodded. Ciel had quieted down dramatically. Staring at him from the corner of his eyes Sebastian could see the boy's frozen form resting on the bed. He hadn't wanted to bind or gag him but he couldn't risk the Frenchman angering Claude.

While all of the Germans detested the prisoners Claude took an unnatural delight in punishing them. Some did so because of orders, others punished prisoners out of anger or fear but Claude reveled in it. Had Ciel caught Claude's attention there was little Sebastian could do to stop him without revealing his care for the boy.

Luckily however, Ciel seemed to have decided that Sebastian was the lesser of the two evils in the room and remained silent and still. The boy's wary eye was focused on Claude, and with a weird, undeserved pride, Sebastian noted that he had been forgotten or was at least not thought of as a threat at the moment.

"I didn't think you were one for bindings." Claude said lightly as he stared at Ciel, drawing Sebastian out of his stupor.

"I don't like having to fight for my dinner." Sebastian said coolly though he was feeling anything but. "This makes things easier. You should try it sometime." Now Claude broke into a laugh.

"I prefer a good fight myself." He replied, his eyes flickering to Ciel again. "And I do believe that this one would be as fierce as a wildcat."

Sebastian felt his fists clench in anger and jealousy. He cleared his throat to get Claude's attention again and rested his hand possessively on Ciel's leg. Ciel jerked in surprise from the sudden contact but still didn't move much to Sebastian's surprise. "Is there an actual reason you're here Claude because I do have other plans."

"Yes actually… You heard about the Battle in the Ardennes yes? The Battle of the Bulge is what they're calling it." Sebastian nodded in boredom, his fingers ticking off the time on Ciel's ankle to show his fellow guard how impatient he truly was but Claude ignored this and continued calmly. "A valiant move on Hitler's part no?"

"Why are you discussing this with me?" Sebastian asked. "I know as much about the attack as anyone here. It was top secret. What does it matter?"

"Oh Sebastian… The plan is meant to split up the Allies in two and destroy their ability to supply themselves."

Sebastian now sat straighter in his seat, his chest constricting painfully from Claude's words. "How do you know this?"

"That's not important now. What is important is what happens after."

"After?"

"Should our army be successful in crippling the Allies there is nothing to worry about. It will be the last possible hope for the enemy to push through. After the number of causalities they will lose should they be defeated, they would not be able to continue onward. The problem however is the same for us. If we lose, we would have lost too many causalities during D-Day and this attack to fight them back."

"You're thinking of us loosing? That's not like you Claude." Sebastian tried to seem unnerved by all this information. He didn't want to let Claude think he was worried one way or another but his hands were shaking so bad he had to cross his arms to hide it.

"Don't misunderstand. I don't expect we will lose but if by some chance the boys in the front line screw this up we'll need a plan B."

"We?"

"Honestly Sebastian, what do you think will happen here if the Allies come down to Auschwitz? We won't exactly get a medal for the things we've done. All evidence of this place will have to be discarded." Again Claude's eyes shot to Ciel who was clinging to every word of the conversation although Claude didn't know that. To the other guard, the Frenchman knew nothing of their language or what he had just said. The passive face that the boy was careful of using was a godsend to Sebastian.

"We don't have the resources for that." Sebastian replied seriously. "Even if we had enough gas, which we don't, there would be no way we could burry and cremate all the bodies before they got here."

"Exactly. That is why I'm speaking to the other soldiers. We may not have to kill all the prisoners but we would have to make sure they couldn't identify us." A shiver shot through Sebasitan.

"What? Are we supposed to cut out their tongues?"

"And their hands." Claude said seriously. "As long as they can be taught sign language just removing their tongues won't help. Their eyes will have to be taken out as well." Sebastian stood up then, turning around to look at something, anything else within the room and he focused all of his attention on the bottle of whisky on the safe. He reached for it, trying to seem that he wanted a drink although he felt like throwing up.

"If those are the orders then there isn't much left to discuss is there?" Sebastian asked with his back turned. He gripped the whisky bottle, though he didn't bother to try and open it. His mind was running a million miles a second as he tried to process everything Claude had just said.

"It's not certain we will get those orders, or anything close to them but if the army collapses, we need to be able to save ourselves." Now Sebastian turned to face him, not bothering to try and hide his disgust.

"You want us to defy orders? You want us to commit those crimes on these prisoners for our own protection?"

"There isn't much more we can do. What do you think will happen to us if we don't? Do you think us saying 'we just did what we were ordered' will fly with the Allies? We'll be crucified for all this Sebastian."

That's what we deserve! He wanted to say it, he wanted to shout it at him but luckily he was able to keep his composure as Claude stood and patted him on the shoulder. "There's one more thing. Should one of us get caught by the Allies, it's our duty to stay strong for our fellow soldiers Sebastian."

Sebastian could have strangled him in anger as his words began to make sense. "Of course, we wouldn't want someone squealing on you for a deal or something of the like." Claude smirked but his voice was dead serious.

"For any of us Sebastian. If you get caught you don't know anyone else. No one else was here. All the soldiers were fighting at the front. You don't remember how you got here, who your leader was. You hit your head and now can't remember a thing. Do you understand?"

Sebastian glared at him, his eyes nearly glowing in anger but he couldn't lose his cool. He couldn't make a mistake now, not when there was so much on the line. "Yeah… Yeah I understand." Sebastian replied and Claude beamed.

"Good boy!" Claude smacked him on the back and walked over to the door, his gloved hand hovering over the doorknob as he turned to smirk at Sebastian and Ciel. "I'll let you two get back to your date. Good night." With that Claude disappeared back into the cold night air.

Sebastian stood stupefied for a moment, starring at his door before he finally came back to his senses and he hurried to lock it again, his mind reeling on everything he had just heard. Ciel was again struggling against the belt, his eyes wide and terrified as Sebastian turned to look at him.

"Hold still for a moment and I'll let you go." Sebastian cooed, forcing back his anger for another time. Ciel's wrists were still raw from Mengele's treatment and it was clear that the belt was reopening those wounds. "I'll take the gag out too but please, don't shout." The guard waited until Ciel gave him a reluctant nod and then undid the bindings.

Slowly Ciel sat up, rubbing his wrists as he stared at the German. "W-Would they really… Do that to all these people?" Ciel asked in horror and Sebastian didn't have to ask what he meant.

"Yes." Sebastian said sadly, simply…

"And you will too. Won't you?" The Frenchman was angry now, his little fists clenched in defiance. "Won't you!?"

"No." Sebastian replied, shaking his head. "I have committed many sins in my life but I would never-"

"All of you are liars." Ciel hissed quietly.

"Perhaps I was, but I vowed to myself that I wouldn't lie to you again. You said you hated liars."

"I hate you regardless." Ciel shot back in anger. "Why did you protect me like that?"

"Why did you hesitate to shoot me?" Sebastian countered so Ciel's face fell in what could only be described as disappointment but his voice was serious as he replied.

"Don't misunderstand, I won't hesitate next time." Sebastian nodded.

"I know, I'll be sure to be more careful in the future." Sebastian found his crumbled shirt on the floor and slipped it back on, fixing his collar as he turned around. "Here. Eat your dinner." He took a plate from his desk and placed it on Ciel's lap. Ciel was about to argue when he smelled the buttered slice of bread sitting before him and decided against it. He didn't want to eat, especially because he knew that by doing so he would only fall into the German's debt. However, as he had not eaten his breakfast he really was hungry.

The guard then reached for his jacket and rifle, watching Ciel's questioning face. "I'll leave the door unlocked. You can leave when you want. There's something I have to do." Ciel almost asked him what that something was but bit his lip and nodded, lifting the slice of bread to his mouth. Sebastian couldn't help but smile as he buttoned his coat and watched Ciel's eyes close in ecstasy at the taste of his dinner. "I'll see you again soon. Good night, Ciel…"


Finnian was the only one awake when Ciel slipped back inside block 10. The Frenchman's mind was still spinning with all the information he had learned that night but he forced himself to smile at his friend as he closed the door.

"Ciel, did the guards take you again?" Finny asked sympathetically. Ciel nodded as he crawled into the bunk with the blond haired boy. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Are the twins okay?" Finny nodded and yawned.

"Yeah, Gian is doing well but Sammy has shut himself off from all of us. He sits in the corner all the time, refusing to talk to anyone but his brother."

"Yes… He's not cut out for this…. Then again, who is?" Finny nodded in agreement and the two lay quietly on their sides to face each other.

"Ciel… Are you ever afraid?" Finny asked seriously.

"All the time." Ciel admitted and his mind thought back to everything Claude had just said.

"I don't want to die." The blond whispered. "But… I'm also afraid that if I don't die here, I won't be able to live out there anymore… Do you ever think that? If by some miracle we survive all this? With no family, no home… We'll be street rats, not having anywhere to go and not knowing when we'll eat or where we'll sleep. I mean, as horrible as it is at least we have food and shelter here… Is that wrong to think that Ciel?"

For a long time Ciel thought over his friend's words. In truth they had made him upset. Yes, it was wrong wasn't it? Feeling comfortable here, but as he pondered over the words he understood. Finny was right. He didn't have a family anymore and he was sure that the Phantomhive Chateau was either being used as a military base or had been destroyed. He didn't have anything left. If he did leave the camp, what would he do? Where would he go?

"No… No it's not wrong." Finny looked at him sadly and nodded.

"At least here we have each other. Right?" It was a sorry attempt to cheer Ciel back up and Ciel nodded for the blonde's sake but both knew that having a friend was even harder than being alone because one of them would undoubtedly pass away before the other. They had both lost close friends before in the ghetto's and camps. By experience, Ciel could say that it wasn't worth the heartache that was to come and yet they still clung to one another. They still sought out someone who could offer them a little bit of normalcy even though their lives were anything but normal.

"If we do make it out of here, promise me we'll stay together?" Finny asked as his eyes began to close on their own accord.

"Sure." Ciel said though they both knew that was nearly impossible.

"You could make toys like your father and I can plant a garden…" The blonde yawned as his words began to merge into one sleepy sentence. "And maybe we could get a dog, a white one named Pluto…with maids and butlers and…" Ciel listened as Finny finally fell asleep. It was a nice dream, a beautiful one and it was completely and utterly impossible.

"I hope you get your garden one day Finnian…" Ciel whispered to his sleeping friend. "Plant me some sterling silver roses… They're my favorite." Ciel of course wasn't expecting a response as it was clear Finny was sound asleep but he couldn't help but feel a small bit of happiness at the purity of the boy before him. Maybe once, long ago he was like Finnian. Someone whose smile was genuine and whose heart was open to everyone, but not anymore. 'I've long since forgotten how to smile joyfully'… Ciel thought to himself as he turned onto his back and closed his heavy eyelids before he too, soon fell asleep.

Please R and R.