Chapter 9

Ciel and I quickly developed a schedule. Every day, we would be sarcastic and irritate each other. Then we would watch Doctor Who very late, during which I would fall asleep on Ciel, forcing him to stay with me all night. I felt slightly bad about the last one, but it was really Ciel's fault! He played with my hair, he knows that puts me straight to sleep. I would then deny my growing crush for him in the mornings.

"Ciel!" I exclaimed, bursting into his study, forgoing the need to knock, again. Ciel had given up trying to get me to knock- he knew it was hopeless.

"What now?" He grumbled. I grinned at him. I know he didn't really mean it, I got the feeling he actually enjoyed my company.

"I'm bored," I complained dramatically, sprawling in one of the chairs. It was only ten o'clock, but I was already bored out of my mind. Ciel sighed at me.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" He asked, obviously not caring.

"Entertain me."

"And if I don't?" I tilted my head, thinking about it. I grinned after a moment, staring him dead in the face.

"I'll bother you for the rest of the day. And that won't be any fun for either of us, because you won't get any work done- and I certainly don't enjoy irritating you. But you'll just refuse to entertain me even more and then I'll annoy you even more, and it'll be just one big, vicious cycle," I ranted. Ciel blinked at my speech. Now he thought I was extremely insane. Oh well, what we do to not be bored.

"In any case," Ciel said dryly, "I was planning to go into London today." I visibly brightened at the idea.

"Great!" I said, jumping to my feet. "What are we going to do? Are you going to see the Undertaker again?" I liked him, he seemed really cool. Plus, his hair was totally fabulous.

"Something like that," Ciel answered dryly. I was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"One second," I realized, looking down at myself, "Let me get dressed real quick." I've been walking around in my pajamas all day. I didn't see the point in getting dressed. Besides, pajamas are comfy! Way better than actual clothes, anyway.

I quickly ran to my room- got dressed in record time- and then ran back to the foyer, where I knew Ciel would be waiting. I was right. He was already standing there, looking like I had left him waiting forever. As soon as I appeared, Ciel opened the door and strode to the running car, not waiting for me. My eye twitched, but I followed him to the car anyway. I was desperate for something to do. Nothing was more toxic than me being bored. Me being bored could result in multiple explosions and/or several broken, valuable vases.

When I got in, on the correct side this time, Ciel started to drive. For several minutes, we were both silent- me enjoying looking at the scenery, as I always did, and Ciel, who was lost in thought.

"Was it difficult for you to learn how to drive?" I inquired curiously, looking at him. It must have been confusing at first, especially since he was from a different era. I know I would've had a difficult time adjusting. Ciel frowned in thought.

"Not particularly, I learn quickly. I did get frustrated at first though, with some of this new technology," he answered. I furrowed my brow, that made sense. But whenever I had seen Ciel using like an iPhone, or something, he was a master. He was the fastest texter I had ever seen- you wouldn't want to get into a texting battle with him. Somehow, it didn't surprise me to learn that he preferred texting over talking on the phone. To be honest, so did I. I hated talking on the phone- it was the bane of my existence.

"What do you mean? You use technology pretty well," I asked. Ciel smirked at me, looking at me through the mirror.

"When I first got the iPhone, I threw it out a window." My eyes widened, he did what now?

"What?" I demanded. Why would he throw something like that out a window?

"I got angry, I didn't know how to use it. So, I threw it out a third story window," Ciel said casually. My eye twitched. Does he just burn money, or something? Probably.

Before I could retort, we arrived in the city, and I was too overcome with excitement to argue. I was practically dancing in my seat- even though I had been here twice before, this city still amazed me. I was slightly wary though, since last time I had been here I had been attacked by a demon vampire. Lovely.

"Where are we going today?" I asked, face lit up with childish excitement. I knew Ciel was rolling his eyes at me, but I didn't care at the moment.

"There's something that I have to do later, but now we can do anything you want," Ciel answered after a moment.

"What do you have to do?" I asked, curious. I knew Ciel investigated criminals, but what else could he do that he would hide from me?

"You'll see," Ciel said evasively. I scowled at him for a moment before turning my attention back to the streets. London was amazing- huge and busy- but amazing nevertheless. My face brightened when I saw a used book store on the corner. Turning to Ciel, I grinned impishly at him. Looking back and forth between Ciel and the bookstore, I continued grinning. Ciel sighed at me, but allowed me to drag him into it.

Once inside, I breathed in deeply the smell of books. I love used book stores; they were so much more interesting than normal book stores- which were, admittedly, amazing. But they didn't have that sense of home and comfort that used book stores had. Plus, they had amazing prices and you can get so much for your money, that was really my favorite thing.

I immediately ditched Ciel, grabbed a shopping basket, and started to fill it with books. I will have no money left if I keep doing this... I better finish my new book soon so I get refill my bank account.

Dismissing the thought for now, I concentrated on buying as many books as physically possible. As it turns out, that was a lot. There were so many to choose from- my bank was going to suffer deeply for this. Oh well, it's worth it. I would rather go bankrupt than not buy books at all.

"Are you done yet?" Ciel asked me, raising an eyebrow. He didn't bother trying to help me, even though I was practically drowning under my stacks of books.

"Maybe..." I grumbled. Ciel rolled his eyes at me, and then proceeded to take my books to the nearest cash register. This time, now that I knew what he was doing, I sprinted to the cashier, and gave him my credit card before Ciel could pay for it.

"Ha!" I proclaimed to Ciel, pulling myself up to my full height and crossing my arms in front of my chest, looking very proud of myself. He didn't get to pay for my stuff this time! Ciel merely arched an eyebrow, and looked down at the card. I looked down too, to see what he was looking at. I read a name on the card, 'Ciel Phantomhive'.

"Damn you!" I growled at him, he must have switched them out when I wasn't looking. "Why do you keep doing this?" Ciel smirked at me, taking the two full bags of books.

"Because I told you, you don't have to pay for anything while in London," he replied with a smirk etched across his face. I scowled at him again.

"That doesn't mean you get to pay for everything I get!" I exclaimed, flailing my arms about. I didn't want him to! I don't like feeling like I owe someone something.

"Relax, I have over two hundred years worth of money, I think I can afford your book buying habit," he answered.

"Tch. No you can't," I retorted. He really couldn't, if I had bought all the books I wanted... Oh, he would have no money what-so-ever, seriously.

I turned my head against the wind, and I spotted a cafe. I love cafes; they are great places. You can get tea or hot chocolate and then read or write, and nobody will bother you. Cafes were one of the best places in the world- except for book stores.

"Do you want to go in there?" I asked Ciel, nodding my head towards the cafe.

"Sure," Ciel answered nonchalantly. We walked into the cafe and I got us a booth, after ordering some hot chocolate for myself. I was in a hot chocolate mood, as opposed to tea- as I usually am. It just felt like a hot chocolate kind of day.

"So, when do we have to go to the oh-so-mysterious place that you won't tell me about?" I inquired after I got in my seat, taking a sip from my steaming hot chocolate. Ciel looked at the clock over the counter.

"We can go there in about an hour," he answered. I smiled to myself, I was glad that I could go. I have to admit, I was curious as to what Ciel was up to. He was being very secretive about it. I wonder if it's illegal? I nearly spit out my drink at the thought. I really wouldn't doubt it, though. But Ciel seemed more like the type to work alone, not with other people.

The hour passed by quickly, me reading and Ciel occasionally leafing through one of my books. He seemed to enjoy one of them that I had already read.

"You know, it's going to be ready for school soon," Ciel said idly, flipping through the book. I rolled my eyes at him from behind my book.

"I don't go to school," I said, lifting my book up higher to hide my face. I hated talking about this subject. Ciel snapped his book shut to look at me.

"What do you mean, you don't go to school?" Ciel quoted at me incredulously.

"I mean, I don't go to school. I haven't gone to school in four years. I take college courses online," I stated matter-of-factly, lowering my book to look at him, "I'm graduating this year, actually." That was true, I had graduated high school in two years. I was actually very smart, even if I didn't always act that way. I never said I was mature, just intelligent. Ciel looked shocked. I scowled at him. "I feel like I should be offended," I grumbled.

"Well, you'd be surprised too, if you were me," Ciel muttered under his breath.

"Oi!" I exclaimed, offended, slamming my book down on the table. Ciel smirked at me as I scowled at him before picking up my book to read again. We spent the rest of the hour reading comfortably in each other's presence.

When the clock struck one, Ciel stood up. After I put all my books away, we started to walk back to the car. Once I got in, Ciel started going on an unfamiliar route passed streets that I didn't know.

"So," I said, dragging the word out, "Where are we going?" Ciel merely smirked in response. "Fine," I said dramatically, leaning back in my seat, "Be that way." Ciel didn't answer my grumbles, but continued driving towards the unknown destination.

After several more minutes of silence, Ciel stopped in front of a large, sprawling building. Curiously, I eyed the building as Ciel rolled to a stop. There wasn't any sign or marking, saying what it was. It had a rather foreboding atmosphere, like it was saying 'Piss off and go away'. There weren't any people going in or out, so it looked deserted. Ciel got out of the car, and I followed, Ciel leading me towards the large building.

"Ciel..." I said, drawing his name out, "Where are we?"

"You'll see." I huffed in annoyance.

"You're being really irritating; you do know that, don't you?" Ciel smirked. My eye twitched, he was doing this on purpose to annoy me; I was sure of it. Looks like he got his revenge for me doing exactly the same thing to him. Meh, worth it.

Ciel barged into the building, and I followed him. Inside, it was as plain as the outside, but it was much, much busier. There were all sorts of people milling about, from people who looked like street performers, to people who could pass as lawyers and bankers. My head turned from side to side, looking at everything, and I'm pretty sure I cracked my neck.

"What is this place?" I asked in wonder, what did Ciel do here?

"This is SHR," a strange woman said from behind me. I spun on my heel to look at her. She was rather different looking, with dark brown hair in a perfect bun and a large scar running across her face. There were two men clad in black, standing behind her, who I assumed to be her protectors. I didn't really see why she needed them; she looked like she could handle anyone on her own. She had a sort of aura about her of 'don't mess with me'. Honestly, she was more than slightly intimidating.

I must have looked confused, because she added, "I'm Director Rockwell."

"Rockwell," Ciel acknowledged, albeit grudgingly.

"Phantomhive, you're late," she replied back in kind. Ciel raised a shoulder, not caring. I glared at him. We could have gotten here on time; he just wanted to be late on purpose.

"Wait, is this like Torchwood in Doctor Who?" I blurted out. Ciel did a face palm behind me. I couldn't help it; the only thing that processed through my brain, was that this was like a combination of the Avengers and Doctor Who. Rockwell arched an eyebrow, and stared at me with her piercing gaze.

"Who is this?" Rockwell questioned- well, more like demanded. She didn't look too pleased to see me, though I wasn't sure whether that was her default expression or not. So far, the odds were not in her favor.

Ciel cleared his throat. "This is Thea. Thea, Rockwell. Rockwell, Thea," he introduced, sounding like he didn't want to at all.

"Ah," Rockwell said, looking at me with something that resembled pity, "To answer your question, I don't know what this 'Torchwood' is. SHR is the central for supernatural and human relations," Rockwell answered. That is almost exactly what Torchwood is. Rip off; BBC should sue.

"So, what do you- wait, did you say supernatural?" I demanded. The freaking government knows? This was so not fair; especially to keep it from their own people. That's not right.

"Yes," Rockwell answered slowly, obviously wondering whether I was right in the head or not. To be fair, I really wasn't.

"That is so not fair!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms up in the air, "I spent the first mother-fricken 16 years of my life waiting to meet a supernatural creature, and all I had to do was come to England?" Behind, me Ciel rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Ciel drawled, directing attention to him, "What is it that you called me here for?" Rockwell stared directly at him, ignoring me for now.

"Come and see," she answered, starting to walk down a less busy corridor. Ciel followed her. I got the feeling that they didn't really get along. Rockwell seemed to be a lot like Ciel, she seemed like she always wanted to be in control and in power. They probably didn't get along because they were so similar. That was what usually happened; people often didn't like looking in a mirror.

Ciel was forced to grab my hand because I was too busy gawking at everything and I almost ran into two people. I blushed slightly at the motion. Unfortunately, Ciel spied it and raised an eyebrow. I quickly looked away from him to look at all the people passing by.

There were great windows in the walls, so you could see inside the rooms. Some looked like they were labs, for experiments and such. Though I did see a library, I wonder if I could get in there...

"Quit acting like a tourist," Ciel snapped at me. I shrunk slightly. People walking past were giving us strange looks.

"I can't help it!" I exclaimed. I couldn't see Rockwell's face, but I imagined that she was rolling her eyes. I straightened up, glaring at Ciel. Ignoring him, I continued looking around.

"This is why I called you in," Rockwell stated heavily. I looked into the room through the glass. "It's one way glass, he can't see you," she added, probably for my benefit. No shit, lady. I'm not that stupid. I glanced at Ciel to see what he thought, and I stared in shock. Ciel had a strangely blank expression on his face, but his fists were clenched so much they were shaking. I quickly stared into the room to see what had disturbed Ciel so much.

Inside the room was a man who had inky black hair and golden eyes who was wearing glasses. He had a stoic expression on his face, but then- as if he could sense Ciel's distress- he smirked.

"We don't know who he is, but our scans say that he is a demon," Rockwell continued, not completely oblivious to Ciel's distress. "Do you know him?"

"You could say that," Ciel growled. A stormy look had settled over his face.

"We need you to go in there and interrogate him," Rockwell said, in a bored sort of tone. I glared at her for a moment, but looked away before she could see. Could she not see how much distress Ciel was in? It took a lot for him to act this way, that much I knew. Ciel ground his teeth together.

"I have a couple of questions to ask him myself," Ciel growled, stalking towards the door and storming in. Rockwell and I were stuck standing there, looking through the glass. There was a speaker, so we could hear what was being said.

"Why are you here?" Ciel demanded angrily. I was shocked at this storm of emotion that was coming from him. Usually Ciel concealed his emotions- very successfully- behind a mask of calm. The man's face contorted into a smirk. The sight of it sent shivers down my spine. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes that made me wary. There was this look about him... It was the look of a hunter.

"Ciel, do I not get a hello?" The man inquired, smirk still firmly etched upon his face. Ciel scowled in response.

"How are you here? I thought Sebastian killed you." My eyes widened in realization, was this someone from Ciel's past? Obviously an enemy, but what had he done to Ciel to make him react like this... My eyes widened in realization. I knew who this was...

The man chuckled. "Demons never really die, you do know that, don't you Ciel?"

"But you were stabbed with a demon blade, it was supposed to kill you forever," Ciel replied urgently.

"Ah, it did kill me then, but demons always regenerate. It may take awhile, but we eventually come back," he mocked cruelly. He looked almost happy to see his former enemy. A chill of what I recognized as fear went through me. Even the way he talked... it was like nails on a chalkboard to me.

"But why come here?" Ciel demanded, "What do you want?" The man smirked.

"I want my revenge, of course." He said it in such a tone, that conveyed how long he had waited. His tone was predatory, dangerous in the most primal of ways. This wasn't a person, this was a force of nature- one that could take down anything it put its mind to. "And it won't be quick, I can promise you that. Oh, and what do we have over here?" He asked smoothly, looking straight through the glass at me. I squeaked, frozen. He couldn't see me, could he?

Something about this man made me instantly afraid. This wasn't anything like Akarian, this was the fear of a seasoned hunter. Of someone who killed for fun. "Does Ciel have a pet? I'm sure I'll take great joy in tearing her to pieces," he mocked. My breath caught in my throat as I froze with a singular emotion- fear. Ciel clenched his fists so much that they were white at the knuckles.

"Don't you dare threaten her," Ciel growled lowly. The man smirked.

"Why shouldn't I," he taunted, "She is a pretty little thing, after all." An almost inhuman growl erupted from Ciel, I had never seen him like this. "In fact, I may even-" He was cut off by Rockwell.

"Phantomhive," Rockwell demanded through the speaker, "I want you in here." Ciel scowled, before rapidly storming out of the holding cell.

"What?" Ciel demanded angrily, allowing the force of his anger to rest upon Rockwell.

"You were letting your emotions get the better of you," Rockwell said boredly, "You're supposed to do your job. If your emotions are getting in the way of that, you don't have to help." Ciel scowled. "Now," Rockwell stated harshly, "Do you know this man?"

Ciel ground his teeth together. "You could say that. His name's Claude Faustus, keep him locked up," he growled. Without waiting for an answer, Ciel gripped my wrist tightly, and pulled me towards the entrance, forcing me to hurry behind him.

"Ciel!" I exclaimed, trying to twist my wrist away from him. He refused, and instead gripped me tighter. "Ciel!" I tried again. He ignored me as he pulled me outside the building, and into the sunlight. "Ciel Phantomhive!" I stood my ground and refused to move, until he explained.

"What?" He demanded angrily. A stormy expression had settled over his face. He pulled me closer to him, tightening his grip even more as if afraid I would disappear.

"What just happened? Isn't Claude the one who-" He cut me off. He pulled me up to him so close, that I was practically touching his chest.

"What just happened is none of your concern," he snarled. I winced at the bone-crushing pressure he was gripping my arm with. If he wasn't careful, it would break. Noticing my wince, he loosened his grip, allowing me to slip free from his grasp.

"Ciel, I just want to make sure that you're alright. And don't just say, 'I'm alright', I know you're not," I said calmly, seeing him start to open his mouth. He shut it, and said nothing. Ciel didn't answer, but calmed down considerably. Without another word, he got in the car and we drove off. Ciel ignored me for the entirety of the trip, but I didn't say anything, not wanting to disturb him. He was lost deep in thought, and he didn't speak another word for the rest of the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(A/N)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey guys!~~~ *Gasp*, a plot emerges! (Points to anyone who spotted the Hunger Games reference). I would like to say, I'm sorry if this chapter kind of went downwards. When I started this chapter, I had no idea Claude would appear in it. (In fact, I hate him so much. He is my least favorite character of all time. He even beat Umbridge- how do you even do that? I think he deserved a more painful death for all that he did. Asshole.) I didn't really want him in it, but here he is! And to all the Claude fans- which I doubt there are many- this will not make Claude out to be a good guy. I despise him with all of my being and could probably write an entire chapter about how much I hate him.

Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter kind of was bad. I don't have a plan for this story, besides a basic outline. I'm kind of just making it up as I go. And also, there will still be fluff! So don't despair fluff-lovers! Thea and Ciel are still going to be sarcastic. But romance is always more fun when murder's involved. Anyway, onto reviews!

Reviews:

FluffyDarkUnicorn: I agree, homemade recipes can't be beat. Actually, my mom makes this fudge a lot like Thea's. She says that she has never seen a recipe like it, or tasted fudge like it. She also refuses to give out the recipe. She says it's a 'family secret'.

TheDragonThatReadLeviathan: I think we all have that 'one person' in our class. It's part of life, unfortunately. I'm glad that you like that it's a CielXOC fic. There aren't nearly enough of them, in my opinion. They are always about Sebastian. (There should also be more UndertakerXOC fics, in my opinion. XD)

Esmereilda: I think it's hilarious how everyone loved how Thea beat Sebastian. Well, let's be honest, he's Sebastian freaking Michaelis. He can do anything! I think I would have had the same reaction as Thea, actually.

Bellcross: I'm glad you like it!

Please R&R!