My heart stopped and then began to pound hard, almost jumping from my bound chest. My chin trembled as I stared into her pink –technically light magenta –eyes. She didn't blink and slowly turned her hips to match the placement of her torso and she advanced, coming closer to me. My breath quickened and I felt caged, as if I were about to be savagely ripped apart by a monster. Her pale hand –hidden under a black glove –reached up to my face and she placed it on my cheek. My breath hitched in my throat.

"Sammy," she crooned, bringing my into a slow hug –as if sensing my discomfort, something she'd be able to do anyways. Her arms wrapped around me, causing me to go stiff. She seemed to purr in the back of her throat.

"Elise?"

"Yes, my darling," she said softly, "I'm back."

As she said that, I was terribly reminded of how she'd left me, unattended and unloved when I was only nine and a raging fire lit in my belly. I pushed her away. I know that she let me do it –if she hadn't, I would have only hurt myself.

"You left me!" my voice shook with quiet anger, "You left me all alone with my father and no comfort! How could you?"

No pity or sadness came into her catlike eyes. Elise stared at me blankly and then calmly stated, "I had things I needed to take care of. You weren't part of it, therefore you were left out. You cannot be the center of everything, Sam. I thought I'd taught you that."

"You did," I irately said, narrowing my green eyes at her. Elise sighed –most likely in the deep annoyance she usually has of my incomprehension of whatever double-meaning her words always hold. "Why are you here?"

Before she could answer, a cold voice cut in, "Isn't that what I'm supposed to be asking?"

I spun around on my heel, wide green eyes meeting Ciel's narrowed blue ones. "Ciel, it's-"

He walked into his office, lethality in his step as if he was challenging her. An almost inaudible, animalistic growl burned its way through Elise as she tensed; her true nature began to get the best of her. Due to the fact that she was closer related to wolves than humans, it had always been hard for her to control her violent, predatory instincts. I glanced at her warily from the corner of my eye and voluntarily stepped in between Elise and Ciel.

"Who are you?" he asked, taking a step forward. While this was out of protocol, I'm sure even Garret would forgive him. Who wouldn't be hostile if someone barged into their home, without them knowing, and then took up casual conversation with a mere serving boy…girl…thing.

How superb. I'm a thing.

I could see Elise's "What an idiot" face in my mind. I am sure that she is making this at Ciel. Eyes staring blankly, perfect black eyebrows raised, lips drawn into a frown. It's a look I know well.

"My name," she began, a snarl in her dark voice, "is Elise Hathaway."

"Why are you on my estate?" Ciel demanded, arms crossed over his chest in a defending stance.

She laughed shrilly, a howling sort of thing, before wrapping a thin, strong arm around me and pulling me to her, "To visit my dearest Sammy of course!"

"How do you know him? What gives you the right to barge into my home?"

"I was his nurse and governess when he was a child. He's like my son, so when I found out that Lord Brooks had sold him into practical slavery, I couldn't bear to have him not be able to see me once more!"

A knot of anger, disgust, and melancholy lodged itself in the pit of my stomach, making my throat close up.

Lies.

Of course she could bear it.

She left me all alone.

I hate her.

Ciel repeated himself. "What gives you the right to barge into my home unannounced? Sebastian, why did you not stop this woman at the door?"

Before Sebastian could respond, Elise laughed shrilly, a hand on her mouth. "My dearest, idiotic Lord Phantomhive, I didn't come through the door."

"What?" Ciel looked taken aback. He looked at Sebastian through the corner of his eye. Sebastian's face was a mixture of shock, anger, and confusion.

"I came through the window," she said, as if this was obvious.

"This is the highest story in my manor," he tells her, looking as if he feared for her sanity –as well as mine. Suddenly, his eye goes wide, and he snaps his head around to look at Sebastian. The two have a short, silent conversation with their eyes before Sebastian nods. Ciel turns back to Elise and then looks at me.

"Samuel, I believe that you should come over here."

"Why?" I questioned, cocking my head to the side. "Elise raised me. I have no reason to fear her." I can tell by his look and the way his eyes harden, that he knows what Elise is. I'm sure that he will confront me about it once she leaves. I sigh and share a look with Elise, who I know knows Ciel's correct suspicion. She has a look of indifference on her face as she holds an aloof body posture. I shift my body to the side so that I can look at all three of them. It's a natural thing that I do, observing. It's a necessity in my family's true line of work.

"Samuel," Ciel said with a commanding tone. "Come here now."

"No way," I retorted, not wanting to give in to authority.

Elise gasped, a hand over her mouth as she exclaims: "Oh Sammy! You missed me!"

With fury lodging in the pit of my belly, my fists clenched and my shoulders rose protectively around my neck as I snapped: "I did not!"

Elise chuckled sinisterly and wrapped her arms around my torso, putting her face next to my neck. I struggled in her grasp. "Since my dearest Sammy missed me so much, I might just have to stay."

"No way in hell!" I barked, trying to slither out of her grip. She lets me go and I spin around, watching her put a finger to her mouth. Even with the actions and words she is putting out, Elise lacks any emotion in her eyes. The magenta hues are flat and lifeless, much like herself.

"You're no fun, Sammy. Such a dreadful boy. I was only joking," she turned around and then fixed her gaze on Sebastian. "Hello, hello, sir, how are you?"

Sebastian fixed a wary red gaze on her as she approached him, like a predator stalking its prey. "Hello ma'am. I do not believe we have met."

A sardonic smile came across her face in response to his polite one. "Oh really, now, Sebastian, don't play."

"You are mistaken."

"I am not," she laughed, "I am most certainly not. I would have thought that you could never forget me, Sebastian –or should I call you Sebby? Sebby-poo? –It's a nice name, that the boy has given you I must say. Much better than your last one. What was it, Balthazar, or something to that extreme? It was increasingly difficult to find a pet name for that one. What did I settle on again? Baltha-kins?"

"You must have me mistaken with someone else," he told her, "I have always been Sebastian."

She gave him a look, the same one that she gave Ciel earlier, and said: "I am not mistaken, Sebastian…" she turned to me and whispered: "What's his last name now?" I shrugged and she turned back around to face Sebastian. "Whatever your new last name is. You know this as well? Who are you trying to spare, your cute master or my cute son?"

"I am not your son," I lashed out even though she had been more of a mother to me than my biological one had.

"I am not cute," Ciel denied at the exact same time as me. Together, we turned our heads around and glared at each other. He makes me so mad!

"Elise," Sebastian said with irritation and Elise made a triumphant face at him.

"Ha! You do remember me! I knew it was only a matter of time!" she went to his side and started slapping him on the back, causing the man to lurch forward from the impact of her strikes. I could practically see the hairs on his head stand on end. Elise laughed heartily, the unused hand steadfast against her hip.

"Wha…?" the syllable was out of Ciel's mouth as he watched with confusion the occurring event. I was surprised as well. Normally, a man would be broken in two at this point. Sebastian has to be a demon as well, otherwise he'd be dead. But that's ridiculous though, since if he was then he wouldn't be working for a brat like Ciel. If Elise had taught me anything about her species, it's that demons are prideful creature.

"Sebastian," Ciel continued, breaking out of his stunned silence, "how do you know this woman?"

Sebastian sighed, but before he could answer, Elise cut in: "Sebby and I have known each other for a long time. One might say that we're lovers-"

"We are not lovers Elise," Sebastian cut her off. Turning to Ciel, he went on: "I will explain this all to you later Ciel."

"Elise, will you tell me?" I questioned her. She let out a yipping laugh.

"Of course not. That is my affair, not yours. I thought I taught you not to put your nose into another person's business, Sam. Did I not drive that lesson hard enough into you?"

I shivered as memories –disgusting memories –funneled into my mind. "Yes, you did."

She nodded. "Good. Fantastic. If I hadn't, I might have to take you with me and remind you. Have you forgotten my lessons in my absence?"

"No, I haven't," I responded bitterly. "How could I forget any of those marvelous lessons."

Elise smiled, but again, her eyes showed her heartlessness. She turned back to Ciel and Sebastian. "Now, I must be taking me leave, please, don't hurt Sam in my absence. I have my sights set on her soul, you see. I've been molding it and shaping it to perfection. Thank you!"

I sighed. Since when did I say I was going to let her take me soul? I can't remember that. Elise waved, smirked, then opened Ciel's window and jumped out. I was unworried. Ciel walked calmly to the window and looked out.

"She's gone."

I nodded and with bitterness, said: "Yeah, well, she tends to do that."

Heaving a sigh, Ciel turned to me. "Samuel, sit down. We have things that we need to talk about."

Short, late chapter is extremely short and late. I apologize for my tardiness. I have been having major writer's block, but fear not. I am finally in a Kuroshitsuji mood since I finished the chapters of the manga on my manga app. I have to say that I am in love with the manga -so much better than the anime -and have decided to fit my story into the manga plot, not the anime one. Which works, because I already have ideas filtering through my brain. Anyways, this chapter was not edited by my beta -again I apologize -and I hope that you all enjoyed it -even though it was so short.

Please review. They motivate me to update more.