The weeks soon began to fly by and before long another page was ripped off the calendar. It was hard to believe he had been at the academy an entire month already. Despite the complications he faced the first week, everything settled down quite calmly for Ciel afterwards. When he and Alois had returned from Renne, the first thing the boys did was look through the diary. Nothing unusual stuck out to Ciel and it quickly faded from his thoughts. The day after Alois had confronted Claude over being with some woman the night they snuck into the vault, and from what Ciel heard of it a big fight followed. His roommate appeared more emotional than usual the week after and he skipped professor Faustus's class for a few days. Even though the blonde seemed fine as the days passed, Ciel noticed the tenseness in him whenever they had quantum mechanics or passed the professor in the halls.

One Tuesday evening Ciel was working in the art wing on invitations. A charity banquet was being thrown on Valentine's Day, a week from today, and he had agreed to help at professor Michaelis's request. The revealing show of the drama club's play was in less than two hours so he had to stay regardless. Elizabeth was beyond ecstatic as she had a speaking year the drama club had chosen 'Romeo and Juliet' for the production and she had the role of Lady Capulet, even though he knew she was disappointed she didn't get Juliet.

"How many more invitations do you have left to do?" Alois asked from across the table. The blonde himself was busy making rose-shaped decorations with glittery fabric swatches. Ciel was glad he had decided to help as the older boy was quite good with anything art-related.

"Only a few more." Ciel responded as he filled out one of the last invitations that Alois had made earlier. The banquet was in a week and most of the preparations were finished. The art club and student council tag-teamed working out the kinks for the banquet and the play as they were so close to each other but everything seemed to be coming together without much trouble. By six-thirty all the invitations were finished and Alois had finished quite a few center pieces for the tables. The play didn't start until eight, but Ciel wanted to wish his cousin good luck before she went on stage.

X-X

The auditorium was hectic, full of drama students running around trying to finish any last minute details that had been forgotten. A long, thick curtain hung in front of the stage and was decorated with pictures of famous plays and characters. The backstage stairs were to the left of the stage and before he had a chance to look for Elizabeth, the girl threw her arms around him, but not in the carefree way like usual.

"Oh Ciel! It's completely horrid!" The blonde girl exclaimed, her green eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"Lizzie? What's wrong?" He asked as she pulled back. As he looked around, the boy noticed the rest of the cast backstage looked just a grim.

"Anna and Leo! They were out in Vannes earlier but there was a train accident and they can't get back in time for the play! They're the leads! There's a critic coming to opening night! We can't cancel!" Elizabeth practically cried out and she rubbed stray tears out of her eyes.

"What about understudies?" Ciel asked, feeling a pang of sadness by how devastated she looked.

"Unfortunately Ms. Cleo and Mr. Mark were the understudies but she is ill and Mr. Mark is filling in for Tybalt." Ciel turned towards the backstage entrance to see Sebastian walking into the room with the drama director by his side.

"No one else knows the parts! Professor Michaelis could sub in for Romeo but without a Juliet... We'll just have to cancel!" The director exclaimed with his hands running through his blood red hair. "After everyone worked so hard! If only someone knew the part! Where's the Shakespearian club when we need them!" The moment those words left the director's mouth, Elizabeth gripped Ciel up again in a hurried manner.

"Wait! Ciel! You could do it!" She said with sudden excitement. All the eyes in the room focused on the boy and he quickly shook his head while staring at his cousin with astonishment. "Oh c'mon! You and auntie Rachel used to read Shakespeare every night!"

"T-There's no way I could do it, Lizzie! The play is in less than an hour! I don't know every single line!" Ciel felt his cheeks start to flush by all the attention from everyone in the room. Before long the rest of the cast was yelling and begging him to do it. They were short on time and without Juliet, there was no play. He felt completely overwhelmed and Alois's amused smirk didn't make the situation any better.

"Everyone please. Calm down." The crowd quickly hushed as the black haired professor clapped his hands to capture their attention. "We can't expect Mr. Phantomhive to agree to something like this, especially how short notice this is. However, with the critic coming, we can't simply cancel. Prof. Sutcliff uses dialogue cards on the side where the audience can't see them. If you're familiar with the lines and use the cards for support... We could make this work. Just for tonight of course."

Ciel stared wide-eyed at the professor and his gaze traveled across the room at the hopeful and pleading faces staring back at him. He knew at that moment, looking at his cousin's teary emerald gaze, there was no way he could say no.

X-X

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet; so Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without the title. Romeo, doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee. Take all myself." Ciel breathlessly quoted, standing in the makeshift balcony the art club built for the play. The lights were dimmed and he did his best to ignore the sea of people staring directly at him. When he ignored the audience, he was quite shocked how easy it was remembering the lines.

Elizabeth had quickly gone over his lines with him before he took stage and a little argument persisted as he found himself being transformed into 'Juliet' by the makeup crew. He was overcome with embarrassment being dressed up like a lady but his cousin assured him, with him being so new, no one would recognize him and the rest of the cast wouldn't say a word.

"I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo." Ciel turned his gaze to the center of the stage as Sebastian came into his sight. He found himself suppressing a smile at his Romeo costume, but no matter how ridiculously cheesy the outfit was, the professor seemed to make anything look good.

"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words. Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound:

Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?" The boy responded after glancing quickly at the dialogue cards. He folded his hands over the faux balcony railing while the concealed wind machine ruffled the hem of his silken blue dress and his long, curled extensions that hung down to his back.

"Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike." The words escaped the handsome man's lips with such fluidity it seemed almost impossible he hadn't rehearsed it for weeks with the drama club.

"How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, And the place death, considering who thou art, If any of my kinsmen find thee here." While the boy spoke his lines, he felt his nerves slowly start to ease as the dialogue bounced back and forth between the two. It was nothing like an ordinary conversation, but his professor's voice helped him focus and gave him the confidence he needed to not only do well, but enjoy it while he did it.

X-X

Before long the play was almost to an end and the final scene was playing out. Ciel's eyes slowly opened to find Sebastian laying on the floor without motion. His character was frantic finding 'her' lover had committed suicide. The play lights shone brightly on the two of them and Ciel sat on the floor next to his professor, running his hand along his deathly pale cheek.

"What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end: O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips; Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make die with a restorative." He placed his hand overtop of Sebastian's lips as he leaned down, pressing his lips against his hand. His heart started pounding giddily in his chest as he did so, but he didn't have time to give it much thought. "Thy lips are warm." He murmured with a sentimental tone before snatching the dagger from Sebastian.

"This is thy sheath!" Ciel exclaimed as he drove the fake dagger into his chest. "There rust and let me die." With those last words his body collapsed on top of his professor's and as his eyes fluttered shut, the stage curtains drew closed.