Hey! Sorry for the super late update. But here it is now. I hope you enjoy and and please review. Happy Reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note...
My Protector
It was as if I was suddenly pushed into the Arctic stark naked. I shivered violently for a second and my spine felt rigid. My heart tattooed a fast and rather frantic rhythm against my chest and I knew my mind was working at a faster pace than that. I was panicking.
God, what horrible possibilities! That notebook, if it was really possible to kill people with it, it was one of the most terrifying weapons in the world. It could kill so many people and so easily. No one would be able to catch the killer either.
My entire body shivered rather violently yet again as I finally understood what had killed L. That notebook; somebody wrote his name in it. And L as a detective and the greatest at that was the one who wanted to catch the killer and in the end died. He died because someone wrote his name in a notebook.
I gasped as L's previous words hit me with full force… Sometimes names are what one needs to completely eliminate one's targets. Names hold great powers, something that you have yet to learn about, Iris Ravenhart. Do not use that power so dismissively. You haven't the faintest idea as to what trouble you might invite your way.
Damn. This was what he was referring to. He only died because his name was found out by that killer. I felt utterly sad for him for a moment. How unfair was it that such a young albeit barmy man had to die just because he wanted to stop a psychotic serial killer? How unfair was it that he couldn't live longer to even enjoy his life fully just because someone wrote his name in a fucking notebook?
It was a whole fucking lot. Saying that age long phrase that life is unfair, would be a huge understatement in this case.
I didn't exactly have tears in my eyes for L, but my heart ache for him a little. Suddenly, every inch of my body wanted to revolt against the heavy injustice and I didn't know why I felt like that. That was kind of confusing because I never felt that intensely for all the other crimes I have had heard of in the past.
I was scared and panicked over the existence of that notebook and it falling in the wrong hands. And also my mind was screaming at me to do something about it.
My mind was practically whispering to me. One kept on saying how the notebook had already fallen into the wrong hands. There was another that asked me if someone actually was successful in retrieving that notebook and destroying it. Another demanded for me to capture the killer and punish him for his sins and there was another timid whisper that told me to track down the families of the victims and compensate them somehow.
But the loudest whisper was demanding something entirely else from me. Where were the so-called supernatural law-enforcers when there was such an object wrecking chaos all over the world? And why didn't they stop the killer and why did they sit back and watch L try and fail to capture said killer? Why involve humans at all when the supernatural world was so secretive about its existence?
By the time these whispers were taking over my entire mind, I had somewhat calmed down. How did I calm down when it seemed like I was suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder? Well, I was trying to answer and figure out the reasons behind and to all those whispers. And truthfully I didn't know most of those answers, but what I did know was that Gilbert had all those answers and he would be the one spouting them out.
I asked him the most important question first, "Gilbert, this Death Note, the one used to kill L here, has it been destroyed?"
His answer was short and held a remarkable note of regret in it, "I am afraid not, Madame."
I frowned. That wasn't acceptable. Such a weapon should be kept as far away as possible from hands that might use it. I asked again, "What about the killer? Has he or she been caught and punished accordingly?"
"There were two killers and two Death Notes, Madame. They worked as partners. The first was Yagami Light. He was the dominant partner and he died of cardiac arrest while being apprehended by the authorities. And the second was a woman named Amane Misa and she was Yagami Light's accomplice, fiancé and submissive partner. She is currently residing in an asylum because she is manically depressed and suicidal. They operated under the name 'Kira'. They took turns begin Kira."
So that Light person L wanted to know about was his killer. Then it was clear that Light really was an old powerful enemy and that was why he might have been a danger to both L and I if he were alive. But we didn't need to worry about him any longer. Light Yagami was dead and his accomplice was sealed tight in a loony bin. But what of their Death Notes?
"Gilbert, tell me, where did their Death Notes go then?"
"Madame, there were two Death Notes. One of the Death Notes was obtained by some of our agents a while after the death of Light Yagami. As for the second one, it was taken by the Shinigamis from the Shinigami Realm."
"Tell me about the people this Light person murdered."
"Madame, Yagami Light killed criminals. Murderers, rapists, terrorists, gangsters, in short any person who committed a crime and he had seen their faces and knew their names, he killed using the Death Note. Apparently, Yagami Light wanted to create a new world; an utopia ruled by himself. He had a god-complex and he thought he had the right to judge people. He thought the world was rotten and he was making it a better place."
I processed that thought for a few seconds before replying, "So the people he killed were all criminals?"
"There were also those people who stood in his way that he killed, Madame. For example, there were the FBI agents, police officers, L and most of his team members whom he killed."
I wanted to kill that bastard all over again. Who was he to decide who had the right to live or die? If things actually worked like that there would be no laws or justice system in any country anywhere. There was a very strong voice in my head that kept on saying how dying of cardiac arrest wasn't enough for that bastard. People died because he thought they should in the name of justice. But in the end, what he did was the very opposite of justice. He took justice in his own hands and that only made him the biggest and the most horrifying criminal of all. Fortunately, we didn't need to worry about him anymore.
"Gilbert, where were the supernatural authorities when such a powerful and dangerous supernatural object fell into the hands of a megalomaniac like Yagami? And why didn't they take any attempts at stopping him?"
Gilbert looked quite surprised at that question. In fact, he was down right flustered. His gaze never left the floor and he started to fidget. Gilbert rarely ever got nervous and him dropping his confident posture to fidget with the pristine white gloves on his hands was just an impossible sight. Well, not impossible, improbable.
Oh what Victor wouldn't have given to see the ever so cool Gilbert fidget like that! I know I was being mean but he was testing my patience by not giving out prompt answers.
"Little Miss, I am very sorry to say but, at that time there were other very crucial events that kept the authorities from paying proper attention or making prompt decisions about the Shinigami and the Death Notes."
His voice held heavy tones of regret and shame and even though my heart ached to comfort him and ask him what happened and why he was so affected; I snapped back, "Gilbert, what in hell's name was so damned important that all of you had to let hundreds of people die at the hands of a narcissist bastard? Why the fuck didn't any of you just barge right in, kill him and take the note book?"
Notice how I blamed everything on him. How it went from 'the authorities' to 'you all'? Remember that feeling I was telling you about? About how I was compelled to do something about this situation, about how I needed to correct things? Yes, that same feeling was making me beyond frustrated at 'the authorities' and because Gilbert was a part of them and he knew about all of this I transferred all that anger onto him.
I remember doing this very same thing once back when I was thirteen. I wanted to go out to buy a birthday present for Victor, I wanted it to be a surprise and that was why I did not want any one to go with me. But my grandmamma strictly told me to not go out alone and she even went to the lengths of grounding me. To a thirteen year old, that was the most unfair thing in the world.
I remember yelling, screaming and ranting at poor Gilbert about it. I shifted all of my grandmother's rage at him and went as far as accusing him of keeping me a prisoner; of always robbing me of my freedom. I even told him that it was his fault that I did not have friends of my own age and that I felt different from everyone else. I remember throwing things around my room and how Gilbert stood there taking everything I said and his pained looking green eyes. I cried myself to sleep that night.
It was the next day that I woke up with Gilbert sitting beside my bed looking forlornly at me. I apologized immediately and told him that I loved him and that none of what I accused him of was true. I told him the entire truth. About how I always felt different from all the other people I saw and met. About how I really never wanted to get that close to them and how he was my best friend. I hugged him and cried and apologized over and over again. And all he did was hug me back and tell me that he would do his best to never make me feel that way again.
That entire day we spent every hour together. We had lots of fun, he even helped me plan pranks on my grandmother and together we gave her the silent treatment for half a week. And when my grandmother went out for a dinner party, he snuck me out and together we bought Victor's birthday present. It was a beautiful black leather jacket. We spent about three hours exploring the shopping mall and he ate all kinds of junk food with me that night.
He had later explained to me how there were bad people out there who would try to harm me to get to my family fortune or worse yet just to get back at my grandmother or Victor. That was why my grandmother was so protective about me. He and I agreed that even though my grandmother meant well, she didn't exactly handle the situation the right way and until she tried to make it up to me, we would give her the silent treatment. So we did just that until, my grandmother made it up to me and that involved a movie night, lots of ice-cream and a leather jacket for me that looked almost like Victor's.
But that was the tale of the past and right at that moment I had that exact same feeling washing over me. I was once again angry and the anger I had over 'the authorities' shifted over to Gilbert just because he knew about it.
I was too busy glaring at the thoroughly aghast looking Gilbert to notice L turning around to give us his full attention. I never swore at Gilbert and because I did at that moment, I must have surprised and hurt him a lot. But at that moment I did not care. Because at that moment he wasn't Gilbert, my caretaker and almost parental figure slash best friend. At that moment he was just my employee who had most probably cost the lives of hundreds of humans and at that moment he needed to fear and feel my wrath and provide me with the answers I wanted or find a way to fix the problem I saw.
Gilbert wasn't saying a word though and that only infuriated me further, especially when I noticed L watching us with cold calculative eyes. It was strange but, Gilbert started to glow. That's right; the more horrified Gilbert looked the more his pale skin glowed. His emerald green eyes looked pained and ashamed, but his skin glowed and it was as if his vibrant red hair took shined a little bit more.
I don't know how to describe it but there was a familiar scent of dark chocolate and something earthy floating in the air. It was so thick and heady; and even though it felt a little comforting in the beginning, after a breath or two I wanted it to stop. Suddenly I didn't like that scent any more, it only managed to agitate me more.
I put away my laptop on the table before me with a loud thud and stood up. I noticed L jump out because of the sound and he looked as if he broke out of a trance. He shook his head a few times and gave Gilbert a peculiar look and moved away to stand beside me. But Gilbert kept on staring at me like a scared little kitten. Albeit a glowing scared little kitten.
I couldn't take it anymore and snapped at him, "Well, answer me! L here, died trying to do the job all of you were supposed to do. He and his team and all those other people died trying to stop that bastard Yagami. Where the fuck were the so-called authorities when all these innocent people died trying to clean up their mess?"
I may have been a bit too harsh, but I really didn't notice at that moment. All I was thinking was about all those people who died just because his warped sense of justice. And what was worse was that L and his team were some of those people and now he stood beside me as Gilbert told us that they didn't stop that Yagami bastard because they were too busy with something else. As if all those deaths at that man's hand was of no importance. As if it wasn't worth their attention and thus they didn't bother saving them. Oh how I wanted to just rush to where ever Victor was at the moment and spar with him. I wanted to go at him with all my strength and every little energy in body, just to vent, I suppose.
It was L tugging lightly on the end of my pony-tail that snapped me out of my rage. In fact, it down right calmed me. When I turned my glare at him, I found him blinking owlishly at me. In a tone that was childishly curious he asked me, "My team members and I died years ago, Miss Iris. Why do you care?"
I spluttered for a few seconds. The nerve of the bastard. It was then I started yelling at him, "What do you mean, why do I care? You insufferable idiot, of course I care. You did not die and neither did your people. All of you were killed. Murdered by that bastard with a god-complex."
He shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Murdered, killed, died…In the end it all means the same thing. We ceased to live. And the question still remains, why do you care, Miss Iris?"
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists so hard that I could feel my nails cutting into my palms. I hated how lightly he was taking all of that. I snarled out, "I care because it was not your job to find that bastard and to get that Death Note from him. I care because you died trying to stop him when it wasn't even your responsibility. I care because 'the authorities' turned a blind eye to it all and left all of you to die at that murderer's hands. I care because 'the authorities' did not do their job right. I care because it was unfair for you to die when you didn't even need to die for him to be caught!"
I was fuming and I wasn't done by a long shot, but it was L's peculiar little smile that stopped me. He replied in a smooth and calm voice, "First of all, it was my choice to take up the Kira case. Whether or not 'the authorities' would have stepped in and solved the case, I would have had still taken the case. I would have had still tried my best to solve that very first murder that Light Yagami had committed. I would have had still tried to solve the mysteries behind the Death Note and Shinigamis. Because that is my very nature. So in the end I would always be linked to the Kira case by my own choice no matter how the situation was manipulated; and I would do so because it was a very interesting case. Therefore, it was my job simply because I chose it to be my job."
I huffed at him. I wanted to grip him by his collar and shake him like a rag doll for saying all of that. For choosing the mystery of the Death Note over his own life. He continued, "Secondly, as you said it was 'the authorities' who did not do their job right, so why use such harsh words against your employee when he is but providing you with answers. Why not give your employee time to answer you before you start yelling at him?"
"If there is anyone you should be so enraged at, it should be 'the authorities'. But I would advice to not lose the control over your temper so easily in any situation. It is a sign of weakness and it gives your opponent an advantage. It is better to be calm and rational in such situations."
I definitely wanted to sink my nails into face and scratch up his panda-ish looking face. The bastard. I hated him being right and I hated losing control like that. But he still continued, "And finally, there are many people in the world who die young. In fact, there are people who die younger than I did and it is unfair. It will always be unfair. After all, life is unfair. I have the luxury of knowing I did not die in vain. I know that my death played a part in the capture of Light Yagami. You were not there, Miss Iris, so you would not know what needed or what needed not be done for the capture of Kira. Therefore, you cannot surely say that it was not necessary for me to die."
The stupid man. How could he say that? Was he some kind of martyr? I was just going to snap out a reply when he tugged on the end of my pony-tail again and replied in that familiarly dark and hypnotic voice from before, "Some would say it is unfair for me to get a second chance at life. To live again with a purpose. It is definitely unfair. But, here I am and like they say, life is unfair, Miss Iris."
Okay, that definitely calmed me down. So the bastard was looking at the brighter side of things. I suppose it was okay for him, since Kira was no more, the Death Note was gone and he was resurrected by my grandmother. I couldn't help but pout a little and nod shakily at him. He gave me a small smile and replied, "This time I get to play the powerful bodyguard to the pretty princess."
I blushed lightly at that. I told myself to not snap at him since he did not mean it as a perverted remark and take it as a compliment. But things with L are never ever that easy, he just had to go and spoil things by adding, "My oh my…Miss Iris, your cheeks look like that yummy shade of strawberries. You smell delightfully of vanilla too, Miss Iris."
The perverted bastard ended the sentence with a fucking moan. That deep moan did not help things at all. I was blushing harder than I ever did in my life and so I did what came naturally to me. I took hold of his shirt and told him in a voice that would have scared all the ghosts in the mansion, "One of these days L, I will have a taxidermist make a work of art out of you and display it in the foyer with a plate saying, 'BEWARE PERVERTS!'"
He pouted at me. Perverted bastard. I let him go with a jerk and turned to face Gilbert, who had managed to fix his expression. He just looked a little sad by then; his eyes though were staring holes into the floor. I asked him again and this time I managed to wipe out all of my raging emotions out of my voice and sounded especially monotonous, "Gilbert, why didn't anyone from the Supernatural community do anything about the Kira case and the Death Notes?"
He answered back in a soft and pained voice, "Madame, the Kira case started in the year 2003 and Light Yagami was finally caught and he died in the year 2010. We knew of the Death Notes and of how many people were being killed by him and his accomplice, but that issue was not the main priority of the Supernatural community at that time."
I processed what he had just said. It was then something hit me. I was born in the year 2002 and it was in the beginning of the year 2004 my parents and my grandfather died. That explained a little why my grandmother did not do anything about it in the beginning but why didn't she do something later on. After all, Yagami killed over a period of seven years.
He took in a deep haggard sounding breath and said, "The Supernatural community had a war waging between a few different races of creatures. It was a brutal war and everyone was busy with restoring peace and surviving the war with their loved ones safe. The war started in the year 2000 and was finally over in the year 2005, but it took another ten years for things to go exactly the way they were before. We were too busy rebuilding our lives and the community back to the prosperous way it was."
I felt my throat close up and tears sting at my eyes. I didn't even know what I was accusing Gilbert of, yet I did it and how very wrong I was. Before I could continue wallowing more in guilt, Gilbert threw in more upsetting news, "Madame, your parents and your grandfather died fighting in that very war. They along with many other important members of our community were lost in that war and the community had been trying to go on without them."
"By the year 2006, most of the council members of the King's court decided that the humans were already dealing with Kira on their own and that we should wait and watch at how the humans would deal with Kira on their own. Because people already knew too much about Kira it would be too noticeable if we would make him disappear suddenly. Moreover, there were certain people in the community who agreed with what Kira did, even if the King heavily disapproved of it."
"Lady Ravenhart and many other of the court brought up that topic time and time again and insisted on taking care of it since Death Notes were supernatural properties and it was a destructive human who was taking advantage of it. But, every time she was shot down and after numerous sessions of the court the council finally came upon a decision. We knew of L Lawliet and of his successors. So we kept a very close on Kira and everyone involved in that case. The council decided to give the humans a chance to clean up their own mess."
He finally looked at me with sad green eyes and continued on, "They decided that if L's successor failed in apprehending Kira then and only then we would step in and take care of it. In the end, Near, Mello and Matt, L's three successors managed to apprehend Light Yagami and we didn't have to do anything. Most of the Council members who did follow the Kira case closely, like your grandmother were very impressed by L and his successors. Because Near was the one alive having defeated Yagami Light, he became quite famous in the King's court. Also Yagami Light is more often than not referred to as one of the vilest and most dangerous humans the Court ever seen."
"Then we only needed to replace the Death Note Near had in his possession with a fake and Near burned the fake Death Note to rid the world of such a dangerous object."
It was L who asked Gilbert, "What happened to the real Death Note, Mr. Red-hair man?"
Gilbert replied with a shrug, "It isn't my place to know, but from what I have gathered from certain sources, some members of the council handed over the Death Note to the Shinigami King and they might have convinced the Shinigami King to follow certain rules."
L gave a nod at that and was lost in his thoughts once again and I was left to puzzle over the new facts I had learned from Gilbert. The first being that my grandmother and every one that I knew had once again lied to me. The biggest lies ever. One that my parents hadn't died in an automobile accident and the second being my grandfather hadn't died of a heart attack.
I could understand why they had lied. After all I wasn't told about the Supernatural world for certain reasons, so how could they tell me that my parents and my grandfather had died in a war that waged in the Supernatural community? The lies were far more believable and acceptable than the truth. I was safer that way.
But even though I understood, it didn't change the fact that I was hurt. There was a small part of me that told me that maybe I deserved that hurt. After all I never really cared a lot to find out more about my parents. I was just happy in my own world. I was happy with Gilbert, my grandmother, Victor and the house. I never missed my parents and I always told myself, how can you miss something you haven't ever known?
And again, I was being selfish; I still didn't hurt over my parents. I hurt over the fact that everyone lied to me and probably betrayed the trust I had in them. Then again, I did always blindly trust them.
I thought about it. My parents and my grandfather. My mother's name was Cassandra Arabella Ravenhart. She never did take my father's name after their marriage. I look almost exactly like her; the same black hair and facial features, the same small nose and pouty lips. We even had that same complexion; in all the pictures I had seen of my mother, she looked pale and always blushed a pretty pink.
We had differences too. Like she had a regal air about her, something she got from my grandmother. On the other hand, I did not possess that particular quality. Also my mother was very feminine in her style; always in skirts and dresses. She was beautiful like that. I was more of a tomboy. I stuck to my jeans and t-shirts. She supposedly always styled her hair meticulously in various fashions. I rather disliked my long hair and always kept it up in a pony-tail. The only reason I did keep my hair long was because Gilbert insisted that I kept it like that. He said it was very lady-like. Another difference, my mother had the most beautiful green eyes. I had normal brown eyes. Oh and the biggest difference of all was that my mother was taller and slimmer than I was. She was very lithe and was 5'7 in height. I on the other hand, was 5'2 and was far curvier than her.
I do not know where I got the lack of height from, considering the fact that both my parents were tall. My father, Eric Robert Maxwell was 6'2. I have seen my birth certificate; my parent's decided not to give me my father's last name. I asked my grandmother why once, she told me it was because my parents wanted me to be my grandmother's heir. It was kind of like a tradition, my grandmother never changed her name either and my mother did not take my grandfather's name, so I also had the Ravenhart name over the Maxwell name.
My father looked very handsome. He too had black hair and his was messy and always fell into his warm brown eyes. My eyes, I got them from him. Victor once said I had his stubborn attitude too. That and I was loyal to a fault just like him. He was so tall and broad shouldered and he was in jeans in most of the pictures I saw of him. My preference of denim wear and hand-to-hand combat are some of the things I got from him. His skin was a healthy and glowing tan and how he had that in such dreary weather, I'd never know. But I did wish I had his tan complexion over my own ghostly pale complexion.
He had slight stubble too. He looked a little rough and it worked on him. What wouldn't work on him with his smile? He had the most beautiful smile. It was playfully rakish with a dimple. Victor had once said my father's smile always managed to make my mother blush. He also said that even though I looked very little like my father, but when I smirked suddenly I looked eerily like him.
My grandfather was Maverick Avalon and my grandmother's one true love. He was absolutely beautiful. He had pale blonde hair that was always slicked back and equally pale skin. He was tall and had the same green eyes as my mother. I got my love of books from him. That and the easy way I could always befriend the paintings, statues, spirits and other creatures in the mansion. The necklace I always wore, he gave it to me at my birth.
There were three important people of my life who had died in a war and I didn't know very much about them except how they looked and certain things people commented on. But I suppose, I should be proud of them. They died a very noble death. They died fighting in a war, they were brave people.
I looked up to see Gilbert staring at me. I reached my hand up for him to hold, I desperately wanted to ask him to forgive me. I had as usual jumped to conclusions again and had yelled at him. L was right I could have just given him time to answer. But no, I just had to get over emotional and start yelling at the poor guy. He should be mad at me instead of looking at me apologetically. He didn't do anything wrong.
He took my hand immediately and I apologized, "I am very sorry, Gilbert. I know I hurt you."
He shook his head and told me softly, "You did not hurt me, Little Miss. It was just that when you yelled at me, you sounded and looked just like your mother. Especially so when you used those words. She had a habit of using such horrific language too. I used to tell her time and time again how unladylike that was, but she never seemed to care. It was quite contradictory to her image."
He smiled softly at me and continued, "Please do not apologize for doing what is your duty. It is now your job to care for the welfare of humans and I am quite ashamed to say that at that time I did nothing to help those humans. You had exactly the right kind of reaction, Little Miss."
I shook my head and told him, "Still Gilbert, I shouldn't have been so harsh. I could have just asked you to tell me."
He stepped closer to me and ran his hand through my hair. Just like he did when I was younger and replied back, "Your temper flared a little, Little Miss, and it was completely acceptable for you to yell. I understand you very well and you need not apologize for it. Remember what I have always told you, I will always be here for whatever that you may need. If you need to yell at me, then I will happily stand here and be yelled at."
I swallowed the hard lump that was in my throat and whispered regretfully, "Still…I should learn better to control my temper in such situations."
As soon as I said it, I swiftly sent a glare at L. Just because I admitted what he said didn't mean I liked doing it. I was right; the bastard was blinking owlishly at me. I turned back to see Gilbert smirking at that. Sometimes Gilbert did know me better.
He continued petting my hair and said soothingly, "Yes, Little Miss. I think you control your temper and emotions magnificently in front of people. You only lose control when in front of your loved ones and only in extreme situations. I believe it is healthy to do so. Withholding so much inside you would be disastrous. Like I said, I will always be happy to be there for you. Anytime, any place, Little Miss."
I smiled brightly at that. That was such a Gilbert thing to say. He returned my smile and slowly let me go. I sighed heavily and sat down with my laptop back at my lap. It took me a few minutes to browse through a few more files. I didn't exactly know what to do next, but I did know one thing. I was going to give my grandmother hell for hiding so much from me. Just because I understood didn't mean I had to accept her reasons for not telling me about my parents and my grandfather.
I was going through the list of potential allies and potential enemies for my house and it wasn't surprising at all that I didn't even one of those names. My grandmother and Victor were very careful about keeping me away from all these people. I don't even remember ever meeting any of them or even hearing any of their names at the office. I closed those files immediately; it was hopeless to look through them without knowing more about them and for that I needed Gilbert's perspective on that.
I smirked at Gilbert, "Grandmamma left the dirty work of informing me about my parents and my grandfather to you didn't she?"
He raised an eyebrow at that, "It would seem so, Little Miss."
I gave Gilbert my best catty smirk, "Have you informed my grandmamma about her meeting with me tomorrow?"
"I have, Little Miss."
"Then you know what I will do to my grandmamma at that meeting, Gilbert?"
"Indeed, Little Miss."
"Would you mind in any way, Gilbert?"
Did I mention that Gilbert looks scary when he smirks like that? Well, if I didn't then, he does look scary, very scary.
"Little Miss, I belong to you now and I care not what you do to Lady Ravenhart. She is but my previous employer and your grandmother. As long as it satisfies you and makes you happy, I will help you do anything to her."
I laughed a little at that. It seemed that Gilbert was not entirely above a little retribution. I didn't forget how many times my grandmother had put him in a tight spot with me that day. During brunch and now with my family's past. Moreover Gilbert and I knew there were many more situations like that coming our way.
I was planning how my meeting with my grandmother would go the next day when L spoke up, "Picking on Morganna Ravenhart like that would be petty, Miss Iris."
I replied smoothly, "It might be petty, but it is something she has coming her way. She needs to know her limits."
He nodded his head once and turned his attention towards Gilbert. I was lost again in my task of browsing through the files on my laptop. It must have been about fifteen minutes later that I looked up to ask Gilbert something and noticed something very strange.
L kept on staring at Gilbert in his owlish way as he chewed on his thumb and Gilbert was glaring back at him. Like I said, strange. It was a little amusing so I asked, "Something wrong?"
L nodded his head eagerly and with a triumphed smile he pointed at Gilbert, "I need to ask Mr. Red-hair something."
Gilbert's face slipped into a poker mask while I snorted and nodded my head and corrected him, "His name is Gilbert, L."
L's voice was too cheery when he asked, "Mr. Gilbert, did you know you used you power on Miss Iris and I when she was yelling at you?"
That gave me a little shock. I turned to stare at Gilbert and ask him about, but I found him blushing a bright red. The poor thing spluttered out a response, "Yeh-yes that. Sometimes when I am shocked or surprised my power to glamour slips a little."
I was confused, "Glamour?"
He replied a little bashfully, "Yes, Little Miss. My incubi side gives me the power to dazzle other beings. It mostly enhances their attraction towards me. That is why it is called glamouring. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't work on certain people."
L gave a firm shake of his head and commented, "It did not work on Miss Iris and me, but I did notice a change in your appearance and the odd scent suddenly wafting through the air."
I remembered that. I did notice that scent and Gilbert glowing a little, but I didn't feel attracted to him. Not in the least, but that scent was distracting.
"Gilbert, when you unknowingly glamoured L and I, it didn't make me feel attracted to you in the least."
He explained softly, "Little Miss, it is not always about attracting in that sense. It is more about distracting one and compelling one to my wishes. Glamouring essentially ensnares one's senses and lets me do what I wish for him or her to do. I could either seduce them, or soften them enough to get information out of them or just plainly distract them."
Before I could ask him if he had ever glamoured me, he stated, "Glamouring isn't my strongest suit. I can't seduce someone or compel them very well with glamour. But I could do so to humans. Maybe it is because I am only half incubi. If I was a full blooded incubus, I would be very good at it. I wasn't ever able to successfully glamour your grandmother, your mother or you."
I smirked at him, "But you did try?"
He replied with a similar smirk, "I did, Little Miss."
I mused out loud, "During all those fights you had with Victor over me, you tried to glamour me to get me on your side."
He looked surprised as he asked, "How did you know, Little Miss?"
I chuckled, "I always smelled that familiar scent of dark chocolate during those fights."
He replied in a sullen tone, "Yes. That scent. It is different for everyone. That scent changes to a person's tastes to compel them. You smelt the scent of chocolate; your mother used to say it smelt like cigars and old leather; your grandmother says it smells like the ocean and your grandfather's garden. To everyone it's different; it smells like whatever you like."
I frowned, "It sounds very interesting, Gilbert. Why are you upset then?"
He replied with an even more sullen tone, "Nothing, Little Miss. I just remembered how Victor taunted me about how my pathetic charms would never work on you."
I couldn't but laugh at that. Victor did do that and I never understood what he meant until then. Gilbert was pouting by the time I was done laughing. The poor guy, Victor did taunt him a lot.
L though, kept on staring at me. I didn't know if I ever could get used to his staring. I glared at him, "Something you would like to say to me, L?"
He shook his head and answered, "No, Miss Iris. L is satisfied with looking at Miss Iris. L just can't get enough of Miss Iris."
I resisted the urge to slap my forehead. The barmy spirit was back at harassing me and referring to himself in third person. Just when I thought he was being somewhat normal, he was back to his creepy ways. I told myself to ignore him. When I could, that is. But Gilbert didn't resist that urge, he snapped at L, "You should talk to Little Miss with utmost respect and not annoy her the way you do. It is not appropriate for some one of your station."
I sighed. Something told me this was something they would do a lot more in the future. L would anger Gilbert by harassing me and Gilbert would do whatever he could to make L stop. One long never ending cycle it would be. I rested my face against a palm and waited for L response. There it was, "Ah…But Mr. Gilbert, L was just being very honest with his Miss Iris."
I had to applaud Gilbert for keeping his voice even, considering the frown that marred his forehead, "That maybe so, Sir, you still are in no position to talk to Little Miss like that. She is not your Miss Iris and neither is she some normal girl you can agitate to your heart's desire. She is your superior and you should give her the respect her post demands. You should keep your distance from her too."
L giggled in a rather perverse way as he replied, "Mr. Gilbert, you will soon learn that Miss Iris is mine. Mine to protect and I may and will refer to her in that manner. Because she is just that. My superior, mine to serve. Think about it, I am the only person who doesn't need to keep his distance from her. I am serving her in the way I see fit and she is not complaining. Not really; she knows she can handle it."
L made sense but that didn't mean that he sounded any less insulting. Especially the way he was calling me his. It was quite disturbing; then again it was something I knew I would have to deal with later. It really wasn't that big a deal to me. But to Gilbert it was a very big deal. Gilbert glared venomously at L and L to his credit didn't even look the slightest bit ruffled, in fact he continued on prodding at Gilbert, "I should say Mr. Gilbert, you refer to Miss Iris in a familiar way too. How is that appropriate when she is your superior? I daresay, in the coming days I will become closer to Miss Iris than you ever were or ever will be. After all the closer I am to her, the better a protector I will be to her. Therefore, it is within my right to be familiar to my Miss Iris."
I wanted to argue with L on that, but on some levels he was right. I needed to be on good terms with him if he was to work that closely with me in the future. I was getting somewhat used to his leery ways and his disgusting comments, but Gilbert needed to get used to that too.
Gilbert stared at him with narrowed eyes and lips tightly pressed together. I knew he was fuming which meant he wouldn't argue with L on that but he did not like what L said one bit. I shook my head dejectedly and then asked Gilbert, "What can you tell me about how this Hose system works?"
While he explained, the night went on.
On the other side of the mansion, in a dark room two people kept their eyes fixed on an enchanted mirror. They watched the girl with dark hair react to the words the ex-butler uttered and the spirit interact with the girl.
The transparent woman with long pale hair and glowing green eyes commented amusedly, "Well, she is nothing like you, that's for sure."
The other woman snorted, "She is too much like her father. She gets nothing from me. No matter how much I love her, teach her and influence her, she will always have her father's spirit."
The blonde one glared at her companion and snapped, "Bite your tongue. She is nothing like that beast."
Morganna laughed and looked at the ghost before her. She was tall, slim and willowy. In a long white dress, with her fair hair and skin, she really looked like a ghost. Her transparency as a ghost only added more effect. She replied slyly, "I thought you did not care for how she was. You said you gave up on her. You said she would be a disappointment to you."
The beautiful ghost before her rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes, I know what I had said. I said it all in a fit of anger and no matter what I say I cannot help but care for her. Disappointment or not."
Morganna leaned back in her seat and smirked, "That was exactly what I had told you so that day."
The ghost nodded once and stared unblinkingly at the pale girl's image on the mirror and after a while she whispered, "She is acting far better than both of us expected. She looked so much like Cassandra when she yelled at the half-breed."
Morganna whispered back, "Yes, she did. Though don't let her ever hear you call Gilbert that. She will find a way to hurt you, now that she knows about her heritage."
The ghost snapped at Morganna without taking her eyes off the mirror, "You know I don't mean it like that. It's just I don't like how your Grimm and your butler took the place her parents should hold in her heart."
Morganna sighed and said tiredly, "I know. But you must accept the fact that Iris never had her parents with her whilst she was growing up. It was always Victor and Gilbert. So she loves them with all her heart and they love her just as much. They would lay down their lives for her, you know that."
The ghost all but nodded. She watched the newly summoned spirit calm the girl down and smiled a little. She took a look at Morganna who was smiling back mischievously, "The new spirit, he is already very close to her. Don't you think you should tell her about the summoning, Morganna?"
Morganna answered back calmly, "No. That is not even an option at this stage. If they find out now, it will spoil everything. With time they will both find out."
The ghost sighed and replied with a small smile, "Everything will work out. Her compassion, she got from her grandfather."
Morganna smirked, "Which one?"
The ghost snapped back at her, "The dead one."
Morganna nodded and stared off into nothing. The ghost after a while asked mournfully, "How can talk about him like that, Morganna? Doesn't it hurt?"
Morganna smiled sadly and replied softly, "It used to hurt unimaginably in the beginning. But loving her soothed it. I could have been selfish and taken away that necklace to get him back, but I can't risk all of this like that. I couldn't let their sacrifice go in vain. Besides, I am patient. I only need to wait for a few more years before I get him back."
The ghost nodded and stated ominously, "If all goes according to plan then you will be right in assuming that."
Morganna hummed in response. The ghost smirked evilly, "She will give you hell tomorrow, you do know that, don't you? You really shouldn't have left all the explaining to Gilbert."
She sighed, "Yes, I know. I know Iris very well. It something I deserve. She is vindictive like you in that matter."
The ghost sniffed disdainfully and stated, "No, I think she gets that particular trait from you and I both."
Morganna smiled at that. She said somberly, "I will miss her so much. The mansion would feel dead without her."
The ghost nodded, "Yes and you will always worry about her safety."
Morganna asked her softly, "Do you think the Krakens would make any drastic move against her?"
The ghost shook her head and replied, "Those filthy Krakens do not even know about her. She won't have to face them for a long time. But it is about her other enemies I worry about."
Morganna scoffed, "Those bastards don't even know about her. She is safe from them."
The ghost asked gloomily, "Yes, but for how long? There will come a time when they find out about her and she finds out about them. Then how will you protect her?"
Morganna replied stiffly, "When that day comes, we will see. But we know one thing for sure; we are preparing her for that day. Whatever choice she may make, she will always have her family, friends, allies and maybe even a lover at her side."
The ghost nodded and kept on staring at the mirror. She stated softly, "I wish I was a part of her life."
Morganna sighed, "You had your reasons to keep your distance from her."
The ghost shook her head and looked at Morganna, "I might have not made an effort before, but now I can and will."
Morganna asked confusedly, "What do you mean?"
The ghost whispered, "I will go with her. I will join her house."
Morganna was stunned for a second and then she asked her softly, "Are you sure? This has been your home for years. If you join her house, you cannot return unless she takes my place."
The ghost smiled and replied confidently, "She will take your place, Morganna. I have full faith in her. She will not fail."
Morganna beamed at her, "Well then, you may go."
The ghost made a comment that both shocked Morganna and made her laugh, "This mansion might prohibit me from entering after I leave, but that place in the gardens will never close up to me."
Morganna whispered after she was done laughing, "So will you bring me news of her every now and then?"
The ghost raised a pale brow at her, "You will get steady reports about her work, why need me to tell you about her?"
Morganna answered, "Not about her work. Just come by often to tell me how she is."
The ghost sniffed and replied, "My loyalty after I join her will only be to her. But sometimes, when I feel like it and the situation allows me to, I will come to you."
Morganna nodded and whispered, "That will be enough."
