London

Faye lurched back from a zombie lunging for her neck. "It mye noc!" She chanted. Strings flew from her hand to wrap around the zombie trapping it in place. The next moment, Faye found a zombie's mouth attached to the arm she was using to perform her spell. She let out a small shriek of pain as the zombie's teeth sank deep. She plunged a knife into the creature's head before throwing the same knife into the forehead of the trapped zombie.

Both zombies fell to the ground. Faye cursed as she pulled up her sleeve and tried to look at the damage to her arm in the dim light from the street lamps. Unlike the silly myths that were springing up about zombies, real zombie's bites didn't turn the victim into a zombie. Only Undertaker could do that. A zombie bite was, however, undoubtedly filled with all sorts of nasty bacteria. Faye would have to get the wound thoroughly cleaned the moment they got back to headquarters.

"Oye!" Grey yelled as he ran his sword through the stomach of a zombie trying to get at Faye. "You're on a battlefield, Phantomhive. Pay attention, will you? You can tend to your clothes later." The zombie struggled, alternately turning his head to gnash its teeth and Grey and turning back toward Faye to try to pull itself off of the sword.

"That's not what I was doing," Faye said with a glare. "And have a care where you're stabbing, Grey. A stab to the stomach isn't going to do a thing to these creatures. You have to go for the head."

"I know," Grey shrugged off. "But it's kind of funny to see them struggling, don't you think?"

Faye gave Grey a disgusted look and went back to the fight. A few minutes later, she realized her arm no longer hurt and she felt a rush of dread. Was the injury worse than she thought and shock had set in? Or was some infection that dulled pain already taking hold?

She backed herself into a corner and made a wall of zombies by bounding several in place to block the way to her before taking another look at her arm. Faye's breathe left her in a rush as she stared at her arm. All she saw was…dried blood. She frantically grasped at her injured arm with her other hand, applying pressure as she tried to find the wound. Nothing. There was nothing there. How was that possible?

The sound of fighting drew Faye's attention back to the world around her. Now was not the time to worry over this. She had more immediate concerns. Pulling her sleeve back down her arm, Faye methodically killed the zombies she'd bound. She would deal with the mystery of her healed arm later.

Grim Reaper Dispatch Society Headquarters.

"The wound healed completely in a matter of minutes," Faye said, pacing back and forth within William's office. "I almost thought I was crazy and that I must not have been bitten as badly as I thought, except for the holes in my sleeve and the blood on my arm."

She paused a moment to show her proof. The sleeve had ragged holes rimmed with blood, and dark red was smeared all over her lower arm. William, sitting behind his desk, blinked in surprise at this evidence.

"And," Faye began pacing again as she continued her rambling, "somehow my magic has been more powerful lately. I was able to trap Undertaker when I've never been able to do that before. I was able to bind Sebastian when I've never been able to successfully bind a demon before." She stopped again to hold her hands out helplessly. "What is going on with me, William? My magic becoming more powerful is one thing, but now I'm healing? How is that even possible?"

William stayed silent as he regarded Faye through his glasses. Finally, he asked, "Would you be willing to let yourself be harmed so I may see what you're speaking of?"

Faye stared at William before silently taking out one of her knives and pulling up her clean sleeve to reveal pale flesh. She should have thought of testing the whole healing thing herself. Maybe all this stress was getting to her and she'd somehow hallucinated the wound. The blood on her arm could be from one of the many zombies she'd killed (or re-killed) that night.

She and William stared at Faye's arm intently as she cut herself. A thin line of blood welled up and she immediately felt the sting. Time seemed to come to a standstill as they waited for something to happen. Soon enough, the cut resealed itself. William frowned and brushed the blood away from where Faye's cut had been, verifying that it really had healed.

Faye's blood ran cold. "What's happening to me?" She whispered.

At her tone, William looked up, then his eyes widened in alarm. "Faye, you've gone white. Sit down." He helped her to sit in the chair across from his desk. He'd never seen her look so shaken before. "I…I…" He floundered helplessly for a moment, not sure what he should do. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

Her eyes flashed angrily. "You can tell me what on earth is going on with me. Why am I more powerful? How is my body healing of its own accord? You know more about magic than I do, William. Help me find the answers."

Despite the late hour, William proceeded to perform test after test, most of them magical in nature, on Faye to determine what was happening to her. He muttered to himself at regular intervals, trying to guess what the cause could be. He guesses ranged from the alignment of the stars, which he said some cultures believed affected magic, to changes in her diet, which Faye thought was ludicrous.

The sun had just risen when William, after performing his latest test, sank down to his knees, his face unreadable. He'd taken his suitcoat off and rolled up his shirt sleeves sometime during in the night. Wisps of sweaty hair fell into his eyes. He looked more disheveled than Faye had ever seen him.

"Well?" She demanded, exhausted, frustrated, and scared. "Have you run out of tests to perform? Do you need a break? Why did you stop?"

He opened his mouth and closed it. Reaching up to adjust his tie, William cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly. Clearing his throat again, he looked at Faye and adjusted his glasses. "I…believe I have found the cause of your mysterious increase in power and the sudden appearance of your healing ability…"

"Well?" Faye prompted when he didn't continue. "What is it?"

He looked at Faye with regret in his eyes. "It appears, Faye, that your life force has been bound to a demon's."

Phantomhive Manor

Faye threw open the doors to Phantomhive Manor, more livid than she could ever remember being.

"Lady Phantomhive," Agni said in surprise. "Welcome back…Is something wrong?"

"Where is Sebastian?" She demanded.

Agni and Soma exchanged concerned looks. "Perhaps you'd like some tea to calm your nerves first, sister?" Soma suggested. "Agni could prepare some—"

"I don't want tea, Soma," Faye interrupted. "I would like to speak with Sebastian." She annunciated each word. "Where is he?"

"Lady Phantomhive, you look exhausted. I'm not sure now would be the best time for a conversation between you and the Marquis," Agni commented.

"What has happened to rile you up like this?" Soma asked. "And where have you been? Another assignment from the Queen?"

Faye made a noise of frustration and stalked passed the two men. She hitched her skirts up and climbed the stairs. Sebastian was probably in Ciel's office. With him no longer being the Phantomhive butler, there really wasn't a reason for him to be anywhere else.

The prince and butler watched her go. Soma sighed and shook his head once Faye was out of earshot. "The path to love is never easy. I wish Sebastian luck." Agni nodded his agreement.

Faye flung open the door to Ciel's study and it crashed into the wall. Ciel jumped and Sebastian turned to face her. Ciel had a surprised look on his face, while Sebastian had a look of polite inquiry.

"Faye!" Ciel exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing? What's wrong?"

"You," Faye growled, glaring and pointing at Sebastian. "You did this."

"Did what?" Ciel demanded, looking between Faye and Sebastian. "What have you done, Sebastian?"

Sebastian's look didn't change in the slightest. "Despite what you may believe, my Lady, I'm afraid I haven't quite mastered the art of mind reading. Perhaps you could elaborate on what I've done that has you so upset?"

Faye's glare became fiercer. "Don't pretend as though you don't know, demon. There could only possibly be one thing you've done that would have me so upset." Her eyes narrowed. "Unless there are other dark secrets you're keeping?"

"What is going on?" Ciel asked, slamming his hands on his desk. "I demand one of you tell me this instant." He glared at the two of them, but neither paid him any attention. Faye's and Sebastian's eyes were locked on one another.

Faye's use of the word demon irritated Sebastian. It used to be all she called him. It was meant to be a slur, something to put distance between them and to deny his existence as an individual being. For months she'd only called him demon, refusing to see him as anything other than as William portrayed all demons. Finally, he shrugged, a nonchalant expression on his face. "Are you really that surprised, my Lady? I told you before that I will not allow anything to take you away from me. This way, I can assure that you are protected whether you are with me or not." His eyes flashed. "And I am, after all, a mere demon, correct? What else could you expect from me?"

Faye clenched her fists, her breathing heavy. "When? When did you do it?"

"Before our previous conversation," he admitted, though his face showed no regret. "Actually, before our previous two conversations. Really, there's little point in you being upset now, my Lady. It's already been done and cannot be undone. Not without killing you, anyway."

Fed up, Ciel got to his feet and stomped around to the other side of his desk, standing in between Faye and Sebastian. "What did Sebastian do?"

"This," Faye said, pulling up her sleeve and pulling out one of her knives. The next moment, the knife was in Sebastian's hand.

"There will be no need for that, my Lady. I'm quite capable of explaining the situation to your brother without you harming yourself."

Ciel crossed his arms and scowled, confused. "I don't care who does it or how, just tell me what's going on."

"As you are aware, my Lord, I desire for your sister to be my wife. My companion, if you will. Her mortality is an obstacle to that. Or, was an obstacle. I eliminated it by binding her life to mine. It is now almost as difficult to kill her as it is to kill me, and she will live a much longer life."

Ciel stared at Sebastian with a dumbfounded expression, unable to believe his ears. Slowly, he backed away until he stood closer to Faye. Anger took over his face. "How dare you go behind our backs like this. How dare you change my sister's fate without telling her."

"That's rather ironic coming from you," Sebastian said, raising his eyebrows. "Given the secrets you yourself are keeping from Lady Faye."

"What secrets?" Faye asked with narrowed eyes. She grabbed Ciel's shoulders and spun him around to face her. "What's Sebastian talking about, Ciel? What are you doing?"

Ciel crossed his arms and pouted, his face set in a mutinous expression.

Taking it upon himself to explain things once again, Sebastian said, "Your brother lied to you, my Lady. He never had any intention of helping the Queen gain an army of zombies. He merely thought it would be easier to stop Undertaker with the Queen's support. He told her he planned to help her so he would still have her resources at his disposal."

Faye glanced between Ciel and Sebastian in confusion. "But why would you keep this from me, Ciel? Why would you let me believe you did plan to help the Queen?"

Ciel glared at Sebastian, his anger a nearly palpable thing. "Because I don't want you marrying that bastard."

"You lied for my sake?" Faye asked quietly, her eyes widening at the realization. "You wanted to keep me and Sebastian apart." Some of the anger went out of Faye. She wasn't happy with what Ciel had done, but she couldn't be too angry with him over it. He was trying to look out for his older sister and doubtlessly didn't know what else to do.

"Well," Sebastian said, clapping his hands together once, "now that all that has been cleared out of the way, there's no reason why you cannot return home, Lady Faye. I will arrange for—"

"I'm not returning," Faye interrupted. "I'm still working with the grim reapers and they need me close by so I'm available at a moment's notice."

Sebastian blinked in surprise, not expecting Faye's reaction at all. "There's no reason we cannot work with the grim reapers. It's want you've wanted all along, isn't it? If we pool our resources, we'll be even more effective against Undertaker and his zombie hordes."

"You do not need me living here to work with the grim reapers or to pool our resources," Faye retorted. She bent down to kiss Ciel's head. "I left rather abruptly and need to get back. I didn't even finish my report on the latest instance of zombie attacks. If you need me, Ciel, let me know. I'll tell William that you and Sebastian are also working to stop Undertaker and see what he says."

Without another look at Sebastian, Faye turned and left. She made it to the front yard before Sebastian appeared beside her.

"My Lady," he said, then paused. In a surprisingly quiet voice he said, "I do not wish for you to be angry with me, Faye."

She whirled around to face him, a disbelieving look on her face. "What do you expect me to feel, Sebastian? You asked me once before if you could bind my life to yours and I told you no."

"I expect you to understand that I am a demon in love and that is something very different from a human being in love."

"Then tell me what it means, Sebastian," Faye demanded, folding her arms and glaring up at him.

He shrugged helplessly. "I can not. I've never been in love before. I know that my love is selfish, as I already told you. I know that I want you to be happy, as long as that includes you being by my side. I will do everything I can to make you happy, my Lady. Beyond that, all I can do is show you what it means for me to love you as we learn together."

Faye hesitated a moment, then sighed as she gently said, "I really do have to go, Sebastian. I'll see you and Ciel later." She turned and left. Sebastian's heart clenched as he watched her go. He wondered what would happen next and when Faye would finally be his completely.