|Campania, Freight Storage|

After Sebastian had left them Ciel turned towards the doctor. Ryan Stoker glanced among the group, meeting eyes with Madeleine. The angel glared at him, not pleased with the current events. People should know better than to meddle with things they didn't understand!

"How do we kill these things?" Ciel asked the man, his tone indicating he wasn't willing to wait long for an answer. When a reply didn't come immediately the young boy idly showed his gun.

The doctor swallowed as he did not find any friends in the current company. "There is one way, apart from smashing their heads in. A device in my room. At least that's where it should be if that other person hasn't come down to placate the samples. We can get upstairs if we use the elevator in the boiler room."

Ciel nodded, giving Madeleine the signal to keep the doctor in check. She nodded, albeit rather reluctant. She had much rather been the one to keep a close eye on the two children but it seemed she would have to leave that job to Snake for now. Taking a firm grip on the mans elbow she followed in his steps, taking care to notice if he got any special ideas.

As they walked he explained how the corpses were moving, though the entire enterprise sounded like a bunch of hogwash to her. Then again, nobody had ever actually bothered telling her how she had come to live once more after being burned at the stake.

Stoker was giving off the aura of a man terrified to death, an emotion which didn't subside as he refused to tell them why he was carrying the corpses to the New Land, or America as she ought to call it now. As an encouragement she increased the grip she had on his arm.

"She'll break your arm if you don't talk soon. Madeleine gets cranky when people don't give me what I want." Ciel announced, his one eye seemingly uninterested in what was happening.

"Osiris!" Stoker practically shouted when she increased the pressure a little more. "It's a new company, they're developing some kind of drugs. That's all I know, I swear."

Madeleine looked at Ciel for further instructions. He remained stoic, only a slight inclination from his head showing her she should let go of the man. Although she released her grip she remained suspicious. What kind of company would want living dead?

"We… we're in the boiler room now. I'll get us through." The doctor said, swallowing as he looked at the two other adults in the company. It seemed as if he couldn't believe the innocent maid he had conversed with earlier was now within inches of cutting his life short should he make a wrong move.

After suffering the pose of the Phoenix - she was rather prepared to have the head of the person who invented that - they made their way to the elevator. She grew more and more tense, her wings itching to be released. She could almost feel the abominations crawling above their heads. A pang of worry for Sebastian shot through her, making her shake her head. She had no cause to be worrying for the demon. For her lover.

Hoping Ciel wouldn't notice the sudden blush that she was certainly sporting she made sure to remain close to the doctor in case something happened. At least she could be certain Grell wouldn't be on the ship, Sebastian would certainly have made mention of that person. But a Reaper was bad news in any case. She hoped they would be too busy doing their actual job instead of harassing her.

The ship groaned once more, this time with the added sound of iron being forced to bend against its will. Madeleine turned her head just as Ciel asked what was happening. The ship wall ripped like paper, water pouring in at an incredible speed. On instinct she wrapped a new shield around herself and her companions, though it was so thin compared to the ones she had made previously. Just enough to take the worst blunt of the crashing water.

She grabbed Ciel's hand, dragging the boy to her chest as the water closed above their heads for a moment. Fighting against the pressure she brought them both to their feet, holding her nephew close before he was washed away in the sudden current. A hatch started to close in front of them.

"Ciel!" Lizzy cried out, trying to run towards them in her soaked, heavy dress.

As Ciel started to move towards Lizzy, Madeleine made her choice. She delayed the hatch for a few seconds, giving them both the time to get back to the other side. There was no way she was letting her nephew die in these circumstances. Behind them Snake could be heard yelling.

As Ciel gave orders to Snake, Madeleine scooped up Lizzy in her arms. "This is no time for you to catch your death of pneumonia, you understand?" she asked the young lady she was holding in her arms.

Elizabeth threw her arms around her savior, shaking from cold. "Ciel, come with us!"

The water had soaked her maid clothes as well, though the cold wouldn't be as much of a problem for her as for the two children. Moving was hard in the circumstances though, the current making it hard for her to place her feet correctly. "The two of you, get rid of some of the wet clothes. We can't afford to be delayed."

Ciel nodded, at once taking of his vest. The young lady on the other hand refused, claiming she wanted Ciel to think of her as cute until the end. Madeleine got rid of her apron and the shredded remains of her stockings, giving Ciel the chance to argue with his fiance before she meddled. When both of them started to apologize for their behaviour she thought it prudent to step in. And the doctor had managed to disappear as well. With a bit of luck Snake would be keeping a close eye on him.

"Both of you, get moving now. I won't let anything happen to either of you."

Elizabeth was also part of her bloodline, although not of the direct male line. Not that it mattered now. If they were exposed to the cold water for too long they would both catch their deaths, and that was not what she was risking her afterlife for. "Right now the ship is sinking, which means we need to get out of this room and up. I don't know how long we have, so let's move."

She lifted both of them up to the air vents before lifting herself there as well. She couldn't sense anyone left alive in the boiler room, so she opted for following both of them. Though the vents were large enough for two children to pass through, the body of an adult woman proved to be more of a difficulty. Madeleine repressed another swear as her skirt snagged on something, and then again when Ciel kept coughing. They needed warm clothes for both of the children.

"Ack!" Ciel cried out when he fell through a grate that decided to pop open when he was leaning on it. The only reason Madeleine didn't freak out when he did was because she could sense a certain demonic aura in the room beneath them. Elizabeth followed Ciel in a more subdued manner, and then it was her turn.

Sebastian looked up at her with a smile, holding his hands up to help her down. She noted he looked a little frayed as if the battles had taken a toll on him. With a hop she landed in his arms, pressed close to his chest at once. She could not stop her heart from beating faster as he made the smile more intimate.

"I knew you could do it."

Ciel coughed, glaring at the demon that was being too familiar with his aunt. She was put down at once, reminding herself that Ciel shouldn't be brought up to point with anything she and Sebastian were doing. Things were getting mixed up enough as it was.

"Let's get the both of you to the lifeboats." Sebastian offered, informing Elizabeth of her parents and brother. "I'm sure tha-"

Madeleine felt the air swish in front of her nose as a chainsaw made its way through the wall. Looking to the side she could see a bored looking youth accompanied by someone in a familiar red coat. Her mouth twitched as she recognized one of the people she really hadn't wanted to see at all.

"Grell Sutcliff." Ciel almost spat the name.

"Sebastian, honey! It must be fate for us to meet here!" Grell almost swooned upon spotting the demon, sending all of the supposed adults in the room in a near stupor.

"A coincidence, I'm sure." Sebastian's tone betrayed almost nothing.

Grell at once blocked the door with his chainsaw. "How cold of you, my love. Must you really do this to me?"

"Can we get the kids out of here before we start with this nonsense?" Madeleine asked, prompting the youth in clapping his hands.

"That's what I always say. It's so hard working with a superior who slacks of all the time." He extended a hand to Madeleine, his unusual Scythe only slightly in the way. "I'm Ronald Knox by the way. You must be the infamous Madeleine. How would you feel about tea one day, when I'm not swamped with work?"

Out of reflex she accepted his hand, only to be pulled to him. He grabbed her close, stopping her from moving. "Now that I've immobilized your competition, could you just get on with fighting each other already? The invitation for tea is of course still standing."

Sebastian barely dodged Grell, sending the later flying to the porthole on the side of the room. "Shall we make things more interesting?"

The Reaper sliced the porthole in half, water once more pouring in.

"You're making the ship sink faster, you idiot!" Madeleine screamed as she saw Ciel and Lizzy pushed outside of the room by the current. She stomped on Knox's foot, making him release his hold on her. Before she had gotten far he grabbed hold of her hair.

"Things will really go along smoother if you don't interfere with us!" he told her, struggling to regain his hold over the angel.

But when the sound of screaming children could be heard from the hallway there was no stopping her. She grabbed the Reapers head, bending forward in order to throw him over her shoulder. He fell down in the ankle-deep water with a satisfying splash.

"Sebastian, get to Ciel!" she shouted, moving past the demon in the same movement. She saw the flutter of black cloth, indicating he had done as she wanted. She deflected Grell's Scythe with a shield, sending it in the floor where it drew a gaping rip. The water immediately sloshed down to lower levels.

Grell's head was flung to the side as Madeleine slapped him. The battle fell silent, Madeleine heaving as she locked eyes with the Reaper. "If you ever endanger him again, I will have your head."

The eyes of a Reaper were the eyes of death but at this moment nothing Grell did could scare her more than endangering the life of her beloved nephew. The imprint of her hand stood distinctly on his face, an angry mark against his pale skin. On the floor Knox whistled in surprise at seeing someone slapping sense in his superior.

Looking behind her she could see Lizzy pointing a sword at Grell as well, Sebastian having stopped her assault. If the girl had stabbed Grell she would have certainly noticed how the man wouldn't drop dead on the floor. Knox got up from the ground, squeezing water from his sleeve.

"If we don't get to the bottom of this soon, the boss is going to go ballistic. We're busy enough as it is. Let's get to the source of this."

Grell flushed an angry red at the remark. "But she slapped me! And I want to stay with Sebastian!"

"You can continue your date when we finish our job. We're on a schedule here!" Knox retorted, slashing a hole in the roof before he jumped up there.

Grell looked around the room, clearly angry that he had to retreat. "Don't worry, my dear Sebastian. Soon you'll be able to hold me in your arms. Don't die until I have the chance to paint you in the deepest of all red."

The two Reapers left, allowing Madeleine to check on Ciel. Lizzy was crying against his shoulder now, both of them surrounded by corpses that had been hacked to pieces. Though Madeleine didn't know why the young girl was so proficient with a blade she was grateful that she was.

"They said they're going straight to the source. Which means they'll be going after the doctor and Snake. We should hurry, he's no match for them."

Just as she said that Snake rounded the corner, jogging up to them while avoiding the bodies littering the hall. "The doctor escaped me a while ago. I'm sorry."

Sebastian picked up Ciel from the ground, the boy having sprained his ankle badly. "No matter now. First we must meet with the young lady's family. Follow me."

|Upper Deck|

"Elizabeth, thank goodness you're safe!" Elizabeth's older brother rushed to her side, pressing her against him in a hug. Her parents quickly followed, ascertaining their daughter was indeed safe.

Madeleine scanned the crowd. There were no dead people walking about here, but there was a fair deal of panic. Women and children were loaded in the lifeboats, most of them sobbing in a panic. She startled when Edward - Lizzy's brother - touched her elbow.

"You should get in the lifeboat as well, miss. Go with Ciel and my sister."

At once Ciel objected from his place in Sebastian's arms. "I will not be leaving this ship. I have a duty to her Majesty to find out what's happening here."

"This is too dangerous for a young boy. Get in that lifeboat, now!" Madeleine snapped. After all that had happened, now he still wanted to remain on the ship? Was this a foolhardy attempt at getting himself killed?

Ciel glanced at her coolly. "Sebastian, I do not wish to part from this ship just yet. Anyone who tries to forcibly remove me will be stopped, understood."

The demon glanced at her, almost looking sorry for obeying Ciel. "Yes, my Lord."

Elizabeth at once piped up that she wanted to remain with Ciel as well. In the blink of an eye Sebastian had incapacitated her, offering his apologies to her family. They all understood it would have been the only way to get their daughter to safety.

"Snake, you get in the boat in my place." Ciel commanded, after giving Madeleine a pensive look.

At once the man was startled. "What? But I can help you!"

"I need someone to take care of Lizzy. And you have your friends to take care of as well." Ciel replied, referring to the snakes. This Madeleine did understand; from all of the people Ciel had with them now, Snake was the only mortal one. If he got injured there was a chance he would not be saved.

Still the man shot her in inquisitive look. She shook her head, pointing to the boats. "My place is with Ciel. Someone has to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

After more urging Snake finally got in the boat, taking a gentle hold of Elizabeth as he did so. Miss Middleford refused to leave the ship until the very last, along with her husband and son. After bidding their goodbyes Madeleine followed Sebastian and Ciel back to the stairway.

"If they get their hands on the doctor before we do, then what?" Ciel asked as they descended the stairs. The ship had stopped its rocking movements, instead now beginning to tilt slightly upward. Madeleine's heart started to hammer in her chest when she realized how little time they had left.

"Not much. Reapers are forbidden to kill humans, although Grell has shown he has little problems with that rule. It seemed like they wanted him for information mostly." Madeleine growled, not pleased that Ciel was still here. But she could not very well wrestle him from Sebastian's arms, even though she would have liked trying.

"It would still be best if we arrived there before they do." Sebastian pointed out, taking long strides down the corridor. It seemed he knew the way to the doctor's cabin so Madeleine was content to follow him. She personally had no inkling where the man could have been located.

The occasional body sometimes jumped out at them, quickly disposed of by her. Nothing ever reached Sebastian while he was carrying her nephew. More often the dead bodies were of the non-moving kind, left where they had fallen by their killers. Some of them were stacked near doorways, others lying solitary. In one place a mother had her hands still folded around her child in protection. Madeleine reverted her eyes from the scene. The tender gesture seemed so grotesque in this place, surrounded by cruelty.

"What are we going to do when we find the doctor and his machine?" She asked as they rounded another corner.

Ciel thought it over for a second. "We use the machine and then destroy it. I doubt the dead will be able to remain moving after the ship sinks. As for the doctor… if he is still alive when this all is over, we find some way to silence him. Things like these are too attractive for those with an ill will."

They rounded another corner, suddenly confronted by Viscount Druitt who was directing men carrying a strange device. He looked at the arrived group with a smile. "Wonderful, an audience who can witness me as I become the ruler in a new world!"

You guys do read the manga right? Some comments made me realize that people might not have read the manga. It's still readable without, but I tend to skim over a lot of things because I've always assumed you all have read the manga. Gah, sorry about that. Also, a happy New Year to you!
I'm also looking forward to the next chapter since it'll reveal more about Undertaker and Madeleine's relationship that I once hinted at way back in the story. Such good times ahead!

CeruleanKiss, you spoil me with your reviews. No really, you do. You're the kind of reviewer most writers dream of. I hope you have had nothing but wonderful things since last time I heard of you =)

Nicole : Oh thank you. It's okay if you don't review, because I don't want to force people do to do, but it does make me happy hearing from my silent readers as well. I hope you have a very nice day!

For those of you that are still with me here and are interested in playing a dating sim for girls (aka otome game) there is a really good, free one called Halloween Otome. This has nothing to do with me wanting to write a fic about a certain wolf that appears in the story. No really. Fine, I'm a liar. I really want to write a fic with the wolf, you have no idea.
As always, when downloading things from the internet be sure to have a good firewall! I wouldn't want anything to happen your pc's and laptops and such.