Author's Note:I wanted to take a chance to thank Manake, Three Wicca Chick and Colleen for assistance with this particular chapter. I was worried about a portion of it and you guys were great about being honest with what you thought, I know it's tough but I appreciate it. I also want to take a chance to thank everyone who has been reviewing, I was shocked when I actually looked at the page count of this story, you guys have hung in here for 493 pages, single spaced. I'm honroed that you guys enjoy this piece as much as you do.


Chapter 52: The Knell

Silence, it was so quiet that it was possible to hear the pulse of each person in the room. Vincent's head spun as he looked at Lucius, Claude didn't remember Sebastian which meant he didn't even remember working at Noir. "2003?" asked Vincent slowly as he attempted to tame the chaos in his head, it wasn't working, thoughts began to rage on their own and the young lord ran a hand through his hair and tugged at the roots a little in an attempt to stop them. "Yes, he didn't know who Sebastian was," Lucius replied slowly, the news didn't seem to have taken a hold of the man either, not that he could blame him.

"What happened?" asked Diederich as Vincent attempted to adjust to the situation, his Head Chef, one of the best had just lost his memory. "Claude was taking out the trash when he was assaulted by a man with serious prejudice against Gays. He was punched and kicked a few times, before getting hit over the head with a bottle of wine. He passed out after that, at least that was according to William who I spoke to earlier," he explained. Vincent held up one of his hands as the other slipped over his eyes, long fingers gently rubbed the tension away in them. "How did William know?" he asked slowly. He knew he could trust the Sommelier but just wanted to be sure he wasn't harmed as well.

Lucius golden eyes floated over to the coffee table and he wrung his hands, "William and Ronald found Claude, they didn't tell Sebastian they had. Ronald pulled the assailant off of Claude and called for the ambulance," he explained. Vincent felt more irritated than before; he wanted to have crews canvassing the streets, reminding others that people weren't allowed to touch what was his. As far as he was concerned all the staff at the restaurant belonged to him, he had hired them and they were now under his protection.

He was snapped out of his musings when a deep voice beside him asked, "Injuries?" Vincent looked up to see Diederich looking at Lucius intently; his icy blue eyes were firm and seemed to freeze over. "Other than a concussion, he has fractured ribs, several bruises and his hands were sliced apart when he fell on glass. His fingers aren't broken," Lucius replied softly, guilt colored his voice and he stared at the crest fallen man sitting across from him. Lucius Faustus wasn't a man who was described as weak, and yet here he sat, lost, tired and worried about his son.

The doors of Vincent's study opened rousing the attention of the room's inhabitants. Tanaka smiled gently as he pushed a cart with both coffee and tea on it into the room. There was fruit and oddly scones on it as well. The trolley was silent as the elderly butler pushed it into the room. The Japanese butler poured a cup of tea for Vincent and then another for Diederich. He paused and looked at Lucius, "Coffee or tea?" Lucius smiled a little and replied, "Coffee, no nonsense." Vincent smiled a little; Tanaka always seemed to know what people needed, even before being asked. It was this quality which made him honestly indispensable, "Thank you, Tanaka," Vincent said with an air of sincerity. Tanaka bowed after handing the room's inhabitants their drinks and went to leave, "Stay, you may be able to assist us," said Vincent smoothly before lifting the cup to his lips. The scent of Earl Gray caressed his nose as he relished it's warmth and the familiar comfort that accompanied it.

"Of course, my lord," replied Tanaka stiffly. Lucius hummed as he held the cup in his hands, his golden eyes were locked on the black liquid inside of it. "Lucius, we will work this out and catch who ever did this to your son," Vincent stated. Lucius didn't move he simply swept his fingers around the rim of the cup before placing it on the table. He looked up from it, his eyes narrowed, "That isn't the issue, the issue is Britain is becoming unstable and you know it. Even if you keep the demons at bay, this show and the results have caused a great deal of trouble," he stated. Vincent was taken aback, he expected the man to be more emotional and worry about his son. "Currently none of your staff is safe, and we don't know what was on those servers," Lucius said simply.

Vincent froze, he hadn't mentioned the servers to Lucius and his eyes narrowed, he had buried the incident no one could ever know just what happened that day on the docks. "How?" asked Vincent as he straightened up. Lucius sat up and looked at them, his golden eyes met Vincent's chocolates before replying, "You're not the only one with contacts in the Underworld, Vincent. I know there were servers and I also know they were encrypted, something tells me there is more to this than either of us know."

There was always more to the puzzle, Vincent knew that the moment Angela Blanc had stepped onto his shore and demanded attention. The very second she set up shop, he knew there was more, there always was. "You are probably right, however we need to focus on protecting your son, Sebastian and the rest of Noir's staff," he explained as he made a mental note to have Diederich do a little more digging in Sebastian's life. There was far more to this than even he knew. He slowly looked over to Tanaka, who stood poised as always, awaiting another order. "Tanaka, please check on Rachel," he said after a moment. He didn't like her waking up alone, but knew he had to attend to this. Tanaka was about to leave when Rachel slipped into the room. "No need," she chirped as she strode toward Vincent. She was wearing a beautiful white sundress, with black shoes and a belt around her waist.

She wrapped her arms around Vincent and kissed his cheek, "Good morning," she greeted before looking at Lucius and flashing a smile. Vincent hummed as he placed a hand on one of her small arms, "I have a doctor's appointment this morning," she said briskly. Vincent tensed, he knew her results were positive and now it was a matter of treatment, the risk of losing her tore his soul apart. "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked as he gently squeezed her arm. He relished the feeling of her soft skin and the scent of her perfume. "No dear, I'm taking Ciel," she replied before pulling away. Vincent looked at her tenderly, her sapphire blue eyes were aglow and her beautiful auburn hair was curled around her. "Alright, just be safe," he whispered as he took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles, "I love you," he continued with a smile.

Rachel chuckled as she slipped her hand out of his grasp, "I know, and I love you two," she chimed before spinning on her toe, causing her dress to float a little. As quick as she had come, she left leaving Vincent with a rather dangerous emotion, concern. "Diederich, have extra security on her today," he said softly as he turned his head and looked at his lover. Diederich nodded and quickly pulled out his mobile, he had a horrible feeling about the day, he just wasn't sure what would go wrong. "So what do we do?" asked Lucius after a moment causing Vincent to smile.

"We put him in the kitchen and pray Sebastian can break that iron box holding his memories," replied Vincent, it was all they could do for Claude. As for the assault which had occurred, he had a feeling there was more to that than what met the eye and was going to investigate it himself. He slowly looked outside, he still couldn't shake the feeling of something going wrong.

~~xXx~~

Finnian slowly wandered down the stairs of the Châteaux, he had finished unpacking his bag and decided to freshen up a little after the long flight. He turned the corner to find Lizzie sitting in a chair in the living room with a pencil between her fingers and a pad of paper on her lap. "Eric is looking for you, meet him by the Smasher," she instructed as she jabbed the pencil in the general direction of the Smasher. Finnian sighed as he walked out of the house, Napa was nothing like England, it was brighter and hotter, two things he wasn't used to. Finnian began to make his way over to the large round drum with a gear on the side, standing beside it was Eric. He was still dressed in jeans and a tee shirt.

"I hope the room is good enough," he remarked off handedly as he flickered through the pages on the clipboard. He made several notes on the pages with a black pen and then shoved them back at one of the hands. "It is, thank you," replied Finnian nervously. He still wasn't sure how to act around this man. One moment he was fine and polished and the next he was covered in dirt and cursing like a sailor. "Good," he said gruffly as he slipped his pen back in his pocket and turned his attention to Finnian. "Now what do you know about Vine culture?" he asked.

Finnian looked at him in confusion, "What?" he asked causing Eric to sigh and run his hand through his hair, "Thought so, okay follow me and I'll introduce you to Terry," he explained. He walked out to the back and Finnian noticed the same truck from the day before parked there with a young man standing beside it, his hair had clearly been bleached by the sun and he had a heavy tan. "Who's this?" he asked curiously and tilted his head. Finnian looked at the young man who was wearing a pair of worn denim and a rather old tee. His boots were dusted and he was wearing a old Mets baseball cap. "Terry, Finnian. Finnian, Terry," Eric said as he gestured to them. Terry nodded a little and Finnian asked, "Why is he named Terry?"

The man grits his teeth and Eric chuckled, "Terry, why don't you explain," he commented before his mobile rang. With ease the slick device was out of his pocket and in his hand, "Looks like you have him to yourself," he remarked as he rapidly typed a message, "Oh and Terry, make sure the kid doesn't get lost, Lizzie would kill me. She already had me sleeping on the sofa in my office," he complained. Finnian's eyes bulged and his jaw went slack, Lizzie was Ciel's former fiancée, he couldn't believe that she was actually sleeping with Eric. Terry clapped Finnian on the back and commanded, "Come on kid, I've got a ton to do and until sundown to do it," he remarked before jumping in the cab. Finnian nodded and slipped inside, still rather shell shocked after hearing Eric and Lizzie were together.

Terry quickly pulled out of the spot and sped down the dusty road, "So kid, what are you doing here?" he asked abruptly as the radio began blaring. Finnian looked at the interface and wondered if it was normal for American to listen to music, drive and hold a conversation; then again they seemed to be very keen on multi-tasking. "I have no idea, I was sent here by my boss," he replied. Terry shrugged, he seemed to accept the answer, or at least Finnian hoped he did and wasn't just asking to not seem rude. "How long have they?" asked Finnain after a moment, he couldn't get the image of Lizzie with Eric out of his head, the two were night and day.

Terrir glanced over at him, his brown eyes were nearly black and a smile curved his lips. "Eric has been in love with that girl for years, ever since she came out here the first time, he was crushed when she left," he explained before turning his attention to the road. Finnian was quiet, he didn't know Lizzie had been to the States, as far as he was concerned she had been to Europe. "Wait, first time? When was she here last?" he asked curiously. Terry hummed and tapped his thumb for a moment, "2003, but she was in New York then, so was Eric," he explained.

"New York?" he asked hesitantly, Mei-rin was there working on a big project, which naturally she wasn't telling anyone about. He watched the world fly, "Yup," replied Terry, the p at the end popped loudly, "That was when they were working at Fox Leap, owned by Harold Knox," he replied.

Finnian's head whipped around, there was no way that was a coincidence that there would be two New Yorkers with the same last name. "Knox, like Ronald Knox?" he asked. Terry chuckled, his shoulders shook a little and a smile curled his lips. "So you know the prodigal son? Ronald is the heir to Fox Leap, New York's finest winery with a reputation in a half, hell their Chardonnay schooled ours," he explained. Finnain slouched into the seat, he had no idea Ronald was actually from a wealthy family, a winery owner. Ronald was always care free and young, he wasn't the type, or at least he didn't think he was. "Wow, I never knew," he whispered in awe, it was then he realized how little he knew about them.

They were all a mystery to him, he knew their names and appearances but nothing else. It was strange to imagine them in this light, one which was warmer than the essence of Ciel and the darkness of the dreary streets of London. "Anyway, Lizzie and Eric met in New York and hit it off, he was in deep man. She left at the end of the summer and didn't return. Oddly Eric hadn't been interested in wineries until recently," he explained. Finnian looked at Terry curiously, he knew it was impossible to simply roll out of bed and want to own a winery, years of planning went into them, everything from barrels and crushers to grapes, vines and hired hands were hired and this took years to do.

Terry made a turn, Finnain was about to ask a question when he was met by a sea of green in the middle of the parched valley under the searing Napa sun. Rows of long vines covered the landscape, life in a desolate place. His hazel eyes widened as he looked at the land before him, rolling hills covered in a sea of green. "My god," he whispered. Terry chuckled and remarked, "Welcome to the Vineyards, most people call this placed Eden," he replied. Finnian glanced over at the speedometer and noticed that he Terry was slowing down. Among the vines Finnian noticed workers moving about and posts as well as wires training the vines.

Terry came to a stop and quickly put the truck in park, "Okay I'm going to teach you about the vines, these happen to be 20 years old, they came with the land and we maintain them," he began as he jumped out of the truck and walked around to the back of it. Finnian followed diligently as Terry opened the back and jumped into the bed. "Vines can live for hundreds of years, the oldest vine is in Slovinia it's approximately 400 years old," he explained. Finnian stared at Terry in confusion, "What?" he asked. He had never heard of any plant living that long, "Does it produce fruit?" Terry chuckled as he grabbed two pairs of gloves and a heavy plastic tool box. "Of course, it's the natural order of things. Vines are mysterious plants, as long as you maintain them they will always produce fruit. Vines which are older than 15 years old and stamped with 'Old Vine,' or OV, Eric will get into that," he said simply.

Terry held the large box out to Finnian and smiled, "Look, I don't know what your boss wants out of you, but mine wants me to teach you about the vines. Something about it being a favor for Will," he explained before walking off. Finnian was quick to trot after him and asked, "William T. Spears?" Terry stopped in his tracks and wheeled around so quickly Finnian swore he felt a breeze. "You know him?" he asked, his eyes shining with wonder, his small hands gripped Finnian's arms tightly. Finnian scratched his head, lifting his hat up a little as he did so. "Yeah, he works at the restaurant, he's the Sommelier. Why?" he asked. Terry's grip increased, it was like iron and Finnian honestly thought it was possible to feel the bruises forming on his skin.

"Do you know who he is? He's one of the best literally; he's in the top five of the world! He's the most sought after Sommelier!" he shouted frantically. Finnian blinked owlishly before proceeding to nod. "Now I get it," he said as he lowered his hands, "Listen kid, and listen good, I'm going to teach you everything I know about these vines and the wines that come out of this valley so you better pay attention, cause a chance like this only comes once," he stated.

Finnian was even more confused than before and made note to find out who Ronald and William really where, from Terry's reaction they were far more than anyone in Noir knew. "Eric said you grew produce so you understand terms like pruning and irrigation, so I'm not going to take it easy, wait till I'm done talking to ask questions and you have to do everything I tell you as I tell you to do it," stated Terry as he held out his hand. "Got it?" he asked gruffly.

Finnian looked at the man's outstretched hand and replied, "Yeah, just one question." Terry clasped Finnian's hand as the petite blonde put it in his. "Anything," said Terry brightly. Finnian tilted his head to the side and asked, "Why do they call you Terry?"

Terry froze and looked a little uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his neck, a bright red blush crept up his neck and Finnian had a feeling that what ever the reason it was an amusing one. "Let's just say Scottish Terriers and I don't get along," he said before coughing into his hand and turning abruptly. Finnian called, "What? What happened? Terriers are tiny!" Terry groaned as he raked a hand over his face and replied, "I got attacked by one, I'm terrified of them." Finnian stared at the man in shock, he was calloused, covered in muscle and looked like a force to be reckoned with, yet he was afraid of a small dog. "It was a very traumatic experience I was five," he defended. Finnian was turning red as he attempted to suppress his laughter, and amused smile curved his lips as he chocked down the giggles. "No way," he shouted. Terry shook his head and continued to walk away. "They call you Terry because of it? What's your real name?" he asked. Terry growled, "Terry, apparently it mean's 'People's ruler', even if I'm terrified of Terriers." Finnian held his sides as he erupted into a fit of laughter, "So Terry is terrified of Terriers?" he asked. Terry glared at him angrily and mumbled something along the lines of "Insolent brat."

~~xXx~~

The restaurant was silent as the door slowly opened, the day was beginning and after the incident of the night before it was clear that Noir was in need of back up. It was different being in the place before the lights were on and the show began, Agni slipped inside and stuffed the keys back into his jacket pocket, Soma was at a clients office as they set up a reception to be held at Noir. Agni groaned he was put on damage control, since Claude had been injured Soma and himself had spent a bulk of their time moving parties and events as well as calling up regulars to tell them what had happened to the Head Chef. A number of VIPs were upset that such a thing happened and were even more upset with the fact that the security of Noir wasn't as high as they perceived it to be. In truth it was very strict for a restaurant and Vincent had spared no expense putting it in, but it wasn't enough with the number of people that had been camping outside of it.

The sound of droplets falling was music to Agni's ears as he looked over at the elegant wall of water. At first he thought it was rather precocious of the designer to put it in, but later understood it's purpose, it was to soothe guests and make them relax just a little more. His footsteps echoed in the empty building as he walked behind the reception desk and turned on the tabletop. It need a few minutes to start and he wanted to start looking over the alterations Soma was sending it. So much had happened since the day Sebastian had arrived, it was as though when the Patissier did so did the storm, the one that had been brewing off the shore for years had hit them. Angi's fingers glided across the screen with ease as he opened the books and looked over the names on each file.

Most people considered all of these changes progress, where as Agni considered them chaos. He disliked the craziness of the neat lifestyle he once had or that fact that Vincent was far more enigmatic than Ciel, the nobleman had left nearly everything to him and asked Agni to contact him if something damaging occurred. For the first time since he was hired, he was actually being allowed to do his job. He continued tapping away on the screen, part of him ached he still had the note stuffed in his desk, it didn't seem to matter if he had stolen it or not, they were together even if Claude couldn't remember.

Agni's hands paused and he looked at the list of people who would be disappointed that the chef wasn't present, hundreds of reservations turned away. "What the hell will happen now?" he asked slowly as he stepped back and looked at the list of reservations. Before he could say more the door opened to the restaurant, a blinding white light flooded the dark space making him hiss. Standing in the mist of it were four figures, he squinted as the four people slipped in and the lights flickered on. Standing in the foyer were William, Ronald, Sebastian and the last person he ever expected to see in Noir, standing in a white jacket with dark blue jeans and a pair of trainers with a knife bag in tow was none other than Ash.

Agni's eyes darted around the group, "Call them back and tell them Ash Landers, Sebastian Michaelis and Claude Faustus will be in the back tonight," said William with a smirk. Agni's head spun as he began grappling for the phone, "What?" asked Agni as he gaped at the group of men, he would have been told of this, "I need to speak with the Earl and get," Agni began only for Ronald to quirk a brow and cross his arms. "Agni, who is the manager?" asked Ronald briskly as he looked at the man over the rims of his glasses.

"I am," replied Agni in confusion, only making the blonde grin, his green eyes sparkled with mischief as he did so. "Then you don't have to worry about it, you're the manager and you can do what you want. Besides we called Vincent and he approved it," Ronald stated simply before kissing William on the cheek, "I'm off to see who's on tonight, I don't need chaos on my floor, it's such a pain in the ass to mop up." Agni couldn't seem to get his limbs to work as he looked at them, his mind was in overdrive as he attempted to understand just what had walked in. Ash looked very different from the competition, short hair and far more relaxed, he also had the same look on his face as Sebastian. "Well?" asked William as he adjusted his glasses with his long fingers.

"Well what?" asked Agni after a moment, finally snapping out of his stupor. "Are you going to call them, or shall I?" asked William harshly, his eyes narrowed and Agni clenched his fingers into a fist. "No, Soma will do so, it's his job," he stated briskly, "I have to make sure all the trucks come in and take care of the announcement." In a flash he was on his mobile, Soma was probably still with a client but knew to answer his call no matter what, in two rings the Concierge answered.

"Soma, don't turn them away, the cavalry has arrived," he stated. Soma paused and he heard the young man speaking rapidly to the client. "What kind of cavalry?" he asked hesitantly. Agni watched as the three men vanished into the back, "Ash Landers, Sebastian Micahelis and Claude Faustus will be in the kitchen tonight," he replied.

There was a loud crash on the other end making Agni jump and asked quickly, "Soma are you okay?" There was mumbling on the other end, it sounded more sinister than it did good and part of him wondered if it really was a good idea for them to do this. "Agni, I'm fine, they just asked if they can book a larger party. Apparently they want a chance to taste their work, something about having three masters in one kitchen," Soma replied. Agni's jaw dropped, he didn't think this would be this big, "Sure, how many?" he asked. There was more chatting before Soma replied, "The original number was 10 but it's now 20."

Agni paled as he looked at the screen before him and made the reservation, "Name?" Agni asked. "Clause, John Clause," Soma replied. Agni nodded and quickly finished the booking, "Soma I have to get to work on altering info, contact everyone and tell them what's going on. I need to make sure Claude's got everything he needs before he arrives," he stated quickly.

The world was flying by as he ran to get trucks in and make sure everything for the menus was in, part of him was nervous about Claude being in the kitchen since he didn't remember anything but another part told him that with both Sebastian and Ash nothing major would go wrong. Agni entered his office and opened the drawer of his desk only to find Claude's note. He gently picked it up and read it again, "Ingredients and just ingredients until someone comes along and makes them into something more. Memories, passion and a little magic is all it takes to craft a wonderful treat," it read.

Agni looked at the crinkled page, at the time he hadn't wanted Sebastian to stay for fear it would cause tension in the work place, and yet no matter what he did tension seemed to be the result. He slipped the note back into the drawer and picked up the handset, he had to do everything he could to ensure that tonight would be as smooth as glass.

~~xXx~~

Rachel smiled as she looked at Ciel who had decided to drive her to her appointment in a silver Volvo he had purchased. Even though Ciel had gotten in trouble recently she couldn't find it in her heart to be mad at him. She even wondered if it was actually her fault as to why Ciel had turned out the way he had. If she had been home more and if Vincent spent more time with him, perhaps he wouldn't have done the things he had. She wrapped her arms around herself, "Cold?" asked Ciel gently as he reached over and adjusted the temperature in the car. A blast of warm air hit her skin, yet she still felt ice cold, "Better," she said sweetly. She didn't want to worry him, he had been through enough and she knew it. Besides this visit would only be bad news, there was nothing good that could possibly come out of this and she knew it.

Rachel leaned her arm on the side of the car and leaned on her palm as she watched the city slowly roll by. London was busy as always, it was the morning and everyone was working to get to work on time. So many people, so many lives, and all of them some how impacting one another, it was amazing to her that some how one person missing from the world some how affected the rest. "Mom?" asked Ciel gently as he placed a hand on her arm. She looked over at him and noticed his brow was furrowed making her smile, he looked like his father when ever it did.

"I heard you were looking at going back to college," she said softly. Ciel sighed and tapped the wheel with his thumb, "Yeah, well that was before, I just want to get through this punishment first," he stated. Rachel nodded, even if she hated doing it, she knew Ciel needed to be punished from his actions and she saw Vincent's actions as just. "What major?" she asked. Ciel had graduated top of his class with an MBA but she had a feeling this time he would chase a very different path. Ciel shrugged and replied, "I'm not sure, I just feel like I need to go back."

Rachel smiled at that, she knew why, it was because Ciel never had a chance to be a teenager or a young man, he was always living up to the impossibly high standards of their name. After she had been diagnosed with cancer even his childhood had gone up in smoke as his parents ran around the globe looking for a cure. Only for them to discover that time waits for no one and every dept had to be paid. "I understand, just this time, pick something you enjoy," she suggested, "like Literature or even Political Science." Ciel hummed as he came to a stop at the light.

"Mom, I know I disappointed you, and I was upset with dad," he said softly, "Do you think he knows I love him?" Rachel chuckled as she patted Ciel on the shoulder, "Honey, you were in shock and I would be two if I learned what you did last night," she commented. Ciel turned bright red and huffed, "He loves you very much, which is why he is doing what he is," she continued. Ciel seemed to relax and she watched as a small smile appeared on his face. The light switched to green and Ciel gently hit the gas, the car entered the box only for a loud blaring of a horn. Rachel was confused until there was the sound of breaking glass and the crushing of metal. "MOM!" screamed Ciel as the world went black.

~~xXx~~

The waters had finally receded as consciousness began to flood back to Claude, the bright lights of the hospital and the stench of disinfectant assaulted him as he opened his eyes. The room was still and he noticed he wasn't hooked up to machines anymore or even an IV, the nurses must have removed them while he slept. Claude slowly turned his head and noticed his father was curled up rather uncomfortably in the chair at his bed side. The man's once pristine slacks were wrinkled and his hair was even more unkempt than the night before. "Dad?" Claude croaked, his throat was dry and he felt as though he had shoved cotton balls in it. Lucius snapped to attention, his golden eyes were filled with worry and love as he turned to his son. "Claude," his father breathed as a warm smile appeared on his face, making him look younger than Claude had ever seen him.

Lucius gently lifted his hand and ran his fingers through Claude's black hair, "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, concern coloring his voice. Claude stared at his father as though he had lost it, he was still struggling to believe that his father had come back into his life. Lucius' touch was light and soothing, yet he found himself yearning for someone else's touch. It was strange, he felt as though someone was missing, even if his father was present. "Okay, my head hurts a little," he replied slowly.

Claude watched intently as Lucius' form sagged slightly and the tension left his face, he looked kinder than he had in years. The man before him was no longer the hardened CEO who had little time for him, but the tender and gentle father he yearned for him. His heart ached at the thought of his father being like this, he always wanted Lucius' love and approval. "Okay, would you like me to get a doctor?" he asked after a moment. Claude stared at the stranger before him, this man wasn't the one he remembered, "No," he replied hesitantly. Lucius nodded and gently took one of Claude's hands in his own.

"Alright, I have some people I want to introduce you to," he began as his fingers wrapped around Claude's. Years ago Lucius' hands would have swallowed Claude's but now they were just about the same size. The last time Lucius had held his hand willingly was when he was six and they had gone to Coney Island. It had been years since then, "You don't have to see them if you aren't comfortable with it, but I would like you to meet them," Lucius said softly, his eyes never leaving Claude's. They were searching, searching for a spark of who he might have been now, rather than the memory which seemed to be occupying the space.

Claude hummed as he eyed the door nervously, he knew he hadn't been married since there wasn't a ring in his possessions, and clearly wasn't engaged since there wasn't a woman present when he woke. The face of the Patissier came to mind but he ushered it away, he still couldn't fathom why the man had nearly broken down before him, all he knew was that he didn't like it. These people must have been acquaintances of his, or business partners, "Sure," he said simply as he watched a pair of men step out of the hallway into his room.

Standing in the doorway was a rather tall and trim man, with chocolate brown eyes and black hair which was several shades lighter than usual, it was so light in fact that the color appeared to be more slate than black. He had soft but powerful features and a tear drop mole under his left eye. He was clad in a navy blue suit with a crisp silver tie, and Claude noticed several rings on his hands, a lordship ring, a crest and finally a wedding band. His eyes shifted to the man hovering behind the first, he was taller with broad shoulders and dark brown hair, he had a pair of intense blue eyes and a square jaw. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and no tie. Like the first he was wearing a lordship ring, however there weren't any others.

"Claude, I would like you to meet Lord Vincent Phantomhive, Earl of Oxford and Lord Diederich von Wolfstad, a German noble," Lucius explained. The young lord with slate blue hair stepped into the room, "I'm Vincent, your employer. I own Noir, and you happen to be my Head Chef," he said with a soft smile, it was warm and looked beautiful. Claude nodded a little, clearly this man was every woman's dream of a prince. Claude looked at the pair before him, something was very off, his father didn't usually have business partners or clients of such a high status. "Pleasure," Claude said simply as he looked at the man curiously, he wasn't sure what was going on. Vincent hummed as he looked at Diederich and asked, "Dee are you going to stand in the doorway all day, or come in?"

The German sighed with a hint of defeat, obviously regardless of the circumstance Vincent got his way. Claude watched at the massive German stood behind Vincent, only for the noble to tip his head back and look up at him. "Dee, we talked about this, beside me, not behind," he said with a grin. Diederich nodded and shifted so he was standing beside Vincent, "Now, I spoke with your doctors and they have released you to work. You passed the neurological tests, all of them except your autobiographical memory of the last 11 years," he said simply, "Naturally they want someone to be with you at all times, for safety purposes. Now naturally your father, Lucius, has volunteered, however I was approached by another individual who was interested."

Claude stared at Vincent, he understood why his father wanted to look after him, even if they didn't see eye to eye, they were still family. "Who's the other person?" asked Claude after a moment, as far as he knew, other than Ronald and William he had no other friends. He paused, the patissier had claimed to be a friend but something felt wrong with his proclamation. "Remember the patssier who was here?" asked Vincent curiously. Claude nodded as he remembered the man's striking red eyes, it was impossible to forget them, they were so unique he had found them fascinating. "He asked to care for you, since he has known you here and worked with you," explained Vincent.

Claude's head snapped up and he looked over to see the familiar Patssier in the doorway, even though he was smiling, Claude could tell the man wanted to cry. His crimson eyes were filled with pain and sadness, "Hi," he said softly as he stepped into the room, he made no sound as he did this. The patissier was slender and moved with such grace that even Vincent's movements seemed brutish. "Hello," Claude greeted, which caused the man to smile a little more. "I'm Sebastian, Sebastian Micahelis," he said gingerly as though he were approaching a frightened child.

"Sebastian?" asked Claude, tasting the name as he said it; something about it was familiar, something important. He shook his head when he remembered the man before him was a coworker. There was a spark in those crimson orbs as a smile of joy appeared on his face, he looked beyond words at that moment as he nodded, "Yes," he said happily. Claude could tell the man before him was gentle, sweet and tender, part of him wondered just how the man before him had managed to survive the fires of the kitchen. "Why did you volunteer?" asked Claude curiously as he looked at the man's black jacket which had the name Noir on the chest pocket.

Sebastian hummed and slipped his hands in his pockets as he looked at his shoes. "Well, I figured since Lucius cut off contact with you 11 years ago and we had grown close as friends, that and I'm kind of living in your flat with you, that I would be ideal," he replied. Claude studied the Patissier, everything he had said to that point sounded true and none of Sebastian's body language argued otherwise, "Why? Why were we flat mates?" asked Claude. Sebastian tensed and he lifted his eyes from the floor, "Bad break up, my ex wasn't the best," he said softly as he looked away and wrapped his arms around himself. Claude felt a stab of pain, the chef was gentle, who ever hurt him, did so deeply. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Diederich look sad at this statement, it was the first time since the conversation began that an expression had crossed his face.

"I see, well I'd hate to kick you out, so I guess I'll live with you. Dad what if you moved into the building?" asked Claude curiously. He wanted his father close by in case he needed him. Lucius smiled and replied, "You have two guest rooms, Sebastian is in one of them, I can take the other if you want." Claude nodded enthusiastically at the notion, as much as he liked Sebastian he felt as though something was off, his instincts were trying to tell him something but nothing was making sense. "What a wonderful idea, Lucius I can have some of my people move your things if you like," Vincent stated as he clapped his hands, he was chipper and seemed rather happy about the arrangement. Lucius nodded, "That would be very helpful, thank you," he replied.

Diederich held out a black garment bag with the word Noir in script on it, "You'll need this for work," said Diederich simply. Claude slowly reached out and touched the black cover, in moments the zipper was down and he was looking at a beautiful black jacket with Noir on the front as well as C. Faustus, Head Chef in script. He peeled the black bag back and stared at the emblems of both the CIA and Le Cordon Bleu on either sleeve. His eyes widened as he looked to his father quickly. "Top of your class," Lucius beamed. Claude found it hard to believe that he was a Head Chef and had attended his two dream schools but accepted it. He slowly ran his fingers over the embroidery work and looked up at Sebastian, who once again looked rather sad.

Sebastian looked at Vincent, "I contacted Ash Landers, he will be assisting as well tonight. He knows what happened to Cladue and would be more than happy to aid us," Sebastian explained. Claude's eyes widened and before he could even think of a protest Vincent smiled at Sebastian, "Wonderful idea, I'm sure Ash would be very helpful," he mused before slowly turning to leave. He glided across the floor and threw a smile before calling over his shoulder, "Good luck and take it easy Claude." The Head Chef nodded and looked at Lucius who seemed thrilled to be in the same room as him.

~~xXx~~

The lift came to a stop at their floor, the metal door slid open and Vincent quickly slipped into it. Hospitals always made him edgy, so few things had come out of them for him. The only good thing which had ever left the hospital was Ciel, other than that it was a place of pain and omen for him. "Dee when is Rachel's appointment finished?" he asked curiously. Diederich looked at his watch and replied, "Now, why?" Vincent smiled a little as he looked at his feet nervously, "How about lunch together before work?" he asked. It was already getting late and he knew it. The left dinged and the door slid open to show the flooded and busy emergency room. Doctors were running back and forth, nurses were shuffling and people were shouting orders, the patients were screaming and the scent of blood and cleaners hit his nose.

Diedierch nodded when Vincent's phone went off, a nurse glared at him on her way through. Naturally he ignored her and lifted the device to his ear, "Hello, this is Doctor Fergus, Rachel didn't come to her appointment, I was wondering if she wanted to reschedule," said a deep voice on the other side.

Vincent stopped dead in his tracks, his heart was pounding and he could hear it in his ears. "What?" he asked softly, as he paled. "You didn't know? She isn't usually one to forget," commented Fergus. Vincent looked at Diederich with fear in his eyes, "No, my son was driving her, are you sure they didn't call you?" he asked quickly as Diederich pulled out his mobile to call Ciel. Vincent's grip on the phone increased, "No, I checked and she didn't leave one," he replied.

Vincent was about to yell at the man when the doors of the ER slid open, it was loud and he heard an ENT shouting, the words seemed to fade when he caught a glimpse of chestnut brown hair and a familiar golden band. Vincent felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach as he watched a team of doctors and surgeons surround his wife, "Vincent?" asked the man on the other line. The phone crashed to the floor as Vincent stared at the surgeons in blue scrubs chasing the stretcher. His feet carried him toward her only for him to be grabbed by an orderly, "Sir you can't go in there," he barked.

Vincent fought against the man's iron grip, "That's my wife and my son! Please I have to see her!" he shouted in agony. Yet this only caused the orderly to increase his grip, "LET ME GO I HAVE TO SEE MY WIFE AND SON!" he screamed as he fought the man. He squirmed and shouted in an attempt to reach her. After a moment he had finally freed himself from the orderly and sprinted after the stretcher. He rounded the corner, sliding across it as he did so, not carrying who saw him. His heart was pounding as the world spun, he wasn't ready, he couldn't let her go, he finally was happy.

"RACHEL, CIEL!" he cried in agony, only for one of the surgeons to leave the group. "Sir?" asked the man in a mask as he jogged over, Vincent was still running only to find the Surgeon grabbing him. "Please, my wife she's dying," he begged as he fought the strong arms of the surgeon who smelt of disinfectant. "Sir, you can't go in there, we will do everything we can to help her," he said. Vincent shook his head and shouted, "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND SHE HAS CANCER!" His voice echoed through the hall like a knell, "Please, I don't want them to leave me, they can't!" he shouted, "I haven't told Ciel I loved him!"

The surgeon shouted over his shoulder, "I need sedative!" Vincent continued to struggle, logic and reason was gone, he had to see her before she left him. He continued fighting he was going to rip the doors off the operating room if he had to. Vaguely he felt a prick as he forced himself out of the surgeon's hands. In a breath he was standing outside the doors looking through the glass at the woman he married. Her entire side was crushed; she was covered in glass, blood and gashes. His eyes welled with tears as he pressed a hand against the glass. "Rachel," he whispered as tears fell unbidden down his cheeks and the warmth of his body abandoned him. A sinister chill seeped into his skin and he felt his blood go cold, "No," he whimpered.

The world was crashing around him as he felt it spin, "Where's Ciel?" he began panicking, "Where is my son!" he shouted. He turned to the surgeon, "He was in the car, where is he!" he shouted. His head was swimming, "He didn't get a full dose," said a nurse quickly as a pair of familiar strong arms wrapped around him, which was accompanied by a familiar scent. He felt another prick, "Where is my son!" he shouted as he felt his head get heavy and the world fade.

"Vincent," called the voice, it was strange how distant it sounded even though he was so close. Darkness came as he felt himself falling to the floor, "I've got you," it whispered before he began to drift away.


Review Replies:

Courtney: Oh believe me Ciel's going to be interesting when he gets a taste of the real Lizzie. She's quite something isn't she? Don't worry you'll see a ton of her in the prequel "Bottle Shock," and trust me she's going to remind you just what kind of girl she is. VP, well just wait until you find out who they are, believe me it's a shock. A tracking device? Well you'll have to get in line for the injection, lol Claude might get a tiny bit iritated. A jealous Claude can be cute... Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you can't wait for more.

Anonymous: Thank you for your review, I know it's tough to think about a sad Ronald, but you'll see him in "Bottle Shock," as for this one don't worry he will be a source of Sebastian's strength. Ash is quite the man in the up coming chapters, he's an interesting character and I was really worried about how people would see him. I'm glad you like him, for a while people hated him.

Bittersweetness: Mei-Rin, oh believe me she's going to be as fun as Lizzie. The threesome, I honestly wanted something hot and they seemed the most open for it. Besides, Vincent is the kind of guy who isn't afraid to experiment as long as he wins. Thank you for reviewing and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

Audrey: You make a wonderful point, but when you think about it, they are all family in this little world I have created. Ash is an interesting character and personally I think he has grown a great deal since I introduced him. I'm pleased that you like the characters having been in similar situations. I know it's strange for characters in th same series to have lost their memory but I think it will show a side of them which isn't usually seen. I'm honored that you enjoy my work to such a degree and thank you for taking the time to review, not everyone does.