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—
While Undertaker set about his mission, Sebastian continued his own….taking care of Ciel.
Day by day, the bluenette seemed to be teetering on the verge of a recovery.
Ciel's skills slowly improved at the memory games and practice assessments.
Sebastian was no longer awakened by Ciel standing in the middle of the night to wander off into danger.
But Ciel remained unusually fatigued, even after a long night's rest, and she still looked at Sebastian with a hazy stare sometimes.
One evening, Sebastian brought Ciel a late night snack of pudding while she sat in bed.
Ciel blinked when she saw Sebastian frown as he served her the treat.
"Is something the matter, Sebastian?" Ciel asked.
"No, kitten, I'm just concerned." Sebastian replied, sitting down on Ciel's bed and watching her while she ate her dessert.
"I'm fine, Sebastian. I've been telling you that for weeks and you've never believed me." Ciel replied.
Ciel felt a strong ripple across her belly and her hand flew to her side.
Sebastian's eyes followed the movement and he placed his palm over Ciel's.
"Does it hurt?" Sebastian asked quickly. "What's the matter, kitten?"
"No. Nothing, Sebastian!" Ciel answered with an irritated chuckle. "Am I not allowed to feel?"
Sebastian ignored Ciel's snappy comment and pushed the covers down, splaying his hands over her swollen belly, covered only by her thin nightshirt.
"You've seemed so high strung since the…...the accident. It's not like you." Ciel chided quietly.
"That's because it was no accident." Sebastian replied. "I need to be here, for you and the little one, but I need to protect you two as well."
"Yes, well, I'll always have enemies, Sebastian. Some things are immutable." Ciel sighed.
"You leave that to me, kitten~." Sebastian purred, taking the dishes from Ciel once she finished.
Instead of returning to the kitchen straight away. Sebastian sat the dishes on the nightstand for just a moment and pulled Ciel into his embrace, winding his arms around her as he kissed the top of her head and purred, "I won't let you out of my sight again. You're safe with me, my sweet little kitten~."
Ciel nuzzled against Sebastian and closed her eyes.
Sebastian made her feel warm and protected….
Safe?
Yes, safe.
As long as Sebastian was beside her, Ciel was safe.
And it was in that feeling of carefree security that Ciel dozed off, falling asleep.
Ciel had been spending a great deal of time asleep recently.
Sebastian hoped that all of the rest Ciel was getting would heal her brain as much as her body.
Sebastian sighed quietly to himself while he gently released Ciel and tucked her under the covers.
Sebastian stood from the bed, collected the dishes from the nightstand, and hurried to the kitchen.
After the dishes were cleaned and put away, Sebastian quickly returned to Ciel's side, stripped down, and climbed into bed to hold his wife close.
Sebastian pulled Ciel's soft form next to him under the covers and closed his eyes as he thought…..
While Sebastian would have rather been leading the investigation himself, he hoped that Undertaker would not disappoint.
With Ciel's current condition, it became more pressing than ever….
Any enemies of the Phantomhive family must be eliminated.
—
Tap…
Tap….
TAP.
A sharp noise at the window woke Sebastian in the middle of the night.
Careful not to disturb Ciel, Sebastian stealthily stood from the bed and walked over, opening the window.
Sebastian stepped to the side as Undertaker gracefully entered the room.
Sebastian was a bit annoyed that he had been woken from such a lovely sleep, but he was excited to hear an update on the investigation.
"How are things going?" Sebastian whispered in the darkness to Undertaker.
Undertaker waved his hand. "They're going, butler, they're going. That's not why I've come."
"Oh?" Sebastian blinked.
"No. I've changed my mind. This is bigger than I had originally anticipated and it's going to take quite a bit of work. I'm afraid I'll need payment if I am to continue my task." Undertaker explained.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes and spoke in a very hushed, very annoyed voice. "My master is asleep. I can't make a lot of noise right-"
"-No, no." Undertaker interrupted. "Don't worry, you don't have to do anything, dear butler~. Perhaps, anyway…..For my payment, I desire to hold the child when it's born. If you'll grant me that privilege, I will ask for nothing else."
Sebastian blinked incredulously. "You want…...to hold the child?"
"Yes." Undertaker confirmed with a nod.
Sebastian was instantly suspicious. "...Why?"
A Shinigami wanted to hold Sebastian and Ciel's newborn?
Sebastian felt a rush of protective instinct overwhelm him.
Was that some kind of a harbinger that the child Ciel carried wouldn't survive?
Undertaker's request was a little unsettling.
Undertaker hissed in the darkness. "Because children are silly things and it will make me laugh far more than anything you can do. Are we agreed?"
"Very well, but I'll be watching closely." Sebastian reluctantly agreed, although he was still very skeptical.
Undertaker cackled quietly while he slipped out the window. "Have it your way, dear butler~. I've got to get back to work…..Hehe~."
Once Undertaker was gone, Sebastian closed the window and crawled back in bed next to Ciel, snuggling his precious bluenette close to him.
Sebastian's hands wrapped around Ciel's belly protectively and he frowned.
Surely Undertaker's price wasn't an…..omen?
—-
Days passed.
Ciel worked on resting and recovering.
Undertaker worked on his investigation.
London bustled with the busy happenings of everyday life for its thousands of residents.
Several miles from the city though, on the southern docks of the country, the many fishermen of Britain went about their work without anyone noticing.
As the sun started to set one day, a particular fisherman was just coming in from a long day on the ocean.
Elderly and stooped over, the fisherman's clothes were nearly as tattered as his boat, his unruly white hair stuck out in odd bits and pieces from under his weathered cap.
With a groan that comes only from those of advanced age, the old fisherman docked his small dingy and picked up his full net before he stepped off onto the pier.
The fisherman's pale face grew even whiter and his cloudy eyes widened in shock when he looked up and saw Undertaker standing there on the pier in front of him.
Undertaker leaned on his scythe and leered at the fisherman with a wicked grin.
The fisherman's surprise faded from his face and he lifted his net higher on his back before he grunted out at Undertaker, "Well? Hurry up, then, brother. You're late."
Wordlessly, the fisherman turned in the opposite direction and slowly made his way off the pier, carefully ascending the tall steps that led to his humble cottage at the top of a nearby cliff.
Silently, Undertaker picked up his scythe and followed behind him.
—
A short while later, a fire crackled beside them while the fisherman and Undertaker shared a meager dinner of freshly caught fish and baked potatoes.
Undertaker had removed his hat and his robe, hanging them on hooks by the door.
The silver-haired Shinigami then sat in front of the fisherman bare from the waist up.
Undertaker watched the aged fisherman's face contort while the elderly man ate his food.
"You look old, Terrence." Undertaker commented.
Terrence, the fisherman, swallowed and shrugged, "Time changes everything, but you, Cedric, you still look…."
"Youthful?" Undertaker smirked.
"-Haunted." Terrence finished.
Undertaker chuckled dryly. "Yes, well, I'm afraid you're wrong, brother. Time does not change everything."
Terrence took another bite and the two men stared at each other silently for a moment.
Once Terrence finished, he cleared his throat and said, "It's good to see you again, Cedric. It's been a long time."
"Yes, it has." Undertaker nodded.
Terrence continued with a sigh, "But I'm certain you haven't come for a reunion. Tell me, I'm not like you, Cedric, I'm old and I'm very tired…...what do you want?"
"I need your help." Undertaker said quickly with a frown. "I know you still have contacts from your youth, is there any way you could—"
"Contacts?!" Terrence laughed. "Contacts? Terrence, you know I've lived as a humble fisherman for decades now and I—"
Undertaker's hand shot out and he grabbed Terrence's right arm, pulling his tattered sleeve up to reveal a faded tattoo of an hourglass.
Undertaker's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Years of piracy don't disappear, brother, I'm no fool."
"PRIVATEER!" Terrence hissed, yanking his arm from Undertaker's grasp and rubbing his wrist. "We were privateers, hired by the Queen. Don't compare me to those lawless ruffians! It isn't my fault I was shanghaied at fifteen, either. What was I supposed to do? Let them hang me?"
"Of course not." Undertaker said, putting up his hand to signal his surrender. "Whatever you say, Terrence. I just need you to reach out and see if you can find any leads, once again, I am facing a threat that must be stopped."
Terrence gave Undertaker a long, hard look, then he laughed bitterly, "A threat that must be stopped, eh? And I suppose, if I find out what you want me to, then the danger will be no more? Tell me, how did that go the first time?"
Undertaker's face melted into a mask of pure suffering and he turned away from his brother, gazing into the fire.
"...And how did that go the second time, Cedric?" Terrence pressed on. "Yes, that was surely a grand success!"
Undertaker flinched at Terrence's words.
"I never meant for anyone to suffer!" Undertaker mournfully declared.
"IF CLOUDIA HAD CHOSEN ME, SHE'D STILL BE ALIVE AND SO WOULD HE!" Terrence roared accusingly at Undertaker.
Undertaker was visibly uncomfortable and he turned his eyes towards the floor with a great sigh. "I drown in my own guilt every day. I haven't come here to be berated, Terrence. I haven't come here to relive the past, either. If you refuse to help me, that's fine, I'll manage on my own."
"Would you like some advice from your big brother?" Terrence asked quietly.
Undertaker's bright green eyes glanced back up at Terrence.
"Do what you should have done the moment you married Cloudia…...run." Terrence said in a very grim tone. "Take those you're trying to protect, take them, and run. Hair can be cut, names can be changed, property can be bought, but curses? Aye brother, some curses, you're better to just leave alone. Run away, Cedric. Take it from an old sailor, there's lots of nice places in this world besides good ol' England."
"You can't run from everything, Terrence." Undertaker retorted.
Terrence gave a hearty laugh, "Says the man who thinks he can cheat death by becoming it! I've been running since I was fifteen." Terrence shrugged and then he grinned. "They haven't caught me yet~."
"I never said I'm trying to cheat death. I'm not afraid to die." Undertaker huffed.
Terrence laughed mirthlessly as he continued, "No, you're not afraid of dyin', that's not it. You're afraid of seeing her again, aren't you? You're afraid she won't forgive you. It's not going to be easy, Cedric, to tell your lady love that her baby boy was burned to ash because of—"
"I know you loved her too, but she chose me! That was her decision, not mine!" Undertaker snapped, "I've taken them down twice before and they keep coming back like roaches!" Undertaker cried, slamming his fist on the heavy, wooden table.
"And if you want the girl to live, then heed my advice and have her run far, far away, you nitwit!" Terrence shouted back.
Undertaker stared Terrence down and Terrence snorted across the table from him like a wild animal.
Undertaker calmed himself and spoke more quietly, "Please, she's your great niece, after all…..surely you don't want her to end up like….like…."
"I'll help. This is foolish, what you're doing and all, but I'll help. I'll do what I can." Terrence promised. "If you really want to save her though, the best thing to do is to run, listen to me…..."
"Thank you, brother. I'll take my leave and let you rest." Undertaker said quickly.
Undertaker stood from his chair, put his hat and robes back on, collected his scythe, and left Terrence's modest cottage.
Once Undertaker was gone, Terrence stood as well, his old bones creaking as he hobbled into his small bedroom.
There, on Terrence's antique dresser, sat a very old photo frame with a sepia portrait inside of a beautiful young woman with dark hair and piercing eyes.
Bluenette and sapphire hues didn't show up well in photographs from the mid nineteenth century…...
Tears welled in Terrence's eyes as he took the frame into his hands and lovingly touched the picture.
"Oh, Cloudia," Terrence sighed, speaking to his departed love, "If only you'd chosen me…...if Vincent was my son…..how very different things would be…..."
