Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Black Butler. However, I do own Briar.

The Choice is Mine: Christmas Special

Ciel

I dig my hands deep into my pockets as I make my way through the snow. Stores are lit with Christmas lights. Some are singular while others are multi-colored. Fake reaves sit in baskets in the front of the store. It's one of those decorating stores that seemed to pop up over the years. Clearly, it stood the test of time. For now, at least.

"Ciel! Over here!" screams Grell.

I honestly don't understand why he is yelling. His coat is as red as Rudolfs nose; standing out for all to see.

"Must you yell." I say as I approach him.

"Huh, hmph. I just wanted to make sure you saw me."

"I could see you from two miles away. So, we are back here again?"

"Why yes. Where else we would find the perfect present for Briar. Actually, I can think of another store, but I won't give it to you that easily. You'll have to do me a favor if you want that info."

Sighing I follow him into the store. Immediately, I am greeted with tables covered with books. Mystery, new releases and fictions cover the space. I had forgotten how big the place is.

"Alright, we already know that Briar likes Adult Romance, YA, and Mystery. She also loves Greek mythology. If you locate a book from one of those genres you should be good." He turns back towards the doors we just entered through. "Now that my job is done, I'll see you later."

"Wha-what do you mean? Don't you have to find something too?!"

"Pft, silly demon, I already have Briar's present. It's been wrapped since Thanksgiving. I only came out to steer you in the right direction. Good Luck!" He yells over his shoulder.

Just like that, Grell was gone.

"Tch, I should have known that he would do this."

I make my way around the store. I locate the three sections that Grell told me about and the sheer amount is over whelming. I contemplate asking Sebastian to just pick something up for Briar. However, that would be admitting my incompetence to do such a simple task. I refuse to give him the satisfaction. Thirty minutes later, I make my way to the adult romance section. This category is as diverse as the last two. From normal to fantasy. Sheesh. How many ways can a romance story be told you ask? The answer is many. Too many.

"I'm getting nowhere. What books have I seen her with?"

I think back to the times that I was in her room. She seemed to like vampire romances from a particular author. Christine something. I scan the rows and find a plethora of books. I read the synopsis for a few and then decide on one of them. A few more items catch my eye in the store; I add them to the cart as well. Satisfied with the items I picked out; I make my way to checkout.

Briar

"Sebastian, where do you want me to put this box?"

"Give that to me. You shouldn't be lifting heavy weights like this. I thought I asked you to help carry the smaller items." Sebastian lifts the box from my hands. A look of disapproval all over his face. "If the young master sees you carrying these items, he would throw a fit."

"I just wanted to help." I say in defense. Everyone is treating me like I'm delicate glass. I hate just sitting around while there is work to be done. It feels wrong to me.

"I know; however, you really need to take it easy. The demon form is still taking a toll on you."

"Alright."

I follow Sebastian into the living room of Ciel's mansion. Sebastian had moved the furniture to the hall to make room. The space is filled with boxes of different sizes. Sebastian places the box that I was carrying into the center of the room.

"Well then. We have a lot of work to do in here." He says as he claps his hands. "Let's start with the tree." He moves to the closet and takes out his coat.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting dressed for the cold. What? Did you think we were going to use a fake tree?" He ask as his eyes start to glow red.

"Yes. I don't really know too many people that get real trees."

"Well-" He walks over to me and places a hat on my head. My hair is fluffed out so the hat ends up just sitting on top. "In this house, we get real trees. Maybe you should get used to the idea." He says over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" I ask as I hurry behind him.

"Oh nothing."

"This is it." I say as I examine the tree that we spotted on a tree lot. Its full and would look great with Christmas decorations on it.

"I agree. Very nice choice mi lady. It looks like it will fit perfectly into the living room. Now it just needs to be cut."

"Will we need to ask the workers for an axe, or do you already have one?"

"Well, I was actually thinking that now would be a good time for you to practice performing a task in your demon form."

"But you just said that I needed to take it easy."

"You do. This task shouldn't take too much energy. I want you to use your rabbits to cut through the trunk."

"Thats possible?"

"Yes. Your rabbits are sharper than you think. Now change."

"And the people."

"They won't see us in our demon forms."

"Fine."

I change into my demon form. The maid skirt and ribbon rustle in the wind. Sebastian has changed as well. His form is indescribable to me, somewhat man and somewhat bird. Gone are the coattails and waist coat. They were replaced with iridescent feathers and pitch-black heels.

"When you begin, I want you to focus on what you want. Aim the energy at the trunk and release."

"Ok." I hold out my hand and a blue light of a rabbit appears. "Darling, let's cut this tree down."

The rabbit turns into a sphere and I aim at the trunk. I release the beam and right before it gets to the trunk it falters and lands on the ground. I try again and the same thing happens. I'm on my third try when Sebastian stops me.

"Hey, why did you stop me?"

"Just listen."

I listen to what's around me, how could I miss it. All the yelling.

"Get inside!"

"Is this an Earthquake?!"

"Why is the ground shaking!?"

All around me, screams echoed around us. I didn't even realize what was happening around me.

"You missed the trunk but the beams you sent out hit the earth which is now causing all the chaos. We will try again some other time. I'll just chop it down so we can be on our way."

"Don't look so pouty, you can't help only being strong when you are pissed."

"If the other demons had seen that, they would try to mop the floor with me." An image of a pissed off Lilith comes to mind.

"If it makes you feel any better, there is a mandate that states that no one can harm you. Came from Satan himself. Plus, you have me and Ciel, just in case someone tries to get a little cheeky so don't worry about that."

I stay silent as I make my way inside the mansion. I hate failing.

Sebastian places the tree in some kind of container that keeps it standing. While he deals with the setup, I place an old towel on the ground and unload the glass ornaments first. The details were very intricate, and you could see little lake scenes that were painted on some of them.

"Sebastian, are these ornaments from Ciel's childhood?"

"No, those are just duplicates of the ones used in his home. The originals were destroyed."

"Oh, that's a shame. I'm glad that he was able to duplicate them though. It's sad to lose something that had a lot of meaning to it. I'll dust them so they can look nice for him."

"The cleaning equipment is in the closet to the left."

"Ok." I stand and walk over to the closet. A clean rag and spray are stashed in a bucket that is on the floor. I grab the rag and spray and walk over to the ornaments. Picking up the first one I get to work. I have a lot of ground to cover and I'm not the fastest.

Sebastian

I watch the young miss as she cleans the ornaments. Just a few minutes ago, she was sulking about her weak abilities. Now, she hums a tune as she cleans dusty ornaments that have remained in that box for decades. All for the benefit of someone else. What an interesting woman she is. I do wonder, if by some miracle, Ciel's mother was still alive. Would she approve of Ciel's decision? I don't know, however I'm sure that his father would approve.