Author's Note: Nothing to report at this time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters. I only claim Serena, as well as the demons and descendants that I introduce.

A Demon's Mate

Chapter Thirty Five

Serena pulled the borrowed robe tighter around herself as she stared over the garden from the window seat. It had changed in the last hundred years, added to in some parts and changed completely in others. The little hedge maze had been allowed to grow without Finny's constant killing and added to over the generations to form a full size maze that now stretched what had once been grass, almost to the tree line.

She shivered, remembering the last time that she had been in those woods.

The red head heard a faint noise from the door, so quiet she thought that she had imagined it. Until the door started to open. A tiny hand came around the edge of the heavy wood and a face appeared with it. Alex smiled a little as he saw that Serena was still awake.

"Hi." The little boy waved a little as he came into the room, leaving the door open behind him. His footsteps were silent against the carpet and he raised his hands up before reaching her.

Serena watched him for a moment before bending down to pick him up. She didn't understand why he had taken a sudden liking to her, but it felt right to cuddle the smaller body while looking over what had once been Phantomhive lands. Lands that would someday belong to him, as they once belonged to a distant relative. A distant relative with a familiar face.

'Is this really what Ciel looked like when he was young? Was he happy like this, with his family?'

'Mr. Butler broke his contract with the little Earl.' She looked at the boy again as Undertaker's words replayed in her mind. Alex looked up with a smile and pointed down to the garden.

Her breath caught in her throat as a figure moved smoothly through the twists and turns of the hedge maze. She missed the boy's smile turn wicked for a moment before he squirmed to be let down and padded silently out of the room.

Serena checked the window one last time before darting out the door behind the boy, her heart in her throat.

********************A Demon's Mate**********************

Ciel was slightly surprised when the house's butler didn't ask his name or business when the door opened. Instead, the servant seemed to know exactly who he was and why he was here. As the Earl followed the quiet man through the twists and turns of the houses interior, he was struck by how quiet the house was. An eerie silence that seemed to permeate everything around him.

It was more than just the quiet that was unsettling. Looking at his surroundings as he was led through the house, Ciel took in the quality of the antiques and artwork that filled the home. A sneer found it's way to his face as he remembered what he had told Serena.

'The house of Phantomhive would be destroyed and they would see a profit from it.'

A moment of morbid curiosity had him wondering which of the little trinkets had been bought with the profits from his own sale into hell.

The next thought brought his unease into focus. It was too much. There was too much gold, too much color, too much everything. The decorations were gaudy, clustered together in some places and bare in others. The colored walls that formed a backdrop for the paintings were too deep. There was no way that any well-bred nobleman would have a house decorated so. It was a flaunting of wealth that was nothing but pretentious.

Once the problem with the house had become clear, Ciel could see other things that were wrong. The main one being the man that was escorting him. There was something mechanical in his steps, as though the man was not consciously moving. Added to the silence that was trying to envelop him, with the house, it set the Earl further on edge.

The man slowed as they approached a set of double doors. He opened them smoothly, so that Ciel didn't have to stop. As he passed, Ciel saw the look on the butler's face.

It was utterly void, like the man wasn't there at all.

"My lord, the Earl of Phantomhive to see you."

Ciel took in the room around him, the décor was off again. The money was obvious, so was the lack of taste. He would have killed Sebastian if the demon had decorated his house like this. The colors were garish and didn't quite match together. The gilt on the ceiling was followed to the bookshelves and the legs of the chairs. There was too much, too bright, too quiet. Everything was off, just slightly. Just enough to put any person that entered the room, and the house itself, on edge.

"So, you finally found me." The man that was sitting behind the desk sat forward in his chair, leaning his elbows on his desk. "I've been waiting for you."

********************A Demon's Mate*********************

Serena slipped past the last night footman and out into the garden beyond the salon door. She didn't feel the cold of the stones beneath her feet as she flew over the patio to the steps leading down to the main garden. A shadow passed over the rose bushes at the end of the shallow stairs. She started to say something, to call out to him but the shadow flowed away.

There was no other choice but to follow it's path deeper into the flowering plants. The shadow darted back and forth through the bushes, leading further through the paths. Anytime that she took a wrong turn, Serena saw the shadow dart across her path again in the right direction. It had almost become a game, chasing the shadow that stayed just out of reach. A giggled bubbled out of her chest as she continued the chase, anticipation making her fly across the ground.

She followed behind him as they passed the rose-covered gate that led out of the garden and into another portion of the property. The clouds moved over the moon, making following the shadow that much harder. In places that were too dark, the red head would feel a light breeze in the direction that he wanted her to go, as though blowing a small breath across her cheek.

The shadow smelled like cinnamon, warm and inviting.

"Sebastian," Serena called out when she felt her legs tiring, her breath was tearing in and out of her throat. "Sebastian, stop. I can't go any farther."

She stopped and leaned on a stone next to her as she tried to catch her breath. The shadow appeared again, just a deeper darkness in the night, when she looked up again. The clouds pulled away from the moon, illuminating the landscape again. The landscape that was dotted with stones, too many for such a flat area. Flat land would have been used for farming or gardens, it would have been cleared centuries ago.

Suspicion made her look at the stone that she was leaning on and Serena jerked away when she saw writing. She had been leaning on someone's headstone. The entire area was filled with markers of lives once lived and now over. She hurried to where he was standing, slipping on the wet grass in haste. Just like before, he disappeared as soon as she came close and the red head felt the familiar burn of anger.

"This isn't funny anymore! I don't want to be here." Serena looked around her as she yelled at the darkness. The shadow was nowhere to be seen.

"Sebastian?" Fear started to set in where there had once been anger and she heard her voice crack as she called again. She didn't know how to get back to the house and her guide had disappeared. Serena continued to search the shadows around her when she finally noticed the writing on the stone in front of her.

'Ciel Phantomhive December 14 1875 Died December 12 1894. May you find peace in the light of the Lord and the loving arms of your family once more.'

****************A Demon's Mate***************

Ciel forced himself not to jump as the door shut behind him. The Earl straightened his spine, refusing to show his unease. As he walked away from the door and into the room, another man leaned around the side of a large wing-back chair. He smiled as he saw the young man and stood. There was something about his movements that was just as off as the rest of the house, just as off as the eyes of the man behind the desk.

"Your butler did not inform me that you already had a guest." Ciel barely hid the hatred in his voice as he spoke and felt a spark of pride that he was able to do so.

"There is no need. I have no secrets from him."

The man from the chair walked forward and everything clicked into place. There was only one other person that he had ever seen move so fluidly. There were no lessons that could teach a lady or noblemen or actor to move like that. No human could hold such fascinating grace.

Ciel started to laugh and the man stopped in his tracks.

"It's seems that we have something in common."

Behind the desk, the master had yet to move and only cocked his head with a smile.

"Perhaps, but your demon is gone. Mine is still here."

The Earl look at the target of his revenge and realized the man was just as off as his house. There was something in his eyes that wasn't right. They slipped in and out of focus as the smile stayed on his face. He looked at something behind Ciel and his smile brightened.

"Master."

The demon's voice brought the man back and he sighed as his focus was brought back to Ciel.

"You look so much like that bastard, it's almost as if he were still alive. But that's impossible. I held his head in my hands after it was severed from his body."

Ciel started forward, his anger getting the best of him for a moment. "Why? What was so damned important that you killed them?"

"Why should he have what I couldn't?" He finally stood, leaning on his massive oak and gold monstrosity. "Why should that damned Phantomhive have everything? Always, everything was so damned easy for him! You tell me why."

The venom and madness that took over made Ciel stepped back. He felt the door behind him and still pushed his feet to try move further away.

"Why should Vincent get to have the happy life? Why should Vincent get to have the sisters and the son? Why should Vincent get to have the prosperous lands, the queen's trust? Why did you survive? Why? Why? Why?"

"Master." The demon came behind the desk and laid a hand on his master's arm. His breathing was still ragged as he looked at his demon. His glare turned back to Ciel.

"Kill him now! And we'll finally be done."

The demon turned to the Earl, his eyes the same swirling red that Sebastian had shown when he reminded his Master exactly what he was. Instead of determination or glee at being ordered to kill something, there was nothing but hunger in those swirling eyes. Ciel's hand reached for the gun that he had brought for the purpose of killing his enemy. He knew there was no way to kill the demon, just as there had been no way to kill his, but he would get the master first. Years of practice with his butler had made the Earl a dead shot and he took aim as the demon glided closer.

'Why is he so slow? Sebastian was never so slow to carry out my orders. Where has his grace gone?'

The bullet left his gun as the demon's hand grabbed his wrist and the glass behind the master's chair exploded.

********************A Demon's Mate*******************

In the dining room, Malory watched over her son as he tore through the eggs on his plate with all the grace of a starved rottweiler. She smiled at the mess, knowing this time would be short. Soon, Alex would be starting lessons on etiquette and proper manners. The child's exuberance would one day be replaced with an adult's awareness of self and these moments, where he would look up at her with egg all over his face, would be only a memory.

At the head of the table, Henry stole his own glances at his son and hid his grin behind the morning paper. Claire and Anabelle had their heads together, oblivious to the rest of the world as they whispered together. Their mother made a mental note to check their bags before they left. After all, Anabelle was more than happy to shatter the peace of their home with a well-timed prank.

The servant that she had sent to retrieve Serena for breakfast came back into the room, alone. She was uneasy as the family's attention turned solely on her.

Henry folded his paper down. "Where is Serena?"

"She is not in her room, my lord. Her bed has not been slept in either."

He set the paper down as Malory stood. The two girls stared in shock. Anabelle reached over to the chair that Serena would have used and pulled it a little. Feathers floated down from the ceiling as she mumbled, "never mind."

"She went to see the man in the garden last night."

Everyone looked to Alex, who was playing with his little fork.

"Alex, I've heard enough. There is no man in the garden." He turned back to the woman still standing in the doorway. "We will look for her. It is easy to get turned around if she didn't know where she was going."

"My lord," one of the footman came into the room. "One of the doors to the garden was unlocked this morning."

"Then we know that she is outside." Henry put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We'll find her. You all stay here."

It didn't take long for the search to organize and the men set out into the extensive gardens behind the great house. Henry was convinced that Serena would have gone into the maze and started there. He made it quickly to the center and the table that his son liked to hide beneath, but the square was empty. Making his way back to the beginning, he called down each of the turns but there was no answer. He could hear the others calling as well but there was never an answer. Back at the entrance, the Earl stopped for a moment to think. When he looked up, a man was standing directly in front of him. His body was hidden by the shadows the morning sun cast over the wall, separating the gardens from the rest of the property, showing only swirling, red eyes. Black-tipped fingers were touched by the sunlight and pointed to the opening in the opposite wall.

"The cemetery." The eyes closed and the man disappeared.

Henry ran to the place he had been standing and ran his hands over the wall and through the shadows. There was no one there. Looking around him, there wasn't another person anywhere near him. The other searchers had spread out to the woods that separated the house from the fields that were still used and the barn that still housed the family's horses. Henry took a breath before shaking his head and heading for the family's burial grounds.

They hadn't changed much since the last time he had been here, holding Malory's hand as she buried her father next to a mother that she had never known. At first glance, he didn't see anyone else in the lines of stones. He started going up the rows when a flash of red caught his attention.

Serena was sitting on the ground, holding her knees up to her chest as she stared at one of the stones. She looked up as he came closer and sat down next to her.

"We've been looking for you."

"Sorry." Serena laid her chin back on her knees and looked again at the stone. "He didn't even make it two years after I came back here."

Henry watched the misery that surrounded her. "You loved him."

She started and looked up. He could read the denial that was forming on her lips, but it never came. The red head turned back to the grave with a sigh.

"I guess I did." She laughed with a snort. "It's strange. You think of seventeen year olds here and see pimple-faced, saggy pants, maybe a gaming obsession and the only important thought they have is passing their next test or getting in their girlfriend's pants. But, Ciel was already an adult. Don't get me wrong, there were moments that you were reminded that he was seventeen. Even then, he was always so focused on work, building the family businesses, running from society and his fiancé. He didn't seem seventeen. Then he died at nineteen, not even nineteen."

"You know, he's Malory's obsession. He's the one family member that there really is no information about. She just about had a heart attack when the news of Kuroshitsuji hit London." He waved to the headstone in front of them. "This is the only evidence that he lived in reality and not just a manga writer's head."

"That just makes it worse," she sniffled.

"But, you knew him. You'll remember him."

Serena gave a wet laugh. "Yeah, Ciel was one of those people that you couldn't forget if you wanted to. All of them were. And they're all gone. I know that I already knew that. Logically, there is no way that any of them would have lived so long, but seeing it makes it real. There is nothing left for me here."

"We're here." He nudged her arm lightly. "And your boyfriend wandering around the garden is still here."

Her head shot up. A slow smile spread across her face at Henry's nod. "You saw him."

"Scared the hell out of me."

"Welcome to the Believer's Club. Benefits of membership are a constant headache, feelings of inferiority in the face of the supernatural, suspension of reality and everyone else thinking that you are insane."

"Thank you, but that is one club that I would have preferred not to have entered."

"At least you fit in with the rest of your family now."

"I guess." Henry stood and held out a hand to her.

Slowly uncurling herself, Serena felt the aches all over her body from sitting on the cold ground and in the same position for hours. She was grateful for the hand, as she probably couldn't stand on her own if she had tried. Both of them brushed the dirt off and she became aware of the wetness on the back of her nightgown from sitting on the wet grass.

"How did you marry into this family? You seem to be firmly rooted in reality, and reality doesn't really exist around this place."

"Malory ordered me to marry her."

Laughter burst out of Serena. "There has to be more than that."

"When we were children, my father worked for the previous earl." She saw the small smile as he remembered the past. "He brought me with him sometimes and when we first met, Malory declared that I was going to marry her. Of course, the adults thought that it was cute and ridiculous. Not much else was said about it, I stopped going to work with my father when I went away to school and everyone forgot about it. I came back to London for college, still not giving it a thought. I was out with another girl when I ran into Malory again. She promptly got into a screaming match with my girlfriend and we've been together ever since."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Why not? Malory was beautiful, the heir to a title and extensive property, and we get along very well. I found out while we were dating that I did love her and always had. I thought that she had been out of my reach and put the whole thing out of my mind."

"So, she was right all along." Her knees protested with stumbling steps as they walked away from the grave but soon got with the program. That didn't take away the stiffness in all her joints though.

"Malory has very good judgment." Henry threaded her arm through his as they headed back to the house. "So, what now?"

"I don't know. There really isn't any reason for me to be here. But, I don't know where else to go."

"I know that Malory would like you to stay. And the girls still haven't had a chance to pick your brain about the past."

"I guess. There are a few other things that I need to take care of in London though."

"I have to go into the city today. You can ride with me."

"One of the things I need to take care of is getting Undertaker's car back to him."

"And then you'll disappear again." He looked down at her head as Serena was staring at the ground. "It's you choice, but you are welcome to come back here."

"Thank you."

********************A Demon's Mate********************

Ciel saw nothing but black as the gun fell from his limp hand. His mind wondered if he was dead until he felt the pain from his broken wrist and heard the crash of the demon hitting the desk that his master still stood behind. Following the line of black, he saw the tails of a familiar coat and the back of a familiar head.

"Sebastian?"

"Coming into the enemy's home without a plan or anyone at your back. Very careless, Lord Phantomhive. I thought that I had taught you better than that."

The Earl jumped up, ready to yell at his former butler when the other demon got back up.

"You! What are you doing here? He's not your master anymore."

"That is true, however my mate told me to watch over Lord Phantomhive. A mate's wishes supersede everything else." A growl came from his chest as Sebastian took a step forward. "And the human that killed my mate carried the scent of one of you little puppets."

"They were not ordered to kill her. Humans and their damned free will are to blame. They were only supposed to keep her for a while. Make you leave your precious, Young Master for a moment. A moment was all that I needed. I didn't expect you to have another Elder watching your territory."

Sebastian snarled at the other demon. "It takes something drastic for a demon to attack another's mate."

"They weren't supposed to kill her."

He smirked as the answer came to him. The slow movements, the desperate measures, the wild look in the other demon's eyes as he tried to look around him to Ciel. He could practically see the other demon running through possibilities to get to the young Earl. "You're starving. You let yourself run down too far before taking a contract. One that lasted far longer than you imagined. It's the only reason that any demon would try something so drastic."

"I had to take my own mate home first before I could feed. I had to break the contract that I did have at the time. Coming through the gate, only to go back immediately, sapped my reserves. If you hadn't gotten in the middle of it, my contract would have been over years ago. Killing a human family is nothing. It should have been easy."

Sebastian waved a hand, seeming to brush aside the other's words. "Your lack of foresight is not my problem. Besides, Lord Phantomhive did not die in the house with the rest of his family. Your contract would have still gone longer than you originally figured on."

"He should have died. I don't know what went wrong."

He smirked. "That is why you could not defeat me. You're a new Elder and you don't know this game. Leaving so much to chance is foolish and the hallmark of a demon that will not stand the test of time."

The demon snarled at his taunting, but Sebastian only smiled and took another step forward. "Now, you'll pay for your lack of foresight. My mate is still dead because you were too ignorant to find a way to defeat me."

"Wait." Ciel grabbed the back of Sebastian's tailcoat.

He glanced behind him. "You know, I do not have to follow your orders anymore."

There was no sound as the other demon attacked, desperate to get to Ciel in that moment of distraction. Sebastian threw him off easily, like brushing a fly away.

Ciel jerked on the coat to bring the attention back to himself. "I have a better idea."

'He even thinks like a demon. He's more your son now than he ever was Vincent's.'

Remembering his mate's words, Sebastian nodded. "We'll take our leave then."

He reached down and picked up his former master before speeding through the house and out the doors. The carriage was still in front of the house and Tanaka blinked at seeing Sebastian carrying the Earl out of the house.

"Sebastian?"

"I believe that our business is concluded for the day. It is time that we returned to the manor."

The elder butler handed the reins over as Sebastian climbed onto the box after settling Ciel inside the carriage.

Tanaka smiled as they passed through the gates at the end of the drive. "Welcome back."

Ciel looked out the window as the scenery passed. An ease he hadn't felt in days made his eyes heavy and his body notice the lack of sleep. The tension that had filled him since Sebastian's departure eased like a piece of his favorite taffy being stretched. Sleep rose like a chasm beneath him and the young earl welcomed the darkness, his feeling of security finally back.

'Welcome back, Sebastian.'

********************A Demon's Mate*******************

Serena came down the grand staircase, a feeling of nostalgia coming over her. It drifted away when she felt the flip flops on her feet and the jeans that she never could have worn in the 19th century. Malory and Alex were waiting with Henry at the door. The girls had already left for school and taking a shower had given her an excuse to miss the small tantrum over her leaving.

"Are you sure?" Malory asked as she pulled the younger girl into a hug.

"Yeah, there are some other things that I need to do while I'm here."

"Come back if you don't find what you're looking for." She tried to smile, running hand over the younger girl's hair.

"I will." She smiled and bent down to Alex. The child refused to look at her, burying his head in his mother's leg. "Alex. I have to go."

He just shook his head.

"Alex, say goodbye." Malory tried to pull away so that he had nowhere to hide, but the boy followed her.

Serena ran a hand down his black hair, the sun coming through the windows causing the same blue shine that his ancestor had carried. She stood with a sad smile and held out her arms to Henry with an expectant look. He raised an eyebrow but came forward anyway.

"Remember what I told you," He whispered before pulling away.

"I will."

"And take your creepy boyfriend with you."

She laughed. "I don't know, I think he likes you guys."

Henry opened the door for her and the family followed Serena outside. Undertaker's car waited at the end of the staircase, a footman holding the door open. As she started down the stairs, she had to grab the railing as a weight latch onto her leg.

"Alex, you could have made Serena fall." Malory stepped forward but Serena waved her off.

"Then she wouldn't be able to leave."

The red head leaned down and lifted the boy into her arms. He wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his head against her neck.

"You can't go," he whispered against her skin.

"I'll come back."

"You're lying."

"It's not nice to accuse people. I have to take my friend's car back. He was nice enough to let me borrow it."

"And you should always return things that you borrow."

"That's right."

Alex sniffled. "He'll go with you."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

He shook his head against her neck and Serena remembered another that was attached to a demon.

"I have to go, Alex."

"No." It was easy to hear the order in his voice, broken as it was.

Serena came back to Henry and let him fight the boy in her arms to let go. Once settled in his father's arms, he wouldn't look at her again. She saw his back heave with tears and quickly stepped away. Rushing down the steps, she couldn't look back, or she would stay.

As the car door was shut by the footman, it blocked out the screaming tantrum that the boy had started. Serena put the car in gear fighting back her own tears and took off down the driveway without looking back. When the gates shut behind her, she had to brush a tear off her cheek before pulling onto the road that would lead back to London.

The red head passed the pillar marking the ending of Carthrage lands and saw a man standing in the middle of the road. He didn't flinch as the car came closer, merely waited for the vehicle to stop before coming around the driver's side. Serena rolled the window down without looking at him.

"You led us on quite a chase, my lady." Edwin leaned down and reached for the door handle.

"You're a demon, aren't you?"

"Yes," He answered easily, "The Elder ordered us to follow you."

"That wasn't him at the house."

"No, my lady. It is another of our family. His power level is close to the Elder's, giving off a similar feeling. He stays to the shadows so that the family cannot tell that it is not the Elder, himself."

She nodded and hit the button to unlock the door. He helped her out of the driver's seat and Lucien stood by to guide her to the other side. She finally noticed the gloves, dyed to a flesh color and tightly fitted covering both of their hands. How had she not noticed that? The blonde opened the other door with a smile and waited for Serena to take her seat before leaning over and buckling the seat belt for her. As soon as Lucien slid into the backseat, Edwin took off for the city.

"Where is Sebastian?" Her voice was still flat as she looked out the window.

"The Elder is in America at present. We were sent to watch over you in his place."

"And he couldn't come himself?" She couldn't help the petulant way it sounded when her arms crossed.

"He is currently under contract."

Serena laughed. "He doesn't want me to meet this one?"

"No."

"So, what was this?" She waved to the world outside the car. "A fun game for him?"

The blonde's head popped out of the back seat from the space between them. "Well, it did keep you busy for a few days."

"Lucien, I don't know whether I'm going to cry or try to hit someone at this point. Let's keep the sarcastic comments reserved just for me, okay?"

Edwin cut in before his partner could answer. "We do not know what the Elder had intended. We were told to watch over you and guide you to the manor."

"Why is there another demon at the manor?"

"The Elder has watched over the descendants of Phantomhive so that they would still be there when you returned."

She nodded and leaned her head back against the seat. Staying awake all night was catching up to her.

"Sleep, my lady. I will wake you when we reach Undertaker's parlor."

*Insert author's evil laugh here. "I didn't say where Sebastian was coming back."