Author's Note: I will warn you, I've never been to London. I have no idea if I'm right, or completely off in describing the city. I kept it general for that reason. So, please be kind if you have been there and corrections are welcome. Also, there is another introspective convo here because Serena needs to learn somethings about herself. I know that this is stretching on, but I have done a fic before and I rushed the ending. It totally sucked and I don't want a repeat of that. I could have had Sebastian waiting when she got back but I believe that Serena still needed to grow a bit before the end, and so does Ciel.

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

A Demon's Mate

Chapter Thirty Seven

Serena looked around the hotel room she occupied after hanging up the phone. It was pretty, comfortable and nicely decorated. However, it was blank. Anyone could find themselves comfortable here and that was the point. A feeling of being suffocated came over the red head and she grabbed clothes out of her bag, needing to escape the room.

Minutes later, hair still wet from the shower and sans make-up, she knocked on the door next to hers. It opened quickly, as though someone had been waiting for her. As she entered the room, Lucien popped out from behind the door he was closing, proving they had heard her moving around. Haagenti sat in the room's only chair, watching her carefully.

"I'm going out."

"Very well." The Elder stood. "I will accompany you."

As they walked out of the hotel, the concierge on duty wished them a nice day and she fought not to scoff at him. It was nice out again, something that Serena didn't expect of London weather and she was grateful for the sunglasses that she had grabbed to hide her blood-shot eyes. Not knowing where she was going, or where she wanted to go, the red head took a right when they hit the street.

"Where is it that we are going?" Haagenti kept to the street side of the walk, staying conscious of their surroundings.

"I don't know. I just wanted out of the hotel."

"You are still ill so I assume that you are not looking for a restaurant."

"Ugh, don't mention food."

The demon chuckled but didn't say anything more about it. He directed Serena down a nearby street and they emerged in a shopper's paradise. Little shops and boutiques lined both sides of the street. People milled around on the sidewalks looking in windows or stopping to chat. There wasn't even space for cars to pass on the road. It reminded her of the trip she had taken to London with Ciel and Lizzy to look for costumes and laughed a little.

"You find something humorous?"

"It's just that this reminds me of a day I spent in the past. I left the dressmaker's shop by myself and ended up in Hyde Park."

"Hyde Park is straight this way, if you wish to stop there." He pointed further up and Serena stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Is there something wrong?"

The red head looked around at the area, taking in the buildings themselves, instead of the shops.

"It was this same street. Nina's shop was a little further up." Serena hurried ahead, Haagenti a silent shadow behind her. She stopped in front of a brick building that was now a handbag boutique. "It was here."

Her hand touched the glass of the store's display. "It's strange."

"What is?"

"I walked down this same street over a hundred years ago. I could close my eyes and the sounds are just the same." She sighed. "I guess it's not so strange to you."

"No. I am used to the feeling."

Her hand dropped and she started back up the street. The demon stayed at her side, making their way through the crowds a little easier. She watched as other people took notice of her companion and was reminded of the way people watched Sebastian. Part fear, part submission, but mostly appreciation of the demon's appearance. She could see the lust on several faces, but Haagenti never paid any attention to them. Serena admitted that she understood, beauty and grace wrapped in a deadly package was an enticing combination.

Shaking her head, she focused on the shop windows on their side of the street. Everything that you could want was available in someone's window. Several times, the red head stopped to look at something for a moment before walking away. A jeweler's display made her stop for more than a moment as it reminded her of the box of jewels from Ciel's safe.

She noticed Haagenti watching her and got defensive. "What? I'm a girl, I stop for shiny things."

"Do you want something?"

The red head blinked at him. "You'd just buy it?"

"Yes."

"What if it's insanely expensive?"

"I'll bill him for it." He shrugged.

Serena scoffed and backed away from the window with a smile. "I'd like to see that invoice."

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

To those on the outside, it looked like nothing had changed. Sebastian took back over his butler duties, directing the other servants while caring for the manor and it's owner. Ciel fell back into his normal routine of running his various businesses while waiting for the next letter from Queen Victoria. The only thing that changed was the Earl stopped wearing his eye patch.

But the two of them knew. There was no connection anymore, other than mutual revenge. An uneasy truce formed between them but Ciel couldn't order the demon to do something if Sebastian didn't want to do it and there was nothing to stop the demon from simply leaving if he wished.

Winter nights were spent plotting their mutual revenge. Ciel was slowly undermining his enemy's business contacts. As of spring, the Earl had caused the doors to close on two of the man's factories. For his part, Sebastian had picked off some of the weakest members of the other demon's house easily enough. He had expected some kind of reprimand for the deaths, but a short visit from his mentor had informed him that news had already spread of the one behind his mate's death. The other demons sensed the battle that was coming and distanced themselves from both houses. The Fallen were staying out of it as well. He had been told that it was a consensus that if he could destroy the newest Elder's house, than it wasn't meant to stand. Most believed that he deserved it for attacking another demon's mate as a way to complete a contract. However, they would neither help nor hinder either of them.

It was his own fault for allowing the majority of his house to be in the human world and vulnerable anyway and the house was just as guilty as it's leader.

Sebastian was surprised most to see the change in Lord Phantomhive. There was a vulnerability, the smallest lack of confidence that dimmed his soul a little. He hadn't seen it before and it was slightly troubling. It was minute enough that the others didn't see it, but he couldn't hide from the demon. When he had spoken of a trip to city, Ciel had said 'I wish to go to London,' leaving an opening for the butler to decline instead of just ordering the carriage prepared.

As the carriage sped along the road to the city, Sebastian listened for any sound from the vehicle. He still hadn't been given a reason for the impromptu journey and found himself curious. The Earl didn't leave his home if he didn't have to. There were no meetings to be held today and no orders from Queen Victoria had arrived recently. Ciel hadn't brought any work with him and the demon had not been given any particular destination. He had only been told to drive around the city.

They were rolling past the Tower when Ciel tapped the top of the carriage with his cane. Opening the door, Sebastian waited for the lord to exit the vehicle and walked behind him to look up at the ancient structure.

"Lord Phantomhive."

"Yes?"

"What are we doing here?"

Ciel was quiet for a moment. "I lost a game of billiards against Serena. I promised that I would take a day off from my work and give her a tour of London."

"I see." The demon kept a careful watch of their surroundings as they stood in front of the former palace.

The Earl turned without warning and started back to the carriage. "Let's keep moving."

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

Haagenti waved Serena to a fountain on the outskirts of Hyde Park that had a ledge large enough to sit on. The red head had started to lag behind after they finished the first street and he insisted they stop for a bit. She still refused to eat anything despite walking past several street vendors and a candy shop. She had been particularly repulsed by the candy.

"No more sugar," Serena had said as she put her hands up and backed away from the door.

She had finally agreed to sit for a while and seemed content to watch the people around them. The red head smiled at a son that was being chased around the grass by his father.

"What are looking at?"

She nodded to the little family. "Them. They look happy."

Haagenti observed the two she pointed out. "He has an anger problem when he drinks, which is quite often."

Serena sighed and hung her head. "You just have to poo poo everything, don't you?"

"You don't want to know the truth behind the face they show everyone else?" The demon seemed genuinely surprised as he stared down at her.

"Not particularly."

"I do not understand."

"Reality sucks and I am aware of that. Every once in a while, believing the lie is kinda nice." Serena stared up at the demon as he thought about what she said.

"I can see the validity of your thought, however that is not an option for me." He answered finally.

"Why not?"

"Demons can see the sins that humans carry. Low level demons see a color that surrounds the person. The brighter the color, the more they indulge in that particular sin. To an Elder, it's like reading a life history in a second."

She watched the people milling around them before turning back. "That must suck."

"Hmm, I suppose it does. I do not really remember ever seeing anything else."

"Serena."

Both demon and human looked up as William came toward them. Serena looked confused for a moment. "Do I have a flashing arrow over my head? Does it say, 'Hey, chick from the past is over here'?"

"No, but your soul does stand out, so does your hair." He looked to the Elder beside her. "Haagenti."

"Spears."

"Serena." The red head waved her hands with a smile. Both raised an eyebrow as they looked at her. "I was feeling left out again."

"I see." William straightened his jacket and sat down on her other side. "Is there a reason that you are sitting in the park, people watching?"

She shook her head, carefully not looking at any of them. "Just wanted out of the hotel."

"Uh huh." He watched her out of the corner of his eye. "You're running from something."

She gasped and looked over. "How would you know?"

"You're too happy to be running around London with another Elder and not really doing anything."

"Maybe I'm taking a tour of London," she pouted.

"Through parts of the city that you have already seen in the past."

Serena glared at him for a minute with a pout. "Well, aren't you a smarty-pants."

"I was willing to wait until you wanted to talk about it." Haagenti looked down on the reaper.

"Am I that transparent?"

"Yes," They both answered.

"Great, so everybody knows that I have a problem." She crossed her arms and looked away. "You both deserve a gold star."

The trio sat in an uncomfortable silence while everyone around them continued to move on.

"So, what's wrong?" William finally broke the silence, still watching the people around them.

"It's nothing."

"I think that you are lying."

"I just...he was right."

"Who?"

"Sebastian. He said that no one would really missed me if I disappeared. That they would look for a little while, but move on easily enough." She ran a hand through her hair. "And he was right."

"I assume this has something to do with the phone call you received earlier." Haagenti finally joined the conversation.

"It was my mother. I realized that I hadn't talked to her since I left for Tokyo, at the beginning of the fall semester. That was eight months ago and do you know how long our conversation was?"

Both men stayed silent as they knew an answer wasn't needed.
"Two minutes and fifteen seconds. Most of which was me yelling because the reason she called was to tell me that she gave my dog away." Serena watched the people around them. "It's always like that. I don't know why I even bothered to try."

"But do you try?" William looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What?"

"Well, look at the Carthrages. They welcomed you in and you left them easily enough. The only time that we see you is if we run into you or you need something from Undertaker."

Serena started to deny it, but found that she couldn't.

"I'm impressed, Spears. Your emotional scalpel is rather sharp." Haagenti didn't wait for an answer. "The mates of demons are not supposed to have attachments. It makes it easier for them to leave the human world behind."

"Sebastian told me that."

"However, how much of that is others not wanting to get close to you and how much is you not wanting to get close to others?" William asked as he watched her staring at the ground.

"I don't know." She remembered Alex's tantrum when she was leaving. "I don't know."

The reaper looked at his watch and stood. "Unfortunately, my scalpel and I need to be going. I have an appointment that I must keep." He turned back before the crowd swallowed him. "I would suggest that you actually think about it the next time someone tries to let you in, instead of just running away."

She watched him disappear, his words still echoing in her mind.

"I would say that is rather sound advice. Especially from a reaper."

Serena looked confused. "Why do you say that?"

"Reapers don't form attachments either. They are in the world, but not really a part of it. Demons are the same. It is why we formed families of our own kind, but even that is not permanent. It's why our mates are so protected. They are our only real attachments, and without them we would float along through time without an anchor." Haagenti waited for her to acknowledge what he had said and found her still looking at the ground.

"I think that is the problem. I was so upset that Sebastian wasn't here because I'm just floating again. When I was in the past, I let myself get attached to them, to all of them. Now, it's gone but I believed him about the forever thing."

"It is a forever thing, but separations are part of that forever." He spoke gently before his face hardened again. "And now you run from those who are willing to let you in. You aren't seeing that they are putting themselves on the line as well. The reapers know that someday, probably soon, you'll disappear out of their reach forever, but they still went out of their way to include you. The human family doesn't know that exactly, but they know that you will go back to America soon."

Serena nodded. "Could we put the scalpel down for a while? I'm not sure how much more introspection I can take."

"As you wish."

The red head reached into the purse she had brought with her and pulled out the guidebook she had bought. Opening it, she stood and took stock of their current location.

"Enough sitting around. I do want to see London while I'm here."

Haagenti smirked and took the book from her hands. As he directed them back into the throngs of people, she saw him toss the book in a nearby trash can.

"Hey!" Serena started to go back and try to pull it out but the demon pulled her away easily.

"You don't need that. I have more knowledge of London and its sites than you will ever find in that book. Now, what did you want to see?"

Her hands flew up. "I don't have my book anymore so I don't know."

"Very well, I will decide."

"You have control issues, don't you?"

The Elder's only answer was a smirk.

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

Ciel had wandered through the city he had known since becoming earl for the rest of the day. He was far more acquainted with the darker parts of the city and admitted that it was nice to see some of the brighter aspects, even if he was the one seeing them. After passing Tower Bridge, that was still under construction, he had told Sebastian to head for the townhouse.

Passing through the streets of the nobles it occurred to him that he hadn't seen Lizzy since after Sebastian's departure. Tapping the top of the carriage, he waited for the butler to open the box.

"Yes, Lord Phantomhive?"

"Stop at Midford House." He didn't bother to look away from the window and missed the demon's smirk.

"Yes, my lord."

Ciel waited in the carriage while Sebastian took his card to the house and waited to see if anyone was at home. He didn't know why he had decided to stop. It had seemed a simple thing really. Now that he was here, the Earl was unsure of his reason.

'Is it because I don't have Sebastian hanging over my head anymore? But our contract was broken a while ago and I never bothered to come see her. I never even wondered why she didn't come to see me. Why do I want to see her now?'

His musing was cut short when the carriage door opened.

"Lady Frances and Lady Elizabeth will see you, my lord." Sebastian stood back and waited for Ciel to exit before taking up his place behind him.

When they entered the drawing room, Ciel was accosted by Lizzy again and found a slightly nostalgic feeling from it. He didn't push her away immediately like he normally would, instead he waited for Lady Frances to reprimand the blonde. When she pulled away, he saw her stare at his right eye and was reminded that she hadn't seen since he had stopped wearing the patch over it.

With a smile, she pulled Ciel to sit with her on the sofa. As Lady Frances handed him a cup of tea from the tray at her side, he was struck by her eyes. A clear green that was shared by both of her children. The same green that his father had had. His blue eyes came from his mother and he was the only one in the family with them now. For the first time, in a long time, he actually felt lonely.

"What brings you here, Lord Phantomhive?" Frances finally asked.

"No one particular reason. I was in London already and it occurred to me that I hadn't seen my fiancé in a while."

At his side, Lizzy choked a little. He looked over to ask if she was alright and realized that it was the first time since his parents' death that he actually referred to her as his fiancé. Normally it was the other way around, with Lizzy reminding people, mainly women, that he was already promised to marry her. Lady Frances said something, that he didn't catch, but it made him notice that he had been wrapped up in his own thoughts for a while.

"I'm sorry, Lady Frances."

She looked irritated but answered anyway. "I asked what you had been doing all this time."

"I don't want to bore you all with talk of business. I'm sure that you both have more interesting stories."

Without missing a beat, Lizzy launched into a report of the last few months, as he knew that she would. As she spoke of the latest gossip and the family's upcoming trip to Brighton, Ciel allowed himself to sink back into his own thoughts. The manor had been quiet the last few months. He couldn't even remember the last time Bard had blown up something.

'It seems that more things haven't gone back to normal than just Sebastian and I. Are we all just playing a pale version of ourselves? What is the point? Why are we still going about the same business if there is no reason for it? Why am I hunting him so far? It won't change anything. It won't bring any of them back. In the end, Sebastian will leave, I'll marry Lizzy and live until one of my cases proves too deadly and my son will take over both titles.' He checked back in for a moment but Lizzy was still talking about her friend, Leila, and her upcoming marriage. 'Is this what the rest of my life will be? I don't even remember why I'm doing this, other than duty."

None of the nobles noticed Sebastian watching the Earl carefully. There was something wrong. The light of his soul had dimmed considerably since they had arrived and the demon wondered what exactly he was thinking about. He had never seen such a thing in the young man in the years that he had been at Ciel's side. Even depression over his parents, Madame Red, and Serena had never dimmed the light of his soul. At times like those it had even appeared stronger. The mark of a pure soul.

After all this time, was the world finally breaking him?

Ciel felt the demon's eyes on him and felt a strange dose of shame come over him. There was something else bothering him as well. Casually looking around the room, he saw an image of his parents across the room. That wasn't unusual, he saw them a lot since their deaths. Sometimes Madame Red was with them but that didn't mean anything. She was only another person that he had failed, that he hadn't been good enough for, hadn't been good enough to save. It was the other at their side that made him stop breathing for a moment.

Serena stood next to his parents, another victim of his enemy. He didn't know why the sight of her struck him harder. Maybe it was because her death had been recent and was fresher in his mind. Maybe it was because she wasn't supposed to die. She was supposed to be with Sebastian, two beings that Death wasn't supposed to touch. She was supposed to mourn him, not the other way around. Maybe it was because his parents always appeared whole and as he remembered them when alive. In contrast, Serena stood beside them with skin as pale as the fresh snow that had fallen the night she was killed, and lips that were blue with blood loss. The same blood that was still red and fresh covered her, coming from the bullet hole that was visible in her chest.

'Why am I doing this? Because someone has to. Do I really believe that no one else in the world will be killed after he's gone? No, but he'll have nothing left before he dies, at my hand. He'll see that it was a mistake to attack me and mine. They both will. Afterward, Sebastian will be gone but I'll still be here. And I'll continue to take care of those that break her majesty's law and I'll teach my son to do the same. That is what the Phantomhive family exists for. Death will come, but my life will still have meaning. The meaning that I want it to have.'

Sebastian watched as that light that had always shined in Ciel Phantomhive came back. He looked away as became so bright that it was painful for him to look at.

"Will you be staying for dinner, Lord Phantomhive?"

Ciel smiled at his aunt. "Thank you, but no. I actually should be going. I still have some work to be completed."

"I see." Frances stood, the two younger following her lead.

In the hall, Sebastian helped his lord slide into his cloak and handed the younger man his top hat. As he settled it on his head, Ciel heard his aunt come forward.

"Have you given up yet?"

The Earl smiled as he looked over his shoulder at her. "Never."

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

By the time they reached the hotel, Serena was dead on her feet. Haagenti had shortened his strides on the way back because of her lagging behind. She flopped onto the bed as soon as they got back to her room and felt something hit her stomach.

Picking up the heavy paper, she saw the room service menu for the hotel's restaurant.

"Food is evil."

"You were already ill before we started this afternoon. Not eating all day is not helping you any. Humans are weak creatures that require constant sustenance." The demon looked down on her from the side of the bed.

"Well, I'm sorry."

"You are excused, there is nothing that you can do about it." Haagenti didn't see the glare that she shot him as he went to the chair.

Serena looked at the menu and was surprised that she was actually hungry for the first time that day. After making a choice, she was surprised that the demon took the menu and placed her order for her.

"Are you staying to make sure that I eat?" She asked as he hung up the phone.

"Rather observant of you."

"I do know how to feed myself."

"That is why you haven't eaten all day."

"No, I haven't eaten all day because I wasn't hungry." Serena stuck her tongue out at him before looking back to the ceiling. "I need to see Edwin before the food gets here."

"What for?"

"To see if Sebastian called."

"He did call. You were out with the reapers, remember?"

The red head sighed. "I was talking about today."

"No, he did not."

"How would you know?"

"I told him not to."

Serena shot up. "You what?"

"I told him not to call you again." The demon answered with a straight face. He watched her struggle to find something to say and finally decided to explain. "As I said before, you need to become accustomed to not speaking to him while he is under contract and so does he. He'll come to you when his contract is finished, exactly as it will be after your mating."

"I...you...how could you...?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I suggest, that you learn some patience for now. He said that his contract is almost finished. Honestly, how do you expect to survive a separation that may last years?"

"Years?" She squeaked out as Haagenti looked at her surprised.

"I didn't think that would be so surprising. You know that his contract with the Phantomhive boy stretched several years before it was broken."

Serena flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling while she tried to grasp the concept of not seeing Sebastian for years at a time.

"Of course, with the amount of energy that he has stored over the last hundred years, by the time he needs to take another contract you'll probably be happy to have some space."

"But, years?"

"You are still measuring time in human terms. After your mating, your lifespan will mirror your demon's. Add to that, time passes differently in our world."

"You mean Hell."

"If you chose to see it that way. There is a vast difference between the place for human souls and the home that demons have made for themselves."

Not realizing what she was doing, the red head started chewing on her thumbnail as she stared at the ceiling.

"You're food will be here shortly. There is no need to resort to eating your own hand."

She dropped her hand, embarrassed that she had fallen back into her nervous habit again. Sitting up, she watched the demon carefully for a moment. He made no move to stop her and simply stared back.

"Do you have a mate?"

The first real smile that she had ever seen came over Haagenti's face. Happiness made him almost too beautiful to look at. "Zachery."

Serena leaned forward with a smile. "What's he like?"

"You would probably find him rather quiet. Zachery was a monk when human and prefers the company of books to others. All but myself, of course. I had to build an extensive library onto my home to occupy him as he devours books as though a delicacy he might never see again." The demon laughed a little.

"So, he runs your house while you're gone?"

"Yes. Although quiet by nature, Zachery has a very strong core. He knows when something needs to be done and has no problem taking action when it is needed."

"When you talk about him, it's the first time that I've seen you actually look happy."

"I was alone for a very long time before I met Zachery." A dark look passed through his eyes but was quickly banished. "I see what you are getting at and yes, he had a problem with the separation the first few times that I left."

"But, he got over it."

"Yes. We have gotten to a point that the separation does us both some good. It makes the time we have together precious." He smirked. "Whether I leave to take a contract or to watch over a demon and his mate making stupid mistakes."

"Is that the only reason that you're here?" Serena pushed a hand through her hair and rubbed her temples as he turned the conversation back to her and her problems.

"I had a feeling that the two of you would be trouble. You meeting and parting were both unusual."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. After the cart had been wheeled in and left, Haagenti made it obvious that he would not pick it back up until she had eaten. When she pushed the plate away later, he measured how much she had eaten before nodding and pushing the cart back out into the hall.

"Something has been bothering me." Serena started while heading for the bathroom to put her hair up. "Why did Sebastian take a contract in America? I thought that London was his territory."

"It was. In this age with photographic technology and humans that live far longer than ever before, demons have taken to trading territories every few decades. He traded me London for a section that I held in Connecticut."

Serena rushed back out of the small room and stared at the demon. "Connecticut?"

Haagenti smirked at her and waved a hand, waiting for her to put it together.

"I grew up in Connecticut. The beginning, the monk was talking about my beginning. He's in my home town."