Pairings: Our-Ciel/Lizzy; Alois/Doll; Ciel/Sieglinde.

Genre: Romance, Drama, Political Thriller, Horror & Gore.

Notes:

Hey Everyone, Zancrowe Here!

An update to a story after more than ten years. Is that a record? Probably not, but it is a personal one. Since I know no one is expecting this, hello, welcome to this story, hope you enjoy it. Make sure to check out "A Day At The Circus", which is a sort-of prequel to this story, and do note that this will probably become an "M" rated fic in the upcoming chapters. Heck, this one probably pushes it a bit. We'll see.

Disclaimer: Don't own Kuroshitsuji / Black Butler / Majordomo Negro

He woke up to nightmares he couldn't run from, in cold sweat, instinctively reaching for his gun tucked away under his pillow, only to find none there. As the boy who called himself Ciel gave a slight pause, the memories from the day before slowly filled him in on what had happened, and more pressingly, what was happening. The young Earl, too old to be called a kid, not old enough to be called an adult, turned on his bed, and as the rays of sunshine illuminated his bedroom, he finally caught sight of her.

Elizabeth, sleeping soundly right next to him, dressed in a slightly opened robe and very little else, which quickly caused the recently turned groom to stammer in place and avert his eyes.

This was dumb beyond her reason, he was well aware. They had slept together countless times before, but just the mere thought that they were now married made it so much harder to grasp what he was seeing. She looked outright stunning, as she usually did, but even in deep sleep this girl looked more like a princess than any of the actual royalty could ever hope to.

And the little voice still crept, in a childish tone that resembled so much the little boy that had been sacrificed by chance instead of himself, and it told him that this life wasn't his to live.

That this wife wasn't his to take.

"…Ciel?"

Ciel looked up, his exposed eye widening a bit as he turned towards her again, noticing that he had most likely woken her up fidgeting about on the bed like a damn fool. Elizabeth rose up, sitting down, rubbing her weary eyes gently, before a small yawn escaped her lips.

"…Good morning," she added, before she seemed to take a moment to also remember what they were now and everything that had happened. He could see in real time how the blood seemed to rush to her face. "Eh… I mean, I… hmm…"

"Good morning Lizzy," he replied with his practiced smile, offering the girl a small nod, "Sleep well?"

"Oh! Quite!" she almost screamed at him, to which she quickly recognized how nervous she was, and she needed to dial it back. "As to say," she tried again. "It was the best sleep I have gotten in ages. What about you? You must have been so tired, first the mission and… our event. You looked exhausted."

"I…" he tried, also recalling that they had gone towards their room, and she had excused herself to go wash herself, and then he remembered closing his eyes for a moment, then just… now. He just dozed off on the wedding night. But that very thought also gave him another reason to panic. Was he supposed to have done… what was expected last night? "I didn't mean to just clock off like that, my apologies Lizzy."

"Nonsense," she quickly argued, pouting, "You were tired, I can't fault you for that. It was mean of the Queen to make you work yesterday anyways," she added, before she seemed to get all eager for some reason, as she quickly clapped her hands together. "Oh! But today is when we depart for our grand honeymoon! I almost forgot! Paula already has everything I would need packed! When are we leaving?!" she asked, edging closer to him, face to face, her eyes outright sparkling. He felt himself tense up. He had also forgotten about that. "Can we go now?!" she asked, even closer now, and he was pale.

"…I-I'll see if Sebastian has everything sorted out," he replied, still struggling to, well, just exist. Part of his deal with the demon butler had never included the "waking up next to your brother's wife" in the finer details. He was supposed to be long dead by now, not… here. In bed. With Lizzy. "Sebastian!"

He called out, as he always did, turning to the side, waiting for the man in black to materialize next to him, like usual, only…

…He didn't show.

"…Uh?"

"I don't think he can hear you from his chambers from here," Lizzy noted, head tilted as if examining whether Ciel was truly awake or not. The boy was brilliant, she knew, and she took great pride in that, but he seemed to expect outright supernatural devotion from his faithful servant.

"…Of course, silly me, I should just… shout louder," Ciel said, laughing nervously, as he struggled to get himself untangled from the sheets, and taking notice that unlike Lizzy, he had fallen asleep with half of his get-up from yesterday still on. Fantastic first impressions from the groom, he'd note. As he got up, he got ready to shout at the damn demon, because he knew Sebastian heard him, until he saw something out of place that caught his eye.

It was a small note, neatly tucked away at the nearby desk. The handwriting was the perfection he had come to expect from the butler.

He did a little annoyed click with his tongue before he moved and took hold of it, unfolding the note and reading:

"Because of certain circumstances, it would be most improper for a house servant to walk in on the newlyweds. As such, we both must act our parts ever more effectively now, as a married man that you are now, I cannot just appear before you in any unrealistic manner. You have studied enough by now, as such I firmly believe you should be able to get washed up and dressed properly by yourself. I shall make sure breakfast is ready by the time you both awake, and it would be most romantic on your part to deliver it to her while she remains on the bed. This I have read in many novels, and it assures you get a proper, as they call it, "romantic gesture" under your belt, which is sorely needed after your abysmal showing last night."

Ciel felt his blood come to a boil, gripping the note so hard he crumpled it instantly.

"What's that?" Lizzy asked, before she seemed to notice just how open her robe was, and in a flash, tied it up so hard he wasn't sure she'd be able to undress herself without slicing those robes open.

"Just a little reminder," he lied, smiling to her while cursing inwardly at the damned demon. 'Bastard is well aware that there are so many reasons why I can't get physical with her, I need to come up with an excuse that works otherwise this…"

Then he noticed that the note had something written on the other side, and turning it around, it read:

"While there may be many reasons why you feel you cannot be intimate with her, I assure you, you will look far more suspicious if you do not engage in a sexual manner with your own wife. One day can be excused for tiredness. A second time, not so much. You swore to take everything from your brother in the name of revenge, and that does include his wife. Ah, sacrifices made for the greater good…"

'I'm going to kill him!' Ciel screamed inside his head, trying to conjure up a plan that would somehow assure that he got his revenge and Sebastian died while achieving it, thereby he'd get revenge on both. He knew it would never happen. Most likely, as things were now, his time would come to an end, and revenge or not, no scenario ended with him living for much longer. But…

That still left the fact that he had Lizzy, his wife, on their bed, eyeing him curiously. And he knew by now, given how those expressive emerald green eyes of her were examining him, that she was quietly observing him. Searching for something, and he needed to keep his act up now more than ever. How would Ciel go about his day had he gotten to marry Lizzy and actually live his life?

"Aunt Frances is pretty, but… such a strong wife… that scares me. I'm glad that you're the one who's going to be my wife, Lizzy."

Ciel frowned. That wasn't fair. Ciel had been a child back then, he didn't mean it to sound the way it did. He didn't even notice how Lizzy seemed to get nervous upon him saying so. But he did. The little brother, sat at the desk, having been watching the sparring match alongside Lizzy, always looking in awe at his aunt and how awesome she looked, he had noticed instantly how quickly Lizzy had rushed to help Ciel and how distraught she looked while he was all smiles. Ciel didn't notice, but he did, even if he never made the connection until the Campania years later. Still…

"I'll go get us some breakfast," Ciel said as he turned to Lizzy, flashing her the best smile he could, mimicking his brother as best as his memory could serve him, before he motioned towards the door.

"Oh, okay," Lizzy replied, and she sounded like she had mixed feeling about it all. On one hand she was still incredibly giddy at the prospect of finally marrying the love of her life. On the other, a part of her couldn't help but notice all the little things… Those tiny little details or moments that didn't seem to add up. But she knew she was just being paranoid. There was nothing there to find. Look as she might, she'd never find in him anything other than the Ciel she knew, changed as he was because of course he changed. She was fortunate enough to get him back at all, and she thanked the heavens every time for sending him a guardian angel like Sebastian to bring him back to them. To her.

Ciel opened the door, and the moment he was out of sight, there Sebastian appeared, a very fancy tray sporting some very delectable dishes expertly held on his opened palm.

"…We need to have a better system in place," Ciel told him with his trademark frown.

"A very wise suggestion my Master," Sebastian noted with his trademark smile, before he gently set the tray upon the young master's slender fingers. "But first, let's get the lady of the house her nourishment."

Ciel took hold of the tray basically at gun point, glaring at both Sebastian and the food, taking special note of how it even had a little red rose tucked right in-between the glorious gourmet that he was certain Bard had no hand in preparing. Still, if it would help his ploy, then so be it. Ciel just sighed and turned right back, walking right back into the bedroom. Lizzy's eyes snapped back towards him, too fast for even him to register what it had been she had been looking at before.

No matter, it was Lizzy, there was no reason to be this nervous around her.

"Breakfast in bed for the lady of the house," Ciel noted, deciding to just follow Sebastian's script and keep the façade up as best as he could muster. Lizzy seemed flustered by it, which was a good sign.

"That's so lovely!" she excitedly noted. "…And very ro –" she stopped herself from saying romantic, because it made her face flush harder and she was sure she'd faint. This was too much. Ciel wasn't like this at all. Wedding bliss she's assume. "I mean, very tasty looking," she finished weakly, giving off a sheepish laugh and avoiding eye contact with her… husband.

Yes, she was going to faint after all.

"I do hope you enjoy the selection," Ciel offered, setting the tray on the bed, struggling not to drop it all over her in the process. This was not something he had trained with, and as such, he wasn't exactly prepared. "I see Sebastian made sure to get your favorites in there… all of them," Ciel noted, and it was true. The man did make an effort, or whatever comes close to one for the demon, to get everything Lizzy loved on that tray somehow.

"He spoils me too much," she said with such an earnest tone that Ciel couldn't help but frown. If only she knew. "…But, what about you? Come… sit back down. This is for you too, no? Although," she added, as she signaled to him to join her, before she looked at the tray carefully and noticed that something was missing. "…No second tea set, hmm, I'll call for Paula to fetch you a teacup. I know how much you enjoy that first sip first thing in the morning."

"No need," Ciel quickly argued, raising his hand to showcase he had no desire for tea at the moment, for as untrue as that was. He simply didn't want to drag this out any further. "I'll go myself and –" and just before he even finished that statement, a second teacup flew through the air and landed right into his open palm. The young man struggled to take hold of the sudden object, first looking at it incredulously, before he turned to glare at the empty doorway.

"…How'd you do that?" Lizzy just asked, as she could have sworn he had done a magic trick and just pulled a second cup out of thin air.

"…I had it behind my back," he replied weakly. Not even Finny would by that excuse. "Wanted to surprise you," he added, before he took note of the cup and smirked, "…Seems I did forget to bring the mixing spoon though –" then a spoon flew right in and landed inside the cup, causing the Earl to shake in place in pure rage.

Lizzy was just laughing.

"Is Sebastian really tossing everything to you?" she of course took notice, to which he could only nod in defeat.

"Guilty as charged," Sebastian could be heard speaking from beyond the doorway, much to Lizzy's joy and Ciel's… not. "Just making sure the young couple have a very good morning. I shall be downstairs getting the young master's luggage prepared. Take your time and call upon me if you need me."

"Thank you Sebastian!" Lizzy called out, still grinning.

Ciel did his best to try and play along, ignoring his irritation with his perfect at everything except revenge butler and just sat right back down on the bed, just in time to get further flustered when Lizzy decided to feed him the food. He struggled all through-out breakfast, at all her little details that came so naturally to her and yet he knew, in order to reciprocate, he had to put on an act.

But it was nice and serene, he'd come to note. Eating together, smiling and each other and laughing about the silliest things. It almost made him forget…

…but every time he caught a glimpse of them in the mirror, he could see who it was she should really be sharing these moments with.

And he could no longer lie to himself that it hurt.

-0-

It happened like clockwork, much to his reluctance and her joy. Sebastian, of course, packed everything neatly for him to take, and it was all perfectly stores in their wedding carriage before he had even set foot out of the bath. He tried to pretend not to notice how his servants seemed confused at the fact that he had insisted on bathing separately from his new wife. While she didn't argue it, just blushed and nodded, he knew they all pretty much expected him to simply be all over her like any normal Victorian "gentlemen" would with his bride.

But how would he even begin to explain it all?

How could he hope to hide his brand during intimacy? Sebastian simply suggested he just unzip and work it that way, which while a logical solution, was no less utterly shameful for him to even contemplate. Was he actually supposed to go through with this?

Even more so, to lie to her, to this level, is just something he simply couldn't force himself to do even for his revenge. So, as he bathed, the one time he could disrobe completely and for once look at the world with both eyes, he decided that it probably would be for the best to simply stage a tragedy.

'No…' he countered his own argument, brushing his wet hair back, 'And then what? Leave her a widow? Ruin her social standing just because I couldn't find the Aurora Society, or Undertaker, or anyone related to the massacre? I… I can't do that to her. Not Lizzy. She doesn't deserve to be alone.'

And, as undecided as he had gotten in, he got out of the bath, allowed the water to wash over him and stepped out. He then stared at the mirror, the boy, now without the eye-patch, truly resembling what Ciel Phantomhive would have probably looked like. Sans the brand, both on his side, and the supernatural one on his eye.

At least he had grown a bit, filled out a bit, looked a little more the part of the Earl. Granted, he still was nowhere near the man he remembered his father being. Nor was he the man his uncle was. He didn't much resemble Sebastian either, and that very thought made his frown at his own reflection. He didn't want to compare himself to the pitch-black butler, nor compare him in any way to the men of his family.

So he got dressed, which despite him no longer being a child, still took him a bit, and soon enough he was gathered with his staff and his wife.

Lizzy had gotten bathed and ready far faster than he did, for shame on his part, and she looked positively stoked to get going. He knew she would. For as much as he dreaded what he was doing to her, she was enjoying it so. Still…

A trip by train, with only them and their main servant, Sebastian in his case, Paula in hers, for a ride to "anywhere", as she had described, which he still insisted was the hardest destination of them all. He much preferred she pick a spot and settle it. The closer to home, the better. But of course, one smile, what little playful beg, and he relented, and they were now set to get on a train and go… anywhere.

"Young Master," Sebastian voiced softly, as they all stepped outside. Bard, Finny, Mey-Rin, Snake and his ever-growing collection of serpents all gathered about. Only Tanaka remained in bed, which he told himself over and over was nothing worth concerning himself with. That the elder man would be fine and well taken care off. Still, it was strange for him to see Sebastian stop him from reaching the carriage and placing his gloved hands on his collar. "One must always look presentable," the butler instructed, and Ciel noticed how he had not properly fixed his clothing. He frowned, why was this so damn difficult for him? "Hmm, it is still quite the amusing sight."

"What is?" Ciel bluntly asked, eyebrow raised.

"To talk to you and not have to stare at the ground to do so," Sebastian replied, and Ciel didn't much know how to react. Was it just another tease on his behalf, or was his butler actually commenting on his height. Not as tall as Sebastian, but close. "You've grown into quite the young man."

"More for you to feast on then," Ciel simply muttered, looking away.

"Hardly," the butler countered, "The soul doesn't grow. It can change, get darker or brighter, dim or glow, but the size is the same from infancy until maturity. And let's not talk about such dire things, Young Master, today is a joyous occasion, is it not?"

"I'm lying to her," Ciel said without thinking. He bit his lip when he heard himself, looking downwards, but he knew it was a moot point. Sebastian knew everything anyways. "I didn't want to take the lie this far, to survive this long."

"I had not expected it to take so long either," Sebastian admitted, and for once, he sounded… genuine. "Had I known, I probably would not have taken your plea. It is uncommon for one of my kind to wait this long for a meal. But… it had been entertaining, and I can still wait a little longer. Unless, of course, you wish to give up, confess the truth, and see if she'll accept the real you."

"…And break our contract?" Ciel just spat back. "I made our vows clear, Sebastian. No revenge, then no soul."

"Yes, my Master," Sebastian replied, same devilish grin, same picture-perfect bow.

Ciel said nothing else, merely got into the carriage where a super excited Lizzy quickly bounced her way next to him, hugging him as she always did, and him just squirming in place because even he didn't understand himself at times. How he hated to be touched, and yet, how he longed for her to be close.

"Shall we go then?" Sebastian cheerily asked, and Ciel could hear the servants all saying their good-byes.

"We're all clear on our end," Paula noted with a smile, nodding to the butler, and the man she now assumed would be her full-time coworker. If only she knew.

"Let's, let's, let's!" Lizzy quickly beamed, and Ciel just sighed.

"Very good, let us… hmm?" Sebastian began, until something caught his attention, which caused both Ciel and Lizzy to turn to him in confusion. The man in black seemed to pause for a moment, frowning a bit before turning to the newlyweds. "It seems we have some last minute… visitors, if one could call them as such."

"Visitors?" Lizzy asked, tilting her head sideways.

"…Don't tell me…" Ciel said with dread, as soon enough, just poking his head out of the carriage confirmed his worst fears.

Standing before their ride, was another horse-drawn carriage, this one with the Queen's official logo on it, and standing right next to it, the ever-famous Double Charles.

-0-

Lizzy sort-of expected these things to happen. Her husband was the Queen's Watchdog after all, and she had been training for this since she was a child. They both had. But even she had to admit that it was less than desirable to get interrupted right as they were to go to their honeymoon. But duty called, and she understood, or at the very least, had to pretend to understand. It infuriated her greatly, because she could see how utterly tired Ciel was, but he relented, so she would too.

Which is why she found herself on this other carriage, with her husband, the incredibly annoyed and not bothering to hide it anymore, Ciel by her side, and both Charles before them, Grey and Phipps, on their way for, what they assured, was just a "quick stop" to check up on a Viscount who had delivered a very alarming message to the Queen.

"Just a house check," Charles Grey explained, as they were driven towards their destination. It was, again, in their words, "on the way" to the train station, so it wouldn't cause the couple any troubles. Sebastian and Paula were tasked with getting the luggage and securing their tickets and entry, while Ciel and Lizzy took care of business.

Of course, Ciel had told Lizzy she could just go with the servants, but she made it very clear that now, married as they were, they were a team. He didn't much argue it, and it worried her how much it seemed that he really didn't want to be in this position. She hadn't forced this marriage, had she?

"You alright?" Charles Phipps asked, and Lizzy slowly realized he had aimed the question at her, as she had outright spaced out looking at the passing road.

"O-Oh, apologies," she said with a light blush, her fan out and covering her features. "Just still a bit surprised by the suddenness of it all."

"The Queen apologizes for the interruption," Phipps assured, for whatever it was worth. "Do know she wouldn't ask this of you if she didn't believe it was of the utmost importance to the nation as a whole."

"And hey, this gives us a chance to congratulate you both," Grey added, smirking at the Watchdog. "We really wanted to attend the wedding, but, well, our own duties prevented it."

"The Queen also extends her apologies for not attending," Phipps added, and Ciel had to force himself not to scoff.

"I'm sure she does," Lizzy however did not, as she spoke without an ounce of reservation, her tone making it clear how dissatisfied she truly was, which amused Ciel a bit.

"And what exactly is so worrying about the Viscount's letter?" Ciel asked, his head tilted, eyes on Phipps, the one of the duo he at least trusted a bit. "And, for the love of the Queen, please tell me it's not Viscount Aleister Chamber, or I swear I will just shoot on sight."

"Afraid not," Grey noted. "He hasn't caused much uproar these last few years. Some say the tragic events of the Campania seemed to finally settle him down."

"As if," Ciel scoffed.

"We'll act if he steps out of line," Phipps explained, and it wasn't much comfort to Ciel, since he knew the man outright worked in human trafficking, especially young girls, and yet he had such a social standing that the Queen decided it best to keep him around. And he was the only one left with some ties to Undertaker that Ciel knew where to find, and yet, Sebastian had assured him that the Viscount had not had any further contact with the rogue Grim Reaper. "But our visit today," Phipps continued, "Is of a more… sane individual. Which is why his letter troubles the Queen so."

"What did he write?" Lizzy inquired, her eyes on the two.

"He's seeing ghosts," Grey just replied, and Ciel scoffed again.

"Is that really what this is?!" Ciel blurted out. "Are we getting pulled away from our honeymoon because of the ramblings of a madman?!"

"I mean, in our defense," Grey countered, still smirking, "What better way to catch a ghost than with a Phantom?"

"Do not sully my namesake with such a pathetic pun," Ciel threatened, glaring at the guy, who just laughed it off.

"We have faced off again the living dead before," Phipps added, and Ciel turned his glare to him. "Why would ghosts be so farfetched?"

"Those… Bizarre Dolls had some science behind them," Ciel countered. "Ghosts do not. They simply do not exist," said the boy who has seen Grim Reaper, reanimated corpses and has a demon for a butler.

"And those very same undead walkers haven't been seen in years, not since your little school," Grey added, pointing with his index finger at Ciel, "Who's to say that that's not what our Viscount is referring to?"

"The Queen still wants to get her hands on one of them," Ciel noted, his hands tightening his grip on his cane.

"Viscount… of Rose?" Lizzy voiced, her eyes on the windows, which caused the other three young men to pause and turn to where she was looking. They had in fact arrived at a manor which sported the title "ROSE" above the main gates.

Their carriage came to a halt, the driver instructed to wait, as the four got off and approached the massive gates. The mansion itself looked decrepit, far too worn down for it to have been livable in the not so distant past. The windows were either cracked or too dirty to be looked through, the wooden finish was rotting away, and the grass was nothing but weeds as far as the eye could see, all tangled up to the very, very rusty fence before them. The four just stared.

"Looks the part for a haunted manor," Grey noted.

"How long ago did the Viscount write to the Queen?" Lizzy asked.

"About three weeks ago," Phipps replied.

"…This is moronic," Ciel decided, before he moved towards the main gate, glancing at it briefly before he took out a handkerchief and used it to try and pry it open. It didn't budge. "There's no way anyone is living here!"

"Then that makes our job easier," Grey noted, his hands in the air because he really didn't care. "All we need to do is scout the area, find nothing, and we report back that it was a false alarm."

"That still wouldn't answer the whereabouts of the Viscount," Phipps argued.

"Probably dead at this point," Grey just said, "Wouldn't be the first, nor the last."

As they argued about what to do, or what the Queen would expect them to do, Lizzy felt a sensation she had slowly grown accustomed to. The sense of someone staring at you. She turned, her eyes to the manor, and, her eyes searching all over, she was met with a sight she most certainly did not expect.

It looked fuzzy, but it seemed like a young girl. Long, light brown hair that seemed to reach her legs, dressed in an eerie white robe, her own skin so pale it almost matched her clothing. Her eyes were wide, an ice-blue hue that seemed to stare at Elizabeth's very soul. Lizzy just looked on, her own eyes widened at the sight, almost as if captivated by the girl who did not look like she belonged there, only to then…

…another figure appeared right behind the girl.

It was in an instant. Far taller than any man could ever be. It reached out, took hold of her, and no sooner had Lizzy blinked, there was no longer anyone by the window.

"Maybe the river," Grey offered.

"We are not declaring a missing man dead just to avoid work," Phipps argued.

"Hurry up and decide or I swear I will just leave… Lizzy?" Ciel had begun to argue, but upon noticing his wife's features turn pale, he couldn't help but worry. She almost seemed like she had just seen a…

"There's someone in there!" Lizzy told them, the urgency in her tone not going unnoticed by the other three.

"What? Where?" Grey asked, searching the building.

"What did you see?" Phipps asked her, turning to the girl.

"If Lizzy saw something, then we best get this gate open and investigate thoroughly," Ciel instructed, since he knew Lizzy well enough. Or at least he thought he did, since he couldn't quite predict how urgent the scenario she had witnessed must have been.

"No time!" Lizzy told him. "There was something else! She's in danger!"

"Wait, she?" Ciel tried, but he couldn't even finish asking her before Lizzy outright bounced off, jumping onto the gate itself, and boosting herself up through the railing. In roughly a few seconds she hopped right over the entire thing and landed on the other side. Ciel just looked on, still impressed whenever he saw her move like that, double so since he had not once seen when she had even taken out her swords. Had she packed that for the trip? "Wait! Lizzy!"

"I'll go on ahead!" Lizzy called out, before she outright rushed towards the manor, leaving the three young men stupefied behind the still closed gate.

"Lizzy!" Ciel almost shrieked, not liking this sudden twist at all. "Wait, damn it, wait up!" she cried out, moving towards the gate again, but when it wouldn't budge (and he was sure he couldn't quite jump it as she did), he simply took out his gun and gave it three clean shots at the rusted lock. Surely enough, it opened up. "Lizzy!"

As Ciel squeezed his way through the heavy gate that barely opened up, both Charles just stared at the scene.

"We should also help," Phipps noted.

"She said "she", right?" Grey asked, "We're looking for a man, are we not? Bullocks, this is going to be one of those cases, ain't it?"

-0-

Lizzy rushed inside the manor, which looked more decrepit within than outside, as the floors creaked at every hurried step she took. Still, this did not deter her. She knew what she saw, and that young girl was in peril, and every second counted. So she rushed past the decay, and the spider-webs, and the stench of rotting until she reached the stairs. She had spotted the girl on the third floor, so that's where she needed to be. She ran, until the floor cracked, so she jumped, her heels on the railing, before she bolstered herself upwards and took hold of the underside of the upper stairs, twisting around and landing on the desired floor.

Her gloves were now stained.

"…Dried blood?" she softly muttered, recognizing the metallic smell and the texture. This did not bode well.

"Lizzy!" she heard her husband frantically call for her from the entrance, and she sort-of realized she was probably worrying him.

"Up here!" she called out. "Third floor! Be careful, the whole place is falling apart!"

"How are you even-gah?! Just wait up!" she heard him say, but she knew she needed to find the girl and fast. So she scanned the entire area as fast as she could, moving through each of the rooms, her eyes scanning for the flowing white dress or the long, brown hair. Her grip on her swords ever tight, she came to a halt in the last room of the third floor's hallway, where a door had the initials "S. R." carved into it.

Lizzy pushed it open with the tip of her sword, and as it creaked open, she was meet with the sight of the girl she had just seen.

The girl, who looked about her own age, was curled up into a ball in a corner of the room, her eyes frozen in place, frozen in fright. Lizzy quickly moved to her, bending down and reaching out to her.

"Hey," she voiced softly. "We're here to help. Are you hurt?"

"I'm dead," the ghost girl replied, and it made Lizzy's blood run cold, but not as much as her next words did, "And you'll be too."

The girl pointed at behind Lizzy, to the doorway, and as the blonde turned around, her eyes went wide, since what stood at the door was something she had never seen. It took her a moment to recognize that there was someone standing there. Something there. Only the legs could be visible, stretching out from the floor to the ceiling. Then it bent down, its legs like rubber, bending and contorting in strange ways as it peered into the room.

Its face was just a frozen smile and sunken eyes, and it was white as snow.

A demon if she had ever seen one.

"Ciel! There's –!" she tried to get the warning out, but the creature lunged at her, sharp fangs first, biting down just where the two girls had just been standing. Lizzy had barely managed to jump back and push both herself and the would-be dead girl out of the way. She could at least touch the girl, so she wasn't a ghost… she assumed. She very much didn't know what was what at this point.

She heard Ciel cry out her name, and he sounded still a bit further behind. One floor lower perhaps. She was sure Charles and Charles were even further down. And the creature, biting down on the rooting wood, slowly turned to face her. Lizzy met its dead eyes with her crossed swords.

"You are not the first monster I cut down," she simply stated, trying to swallow her fright. She didn't need to pretend anymore, and that was enough.

"No, you shouldn't," the other girl softly voiced. She barely had a voice at all. "Please don't hurt this girl," she seemed to beg the creature. But it seemed to have no intention of obeying her.

It lunged again, and this time Lizzy met his teeth with her swords, parrying his attack as if it were another swordsmen. It hit a lot harder, but she had enough experience using momentum to her advantage, so she forced it to slam itself into the nearby wall. The thing broke right through, the sound of skin ripping was heard, but the creature let out not even a whimper. This was not a good idea.

"We should run," she decided then and there, and without consulting it, she just tucked one sword away, and with her now free hand, took hold of the girl's arm, and pulled with all her might. The girl shrieked, but Lizzy proved stronger than she looked, pulling them both right out of the room, right underneath the creature's still spread legs, just as it freed itself from the wall, turning to face the retreading ladies. Lizzy and her now escort mission of sorts ran right down the hall, just in time as Ciel finally reached the top floor. The young man looked positively out of breath, and he seemed to try and mouth something once he saw Lizzy, but she beat him to it. "Run! Run! Run!"

Then Ciel saw it.

That seemed like something you'd call Spring-Heeled Jack.

No time to think, so he just took aim and shot. Lizzy ran past him with some strange girl (he'd ask questions later), while he began to run backwards while shooting at the thing. It was tall, so hitting it wasn't much of an issue, but it seemed the bullets didn't much deter it. Ciel then took a different approach, and just as the thing stretched out its arms to reach out to grab him, he shot it pointblank right in the head.

Through one of the sunken eyes, leaving nothing but a hole through the cranium.

Spring-Heeled Jack stopped, its clawed hand inches from Ciel's torso, as the young man finally managed to breathe. What in the world had this thing even –?

Then it moved again, the claw sinking itself into his vest, causing Ciel's eye to widen in shock, believing it already dead or at least immobilized. 'Sebas –!'

But before his flesh was pierced, he got pulled back, by his very jacket, and this caused him to topple backwards, away from the claw, away from getting sliced open. He fell from the third floor and onto the stairs leading to the second, noticing here that it had been Lizzy who had pulled him down. He looked at her for a brief moment, still a bit pale, but she simply smiled in a way that made her worry very evident.

Spring-Heeled Jack reached out once more extending his arm to grab at either of them, but his hand was met by Lizzy's blade, which dug into his flesh, and in a flash, said arm was severed right below the would-be wrist.

This caused the monster to pull his arm back, its face turning to its now new bloody stump, as the clawed hand fell right where Ciel, Lizzy and the other girl were.

"Good form," Ciel praised.

"Thanks," a breathless Lizzy replied.

"You two alright? You… three?" Phipps could be heard saying, as Lizzy took notice of the Double Charles arriving at the lowest floor, near the stairs, both of them finally catching sight of the ghost in the manor.

"What the hell am I looking at?" Grey asked, his grip on his sword tightening. That thing looked big, it looked tough and it looked hard to kill. Actually, it looked already dead, but that was no longer that surprising.

But, upon seemingly noticing more and more people in the vicinity, Spring-Heeled Jack slowly pulled his body in, appearing to crouch over, before it outright jumped right up, crashing through the roof in a massive, thunderous bang, causing the entire manor to shake and sending the three on the stairs toppling over. The very manor seemed to collapse on itself due to the sudden shock of force, and Ciel barely had enough time to react as he tried to reach out to Lizzy.

It took merely seconds, and they had fallen with the entire stairway, right down to the bottom, as the very roof came down on them. He had no idea how, but one second he had been reaching for Lizzy, the next he was holding onto her dress, as she held up part of the roof with her blade's end, while Phipps' held onto another end with his own blade, and Grey held the center with his. And Ciel just sat there, holding onto Lizzy and little else. They heard the rest of the manor, like dominoes, come apart and fall all around them, covering them with so much dust they couldn't even see. But somehow they survived.

Lizzy and the Double Charles struggled, and once Ciel snapped out of it he helped, to push the roof off of themselves and clear the area, revealing a massively broken down place, but at least the four of them still alive. Well… five of them, as Ciel now noticed that there was some girl clinging onto him.

"Um… okay, that happened," Grey noted with a cough, as he brushed the dirt of… everywhere. "Now, was that the Viscount?"

"I think any such questions would be better directed at the young lass here," Phipps said, his eyes on the girl.

"Quite," Ciel noted, doing his best to keep his asthma at bay. Too much dust, and too much running and shooting and almost getting skewered. "And you can let go now, okay?"

"Relax Ciel, she's just scared," Lizzy said softly, bending down to meet the eyes of the young girl still on the floor. "Hey, it's sort-of safe now. And look, we're still alive. Anything you could tell us, perhaps?"

"I…" she began, before her eyes began to water a bit, and before Lizzy could try to console her, her worry for the girl quickly turned a bit into anger when she saw how she quickly clung onto Ciel in quite the tight embrace. The boy in question seemed to freak out at the touch, while the Double Charles just looked on, one amused, the other bemused. "I thought I'd never see you again. You did come back for me."

"I beg your pardon?" Ciel flatly asked.

"…Ciel?" Lizzy asked, and her tone made him flinch. It was so close to the tone she had used when she caught him with Sieglinde. "Who's she and why does she know you?"

"I don't know her!" Ciel defended, as he pushed the girl off in the most "polite" way he could muster, while also making it clear he did not want her on him. "I'm not… lying, about this," he blurted out, and cursed at himself, before continuing with, "I've never meet her."

"What?" she asked, and she sounded so broken that Lizzy's glare just intensified, as did Ciel's fear. He really did not remember this girl at all. What was happening? But then, she continued to say, "It's me… Stella. Stella Rose. You saved me three years ago, don't you remember? Ciel Phantomhive, I'd never forget you," she told him, and before he could argue it, because he could feel Lizzy taking aim at him with her blade, and he so preferred Spring-Heeled Jack over that, she said something he didn't quite understand, "…But… What happened to your eye?"

And neither Ciel nor Lizzy had any idea what she meant.

-0-

Spring-Heeled Jack jumped through the skies, live a demon in flight, with a bloody stump and a hole on its head, but the biggest grin on his face. He found him. He finally found him!

Then, he was stopped. A gloved hand appeared right out of nowhere, and the demon in the sky was brought down to the solid ground in an instant. Spring-Heeled Jack attempted to bite at whoever it was that had struck him down, but the man clad in black merely held him by the face, and pressed down until he heard the skull crack. The creature tried to kick at him, but it had no effect.

Sebastian just smiled.

"My… aren't you sturdy?" the true demon noted with glee. "It used to be that if you crushed the head these… bizarre creatures would cease to move. But look you, a hole through your face, an impressive shot Master, and my fingertips in your brain matter and yet, still you move. I take it someone has been busy with his toys. Care to tell me where your Master is?"

Spring-Heeled Jack said nothing, his smile frozen in place.

Sebastian just sighed. Why must they always be like this? But, before he could contemplate how to extract information from a dead creature, he felt a familiar sensation from behind, which necessitated he move himself a bit less he be stabbed right through.

Spring-Heeled Jack, however, had no such luck, and the creature was stabbed cleanly through the head, as a massive, extending spear crashed right through it and into the dirt floor beneath them. Sebastian sighed, because it had also been years since he had seen them. And what a good few years those had been.

"If I didn't know any better," Sebastian said, turning to the Grim Reaper, "I would think you had purposely aimed that at me."

"If I had done so with such an intent," the leader of the Grim Reapers, one William T. Spears replied with a clear disgust, "You would not have been able to dodge it."

-0-

Pitt had done many things to get a story.

Such was the way to survive, he had come to learn. Pick the winning side, get your facts straight, and fortune was sure to come. So when he was proposed to get an exclusive on such a massive story, he jumped at the chance. He was cordially invited towards the mansion, and met with the Lord. A very peculiar individual, but they were all like that. What he told him, the story he sold, sounded too good to pass on. Such a controversy was going to usher in a new era in England, of that he was certain. It was simply… unbelievable.

He would have never expected it to deal with the Phantomhive family, of all people, and a part of him felt bad for the supposed betrayal, but he knew the Earl of Phantomhive thought little of him, so he really owed no loyalty to the young man.

He also never expected to get drunk and end up bedding the Lord of the mansion, waking up hung over and nude in this young man's bed.

Said young man currently stood by the open window, still in the nude, his clear blue eyes facing the outsides and his blonde hair waving softly against the wind. The Lord had a very nice body, one Pitt had never expected to ever think about in regards to another male.

"You're finally awake," the Lord said, not bothering to look at the reporter. Pitt just nodded, before he realized that he wasn't even being looked at. So he gave a soft reply, and slowly got off the bed, wondering where his clothes were. "I hope last night was to your liking."

"Uh… oh, yeah," Pitt said, having no idea how to even react, "I mean, I had never, you know, experimented like that, not with, a, erm…"

"Trust me, it showed," was the reply he got, and it felt like a slap in the face. "You should go," he was told, "That story won't write itself."

"Oh, no worries," Pitt explained. "I got it ready before my visit. That's how it works. It had to be on my boss' desk first thing this morning for it to go out tomorrow. I just needed to come here and verify all the details as to not have the need to, well, cancel it or whatnot."

"Oh?" this certainly peaked the Lord's interest. "Are you saying you did all you needed to do for the story to hit the streets?"

"…Pretty much."

"~My…" Alois Trancy said with a devilish smile, turning to the reporter and letting out a little laugh, "…Then I guess your visit shall get a little… prolonged."

"Sir? I beg –"

"Oh trust me, you will," Alois said with glee, before adding a simple, "Claude."

…And Pitt didn't even have time to scream.

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