White's body was recovered quickly by the HELLSING organisation and brought back for a proper burial. They came as soon as the transmission cut off from the impact, only to find that their only man on the inside was dead. He had fallen from such a great height, that the cyanide dispenser that was surgically implanted inside of his body in the event that he started talking had actually broken. The autopsy would show that he had been poisoned, but everyone knew what had killed him. He was thrown by the leader of the Belmont Organisation to his death. The apartment that he was thrown from was empty when HELLSING. Everything had been moved swiftly and thoroughly. There were no more leads and they had lost an exceptionally skilled agent in the process.

The only silver lining of it all was three discoveries: The first was the fact that White somehow recognised the man. Second, there were more laboratories. Finally, they had found what they hoped would be an Achilles heel. It was the fact that the psychic's power could not transmit through electrical devices. Now, they could complete their plans for tech that would filter the sound of their enemy's voice. Things would turn out, somehow. All they really needed now was to figure out where they went.

That was the recap of current events given to Ciel during his usual visit to his cousin. He had taken a liking to seeing Elizabeth while his husband went of to talk to their other friends. It wasn't as though he disliked the others or felt distant toward them. His feelings were merely complicated, having killed one of his former friends and the father of another. Daniel still doesn't know. Furthermore, he simply enjoys Elizabeth's company. That was the main reason, really. He had his own friends apart from Alois, believe it or not. Today, however, the menace had taken his younger siblings out for a day to spend some quality time with them.

"I'm not too sure if I'm all that great with kids." he remarked to the woman. "They're scary."

"Kids aren't all that difficult. Just remember that they're people too, and you'll be fine. Besides, from what I hear, Luka likes you quite a bit." Elizabeth paused to take a sip from her teacup, giving her relative an oppurtunity to respond.

"Really? I always thought that I came across as awkward?"

"Nonsense! He said that he likes it when you pat his head. It means he did good."

"That's just something father used to do." the Phantomhive replied. "I must have picked it up."

"It's bizarre, the sorts of things one picks up from their parents. It makes me wonder what sort of things Arthur and Richard picked up from me..."

"I'm not sure… Arthur certainly had an easy-going attitude that never seemed to give out, although he was an excellent tactician and knew his craft well. Occasionally, he could be quite wise." the Phantomhive mused. "The biggest thing that comes to mind, however, is his propensity to put an arm around you and never let go until he damn well pleased. I've been dragged around too many parties like that."

"Did I really do that sort of thing?"

"Usually, you only dragged me by my hand. Come to think of it, he had an outstandingly strong handshake."

"I was merely trying to get you to have fun, however misguided my attempts were." Elizabeth explained. "You probably never will enjoy parties that much. You seemed to have fun at Christmas, however."

"Small gatherings with people I actually like are easier to deal with."

"Your language still implies that it's a chore."

"I might have sneaked away a few times for a quick break." Ciel replied. "I'll admit to that. It's still a bit unusual for me to have family gatherings like that, not that I dislike seeing everyone."

"It's good to be together again. It feels 'the good old days,' when things were simple and the adults didn't casually talk about being spies and assassins over dinner."

"Do you wish we would talk about it less?"

"Sometimes. I'd like to leave my work at work every so often." the woman said before sighing. "Unfortunately, I have a work-related favour to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"We aren't getting through to Martyr very well." explained the angel while setting down her cup and saucer. She had a tired yet concerned look to her face that conveyed her position on the matter very clearly. "That said, she's asked if she can speak to either you or Jim, specifically. She was very insistent about only seeing one of you at a time."

"I just told you that I'm not very good with kids..."

"And I just told you that you're fine."

"Wouldn't it be better if Jim did it, though? He's a lot better at handling new people in a non-threatening way..."

"Are you seriously intimidated by a child?"

"Intimidated? No. Considerate? Yes." spoke the Watchdog. "If I do something wrong, it could possibly make things worse. Are we really alright with risking that?"

"She seems confident." his cousin shot back. "Besides, she already knows that you're here."

"Figures. She's psychic." With a grunt, Ciel stood up and straightened out his clothes. "Is this your way of telling me I should leave you alone?"

"Sorry. it's just… I don't feel very well today. I do enjoy our visits and I do feel a bit better now, though."

"I understand." the man replied. "Tell me if you need a shoulder to lean on."

Elizabeth was perfectly aware that Ciel had caught onto her. She was the one who dealt closest with the nameless spies like White and it was sad to lose good people. The way he died was terrible, too. She didn't want to see the body. He will be cremated- burned until nothing was left of him but ash, finally erasing the last traces that he ever existed. All that would be left were memories. Elizabeth, although not at fault in the slightest, still in an odd sense felt as though it was she who was to blame.

Sensing her unrest, the Phantomhive walked over her and put an arm around her shoulder, hugging her from the side. The odd gesture from the man was unusual, but not unappreciated. Elizabeth placed a hand over her cousin's and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Losing comrades is always difficult. I know this. Yet, it still catches me by surprise each time." she said. Her eyes focused on nothing in particular, opting instead to simply stare off into the distance. "They're soldiers. Soldiers sometimes die and we mourn them. Not all of them are erased so completely, however… it seems cruel, but that was his mission. If the man in the skull mask didn't kill him and he wasn't able to escape, we would have had to kill him ourselves. If he started to reveal information… the capsule in his body would have been activated and he would die by the hands of his allies."

Pausing, the Hellsing woman looked up at Ciel. "When we were younger, this is the sort of thing you were trying to protect me from, isn't it? I used to be angry with you after I first discovered the truth. I hated being lied to and thought that it was unnecessary. The further I go, though, the more I understand your actions."

"Living without fear of monsters has its benefits." replied the demon. "I was afraid that you would suffer like I have. I never wanted you to become entangled with demons with me. I thought that I would never smile again and didn't want you to ever lose yours."

"I know that now." Elizabeth said while standing from her seat. "I chose this for myself, however. Every hardship, every problem, and every horror that I have encountered thus far, I have greeted of my own volition. The fault is not yours." Turning to face the man, she put her arms around him for old time's sake. "It's good to see you smiling again."

"It's good to be able to smile again." he answered. "Things can change and feelings can pass, even without losing the memory." He meant for his words to cheer his cousin up, at least slightly, but didn't expect the small laugh that they prompted.

"That's true. For the longest time, I hoped that I'd be your wife, and now look at us! You're more like a sibling than a potential spouse."

"Likewise. You're pretty, but you will never steal my heart from The Honourable Jim Phantomhive."

"I don't want to." bluntly stated Dame Hellsing while letting go of the other. "Our relationship works better this way."

"Am I nothing more than an annoying younger brother to you?"

"Yes. Very annoying. Get back to work."

"And here I was, trying to comfort you." Ciel shrugged, still wearing a smile along with the angel.

"I know. I appreciate it, too. I really do." His cousin said to him with a somewhat apologetic smile. "I do need you to talk to Martyr, however. We've lost all leads on the location of this 'Skully' character, and as of right now, she could be the only one who knows anything about him."

"What makes you so sure?" questioned the Watchdog.

"I'm not. Call it 'intuition' or whatever you will, but it's a start."

"You've gotten much more serious over the years." noted the Phantomhive. "It's interesting."

"Well, I can't stay a naive child forever. And you're one to talk. You've gotten much softer."

"That's life, for you."

"It is. No matter what happens, the world keeps spinning and things keep moving."


A/N: Okay, this ended up WAY shorter than I intended because this conversation ended up being way longer than I intended. I wanted this to just be a quick, sort of light-hearted conversation between old chums, but it didn't turn out that way.

It did not.

So, what was supposed to be the main thing of this chapter will appear in the NEXT chapter, instead. Thank you for your patience.

I do really like Ciel and Lizzie's relationship, here, though. They're just great buddies. Maybe this chapter came to be from my desire for more Ciel and Liz being a chill family duo.

Before anyone asks: No, Alois is not jealous.

Anyway, I hope to put out more stuff before the weekend is over. Will I be successful? Stay tuned and find out...

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!


CHARACTER SHET

Question: "Alois, do you still have your diary from high school?" by raynheart23

Alois: "Nah. I only kept it because my therapist at the time wanted me to. I didn't write in it much anyway. Especially after SOMEONE read it. It's really kind of pointless, isn't it?

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Question: "Alois and Ciel, why do you two shower separately most of the time? All the more time to be with your spouse in the morning, wouldn't it be?" by READandWRITE1

Alois: "'Cause I really don't need Ciel around to wash my arse. We go to bed together, we sleep together, we wake up, cuddle, and talk before getting ready in the same room and going downstairs for breakfast with the family. That's a lot of time together squeezed into one morning, yeah? I love my husband. Ciel is fantastic, I love him with all my heart, I love spending time with him and can't imagine life without him, but I can't be around him 24/7. A certain amount of privacy and personal space is essential to any relationship. Showers are an excellent source of 'me time'. Y'know, sing, practise interviews and conversations that you'll never actually have, or just stand under the water and relax while staring into the void. I can't do that with him in the shower with me."

Ciel: "Right. I agree with Jim. We shower separately because we're a normal, happy, healthy couple. There's sort of an odd assumption that once you're in a serious relationship with someone, you have to spend every waking moment with them or else you're doing something wrong when in reality, that isn't the case at all."

Alois: "Yeah, like, you just don't have any 'spark' or something."

Ciel: "Or maybe your spouse is going to leave you because you left them alone for a little bit. That sounds like a more serious problem with trust."

Alois: "Yeah, Ciel. Just walk into the shower on my own and escape down the drain."

Ciel: "Is that why you take forever in there?"

Alois: "I like warm water. Anyway, point is: there's a balance to things, including just how much time you spend together and when. Even if it's just going into another room for a while. People deserve and need that ability in order to function. And to wash yourself. Ciel has gotten soap in his eye from when I was washing my hair before."

Ciel: "My good eye."

Alois: "We shower separately to avoid this tragic fate."