Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Black Butler! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!
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Slowly, the years passed by.
Sebastian and Ciel remained as close and as in love as ever, but all the while, their children grew.
Thaddeus became Sebastian's princely protégé, flashing his father's debonair smile and Ciel's sapphire eyes that peeked through the angles of his bluenette hair.
Tall and of a trim physique, by the time Thaddeus was eighteen years old, he was a fine example of what a handsome, Victorian gentleman should be.
By twenty-one years of age, Thaddeus Phantomhive-Michaelis was one of the most eligible bachelors in the British aristocracy.
However, Thaddeus honored his father's wishes and he spent every summer and most of each winter overseeing Sebastian's estate.
One June morning, Sebastian and Ciel stepped off the ferry and boarded a carriage in Paris to begin their long journey to visit their son.
Ciel still insisted on wearing her pantsuits.
Sebastian had never given up his butler uniform.
While the carriage clattered along, Ciel glanced out the window but Sebastian gazed at Ciel.
"Do you think we'll make it by nightfall?" Ciel asked.
"If we don't, it's not as if he'll turn us away." Sebastian chuckled.
Ciel looked over at Sebastian and frowned.
"What's the matter, bocchan?" Sebastian smiled.
"It seems like yesterday when you requested your payment. Where has the time gone?" Ciel asked sadly.
Ciel was very proud of how her little family had turned out, but that didn't mean that there wasn't wistful sadness left in the wake of bygone years.
"I must confess, I'm not sure." Sebastian chuckled. "However, I do find that my payment from you has been most satisfactory, my sweet kitten~."
Ciel scowled at Sebastian but she blushed under his intense gaze as she looked away.
While the carriage drove along, Sebastian gave Ciel a quiet purr.
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Just before the last shred of sunlight disappeared, Ciel and Sebastian's carriage pulled into the driveway of an elegant chateau, deep in the French countryside.
The house itself was massive and ornate, but the sprawling grounds that surrounded the magnificent dwelling were full of grape vines and bright, vivid rows of fresh lavender in bloom.
Sebastian was always happy to return to his home and visit his son, but while Ciel was glad to see Thaddeus as well, she very much preferred her estate.
All that pesky lavender always aggravated Ciel's allergies.
"Good evening, mother. Good evening, father." Thaddeus called out warmly to his parents once the carriage stopped and Sebastian helped Ciel to step down.
"Good evening, son." Sebastian smiled.
"Good evening, Thaddeus." Ciel said very formally.
"It looks you're still doing a wonderful job here." Sebastian complimented, quickly surveying how his estate looked from the outside.
"Wait until you come in the house!" Thaddeus declared with a grin.
Sebastian and Ciel followed while Thaddeus led them up the stone steps and ushered them inside.
As soon as they stepped into the foyer, Sebastian's eyes widened and he gasped in happy shock as he looked around.
Ciel scowled as she took in the details.
Sebastian's manor had aged gracefully over the years, but now……..
"Everything's refreshed." Thaddeus proudly told his parents. "The fresco on the ceiling, the wallpaper, the glass in the lights, I even had some of the furniture reupholstered."
"It looks as if it's just been built." Sebastian said, giving his approval to Thaddeus.
"Thank you, father." Thaddeus said with a polite nod and smile to Sebastian.
Thaddeus braced for Ciel's reaction.
Somehow, he never seemed able to please his mother……….
"This is what you wrote to your father and me about? The thing that you were working on?" Ciel questioned.
"Yes, mother, it is." Thaddeus nodded.
"So, then, I suppose you've been too busy painting and selecting upholstery to choose a bride." Ciel sniffed.
Sebastian sighed quietly.
Thaddeus shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
"Your father and I have tried to help you for years. We've presented you with girls that had wealth and beauty and poise……..I was certain when you declined each and every one that you had someone particular in mind, but I'm beginning to doubt that." Ciel sniffed.
"Mother," Thaddeus began, rehashing the same topic that he and Ciel had previously argued over many times. "I've already told you…….I will marry when the time is right. Why do you rush me so? I'm not the Earl! Why does my match matter so much to you?"
"Because you are still the firstborn, and the only son." Ciel snapped. "You're handsome and strapping, like your father was……."
Sebastian blinked at Ciel, "...Was?"
"-Is." Ciel corrected herself. "You can choose whomever you wish, but Vinnie…….."
"What about Vinnie, mother?" Thaddeus asked, crossing his arms.
Ciel shook her head, "You know as well as I do that your sister will never marry."
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Back across the ocean, seated in the countryside of England, Phantomhive manor sat nestled across from a line of trees.
Tanaka was still living and he continued to work for the family.
Baldroy, Mey-Rin, Finny, and Snake remained employees of the Phantomhive household as well.
But there was one newcomer……..
Inside the manor, a bathroom door opened and a very tall, very blonde, and very handsome man stepped inside.
"You called for me, mistress?" The handsome man asked, his black uniform almost identical to Sebastian's.
The water sloshed as a feminine voice called from the tub, "I'm ready for my towel."
"Of course." The young man smiled.
Slipping back out of the bathroom, the young man returned a moment later holding a clean, white towel in his arms.
Before he could open it, though, the water in the tub sloshed again and slowly, the woman inside stood up.
The young man's green eyes scanned over her petite figure as the water dripped from her slight curves……..
Lavinia, or Vinnie, Phantomhive-Michaelis sighed and brushed her long, wet, mass of raven-black hair back.
"Dry me, Gareth." Vinnie ordered.
Vinnie spoke casually but her dark, tapered eyes bore into the green orbs of the young man in front of her as he replied, "Yes, my lady~."
Slowly, carefully, Gareth, the newest butler among the Phantomhive staff, used the towel to blot his charge dry once she stepped out of the tub.
After he was finished, Gareth picked Vinnie up into his arms and carried her bridal style into her bedroom.
Lady Vinnie was short and petite, with a delicate complexion, fierce blue eyes, and fragile lungs, just like her mother.
As soon as Gareth sat Vinnie on the bed, their lips met quietly while they exchanged soft, loving kisses over and over.
Vinnie grabbed hold of Gareth's black tie and began to lean back on the bed, trying to pull him on top of her but Gareth held his position.
Vinnie broke their kiss and scowled at her butler in irritation.
"You have a guest due to arrive in an hour, my lady." Gareth reminded Vinnie with a smug smile.
Vinnie raised an eyebrow at Gareth, daring him, "That's why we have to be quick, isn't it?"
Gareth smirked and Vinnie pulled on his tie once more, finally succeeding in getting him to move with her………..
Vinnie wasn't bothered by her afternoon schedule.
An hour was plenty of time for Gareth to dress her once they were finished with their tryst.
After all, putting on a pantsuit was much faster than putting on a ladies' dress.
