Chapter 2: What game are you playing?
A/N: The previous chapter was so long I thought my hands were going to fall off. Though this one will be just as long, so will the others.
Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler, though I wish I did.
What game are you playing?
Alice placed her lifted hand across her chest and bowed. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Alice Mihranda Allianha Eldanor. You know me as Midnight since that is the name that you have given me. I am the first daughter of Michaela Eldanor and Erster Eldanor. First grand witch of the century and the most powerful being alive."
A look of understanding crossed Sebastian's face, but a look of utter confusion crossed Ciel's.
"I am known throughout galaxies as The Lady of Hell's Gates." Straightening from her bow, Alice placed a finger to her lips with her right hand. A small smile graced her lips. "But you already know that, don't you Sebastian Michaelis?" Ciel started panicking when she said his butler's name.
"Sebastian! What the hell is going on? How does she know?"
Sebastian just stood at the ready to attack, not once taking his eyes off the girl in the centre of the room. "Because-. " He was cut off by Alice.
"Because he killed my siblings, Ciel Phantomhive." She closed her eyes, hand dropping from her lips and hanging by her side once more. The smile never leaving her lips. "Although, unlike you, I do not wish for revenge." That was enough to shock even Sebastian.
"Why not?" Ciel demanded. The smile slipped from Alice's lips and was replaced with a scowl.
"Because the rest of them dared to kill me. Enough of this, are you going to obey your master's orders or not Sebastian?" The smile was back again when she opened her eyes to stare him down. "I would love to play."
Sebastian stiffened a little and turned to look at Ciel over his shoulder for confirmation. Ciel was just sitting on the floor in shock. "Master?"
That seemed to snap him out of it. "Kill her! She doesn't know what revenge means." The smile that graced her lips pulled even further, her eyes darkening a little.
"Should I wear a dress for this dance, or not?" Alice mocked while moving her legs from their positions to balance on one foot, hand still behind her back. Running her right hand over her breasts to her waist, the clothes that adorned her body melted away and were replaced with a flowing floor-length black dress. The dress had a corset over the top encrusted with the most beautiful blue sapphires. The bodice was strapless and covered her breasts as much as the vest that she wore. The skirt of the dress split on the left side up to her thigh, showing that she still wore no shoes; it was also adorned with black roses on the bottom.
Sebastian growled. "Don't mock your killer." He had to admit that she did look beautiful in the dress. What the hell am I doing? Demons don't feel such things. Alice merely smiled and started twirling on her right foot as Sebastian started attacking. Throwing the cutlery at her, he moved faster than the eye could see. The knives and forks lodged into the skirt of the dress as Alice kept spinning.
"My turn, butler." Alice said loud enough for him to hear from his place on the chandelier above her. Pulling both of her legs from the floor to beneath her like she was sitting, still in the spin, and also crossed both of her hands over her chest. Twirling faster and faster, her dress flared out keeping her from hitting the floor. She rose higher and higher. If you stood right beneath her you would be able to see bright blue undergarments.
From his place on the chandelier, Sebastian thought that she looked like a black rose rising. He did notice that the faster she twirled, the more her dress flared out.
As she reached the perfect speed, Alice let her legs fall into a ballerina like pose and lifted her hands above her head. As if on command, the cutlery that was lodged in her dress flew from where they had disappeared. Flaring out in a circle and piercing the walls of the room. A few landed above Ciel's head, which made him jump a little.
Sebastian took that as his chance to jump from the chandelier, more knives in his hand ready to throw. He headed straight for Alice. As soon as he was about to kick her, she stopped twirling and held his foot with one hand. It was like she was suspended in mid air.
A mocking smile spread over her black lips. "I didn't say my turn was over yet, Sebastian." Alice grabbed his leg with both hands now and span, making a full circle before letting go. The force of the spin made him head straight for Ciel.
Turning mid-air, Sebastian forced his body to avoid hitting his master and instead crashed through the wall.
Ciel jumped up and ran to the hole to see if Sebastian was alright. "Sebastian!" He shouted in panic at seeing his butler unmoving under the rubble.
Alice stopped spinning, still in the air with her dress flared out. She faced the direction of the hole with a smile. "You act all high and mighty, but when your pawns are down, you are merely a child. Ciel, children shouldn't form contracts with demons." Ciel looked at her with fear in his eyes. The eye patch he wore on the floor, showing his sealed eye.
"I'm not a child!" He started protesting, but stopped at the kind look that Alice was giving him.
"You are nothing but a child, Ciel. You cannot change that merely with the thought of revenge." While speaking, Alice slowly lowered herself to the floor, her dress moving with the invisible force. Hands at her sides she balanced on her left foot while the right was bent off the floor behind her. "I know this is going to piss Sebastian off, so I have to finish speaking quickly." Looking him directly in the eyes, he could see the blue glow around the brown of her irises. "I can cancel your contract and you can keep your soul. I can help you acquire your revenge with nothing more than a home in return."
Ciel was now beyond shocked, and Sebastian was beyond pissed. She can cancel the contract? I can keep my soul? "But..." It took a moment for him to gain his courage to speak. Alice stood in the same position with a kind smile on her porcelain face. "What will become of Sebastian?"
Master... How can she do this? I didn't think that she was powerful enough to stop me. What game is she playing? The rubble around Sebastian shook apart with his rage. "He is my master and there is nothing you can do that will void the contract!" He shouted in his rage while flying at Alice. The smile never left her face.
"I didn't say that I would void the contract. I just left out a little detail." She said without fear of the oncoming attack. As he neared her, Alice shifted her eyes to Sebastian. The slits were prominent in his glowing pink eyes. "And what will become of him is up to me."
"Now you die, witch!" Sebastian was ready to slice her to ribbons.
"Stop, Sebastian! That is an order!" Ciel shouted just as the knives in his butler's hands touched Alice's neck. Sebastian froze at the order and at the look that Alice gave him. The look clearly read 'I win'.
"But master-." Sebastian began but Ciel stopped him.
"Leave her be, I want to hear the rest of what she has to say."
Alice still smiled as she closed her eyes and stepped around the very furious butler towards Ciel. "Wise words, young Earl." She reached Ciel and held a hand out to him, still not opening her eyes. "Perhaps we can speak in the recreational room; I find the ballroom not the most fitting to discuss important matters." Ciel hesitantly grasped the slender hand, only then did she open her eyes. The blue glow was still there, but there was something else that the young Phantomhive couldn't place.
"Sebastian, prepare tea and bring it to us." Ciel said with a little bit of hesitance.
"Of course, young master." Sebastian bowed and vanished from the room.
Alice looked at the hole in the wall with a bit of a scowl. "My apologies for the damage, but if that insolent butler of yours knew what he was facing he should have been more prepared." A smile replaced the scowl. "Nevertheless, I can fix it."
"How?" Ciel was getting curious as to what else the woman before him could do if she could defeat a demon.
"With magic." Was all Alice said as she waved her hand towards the wall. Right before his eyes the wall was repairing itself, the cracks and dust disappearing into it. Ciel looked like a real child with glowing admiration of the magic, this brought a smile to her face. When the wall was fully repaired Ciel turned to Alice, that same glow still in his eyes.
"I doubt Sebastian could ever do that. That was amazing."
A chuckle escaped her and Alice turned to the door of the room, pulling an anxious Ciel with her as she gracefully walked to their desired room. "Of course it was amazing, that is the wonder of magic, Ciel." Upon reaching the recreational room Alice let go of Ciel's hand and took a seat on one of the couches that was next to a table.
Sebastian stood by the tea cart with a very prominent scowl of his face. How dare she touch him like that?
Ciel took a seat on the other side of the table, his clothing dishevelled from the previous events of the afternoon. He was gazing at Alice with admiration, this only irked Sebastian further. "Can you tell me more about the witches?" He asked a bit quickly.
Alice chuckled and leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs and allowing the dress to fully show them off. "But of course." Sebastian quickly poured the tea and set the cups on the table before standing behind his master, also curious as to what she had to say. "We are smart and crafty creatures, always avoiding conflict when we can. I am a bit more on the mischievous side as compared to the others." She looked directly at Sebastian while saying her next words. "Only because I can shift into a cat as my animal form. It is simply amusing to see that a demon adores felines." Even Ciel chuckled at this.
"But if you were a cat, how come my allergies didn't act up?"
Alice smiled and looked back to Ciel. "Because I am no ordinary cat when I shift. Think of it like this: If I am no ordinary feline, why would I make ordinary allergies act up?" Both Sebastian and Ciel had a look of understanding on their faces, although Sebastian still had a scowl in place.
"Please tell me more." Ciel said while bringing his tea to his lips.
Alice laid her hands on her lap, still relaxed. Now that Sebastian thought about it, she hadn't looked anything but relaxed since he found her in the ballroom.
"Witches have dwindled down since the dark ages, which is very shameful if I do say so myself. In quests for power they began killing their own kind to take their powers for themselves." Sebastian thought of something she had said about the revenge.
"Then why do you still have yours if they killed you? Which also brings another question as to how are you here and not dead?"
Alice chuckled. "I said I'm more mischievous than the others." That statement confused both the butler and the young earl. "Let me clarify that for you: Yes they did kill me, but I was smart enough to place a spell upon myself before that. This spell allowed me to live again in another realm with all my powers intact. Therefore when I was so brutally stabbed by my own mother and our leader, my body vanished before they were able to suck the power out." A look of understanding replaced the confused ones on the male's faces, though Sebastian still held his scowl.
"Is there more to know before I ask about the contract?" Ciel asked with a little bit of enthusiasm.
"Why yes, yes there is. There is a lot more than what I can say without giving witches a disadvantage, but I'm not going to say that while that butler has a contract with you." Sebastian started snarling at Alice, which only prompted another chuckle. "What I can say for now is that I've managed to gain some very unique powers in my other realm, so much so that my own mother and our leader decided that I was too powerful to stay alive. That and the fact that I had almost gained enough to reach the stage of immortality."
Sebastian thought about it a little, the scowl still present but he did stop snarling. Immortality? Like me?
"Yes Sebastian, just like you." Alice said which made him jump a bit in shock that she had read his mind. "When I said that I had unique powers, I meant it. Among the many that I have, mindreading is one of the most fascinating." A very evil chuckle escaped her lips, covering with her left hand as she spoke. "Which now brings me back to your contract with Ciel, and I so dearly want to hear what you have to say to it."
"Go on." Ciel encouraged, he wanted his revenge, but he still wanted to keep his soul.
"I simply switch the contract from you to me. Therefore I become his master." Sebastian fainted, Ciel's jaw dropped open at both the fact that Sebastian had fainted and at what she had said.
"Can, Can you really do that?" Ciel asked as Alice laughed loudly at Sebastian. She stopped for a moment to nod and then continued until Sebastian recovered and stood shakily.
"Who knew that demons could faint." The last few chuckles managed to escape her lips, eyes glowing much brighter now than they had before. "The only question is: Do you want me to do it, Ciel?"
Immediately Sebastian interjected. "I will not allow this! I've been hungering for his soul for two years!"
"Yes, I do." Ciel said while Sebastian stood still, in too much shock to move. His mouth hung open in disbelief.
"Very well then." Alice closed her eyes and placed her pointer fingers' tips together before her chest. "Ciel Phantomhive has agreed to the terms and conditions of the change that is to occur. His contract with the demon Sebastian Michaelis will be moved unto me, Alice Mihranda Allianha Eldanor, the terms of our contract will be changed to what I see fit. He will remain a butler. So mote it..." Opening her eyes that now shone bright blue with no trace of brown in them she looked at Sebastian's face that was filled with horror. Her hair was lifting around her from an invisible force. "Be."
As the words left her mouth Ciel felt his eye burn a little, blood dripping from it. The pain didn't make him flinch so that he could keep his eyes on Alice. Her eyes were glowing a lot more brightly with each second that passed. The Faustian mark appeared above her right breast, glowing blue before fading. Sebastian watched this change and felt it as well, his contract with the young Earl Phantomhive leaving the boy's body and transferring into hers.
As if someone had just stabbed him in the head with a hot iron, Sebastian gripped his head and fell to his knees. The pain was unbearable for even a demon like him to handle.
Alice closed her eyes again and dropped her hands to her lap. "It is done." Reopening her eyes, Ciel saw the blue vanishing from them. She looked at Sebastian's crumpled form. "I forgot to mention that you will experience severe pain, guess it slipped my mind." Her eyes then drifted back to Ciel and she frowned at the blood on his face as well as the rest of him. "This just won't do, you are a mess Ciel. Let me help." With a simple flick of the wrist Ciel looked as good as new, both of his eyes held their original blue colour, his clothes and hair was back in place, even the blood vanished from his cheek. "Much better, now I do believe we can enjoy our tea while my butler regains his bearings." She smiled, picking up her cold tea and sipping it slowly.
Ciel looked at himself and felt his face, everything was normal again, he could use both eyes again. Sebastian was still on his knees, twitching occasionally in pain.
"Thank you." Ciel said, a real smile gracing his features.
Alice looked up from her tea and returned the smile. "It's only a pleasure."
It took a while for Sebastian to regain his bearings but when he did, he really wasn't a happy camper. Although his scowl disappeared when he saw Ciel smile, but when he turned his attention to Alice he groaned loudly. She was grinning like a cat that caught a bird.
"Oh Sebastian, be a dear and brew some more tea for me and Ciel, we're going to be talking for at least another hour or so." Alice said with the most mischievous tone present in her voice.
"Yes, Alice."
"Oh and you will call me master or my lady, lest you want to be punished." She added with a shrug and an even bigger grin.
Sebastian hesitated for a moment but bowed with a hand over his chest and kept his expression neutral. "Of course, my lady."
Alice's grin dropped to a smile as she then faced Ciel again. "Now what would you like to talk about Ciel?"
Ciel thought it over for a moment before coming up with an answer. "Can you shift into other animals?"
Alice smiled still while she spoke as Sebastian handed her a new cup of tea. He wanted to stay as far away from her as possible, even with his urges of petting a cat against him. "Why yes, do you want to see them?" Ciel nodded while Sebastian stood in the corner brooding. Alice sipped her tea before setting it down and placing her hands in her lap. "My first form and second strongest is the cat." The same cat as before sat on the chair, they had not seen the transformation this time as it was done in a puff of smoke. The cat then puffed away and Alice replaced it. She looked at Sebastian and chuckled at the look of pure loathing on his face. "It seems that my butler likes cats more than I expected. Nevertheless, my second form is a snake, also the fourth strongest." Again a puff of smoke and a king cobra was on the couch, this one a lot bigger than any other seen.
Black scales encased it with blue diamonds, like literal diamonds, on either side of its head. The snake vanished.
"My third form is a wolf, third strongest." A black wolf with the fluffiest tail ever, brown ears like the cat and a white spot on the back this time. "Fourth is a hawk, also fifth strongest." Again a black animal with the same features as the cat and dog. After all of them Alice sat in the couch again and sipped her tea, seeming finished with her transformations. Sebastian and Ciel stared at her in wonder.
"What about your strongest form since the cat is second, dog is third, snake is fourth and hawk is fifth?" Ciel asked, what he asked seemed to make Alice chuckle.
"I don't use that form unless I'm in danger and can't get out of it. You'll see it when the time comes, Ciel, but not now. I don't want to give away my trump card."
"Ah. I understand. My next question is what are all the creatures that you've killed and how many of them?" Alice smiled at that this time, wanting to scare the demon was getting fun.
"All together I have disposed of 1350 beings." Sebastian's jaw literally hit the floor in surprise and shock, Ciel's followed soon after. "Hehehe, there was 350 demon lords, 270 vampire lords, 600 witches, 70 sirens, 58 angels and 2 grim reapers." The last one scared Sebastian into speaking.
"How the hell did you kill a grim reaper, much less two of them?" Sebastian was too amazed to be scowling.
"That's a secret that only certain grim reapers know." Alice said holding a finger to her mouth in a silencing motion.
Ciel was speechless, this woman before him was indeed a legend, and worthy of the title she gave them. "The Lady of Hell's Gates is the perfect name for you." Alice chuckled at that. "What was the last one that you were able to kill?"
"Oh that one is a bit much to talk about, and I think it will give Sebastian a heart attack." Ciel looked on eagerly while Sebastian looked very much worried. "The last being I killed was the high demon lord Faust, a very worthy opponent and a very delicious feast." And as stated Sebastian fell to the floor spasming like he was possessed. "Hehehe, do you want to know how I was able to kill him?" Ciel nodded, even more eager to know now since a demon was in the room freaking out and losing most of his sanity. "Well, he was worthy yes, but he was also old and weak. I was a lot stronger than him when I ripped his heart right out of his chest with my bare hand." She held up said hand before her as if holding the heart still. "His heart was so perfectly aged that I very nearly had a heart attack myself when I swallowed it whole. Though the picture of that scene isn't pretty, I enjoyed every second watching his eyes dull and the blood pool beneath him." A very creepy grin split her mouth open to show the pointed teeth beneath, like that of a vampire.
Sebastian finally stopped spasming but didn't get up off the floor. Ciel just stared in wonder. Alice chuckled at both of them.
"Now, no more talking about death and gore, what else do you want to know?" She asked, the grin being replaced with a smile while sipping her tea slowly. Sebastian stood and very slowly approached her with a question in mind, but he didn't know how to ask it. Alice looked at him briefly and then back to Ciel. "What is it?"
Gaining very little courage to ask, he was most certainly glad that Baldroy, Mey-Rin, Finnian and Tanaka went to bed hours ago. "Why did you do it?"
"For the same reason I did the others, for power and immortality, only after him I only need one more being." Alice smiled but still didn't look at him, she kept her eyes on Ciel who looked shocked but still amazed. "What is your question Ciel?"
"How old are you?" That made her laugh so much that she fell to the side on the couch gripping her stomach and sounding like a hyena. Sebastian took a step back since he was right next to the couch.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Finally letting the laughter go she sat up again. "I may look old, but I'm only nineteen."
"Impossible!"Sebastian and Ciel sputtered.
"Told you so, but that's how old I really am."
After letting the shock sink in, Sebastian looked amazed and not frightened or displeased with anything. "So young yet you also went through so much?"
Alice finally looked at him, but she had a look on her face that he couldn't describe. "When you find out how much I really went through, you definitely won't call me young. I've seen and done a lot more in my short life than you have in yours, old man."
Ciel chuckled at that last bit. "She's got you there, Sebastian." He looked at Alice now. "What can I call you?"
"There are a few names, so I'll let you choose." She waved her hand dismissively as if she didn't really care. "They are Alice, Midnight, Allianha, Mihranda, Cleo, Robyn, Nüchante, Hera, Veronica and Selene." It was more than a mouthful which was enough to make Ciel lose count after the fifth one. "Including my title, I have eleven different names. Take your pick which one you like."
Ciel mulled the names over, trying to find the best one. After a few minutes he settled on one. "I think Alice suits you best."
"I do agree with you, however I do have a use for the others." Sebastian raised a brow at that, he slowly stepped to the side of the table. "For different situations, use the different names. Sebastian go and fetch a paper and pen will you?"
Sebastian still hesitated before bowing. "Yes, my lady."
"Different situations? Like what?" Ciel questioned while looking at his empty cup. Sebastian reappeared and handed Alice the items. She placed the paper on the table next to her tea cup and spoke while she wrote.
"Alice is just for formalities and for greeting others. Midnight will be for if you don't trust someone. Allianha for when we're undercover somewhere. Mihranda when I'm in danger. Cleo when I don't trust someone. Robyn when I'm in my strongest animal form. Nüchante when I'm in my cat form. Hera when I'm in dog form. Veronica for snake and hawk form. Last but most certainly not least, Selene for when you are in terrible danger." Looking up from writing she stared at Ciel before looking at Sebastian. "They do not count for you, only Ciel since you can fend for yourself. I will respond to these names accordingly if they are spoken."
Ciel nodded and took the paper when she handed it to him, looking it over. '1: Alice, normal. 2: Midnight, you mistrust. 3: Allianha, undercover. 4: Mihranda, me in danger. 5: Cleo, I don't trust. 6: Selene, strongest form. 7: Nüchante, cat. 8: Hera, dog. 9: Veronica, snake and hawk. 10: Robyn, you're in danger.'
It took a while but he finally looked up from the paper towards Alice. "I'll have to memorise these just in case."
Alice nodded accepting that statement. "What is the time Sebastian?" She asked the butler that was just standing there.
Taking out his pocket watch he looked at the time and frowned. "Quarter past ten, my lady."
"Did you have supper yet Ciel?" He shook his head slowly. The time had flown by without them knowing it. It was only five when all this had started. "Well then, Sebastian please prepare supper for Ciel and myself, afterwards we will retire because he will need his rest."
"Why?" Ciel asked, curious as to why she thought he needed rest. He didn't even feel tired.
Alice smiled at him before speaking. "We have a few things to discuss tomorrow and I need you in top condition for them. Now, let us go to the dining hall, I haven't eaten anything all day except for Sebastian's tasty blood." She licked her lips which made said butler shiver a bit at the memory. "You're not innocent either, so I suggest you get started with dinner before I tell Ciel."
Sebastian flew from the room as quick as demonly possible, only his outline was left where he'd been standing. "Tell me what?" Ciel asked as Alice stood from the chair.
"I'll tell you at a later time, I promise." She led him from the room, somehow knowing her way around the manor. It wasn't long before they were in the dining room where Sebastian stood waiting with the food. "Very nice Sebastian, what is on the menu for tonight?"
Sebastian helped Ciel into his chair at one head of the table and then helped Alice into hers on the right of him. "Tonight we have a lightly smoked salmon accompanied with seasoned three mushroom risotto and steamed vegetables." The two nodded accepting the food placed before them. "The vintage I chose to accommodate the flavours is a sweet rosé from France."
"We will not be drinking wine tonight, understood?" Alice said with a very stern look. Sebastian nodded quickly. "Ciel, what would you like?" She asked with a smile.
Ciel thought it over, ho only had wine with supper, so this was something new. "You can decide Alice."
"Very well, Sebastian fetch us some fresh granadilla juice and a steaming cup of hot chocolate with a plate of marshmallows." Question marks surrounded Ciel's head. Sebastian bowed and left to do as his master ordered.
"Why don't you want us to drink wine, Alice?"
Her smile was replaced with a frown for a second. "Because wine makes me very sick. I can't stomach it. Also, you're too young to be drinking alcohol."
"Ah, but I've always had wine with my dinner."
"I don't care what the laws or proper things say, you are too young. I cannot let my charge become incapacitated before things are settled and I can do something about it." Another question mark appeared by the three already above his head.
"Charge?"
Alice now smiled enough to light up her face, Sebastian returned with the drinks and placed them on the cart awaiting further orders. "A witch's charge is like her own child. When I switched the contract, I also took you as my charge, meaning you are under my protection. I will be your guardian until I decide otherwise." A look of understanding crossed Sebastian and Ciel's faces.
"Thank you, again."
"No need to thank me, it was my decision to do so. I know what it's like without parents around, so I want to lighten the burden on you." She looked to Sebastian now. "The granadilla juice is mine, but hand me the hot chocolate and marshmallows as well, there's something I want to do with it."
"Yes, my lady." Sebastian did as ordered, but was surprised when she took a couple of the marshmallows and placed them in the cup.
"Watch this." Alice said holding up a finger as if to make a point. At the tip a small flame erupted which made Sebastian step back and Ciel look in awe. "One can do a lot with the element of fire, this is just one of its uses." She slowly started melting the marshmallows into the hot chocolate with the fire.
"Amazing." Ciel said with a childish look on his face. Alice chuckled a bit and handed the cup to him with the fire still lit on her finger.
"I enjoy making people happy." She put simply and flicked the fire out. "Now let us enjoy our supper, afterwards me and Sebastian will take you to your room, I need to give you something before you sleep." Sebastian looked at her in question but didn't say anything. Ciel just started eating, enjoying the sweet hot chocolate that Alice had chosen for him. Eating very little of her food, Alice finished quickly. "I don't eat much of what you gave, but I do enjoy bread a lot and ramen." She said as an answer when Sebastian took her plate with a question mark over his head.
"Do you want me to make you some, my lady?"
"No, just bring the desert." She waved her hand dismissing the question, by that time Ciel had also finished and was sipping his hot chocolate. "How is it, Ciel?"
"Delicious, I didn't know a person could use marshmallows like that." She chuckled at his answer.
"You'll find that I have more tricks up my sleeve than a jester. What is the desert Sebastian?" She asked without looking at the butler that entered with the cart.
"Double chocolate cake with fresh raspberries and whipped cream, my lady."
"Excellent, now that is something we can both enjoy." Alice said with a smile, closing her eyes. Sebastian cut the cake and placed a slice before Ciel and Alice. They both ate slowly in order to savour the delectable flavour.
After they had finished Alice stood and held her hand out for Ciel again. Ciel took it without question and she pulled him to his room. Only then did he remember what she said earlier. "What do you need to give me, Alice?"
"Something to take away your nightmares as well as something else." They entered his room where they found a very distraught looking Sebastian. "Help him get into bed like you normally do, then I'll do what I need to." Alice walked to the window and waited until Sebastian cleared his throat. "Good now please go wait outside. I really don't want demons learning my tricks." She smiled at him like she didn't just say that.
"Yes, my lady."
Once he was out of the room Alice stepped up to the bed next to Ciel. "Don't worry, I'm not going to poison you. This poultice will not only relieve you of your nightmares, it will also take away your asthma and allergies." From thin air she produced a vile that held a blue liquid that was clear as well. "I made it myself so I know it works."
"How did you know about my asthma?" Ciel asked as he took the vile and studied the liquid further.
"When I looked into your eye when we first met in Sebastian's room, I saw everything, and now I know everything about you as well." Ciel looked sceptical but accepted the answer after a bit and slowly drank the poultice. It tasted sweet, like freshly baked lemon meringue pie. When the last drop was swallowed Alice took the vile away and made it disappear. "I also have this for you," She continued, pulling a ring from her finger which wasn't there before. It had a white gem encased in a gold band. "It is my ring that I made for when I have a charge, it will let me know where you are if I'm not with you and it will also allow us to communicate over long distances, you simply have to rub your thumb over it. I have one as well." On her right hand was the same ring, but with a blue sapphire. She placed the ring on his right hand on the pointer finger.
As he stared at it he couldn't help but wonder. "Why are you doing all of this for me?"
A very small smile appeared on Alice's lips as she helped him underneath the covers. "Because you do not deserve the life that fate has given you. Now sleep, I will see you in the morning." She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to his forehead before turning and leaving the room. Ciel fell asleep almost instantly and for once was not plagued by nightmares of his past.
"May I ask what you did, my lady?" Sebastian questioned when Alice shut the door softly behind her.
Without facing him she walked in the direction of her room, the one that Elizabeth usually slept in. "No you may not. What I do with my charge is none of your concern Sebastian, and you'd do well to remember that." Alice said with a little snarl at the end. "Go about your rounds, we can speak in the morning, I can get ready for bed on my own." She ordered and started undressing in front of Sebastian. He didn't leave, he only stood by the door with the candelabra in his hand. Alice had just finished undoing the corset when she turned to face him. "Unless you have something to say or want to see the strip show, leave." She folded her arms over her chest.
Sebastian hesitated again before bowing. "Yes, my lady. Sleep well."
As soon as he left and was far enough away Alice let out a sigh and stretched. "Man, being proper is a complete pain in my ass." Finished with getting ready she climbed into bed with an oversized vest on that hung off her shoulders but was enough to cover her breasts and bottom as well as a bra this time. Lying on her back she felt Sebastian's presence closing in again. "Stubborn little demon, isn't he?" She asked herself before falling asleep.
Sebastian did indeed enter the room after Alice fell asleep, but his reason was just to watch her. Sitting at on the windowsill he stared at Alice while she slept. "What game are you playing, Alice?" He asked the night since the woman was fast asleep and wouldn't be able to hear him. Blowing out the candles, Sebastian placed the candelabra next to him and pulled a leg onto the sill so that he could lean his arm on it and his back against the wall. The events of the afternoon and the previous night replaying in his head. Some of the pieces fit together in the puzzle, but there was still more before he could finish the picture.
A/N: Don't ask me how long this chapter is because I am going to get a headache from it. I've never written a chapter that was so long before, not even the first chapter is this long.
Sebastian: What game are you playing, my lady?
Oh, nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about *smiles innocently*. You'll find out eventually.
Please review!