Adrian brushed the edge of his knuckles over Astrid's cheek. A strange silence hung about the lavish bedroom, despite the fact that Ciel, Will, Sebastian and Grell were all in there with him. Sebastian had managed to stabilize Astrid; or rather, had made her as stable as one could be in that particular situation. Will took care of Isaac's body, and Ciel left Madame Turner under the protective care of Scotland Yard. With the loose ends tied up, the band of other wordly men and the young Earl returned to the Phantomhive estate, carrying with them an unconscious Astrid. Adrian refused to let her out of his sight, holding her the entire length of the carriage ride back.

And now, Adrian watched as she lay, steadily inhaling and exhaling. She could be sleeping.

"Well, now that all that excitement is over…" Grell began, "Are we just going to ignore the fact that this old man is a reaper!?"

Will made a pained face and sighed. "Adrian Craven. Retired Reaper. Collections include Marie Antoinette and Robin Hood."

Grell walked up to Adrian. "It doesn't explain why that girl is so attached to such a creepy old man." He lifted Adrian's bangs, and slowly melted to the ground.

"Marry me…" he mumbled.

Ciel raised his fingers to his temple, shaking his head. "What will become of her?" he groaned.

"Her soul was not nearly dark enough, Bocchan."

"When she wakes up, she'll only be a half-demon." Adrian muttered.

"If she wakes up." Sebastian added.

With a reaction like lightening, Adrian grabbed Sebastian roughly by the collar. "If she dies I'll kill you."

Sebastian knocked off his hand, readjusting his shirt, and smiling. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon, Undertaker."

Adrian tightened his hand into a fist.

"Besides," Sebastian continued, "it'll be thanks to you if she's saved at all. She gives into temptation easily, as I'm sure you know…"

Adrian grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up from the ground and pinning him to the wall. His expression lacked any and all mercy. "Have you forgotten? Not even a demon can escape the cut of a death scythe."

"Enough!" Ciel proclaimed.

"Stay out of this, Earl." Adrian sneered, tightening his grip around Sebastian's neck.

Sebastian held up a hand to his master. "It's quite all right, Bocchan."

"Adrian!" Will's voice cut through the room. "That's enough excitement for one day."

Grell clasped his hands, enamored, and sunk to the floor. "He's so manly when he gives orders like that."

Will ignored him, continuing, "Do you people think this is a game?" he extended his scythe towards Ciel, "Do you have any idea what you've done? If she doesn't turn, her soul will be lost forever. It will be doomed to roam for eternity in an abyss of nothingness. You've sentenced her to a fate worse than hell."

Ciel clenched his teeth, glaring at Will darkly, "You've no idea the meaning of hell."

The scythe was now just under Ciel's nose. "And you've no idea the weight of a human life."

The pruning spears were tossed across the room in one swift motion, Sebastian appearing next to Ciel. "Forgive me," he told Will, his hand on his chest, "But I simply can't have you threatening my master in such a way."

Will reacted quickly, recovering his scythe and scratching Sebastian's cheek as a warning. "Don't test me, Demon."

Adrian giggled darkly. "So they do bleed."

Will turned to Adrian, pointing once again. "This is as much your fault as it is theirs. To fall in love with a human-"

"Tsk, tsk." Adrian wagged a finger at him. "That's not your concern, heehee."

"It goes against everything we reapers stand for! Does being a Grim Reaper mean nothing to you? To throw away ethics for someone like her-"

Adrian took a swing with his scythe, but Will blocked it.

"I retired for a reason." Adrian spoke through gritted teeth, trying to overpower Will.

"Ah!" Grell twirled around, his hands in the air and his eyes closed passionately. "So many handsome men all being so rough with each other! I can't stand it!" He jumped over to Sebstian, "I'm so jealous!" Grell held his own face in his hands, shaking his head back and forth.

Ciel looked most unpleased. "There are too many people in this room."

"Shall I clear them away, Young Master?"

Adrian held up his death scythe threateningly once again. "I'm not going anywhere. You think one demon can defeat three reapers?"

Will gave a loud sigh. "It's time Grell and I be off anyway. If she indeed turns, then there is no use for us." Then, turning to Adrian, "There will be consequences for this."

"To hell with consequences, Spears." Adrian seethed.

Ciel walked over to his head maid, and brushed a bit of hair out of her face. "Will she make it, Sebastian?"

"I believe so, my lord."

He looked up at Undertaker, who was studying her face.

"Reaper," Ciel said forcefully, "What is she to you?"

Adrian looked somewhat surprised as he answered the Earl's question. "What is she?" his face broke into a wide smile, "Why, she's everything."

Astrid was trapped in a dream. At least, she was almost positive it was a dream. She had been talking to her mother after all, and that simply wasn't possible. Not in real life, anyway. But now she was trapped, in a new and different world, her mother nowhere to be seen. Dreams often shift from one thing to the next, she reasoned, and it doesn't make sense, but it does; the fluidity of the change.

She was in a cave, surrounded by crystals. In the crystals she could see butterflies, flapping their wings ever so slowly. The slower the butterflies flapped their wings, the slower she walked. It was almost as though the two were linked.

I need to find Adrian, she thought.

At the thought of him her head pounded. It kept pounding and pounding, until she fell to the floor in pain, holding her head in her hands, screaming shrilly, begging it to go away. The butterflies flapped fiercely around her, the crystals shaking. If they flapped any harder the crystals would shatter. She had no protection if they did; the sharp pieces would no doubt pierce her.

As the crystals inevitably burst, one slashed across her side and she howled, pain coursing through every nerve of her body. She whimpered on the ground. Begging to wake up. Begging…

"If you are in pain why do you not think of something else?"

She knew that voice. It sounded like Sebastian. Trembling, she opened her eyes. It was Sebastian.

"W-what?" Her voice quavered, the throbs of anguish still bursting through her.

"This is your dream. End the pain if you wish."

End the pain? Was it really so simple?

Suddenly everything disappeared, and she was in a field of tall grass, wearing a loose summer dress, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Sebastian was walking away.

"Wait!" she called out to him, but he only got further and further away.

Suddenly, Mey-Rin appeared, her glasses cracked, holding her skirt down. "There's too much wind, yes there is!" she cowered, holding onto her skirt for dear life.

Only, there was no wind at all.

"Mey-Rin," Astrid said calmly, "You can relax. It's not windy. See?" she smiled kindly.

"No I don't see! It's windy, yes."

Astrid gave a confused look, and tried to grab her hands, "It's fine. You can let go. Your skirt won't fly away."

"Temptress!" Mey-Rin screamed. "You're trying to make me impure, yes!"

Astrid shook her head, trying to clear the misunderstanding, "No, that's not what-"

"Temptress! Temptress, temptress, temptress!"

The shouts continued to echo, and Astrid found the ground below her start to open. Before she knew it she was falling, down, down, down.

"Help!"

She screamed. She tried to catch the walls. But soon there were no walls at all. And she was falling but it began to feel as though the fall would never come to a stop. When would this dream end?

Let go of your thoughts.

Adrian? She could hear his voice perfectly in her head.

"Adrian!" She screamed. "I'm here! I'm here!"

She sobbed. She couldn't help it. Before she was able to realize, she fell softly, gracefully, onto a patch of ground. In the darkness the only thing visible was a pair of shining green eyes.

"Adrian…" the tears slipped from her face. She wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't anymore.

The eyes looked at her curiously, as though she were an animal on display.

"I'm here." She whimpered, and reached out her hand, trying to touch him. But she was met with what felt like glass. Upon touching it, the room exploded with bright light, revealing Adrian to her. She sat on the ground, staring at him. It looked like Adrian, but at the same time it didn't. He was looking at her lustfully in a completely unfamiliar way. It scared her. And, she found, her clothing was at an absolute minimal. A tan tube cloth that just barely covered her breasts, and a nude colored skirt spread out behind her, doing nothing to cover her legs. Her stomach and arms were completely exposed, and her hair was neatly tied back.

She put her hand to the glass again. "Adrian…"

"Why do you keep saying that name?" Adrian opened his mouth, but it was not his voice that she heard.

"Adrian! Adrian! Adrian!" The voice became erratic, and the face slowly melted, piling into a puddle of black at her feet on the opposite side of the glass.

Astrid put a hand over her mouth, shaking and too shocked to scream anymore. Was there no way out of this?

Adrian sat next to the bed, holding Astrid's small hands in his own. Will and Grell had left, and Ciel had to discuss formalities with Scotland Yard.

"You think just because you're here she'll wake up?" Sebastian asked.

"No. But I'll be here when she does."

Sebastian sighed. "She'll be there a long time. If her soul continues to fight the darkness…"

Adrian looked at him. "She has to succumb to it?"

Sebastian glared at him. "What do you think a demon is?"

"But you said she'd only be half!" he snarled.

"That is one possible outcome," Sebastian said calmly. "To be honest I'm not sure what someone like her will do down there."

"Down there?"

"I can't describe it." He said simply.

Adrian clenched his teeth. "Can she hear us, do you think?"

"Any attempt to help her would be in vain," Sebastian began, "She is," he explained, "On her own."

Adrian caressed her cheek fondly. "She's strong." He said to no one in particular.

"You understand she'll be confused?"

"Heehee," it was the first time Adrian had giggled, "Yes, the poor thing."

"She will come to me for answers, Reaper."

"Don't think me so insolent as to not realize that." He snapped. "But unlike you, I'm not demonically possessive."

Sebastian's eyes flashed.

Astrid grimaced, moaning and writhing, a thin layer of sweat apparent on her forehead. Adrian squeezed her hand, as though to encourage her. Then he noticed Sebastian's eyes.

"Don't look at her like that." He barked.

Sebastian smirked. "It's habit, in the presence of such a tormented soul."

Adrian's eyes fell on his lover's twisted face. Yes, tormented. Perhaps that was too soft a word.

Long, thick walls of glass fell, enclosing her, as though she were in a tank. The blinding light dimmed, so that she could see the glass, but other than those four walls, there was nothing but a sea of white. The white went on forever, or maybe it ended, she didn't know. And the quiet she was faced with was deafening. But that was hardly the worst of it.

From above she began to hear thunder. Could it rain, in a place like this? She looked up and saw little dark droplets falling, and eventually they surrounded her, falling over her face and hair, over her hardly-covered skin. Soon, she realized, they were not droplets of water, but ants. She screamed, wiping her face, tying get rid of those on her body. Her feet were bare, and she felt them between her toes, slowly trying to climb up her legs.

"No please!" she cried, "Please stop!" Her pleas were in vain. She could not look up to the invisible god that showered displeasures on her, lest the ants fall into her eyes and mouth.

Suddenly, though, they ceased, and the ants themselves stopped moving, as though they were dead.

"It's a dream," she trembled, talking to herself, "I want it to change, please…" she whimpered, "Please."

Indeed it did change. Astrid watched as the dead ants began to converge and separate, molding and taking on different shapes, as though they were clay. Piles grew and elongated, until they resembled thick brown twigs. When all the ants were neatly arranged in a particular group, the twigs began to morph, shaking and slithering, until Astrid realized she was in a glass box filled with snakes.

They hissed as they moved, slithering over each other and around the walls. Astrid couldn't help the cold shiver that ran down her spine as they snaked over her feet, their long, scaly bodies giving her goosebumps. Despite this, they seemed to ignore her, so Astrid was able to let out shaky breath after shaky breath.

There had to be some way out of this. The snakes were not aggressive, but the hissing was sending her nerves into a frenzy. She decided she had to be careful where she stepped; she didn't want them turning on her suddenly.

It was about then that she noticed one bright and orange snake, sticking to the glass. There were a few on the glass, which she found strange, since snakes could not cling to walls in such a way. But this particular orange snake was placed dead center in what she believed to be a crease in the glass. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look, and practically squealed when she realized that just next to the snake's head was a thin, silver door handle.

With careful patience she made her way over to the door, but with each step, the snakes seemed to get more and more agitated. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. When she got close enough to the door, the orange snake eyed her defiantly, sticking out its blue tongue and hissing, as though it were a warning and a dare.

Her heart was beating furiously against her chest. If she didn't try, she'd be stuck in this box forever. But if she did try, she risked getting bitten. Who knew what lay beyond that door. Surely, it had to be more promising than what was in this room…

With a deep breath and quick hand she pulled on the handle, but the snake was faster, and bit her hand. Sharp pain surrounded her palm, sending frenzied pulses up her arm that made her nearly throw up. She began to sweat, feeling dizzy, and nearly fell to the floor. Her vision blurred, and she swore the snake was shifting into a bird. It was big and black…a crow perhaps? She fell to the ground, the snakes slithering over her body, as her eyes watched the bird fly up and up and out of the box.

When she came to, she was back at the Phantomhive Manor, wearing her usual maid attire. She was in one of the guest rooms, and her head pounded slightly, but not nearly as badly as before. Could she finally be awake? Was the dream over? She sat up steadily, trying to get a hold of her bearings. She glanced around the room, and jumped when she noticed the black bird perched on the vanity chair. This couldn't be reality. The crow from the glass box would not be in her Master's house. Would it? She concluded she was still stuck in this strange and lucid dream. With the bird this close, and with her vision now clear, she realized it was a raven, not a crow, and went to examine it more closely.

As she reached out to touch it, however, the bird began to elongate, spreading out, its elegant wings turning into arms, it's jet black feathers turning into hair, it's body becoming human. She was looking at Sebastian once again.

He cocked his head to the side, looking at her. "No, perhaps not."

Before she could ask him what he meant, he lowered his face to hers, his mouth becoming a beak, and bit her sharply on her nose. At that exact moment, Astrid yelped, and Sebastian burst into a flurry of feathers.

The blackness of the feathers blinded her, and when she had her vision back she realized she was out in the Phantomhive gardens. She could hear birds chirping; the sun was shining brightly in a pleasant and summery way, and a calm breeze played with her hair. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, catching the scent of the violets and blue bells the Earl had planted around the land. For a moment, she smiled.

Meow.

Her eyes opened, widening. It was such a sharp and distinct sound, that she wasn't sure whether or not she had imagined it. But as she looked down at her feet, there could be no mistake. An elegant black cat was staring back up at her, its tail curling and uncurling playfully.

"Hey," She kneeled down, smiling at the creature, "hey there," she twirled her fingers, trying to capture the cat's attention, "You're a pretty little thing aren't you?"

She felt so peaceful, suddenly, as the cat began to stride towards her, a low purr escaping from its throat. She couldn't help but smile, reaching out to stroke its soft fur. The moments her fingers brushed against the creature, she could feel herself being sucked in, losing her breath.

After a moment or two of confusion, she blinked furiously, looking about. She had expected to be transported somewhere new again, but she was still outside. The cat was nowhere to be seen. Everything seemed so large and high up. Was she on the ground? Or had she shrunk?

Upon trying to sit down, she realized that she had turned into a cat. She tried to scream, but it came out as a mewl instead.

"Oh."

She heard a man's voice, and when she looked up, she realized it was Sebastian, a light blush on his cheeks. He made his way over to her, picking her up and reveling at the kitten.

"Such innocent eyes." He held her gently in his arms, running a finger along her stomach. "Such a supple body," he squeezed her paw and her claws popped out. She mewled again. "And such soft paws." He sighed. "Cats are so sublime."

'Heehee, Sebastian must have fun with you.'

Adrian.

She heard his voice loud and clear. She twisted around, trying to find the source of the sound. She scratched at Sebastian and he let her go, surprise on his face. She darted away, mewing, trying to hear Adrian's voice once again.

It's not like that, she thought furiously. We only work together. There's nothing between Sebastian and I. Adrian…where are you?

She ran and ran and ran, her paws just barely touching the ground, the world rushing past her. She enjoyed the feeling, never before being so incredibly free. She laughed, jumping and dodging, inhaling sharply at each and every step. She was going so fast her vision began to blur, and it felt like she could fly.

"Demon." Adrian said stiffly, motioning him over.

Sebastian looked from Astrid to the Undertaker. "What is it?"

Adrian pointed to her hands. Her nails were turning black. Sebastian smiled.

"Ah," he said, smirking. "Tell me, Undertaker. What will you do if she wakes up a full demoness?"

Adrian stroked her hair. "I'll admit…it wouldn't be ideal…"

"She'd have no capacity for love."

"You don't know that." He snapped. Then looking at her, giggled softly, "She's a stubborn one, this child hehe."

Her nails became more and more opaque, matching both Sebastian's and Adrians.

"It won't be long now," Sebastian said knowingly.

Astrid's body twitched, and Adrian held on tightly to her hand. She jolted awake suddenly, sitting up perfectly, clenching the sheets, her nails digging into Adrian's hand.

"Heehee, that's quite a grip you've got there, dearie."

"Adrian!" she was breathless. "Are you…is that really you?"

He brushed his hair from his face, revealing his eyes to her, and flashing her a grin. "The one and only, dearest."

She threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. She inhaled, taking in his scent, burying her face into his shoulder, convincing herself that this was the real Adrian. His thick robes, the way his hair tickled her nose. Yes. It had to be him. He was holding her. So, so, tightly.

"I thought I lost you, dearest." He murmured into her ear, squeezing her torso.

Her heart felt like it was being squeezed in turn. But then the memories began to flood into her mind, crashing and jumbling together. She pulled away from Adrian, gasping.

"Isaac! The murders! He was-"

"That's all been taken care of, Miss."

She jerked suddenly upon hearing Sebastian's voice. "Oh! I didn't know you were here! Sebastian."

She tried to sit up straighter. "What happened? How long was I out for?"

"Deep breaths, love. You've been through a lot," Adrian told her, pushing her gently back down. She put her hand over his and gasped upon seeing her fingers.

"Did you paint my nails?" She made a face.

Sebastian gave a hearty chuckle. "We have a lot to explain."

She looked from Adrian to Sebastian and nodded.

"If I may, miss Astrid?" Sebastian said.

"Yes?"

"Which animal did you choose?"

"What?"

"At the end. What was the animal?"

She blinked hard, shaking her head. "How…I did dream of…but how would you know?"

"Start at the beginning, Demon." Adrian instructed, slightly irritated.

"Forgive me," Sebastian smiled, putting a hand over his chest. "Allow me to start over."

Again, she nodded, shivering slightly.

"Are you cold?" Adrian asked.

"Just a bit." She admitted.

He took off his robe and placed it over her shoulders. She hugged it tightly, enjoying how his scent enveloped her.

"Back at the Turner mansion, you were shot. Do you remember that much?" Sebastian began.

She nodded, her hand going to her side. "Yes, but. I don't feel any pain."

Sebastian nodded to show that was normal. "Good. You should know Isaac didn't survive. You can thank your Undertaker for that."

Astrid gasped. "You killed him?"

Adrian looked at her with blank eyes. "It wouldn't be the first time I take a life, dearie."

Astrid sat perfectly frozen, unsure of what to think, staring at Adrian with her mouth slightly agape. "You…you've murdered people?"

"Not quite," Sebastian interjected, "It's his job. He's not human you see, and neither am I. He's a Grim Reaper. And I am a demon. I was summoned by Master Ciel and am now bound to him by contract. The proof is here on my hand." He said, pulling off his glove and revealing the demon's mark. Please take a moment, it must be a lot to process."

She couldn't breathe. She could feel a lump at the back of her throat. She nearly threw up.

"Ciel…Ciel made a deal with the devil?"

"Demon. It's not quite the same."

She swallowed and inhaled, taking in a shaky breath. "Ok."

Adrian cupped her hand in his. She looked at him.

"And you're a Grim Reaper?"

"The finest one." He smiled. "Retired now, though, hehe. I'm just an Undertaker these days."

She nodded.

"Miss Astrid, there's a bit more to the news."

"What more could there possibly be?" she was exasperated.

Sebastian looked at Undertaker, as though he should be the one to tell her. Astrid followed Sebastian's gaze and locked eyes with the silver-haired man.

"In order to save you…you had to become a demon too."

She nearly fainted, trying to process what Adrian had just told her.

"I…I'm a demon?"

"Yes, well, we have yet to determine whether you are a full demon or a half demon. And what type." Sebastian told her.

She blinked. "Is that why my nails are black?"

"Yes."

"She has her emotions," Adrian spoke to Sebastian. "Clearly she's only a half-demon."

Sebastian shook his head. "That's not enough. The only way to know for sure is to taste her blood."

"My blood?"

"It won't hurt." Sebastian added, noticing her uneasiness.

She looked at Adrian, as though she were unsure of what to do.

Adrian nodded encouragingly, squeezing her hand.

She bit her lip and looked at Sebastian. "O-ok."

Sebastian walked over to her and bent over, so that his face hovered just above hers. "It will be but a moment," he insisted, and cupped her cheeks with his hands before encasing her lips with his, biting on the soft flesh.

Astrid's eyes widened with shock, and she heard Adrian growl as the demon's tongue traced her lip, drawing up the blood.

Sebastian pulled away, his eyes flashing as he licked his lips.

Adrian grabbed him by the collar, threatening him. "You could have bit her wrist, Demon."

Sebastian shook him away. "Lips are softer. It's easier to break the flesh."

Adrian snarled, sitting down by Astrid once again.

"Congratulations, Undertaker," Sebastian said boredly, "She is, in fact, only half. But that does beg a different question."

"W-what is it?" Astrid asked. "Is that a bad thing? Should I have changed fully?"

"No, no," Sebastian said. "But, when you were down there. Did you pick an animal?"

She cleared her throat. "Um. I ran into a lot of different things. The last one was a cat. And I was going to pet it, but I became the cat. It was the strangest thing I've ever dreamed."

"It was no dream." Sebastian said gravely.

Astrid gasped. "What do you mean?"

"I can't describe it," he sighed, "It's an alternate reality…very real. But also quite un-real."

Astrid cringed. "That wasn't much of an explanation at all."

"What does the cat have to do with anything?" Adrian asked.

"If she bonded as she says she did, she will be able to successfully shift forms."

"I can shape shift?!" she said excitedly.

"Perhaps…it's a quality generally reserved to full demons." Sebastian said calmly. "However, a cat fits you. You didn't quite strike me as the succubus type."

Adrian glared at Sebatian and Astrid blushed lightly, twirling her fingers in her lap. "Well, this is a lot to think about." She said finally.

"Hehe, you'll have plenty of time to brew it over."

"Not quite." Sebastian said.

"What do you mean?" Adrian glared at him.

"Half-demons are not immortal. She's still vulnerable to death."

Astrid shrugged. "I was vulnerable to death as a human. It should be fine."

Sebastian winced. "There are a few more things."

"Yes?"

"You will not survive on human food alone. Eventually you will need to satiate your thirst for a soul."

"You're saying I'll…I'll have to kill someone."

"Is there no way around it?" Adrian asked.

"The only way is via contract. Of course…" his voice trailed off.

"What is it?" she asked.

Sebastian looked from Astrid, to Adrian, and back to Astrid again. "If it is done correctly," he said slowly, "And you bind yourself to him," he pointed to Adrian, "You could be immortal."

A/N: Woo another update! I'm glad you guys are liking this story! 61 follows like holy cow! Hope I'm doing a good enough job for you all and that you enjoyed this chapter ^_^ As always thanks for reading, and don't forget to comment!