"Good evening and welcome to BBC news. I'm Anita Nayme. Our top story tonight is the continued coverage of Raymond Blythe, who has become famous both online and in traditional media over the years as 'The Cybernetic Man.' Blythe is currently under investigation for allegedly having knowledge of the attack at Buckingham Palace last year before it took place and how he neglected to inform authorities of the plot. The Crown Court has decided that there is enough evidence to go to trial. More on that in a bit."

"That bastard's not behind bars yet?" Jim questioned with a disapproving look while his spouse leaned over the pool table, lining up his shot. The baronet held his billiard stick like some kind of staff while watching the TV as it played elsewhere in the room.

"Things work differently when we're not the ones gathering evidence. There's rules." With that, the Earl struck the white ball and knocked two others as he stood upright. One landed in the goal while the other just barely did. Clicking his tongue in disapproval, he muttered: "I'm rusty at this…"

"I guess you're right… I suppose we're a bit indelicate to handle investigating potential treason." Circling around the table, Jim crouched, getting eye level with it to examine more of the geometry he was working with. "He didn't even fight in the battle, though. Can they really convict him of anything?"

"Possibly. We don't know how deep his involvement actually was. Being Abhartach's grandson, he could have given him funding, and that is more than enough. Even acting like he was conspiring might be."

"He's a loon." Jim stated, straightening his posture before ruining it again in order to take aim. "How much of his body did he replace with robot parts, did they say? Something ridiculous. Arms, legs, eyes, a few organs? There's truly nothing stranger than a rich old man trying to cheat death…"

"Most humans fear it."

"I suppose, though I can't really talk, can I?" Striking the ball, the blonde succeeded in making the shot that his opponent very nearly did, causing the Earl to pout.

"I lined that one up for you." Ciel remarked, placing a hand on his hip.

"So you did. But all is fair in love and war, dear husband. You knew who you were up against and how tricky I am before we even started."

With a scoff and a roll of his visible eye, the bluenette moved to make his turn, examining the table in order to find the ideal target. He leaned over, poising himself to strike, only to miss once a newcomer shattered his concentration. Furrowing his brow and grumbling, he watched the ball weakly roll just a little bit as the butler spoke.

"Telephone for you, sir." Sebastian informed with a grin, taking a bit of delight in ruining the Earl's turn. In his hand, he held a tray with a cordless phone placed upon it.

"Fine. Hand it here." sighed the bluenette while holding out a hand, only for his servant to walk past him.

"It's for Sir Jim, actually." the butler almost giddily replied, presenting the item to the count-consort rather than the count. His master was unimpressed, but the baronet seemed entertained.

"Thank you, Sebastian." Jim said, picking up the device while the others patiently waited. "Jim Phantomhive, speaking. Oh! Good evening, Sir Integra! How can I help you?"

There was a pause. "Scotland? Yes, I'm still on it. I've got most of my ducks in a row and feel like I'm almost ready to proceed…" Suddenly, his expression changed. The man transformed before the others' very eyes as the conversation apparently took a turn for the more serious. "Well, I've heard of them but I've never seen one… Yes… Yes, ma'am… I understand… Yes…"

Tension slowly seeped into the room like a gas leak as the others listened closely, trying to glean what the other side of the conversation must be like to make the menace react in such a way. He nodded like Integra could see him with each reply he made, answering dutifully and concisely without any fluff.

"Right…" he continued. "I'll be sure to keep my schedule flexible in case I need to move things around. Yes… Yes, ma'am… Right… Alright, then… Goodbye." He hit the button to hang up the phone before placing it back on the tray with a sigh. He completely deflated with his shoulder's slouching. Shaking the phone call off, he returned to the table.

"Bad news?" Ciel questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"An issue has arisen in the negotiations with the wulver." Jim replied, trying to find a good shot. "Turns out the selkies who share the island they live on are not too thrilled with the idea of HELLSING messing around with stuff and bringing new people in. They live on one side and the wulver live on the other, but still—it makes sense to be worried from their perspective."

"Oh… That does complicate things…" the Earl replied, ignoring the game for a moment. "What do you need to do?"

"Integra said they're gathering more intel at the moment, but I need to keep my schedule open just in case I need to go up there."

"Alone?"

"I'll probably have an escort, but probably, yeah. I really don't want to leave you. We've never really been that far apart before… I can't imagine Integra allowing both of us to leave England without a good reason, though…"

"Well…" Ciel began, looking back at toward his butler, who only smiled at him knowingly. It was like Sebastian was just challenging him to say something mushy or sweet. With a roll of his eye, Ciel continued, turning his attention back to his spouse. Regardless of his servant's prescence, he shrunk the gap between Jim and himself."I'll help you however I can, as usual. And…" He paused just short of putting his hand on his beau's back to look at the butler again.

"You're dismissed, Sebastian." he sternly interjected, furrowing his brow deeper as the older demon let out a puff of air.

"Very good, My Lord." Sebastian snickered. "I'll leave you to it."

He certainly took his sweet time in leaving the room, lingering just a moment too long in the doorway for the Earl's taste. "Go." Ciel reiterated, shooing him with his hand. Only then did the butler finally relent and leave the two of them alone.

"You're so silly…" Jim chuckled, forgoing the game completely as his beau placed a hand on his back. "What's wrong? Afraid of being teased?"

"Teasing is one thing, but he's just so relentless and he never forgets a thing." the Earl replied, rubbing his hand in a circular motion. "May I resume my attempts at comforting you?"

"You may." But instead of letting Ciel speak, the blonde continued. "I just feel so disappointed with the whole thing. After all of that work, I may not get to use any of it…"

"I know the feeling, somewhat. While campaigns and new product releases for Funtom are probably not as important as negotiations between tribes of supernaturals and the British government, working on something only for it to not mateirialise is indeed disappointing."

"Be still, my beating heart…"

"I don't want us to part, either." Ciel stated, leaning with one hand on the table. "But please find comfort in the fact that you have a home and a family to return to at the end of every journey, no matter how great or small." Picking up the blonde's hand, the Earl brought it to his lips and kissed his knuckles. "I'll support you however I can, even if it means simply staying out of your way."

"Do you find comfort in that?"

"Always. I do so adore coming home to you and the others, you know. I'm simply family-oriented by nature, I suppose."

"Nobles…" Jim chuckled with a shake of his head. As the thought lingered, however, his smile fell and he furrowed his brows. Then the penny dropped and eyebrows raised. His cheeks heated up and he looked away, hiding his face from the Earl's gaze.

"What's the matter?" Ciel inquired, bringing the blonde's hand to his chest. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it's nothing, it's just… It's like I just suddenly became really aware of the fact that we're family?"

"What?!" huffed the Earl with an indignant scowl. "Jimmy, we've been married for four years! Of course we're family! You're my consort! You took my name and everything!"

"I know that! Logically, I know! It's just different hearing you actually say it!"

"Bloody hell… You're unbelievable, Jimmy… I swear…" The Watchdog let out a tired sigh.

"I'm very sorry, lovey-darling—love of my life and cutest of cuties—my wonderful husband whom I adore oh, so very much!" Wiggling his hand free of Ciel's grip, the menace reached up and held the Earl's jaw between his fingers, gently shaking him from side to side before kissing the tip of his nose.

"You're laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?"

"I'm just trying to let you know I'll miss you! I'd much prefer it if we can go together."

"As would I, but on the bright side, you did say that you always wanted to travel." Ciel offered. "You can take lots of pictures and send them to me and you should still be able to call. I can't hardly imagine you not updating me on your journey."

"True. I guess it is a bit nicer when you frame it that way. I've never seen the rest of the United Kingdom before, although I kind of wonder how it differs from England."

"Don't ever say that to the locals—but yes, they are different. Scotland has some beautiful landscapes and the Shetland Islands are particularly breathtaking. You'll enjoy it. Perhaps not the part where you actually have to work, but you'll like the change in scenery. It's much nicer than London."

Instead of replying, the menace paused, using his billiard stick as a crutch. With closed eyes, he took in a deep breath through his nose, puffing out his chest and standing up straight. Then, with a very loud, very audible groan, he deflated, hunching over while putting more of his weight on the stick.

"That bad, is it?" the Earl questioned with an arched brow.

"It's not that I don't want to go…" Jim confessed, "I do. I want to go and I need to go to help these people the best I can. We've been apart before."

"Right."

"Business trips and whatnot-Missions, even. I don't need to be attached to your hip, but…"

"You'd really prefer to be?"

"I do~! I really like it!" whined the menace in a way that made Ciel feel somewhat nostalgic. "I know it's less than ideal, but I can't seem to help it…"

"You do well. You haven't clung to me like you used to before we started dating in ages."

"That's because you're so conveniently inclined to comfort me whenever I seem even slightly displeased." Jim grinned.

"Am I?"

"Yes. Like now, for example." laughed the menace, prompting the other man's cheeks to heat up a bit in spite of the fact that Ciel didn't really seem to get it. "I get a distressing-sounding phone call and you're immediately right here patting my back and saying nice things to me. Is this simping? Should I ask Audrey to clarify?"

"Well, pardon me for wanting to ensure that my spouse is taken care of…"

"No, no… I like it. I tease, but I think it's sweet of you. Ah, I have no idea what I'm going to do without you while all the way up in Scotland for god knows how long…"

"How long do you think?"

"Could be anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month or two."

"What?!" Ciel scoffed and recoiled at the suggestion. His brow furrowed, but his eye was wide, seeming both surprised and incredulous all at once. It was as though he were outright offended by the idea. "And just what in blazes am I meant to do without you for two months?"

"Dunno. Have a wank?" It was a joke but the part of it that made Jim snicker was Ciel's reaction.

"No, no, no!" Rapidly, the Earl shook his head like a dog trying to dry off. "Not like that—I mean, I will miss that as well, of course, but more... In general. I like having you around. It's easier to sleep when you're next to me and you always keep me on my best behaviour. I don't want to have an entire countries' border between us, nor do I want to be beholden to someone else if I wish to see you."

While he was hoping his spouse would appear more sympathetic, Ciel's cheeks only flushed darker as his stammering pushed the menace into full-on laughter. With a pout, he tried to continue. "Now, see here-!"

"I'm sorry, babe, you're just so cute…" the blonde chuckled, cutting the other off before he could embarrass himself further. Jim closed the distance between them, pulling the Earl into an embrace as he wrapped his arms around his middle, resting his chin on his beau's shoulder and uttering another sigh. "I feel the same way. I can't imagine I'll be getting much sleep by myself, either. How am I supposed to get through all of those meetings if you're not there to spoil me rotten once I'm done? It's an outrage, I tell you. I'm going to be deprived. I'm going to starve. I'll also be worried about the fact that I won't be here to take care of you, of course. Someone needs to keep you on the straight and narrow—irony absolutely intended. Please promise me you won't get too grumpy without me here to soften you up, alright?"

"That's not really a promise I can make…" mumbled the Earl, returning the gesture. Yet, knowing how strong-willed the menace was and how eager he was to please him, Ciel did concede somewhat. "I'll try my best…"

"Good boy. You're such a nice doggy!" Jim couldn't help but laugh at the groan that rumbled from his beau's chest, practically sensing the eye-roll that accompanied it. "I do find it quite funny, though…"

"What's that?"

"That the date hasn't even been set yet and we're already acting this dramatic over it…"

"It's no laughing matter. It helps to be prepared before the event." Putting his hands on the other man's shoulders, Ciel pushed Jim partially away, keeping one hand on him while rubbing his own chin with the other. He thought rather seriously while the menace looped his arms around him again, holding his own hands in the small of Ciel's back. "We should probably make a list of all of the things you'll need and go shopping. You don't have a proper luggage set for long trips, you'll need some personal care products to bring with you, probably something to read-"

"Hold on, is this one of those things where, like, I try to plan for Revy's move only for him to completely change direction?"

"No. I'm straightforward with you. You know that. As a certified businessman who goes on business trips on occasion, I'll help you plan."

"But you only go for a few days? Or a week? What do you know about month-long excursions to the Shetland Islands?"

"Absolutely nothing. But doing research is par for the course, my darling." This was something Ciel felt confident in, although Jim was still a bit apprehensive. He wasn't sure if Ciel really understood the task at hand, but was willing to let him try. "You will more than likely need some warm clothes, though."

"What's wrong with the clothes I have?"

"Nothing, of course. But it's going to be cold and I know that the day you leave, I'm going to get dressed and realise that all of my jumpers are missing."

"You hardly wear them, though!"

"That's because someone keeps stealing them!" Ciel retorted with an exaggerated eyeroll, moving his whole head with the gesture before poking the other man square in the middle of his chest. "Like now, for instance."

Slowly, the blonde looked down, observed the dark blue sweater that was a size too big for him loosely hanging on his torso before slowly looking back up at the Earl. He seemed to not have a care in the world as he lightly nodded, agreeing with his beau about the sweater, but without the urgency of someone who felt guilt over pilfering it.

"You say that as if you don't enjoy me walking around with visible indicators that I am yours?" Jim's expression did not change even as his husband's shifted into his signature pout—the pout of someone who cannot argue with whatever was just said and really wishes they could. "Am I incorrect, Lord Phantomhive?"

With a huff, Ciel took a step back and folded his arms across his chest. Sticking his nose up in the air, he replied: "Well… You look good in most things—mine or otherwise…"

"So possessive~!" cooed the blonde with a mischievous grin.

"Shut up… It's a normal amount…"

"You loooove meee~! You won't know what to do withoooouut meeee~!"

"And what of you?" questioned the Watchdog, not-so-subtly glancing his husband's way. "I will remain in your thoughts as well, won't I?"

"Of course you will! I'll think about you all the time! And I'll call you every day!" Coaxing one of Ciel's hands free of his defensive posture, the baronet continued. "I, Sir Jim Phantomhive, Count-Consort to the Phantomhive family, Slayer of Abhartach, and Lion of the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, solemnly swear to be really, really, annoying about updating you on every little thing."

"Be still, my beating heart…" Ciel replied, copying his beau, only to blush when the menace kissed his hand.

"We're going to be horrendously obnoxious, aren't we?" Jim questioned.

"I'm sorry to inform you, dear husband, but I'm afraid that we already are." A smile crept across the Watchdog's face as the blonde laughed. Despite their amusement, the game of pool was put on pause as they discussed some of the greater effects this trip might have well into the night.

They discussed how it would impact Revy's moving schedule as well as general schedules around the household. Jim was not going to want to miss seeing his brother off and helping him move into his first flat, but Ciel would also need to make time to continue with Luka's training to be an agent in the meantime. Worse, Ciel's idea of training and Jim's differed somewhat, so while both agreed that Luka would benefit immensely from it, Jim was concerned with throwing the boy into harsher training too soon. Ciel felt like it was fine. Luka was going to be fifteen next year, after all. As far as he was concerned, Luka was behind by his standards, as he began work as the Watchdog much younger. They could look into trying to send him to proper HELLSING training for that month, as that had been delayed due to Luka doing very well with one-on-one training, so Jim was forced to concede that perhaps it was a good time. He was not at all pleased with the further fragmentation of the family, however.

Ciel was right in the end, however. Having a plan in place was essential, even if it was only partial. Jim's presence in the North would be needed much sooner than expected.

A/N: Not super exciting, but this is going to have a lot of moving parts so I'm just setting things up a bit lol. Maybe I'll come back to vampires at a later date, but I've had this idea in my brain for longer and I know that if I hold onto it for too long, I'll struggle with making it work later...

Hopefully it works! I'm going to try to not do the thing like with the last chapter where updates take forever, but maybe just typing that has already jinxed it...

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!