A/N: Sorry this took so long. School started last week, and the week before that I was busy with GISHWHES. There will be one more chapter, but I can't say when it will be up.

XxxxxX

My thoughts were churning like mad after my lord's parents left us. What was I going to do? I could not face being left alone in this large house again. I would surely lose whatever sanity I had left. I decided then and there that I would do anything and everything in my power to make sure my master stayed in this house. A good lord would never abandon his home. As a butler, it was his duty to make sure of this.

The reason they even moved here was for the lady to get away from the city air, was it not? Surely they would not leave for the city again so soon...

I was brought out of my thoughts by my master. "I take it you heard all that?" he asked me, sounding surprisingly gentle.

"Yes, I did," I replied calmly. I wanted to speak my mind, but I need to calm myself further. It would not do to let him see how upset I was.

It was then that I remembered the cause of this ordeal. I knelt in front of his master and gently took the boy's hand. I took the now repaired ring out of my pocket and put it back on his thumb, where it belonged.

"You fixed it?" he asked. He looked amazed. I did not blame him. Not everyone can piece together fragile silver and bits of diamond as easily as I could.

"Yes. What kind of butler would I be if I couldn't do something as simple as that?" I replied.

I looked closely into his eyes to make sure that...spark of my master came back. To my dismay, it did not. Instead, the boy stared at his prized possession dispassionately. I do believe I saw him flinch slightly as he stared at the blue stone. I felt my heart sink. How was I going to fix this? The boy just was not quite my master without it.

I was barely aware that he was speaking. But there was no more time for meaning less words. I had to make sure he stayed in the manor. "Please, young master," I begged softly "you must find a way to change your parents' minds. I could not bear it if you were to leave this house. I was without a master for so long before you came. I don't think I could bear it if you left."

"Don't worry, Sebastian," he soothed. "We'll work something out."

I could tell from his tone that he was already losing interest in persuading his parents to stay. It seemed as though I would have to double my efforts.

XxxxxxX

I watched helplessly as my master slowly slipped through my fingers. He lost that lofty pride that I so admired in him. He stopped allowing me to do my normal duties of dressing and bathing him. He even lowered himself to speaking with those vagrants he called friends again. Why could he not see that they would only drag him down in the long run?

And, of course, he went right back to being his parents' little boy. I knew that he was only thirteen, but childish behavior and submission did not suit him. As far as I was concerned, he was already an adult in his own right.

I was especially distraught when he actually apologized to his cousin for "upsetting her". Oh, how I hated that little brat. It was all her fault that my master was no longer my master. But there was nothing I could do about that now.

I could tell only after three days that the boy had lost his desire to stay in the manor. I tried my hardest to get him to change his mind. He was my master, and I was his butler. He needed to be where I could serve him. Why did he not understand that?

"Damn it, Sebastian!" he yelled at one point. "I have told you over and over. I am moving out tomorrow and there's nothing I can do about it. I know that you don't want me to go, but you're just going to have to deal with it."

Deal with it? This brat obviously had no sympathy for my situation. "But young master," I tried again, "you don't understand. I simply cannot be in a house without a master in it."

"Well, you're just going to have to," he snapped. "Now leave my sight. I've had enough of your whining.

I could not hold back my glare. Really, after everything I've done for him, he sends me away like it was nothing? I was seething as I left the room. This was my last chance to do something to make him stay. I supposed that I could use physical force, but that would only work for so long. I would have to give into his orders to release him eventually. And if I tried to appeal to his parents, they would surely become frightened and depart faster.

It seemed as though I had only one option left.

As I recalled, there were a few hemlock plants growing in the far side of the garden. I had planted them there ages ago, in case the young master wanted to have a guest quickly and neatly disposed of. Unfortunately, it seemed as though my master would be the one to finally taste it.

It did not take long to gather a few of the white flowers and bring them into the kitchen. I hummed quietly as I heated milk and chopped a handful of leaves from the stems into a fine powder. They let off a bit of a smell, but I assumed that it would soon pass. I stirred it into the milk until it was hardly noticeable. I then added honey and a bit of white food dye that I found in the cupboards to the hot liquid before transporting it to a pot.

I smiled slightly as I made my way to my lord's bedroom. Really, I should have thought of this sooner. What better way to ensure that my master would always stay than killing him? Thankfully, he was still awake when I came to him.

"Young master?" I asked to get his attention. I smiled at him as he turned to look at me.

"My lord, please forgive me for acting the way I have for the past few days," I said. "It was quite unacceptable for a butler." Which was true. A good butler would have stayed dignified, no matter the circumstances.

"...It's alright," he answered slowly. I could tell he did not care much anymore. He believed that he would be leaving soon, after all.

"I noticed that you were having trouble sleeping, sir, so I took the liberty of preparing you some warm milk," I said as I poured the drink and handed it to him. It was strange, how it was me who was literally handing the boy his own death. I tried to remember a time when I would never have even thought of this.

He drank it down quickly enough. A part of me entertained the thought that he was as eager for this as I was. I could see the confusion in his eyes as he laid down. I tucked him in as if it were any other night.

"Go to sleep, young master," I soothed. I stood over him and watched as the life faded from his eyes. It did not take long for the poison to take full effect.

I watched his still body for any signs of life. I had to make sure he was dead before I took my next step. Slowly, a small white orb began to raise itself from his small body. I quickly snatched what I believed to be his soul and held onto it tightly. On closer observation, there were tiny strings that were trying to pull the orb away.

"Now, now, let's have none of that," I cooed softly. It was surprisingly easy to break the strings off and leave the soul in my hand.

"Now then, sir, we should really get you back to bed," I said.

There was a trick that I had not tried in awhile. I found that if I concentrated hard enough, I could travel to a "spirit realm" for lack of a better term. It was essentially the same as the manor, except there was nothing beyond it. I decided it would be best to take the young master there until his parents left. It would not be good for anyone if he tried to gain their attention.

It was easy to manipulate things there. I restored my master's room to its former décor. My master now donned a white nightshirt instead of his usual blue pants and shirt. I gently tucked him in. Not that anything could really hurt him now.

I did not know how long it would take for him to wake, so I went to collect him an outfit. I selected his favorite blue suit. A good thing to start a new "life" in. After gently folding it and putting it on the cart, I made my way back to the bedroom. Time tended to pass differently here, so I was not surprised to see that it was day. And to my joy, I spotted my master sitting up, looking around bemusedly.

"Good morning, young master!" I greeted jovially as I went to open the curtains.

"Sebastian?" he asked, sounding confused. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean, my lord?" I asked. It was best to pretend things were normal as long as possible.

I heard him gasp in surprise as I pulled back his covers. He was obviously surprised to see his new sleeping attire. He was also shocked when he saw the day's outfit.

"Sebastian, what happened?" he demanded. "I demand you tell me!"

I supposed it was best to come out with it. I put my hands on my shoulders in order to brace and comfort him. "Well, to put it simply, my lord, you're dead," I answered.

He simply stared at me in shock for a few moments. "What?" he finally yelled. "What do you mean I'm dead? How can I be dead?"

"I'm afraid that I had to resort to extreme measures to keep you here, my lord," I explained calmly. "I put a very fast acting poison in your milk. I trust that your passing was quite painless?"

It hurt me the see the pain, confusion, and horror that passed through his eyes. I was very aware of the fact that I had just robbed him of his future. I comforted him in the only way I knew how.

I smiled and bowed before him. "Not to worry, young master," I said. "I am here. And I will be your butler forever."