This is a dark fic, and I don't really know where it came from… I always wanted to write something cute between Lizzy and Ciel and this is not it… Anyway, tell me what you think! :p
~LCLCLC~
"My lady?"
White, gloved knuckles brushed against the dark stained wood, beckoning softly to the girl on the other side. For a moment she stood with trembling hands, staring at the door, gulping as quietly as she could. She knew what he was going to say, and she knew that once he entered the room, there would be no turning back. Reaching down, she felt the tiny lump in her pocket, rubbed it between her shaking fingertips, trying to reassure herself that what she held was going to fix everything. Finally she straightened herself, took a deep breath, and put on a smile.
"Come in, Sebastian!"
The butler entered just as she was grabbing her bonnet, flashing a smile at his reflection in the mirror she stood before. With his own, softer smile he pressed one gloved hand over his breast pocket, declaring
"The picnic is all prepared, my lady. If you are ready, I will take you there now."
But she was still fiddling with her bonnet in the mirror, before finally pleading
"Oh Sebastian, wont you help me tie this?"
The soft smile never left as he crossed the room and stood before her, leaning down to eye-level and taking up the silk ribbons from her hands.
"Of course."
She held still as he carefully tied the ribbons up in a bow, successfully fastening the brightly colored bonnet onto her long, golden curls. Flashing a smile, the girl exclaimed
"Thank you, Sebastian, you're just the sweetest!"
He lifted his head and for a moment- just a fleeting moment- she was looking into those deep pools of red. She was lying, and deep in those pits she could see that he was laughing at her, mocking how naïve she was to think he was sweet. As she stared, the girl breathed out words so faint she wasn't even entirely sure she had spoken.
"That's what makes what I'm about to do so hard."
Those red orbs blinked.
"My lady?"
And she was back, flashing another bright smile as she turned and practically danced for the door.
"Let's head out, I don't want to keep Ciel waiting!"
The butler fell into place beside her without another word, and just to reassure him she sent a few more grins and giggles his way as together they made their way out to the garden. Truly, she loved having this man around, and she meant what she said. Sebastian was the sweetest: always helpful, always polite, always smiling for her even when Ciel seemed less amused. He had brought Ciel back in the first place, those two years ago. But behind all the smiles, all the sweet comments and gestures, she saw something in his eyes and knew: He had not brought Ciel back for her- he brought her fiancé back for himself. Ciel was back but he was not hers. Not as long as Sebastian was around.
'Thankfully' The blonde thought to herself as she made her way out to the garden, fingering again the contents of her pocket 'He won't be a problem much longer.'
~LCLCLCLC~
Silence.
For a moment there was silence that raised the golden hairs on the back of her neck, such a charged silence that even Ciel glanced up from his thoughts and peered across the blanket at his fiancé. Between them, Sebastian was pouring tea into cups and setting out cake as a companion to the drink, but he too seemed to glance between the two as he sensed the silence. The girl swallowed hard; did Ciel know her plan? Did Sebastian?
But she had come too far to fail now. She was unbelievably tense, but she knew if she just kept on smiling the pair would never catch on. Getting paranoid like this, if anything, would ruin everything! With a bright smile, she broke the silence to exclaim
"Don't these cakes look simply scrumptious, Ciel? Sebastian, you spoil us!"
Sebastian straightened, replying easily
"What kind of butler would I be if I couldn't do even this? In addition, perhaps if the young master eats enough of my sweets he will become sweeter himself."
The butler offered the young mistress a wink, knowing he could tease a bit when in her company. Ciel shot the servant a look as his fiancé giggled with delight, clapping her gloved hands together. Then, seeing his scowl, she pinched his cheek while exclaiming
"But you're sweet enough for me, Ciel! You just don't show it as often as you should!"
He rolled his eyes but before he could protest, Sebastian called for his master's attention.
"If I may, I will now excuse myself and go see to dinner- if you need anything, you need only say the word."
The butler paused for any parting words or orders, but Ciel simply waved a hand, sounding bored.
"I know. You are excused."
She watched him go, feeling more relieved with every step the butler took away from them. So far, everything was going perfectly- Sebastian had left them alone without catching on to anything, and now she had Ciel all to herself. She had to suppress an elated grin as she realized that she would always have Ciel all to herself, from now on. Forever. But first, she had to finish what she had started.
As Ciel took a bite of his cake she carefully pulled the bow Sebastian had tied on her bonnet loose, before stretching happily.
"Ciel, this breeze is just heavenly- don't you love this weather?"
He nodded, agreeing
"It is nice, for so early in the season."
He watched his fiancé as she took a sip of her tea, content as always to let her initiate all conversation. He was quiet, but she could see too that he was more relaxed than usual. It was moments like this that the girl loved most: no talk about the queen or crime, no one else to give his attention to, no frowns- it was like old times, when Ciel had the time to enjoy her company, and himself. She could tell he was thinking it too, watching her twirl one of her golden curls around a well-manicured finger.
Suddenly, a gust of wind came up over the hill, tossing the corners of their blanket and taking up her frilly pink bonnet right from atop her head. She watched her bonnet dance away on the spring breeze, crying in dismay
"Oh no- and it's my favorite, too!"
The girl began to scramble to her feet but Ciel was already on his feet, and waved her down.
"I'll get it, Lizzy."
She offered him a smile even though he seemed put off- she knew her fiancé better, if he was really bothered he wouldn't have gone to get it for her. She waited just a moment until he disappeared over the top of the hill before quickly reaching into her pocket and pulling out its contents. She knew she didn't have long, and wasted no time in untying the lacy handkerchief she held and dumping the two pills it held into her hand. Hastily she crushed one into each of their tea cups, stirring vigorously before shoving the handkerchief away just as Ciel popped back over the hillside.
Her heart was racing as she waited for Ciel to return. Had he seen anything? Was anything showing in the cups? She glanced into the tea as she picked nervously at her cake but saw nothing. Had she really done it? The cake tasted like sawdust in her dry mouth but she wanted to look normal as Ciel returned- he had no idea what was waiting for him, but she did…
"Here."
He offered her bonnet back, which she took, beaming up at the boy.
"Thank you so much, Ciel!"
His cheeks turned pink at the flattery as he returned to his seat on the blanket, and it was then that she knew what she had done was worth it. Ciel was perfect- he was thoughtful, protective, and humble. He cared for her, she knew he did, but it was his life- this new, awful life that butler had brought with him- that was keeping them apart. It was up to her to save their relationship- there was only one way they could be truly happy again.
She just watched the boy for a moment, taking in every beautiful feature from his rich clothing to his one striking eye. She watched him raise his teacup to his lips, take a deep sip, and return it to its saucer without having noticed anything off. Finally, she spoke up.
"This is nice, isn't it, Ciel? It feels like how things used to be."
He peeked at her, nodding before laying back on the blanket. The girl followed suit, laying down beside her fiancé. The pair remained in comfortable silence a moment, watching the puffy clouds above them, before she again broke the silence.
"Things have never really been the same since the fire, have they."
It wasn't really a question- she knew it was true.
Ciel sat up slightly to look at her.
"Lizzy?"
She sat up too, so they were face to face. She could see his cheeks getting red, knew she didn't have very long.
"It's okay, Ciel, it's not your fault. Things are just so different from back then- when you came back I thought things could go back to normal, but I see now that you and I can't be happy together as long as you have Sebastian…"
She saw the truth flash in his one deep blue eye, confirming her suspicions. She didn't know what was going on between them, but she knew that the butler was going to take him away from her. She could see it in those red eyes of his, the ones that smiled on the surface and mocked her from behind.
"Lizzy, how-"
But she could see his head beginning to nod, could tell he was getting dizzy and took the opportunity to interrupt.
"Its okay, Ciel, I don't blame you- I can see how powerful Sebastian is; even if you wanted to get away from him and all this misery you probably couldn't. But- I hate seeing you always so sad, Ciel, and so I found a way we could both escape, together."
The boy's eye was drooping, he leaned back a bit on the blanket, seeming to find it difficult to support himself. She knew he was listening though, and she needed to console him before it was too late.
"We're going to go somewhere far away- a place without pain, without loss- there won't be letters from the queen, or butlers with mocking eyes, and we'll all be together happily forever: you, me, and your parents!"
His eyes widened at the idea, his breathing coming fast, his head too heavy to hold up anymore and instead lay back against the pillow. She worked hard to keep the trembling out of her voice- it was hard to see him this way, hard to know her Ciel was dying, but she knew it was all going to be okay soon. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his clammy forehead, squeezing her fiancé's shaking hand.
"I love you, Ciel."
She breathed in his ear.
"Now we can be together forever."
She reached over and downed all her tea in one gulp then sat still, holding Ciel's shaking hand, watching his blue eye struggle until finally it slipped closed. A tear ran down her cheek as she felt his pulse cease, then all at once it happened: she heard a roar rip through the air and then in a flash he was there, grasping the body up in his arms in disbelief, taking no note for the teacups and saucers he scattered in his rampage.
"What have you done!"
He turned on her, red eyes alight like fire, face twisted with anger. His tailcoat seemed to furl around him as if his entire body was on fire, his dark hair a mess around his face and his stance making him seem as if he was a hundred feet tall. This was the true Sebastian. This was the Sebastian he had carefully hidden from everyone behind polite smiles and sweet gestures- everyone but Lizzy. She could only smile now, eyes half lidded as the tea began to take its affect.
The smile only infuriated him more and before she could react he had one gloved hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing tighter and tighter as he growled
"What. Have. You. Done."
"I saved him."
She was able to choke out, the smile never fading though she felt her heartbeat was.
"I saved him from you."
Roughly he tossed her aside and she landed beside Ciel's body, where she would stay, too weak to move. And that was where she ended, staring at Ciel's peaceful face as she gasped her last few breaths, hardly able to hear the roars of the demon butler as she slipped into forever with the man she loved most.
