Julius stayed at my side, and my hand stayed near his head. His fur felt like rough silk, but it wasn't matted and shun in the small bit of sunlight we were exposed to. The path turned twisty and I decided to race Julius around corners. He didn't mind and kept up with me, never letting me take the lead and never for a moment leaving my side.

Julius froze a while later, and began to growl. I stopped running and looked for the danger. It was Angela and Ash, looking tired and annoyed. Julius stepped closer, putting himself between us.

"What a lovely dog," Angela said as she attempted to pat his head.

Julius's teeth grazed her skin when he went to bite her, a clear warning. I looked back at the pair, before taking a step back. Julius followed, not taking his eyes off the angels for even a moment.

"Alice, it's not safe. You should come with us," Angela said softly.

"No," I replied as I took another step.

"Why not?" Ash asked as he took a step closer and Julius glared at him.

"You're not good," I replied as I took another step, and Julius mimicked me.

"We gave you a pretty dress and food," Angela whispered in a purr.

"Julius has made his opinion clear," I snapped, feeling something break under pressure, "stay away from me!"

Angela started laughing and Ash was gone. Julius took his eyes off Angela to look for Ash before charging to my right at the angel, a sword in his hands ready to kill me. Julius was caught along his side but not before he bit into Ash's left arm. Julius twisted and dug his paws into the ground and went for Ash again…but Ash was ready.

"Julius!" I screamed before running to my weakened dog.

Angela caught my arms as I screamed, trying to twist out of her grip.

"Julius!" I sobbed, "I can't lose you again!"

Memories flooded to the fore of my mind of holding Julius as he died. I stopped struggling and fought against Angela. She had a dagger in her hands which I took off her and plunged into her heart. She looked confused before fading to dust. I looked at Julius and then to Ash, feeling anger like a boiling kettle. The dagger was at my side and I went towards Ash. It was all his fault, every pain I had ever suffered at the hands of him or Angela. The scars that marked me were the result of whispering into Berrymore's ears. And now…they had taken the one thing that I had loved since I was thirteen years old.

He raised his knife to strike me but I pushed it aside. It turned into a thread and I pushed the knife into his heart.

"May you burn in hell!" I said calmly before going to Julius.

"Oh baby," I whispered to the dog as I pulled him up into my lap, "you've done that before."

A memory wrapped around me, like golden fireflies, promising to keep me safe. Tears dripped down my face as I saw the truth of that evening, the evening when my parents died…

Our house had never been overly large, it had been enough for the three of us and a guest. The outside had been painted a light yellow, to make our neighbours smile. The windows were white and the door was white to match. Flower pots were on the front windows outside my mother's room and that of the guest's room. Mixtures of white roses and red roses danced in the twilight air as I walked home.

The breeze was nice against my clammy skin, grateful for the few hours of reprieve before I was expected back at the Berrymore Castle to clean and cook for a man who didn't care if I was killed by the Berrymore Hound in the morning. Angela had seen to it that he had a very low opinion of me, starting with the people I was friends with and moved up to include James. Now, neither of us spoke, afraid of what might be said when we uttered 'hello' to each other. Scott had fuelled the fire of rumours to disguise Annie Halford's pregnancy, but nothing to hide the bump that she had to wear her mother's dresses to cover.

I put my hand up to tie some hair behind my right ear, the wind having shook it loose from my small braid. I stopped for only a moment to see my house, my home. The one place I had always felt safe in, the one place where nothing could go wrong. Mother had lost another baby only a week previous, and her heart was breaking. She loved me, considered me her one perfect thing, but I knew she wanted to feel a child in her arms again. Father was as distressed as her, however he managed to conceal it.

I spotted a small lump of black fur which responded when I got closer to the house. Julius always stayed outside to wait for me, to make sure I was safe. I touched his head, and he licked my hand. He could probably taste the chicken grease from tonight's dinner that I had spent hours preparing. I wiped my hands on my skirt and entered the house.

I watched as I closed the door, knowing that my parents were inside, partially dead already. A fire was lit in the house and it was slowly eating everything I had considered safe. My view stayed outside, seeing a new side of events. I could hear the chainsaw turning on, my screams for Greil to not hurt my parents. Julius got up and hit the door, trying to open it. When that didn't work, he moved around to the back of the house and put his weight against the back door.

That was when something in one of the bedrooms ignited, spreading the fire higher. Julius howled and moved back to the front door. It was open now, and I was screaming as the smoke billowed around me, smothering me. Julius barked, to tell me he was coming, that he wouldn't leave me alone, and my rasping voice told him to stay. But he charged in.

I watched as he pulled me by my skirt and my boot to drag me out of the house. I was too weak to fight back and he pulled me out into the twilight air. Though now, the smoke coated the sky and made it look like midnight. Julius moved to use his nose to push me over the threshold. Once I was over, I noticed we weren't alone. There were other villagers there, gathered to find out if anyone had survived…but there was someone standing over the beam above the front door. Her wings were like dove feathers, and her hair was pulled up.

The fire didn't appear to touch her as she pressed her foot down on the beam, splintering the wood. If the fire hadn't been burning, I would have heard the beam. Julius got me out of danger as Angela pushed her foot down harder, forcing the beam to break in half…and forcing it to fall on Julius. My dog had stuck his tongue out to me, to tell me everything was okay now…when the beam fall on his back. The sound of bones breaking would haunt me in my nightmares as I screamed.

Neighbours whispered about Julius as I got to my knees and put my hands on the burning hot beam to lift it off Julius. He growled at me and I lifted it off him. Someone reached out and pulled Julius away before I dropped the beam with a deafening thud to the floor. I then turned to see Mr Roberts was holding Julius carefully. He put the dog in my lap, telling me to be careful as Julius had horrible burns on his back. He also warned me that Julius couldn't survive, that it was time for me to say goodbye to my best friend.

I buried my face in Julius's fur and sobbed, feeling the weight of the events on my shoulders. My parents were dead, my dog was dying and I was the only one left of the Hamiltons in Houndsworth. Julius lifted his mouth to lick me carefully, aware somehow that I was hurt more than emotionally.

"That's my boy," I whispered to the dog, "I love you Julius."

He whimpered before I watched the life fade from him. First his body began to chill, compared to the fire near me and then his eyes…his beautiful dark brown eyes closed forever to my world. I lifted him up a little to cry, knowing no one could understand what I had lost today. No one could see through my eyes and know the pain I felt. No one had ever faced a pain worse than mine as I sat there, crying before Mr Roberts got Mr Ricci to take Julius from me. It was for my own good, that's what they both said as Mr and Mrs Roberts brought me to their house.

It was then my wounds were treated, and I was given scotch. The next morning…I was back in work at Berrymore's order…

(Ciel's POV)

Sebastian managed to show me what happened that evening when Elena was sixteen. I had seen her cry and become a shell of the girl she had been. I still held the opinion that what I had gone through had been worse…but only slightly compared to that. As the new Earl, I had been given my chance to grieve. Elena had never gotten that, forced to work the next morning when her hands were burnt, when her skin was ashen from shock.

"She went the next morning?" I asked Sebastian as the life faded from Julius once more.

"She had no choice," Sebastian replied, "it was that or be removed from Berrymore's employ. She didn't want to ask for favours…not after what Scott had done to her."

"He spread rumours of her unhinged mind," I remembered and Sebastian nodded.

"Sometimes, the road not taken may have been a reprieve," he said after a moment, "had she refused you, she could have lived into her sixties with her children and grandchildren. She could have gone on the boat with her uncle and been killed by desperate men. But the future she could have had with James or that of Jonathon, could have been worth more to her than gold."

"She told me once had she a family when I asked her to come to London, she would have stayed. If that had been James…what would he have done?"

"Told her to take the job, that he couldn't support her and their children," Sebastian stated honestly, "Jonathon however, had enough money from false names and removed souls to keep her happy. But she never took more than she would ever need."

Fireflies glowed around me and I looked up at Sebastian, wondering what was happening.

"You won't know her," Sebastian whispered calmly, "and she won't know you other than business…"

"Young master," Sebastian voice called out, "Lady Rawlings is here to see you."

"Let her in," I replied as Sebastian opened the door to show me the woman.

Her hair was like raven's feathers, the curls fell down her shoulders as Sebastian helped her out of her coat. Her skin was ivory in one light while almost ashen in another. Her lips were a pale pink and her eyes were the warmest chocolate brown I had ever seen. She was wearing a pale blue summer dress with sleeves to her elbows and a heart shaped neckline. A squeal of delight echoed behind her and she put her hand out without looking to hold the small hand of a boy.

"Do excuse me, Earl Phantomhive," she said with a smile, "my husband bought my son the newest Bitter Rabbit."

"Mama!" the boy called as he showed her the rabbit, "it has an…an…"

The boy pointed at the eye-patch and looked to her for the answer. She looked down briefly with a smile on her face that said everything. She adored the child beside her, would stand in front of him like Sebastian would me. Sebastian would be protecting his dinner, she would respond to maternal instinct alone.

"An eye-patch," Lady Rawlings said softly before looking back at me.

"This is my son," she said softly as the boy looked up and hid behind her skirts, only blond hair visible, "Ciel Rawlings."

"Hello…Earl," the boy said from her skirts.

"He has the same name as me," I said to Sebastian and Lady Rawlings nodded.

"I remembered a Ciel from my past," she said simply, "and I believed my son could live up to the name. Ciel," and both her son and I looked up, "you must show the earl respect."

"Yes Mama," he replied and took a deep breath before stepping away from her skirts, the rabbit held tight in his hands.

She put her hand out to him and he took it, clearly still rather young. I had only recently passed my eighteenth birthday and Elizabeth was my wife. Lady Rawlings took a seat in front of me, her son looking out of place before he settled for sitting on her dress hems and playing with the rabbit toy.

"Do you want some tea, my lady?" Sebastian asked.

"If the earl is having something to drink," she replied as she looked over to me.

"Earl Grey," I said to Sebastian.

"Yes, my lord," he responded before leaving me in my office with Lady Rawlings.

"How old is your son?" I asked.

"He'll be four next October," she replied, "you've only recently turned eighteen. A belated happy birthday."

"Thank you," I replied as she smiled at me.

I could picture the maid vaguely, her black hair shorter and her smile not as easy to come by. This woman had seen something to make that smile bright. Maybe it was the boy beside her or the husband she had married. But something made her more approachable. Sebastian returned with the tea and gave her a cup before me, setting a small glass of orange juice in front of the little boy. Ciel smiled up at my butler before he played with the rabbit again.

"You called for me?" Lady Rawlings said plainly as she sipped her tea.

"I want to know the details of the last shipment," I replied and she frowned.

"My boats have been ever-moving, you have to be a bit particular if you want details. I understand my uncle had a way of organising business but he did not give me such information. What boat are you talking about?"

"Destiny," I replied and she nodded, "what was on that last shipment?"

"Immigrants," she replied honestly, "near death and worried. It appears someone in London was organising their transit but only a handful survived."

"And what did you do with them?" Sebastian asked.

Lady Rawlings put her tea cup down and touched her son's shoulder. He looked up at her before nodding and running off. Moments passed before he returned, holding a folder the size of the Bitter Rabbit lying down and put it in his mother's hands. She kissed him lightly on the forehead before handing him a Funtom sweet. He took it slowly and unwrapped it carefully.

"I asked each of the survivors a series of questions spanning six days," Lady Rawlings said simply as she held the folder out to me, "some spoke on the first day while others had to be…persuaded to speak with me."

"With what exactly?" I asked as I looked over the questions.

"Food," she replied, "I wanted to know why twenty men used my boat to travel to London. It turns out, they used a fault in the anchor's holding to get on board. From there, they pushed on the storage room handle and entered the cargo hold. My men wouldn't have noticed them."

(Sound familiar? If it doesn't, let me remind you. Using this same trick, Elena got Ciel onto Destiny in 'The Phantomhive's New Maid' when they needed to return to England from France.)

"Lady Rawlings..." I started when she frowned.

"Please," she said as a smile came back in place, "call me Elena…"

What had that been? The fireflies faded to nothing and the path ahead of me was blank. Elena had gone, Julius had faded and only Ash's body still decorated the road. Sebastian stood at my side and looked down at me.

"What was that?" I asked him.

"What never happened," he replied, "because she followed a different path, chose a different future. That was what could have been."

"Why did you show that to me?"

He ignored me before moving forward, his bunny ears slightly distracting before he looked back at me. He looked tired, and I knew that when this was over, we still needed to bury Elena Hamilton's body.

"Come young master," he said simply, "we have an invitation from the Queen to attend a trial."

"Whose?" I asked as I walked towards him.

"Alice's," he replied.

A future once lost can never be returned. Once a path was picked, you can never return to decide on another course of actions. Alice may have picked the Mad Hatter's trail, but will he tell her where to go? She can't go back, nor revisit old places. Her adventure is ever-moving forward, but what will she do at the end?

The young master simply can't be patient, he's demanding I stop narrating and answer one of his questions. Hold on but a moment…

(One hour later…)

…the young master simply asked me for tea. I'm surprised he doesn't know how to boil water by himself…

…Bard! Put down that flamethrower!

But dinner….?

Dinner is not cooked with a flamethrower! Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the rest of the story…give me the flamethrower…