There was silence in the room, and were it not for the ticking of an old clock, the rhythmic pace of a heartbeat might have been heard. Grell stood uncomfortably in the doorway, his eyes glued to the man who resided near the window.

"You told me that you would not fail. I do not have an affinity for being lied to, Sutcliff."

The redhead swallowed harshly, knowing this would not end well for him unless he found a way to remedy the situation. His gaze darted about, looking for inspiration as if it were to be found in the plain white walls of the office. "He has the note." Of course Claude already knew that, for it was the very reason he had been sent to seduce it from the other man. "He knows what you are doing. He knew I was working for you and why I had come." There was a pause as Claude turned to face him. Grell eyed him nervously. "He said two days from now. He told me you would know what that meant."

Claude gazed at him in silence before a slow smile spread over his lips, not quite reaching his eyes, which remained cold and lifeless despite his satisfaction. It was not unlike a spider grinning at the sight of a fly helplessly caught within its web. Such a sight was not something pleasant to behold. "Good."

Paperwork. It was arguably the one aspect of this job that he would not miss should things not go according to plan. Scrawling his signature on yet another written report that was to be sent out, he looked up as there was a knock at his door.

"Come in."

As soon as those words left his lips, he regretted them, for even if he wished for some diversion, he did not welcome the thought of Grell or Claude residing on the other side of that door. As it opened however, he was thankful to find that it was Eric who stood in the doorway. The tall man closed the door as he came forward, nodding his head to Sebastian.

"Looks like the Gypsy was correct, sir."

The commander let out a satisfied sigh. That, at least, was good news. It meant that the message they had sent to the man on the outside had gone through. In the note they had asked that half of the message be torn and left where it had been found as proof of there being another willing to help. And it looked as if Eric had found it just as specified, revealing the information Soma had volunteered to be trustworthy. Despite the fact that he would have gone through with the plan no matter what, the commander was glad of the extra help that seemed to be available.

"Very good. Thank you."

It was a dismissal and Eric knew that he should take his leave. He nodded before making his way out of the office.

Sebastian took a deep breath once he was alone again. He was satisfied that everything was going as planned, however no matter what occurred, there was still one thing in which he had to do.

His hand came to rest upon his breast pocket, unconsciously making sure that the note still resided within. The presence of the small piece of paper burned a hole into his chest, urging him to take the matter up with Tanaka. Surely the older man would be sympathetic to his cause. But he knew that it was only foolish to hope that the tiny scrap of paper would prove anything. Only a handful of people knew the truth of the situation, and none of them would speak out about it.

Reaching to his side, he lifted the silver pistol from where it lay at his hip and brought it up to the desk. It was time to face the past, and no small piece of evidence could change that. He could never escape this outcome, nor did he truly wish to. Because of jealousy and hatred, he had been shaped into the man he was now. A man who wanted to end this in the only way he knew.

"We should not have trusted him so easily," Abberline remarked despondently, shaking his head as if he was sure nothing good would come out of it. It had been a day since the commander had visited him with his proposal, but he had worried over it ever since.

Soma stared up at him in annoyance from where he lay against the cushions that had been provided. He was partially recovered thanks to the food and water that had been given them, and in no mood to deal with the other man's lack of what he called 'faith'. "He may be an evil man it is true, however he is being used to offer us a way out. It would be foolish to refuse such a gift from Allah."

Abberline made no coherent reply. He held a strong dislike for the man and no amount of excuses or expressions of divine will would make him think otherwise. Until he saw for himself that Ciel was as safe and as well as Sebastian claimed, he would continue to hold a certain amount of distrust and hatred toward the commander.

Darkness, that was all that he saw. It surrounded him, suffocated him, robbed him of the hope he could trick himself into feeling in the embrace of the light. In the darkness there was nothing, just the cold, harsh reality of his life. All the memories, those painful pictures that played through his mind; they came back to haunt him in the darkness, and in those moments, he wished for the calm of sleep to claim him. Because even after the sweet words of comfort, the words of promise, there was always the sickening reminder of what he truly was.

He had been helpless as Claude violated him, his body nothing more than a means to an end for the man. He had been treated as if he were nothing more than an object used to gain another, more profitable goal. And Ash had treated him the same.

The physical pain had been terrifying, but it had, at least, been endurable. The humiliation he had faced had been another matter entirely. He had tried so hard not to think of it, to push that day from his mind. And he had thought that he had succeeded. But the subconscious still lingered, and deep in the dark recesses of his mind, there was fear.

He could remind himself all he wished to, but deep down inside he was scared. A broken child trying desperately to hold onto anything that was within his grasp.

Sebastian had become hope, and in that hope, he had blindly given himself up to another's mercy. Of course, unlike Claude and Ash, Sebastian had never followed through in any of his threats. Since the moment he had agreed to the commander's terms, he had treated him with a strange gentleness. It was almost as if the commander were frightened of him in some way, although in reality it should have been the other way around.

But it was still painfully clear what he truly was, for not even a simple request would be granted him. The man whom he had come to call a friend would be left to die here as he was led to freedom. If anything, he should feel a terrible guilt for even longing for freedom to such a degree. He was almost willing to leave without him if there was no other choice.

It was late in the evening when he found his footsteps turning toward the staircase that led to the old holding cells. For Ciel's safety as well as his own, he knew he should wait till the moment they were set to leave before speaking to the boy. But this was not about safety or the security of the plan he had set into place; it was about his own selfish need.

Those thoughts spurred him on down the dark corridor and past the dirty, metal doors toward the one at the very end.

Ciel was on the bed when the door opened, the boy looking both frightened and relieved as he stared across the room in silence.

Such a picture he made sitting there, unaware of the dark thoughts that consumed the man standing in the doorway. Sebastian could see nothing but innocence in the child, an innocence that deep down, he desperately wanted to destroy.

Instead he only closed the door. "Everything is ready. There will be no guards posted at the south gate for a few minutes after midnight. That will give you and your friends enough time to escape without being noticed."

The one blue eye that lay uncovered widened minutely. "My friends?" He did not know if he was surprised more by the fact that Sebastian had done what he asked even after he had made it clear that he would not, or the fact that there seemed to be more than one person the commander was referring to. He had only asked that Abberline be saved along with him.

"It seems as if your friend Abberline has made a new little friend of his own." The commander seemed to read his mind.

Ciel lowered his head. The way Sebastian spoke made it seem as if he resented ever listening to him. "I didn't know." He would not apologize outright, however his voice was low and he sounded thoroughly chastised.

Sebastian picked up on that quickly. "What is one more person after all that I have already done."

It was the commander's way of assuring him that it did not matter. Ciel nodded, raising his eyes. It was strange when he thought about all that had happened over the course of the last few weeks. Sebastian had surprised him in ways he had not thought the man capable of. In all truth he almost could not believe this conversation was even going on. To think that if all went well, he would finally be free again. It was what he had wanted from the beginning.

"Are you coming with us?"

Sebastian glanced sharply at Ciel, the question taking him off guard. His gaze hardened.

"No."

Ciel noticed the change, the warning in the man's eyes, but persisted regardless. "Why not?"

There was a laugh from the commander as he came forward, bitterness etched into the sound. "Because, I am a German soldier, bound to his country in this time of war. To become a deserter would mean dishonor and death, and quite frankly I want neither." He had come to the edge of the bed as he spoke and was now leaning over Ciel. "Besides, I have unfinished business here."

Ciel stared up at him, unsure of what to say. This was going to be the last time he would see or talk to the commander. True there had been a time when he would have enjoyed the thought of never seeing him again, and perhaps he still did, although he could not help feeling a small stab of pain at the thought. "It's Claude isn't it? It's because of me-"

A finger to his lips cut off his words. "You are right. It is because of Claude. But the quarrel we have goes further than anything he ever did to you. And I will not rest until it is resolved."

Ciel nodded slowly. He should not feel so heartbroken at the thought, neither should he feel worried over what would happen to Sebastian once he was gone. He had become attached to this man in a way even he did not fully understand, and it was slowly breaking him apart.

Sebastian watched him, concerned by the emotions that passed over Ciel's face. He tipped the boy's head back, compelling him to look up. "What is it?"

Ciel hesitated, his eyes flickering away from the man's face. He wanted to give Sebastian something in return. Something that would make up for everything he had done for him. But he had nothing of value to offer except for the very thing Sebastian had wanted from him since the beginning.

Though the thought of surrendering that was not exactly unimaginable, it frightened him in a way he could not understand. Would he really be able to go through with something like that once he started? He knew he would have no choice.

But was it not a small price to pay for this man's help? A way of showing his appreciation for him when he had nothing else he could give?

Looking down, he ignored Sebastian's question, instead raising his hands to the collar of his shirt. His fingers began to shake as he started to unbutton it, his one eye downcast, not daring to raise it to meet the commander's gaze.

Sebastian's hand fell from the boy's chin, his eyes shifting as Ciel started to move. He watched as the boy slowly unbuttoned the shirt, well aware of the state Ciel was in, yet doing nothing to stop him as pale, pink flesh was exposed to his gaze.

He drew in a heavy breath.

He had wanted this from the moment he set eyes on the child. Wanted to have Ciel writhing underneath him as he thoroughly stripped the boy of any innocence and childhood he might have had left. It was a perverse wish, even he knew that. And yet Ciel was seemingly offering it all to him.

Ciel was trembling uncontrollably by the time he finished with his clothing. He sat shivering and vulnerable, his body completely bared for Sebastian's eyes. It was no use trying to calm himself or stop the telltale trembling that spoke more than words ever could. Apart from this, he knew little of what this man wanted, or of how gentle he was going to be when taking it.

His eye rose to look at the raven haired man, the blood rushing into his face as he caught the desire in those mahogany eyes. He wasn't quite sure what he had expected the commander to do, but what he did was completely bewildering.

Sebastian stood and turned around, taking quick, measured steps to the other side of the room. He kept his back to Ciel as he stood there, his eyes on the worn walls of the cell, his mind willing him to hold onto his self control. He shouldn't do this. It was wrong, so very wrong.

Ciel's eye widened slightly, and despite his fear and apprehension, an almost hurt look clouded the blue orb. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong, or why Sebastian seemed to distance himself the moment their interaction slipped from business into something more. Was he really that unattractive to the man? Or had Claude's actions ruined him forever in the commander's eyes? Did Sebastian not want him as he had thought or had he simply changed his mind?

All those insecurities came rushing into Ciel's mind as he sat staring at the commander's back, and he was unsure of how he should react to them. Now that he was faced with rejection, the trembling of his body had ceased, leaving a dull, throbbing pain in his chest.

Very slowly, he stood up.

"Sebastian..." He took a few faltering steps toward the man, lifting his hand to tug at the sleeve of his uniform.

Sebastian turned at the touch, trying to keep his eyes where he knew they should be, and not any lower than the child's face. "Ciel..I.."

"I thought this was what you wanted." Ciel looked up at him, his gaze filled with doubt. "Don't you still?"

Despite the clear intentions he had held as he had come down to visit with the boy, Sebastian knew he was not some wild animal without control. He knew exactly what he was doing; knew exactly what kind of impact this would have should he allow himself to be weak. It wasn't Ciel's fault, and he should not be blamed for his actions. In the beginning he had made it blatantly clear he wished for sexual favors in return for his protection. Ciel was only doing what he thought would please him.

Sebastian's gaze hardened, unused to having to control such a desire. "Forgive me."

Ciel took a step forward. "But.."

Never in his life had he denied himself anything, and the temptation to take the boy before him was unbearably strong. "No, do not misunderstand. I want you. That has never changed." He paused, knowing it would need more explanation. "But I should not." He turned slightly, his eyes needing another destination, anywhere but the body of that boy. "I know better than anyone how regrets can stay with you forever, and it isn't right to force you to carry this night in your mind for the rest of your life. Despite what you may feel right now, despite thinking you may want this, one day you will come to hate me. I don't want that."

As Ciel went silent, he continued. "I've committed far too many transgressions to worry about adding another to the list of my sins, but I wonder if I have the right to chose that for another. One day you will meet someone else, someone you truly love and you will wish you had not given yourself away so mindlessly."

He took a deep breath as he crossed the room and lent toward the bed, reaching for the sheet that lay crumpled at the foot. Without another word he wrapped it around the silent boy's shoulders, covering him completely.

Sebastian swallowed thickly, his eyes still deep with the lust he felt within Ciel's proximity. He could have ignored that small, nagging voice in the back of his head, but that would prove that he was weak. Even now he still wished to give in, for just looking at Ciel was an internal struggle. For so many years he had simply taken what he wanted, never caring about who he hurt in the process, but right now his arousal disgusted him. The truth was, he didn't care if he went to hell, he almost welcomed it, but he was not willing to drag another down to those depths.

"I will come to get you when it is time. Try to get some rest." With that he turned to leave, hoping to find solace in his own company, though he knew without a doubt that it would only be with thoughts of the boy that he would find it.

A/N: And so after being gone for longer than I ever should have, I have finally posted a chapter. I never meant to wait so long, but I have been unbelievably busy lately, and there is not much opportunity to write. Forgive me.

And I do hope some of you were not terribly disappointed by Sebastian's resolve. When I began writing this, I planned on having him far more heartless than he turned out to be, and in the end it seemed Ciel began to change him. I know some wanted sex, I'm sorry.