Claude has been violated by a group of demons wrecked his car and is being taken to Ronald and William by the Undertaker. However, what do the shinigami learn something which this demon hasn't breathed to another soul. Alex and Kei are going to the auction only to learn the nature of what it was. Grell attempts to intercept them; however, he's far too late.

What will happen to Claude?

Will Alex and Kei be able to get away from the auction?

How is Sebastian doing?

I apologize for not updating sooner, between illness and working on midterms I've been rather busy.

Enjoy,

~Kuro

Chapter 74: Reflections

A crisp white sheet fluttered in the air before settling on the queen sized bed. William's hands quickly smoothed out the top before he proceeded to folding the corners under the bed. He may have not been a butler, however he was still rather particular about the folds in which he made a hospital corner. Ronald was standing in the doorway and watched his lover make the bed with precision. "Impressive," he commented as he walked over with the folded white duvet and handed it to the raven haired shinigami. William looked up and commented, "Claude and Sebastian aren't the only ones who had to learn how to make a bed." There was a light chuckle, William looked up to see Ronald standing there, with a pair of down feather pillows. William held his hands up as Ronald tossed them, he had become accustomed to living with Ronald now. He could remember the expression on Ronald's face when he had asked the blond to live with him. Yet now it was second nature, William would cook and clean while Ronald did laundry and took the trash out. "So why did Grell sound so irritated?" he asked after a moment. William sighed as he turned down the sheets and responded, "I have no idea." That was the part which frightened him the most, he wasn't a fan of Claude and yet the way which Grell's call came off unnerved him. The red head had always flirted with him; it was common to see a flash of red attempt to hug him. It was odd to see this emotion, he sounded so mature on the phone and William began to wonder if he had finally forced the flirtatious man to grow up.

The door bell rang and Ronald said quickly, "I've got it." William listened to Ronald's footsteps as they drifted further away, however the sound which left his lover's throat was extremely different than he had expected. "William!" he shouted and the raven haired shinigami ran toward the entryway. Standing in a black suite with a battered and unconscious Claude in his arms was the Undertaker. William felt his heart stop for a moment, he thought seeing this golden eyed demon being pulled from the rubble was painful, however this was even more so. "What happened?" asked Ronald as he slowly reached out to touch Claude's swollen face; he could smell the stench of other demons and see the evidence of intercourse. The Undertaker's gaze softened behind his silver glasses, "He wrecked his car, and from the looks of things ran into the wrong crowd," he responded softly. William watched Ronald's face twist in discomfort; Claude and Sebastian were the strongest couple he had ever met. To see the proud spider this broken was frightening. "Let's get him inside, I think he needs a bath before anything," said William slowly. His eyes never left Claude's swollen face, the Undertaker nodded and asked, "Where is the bathroom?" William turned on his heel and led the man through the house, the air had turned solemn as they proceeded through the house.

The Undertaker took Claude into the bathroom and held him up, "I have another engagement, I wish I could be more helpful, however this can't wait," he said softly as he placed the unconscious demon on the corner of the tub, his back and head were leaning against the wall and William wrapped his arm around Claude's waist. "We understand, we'll take care of him," said Ronald softly as he began to draw warm water for a bath. The sound of water hitting the bottom of the tub filled the room, and the Undertaker simply nodded, "Call me if something happens," he said quickly before showing himself out. Ronald looked up and noticed William's gaze, it was very different from before. He looked as though he had seen a ghost, "Penny for your thoughts," said Ronald softly and William's head snapped up. He looked slightly disturbed, and he sighed, "Seeing him like this, it's not something I'm comfortable with," admitted William, his voice was soft and he danced around the subject. Which was something Ronald had never seen him do, William was always direct, straight as an arrow. He never danced around a subject, however he had also never seen William in a position like this. "What if, he was you," whispered William and he closed his eyes. A look of sheer terror swept across his once placid face. He hung his head, his bangs fell in his eyes, "What if this happened to you, Ronald. I," he paused and looked at the blond who had rolled up the sleeves of his blue V-neck sweater and was leaning into the tub to put the stopper in the drain. "I can't begin to explain the pain I would feel to see you like this," William managed to say. Ronald felt his heart swell as he looked at the now emotional William T. Spears. That calm and collected exterior which he was known for in the office, was gone and he looked as vulnerable as any other man. His head hung, he could hear the distant tap of tears on the tub, "Hey, I'm here," said Ronald as he slowly wrapped his arms around William, "I'm here, and the only person who has touched me and will ever do so, is you," he said softly. The blonds fingers slowly stroked William's black hair as he held the man in his arms.

Part of him began to wonder what happened to William's wife, he knew that this man had lost both his wife and child, however he never heard what had happened. It was a shadow which William shied away from, and Ronald didn't want to cause him anymore pain. He watched as William slowly slipped Claude out of his clothes and placed them on the floor. "We'll have to have them sent out," he commented as he removed Claude's shoes. Ronald's eyes widened as he looked at the swollen areas and cuts, "My god," he whispered as William reached for the demon's boxers, as comfortable as he was Ronald wasn't going to get upset about William undressing Claude. They needed to see the amount of damage which had been inflicted on the demon. The black silk boxers fell to the floor, and Ronald's hands shot up to cover his mouth. There was blood down Claude's legs, and he whispered, "Who would do something like that?" He had been raped before, however it wasn't as violent as what Claude had been subjected to. His body was covered in cuts bruises and the residue of what he guessed as semen. "Demons, they don't feel remorse for these actions, many find immense pleasure in it," commented William as he slowly lowered Claude into the tub. The waters shifted as Claude's body slipped bellow the surface, William asked, "Can you hold him while I get shampoo and some ointment for the tearing?" Ronald simply bobbed his head before slowly grabbing Claude's body. The demon was cold to the touch, he whispered, "Where was your raven when you needed him the most?"

Groggy golden eyes opened and looked up at him, Ronald had expected the demon to lash out, and yet he didn't. Claude simply sat there and replied honestly, "He threw me out." When Ronald heard this he felt as though everything he knew about Sebastian was a lie, he would have never allowed this to happen to his lover. "I should have told him about the assassination attempts and the game Sterling was playing," he whispered as he slowly straitened up. Ronald looked at Claude, he knew Sterling was up to something, however he had no idea Claude was currently playing a game with him. "Claude, what kind of game was he playing?" asked Ronald seriously. The demon looked at him and pursed his lips. It was clear he was debating whether or not to tell the blond shinigami, "Look it's no use now, you've been raped, thrown out of the house and you're wanted for a number of crimes," he hissed. This seemed to be enough to cajole Claude's tongue, "Sterling was planning on destroying Sebastian's company and use Alex as a weapon against," he paused and looked at the door. His eyes narrowed, and Ronald grabbed the demon's chin. His eyes narrowed dangerously, he couldn't stand a submissive Claude. "Look Faustus, she could still be in danger, man up!" he shouted. His voice bounced off the walls and assaulted Claude's ears with reason. The arachnid looked at the reaper and replied, "To eradicate Lucifer and then enslave demons." Ronald slowly released Claude's chin and stared at him in shock, there was only one demon which stood a chance against killing Lucifer. "Sebastian," he whispered, and he tiled his head back. He hadn't thought of that.

Claude's once beautiful vibrant golden eyes were dull and lifeless. He had lost all desire to live and even think about happiness. He fell silent and shifted so he was no longer leaning on Ronald, the door opened, and William returned with a tin in hand and a bottle of shampoo. "Nice to see you're awake Faustus," said William gently as he walked over. Claude didn't respond, he merely sat there in silence. Ronald had never found silence to be such a lamenting sound until now. William rolled up his sleeves and proceeded to washing Claude's hair, his fingers gently scrubbed away the dirt and mud which had been caked in his hair. The demon remained silent, and Ronald simply watched as William finished rinsing Claude's hair, "I'll let you finish bathing yourself and you can use the ointment in the silver tin for the tearing," he said smoothly before whipping his hands on a towel, "Ronny, let's give him some privacy," he commented. The pair left the bathroom and he looked at William, "I've never seen him like this," he breathed, his eyes were locked on the door. William looked at him and smiled listlessly, "I haven't, but I know the cause, and I can assure you Sebastian is in just as much pain," he said slowly. There wasn't a note of malice in his voice, it was pure sadness. Ronald looked at the bathroom door again and waited for the demon to emerge, they had been thrown yet another curve ball.

The rich and famous always knew how to party, however this was something even more extravagant. The car pulled in front of the auction house, Alex noticed the red carpet which had been rolled out, people of immense wealth had gathered and she felt butterflies dance in her stomach. She had been to a number of high brow events with Sebastian and Claude, this was the first one she was going to attend without them. Part of her was screaming not to, and the other part told her it was time to learn how to stand on her own two feet. Kei slipped out of the back and stood on the carpet with his hand extended to her, "Don't worry, I'll be beside you every step of the way," he whispered with a smile. It was apparent he had been looking forward to this. She nodded and slowly stepped out of the black town car. There was a great deal of chatter which swarmed around her, Alex tightened her grip on Kei's arm, and he looked at her. His eyes were soft, and he whispered into her ear, "Don't worry, you look stunning." How he was this confident at a time like this amazed her, he seemed so collected as they continued down the carpet to the building. "What type of auction is this?" she asked curiously, Kei smiled. He shrugged and replied in the most noncommittal way, "I have no idea, let's check it out." He smiled broadly as he gingerly took his coat off and handed it to the attendant and reached out for her white fur.

Alex shook her head and chuckled as she slipped off the white fur and handed it to him. "I thought you had everything planned out," she commented after a moment. Kei chuckled and looked at her, clearly this man was much more spontaneous than she had anticipated. He looked over her shoulder and grinned before wrapping his arm around her waist, "I planned the dress and asking you out, I never thought you would say yes though," he admitted. She usually felt her skin crawl when people touched her like this and yet he felt protective. He seemed to make her feel comfortable and relaxed as they proceeded to the advanced viewing. Kei looked around and chuckled, "They can't take their eyes off of you," he commented as he pulled her in closer to himself. She smiled and looked about the room and realized something was very off. All of the guests didn't seem human, they looked far too perfect. She stiffened and caught wind of something familiar, the scent of Allen's aftershave. She stiffened and looked at Kei nervously, "I don't think this is a good idea," she whispered softly, and Kei looked at her in confusion. He was about to say something when he noticed the nature of the objects in the preview. Alex felt as though she had been kicked in the ribs, these weren't paintings or antiques, they were demonic articles. He slowly walked into the room, his eyes fell on the glass harp and a silver chalice with numbers before them. "What on earth?" he asked in confusion as he continued down each row. Each lot became even darker, he looked at Alex who was clinging to him for dear life. Her heart was pounding as she recognized some of the articles, and her eyes fell on a crowd of people which surrounded a pedestal in front of the room. "Is it authentic?" asked a hushed male voice. Men and women were standing before it looking in awe, and Alex felt the urge to run. They moved out of the way as Kei approached the display and the murmuring increased. "Is that really Sterling's son?" asked one of the women. Kei paused and looked at the book Alex blanched as she drew nearer she recognized it immediately, it was Sebastian's summoning tome. "It's too bad the girl isn't up for auction, she would honestly sweeten the deal," said a young man and Alex felt faint. Her grip tightened on Kei's arm, and she mouthed, "Let's go." Her heart was pounding, she knew what kind of auction this was, and it wasn't one which she should have ever agreed to attend. She should have steered clear of it.

Before Kei could reply there was a flash of red and standing before them was a long red haired shinigami, he looked at the pair and hissed, "What are you doing here?" He looked at the crowd who was eying the pair as though they owned the place. Kei looked at Alex and watched as she looked slightly relieved to see the red reaper. "I was invited I had no idea what this place was," he replied softly. Grell looked at Alex and drew a deep breath, she was well aware that Sebastian would murder Grell if anything happened to her. "Tonoin, you didn't attend the preview, this way and I will explain the details," said Grell with a note of authority. Kei fallowed the red reaper into another room, Grell closed the door, "What the hell are you thinking? This is no place for her!" he roared. Grell had officially gone off the deep end, he wasn't going to watch her get hurt by this man's stupidity. Kei's eyes widened, and he looked at Grell in astonishment, "Look, she isn't safe here, trust me it's bad enough the Tome is on the auction block. I can't try to protect her as well," the red reaper hissed. The sound of a gavel falling on a block filled the air as a number of the rich went into the main room. Grell's green and gold eyes looked up, he sighed, "Listen, get out of here, I will take care of the questions but its just not safe here," he whispered as he attempted to push Kei through the hallway.

"Sadly, its far too late for that," cracked a familiar voice and Grell spun to see the Undertaker standing in a black suit. His silver hair was pulled back, and the massive scar across his face was now visible. The Undertaker sighed and looked at the pair, "They will be expecting Tonoin to stay here and potentially purchase the Tome," the silver shinigami stated clearly as he looked at the pair. His eyes fell on Alex, and he chuckled, "To think that the one thing which could fetch a higher price than the Prince of Hell's Tome, would be dressed in such an elegant gown and be right under their noses," he commented. Grell looked at the Undertaker, he was well aware of the implications if the pair was to leave early. Yet he didn't understand what he was saying, they were told to keep her out of harms way. Now the Undertaker was going to send her into a room, filled with people who would like nothing better than to see her dead. "What?" asked Alex in confusion and she clung to Kei.

"I find the best place to hide is in plain sight," the silver shinigami replied as he shrugged and looked at Grell. There was a great deal of truth in this, if she was seen as Kei's date, there would be no way they could snatch her without a great deal of retaliation. On top of the fact that Kei was in fact Sterling's son. Grell looked Alex over and sighed, the idea could work however there was still the risk of someone figuring it out. "Alright, we now have to worry about both Alex and the Tome, this is going to be one hell of a night," said Grell slowly as he lead the pair to the hall. His mind was screaming at him to send Alex home and tell Kei he was a lunatic, however the Undertaker held much more authority than he did. Alex and Kei walked beside each other, they were in step however her nervousness was noticeable. The pair stopped short, and Kei lifted her chin with his fingers, "Look at me," he whispered, his voice was commanding and yet soft. Grell looked at the pair and felt a twinge of envy, this man was rather debonair for a human. "I will keep you safe, and save Claude. Breath Alexandra, just breath," he whispered before planting a chaste kiss on her lips. The Undertaker smiled as Grell opened the door and the buyers saw the pair kissing, this would only strengthen the illusion.

Alex felt his soft warm lips against hers, it was far more intoxicating than the kiss she had shared with Rin. He was charming, his lips moved with ease as they brushed against hers. She could feel his tongue trace hers, and she slowly parted her lips. Kei's emerald green eyes were closed, she could feel one of his hands resting on her back pull her closer. His other hand tangled in her hair, he was taking control of the situation, and she was going to allow it. A gasp escaped her lips as Kei playfully nipped her lower lip and she could feel the room's gaze fall on her. He smiled with triumph as he pulled away and guided her to her seat. She had never felt that kind of heat, she had witnessed it between Claude and Sebastian. Part of her always wondered what it tasted like, what it was like to be cast into the flames of desire, and now she knew. A sweet and sensational ache filled her chest, she desired more. More of that fire and his touch, her skin tingled from where his hands had been and she looked at her hands. A deep blush swept across her cheeks, and she felt his lips in her ear, "If you keep blushing like that, I may have to steal you away from here," he hummed. She could hear the mirth in his voice, it was clear he was enjoying himself; however was this a feeling of attraction or pure lust.

Kei's eyes were now locked on the auctioneer, and she watched in awe as a decorative silver chalice was brought to the table. The black card resting before it was labeled Lot 1 and she came to the realization that the tome which was sitting in the other room was Sebastian's. Now things were coming together, however there was one thing which she still didn't understand, why the book was so precious to the demons in the first place. She had tried to do research on it, only to turn up nothing. It was as though demons didn't have tomes, she had expected there to be a paper written by a sanctimoniously priest or conspiracy lover somewhere. Her eyes glided around the room, and suddenly she understood why it hadn't. The owners of several of the works largest communications providers were present as well as renowned software developers and politicians. She was a small tuna in a sea of sharks; she had done a little reading on Kei and learned something which surprised her. He was a self made man, Sterling had given him nothing. He worked hard to go to Tokyo University, he went to privet ivy league high schools on scholarship and lived practically in poverty. Somehow he managed to become one of the most successful CEOs in Asia with a small company he had inherited from an old man in Kyoto. He turned a failing manufacturer into the top of the business and most powerful player in the industry. From there he went to gain a hold in Tokyo and soon took control of the technology industry in both software and devices. She slowly slipped her hand onto his lap, and he looked over at her, his green eyes looked slightly concerned, she simply smiled.

Darkness crept into the corners of the house as Sebastian felt Claude's warmth slowly disappear. He had pushed the demon away, and yet he desired to have him standing beside him. He had heard Claude begging for mercy as they violated him and yet Sebastian abandoned him. Part of the demon began to go numb as he slowly walked through the house, there were hints of the other demon through out the house, spider webs, flowers, even his handwriting on post-its to remind him of important dates. The scent of his cologne lingered, and Sebastian felt as though his wings were bring ripped off his back. "Why?" he whined as he stopped before a mirror. His eyes fell on the slender figure standing before him, thin with dull red eyes and matted black hair. He no longer looked like the epitome of neatness, or the elegance of a CEO. He was a husk of his former self. His shoulders heaved a sigh as he slowly ascended the stairs and walked toward the master bedroom. Only to stop short outside the door, he could still smell that delectable cologne. Tears stung his eyes, he hissed in agony before screaming, "Fuck, why?" Unbidden tears fell again, he felt like all he ever did was cry. He had gone soft, and for some reason Claude allowed this, he was always a strong demon. Yet when it came down to it he was perhaps one of the weakest, there was. "I have no right to call myself a prince," he whispered as he slowly fell to his knees outside of their bedroom door.

He his back against the hard wooden door and slowly curled into a ball. "I have no right to even say that I love you," he whined before he allowed sobs to wrack his body. More tears, that was all he did now was cry. Perhaps this was for the best, to set Claude free of the emotional train wreck which was now Sebastian. He rubbed the tears away with the heel of his hand and drew a deep shaky breath. Everything had been shattered before his eyes; the only thing which he still had was Alex. He slowly rose and continued down the hall toward a massive mirror. Along the way he picked up a porcelain Ming Dynasty vase and dumped its contents on the floor. He stood before the mirror and smiled as he hurled the priceless vase toward the sheet of glass. The sound of it shattering echoed through the house and the demon closed his eyes. This would numb the pain, it would make it just manageable enough for him to finally be at peace. He felt the shards of glass slice into his skin and welcomed the agony which consumed him as he fell backward. The sound of a cry filled his ears, it was closer than he realized as he felt a pair of hands slowly pick his head up off the floor.

Crimson eyes flickered open to see a similar pair looking back down at him. They were wide with terror, and he could see a number of thoughts running through his mind. The familiar scent of roses and feel his soft hair on his face. "Dad?" Sebastian asked slowly as he reached up to touch his father's face. Lucifer looked at his son and nodded, he looked as though his heart had been broken. "Why?" was the only word which Sebastian had managed to produce from his lips and he felt his father pull him into his arms. He felt as though he were a small child again, before the fire, before all of this had happened. Before his life had become a mess, he was in his father's arms and could smell the scent of roses. Lucifer slowly slipped his hand into his son's hair and responded, "I heard the shatter, I was coming to warn you about a group of rogue demons, to find my son on the floor covered in glass." His touch was tender and closed his eyes for a moment, the pain slowly dulled as he sat up, his wounds were sealing, and the pain was dissipating. "Michaelis explain," he demanded, his voice didn't waver and he looked as though he had just caught his son cutting himself. Sebastian slowly sat up and looked at his father, even if they shared similar features it wouldn't deny the fact that they were two different demons. He sighed and asked, "Would you like a glass of wine?" as he stood up. Lucifer jumped to his feet and glared at his son. "The last thing I want is wine, I want answers!" he barked and Sebastian looked over his shoulder at his father. It was clear he didn't know a thing about what had been going on, and things were about to become even more complicated.

"No you'll want a glass of wine for this, it's a long story," he said as he slowly began to walk away. Part of him wanted to dash out of the house and avoid his father, however it was now at the point in which it was impossible. Especially if his father was even willing to come to the human realm, "What haven't you told me?" Lucifer asked after a moment. His voice was hesitant and Sebastian drew a deep breath as he walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen. Nestled in the wine cooler was a bottle of prime red wine. It was a decadent bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape from 1933. Lucifer looked at the age and then to Sebastian, "You really are successful in this realm, aren't you?" he asked slowly as he watched Sebastian open the bottle and pull a pair glistening wine goblets. The spicy aroma of the wine filled the room and Lucifer drew a deep breath, "So this is what humans can produce," he mused as he watched his son lift the bottle and pour a glass. "They can produce more than wine," he said as he placed the glass before his father and perched on one of the stools. For some reason he felt comfortable here, his eyes fell on the island and slowly attempted to put a story together. "I have no idea where to start," he confessed after a moment, and looked up at his father. So much had happened Lucifer didn't know of, and that it was going to be difficult to tell his father what was going on. "The beginning is always a good place," said Lucifer as he tipped the glass to his lips.