Chapter 36: Sebastian POV

The Master walked ahead with his family, pointing to the water and the beach to the young Master. I held the door for Danny to come out with the picnic basket, carrying the chairs and an umbrella. The sky was overcast, but the sun had already come out several times, making the Mistress ask for an umbrella. She was worried about too much sun since the doctor had confirmed they were indeed expecting their second child.

"I feel ridiculous walking to the beach in my pants and shirt," Danny grumbled. I looked at her and kept my mouth closed.

We had arrived at the private beach house the day before, the young Master running to the water as soon as he saw it. Danny had sat by the window that night and looked over the rocky beach and shook her head as I modeled some of the latest in women's bathing suits. She had laughed at how it clung to my masculine body, and finally gave up, stating she would just have to either not go swimming, or wear something that looked more masculine on her. She declined to let me place the variety of options on her.

"I will ask you to stay in the shadows so you do not get too hot," I finally said, watching as the Phantomhives all approached the water and the Master and young Master rolled up their pants. They waded out a foot and stood in the small waves. The Mistress was coming back and I quickly set out the blanket, made sure the chairs were ready and the umbrella was at the correct angle. She sat down and smiled up at me.

"This is perfect, thank you," she said.

"Of course, my Lady."

Danny placed the food out and the young Master came running up and grabbed her hand as she placed the basket down.

"Mister Hyde, come into the water! It's a bit cold, but it's nice once you get used to it," he said, tugging her to follow him.

"Vincent, perhaps Mr. Hyde does not feel like going into the water just yet. It is polite to ask," the Master said, ruffling his son's newly trimmed hair. "So, perhaps you should ask."

The young Master pouted and stopped tugging on Danny's hand. "Mister Hyde, do you care to come into the water with me?"

Danny's face lite up at the sweet question, and she bent down a little and smiled. "Thank you for the invitation, young Master, but I don't wish to go into the water. However, I would love to sit on those rocks overlooking it and watch you play. Will that be acceptable?"

The young Master sighed and looked at her. "Okay," he said finally. "If I am drowning, will you come and get me?"

"Of course I would!" she said, walking with him. "But it is not too deep here and you will not go farther than a few steps away from the edge."

"Yes sir," the young Master replied.

"Mr. Hyde seems to be adjusting well," the Master said, turning to me. He looked at his son and Danny and then faced me, lowering his voice. "I got a sneaking suspicion that the Tutor is avoiding the water."

"Yes… he is. There are some obvious reasons."

"So it's not because… he can't swim?"

"No, he has said he can swim, but is not comfortable with it."

The Master turned and looked at the pair. "I am glad he came, nonetheless."

I smiled. "He had little choice," I reminded him. The Master nodded a bit and turned back to the Mistress.

I walked to the edge of the treeline, straddling the distance between Danny watching the young Master and the Master who was pouring water for the Mistress. An idea formed in my mind and I smiled; yes, tonight would be a wonderful opportunity. I looked up as the clouds brushed past the sun, and then once more filled the space of sparse trees, rocks and water with sunlight, as if the Heavens above had approved of my wonderful idea.

It was after the Master and Mistress retired and Danny had put the young Master to bed, reading "The Railway Children," entertaining him with different voices for each character, that I was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs that led to our quarters. She smiled and swept some of the hair that had escaped her tieback she had started to adopt.

"Why do I feel like you have something wicked planned?" she breathed as she shrugged off her vest and slung it over her right arm.

"Perhaps because I do?" I said, cupping her chin and kissing her slowly. "I have something very special for us to do."

She gave a small laugh and shook her head. "It involves me swimming, doesn't it?"

"Well now, you are no fun if you are guessing my intentions."

She hung up the vest and pulled me toward the back door and giggled as I picked her up and ran, stopping at the edge of the water. The moon was perfect and the water was like a glassy reflection of the sky. There were sounds of others on the beach, further away, away from us in the small inlet of the beach. I slid my hand up her back and took ahold of her right hand and raised it over my shoulder and laid it gently down as she moved her left to join on the other shoulder, locking us in an embrace. I took a step forward, moving her back, and then to the right, side step, back, left, side. I closed my eyes and saw the dress of the first time we had danced. I opened them slowly and she was looking down, in wonder.

"Sebastian!" she took a step back and looked at the beautiful dress she now wore. "I need to learn that. Imagine how easy it would be to dress the young Master!"

I laughed and pulled her gently back toward me. "When the Master was younger, he would throw fits about the clothes I chose. There were times when I did consider simply throwing something on him, something hideous, and let him parade around in it."

"No, you didn't!"

"I said I considered it," I replied smiling wickedly. "Of course there was a time I did dress him in a lovely pink and black trimmed dress." Her gasp made me tilt my head, pulling her back, deeper into the water. "It was for a case. I never meant much harm. He did look very convincing as a young Mistress. Much like yourself."

"Wicked man," she scolded. "Sebastian, you know I am getting this dress thoroughly wet," she added, as the skirt floated on the surface behind her. "Maybe you can magically slip me into something a bit more appropriate?"

My eyes danced as I laughed and leaned into her ear. "I could take them all off."

"Sebastian!"

"Ah, not yet?"

She licked her lips and pulled her arms tighter around my neck, standing on her toes in the shallow water. "How about if I try on some of those bathing suits you were showing me? I am sure they will fit me a bit better, not that I minded them on you."

I breathed out in a rush of longing and stepped back. The one piece bathing suit clung to her in the right places and the short ruffles over her waist gave it a look as if she was wearing a short skirt.

"I did like this one. I, for obvious reasons, did not show you this one," I said, giving a small smile.

She touched the suit and looked up, her lips curling even as a small giggle escaped. "I think you would look so cute in ruffles."

I shuddered. There was a time when the Mistress had gone through some rather odd fashions, determined that each of us wore pieces that had ruffles, lace, and ribbons. I looked back over Danny and shook my head. "I think I would be better in this," I said, and my own dancing attire vanished, replaced with a black one piece of my own.

She stood back and eyed me up and down. "Nice choice. But, men can show a little more skin."

"More skin?" I stripped the suit down to the pants only, my pale skin shining in the moon. "It is a bit more liberating," I commented as I moved my hands down my chest.

"Much," Danny breathed as she pushed me back, walking me back deeper into the water. She splashed me as she let me go and dove into the water, coming up a distance away. I swam out to her, catching her by the waist and pulling her down under the water, kissing her as we went down, our feet touching the bottom and pushing back up, floating slowly to the surface.

The crackle of a Portal came washing over me as I broke the surface. The look on Danny's face showed she felt it too.

"Something from the other Side," I muttered, scanning the shoreline and saw a flash of an opening.

"Sebastian - the fire!"

My gaze shifted to where Danny was pointing. I gasped; the fire that a neighboring lodger had started had spread to the nearby undergrowth and they were trying to put it out with water, but a shimmer of eyes told me they would not be successful.

"A Demon," Danny growled, seeing the same. She quickly swam closer and I followed, not sure if either of us should be involved.

I felt another Portal open and saw the unmistakable outline of two Reapers leap out. One raced to stop the Demon and the other stood beside the fire, looking on at the scene. "Danny," I muttered, a cold realization sinking into my core. I swam faster but she was just out of my grasp as she got her footing and raced toward the Reaper who was now watching her come at him. "Hell."

I transformed into my Demonic self, my wings powerful even as the water dripped off the soft feathers. In a blink I set my foot on the shore and waved my hand, eating the fire in the flick of my hand. Two bodies, two former alive Humans lay by the fire, the Reaper in Red standing and checking his notebook.

"Oooh, Sebby, you didn't have to dress up all for me," he sighed, looking over his shoulder, and licked his lips as his green eyes flared.

I clenched my hands and looked around, sensing that Danny and a Reaper was near, but Danny was not hurt. Grell moved closer and I looked back at him, pulling back into my Human form. His eyes widened and he shrugged his jacket lower still.

"Your skin is glorious! Let me run my hands over the flesh! I'll let you do the same," he panted, coming closer to me.

"Leave me. I am here to fetch… my companion."

"Let me be your companion," he said, his hand now almost touching me. I grabbed his wrist and wrenched it back, only half watching as his eyes fluttered in pain and he sank to his knees. "Oh the glorious pain you give me!"

"Leave him!" Danny yelled as she came walking back with William at her side. He looked thoroughly mad as he eyed her up and down, not mistaking that she was female as he pushed his glasses up and shook his head.

"Grell, we are done," he said simply as he walked past me, giving me a look of disgust. "I said we are done," he added sharper, when Grell did not stop trying to drape himself over me, even as Danny was now grabbing his shoulder and spun him around.

"I said, leave him," she growled, her eyes flaring and her body rippling, part of her dissipating in her utter anger. "He will never be interested in you."

"Sebby! Who is this!?" Grell screeched. He turned toward me and then back toward Danny. "Who is this!"

"You don't even recognize him?" William said, eyeing Danny. "Her," he added wrinkling his nose at the whole scene. I turned to him and grabbed him by his shirt.

"You will speak to the Lady with respect."

"Respect! Lady! Mr. Hyde is an Aberration! Female Reapers were expressly never to be accepted once it was discovered their emotional make-up lended them to bouts of emotional inefficiency!"

I grabbed him harder and growled. "Daniella is perfect as a woman. She is perfect as a Demon. Perhaps you freed her in more than one way when you 'rewarded' her."

"I'm glad to be rid of the burden - you want one more?" he spat, glaring at Grell.

I pushed him away and snarled, my form once more breaking apart. "I do not wish to have anyone but the Demoness I have chosen."

I grabbed Danny and took to the sky, my need to tear and destroy sending me higher and faster, even as my lover was laughing into the sky, her voice echoing off the rocky shore as I finally brought us down, far from where we started, far from where we were discovered. I wanted her, and pulled her toward me, my need dripping through the skin I wore, to the Demon I was, to the Darkness I needed fill.

Danny's skin slowly healed from the gashes on her wrists where I pinned her down, my senses coming back sharp and satisfied. My anchor to this world, to my nature going too far, reached up and licked her own wounds. Her tongue snaked out and licked the trickle of blood, leaving clean flesh behind, leaving her unscarred.

She laid a finger on my lips and shook her head as she slowly smiled. "I will always give myself to you," she whispered. "A romantic dance and swim to a rather lustful bedding. You know how to treat a Lady to all she desires."

I kissed her slowly and scooped her up, noting her lack of clothes and her bright eyes as she wrapped her arms around my neck once more. "Shall we head back to the Master and Mistress?"

"It would be best if they find their schedule uninterrupted."

I nodded once and took to the sky again, all urgency of racing away had faded as I had taken my fill of her. The Master could keep his family until his natural end if he desired; I had my exquisite Demon to keep me satisfied.