Chapter Thirty

Butler, Transmitted. Bride, Past Revealed

Marianne landed with a thud on the ground, her hand latched firmly on her hat as she struggled to keep her wig in place. She felt Angela's violet eyes glaring at her back, and clenched her fists.

"Edward, why did you interfere? I only hoped to cleanse Ciel Phantomhive, why did you stop me?" Angela asked.

The girl shook her head, refusing to look at the angel.

"What right do you have to cleanse him? You planned to kidnap him! Manipulate him for your own ends! How does that make you an angel?!" she growled.


All around them, Cinematic Records floated before their eyes. Angela stroked one of them with a graceful finger, not even caring that they were blank.

"Look. This is your past. All of it shines so brightly, yet those shrouded in darkness intend to drag you down. Do you intend to let them?"

Marianne finally turned to face Angela, her eyes cold.

"You underestimate what people would do for those they care about. And you clearly underestimate me."

Her hand reached out and pointed to one of the images.

"Ah, so that is the past you have chosen?" Angela said with a smile.

Marianne sank her hand into the record, and found herself wrapped up in a memory.


She gasped when she saw she was standing outside her childhood home, watching the flames she ignited consume its entirety…


Meanwhile, standing in a strange world coloured white, Ciel remembered something he had forgotten…

His father's body in an armchair… Angela standing over him with her white wings spread wide… Her hand dripping blood onto the floor.

"I know her…" he whispered.

Angela lifted his father's head, and he gasped when he saw his parents stitched together as one body.

He clapped his hands over his mouth, and fought to keep the contents of his stomach inside him.


Sebastian held the boy's shoulders, rubbing soothing circles into the blades. Ciel looked up at him and gestured around. The demon nodded in understanding.

"Marianne!" he called out, searching for his mate.

Grell, who was standing beside them, turned to a large white building and shuddered.

"This is the Grim Reaper Library!" he gasped. "I don't know if you're aware, but this is where the Cinematic Records are housed."

And so, the three of them began the long trek to the Library.


They went through the courtyard, and Sebastian pushed open the first door. A pair of extendable pruning shears struck towards his head, but he deftly dodged out of the way. He kept Ciel close to him, and Grell had to literally bent over backwards just to avoid the blow. The demon arched a brow as the shears retracted. William stood before the front desk, glasses glinting in the light.

"Ah, as I suspected. It is you," he said, staring at Sebastian. "I thought I smelled a rat."

"Will!" Grell gasped.

"To think a demon would have the nerve to step foot in here…" Spears sighed.

"No! Hold on, Will! I'm looking for the Doomsday Books like you ordered!"

William shook his head.

"What a shame. A Grim Reaper, and you invited this filth into our territory. You are a disgrace. Are you actually trying to be demoted even further?"

This sent Grell into a panic, and caused him to clutch the tiny scissors replacing his Death Scythe.

"What will you do to me now…?" he asked.

Sebastian, having had enough of their nonsense, spoke up.

"You call me an invading rat, but I do believe that you have another infestation to be worrying about."

William's eyes widened.

"The angel…"

"That's right."

The Reaper adjusted his glasses.

"Excellent. Looks like I'll have more overtime tonight."

Ciel had been silent for the most part, but decided to speak up.

"You're worrying about overtime, when that angel has a captive? We need to get her back!"


Marianne woke up from her strange slumber, rubbed her painful head, and gasped when she thought her identity had been exposed. She looked down at her body and saw nothing out of place. Her hand ran over her head, and felt the wig still in place. A sigh of relief fell from her lips. She found herself on a chaise with plum upholstery, and looked over the balustrades to see an endless expanse of white floors, walls lined with thousands upon thousands of books.

Where am I?

"So, you're awake now, are you?"

Marianne turned and saw Angela sat on a similar chaise, her feathery skirts flowing around her legs.

"I always felt something off about you, Angela Blanc. I can feel how rotten you really are," she said.

Angela arched a brow.

"How did you enjoy the record of your past? Did it feel like being wrapped in soft velvet? Or perhaps sandpaper against your skin?" she asked.

"Shut up!" Marianne shouted. "That priest, Ciel's reaction to him wouldn't have been so severe if it wasn't someone he knew. Did you reanimate his parents' bodies, and sew them together like a grotesque doll? What do you have to gain from making him remember them like that? Unless you are the one who killed them…"

Angela smiled, barely reacting at all.

"But why? Why did you kill them?" Marianne asked.

"Killed?" Angela responded. "What a disturbing thing to say. I'm not the only one who harmed his parents, but you know that, don't you? You slashed them, the butler killed them, and Ciel Phantomhive was the one who ordered it. It was he who gave them their second death."

The girl turned away and reached down to her holster, only to find that it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?"

She looked back and saw Angela toying with her dagger.

"Give that back."

The angel ignored her.

"You're rather brilliant. You managed to get him free from an angel, and even with darkness attempting to drag you down, you still remain as pure as snow. You manage to remain sane as you help that boy gain his revenge. How he is able to keep his sanity, I haven't the faintest idea. But it is beings like that who want to bring you down."

Marianne twitched.

"How could you kill them in the first place?" she asked, keeping her eye on her dagger.

"You are surrounded by unclean humans, and underneath all of their impurities you wear like a coat, there is a glow that would be such a shame to extinguish." Angela smiled.

She reached forward and grasped the girl's chin, tilting it up so their eyes met. Marianne clutched the angel's other wrist, the one holding her dagger.

"But they aren't the only ones you killed, were they?" she said. "There were two others. You didn't kill them yourself, but you manipulated others to do it for you. Am I wrong?"

Angela chuckled.

"What a clever thing you are. What gave it away?"

"Give a good smile and your nuns will tell you anything. One of them spoke of how it was organised for the Blackmore family to die, not in great detail since they only heard it from the back rooms. But enough to know that one of your own posed as a carriage driver, who purposely loosened the wheels and drove so recklessly they caused the accident that led to their deaths. That is murder." Marianne told her, her hand sliding down to the dagger's hilt.

"They got in the way. They refused to surrender the Virgin Mary to me. They had to go." Angela said. "But then, she was killed in a fire. Everything was in ashes. Oh, how we mourn for our beloved Mary."

The girl sneered.

"Sounds to me like she lit it herself. A smart girl like that, she would have figured out what you did, and would have made sure you never touched her."

"How dare you?!" Angela snarled.

Marianne smirked before she tore her dagger out of the angel's hand.

"A girl like that, she would have chosen to die than to help you with your schemes."

Angela reined in her anger and smiled.

"I think you will change your mind on that."

She cocooned her wings around them.

"Shall I remove those impure creatures for you? Would removing those memories make you forget them?"

Marianne glared at her.

"I accept the consequences of my sins gladly, and shall not repent to your damned God."

The angel sneered.

"Your defiance will be forgotten, soon enough."


As they walked through the corridors of the library, William sighed.

"An angel… She would indeed have the ability to tamper with the Cinematic Record."

"You mean they can change the past?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't think even a deity could manage that. But still… An angel can give a false sense of peace."

Ciel pondered those words carefully.

"Would… those people be able to appear on the To-Die List?" he inquired.

Spears glared at him.

"Of course. That is the case for all humans. Reapers may add or remove names as long as it is approved."

"But what about people whose names you can't add to the list?" Ciel said. He turned to Grell. "Didn't you try to write Marianne's name on the list earlier?"

The red-haired Reaper nodded his head.

"That's right. I tried writing her name, but it kept vanishing from the page!"

The boy turned back to William.

"And her name didn't turn up when she was dying in front of you either. You can't argue that fact."

"So, you are saying there is a possibility that she may be immune to the angel. But her records will still be on display for everyone to see."


Marianne managed to pull away from Angela.

"Nice try! But you're the reason Ciel is as impure as you say! You and your cult were the catalyst that caused him to make the decisions he did! I saw what your extreme members did! Using human sacrifice to summon a demon! You're all sick!" she shouted.

Angela smiled and reached for her again. The girl trembled and backed away.


"Someone who has experienced trauma great enough to break their soul may wish all memory of it to be obliterated. However, it will haunt them forever, no matter what." William said.


Finding herself back in front of the burning remains of her home, Marianne turned her back and walked away from the scene, her head held high. As she walked, she found herself in another memory…


She stood among a congregation, sat within the church. Little girls were lined up before a hooded man in white. His voice was like cold, distant; it made her shiver even in the depths of her past. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as the patrons watched their daughters and granddaughters brought up to the altar and laid out like lambs for the slaughter. One after another, their screams filled the church as the priest plunged a dagger into their chests, making blood explode from them in a flurry of red as it rained down like rose petals.

And then, she saw herself at the age of four, being dragged towards the altar by the wrist. The little girl struggled, trying to reach for her parents.

"Mama! Papa!" she cried.

Lilly and Edward fought against the patrons who held them back.

"Let her go! Let her go, now!"

The young Marianne was placed down on the altar, held in place as the priest loomed over her. The white hooded man watched it all, not moving a muscle. She clenched her fists and didn't make a sound when the dagger entered her chest.

They didn't look at her as they moved towards her three-year-old cousin. Lilly and Edward wrapped their arms around one another and wept. Henrietta stood behind them, smirking.

It wasn't until the disciples began gasping and pointing to the altar that they turned around.

Little Marianne was sat upright, dagger still lodged in her chest. She blinked in confusion and scanned her wide blue eyes over everyone.

"Mama, why are you crying? I'm okay, see?" she said.

Without any hesitation, she pulled the dagger out. The gaping wound didn't ooze blood. They all could only watch in awe as muscles and tissues melded together, layer by layer until the skin completely knitted over, as though there had been nothing there at all. The only reminder was a small scar over her heart.


Marianne pulled herself away and found herself standing before her parents, looking as they did before they died.

"You don't need to mourn us anymore. Abandon your grief and set yourself free." Edward said.

"You know we hate to see you suffer needlessly like this." Lilly added.

The girl smiled and shook her head.

"I have mourned you already. My grief has long passed. Don't worry about me. I have a new family that I will protect with my life."


"An angel's powers leave the past unchanged, they simply manipulate a person's impression of it, offering a rosier view of it than before." William explained.


"There's something not right with you though. You would never side with the people who killed you. You wanted to protect me from them." Marianne said.

"We did." Edward agreed. "But when we died, we saw they were the people who would be able to take care of you. The light they exude, peaceful, tranquil, wrapped in love. We finally became one with one another in death, body and spirit. We never achieved this while we were alive."

Lilly smiled.

"And now, we can embrace your body and spirit as well, and join you to us completely, son."

Marianne gasped and backed away, before breaking down in hysterical laughter…


Sebastian, Ciel and the Reapers burst through the double doors of the archives. The demon gasped at the sight.

Marianne!

His beloved mate was struggling silently against the bonds of the angel. Her Cinematic Record flooded out of her chest and displayed for all of them to see. He caught sight of one, the one she was forced to relive from her childhood, and clenched his fists.

So, this is why you despise that place…

Angela looked up at them and smiled.

"His past is being rewritten. I am removing the memories of those who seek to make him impure. I refuse to let such a clean soul be sullied by your filth. Soon, his purity will be clear for all to see."

Ciel snarled at her, although he was relieved to know her gender was still undiscovered.

"Removed?"

"Hatred is painful. No one wants to harbour it in their hearts. Your influences have made him despise us. I won't let him cling to it any longer."

Sebastian released a growl, vicious and possessive. More than anything did he want to rip Marianne away from that vile woman as quickly as possible. He made to dash forward, but was thwarted by William when he spoke up.

"Don't be hasty. You can't stop her right now. If you do, their past will be horribly changed. And as a result, they will become something less than human."

Clearly no one can see she has had demon blood in her for quite some time. That may be a good thing for the moment. Sebastian thought to himself.

The angel didn't even falter.

"Yes, pure as the driven snow."

But she is the one who allows a being such as me to taint her. Our love shall be stopped by no one.


Within her memories, Marianne continued to laugh. Her parents watched her in amazement.

"You are not my parents…! Angela, if you think you can replicate them, you are a fool! At least get your facts right, because this illusion is appalling!" she laughed. "You think I should put aside my hatred and despair, simply because an angel asks for it? I despise angels! And this creature, she has harmed my precious boy, the child I have come to think as my own son!"

She backed away from them, her hand reaching down for her holstered dagger.

"I shall protect him! I shall help him gain his revenge! With Sebastian, we shall protect Ciel!"

Her parents wavered, flickering in and out like sewn in characters on a roll of film. Marianne turned her back on them, and held her dagger to the empty space in front of her.

"I have already lost one family… I will not lose another!"

She drove her dagger into the landscape, and sliced through.


In the Reaper Library, Marianne's body propelled upwards, her dagger clutched in her hand. Sebastian watched her with wide eyes while Grell stood behind him.

"What?! S-He's rewinding the Cinematic Record all on his own?!" the Reaper cried.

Marianne! Sebastian called out to her through their bond.

The reams of Cinematic Record flooded back into Marianne's chest. As she fell, a gasp escaped her. Her eyes snapped open.

"Sebastian!" she cried out.

The demon ran forward and caught her in his arms.

"What on Earth were you thinking?!" he asked.

She smiled up at him.

"I wanted to get back to you, to our family…" she said. "I'm glad you managed to catch me. You may like comparing me to a cat, but I don't land on my feet all the time like they do."

He chuckled.

"You and Ciel are constantly exceeding my expectations. I am proud to call you mine."

Angela glared at them.

"What a horribly unclean heart. Depraved. Stagnant. Trapped in the dark. I should never have shown you both pity!" she snarled. "So, here and now, I shall purify you!"

Marianne, having been lowered to her feet, pointed her dagger at the angel.

"If my heart is unclean because of caring for these people, then I am glad of it. I chose the darkness willingly. It is your light that is a cage. As for your pity, it is as rotten as you are!"

Sebastian drew his knives and smirked.

"Purify us? We shall see about that."

William drew his Death Scythe and adjusted his glasses.

"A crime in the Library is our jurisdiction. Let us join the fight. Come with me, Grell."

Grell smirked.

"Oh my!"

Marianne used her body as a shield between Angela and Ciel. Sebastian stood by her side, knives at the ready. The red Reaper squealed with joy.

"We will march into battle together then! A passionate fight in-!"


Just then, Undertaker strolled past them with a trolley of books.

"Excuse me. Please move aside. Coming through."

They watched him walk by with wide eyes. Marianne arched a brow and sweatdropped as the mortician searched through the shelves.

"Undertaker?" Ciel called out.

Undertaker waved at them with his eerie smile.

"Hey, you!" Grell shouted. "What are you doing here-?"

THWACK!

William's Scythe slammed against the top of Grell's head.

"Mind your manners, you idiot! He's a legend," he explained. "He passed judgement on Robin Hood, and sent Marie Antoinette to Hell. The Grim Reaper who makes even crying children willingly give up their souls."

The image of Undertaker, in the standard Reaper suit, glasses, and black coat, with an enormous Death Scythe, seemed to dance before their eyes.

Grell shook his head violently.

"No! Not fair! He looks nothing like the chap in the sequence just now!" he cried.

Marianne blinked. I thought I just imagined that.

Grell hurried over to Undertaker and grabbed his shoulders.

"How could this creepy old man be a legendary Grim Reaper?"

As he turned him around and lifted Undertaker's silver fringe, he could barely contain a gasp.

"Take me…"


Marianne's head whipped away from the strange scene as Angela rose into the air. She hovered before a portal of light.

"You seem busy. I suppose I'll have to start my purification in the abbey then." The angel said.

"Running away, coward?" Sebastian snarled.

"You shall see. I will show you all what happens to a world ruled by impurity. I doubt you'll like it that much." Angela smiled as she disappeared into the light.

The demon retaliated by throwing his knives towards her. But the portal shut before they could hit their mark.

"What happened?" Ciel asked.

They all looked around, surprised by how the luminous white had died down into an ordinary brown. William was the one to answer him.

"An angelic seal."


At the abbey, the congregation were sat in the pews of the church. All of them weeping. Their priest was laid to rest in a gold-plated coffin. Henrietta was sat at the front, in an ornate black dress. A mourning veil was draped over her hair.

"What are we supposed to do now?" she asked. "Our leader is gone."

Chastity cried quietly at her side, her hands clenched in her lap.

"You don't have to grieve."

The disciples looked up at the sound of the disembodied voice.

"The time has come to use the coffins. The moment is at hand at last."

Angela emerged through the angel stained-glass window. They were all in awe by her beauty. She spread her wings and smiled down at them.

"Give everything to me, including your sullied Doomsday Books. They have no future to offer you."

Lowering herself to the floor, she spread her arms wide.

"There is nothing left."


Grell struggled with the door of the Library.

"It won't open!" he cried.

Marianne scratched her forehead awkwardly.

"I think that part was already established…"

William nodded his head.

"Yes, unfortunately it looks as if we've been locked in."

Meanwhile, as Undertaker was putting books on the shelves, one of the Cinematic Records flew out and landed on the floor. The initials 'CB' were emblazed on the spine. It opened to the most recent entry, where blank pages followed after the written words. William picked it up carefully.

"What is this?" he said. "It looks like the Cinematic Record of someone in that abbey."

"Really?" Grell asked.

"Interesting. An angel of massacre is descending in an abbey that is near Preston."

"What? An angel of massacre?" Ciel gasped.

Marianne growled at the thought.

"I always wondered when she would show her true colours. That congregation, probably under her guidance, has always been known for sacrificing innocent children, hoping to find their saviour."


"All you who have gathered here, your souls are impure." Angela said, addressing the disciples. "They are dependent, leaning on others."

They clutched their chests as though their hearts were trying to claw out of their chests.

"You have forgotten how to take the future into your own hands!" she proclaimed. "The unclean, end them! The unwanted, end them! The unnecessary, end them!"


Undertaker read through the Cinematic Record.

"Ah, yes, I see it now," he said.

Ciel grabbed onto his sleeve.

"Stop her, now."

Sebastian smirked.

"How charitable. I thought your intent was to put an end to this cult, once and for all?" he said.

Ciel shook his head.

"I don't want to help them! But, I don't want her to have her way. That is all."

Marianne smiled.

"By going against how she wants things, it rips her apart. She despises the free-will of humans, and how demons relish in getting them to use it."

Grell was disgruntled.

"But what are we supposed to do?" he asked. "We can't even find a way out of here."

William adjusted his glasses with his Death Scythe.

"No, not true."

His gaze was directed to Undertaker.

"There is a way. We have a tool. The ultimate Reaper tool we managers have access," he explained. "This tool is the Death Bookmark."

Ciel arched a brow.

"A bookmark?" he asked.

Undertaker laughed and produced a bookmark from his robe.

"And it's pink!"

Marianne sweatdropped.

Do you think we should introduce him to Lizzie?

Sebastian shook his head.

Definitely not.


Chastity cried out as she sat beside her mother. Their angel, their much-loved angel, why was she doing this? Why was she hurting them when they only gave her their devotion? They were impure? How could it be when they had all been cleansed? Did she… lie? It hurt too much to consider how much of what she knew suddenly seemed so wrong. But she had to wonder, did Marianne see this when no one else did?


Undertaker placed the Bookmark down on the current page of the record.

"If we use this to hold the story, we can make some editorial changes." He said. "The woman in this story happens to be Chastity Browning. Says here she is purified in the abbey with the angel Angela."

"But the sentence just ends there," said Ciel, staring down at the page.

With a smirk, Undertaker wrote on the marked page with a matching pen.

"Oh yes, but now I just added Marianne Blackmore appears suddenly."

Marianne blinked out of the room, causing Grell to cry out, and Sebastian to snarl under his breath.


The parishioners were writhing in agony. Angela stood at the front of the congregation, her white wings spread wide as though ready to take flight. She spotted a glow surrounding Chastity, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"That girl there, she has the smell of a demon. But not strong enough to have been in contact with one, she has touched someone who has though."

Just then, Marianne appeared at Chastity's side, clutching her dagger tightly in her hand.

"That's right. We are well-acquainted, and I have been marked by a demon," she said.

Angela smirked at her.

"So, you wish to die at the hands of an angel? A pious creature indeed, after confessing your happiness of working with such an unclean being. I look forward to ending you, Edward Montague."

Marianne smiled.

"Not particularly likely, since he would be more than happy to rip you apart. Isn't that right, Sebastian?"

A demonic chuckle entered the air. A white gloved hand came to rest on Marianne's shoulder.

"Indeed." Sebastian said. "I would relish in it."

He leapt towards the angel at rapid speed. Angela took flight and dodged out of the way. He landed on the dais and threw his knives, but she evaded them effortlessly.

"You think a demon can compare with the purity of a winged angel in flight?" Angela smiled. "A creature like you is chained to the earth, forever."

Sebastian sneered.

"Really? Is that so? Then I suppose that means you are forever chained to the Heavens."

Meanwhile, Marianne approached Angela from behind. Silently, she brought her dagger into the air, and slammed it into the angel's back, right between her wings. Angela cried out as she twisted around, but was caught by the throat with William's Death Scythe. It extended, causing the girl to rip away her blade and watch as Angela was pinned to the ceiling.

"Let's get to work." William said, tossing a spare Death Scythe away.

It was caught by Grell as he blinked into the church.

"Ooh! A brand-new Death Scythe!" he cried.

He extended it until it pierced through Angela's hand and into her wing. Marianne didn't flinch when the angel screamed in pain. Crimson blood exploded from Angela's palm and spilled to the floor.

"Well done!" Grell cheered.

"You shall wash and return it when this is over." William told him.


Undertaker continued to write in Chastity's Cinematic Record.

"Then suddenly, there's a dramatic turn of events. Grim Reapers William T. Spears and Grell Sutcliff appear before Chastity at the abbey," he said with a smile.

"That's a useful tool." Ciel commented.

"Indeed, but even it has some limits."


Sebastian stared up at the pinned angel, knives in hand.

"This looks like it could be fun," he said. "Do you know what? I think we should have a game of darts."

Marianne shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll let you have your fun."

The demon bowed his head.

"You are most kind."

He threw two of his knives, and hit Angela in the hip and shoulder.

"Oh dear. I missed!" He turned to his mate. "Now, where do you think I should hit next?"

Grell raised his hand enthusiastically.

"Ooh! Pick me! I want to play!" he cried.

William sighed.

"A demon alright."

Marianne watched Angela struggle, and backed away slowly when she started to glow. The angel released a burst of brilliant light, and screamed so loudly, the foundations of the abbey began to shudder. Walls crumbled and the roof cracked under the strain.

"What's this?" Sebastian demanded. "Does she mean to die alongside us?"

The girl shook her head.

"I don't think she particularly cares!" she cried.

Angela glared down at them with eyes completely void of their pupils.

"Snuff out the unclean! Snuff out the unnecessary!" she recited, over and over again.


Grell looked up.

"Erm, see the ceiling?" he pointed out.

Sebastian glanced over his shoulder at the parishioners.

"You're all free to go now. It might be the best option for you," he said.

The crowd ran out of the building when he said those words.


One of the falling pillars fell down and crushed the priest and his coffin. William glanced at his comrades in arms.

"It is our turn now. We will retreat, Grell Sutcliff," he said.

Grell didn't need any instruction because he was already halfway out the room. Spears sighed and followed after him.

Sebastian rested his hand against Marianne's spine, rubbing circles against her mark. She was constantly glaring over her shoulder at Angela as the angel remained pinned against the ceiling. He followed her gaze, narrowed his eyes, and took his mate up into his arms before running out of the falling building. Marianne continued to stare at Angela, and shivered when she caught her smiling under the shadow of her silver hair…


When the sun began to set that evening, Ciel stood at the site of the destroyed abbey. The bodies of many of the disciples were buried under the rubble. Marianne had graciously checked the body count. Ciel didn't protest, as he knew she wanted to make sure Chastity got out. Sebastian had confirmed that she, her mother, and James Cunningham had managed to escape with a handful of others.

Is it over? Ciel asked himself.

Marianne wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against the crown of his head.

She plunged me into a bottomless abyss, and I don't even know why.

His eyebrows drooped and he and Marianne turned towards Sebastian.

"A promise is a promise," he said.

Sebastian stepped up to the boy in his beloved's arms, a calmness in her eyes. She knew what he knew. She saw what he saw. But sometimes, she could not always know what he would say. The demon looked down at his young master, this child who had managed to wriggle his way into his black heart… His child…

He smiled gently as Ciel closed his eye. Sebastian leant down, and tightened the bow at the boy's collar. Ciel gasped at the action. Escaping Marianne's grasp, he reached up and grabbed the demon by the collar.

"Why Sebastian?! Why are you not taking my soul?!" he demanded. "She has to be dead! Doesn't she?"

Sebastian smirked slightly. Ciel jumped back as he realised.

"Someone else… Is there?"

The demon brushed a hand over Ciel's hair and went down on one knee before him.

"I'm sorry. I will be serving you a while longer, Ciel."

Sebastian glanced at Marianne, and smiled.

"Also, how could I take the soul of my child?"

Ciel gasped when he heard those words. To have Sebastian accept and acknowledge such a thing? It was beyond comprehension. A small tear fell from his eye as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the demon. Sebastian returned the embrace without a word, and gestured Marianne to join them. The girl walked over, and pressed her lips to Ciel's head.

"My precious boy…" she whispered. "My beloved mate… We will emerge victorious."


At Undertaker's parlour the following day, the Reapers and the trio were gathered, drinking tea. Grell was going around with drinks while Spears and Sebastian stood watching; Marianne, Ciel and Undertaker were sat on top of empty coffins. Marianne was dressed in a brown day dress with black buttoned boots; her hair was pinned up in a bun, and covered with a little brown hat decorated with black netting. William was the first to speak.

"Out of curiosity, why were you in the Library?" he asked Undertaker. "I was under the impression you retired from active service."

Undertaker accepted a pitcher of tea from Grell, and smiled.

"Well, this fellow here reminded me of something," he replied. "There were some Cinematic Records I neglected to return."

Ciel snorted.

"You must be kidding."

The mortician shook a finger at him.

"Certainly not! Now that you mention it, two of the books I checked out were about an Earl Phantomhive and his lady wife."

Marianne immediately wrapped an arm around Ciel as Undertaker continued to speak.

"Their true Cinematic Records, ones that have never been touched by avenging angels. Would you like to know what they said, My Lord?"

Ciel looked up at Marianne and Sebastian, and pondered barely for a second before he gave his answer.

"No."

He picked up his hat and placed it on his head.

"Let's go, Sebastian, Marianne."

Sebastian bowed.

"Yes, Sir."

Marianne smiled as she straightened the boy's coat.

"Of course."

The three of them walked out of the funeral parlour, Sebastian closing the door behind them.


As they left, Undertaker cackled loudly.

"Well, that was interesting."


Walking through the darkening streets, Sebastian held Marianne's hand in his while they stayed in Ciel's shadow.

"Are you sure that's wise?" he asked. "I'm sorry, Ciel, but if you'd read the books, you would know who deserved your revenge."

Ciel sighed and reached for Marianne's free hand while removing his hat.

"It's done," he said.

"Feeling sentimental?" the demon teased.

"Not that. It's just…"

Seeing them again… Being near them once more…

"You can only disgrace the dead so much."

Ciel stopped and turned towards them. He stood on the tips of his toes and placed his hat on top of Sebastian's head, leaving the butler slightly surprised.

"Besides, that is the past now. This is the present, and future."

Marianne leant down and pressed a kiss to Ciel's cheek.

"We keep moving forward, and forge our own bonds from the ashes."

Sebastian smiled as he removed the hat, tilted the girl's head up, and used the headwear as a barrier for him to sneak a kiss from his mate's lips.

"I very much agree."

He placed the hat back on Ciel's head, and the trio continued on their way.


As they walked, they didn't see Chastity staring at them, her eyes wide with amazement.

"She's alive…"


So much to write. I think I was cutting it pretty fine with finishing it, since it only got done last night.

It's good to be back off holiday and writing again, and I will be back on my updating schedule of once a fortnight.

I think it's fair to say that this was an epic chapter. Some of you may be a little confused with some parts, so I will explain. Angela thought she was dealing with a boy, so made the events in the dream sequences match that. Marianne's identity is still safe from her.

Now, they have finally established themselves as a family, so the interactions between them may be different to what you have been used to.

Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Please read and review!