WAHHH! It's been THREE MONTHS since the last update. Q_Q

WHY UNI?! WHY MUST YOU TAKE MY FANFICTION-WRITING TIME AWAY?

Lol. Anyway. I hope you guys have had an amazing Christmas, and all the best for the upcoming New Year too!

Not much to say, except that the slow updates will probably continue, but considering I have another week and a half of break, I'll try to get another chapter up before uni starts up again. For those ppl in uni, I hope you guys did well on your finals! For those ppl in high school, GOOD LUCK IN EXAMS COMIN' UP! For all others, I wish you all the best in your jobs. ;D

NOTE: I'm technically looking for a beta-reader, so if you like this story, happen to be a beta-reader, and will be immensely patient with me, please let me know via review or PM plz. XD

Merry (late) Christmas and a Happy New Year!

So, to answer the quick question to Sebastian and Anna: "Why did you name your son Tristan?"

Sebastian: "It was a name we both agreed on. There's no real meaning behind it."

Anna: "But it's quite fitting for him, don't you think?"

PLEASE R&R!

Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji & Kuroshitsuji II © Yana Toboso
Claimer: Everything else © me

Chapter Two: The Trancy Butler, Able

"So, Ciel Phantomhive, huh?" Alois Trancy said, sitting at his desk sipping a cup of tea.

"Yes," demon butler Claude Faustus replied. "That is the name of Sebastian Michaelis' current master. In addition, he appears to be married to the Phantomhive Head Maid, Annabelle Marie Ashton –now Michaelis. Coincidentally, it is rumoured in the underworld that this maid happens to be an angel. Additionally, according to the data given to us by Lord Mitch Ridley, Sebastian and Annabelle appear to be quite a formidable pair, having eliminated a Greater Demon on their own."

Alois' grin widened. "Wah, really, Claude? They slew a Greater Demon? Impressive."

"The Phantomhives are famous for their position as 'evil nobles', as they judge the Queen's enemies as the Queen's Watchdog, and you, the Trancys, serve as the Queen's Spider, who eliminates Her Majesty's enemies in the shadows," Claude continued. "Don't forget, Young Master, that demon Sebastian Michaelis is the one who had your village destroyed at the orders of his previous master, and now this Earl Ciel Phantomhive is his new master."

"Yes," the child growled. The damned demon who took Luka away… he thought. "I'll make Sebastian Michaelis suffer a fate worse than death," he swore. "You can make that happen, right Claude?"

The demon butler bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Highness."

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"Young Master, we have arrived," Sebastian informed, opening the carriage door and exiting before offering to help Ciel out, with Anna following behind with Tristan in her arms.

"Now, you'll behave yourself, won't you, Tristan," Anna teased, tapping her finger lightly on her son's nose, and he giggled.

Sebastian smiled, turning his attention to the trio of idiot servants that had been driving the carriage as his expression turned serious. "That goes for you too!" he barked firmly. "No dilly-dallying!"

"Yes sir!" they responded eagerly.

"We'll go in through the back door," Bard said.

"Look forward to our costumes!" Finny added brightly before they rode off.

Ciel, Sebastian, and Anna walked up to the door of the Trancy Estate, keeping silent for a moment as they composed themselves to what may lay inside.

"Big house," Tristan said, breaking the silence.

"Yes," Sebastian responded with a smile, "Very perceptive, son."

Anna looked at their son. "Now, Tristan, you know very well that from here on out you are not permitted to speak unless spoken to," she reminded him. "Otherwise we might get into trouble, and you don't want that, do you?"

The angel-demon child shook his head, blinking up at her with azure eyes. "Yes Mommy," he replied.

Both Anna and Sebastian smiled at their son. Ciel couldn't help but smirk as well. Though this child was merely a year old, he was already wise enough to know when to be serious and actually listen to his parents.

As Sebastian raised his hand to knock on the door, it opened, and before them stood a handsome, glasses-wearing butler, who glanced briefly at his company before looking down at Ciel. "Earl Ciel Phantomhive, I have been waiting for you," he greeted with a brief bow. "I am the butler of the family, Claude Faustus. Please enter." He stepped aside to allow them in.

As they were about to go inside, Sebastian stopped and he looked up, prompting Anna and Ciel to wonder what had caught the butler's attention.

"What's the matter?" Ciel asked, and their gaze followed upon a spider's web hanging on the corner of the wall.

"Oh," Claude began, understanding the butler's piqued interest. "As the spider is present on the Trancy coat of arms, we must dare not kill it."

"I see," Sebastian responded, "If one attempts to break out by force, it coils around and prevents escape." He smiled darkly at the irony of it, which made Anna feel a little uneasy, yet it did not seem to even faze Claude, who turned away and bowed.

"Please," he gestured, and they entered the manor.

Ciel looked around before asking, "May I bring my servants along as well?"

"No problem," Claude responded, glancing briefly at Anna as if analyzing her.

"Let's go," the earl said firmly.

"I apologize," the butler interrupted, "but unfortunately my master is currently out on business. He cannot return until the costume ball."

Ciel mentally grimaced, but simply replied, "I see."

"The tea is prepared at the reception room," Claude continued, "Everyone is already here expecting you."

This piece of information caught Ciel by surprise. "'Everyone'?" he repeated.

As they entered the reception room, Ciel was instantly tackled by an all-too-familiar blonde.

"CIEL!" Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Midford exclaimed, hugging her fiancé tightly.

"Lizzy," he breathed in surprise.

Anna put Tristan down, and he ran to hug Lizzy. "Aunty Lizzy! " he exclaimed. "Aunty Lizzy!"

"Wah!" Lizzy cooed, squeezing the child tightly. "You're as adorable as ever, Tristan! And you've grown so big since I last saw you!"

"You're late, Earl," another voice said, and Ciel turned to see Lau.

"Lau," he said in even more surprise. "Did you guys also receive an invitation?"

Before any reply could he heard, he was tackled by another person.

"Soma?!" he exclaimed, trying to pry the Indian prince off him. "You're here too?!"

Behind the prince, his loyal servant Agni bowed in greeting, his palms pressed together. "Greetings, Earl Phantomhive," he greeted, "Mr. Sebastian, Mrs. Anna, it is good to see you both in good health as well."

"To you as well, Mr. Agni," Anna responded with a polite curtsey as Ciel finally managed to get Soma off him.

"Young Master," Sebastian began, "let me bring you to the room. We should prepare for the ball." He then turned to his wife. "Anna, why don't you stay here with Tristan and the others? We will return shortly."

She nodded with a smile. "Sure," she agreed, and the duo left the room.

In the meanwhile, Soma hugged Tristan. "You've grown so much bigger since I last saw you!" he cheered, lifting him up into the air, which caused the child to giggle. "I see Anna and Sebastian have been taking good care of you."

And yet… we still have been unable to figure out what this child's powers are… Anna contemplated. Being a half-demon, half-angel child, logically Tristan should have inherited both of our powers, but so far… neither of us has seen even the slightest hint that he has power. With the exception of the growth spurt, he seems to be a normal human child… Could it be that the angel-demon attributes have cancelled each other out? Or could it just be too early to tell?

She decided to go with the latter of the two. After all, Tristan only was one year old.

"So how has things been doing, Mrs. Maid?" Lau asked, breaking the angel out of her reverie. "I bet with Mr. Butler as your husband, you've been kept on your toes."

Anna chuckled, "I've been kept on my toes ever since I became employed in the Phantomhive household. Being married to Sebastian hasn't changed anything, except for having Tristan, of course."

Hearing his name, Tristan ran over to hug his mother's dress. "Mommy."

"Kya!" Elizabeth cheered, "So cute! Is Tristan going to dress up in a costume too?"

"If we can find a costume that fits him, sure," she answered. "I'm sure the ball will be fun."

Despite her calm and cheerful composure, Anna couldn't help but feel uneasy about the ball, more specifically, the confrontation between Ciel and Alois Trancy. Both she and Sebastian had confirmed that Claude Faustus was indeed, a demon butler, and that only made her all the more unsure about attending.

We're servants of Phantomhive, she thought to herself encouragingly, if we couldn't handle a little something like another demon butler, where would we be… right?

Whew, okay, tension building a bit.

If you've noticed, some of the lines are directly from the anime, well… they fit, and the story technically DOES take place in the timeline of Kuroshitsuji II, so yeah… O.O

ANYWAY, like I said before, I'll try to get another chapter up before school/uni starts again, so till then…

PLEASE REVIEW!