Disclaimer: I only own Faye.

Chapter 6 Rescinding Orders

Phantomhive Manor

"There, my Lady," Mey-Lin said proudly, tapping Faye's foot lightly. "All done."

Faye looked down at her boots to see that they had both been tied into messy knots. It would take minutes to get them undone. "Thank you, Mey-Rin," Faye said with a somewhat sincere smile. When she had first joined the Phantomhive household, she refused to allow Mey-Rin to become her personal maid and insisted on doing many things herself that proper ladies simply did not do. She had become accustomed to being self-sufficient while working for the Grim Reaper Dispatch Society.

However, Mey-Rin had been so excited when Faye came, elated at the opportunity to become a true lady's maid. Mey-Rin had a peculiar way of making Faye feel guilty for not accepting her help with menial tasks, and little by little Mey-Rin had made herself a bigger part of Faye's routine. Faye enjoyed Mey-Rin's company. What she did not enjoy was having to re-do everything Mey-Rin did. The hassle was almost enough to make Faye feel sorry for all the extra work Sebastian had to do around the manor and gardens. Almost. Thankfully, Faye's dress covered her boots, so she could leave the knots as the mess they were.

"Breakfast will be served on the terrace this morning, my Lady," Mey-Rin informed Faye brightly. "I'd best be off to set the table!"

"Yes, thank you, Mey-Rin," Faye repeated as the maid left the room. Faye watched her curiously. Mey-Rin was in high spirits for someone who had to fight viciously to defend her home a few days ago. Ciel, Sebastian, and Faye had returned home to find all the occupants of the home unharmed, but holes in the walls, collapsed staircases, and crumbled marble statues. Thanks to Sebastian, everything was already back in its proper place.

As always, no questions were asked from Finnian, Mey-Rin, Baldroy, or Tanaka. Faye couldn't help wondering why. Was it just that they simply had that much faith in Sebastian's abilities? Did they consider it loyalty to the Phantomhive family to not ask questions? Or did any of them suspect that something was not quite normal about Sebastian? She got the feeling that the answer to the last question was a resounding no. While she couldn't understand such complacency, she had to compliment Sebastian's and Ciel's skills in finding help for the estate. They were perfect. Horrendous at their cover jobs, but perfect in every other way.

Faye sighed as she walked down the hall towards Ciel's office. Everything always seemed so calm after a mission, despite the fact that things were rarely truly calm in the Phantomhive household. How could it be when you had an ex-U.S. army man as a cook, an ex-sniper as a maid, an experimental subject as a gardener, and a demon for a butler? This had somehow become the Phantomhive's definition of normal.

Faye knocked on Ciel's office door briefly before opening it. She was always allowed inside, and only knocked as a courtesy to her younger brother. Faye frowned when all she saw was Sebastian opening the window to let in some air.

"Where's Ciel?" Faye asked. She had wondered if he would still be in bed, as she tended to rise earlier than him, but if that were the case Sebastian should be getting Ciel up about now.

"I'm afraid the young master is not at his best this morning," Sebastian said with false sympathy.

"He's sick?" Faye asked, concerned.

"All the fuss with the circus must have tired him out. And being so near all the hay and dirt made his asthma act up. The young Lord needs a few days of rest, that's all."

"Maybe I should—" Faye's next statement was cut off when they heard a scream. "That was Mey-Rin!" Faye cried, turning and running, though Sebastian quickly overtook her.

When Faye reached the kitchen, she found Mey-Rin huddled on the counter and Sebastian trying to calm her down. "What happened?" Faye asked, looking around bewildered. It couldn't have simply been an intruder, Faye knew well what Mey-Rin's response to that would have been, and it did not involve screaming and climbing on countertops.

"S-s-s-snake!' Mey-Rin wailed. "There was a snake. Right there!" She pointed to the corner of the room. Faye and Sebastian both looked, but saw nothing.

"A garden snake got into the house?" Faye asked. That had never happened before, but she knew that there were some snakes on the Phantomhive grounds. It would be impossible for there not to be with how much land they owned and how much of it they left to be simply wild.

"No!" Mey-Rin exclaimed. "It was big! Much bigger!"

Faye looked as Sebastian doubtfully. She was no expert on snakes, but she was fairly certain Britain didn't have any big snakes. Mey-Rin's fright was probably making her exaggerate the whole affair.

"And which way did the snake go?" Sebastian asked.

"That way," Mey-Rin said, pointing a shaking hand toward the hallway.

Sebastian sighed. "Very well. I will see if I can't manage to track down our uninvited guest."

"There now, come down from the counter, Mey-Rin," Faye said gently, offering Mey-Rin her hands to help her down. "It will be all right, I'm sure Sebastian will catch the snake."

"I-I know," Mey-Rin hiccupped. "I'm sorry, my Lady, that you had to see me in such a terrible state."

"It's all right. I'm sure I wouldn't react calmly to seeing a snake in the house. Don't worry about a thing."

"I dropped your breakfast," Mey-Rin said mournfully, hanging her head.

Faye turned to see a tray on the floor near the door, food scattered everywhere. "That's no problem," Faye assured her. "I'll just grab some toast and check on Ciel. I'd rather not have a fancy breakfast without Ciel to eat with anyway."

Faye munched on her toast on her way up to Ciel's room. He hadn't had an asthma attack since Faye had come home and she was concerned that he was having one now. They didn't have Madam Red to come—Faye pushed that thought aside, not wanting to continue it. Ciel had told her all about what happened with their aunt, and Faye was grateful she had not been around to see it.

Faye knocked softly on Ciel's door, not wanting to disturb him if he was sleeping. When he called an answer, she slipped inside. The curtains were open, but Ciel was still in bed in his night clothes. He coughed as Faye walked in and she hurried to sit on the side of his bed, placing her hand on his forehead. "How do you feel, Ciel?"

"I'm fine," he said, pushing Faye's hand gently away. "It's just a result of all that filth at the circus, I'm sure. What was that scream I heard a moment ago?"

"Mey-Rin saw a snake in the house," Faye brushed off. "Sebastian is looking for it now."

Ciel nodded before asking, "How are things going with you and Sebastian?"

Faye froze, not understanding what Ciel was asking. He didn't know about the deal she'd made with Sebastian, she was sure of that. Did Ciel think that—? Did he believe that they were—? She couldn't even finish any thoughts on the subject. "What exactly do you mean by that?" Faye asked carefully.

"I just want to know if Sebastian is bothering you or anything. I know he thinks he's in love with you," Ciel said with a scowl, his hands clenching. "But are things okay?"

"Everything has been fine," Faye said slowly, thinking on Sebastian's recent behavior, his odd little dances to get Faye to touch him rather than him touching her. Was he hoping she would miss him and instigate more contact? At times it was very inconvenient and annoying.

"Good," Ciel said with a nod, his hands relaxing. "Let me know if he's any trouble."

"Sebastian has never been a terrible bother. All things considered, he's always acted the perfect gentlemen."

"Yes," Ciel agreed, "whatever that spell did to him, it seems it was not enough to make him break his role. He is so fond of his role as a butler."

Faye sat back in surprise, realizing that Ciel was right. Sebastian did seem to relish his position as the Phantomhive butler. He carried out every order as though it were a solemn duty. He took everything seriously from setting the table properly to making sure every last shoe was shined and his efforts were always the epitome of perfection. Faye wondered if Sebastian found it amusing to take on this role. He'd told her before that life as an immortal became monotonous, which was why he was enjoying the spell the grim reapers had placed on him.

"Would you like me to bring you something to read?" Faye offered.

"Actually, I have some papers I need to look over. They're sitting on my desk. Would you bring them to me?"

Faye sighed. "You do realize that you're sick, Ciel? It might be good for you to take a break and rest for once."

Ciel stared at her blandly. "The work must still be done whether I am ill or not."

"Fine," Faye said unhappily. "I shall retrieve your work for you." Perhaps Faye should ask Ciel to train her in the running of the Funtom Company so she could aid him.

As she was gathering up the papers on his desk, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She looked up with a frown and her grip on the papers tightened involuntarily. That was a big snake, and most certainly not something native to Britain. Faye carefully stepped onto Ciel's chair and then the desk. The snake slithered around chairs before reaching a vent. Faye watched curiously as the snake tilted its head to the side before hooking its fang into one of the screws and twisting it. The snake was trained!

"Sebastian!" Faye called. "Sebastian!" She wasn't sure how good his hearing was, but hoped he was close enough that he'd get here before the snake disappeared into the ventilation system.

She couldn't imagine what a trained snake was doing at Phantomhive Manor, but she was sure it couldn't be for anything good.

"You called, my Lady?" Sebastian asked as he opened the library door. "Why, whatever are you doing on top of the young Lord's desk?"

Faye pointed at the snake wordlessly.

Sebastian's eyebrows rose. "Oh my, that is a large snake, isn't it? A black mumba from Africa, I believe."

"Aren't those deadly?" Faye demanded, somewhat shrilly.

"Shall we see where it's going?" Sebastian asked.

"Now, we shall not. Capture it, Sebastian!"

"Very well," Sebastian said with a sigh. "But I can hardly question a snake. It would be easier to find out its purpose if we followed it."

"I don't see how we could follow it through the ventilation system," Faye said dryly.

"I could easily track its movement by sound," Sebastian argued. That answered Faye's question about how good his hearing was. "But, if you insist." Sebastian darted up to the snake and grabbed it behind its head before twisting it into a knot and placing it in a nearby pot, sealing it in with a lid. Faye wanted to argue that that was an antique he'd placed the snake into, but she had no alternative suggestion for what he should have done with it.

"My Lady," Sebastian said, walking over to the desk and offering his hand to help Faye down. Faye put her hands on her hips and stared down at him. In this sort of situation, she would have expected him to pick her up and set her down. Why was he just offering his hand?

"Is something wrong, my Lady?"

Faye kneeled on the desk to put herself eye level with Sebastian. Something strange was definitely going on here. "Kiss me, Sebastian."

"Wh-what?" Sebastian asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Kiss me," Faye repeated tauntingly, leaning forward. "Unless you've suddenly decided that touch me is abhorrent."

"Far be it from that, my Lady," Sebastian said, his hands twitching as he stared at Faye's lips.

"I've been ordered not to touch you unless strictly necessary by your brother. Have you missed my touch, my Lady? Do not forget that you may touch me and are welcome to at any time."

Faye blushed. She hadn't been missing Sebastian's touch. She'd just been irritated by his strange behavior. "I'm fine, thank you," Faye said, climbing off the desk without help.

Sebastian moved to pin her, placing both hands on the desk on either side of Faye. "I'm afraid that I am not fine." Sebastian leaned forward and breathed in Faye's scent.

"You're not going to move until I touch you, are you?"

Sebastian pulled back from smelling Faye's hair, his eyes red. He was pissed and now was not the time to bait him.

"I don't feel as though our contact has been much less than usual," Faye said, hoping she wouldn't offend Sebastian. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, and he always seemed it regret it when he frightened her. She tried to keep in mind that those were all very good reasons why she should comply more with his wishes. With his power, he could have simply taken her and done whatever he wanted to her.

"But we don't have all that much contact to begin with, do we?" Sebastian questioned, his face mere inches from Faye's. She could feel his breath brushing across her lips. "Slight though they may be, I do cherish the few intimate touches you allow a poor beggar." The last few words were said sarcastically, making Faye wince. She was trying to do better, to make the best of this situation, but she didn't really know what to do. She had no experience with a normal relationship, let alone one with a demon who was magically tied to you.

"It is possible that I am not always so immune to your charms as I pretend to be," Faye murmured softly as she ran a hand through Sebastian's hair. He leaned into the touch and she almost smiled. She did enjoy touching his hair, though this was only the second time she'd done so. It was the silkiest thing she'd ever felt. "Though perhaps at this precise moment we could focus on why a poisonous snake has been let loose in Phantomhive Manor."

"I suppose that must take priority," Sebastian agreed, reluctantly pulling away with a sigh.

"We haven't had any guests, and no carriage has driven by. I would imagine that means the owner of the snake is still on Phantomhive grounds."

"I would imagine so, my Lady. I will find the culprit." Sebastian bowed before taking the vase and leaving the room. Faye made a mental note that next time Mey-Rin saw something, Faye should really get a detailed description before assuming anything.

Phantomhive Greenhouse

"Here is the culprit, my Lady," Sebastian presented, having brought her out to the greenhouse.

Faye stared in shock. It was Snake from the circus, all tied up, along with a myriad of serpents.

"I told you to kill all those involved with the kidnapping of the children!" Faye hissed.

"And so I did," Sebastian promised. "Or, at least, made sure they were all dead. Most of the culprits were killed by the other servants. While Snake was a first-tier member, he was not involved."

Faye turned to focus on Snake. His soul felt different from the other circus members. There was none of the dark sickness held by them. "Why have you come here?" Faye demanded.

"You killed them! Says Oscar," Snake said. "Danger, and Smile, and Black came, and all the other first-tier members started acting strangely. I know they didn't tell me everything but…my family is gone. They took me in and you took them away! After you came, they all disappeared, says Oscar."

"So you came to kill the Phantomhives," Faye said, not sure how to handle this situation. Snake was obviously ignorant of the kidnappings. All he knew was that people who had been kind to him were no longer around.

"You're not who you said you were, says Emily. Why did you come to the circus?"

"To investigate claims that the circus was kidnapping children," a voice said. Faye spun in surprise to see Ciel.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," she admonished.

"How could I stay there when Sebastian alerted me to the fact that someone was trying to kill me and my sister?" Ciel asked before turning back to Snake. "Children were disappearing everywhere Noah's Ark Circus traveled."

Snake looked shocked for a moment before he burst out, "That's a lie! Says Oscar. They wouldn't do something like that."

"I don't know one way or the other," Ciel said sadly. "They discovered my investigation and disappeared." Faye was grateful that her time as an associate of the grim reapers had enabled her to remain emotionless when situations called for it. She had been shocked when Ciel had started with the truth, but he obviously had no intention of sticking to it. "After living with them, I know what cheerful and kind people they were. I don't know why they would do such a terrible thing like kidnap children, but I do want to find them and help them. And I want to help you."

"You-you do?" Snake asked before quickly adding, "Asks Oscar."

Faye stared at Ciel out of the corner of her eye. She thought she had come to know her brother well over the past few moments, but she hadn't realized just how talented he was at manipulating others. Of course, the ability to do such was an indispensable tool for the Queen's Watchdog.

"Yes, of course," Ciel said sincerely, walking over and leaning down to untie Snake. "Stay here and work for us. One day, we may find the first tier circus members, and help them atone for what they did. Then you can be with them again. In the meantime, won't you let Phantomhive Manor become your home?"

Snake let Ciel help him to stand, a touched look on his face. "Emily says…Emily says yes."

Ciel's Bedroom

"That solves that problem," Ciel said before dissolving into a coughing fit.

"I do hope you plan to spend the next few days in bed," Faye said, watching as Ciel struggled for breath. "And when I say that, I mean resting, not working. Let Tanaka and Sebastian handle what needs to be done. I know how you hate to be idle, but you're no good to anyone like this."

"Very well," Ciel consented with a wheeze. He let out another cough to clear his throat. "I'll consent to a day or two of rest to recover, but that is all."

"You can't dictate how long your cold will last," Faye said with a sigh. "It's not some living thing that you can bend to your will."

Ciel stared at her balefully from under his bangs and she struggled not to laugh. It was so rare for him to act like a petulant child. She always loved it when he did. She gently brushed the hair away from his head, tentatively grateful for how things had turned out. Snake seemed genuinely pleased and thankful for Ciel's offer. For someone who had lost nearly everything as Snake had, to be offered a home could turn him into a loyal ally, as their other servants were. An ally with a very potent defense system, but neither Faye, Mey-Rin, nor Bard were pleased to have so many snakes in the house. Faye had told Snake he had to keep the snakes in his room or on his person. They'd see how well they worked out. Though, there was still one more item of business that had to be taken care of…

"Ciel," Faye said carefully, and he turned to look at her. "I appreciate you trying to protect me from…Sebastian's advances, but I need you to take back your order." Ciel gave her a shocked look. "This is ten times more annoying," Faye said with exasperation. "He gets in my way so that I have no choice but to touch him and it can be very inconvenient at times. He's been doing it for more than a week. Please, just take back the order. I promise, Sebastian has never taken any liberties with me."

Ciel glared at the wall for a while before mumbling, "Fine. I'll do as you ask."

Outside the door, Sebastian grinned. Hopefully, his young Master would stay out of this affair from now on. Things were difficult enough without any outside interference, and he wouldn't tolerate something coming between Faye and him again.

The most important thing was that he be able to see and speak with Faye, but not being able to touch her had been beginning to wear on him. It was like he was a man traveling through the desert with a cool glass of water always just out of his reach. A few more weeks of this and he would have snapped. Nobody would have liked the outcome of that.

The one benefit to all this was that Faye had been the one to request that Ciel take back the order. She may claim it was because Sebastian's actions were a nuisance to her, but he was beginning to suspect she was fonder of his touch than she liked to admit. Faye was just too proper to admit she was attracted to a demon. Tormenting her with this new knowledge now that he could touch her again was going to be rather enjoyable.

A/N: So, who guessed that Snake would make an appearance after reading that Mey-Rin spotted a large snake? He's so adorable I couldn't help but bring him into the story, no matter how small a role he may end up playing.