A/N: Surpriseeeee! Hello, everyone! I am posting a day early as I have some plans tomorrow and won't be able to post. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen: Attempting to Gain Answers

The day of Alois' visit had arrived. Of course, the boy accepted it with many exclamation points. Frances was waiting in the foyer wearing the purple dress Sebastian got her for her birthday and the black rose necklace that he also got her for her birthday. Her hair was in an elegant bun with a black rose in the right corner of her hair, black heels upon her feet. She had just said, "See you later." to the Young Master and Sebastian. Sebastian telling her to send for him if they do anything. She kissed him with the promise she would. They left for their "emergency" right after. She didn't have to wait long as there came an excited knock upon the door. Frances nodded to Finny to open the door. He did so. Alois burst in with his arms spread wide wearing his purple jacket with a green vest, white shirt, dark brown shorts, thigh high black socks, and brown knee high boots. A giant smile upon his face.

"Ciellll! Francesss! I'm here!" He exclaimed.

Claude calmly walked inside. Finny closed the door behind him. The servants bowed.

"Welcome."

Frances noticed Claude's eyes widened when he looked at her. She ignored it as she crossed the room as Alois looked around, excitedly. When she was in front of him, he looked at her. She smiled kindly and apologetically.

"Good afternoon, Alois. I do apologize, but Ciel is currently not here right now. He had some emergency he had to take care of. I hope you don't mind it being me for a little while."

Alois deflated for a second, but then smiled widely. He shook his head.

"That's fine." He said.

She smiled.

"Wonderful. Since it's such a lovely day, I thought we could have tea in the garden." She said, gesturing him forward.

The two walked with Claude following stoically behind them and Finny walked beside him. Bard and Mey-rin dispersed to take care of the tea. When they got to the door, Finny stepped forward and opened it for them. She thanked him and led Alois into the gardens. She led him to the center of the garden where a fountain spewed water. In front of it, two chairs sat opposite one another with a table between them. The table had a white cloth with a clear vase of black, red, and white roses. Surrounding them were green hedges.

"Please, be seated." Frances said, gesturing to the chair.

Alois smiled. Claude pulled out the chair for him while Finny did the same for Frances. He carefully pushed her in and then stood off to the side with Claude. Frances turned her gaze to Alois.

"So, how has life been treating you, Alois?" She asked.

He fiddled with a white rose in the vase.

"Boring." He groaned, "Nothing fun ever happens in that mansion."

"Sounds to me you could use some activities. Is there anything you're interested in?" She asked.

He looked at her in surprise, stopping his fiddling with the rose. He looked away towards the back of the gardens. Claude's eyes on her at the question before they returned to Alois. Finally, he spoke.

"I like dancing."

"Any specific kinds?" She asked.

"All kinds."

"Have you learned any?"

"A few…" He said.

She leaned back in her chair.

"Maybe you can schedule dance lessons so you have something to do." She suggested.

"Would you come and watch?" He asked, looking at her in excitement.

"I would love to." She said with a smile.

He giggled and clapped his hands together in excitement. The sound of the tea cart rolling closer caught their ears. They turned at the sound seeing Bard and Mey-rin approaching. Mey-rin served the cake on pretty blue bell rimmed plates.

"We-We have strawberry cheesecake as dessert today, yes." Mey-rin stuttered, placing a plate in front of each of them carefully.

She stepped away, standing by the cart. Bard stepped forward, pouring the tea.

"For tea, it's Justin and Brooke's Oolong."

He placed a cup in front of Alois and then her. Frances smiled at them.

"Thank you."

They bowed and moved the cart over to Finny and Claude, standing next to them. Frances returned to her tea. They ate and drank in silence. Once tea was complete, Frances wiped her mouth.

"So, is there anything you wish to do?" She asked, looking up at Alois.

He looked up at her after wiping his own mouth.

"Let's play a game!"

"All right. What do you wish to play?"

He leapt out of his seat and touched her shoulder.

"Tag! You're it!" He cried.

He ran off with a loud laugh. Frances stared, stunned for a moment. A smile soon spread across her cheeks as she too got up and raced after the boy, a giggle escaped her lips. It had been quite a long time since she played the game. She chased after Alois shouting,

"Let's remain in the gardens, okay Alois?"

"Fine! But, you'll never catch me!"

Claude watched them stoically. Though, inside he was… extremely curious about the little human with that little something inside her. It was rare and extremely difficult to catch and keep a demon's attention. Even when he watched them from afar every so often, waiting for the moment to strike to fulfill his Master's wish, he did not find her interesting. It wasn't until he watched her raise her arm and a sword blocked the attack that would have cut off the seal of Malphas', or rather, Sebastian's arm. His mind wandered back.

Claude watched from afar on a rooftop as Malphas and the angel fought. He glanced down at the blue rectangle ring that gleamed in the fire's light. He could feel the suffering of the boy's, his Father, Grandfather, and Great Grandfathers' emit from the ring. It felt… powerful and yet the boy still was able to cast it off, realizing it was holding him back. The duty to the Queen to honor his family. He looked back up. His sharp gold eyes catching sight of the brown haired girl with her hair in her usual braided bun with a few pieces loose. A determined look within her eyes. He watched as desperation replaced that determination and a cry of "NO!" escaped her lips. She raised her arm in front of herself. His golden irises widened in shock as he heard the piercing clang before he turned and watched the sword fly out of the angel's hand. His eyes widened.

*How-How is that…? No. A normal human is incapable of that!* He thought to himself.

He would not be able to take the boy's whole soul like he needed to, however… He looked at the ring. A smirk appeared upon his lips.

*Perhaps this will be enough to give him pause.*

Claude returned to the present. He watched as the young lady found and tagged his meal. The boy whined at being found causing the young lady to smile softly. She turned and ran off. His Master cheating as he looked at her while he counted.

He couldn't help the wonder that he felt towards her. Her thankfulness, her protectiveness, the fact that her soul was hidden... He wondered if that was part of the reason the demon did this to her. Obviously he was as obsessed with her as he was the Phantomhive boy, however, he seemed even more so if he were taking this route. He wondered how it would affect her. A smirk spread across his lips.

*It'll be quite interesting.*

After an hour of playing tag, Frances collapsed to the ground as Alois tackled her claiming she was "it". She huffed as he remained laying across her stomach.

"Ugh. How about some water first? Then we can continue playing." She suggested.

He looked over at her and nodded once.

"All right." He said.

He stood up and offered his hand to her. She went to accept it, however, he pulled away. She narrowed her eyes at him. He smiled innocently. She reached for it again only for it to be pulled back again. She huffed and made to stand up on her own when he whined,

"Francessss."

She looked up at him in exasperation. He held out his hand more firmly.

"If you move it again…" She threatened.

He smiled innocently. She reached up. This time he did not pull away. He helped her stand. Then once she was standing, he pushed her. Though she did not fall, she did stumble a little. When she straightened out, she faked glared at him.

"You little brat." She muttered with a mixture of both playful and serious.

He smirked innocently.

"Come on! Let's go get some water!"

He turned and started walking towards the table where they had tea.

"Yes, your highness."

He paused in his step. He slowly turned to her with wide eyes.

"How-How did you know?"

She smiled and walked past him, patting his head. She hummed a classical whimsical piece* from now. Alois ran after her. He took her hand and lightly swung it back and forth. She looked down at him with a small smile. A small smile spread on his own lips as his eyes softened. They walked to the table, hand in hand. Frances' smile grew as she saw two glasses of water with a pitcher of water already sitting on the table, waiting for them. They released each other's hand to sit down and drink the water.

After drinking a few glasses of water, Frances looked over at Alois to see him looking over at the flowers in the garden. He looked back at her She smiled.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Let's play something else." He said.

"All right. What would you like to play?"

"Let's catch some butterflies!" He exclaimed, leaping off the chair.

Frances laughed and followed after him.

"All right. What will we put them in, if we find them?" She asked.

"Claude will find them cages." He stated.

After another half an hour, they had not caught nor seen any butterflies.

"How lame! There are no butterflies around." Alois pouted, kicking a bush.

Frances smiled softly.

"It is summertime, Alois. They come out during the Spring." She explained, calmly.

"That's dumb!"

Frances sat on the bench in between two bushes. It was a cooler summer day today. She looked over at Alois who remained standing by a bush.

"Alois, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did. But, I suppose you can ask another." He said, a smirk evident within his voice.

"Do you know anything about the fires that coursed through London a few years ago?" She asked.

He looked over at her slowly. A glare upon his face. She could feel the anger and hidden disappointment, betrayal, and reluctant acceptance coursing through him. Those feelings made her feel sad, though she didn't know why. She didn't know the boy besides what she read and what he told her. Still though… her heart ached when she felt his feelings.

"Is that the only reason why you invited me?" He asked, darkly.

"No, of course not. I told you I would make time to see you to spend time with you. I was just curious to see if there was a link to the previous arson and the ones that occurred last week. We know that you are the Queen's Spider." She explained, gently.

He smirked.

"Of course, the Queen's Guard Dog… well I suppose Dogs, would figure it out. Very well. I actually don't know any information pertaining to the fires that occurred a few years ago. My Father dealt with that. Sorry."

Despite feeling he was lying, she nodded.

"Very well. Thank you."

In a forest

Meanwhile, in a forest on the outskirt of London, Sebastian and the Young Master stood by a tree. The Young Master sat in a blue outlined in gold chair with a brown table in front of him drinking tea while Sebastian stood behind and to the right side of him with his eyes close. He listened to his mate's conversation with the boy as she allowed him to. He noticed that she was able to block him from things and knew it had to do with that little thing inside her. He wanted to know everything and yet even with his blood in her, his connection to her growing stronger, using his darkness, he still couldn't see what she was hiding nor what the thing inside her was. It was rather fascinating. He couldn't wait for the end result and yet… a strange wave of emotion filled him, especially when Undertaker told her to keep her stomach well fed. He continued to listen, feeling his mate's suspicion even though, she hid it well. A pleased smirk spread across his lips. His features returned to a stoic look as he told the Young Master his mate's findings.

"Young Master, he says that he doesn't know any information pertaining to the fires that occurred several years ago. His Father is the one who dealt with that."

The Young Master placed his cup on the table.

"Hm. What does Frances think?"

"She believes him to be lying, my lord."

"Will she be able to get him to give more information?"

"I don't believe so, my lord. Perhaps over time she might. Just like what I did with her. She could befriend him."

The Young Master sighed. He stood up.

"Very well. Take us back home then."

"Very well, my lord."

He picked him up, waved a hand over the table and chair causing it to disappear. He turned and took off towards the manor.

Back at Phantomhive Manor

During the conversation between Sebastian and the Young Master…

"Of course. I heard the woman who committed the crimes, did it because she was driven insane by lust."

She nodded.

"Boring. I'm bored. Let's not talk about the Queen's work anymore. Let's play another game! Hmm (He tapped his chin in thought.), what should we play. (He thought it over for a few seconds. He jumped up and touched her arm.) Tag, you're it!"

He took off running. Frances laughed lightly, running after him. It was only ten minutes later when they heard Claude's voice.

"Your Highness."

Alois turned to him with a bigger, wider smile. When Claude called, Frances could feel Sebastian's presence. She turned to see Sebastian and the Young Master approaching. The Young Master was in his blue suit while Sebastian wore his regular butler suit. Alois clapped his hands excitedly.

"Ciel Phantomhive, it's so good to finally meet you!"

Ciel and Sebastian stopped right in front of Alois with Sebastian standing beside Claude.

"Alois Trancy." Ciel greeted.

It was tense for a minute as the Young Master looked over Alois extremely analytically. Alois looked at Frances.

"Your friend has been extremely entertaining. (He looked back at him.), you must have lots of fun with her around." Alois commented.

Ciel looked away come that comment. A small blush upon his cheeks.

"She has her moments. (He coughed and looked back at Alois.) I do apologize for not being here, I had an emergency to see to."

"So Frances said." Alois said, "Anyway, shall the three of us do something fun?"

Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"Such as?"

Alois shrugged.

"We can play tag or something.

"How about a chess game?" Ciel suggested instead.

Alois pouted.

"But, that's only a two person game. How about Old Maid?"

"Very well. (He turned to Sebastian.) Sebastian., make some tea."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian said, bowing slightly.

Sebastian led them to the back door. He opened it for them. Frances thanked him as usual. Sebastian inclined his head with a quiet, "You're welcome, Mistress.". They all walked inside. Once they reached the stairs, Sebastian broke off towards the kitchen while Ciel, Alois, and Frances walked up the stairs with Claude trailing behind them. When they got to the game room, Frances and Claude stepped forward to open the door. Claude looked at her stoically.

"I can open the door for them." She said.

"As can I, my lady." Claude stated.

Anger came from Sebastian. A small smirk appeared upon Claude's lips. Frances sent him calmness as she stepped back with a nod.

"Very well." She agreed.

Claude opened the door for them. When she passed through, she thanked him. He nodded once. The three of them sat down around a round table on the right side of the room. Claude stood near the fireplace. Ciel broke out a pack of Funtom's playing cards. He shuffled them, then began dealing them. As they lifted the cards, Sebastian knocked on the door. He opened it right after.

"Pardon me." He said, politely.

He walked in with the tea trolley. He began to pour the tea. As he did so, he announced what type of tea it was,

"Today's tea is Ceylon from Ringtons."

He served Alois first, then Ciel, and then Frances. She thanked him as he placed it in front of her. He smiled at her in response. He moved back to his teacart which he pushed towards Claude's direction. He parked it, leaving enough space for him to stand beside Claude. The three of them remained silent, sipping tea, or offering their cards to the player on their left. After a few passes, Alois was the one to break the silence.

"This is fun, isn't it, Ciel? Frances?"

Frances nodded with a smile.

"It is, indeed."

Ciel nodded.

"Yes." He muttered.

Alois laughed.

"For such a King of Games, you are one sour looking boy."

Ciel gritted his teeth. He glared at Alois for a moment. He turned back to Frances' cards, picking a two of hearts from her hand.

"May I inquire, how you know of me?" Ciel asked.

Alois tapped his chin.

"Perhaps, but let's make this interesting. If you win, I shall answer all your questions, if I win, I get to hang out with you all day on the day of my choosing. And if Frances wins, she gets to do whatever she wishes."

Frances looked at him in slight surprise. Ciel's face morphed into one of determination.

"Very well then. Let's continue."

The game continued for fifteen more minutes when finally, all but one card remained which Alois held. Frances and Ciel had won. Ciel wore a large smirk as Alois pouted.

"Cripes, I lost!" Alois exclaimed, throwing the Queen of Hearts upon the table. He looked up at them, "Well, you two won. Begin the questions!"

Alois leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.

"Answer my first question." Ciel demanded.

Alois smirked.

"I heard of the Queen's Guard Dog through Claude when he gave me the paperwork my Father had when he passed on his line of work to me."

"I see. And what is it you want from me?"

Alois smirked.

"I want you."

"What does that mean?"

"That I want you. That's all, Ciel Phantomhive."

"For what purpose?"

Alois' smirk grew into a wide grin.

"Let's just say for fun."

Ciel glared at Alois.

"And the purpose of attacking Frances three times?"

Frances looked at Ciel in slight surprise.

"They only attack—" She started.

Ciel cut her off.

"I'm counting it as three when they slipped sleeping tea into your tea."

All was silent for a moment. Frances could feel Alois and Claude's smugness.

"Protective little thing, aren't you?" Alois asked, crossing his arms, "Though, I do not blame you (He glanced at her.) She is a lovely person to have around. (He looked back at Ciel.) I merely wanted to test her abilities. She is almost as good as my Claude (From the corner of her eye, Frances saw Claude's eyes narrow, a small sneer of disgust upon his lips. Sebastian was smirking and she could feel his amusement.), though, my Claude is much better."

Frances looked back at Alois who stuck out his tongue that had Claude's demon symbol upon it. It glowed yellow on the circle and orange on the star points.

"So, he's a demon as well." Ciel stated.

Alois chuckled.

"But, of course. Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel." Alois stated.

Claude's posture straightened even further and his face became stoic once again. Frances spoke,

"Wait, Alois, please!"

Alois looked at her in surprise.

"I won too and you said it could be whatever I wanted. Please, explain why you want him. He deserves to know if he should be yours."

Ciel gawked at her and was about to protest when Frances sent a look that said, 'be quiet and play along'. Frances turned back to Alois. His anger was evident upon his face. He abruptly stood.

"We're leaving, Claude." Alois ordered.

Frances, Ciel, and Sebastian's eyes widened in surprise. Claude bowed.

"Yes, your Highness."

"Alois, wait!" Frances started, standing up from her seat as well, reaching out to him.

Alois walked out the door. Claude sent her a smirk, following after his Master.

"What was that all about?" The Young Master asked.

"It appears he was very angry." Sebastian answered, "He clearly does not want us to know why, but whatever it is (He looked out the open door, hearing the front door slam.), has caused him great anger."

"I'm sorry I couldn't get anything more from him. I guess I… pushed him too hard." Frances sighed.

"No. This did give us more than we had previously." Ciel countered, "We now know he's angry about something. We just need to find out what. (He paused a moment.) Let us give him space and allow him to write to us. No doubt he will do so since he is after me."

Frances nodded. Sebastian bowed.

"Certainly." They both responded.

*The piece she hums is Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 (Otherwise known as Moonlight Sonata.)