Hello everyone! With this chapter... Comforting Darkness is complete! YEEEEES! 🎉🎉✨🎇🎇

I'm so excited for this, although I know that under different circumstances I would feel it even more. But, what can we do? That's life! ️*shrugs*

Still, that won't stop me from thanking each and every one of my readers or of the people who read a little and got so interested that added the story in their reading lists! For those people... if you waited for the story to end and then read it, there you go! It's your time now! Special thanks to Luna8989, who just joined this little storytelling corner of mine! For the future, I would love for people to continue reading and discussing this story! It is the first project I saw through till the end, as well as making it public, so... yeah, it means a lot to me! *hugs to everyone*

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters. I entirely own only my OCs, arcs and ideas/themes not mentioned in any form of the franchise (manga, anime, games, movies or musicals).


Chapter 66: The Tutor, Released but Still Bound

The real Ciel Phantomhive was laid to rest in the empty grave destined for his twin brother three years ago. The Phantomhive faithful butler, Tanaka, was also buried in the family's cemetery, something that would utterly scandalize the London's high society - a servant treated as a relative - had they known, but needless to say the current Earl did not allow for anyone, other than himself and his servants, to be present in the private funeral. Miranda, the only relatively outsider, was there, paying respects and bringing the information that completed the puzzle.

It seemed that indeed grey human souls are more sensitive towards the supernatural, even when themselves do not hold any magic. A connection between grey souls and blood type could not be established, as there is no way to check centuries' old cases of grey souls, but the Research Department of Grim Reapers Headquarters would start investigate here on. Moreover, Miranda informed the Earl that grey souls were an often occurrence in his family, even if it skipped a couple of generations sometimes; actually, it was quite rare that at least one member in each generation of a family would possess a grey soul for three consecutive generations, it was worth of observation.

The boy Earl heard everything the angel had to say and simply nodded, he was not in a mood of dwelling more on the matter... it would not make any difference to him, either way. The following days his mood did not change significantly and that was why the Christmas of 1889 passed quite silently in the Phantomhive manor, despite one Indian Prince and a German genius quite eager to celebrate.

It would be first time for them, but were quite understanding when the grumpy young Earl insisted he needed peace and quiet to deal with saving his company from the brink of destruction his brother led it, in such a short time. They knew him well enough to know he was too proud to admit he actually wanted to grieve for his brother and Tanaka - something he would never say openly and show weakness in the eyes of his demon butler - but it was also true that the Funtom company escaped bankruptcy just in the nick of time. The real Ciel simply ignored his brother's company and now the Earl had to make everything right before leaving for Harrow. Plus, he needed to prepare himself for the 'interrogation' and the gossips high society would have for him as soon as he decided to appear in a social gathering... to his displeasure he needed the nobles to not be extremely suspicious and cautious of him, more than normally that is.

The said high society was in a relative tumult after Scotland Yard announced the investigation of the Phantomhive twins case proved the young Earl they knew already to indeed be the previous Earl's rightful heir and the impostor was the second son, the one to whose alias, Lord Sirius, the atrocities of Sphere Music Hall had been committed. The Queen herself verified all these and renewed her trust on the teenage lord... to many nobles' displeasure, since that meant they would still have to be extremely cautious of not falling in the Watchdog's sharp claws, while conducting all kinds of not so innocent business. Of course, there were still many questions concerning the case, but Commissioner's Randall announcement that the case was officially closed - the letter with the royal seal in his pocket fuelling his frustration and more than dislike for the boy - seemed to satisfy the public opinion and forced the press to stop digging deeper.

Anyway, life at the Phantomhive manor seemed to have returned more or less back to normal, despite the occasional slips of the servants who called for the deceased elderly butler, Tanaka. It was obviously still very painful but they did their best to deal with it, knowing time would soften up this new wound in their hearts. One such ordinary day, before New Year, Sebastian entered young master's study, while having lessons with Selina and was surprised by the sight his eyes met.

His master was sitting in his usual armchair with a burning red face and a completely annoyed expression on his features, while lady Sieglinde, also flushed in the face but with an expression of absolute fascination and sparkling eyes, sitting in an armchair beside the boy and conversing with the blond tutor standing in front of them with a book in her hands.

"This is so interesting! I cannot wait for it to come to me, that way I will be able to study the phenomenon thoroughly! I wonder why I did not find any book about this in my library in Wolfsschlucht..." The girl said and furrowed her eyebrows thinking she should reprimand Wolfram.

"Ugh... My lady, I assure you. When it starts, you will wish it to stop as soon as possible. Feeling sick for at least one week every month is not interesting at all... especially as you grow older. And let's not talk about the days before..." Selina said with a pained expression on her face.

"Do-do we have to keep discussing it?" Ciel asked totally embarrassed. "What do you want Sebastian?... Why do you look like that?" The boy did not miss the perfectly combed and pulled back hair of his usually dishevelled butler... that could mean only one thing...

"My lord, the Midfords are visiting, wanting to discuss, I quote, "an issue vital for all of us". They expect you in the big living room." The butler announced and produced a comb from his tailcoat's inner pocket.

The young boy's colour changed from scarlet to pale in a second, as he composed himself and stood in front of his demon servant to have his hair fixed and maybe avoid having them pulled from their roots by his aunt's hand. As soon as he was 'presentable' he left the room with a sigh. Sebastian looked questioningly at Selina before following.

"Madam Red's medical library is a real treasure of the era." Selina said showing him the book she was holding, where drawings of male and female genitalia covered the pages. "And the irony is that her Ripper experience helped in realizing some mistakes." She pointed to some scribbled notes around the female genital system.

The demon chuckled and left, leaving the two females continue their class on "more practical details a woman needs to know". He caught up with his master, led him to his guests and then was off to prepare tea.

"Aunt Francis, Uncle Alexis, Edward and Elizabeth. I wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to come. What can I do for you today?" The boy Earl said dutifully, greeting them and sat down in his usual armchair, ostentatiously ignoring Edward's not so friendly glares.

Francis Midford smiled, with some effort, to her nephew. "Is that a way to receive your only relatives, my dear... Oh right... my dear Ciel, as the Queen verified." She said as soon as the boy glared at her at her imminent slip of calling him with his real name. "I will forgive your rudeness this time. You went through a lot lately." She added, slowly getting back to her usual strict manner.

"Yes, of course, and as we all know now, I must not tire myself too much." The boy said, obvious sarcasm and irony in his voice.

It did not go unnoticed to both his aunt and uncle, but they wisely chose not to comment on it. "Anyway, we would like to discuss something very important with you. First of all, we would like to apologise to you for Elizabeth's attitude and how her involvement made things harder for you, but... please try to understand; it was a shock for her, for all of us."

"I do understand; it was a shock for me too."

"That is good, very good! That makes what we want to tell you much easier. Well... since the Queen accepted you as Ciel Phantomhive, the rightful heir of the Earldom and the Watchdog title, and everything returns back to how they were... We would like for you to forgive Elizabeth and resume your engagement, forget the little argument that drove you apart for a short time." Francis said and for the first time in her life, felt a little afraid of her second nephew. She could not say she knew the sickly boy very well before, and now he was grown and hardened beyond what she could imagine; she felt she did not know him at all.

"What? Mother! How can you ask Lizzie to do something like that? Father?" Edward lashed out, fury in his eyes as he wrapped his arms protectively around his younger sister, who was sitting silently beside him with her head down.

"Edward, please. Calm down. Let us handle this issue." Alexis Midford said calmly trying to reason with his son.

Ciel could not help but smirk, in a way that resembled his butler quite a lot. "Little argument? Say, Sebastian... Elizabeth calling me a liar in front of the police and everyone... do you deem it as a 'little argument'?" He asked his butler who had just returned with the tea.

"I could not say, my lord. Selina has called me a liar many times when in private, but truth is lady Elizabeth's public admission caused us quite a lot of troubles." Sebastian said with his usual smile.

"What did you expect? She said the truth!" Edward was beside himself.

"Yes, she did. I cannot deny it now that everyone present knows, but... Aunt Francis, Uncle Alexis... do you think it would be wise for me to have a future wife that betrayed me so easily? Yes, she had every right to support her true fiance, even though he was not actually alive, but... Do you expect her or me to trust each other again? Would you like for your only daughter to spend her life without trusting her husband? Or even worse to a sickly man who... let us face it, could die sooner than he should... Is that not right, Aunt Francis? I might die before producing an heir, we all knew that from the start." He said pretty coldly and in a matter-of-fact tone.

The grey haired woman stared at the teenager and her face was pretty pale. He was so reasonable. Indeed, she might be strict but would never doom her daughter to a loveless marriage without trust at least, but... the Phantomhive name should be preserved.

"My dear nephew, if you say all these because you think we are angry or bitter at you for lying to us, you are wrong." Alexis Midford spoke gently, in an attempt to soothe the boy. "We do not mind whether you are truly called Ciel or anything else, as long as you love our Lizzie. Trust can be rebuild in time." The blond man smiled.

"No, my dear Uncle, you do not care how I am called... But you do care for Elizabeth to get married to 'Ciel Phantomhive' in order for the title, the domain and everything to remain within the family, that was the engagement's purpose from the start. Now that I am Ciel the need is more imperative, right?" Silence covered the room, as no one dared to deny the ugly truth. "I believe now you understand fully why I chose to do what I did."

Again, no one spoke, as they all turned their eyes away from the boy, who kept staring at them intensively with his big blue one. Theirs were filled with shame and regret, his with absolute determination to finally lead the little life he had left according to the rules he would set for himself, to the extent his position allowed him, at least. The demon by his side could not help but smile proudly at how the crying, vomiting, bloodied boy had grown to a true master... his master.

Ciel finally turned to his silent cousin. "Elizabeth, all I said that night is true. I do not think you or anyone would be happy if I had returned and claimed the title instead of my brother... or willing to give them to a frail second son. However, be sure I never laughed at your expense. I may not be able to love you as a fiancee, as perhaps my brother would, but I was willing to fulfil his duty to you, until... my end." He said meaningfully, guessing the girl had not gone as far as to reveal his ultimate secret; the look in her eyes showed him he was right. Whether it was because of fear or anything else it did not matter, the important was that she had kept to herself what she saw that night. "I tried to shield you from all the horror I am, because you are my cousin and I do care... that cannot be changed no matter what my name is."

Elizabeth, looking quite pale and exhausted with red eyes from constant crying, obviously, looked at her youngest cousin. She wanted to say something but did not know what; her actions and the way things had turned out left her heart and mind so confused, with no idea of what to say to him.

"Exactly, for that reason, I cannot force you any more to endure my presence as your fiance and a life full of lies. I want our engagement dissolved, for your own good. For all the pain you went through, you deserve to find happiness with someone worthy and able to appreciate your love."

A small chaos followed. Edward started yelling about how he dared to stain his sister's good reputation and future, he might not like or accept Ciel as his brother-in-law but if it was for the good of his cute, little sister... Francis and Alexis were trying to persuade him to think it over, certain he was just hurt by the string of events, but as soon as he calmed down, give it some time and he would change his mind. The boy was sitting in his armchair watching them getting worked up with complete apathy in his face - he did not yield even to his very formidable aunt, for the first time - until a sudden cry from Elizabeth drew everyone's attention.

"Stop! Stop, all of you! He is right! I-I cannot look him in the eyes ever again without seeing him and not Ciel, my Ciel! I realise now that the real Ciel was far from himself, but... he was still my Ciel, the one I learned to love, the one I was taught to think as my future and ultimate happiness! I had promised myself to be a wife he could protect and when you came back, weak and fragile, I promised to become a wife able to protect you... but I failed, both in protecting you or real Ciel. Everything is shattered and what I see underneath..." She paused, her trembling hands nervously clutching the skirt of her dress, as her head lowered to hide the new wave of tears.

"It is pretty ugly, right?" Sebastian was heard in his usual smug tone, a light smirk on his lips as he stared at the girl. "Hideous, repulsive... Well, that is why humans have the expression "ugly truth". They constantly claim they want truth but when they find and see it, they rarely like or accept it... That is quite amusing, I must say. But do not worry, lady Elizabeth, you will get used to it and learn to live with it, hide it with beauty; all creatures do that." Now he gifted her one of his most beautiful smiles, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about, putting it into practice right at that moment.

Elizabeth looked at him with terrified eyes, forgetting the tears streaming down her face. Inside she knew the butler was right, but just like all humans, she did not want to admit it to herself. Edward was again quick to reprimand the butler for talking to his sister like that, while their parents were deep in thought, their faces very troubled.

"Sebastian? Shut it!" Ciel told him in his authoritative tone, only to receive a small bow and an amused smile from the demon. The boy turned to the others. "Do not worry, I will think of a way to break the engagement, as if it is clearly on my part, so that Elizabeth's reputation will not-"

"No!" The girl cried out again. "I will deal with it! I did the mistake of losing my trust in the Earl Ciel Phantomhive, as it is verified from the Queen too, so I will take it upon me to release him from our engagement!" The look on her face was as determined as it was when she attacked Sebastian in the Sphere Music Hall... and it was a look her family had not seen before; to say it shocked them is an understatement.

After Elizabeth's announcement, the Midfords seemed to have nothing else to say to Ciel, so in a few minutes they got ready to go. Francis tried to act as an aunt should, showing she honestly cared for the boy, but the look in his eye clearly told her it would take time to mend their relationship and she should do more; she knew he was right and for the second time in the same day avoided looking at him straight in the eyes.

Right before they left, Selina with Sieglinde came down from the study. The black haired girl, with concern in her eyes, asked Elizabeth if she was doing alright, and the blond one hugged her, in a burst of emotion, asking her to protect her cousin better than she could, better than even when she turned to her ugly side. A silent promise was given between the two girls and Elizabeth turned to leave.

"Lady Elizabeth? A moment, please." Selina was suddenly heard. She trusted Sieglinde back to her loyal butler and approached the blond girl. "On board Campania... was I ugly?" She asked simply, her gaze never leaving that of Elizabeth's.

Father and son looked at each other confused - even though both had witnessed Selina's other side on the ship - but Francis looked at the woman with obvious interest. Elizabeth's still teary eyes had opened wide. She was left speechless for a couple of seconds.

"N-no... of course not! Y-you were so amazing, perfectly executing every move-" With that she stopped, as her beautiful green eyes sparkled in awe and admiration.

"Thank you very much! Then, pray do tell me... what exactly makes you ugly?" The tutor asked with a caring smile and the girl had nothing to respond.

Just like the tutor's previous cold statement - that Elizabeth disappointed her master - shook the girl to her very soul, same happened now, leaving the girl unable to find words. She could only resume her crying and hide her face in her brother's chest, as a strong realization that could change her entire life hit her hard... harder than her mother's strict teachings.

Now, Selina turned her gaze on Francis Midford. They kept staring at each other, as if talking only with their eyes and then, Selina bowed her head ever so slightly. It was not a servant bowing to a mistress, but a woman to a woman, a mother to a mother and... a swordswoman to a swordswoman. To everyone's surprise, Francis allowed her lips to smile lightly and she returned the bow with the respect of an equal to an equal.

And thus, the Midfords left the Phantomhive manor... It would take quite a long time for them to return and be able to enjoy each other's company, without secrets and regrets.

Needless to say, the gossiping high society of London, soon found out that Elizabeth Midford had been so devastated by how she allowed herself to get fooled by the impostor - she who should know her future husband better than anyone - that asked the Earl Phantomhive to take a break from their engagement, at least until they both become adults, and the Earl - equally shocked by the scandal - accepted the agreement. Thankfully, newer gossips and scandals came up during the following years making them forget and not wonder why the Phantomhive and Midford engagement was not resumed. Perhaps, the fact that they both grew up so beautifully that everyone pursued to win them over for their own daughters and sons, respectively, helped in forgetting the entire mystery around the issue.

{~}

The year 1890 began and life in the Phantomhive manor was finally back to its relatively peaceful ways, including explosions in the kitchen area, various accidents throughout the manor and some damages in the garden. The only difference was, that the master of the manor was grumpier than usual, since he had left only a few days of 'freedom' to take care of all his business and leave his servants directions before he went to start studying at Harrow, as the Queen herself "suggested, not ordered".

One such peaceful evening, Mey-Rin came barging - and almost tripping - in the washing room, where Sebastian was ironing, Selina was sewing back loose buttons and threads and Snake was polishing young master's clothes and shoes he would pack for school. Needless to say, Sebastian allowed only the competent servants to deal with this, lest the others caused any damage that would ridicule the master. Suddenly, the door opened and a flushed face, breathless and quite terrified Mey-Rin entered.

"Mr. Sebastian, Selina!" She managed to say before tumbling forward on her face; Snake and Selina gasped and were about to jump up and help her but the maid, used to her own clumsiness, stood back up in a blink of an eye. "Mr. Sebastian, Selina! They are back, yes they are! And want to see you, immediately! The red-headed is s-so-so scary! H-He grabbed me, studied my hair... s-s-smiled and s-said they are quite scarlet, even though not the shade h-he likes!" She was evidently shaking from fear.

"Mey-Rin, calm yourself down right this moment and speak coherently! Who is looking for us? Although I do have an idea." Sebastian ordered and the look in his face was quite grim.

"Th-the three green eyed men that helped you with Undertaker!" She cried out and went back into shaking, although, now that she knew Sebastian and Selina would take care of it, she felt significantly calmer.

"The reapers..." Sebastian sighed, without hiding his discomfort as he let the iron at the side, away from the clothes and put his tailcoat on.

"Well... Miranda said we should wait for them sooner or later." Selina said, following his example, after steadying the needle on the shirt she was working on.

They left the room and Snake helped Mey-Rin take a seat and ran to bring her a glass of water to calm her down. It was surprising to him how such a fearless sharp-shooter could shake like a leaf over this. But then again... these guys did look intimidating.

William T. Spears, Grell Sutcliff and Ronald Knox were waiting for the couple at the entrance hall of the manor. A high pitched squeal welcomed them as Grell lunged herself towards Sebastian, but was stopped by a long gardening shear on her head, right before her face collided with a hand wrapped in blue flames.

"Ow! Will, you are always so harsh! Ah! Bassy! You look as hot and sexy as I remember!" She shook with excitement. "There is still time to ditch this ugly woman and be with me, you know..." Her fake eyelashes flapped seductively, while her wide smile revealed her pointy, white teeth.

"I love you too, bestie." Selina said and winked at Grell with a knowing smile the effeminate reaper tried to ignore, like it reminded her of something she would gladly forget.

"Now, now, Mrs. Sutcliff, calm down. You reassured us you have matured enough to not revert back to the Grell of this era." Ronald said and then shrugged meeting Selina's surprised look. "Miranda brainwashed me and persuaded I should respect how my superior identifies herself." A brilliant smile always on his lips.

"Of course, I did. As is the right thing to do." Miranda was heard the moment a white vapour appeared and took the shape of the red-headed angel.

"Could we please be serious for once and get down to business? We have serious matters to discuss and little time on our hands." William said with a stone cold expression, but his eyes showed he was reaching his limits of patience.

"For once, I agree with a reaper." Young master's voice came from the staircase, as the boy was descending it with arms crossed on his chest. Sebastian was quick to go to his side and ask him if he needed something, but the boy reassured him he was fine.

"This discussion concerns only the demon and the witch... the witch mainly." Spears said with wooden voice.

"Everything that concerns my household, concerns me too. So, I would suggest us to move to one of the sitting rooms for comfort; the rest of the staff might know of the supernatural aspect of this world, but I would like them to be exposed only to the necessary minimum." The boy said in a totally authoritarian tone.

Selina reassured she did not mind if her master was present to the discussion, and so they moved and settled into one of the manor's sitting rooms. Sebastian, the perfect butler, asked if they could offer something to their guests; William and Ronald denied, as expected, and everyone ignored Grell's comment of gladly taking Sebastian at any time of day or night. She stopped when William cleared his throat.

"Selina Clark... Michaelis, you have successfully completed the task assigned to you, as expected of the Holder of the Blue Flame, the only living Flame and as events prove... the strongest." Spears said and for a second an appreciative smile appeared on his face, but before Selina could blink, it was already gone. "Your crimes are severe, worthy of a greater punishment, but as it was promised, your sentence will be lighter if Undertaker is upper-handed... and you performed greatly in assisting his destined captors. Therefore, the Grim Reaper Dispatch releases you from the contract of assisting in the constant war against demons, and as soon as Mr. Knox and I lift our seals from you, you can go back to living as a normal human."

"Wow! Um... thanks... I guess." Selina said and smiled hesitantly.

"What is it, my dear? You do not look so happy for being released from your shackles." Sebastian asked, leaning close to her, as he was standing between the armchair his master was occupying and the side of the sofa his mate was sitting.

"I-I am happy! It's just that... I never expected to survive this mission or be indeed released. For once, I thought you would have killed me long ago..." She explained.

Sebastian's mahogany eyes opened wide. "Kill you, my dear? Now, why would I ever do that? Oh... yes, I suppose I could have done it, it would make sense." He finished with a smile, after seeing the look both master and mate were giving him. "But I find it much more enjoyable and amusing to have you alive by my side." His smile turned to a devilish smirk that made the woman blush and look away.

"Bravo, Bassy! You have not rubbed it on my wound enough, yet!" Grell said, drumming her fingers on her crossed arms and looking away from the couple in love.

William and Ronald laid some instruments on the short coffee table, slid down to their knees and Selina followed suit, rolling her sleeves up and exposing her contract seals and then laid her forearms upturned on the table. Miranda jumped at her side and hugged her in a way to hold her still when the eminent excruciating pain would start.

"I'm excited! You will be free to do anything you want!" The benevolent angel said, cheerfully and smiling.

"I would definitely could do with a sip of Bard's Beer Bomb right now." The witch said, preparing herself.

"Unfortunately, I have not discovered where he hides them, yet." Sebastian said, joining Miranda in holding her. Gently, he signalled for Selina to lean on him freely.

Selina Clark had quite a few painful experiences in her life - getting beaten up by demons and reapers, getting shot, stabbed, having supernatural seals etched in her bones - therefore, thought she was prepared for the reverse process of taking the seals out off her, but was wrong. Feeling like something ridiculously powerful is trying to pull out your bones and in the process tearing your muscles apart, was a new level of pain even for her.

When William and Ronald pulled back, Selina was left trembling, breathless, slumping entirely into Sebastian's chest and biting into the demon's gloved hand, that he had willingly offered when he realised pain could drive her biting her tongue. Sweat and tears were streaming down her face and body as she struggled to catch a breath. The designs of broken chains were still visible circling her wrists, but where the seals were, red bruises stained the smooth skin of her uncontrollably shaking hands; the green light occasionally present in her eyes forever gone. Miranda ran to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water that invigorated the witch quite a bit. Young master had remained silent throughout the process, watching very closely and trying to suppress how much he was affected by the woman's suffering and muffled cries. However, his pale, drawn face showed quite evidently his discomfort.

"Alright. This is done. Once you compose yourself a little, we can go back." William said in his usual detached tone pushing back his glasses.

"Oh! Thanks, Mr. Spears, but I don't want to keep you waiting. I'll be fine, you can go." Selina said, still comfortably leaning on Sebastian's arms while the demon rubbed her back soothingly.

"No, you misunderstood. You are absolutely free, if you want you can come back with us and resume your normal, human life." William said and then he and the other two, along with Miranda looked at her closely, as if waiting for her answer.

Silence covered the room as the woman stared at the reaper with wide eyes. Not even Ciel said anything, although he wanted so much to put William back in his place for the nerve of even suggesting taking away one of his pawns. Sebastian, expressionless, was simply staring in front of him without actually seeing. Everyone waited for the woman's response.

"Um... Thanks for the offer, I guess, but... No, thanks. I'll pass!" She finished with a smile, although she looked so tired.

William's eyes goggled for an instant, perhaps a little more than those of Grell's and Ronald's. "Are you sure about that? You are offered the chance to return to your home and life, back in the era you were born to live, continue where you left off... If you deny this now, you will never have a second chance. The time portal will be open only for Miranda from now on." He tried to make her understand and was a little shocked when the woman simply nodded. "You have family back there that could be needing you... Are you willing to sacrifice that in order to remain here with a... demon and his meal?" Disdain in his voice at the word 'demon'.

"Mr. Spears, I know it might be difficult to understand, but returning back means nothing to me now, not anymore. The life you say I could resume had no meaning, since for a year and a half I was jumping from job to job, earning the necessary money to survive, while actually living just to murder the next member of Vera's gang; that was what my life had come down to and I never intended to move past that. The family you say... they already do perfectly without me. Mark wanted to get away from me, so I would not be able to move to England and be close to them, and the home I have... For now, it is an old, empty shell filled with ghosts... Thanks, but regardless the whole 'demon's mate/stabilizer' thing that makes it necessary for me to stay here, I would willingly choose to lie down next to the warm flesh of a demon at any moment instead of an empty, cold bed of memories. I have a meaningful life here, a home and... a family!" She finished with emphasis and a smile, as the images of everyone surrounding her the last few months passed in front of her eyes. Then she looked at a blushing and scowling Ciel and at Sebastian, who was staring at her; his face still expressionless, but she knew better, his eyes held so much surprise and relief. She reached up and pecked him lovingly on the lips.

An effeminate moan of disappointment was heard from Grell as she twirled a lock of scarlet hair around her finger. "There goes my last chance to get rid off her and have Sebby all for me..."

"Well, Madam Grell, I told you not to have high hopes right from the start. I said that my cousin is very consistent in her feelings and since history says she will always choose him, that's what she'll do." Miranda said, her chest puffing proudly.

"Yes, she did say that, I remember it clearly." Ronald added, supporting Miranda.

"'Since history says'? What exactly does it say... Miranda?" Selina said, staring at her cousin suspiciously. Now, they were all standing, Selina was still slightly supported by Sebastian, but had recovered almost entirely. "I hope you don't mean you knew from the start exactly what was to happen between Sebastian and me and yet you played the innocent and clueless part."

"Ho! That would be amusing. A lying angel managing to fool even me. I do apologize for underestimating you, Miss Miranda." The demon said with a sharp smile.

"W-W-well... I didn't know everything, but... I did read in the file that you two got into a relationship... a serious one, lasting for... Well, it's still on in our time!" Miranda said, cold sweat breaking on her forehead seeing her cousin's look... she knew that look quite well.

"And when exactly did you read that file, dear cousin?"

"Um... Er... A week before you murdered Vera and I came to get you?" The angel said, with a big innocent smile.

"Oh, right... Yet, you asked me all kinds of obscene things - like if he forced himself on me - and constantly pretended you were shocked and surprised by the entire thing as much as we were! You are so dead right now!" Selina said with obvious anger, as she lunged herself to supposedly strangle her cousin.

Miranda squealed a little scared - or pretended to be scared since her eyes held a spark of mirth - and with a cry of "Ronald" jumped behind the blond reaper, who immediately shielded her with his body while his hands did a 'stop' motion to Selina. Thankfully, Sebastian was very quick to wrap his arms around Selina's waist and pull her back to him, before his hands cover hers, intertwine his fingers with her claw-like ones and pull to her chest, trapping the furious witch in his embrace.

"My dearest, calm down! I would gladly let you tear into the angel to your heart's content, but we both know you will regret it afterwards, get miserable and I truly hate seeing you like that." He whispered soothingly in her ear with his velvety voice... and it did work, as the woman relaxed significantly in his arms, but kept pinning, with her blue fires for eyes, the angel still hiding behind the young reaper.

William, with a totally fed up look in his eyes, got ready to say something but was cut off by Grell. "W-wait a minute! Did you say 'Ronald', not 'Mr. Knox' as usual, and you protect her, like she is your...?" She let out a frustrated scream, as the two guilty parties looked quite innocent and progressed in hugging each other. "I cannot believe it! What is it about the women in this family? Why do they have to steal away all the handsome men around me? Seriously, what if the third one was also alive? Who would she dare to steal from me?" She was beside herself.

Witch and angel exchanged a glance and then looked at William Spears, with a mischievous look settling on their faces. "Easily!" They said in unison, making Grell pull at her hair in utter desperation, while the two women were chuckling and their mates were smirking, amused at the thought of the stern reaper being romantically defeated by the formidable, dark haired witch, Deanna.

"Preposterous!" William said, automatically pushing his glasses back and furrowing his eyebrows.

"That is enough!" Ciel's voice was suddenly heard, very commanding, instantly sobering up all supernaturals. He stood up with arms crossed on chest and a serious scowl on his face as he turned to William. "You did what you had to, I appreciate you released my servant - she will finally be loyal only to me - and did your test. You got your answer, she will be staying here, of course, so... I would ask you to leave my house immediately. I do not trust or feel comfortable around reapers." The boy said quite harshly.

"Young master, although that is not a way to treat guests... I will have to agree this time." Sebastian said, with Selina still in his arms, and gifted the young Earl his usual fake smile.

"Do not worry yourselves. We will be going right now, as we also do not trust or feel comfortable around deceiving vermin and their associations." William said in a similar tone as the boy. He stretched one hand with the palm upwards and in a second, Selina's scythe-like blades appeared in his hold. "I do not have to explain that we cannot risk for even a trace of reaper essence to exist in your world without being handled by a reaper."

Selina nodded. "As long as you can guarantee, she will not be attacked again by a certain reaper of this era." Sebastian demanded to Grell's increasing misery.

William nodded. "My current self will take care of it. One last thing, soon you will receive a visit by us of this era. They will have a proposal for you and I would suggest you to take it. It will be better for everyone." He finished, while staring especially at the demon and signalled the others to follow him as he moved to the exit.

"I doubt your kind has to offer me anything of interest." Sebastian said sure of it.

"Hmm... never say never!" Miranda said happily, as she gave a surprise farewell hug and kiss to her cousin, ignoring Selina's suspicious look of "you know something, don't you?". "Oh, I almost forgot. My superior wanted me to tell you..." Her eyes were more on Sebastian. "...that now he feels more at ease, knowing you and your master will be needing, therefore, taking care of his... Prince!" She finished with a wink, leaving the demon quite dumbfounded and the witch in his arms hugging him joyfully, saying it was "only natural for such a gentle giant to ascend to Heavens".

With a happy smile Miranda joined the reapers. Grell kept lamenting about losing her 'Bassy' once again and attempting to wrap her arms around William's but was pushed back. Ronald gave the blond woman a vase with a soothing cream Othello had made for the bruises the seals had left on her wrists, reassured her Miranda did not know all the details about the 'mate' thing from the start and promised to make the angel as happy as he could. Selina, still recovering from the literally heavenly news about Agni, was left speechless at the sight of the eternal flirty womanizer willingly entering a steady relationship with the quite sentimental angel.

As Earl, butler and tutor ushered their guests to the entrance hall, a familiar female cry of "Mouse!" came from further inside the manor followed by a crash of china, Finny declaring he "got it!" and a new crash and shake of something breaking the wooden floor, a sudden whoosh as flames burst out of a flame-thrower and Bard disappointed announcing "it got away"... after a moment of silence, Wordsworth informed them "Donne had caught it".

"If you would please excuse me, I have something to attend to." Sebastian said calmly, but his twitching eyebrow showed he was far from it. He turned and started walking towards the servants' staircase. "This time, I will skin them alive and hang them out to dry before turning them to new tapestry!" He mumbled to himself quite audibly.

"Um... If you would please excuse me too. I-I have to go and stop half of the afore mentioned family from slaughtering the other half." Selina said with half a smile, already taking backwards steps, then turned and ran to catch up with Sebastian, while calling him to order. "Sebastian, wait! You said skinning is too messy for your liking!"

"I will make an exception!" The demon was heard right before he and the witch passed the door leading downstairs to the kitchen.

"Tsk! Marvellous servants, leaving their master to show guests out!" Young master said, obviously irritated by everyone's behaviour, as he got to the heavy double door and opened it.

The reapers got out without any further comment, only Miranda and Ronald were chuckling amused as they bid farewell to the young, grumpy lord, still looking cute like a... grumpy little kitten.

{~}

Later that night, Selina on her knees was picking up the pieces of the charred wooden floor Bard had torched in his effort to catch the running mouse, when she sensed Sebastian approaching and in an instant his arms were around her waist, his hands caressing her stomach as his lips rested on her hair and his nose inhaled her aroma. She attempted to speak but he hushed her and stayed there, in silence, for a while. He sighed quite audibly.

"That sounded like quite a relief... Was something bothering you?" She asked a little teasingly. "Are you sure?" She went on when the demon denied it and turned in his embrace to face him. "Then maybe you got afraid of something?"

The demon's eyebrow arched, staring at her through slightly hooded, red eyes. "I am a demon, dear, I am not afraid of anything." Her insistent eyes kept staring at him and a smirk was playing on her lips. "Alright, I could say I was a little worried at some point tonight. I hated it that despite being my mate and everything, there was the possibility for you to leave here, from my side." He said with his face closer to hers.

"And who said there was such a possibility? They were just testing me, while actually wishing for me to deny the offer. After three years of intensive training under the guidance of these three reapers... I think I have the right to say, I at least know when they say one and mean another. But, leaving that aside... Why were you worried? Didn't I say the other day I would stay always by your side, always with you?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed her body lightly on his.

"However, it was a very reasonable offer. It would be the most natural thing for you to desire returning to your world that you miss so much. I know that you do." He said quickly, when she got ready to deny it. "My kitten, I have heard how you sing your strange songs and dance your lively dances when you think no one sees you."

"That is not enough reason for me to leave you and young master!" She said with furrowed eyebrows, looking offended. "If I went back to my world, as you said, there would not be you and I would miss you more than some songs!"

Sebastian smiled quite satisfied hearing that. "I would come to find you. My self from your time would come to find you and continue from where we would have left. I would not bear to see you getting sad and homesick because you stayed with me."

Selina goggled her eyes. "Are you not too selfish to say something like this? But anyway, I would not risk staying away from you for so long. A little more than a century is too long, you could forget me and I'm too selfish to allow that to happen." She cuddled closer, exciting the demon enough for his eyes to flash red.

"Forget you? Never! Even demons need to breathe and I could never forget my precious breath." Sebastian whispered on the woman's lips, smirked seeing her blushing and feeling her body trembling with desire and closed the distance between them taking her own breath away in a deep, passionate kiss.

{~}

"Mr. Sebastian, Selina! They are back, yes they are!" Mey-Rin cried once again running to the library, where Sebastian was cleaning and Selina was reading, trying to figure out what to teach Sieglinde next. "The three men from yesterday, they are back, and the red-headed one looks even scarier!" The maid said quite shaken again.

"Did she hurt you in any way? The red-headed?" Selina clarified, when the maid seemed confused by the female pronoun she used for a man.

"N-no, but he studied my hair again and said he thought I was a threat to his... Bassy, but it turned out to be the blond one... I think he meant you, Selina." Mey-Rin blinked, worried about the animosity the red-haired, effeminate man seemed to have towards her friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I have heard that again..." Selina said in a tired tone.

"Mey-Rin, continue dusting here, with the feather-duster and only the feather-duster, until we are back. Come, dear." Sebastian said, with an emotionless mask for a face as he passed the duster to Mey-Rin and with a hand on Selina's lower back he gently led her to go with him.

As expected, William, Grell and Ronald were once again standing in the entrance hall, just like the day before, only this time it was the Victorian Era trio. There was nothing significantly differentiating them from those of the future, but something in their aura made it quite obvious to the supernatural couple. Grell attempted once again to attack Selina and kiss Sebastian, but failed when she was pulled back by William grabbing her long, scarlet hair.

"We have some matters to discuss and a proposition to make, one that interests both of you and your master, although the decision and response lies to you two." William explained immediately, leaving the pleasantries, necessary in a social call, to Ronald who obviously was not that disgusted by the demon.

"Of course, I will go and bring young master right away... It displeases me but can I trust you to keep this thing away from my mate for a few minutes?" Sebastian said in a wooden voice.

"Oh, Bassy! So cruel... So titillating! Ouch! Not so hard, Will." Grell said, with one more failed attempt to reach for the demon.

"You know very well I can defend myself..." Selina told the demon with little blue flames licking her fingers. Sebastian smiled at her and left, as soon as William reassured him nothing would happen.

Young master had been with lady Sieglinde and Prince Soma in the play room, testing a new board game from America. The three teenagers were spending quite a lot of time together lately, and to Sebastian's surprise his master did not seem so annoyed by them. Of course, the fact that after Agni's death, Prince Soma seemed to have instantly matured a decade - even though at times he still reverted back to his previous self - helped a lot and made young master to tolerate him better. Selina was really pleased with this development and seemed happy listening to the three discussing, playing or even studying all together, as sometimes Prince Soma joined Selina's classes. Sebastian, on the other hand, was not sure if he liked the change on his master, becoming more sociable, but enjoyed not calling him all the time on every childish whim or because he was simply bored and wanted to annoy the demon.

When they got downstairs, Selina had already guided the reapers to the sitting room, like the day before, and offered their guests a drink... needless to say, the responses were pretty much the same. Once they all sat down, young master spoke.

"Well, as it is already known to you, I do not enjoy the company of reapers, so I would suggest you to go on with your offer as quickly as you can." He crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Grell with obvious hostility and William and Ronald with intense dislike.

"Feelings are mutual in this case, so indeed, allow me to proceed. Under the light of how you played a vital role in arresting Afterlife Citizen 136649, known as Undertaker to you, the Grim Reaper Central Administration decided to forbid all Grim Reapers to engage in any confrontation with lord Phantomhive and his dogs, as long as they are kept under short leash... especially the demon, meaning he will not consume any other soul other than the one he is contracted to." William, once again, did not hide his disgust towards Sebastian.

Sebastian bowed mockingly. "I assure you, my master's soul is the only one I want and need. Either way, all the times we have met, I have never consumed any of the many souls released around me."

"That is indeed true; despite your maddening hunger you maintain your control quite... admirably... And that brings us to our offer. After careful examination and evaluation of all the data collected the three years you two are contracted, the Central Administration concluded that even though the Queen's Watchdog has allowed for many people to die needlessly, at the same time has saved even more."

Lord, demon and witch opened wide eyes, quite surprised!

"Allow me to explain. Jack the Ripper..." William threw a not friendly side glance to Grell, who smiled innocently and flapped her eyelashes. "...had already murdered a considerable number of women, but would have killed many more if allowed to continue; perhaps, all the women that would do an abortion under the care of Angelina Dalles. The Noah Ark Circus troupe, under the orders of Baron Kelvin, would have kidnapped hundreds of children in a big span of time, for as long as Kelvin was alive and in collaboration with the so-called Doctor... and these children would have been mutilated and murdered beyond any doubt."

"At some point, they would kill children whose time would not be to enter the To-Die list." Ronald clarified, and that seemed to shock the blond witch and the young lord, although he hid it quite well.

"I will not go into details on how most of the Watchdog's assignments revolving around murders have saved all the future victims, once the murderer was arrested or eliminated, I will move on to Undertaker's case... The Sphere Music Hall was a massacre you allowed to go on, but on the other hand... You acted quickly and revealed the alternative establishments that would continue draining human blood until Undertaker thought fit to allow Ciel Phantomhive rest for the eternity."

"Something we doubt would happen, since we all know how attached to the Phantomhives he was and how determined to keep the family alive, whatever means necessary." Ronald added once again, William and Grell nodded.

"As a result, Administration decided that, having the current Earl Phantomhive alive in this world for a longer time would be beneficial in retaining the cosmic balance." Selina sensed how alarmed Sebastian was getting at William's words. "Therefore, we request that the demon under the name of Sebastian Michaelis and his contractor under the name of Ciel Phantomhive to proceed on a change in their contract..."

"Never!" Sebastian growled; his eyes bright red, his face contorted by an almost uncontrollable fury, as black tendrils started coming out of his body. Selina jumped at his side and ignoring everything, hugged him in an effort to calm him.

"Please! Let them finish. No one in his right mind asks a demon to break a contract willingly." She whispered to him and indeed had some effect, the intensity of his aura decreased a little.

"I do not like where this discussion is going, but as I have said time and again... Do not worry, I hate that I will be eaten by you, Sebastian, but it is the way it should be. Now, please go on and make yourselves clear on what do you ask of us." The young lord said coolly, staring at the reapers.

"Indeed, we do not ask for the contract to be broken. That could be achieved only if another soul willingly takes the place of the contracted one... a soul of equal value to the demon." William explained.

Grell snickered in her hand. "I cannot deny I would not mind seeing this annoying little witch getting eaten up by Sebby dear, and since you obviously know the entire 'mate' thing, you must know how often a demon denies the mate and ends up devouring its soul... Bassy, you can imagine how deliciously tasty hers would be, do you not?" Perfectly plucked red eyebrows arched suggestively, teasing the demon's hunger.

Sebastian's hands grabbed Selina's arms tight; it was obvious to the woman that he was in agony. "Do not even let the thought cross your mind! I forbid it!" He snarled.

Selina caressed his cheek and smiled calmly, trying to sooth him. She was ready to say something but young master beat her to it. "I also forbid it! No one will take my place for any reason. I chose this path and I will be the one to walk it! And for your information, Grell Sutcliff, Sebastian and Selina have accepted each other as mates so deeply that even if I ordered him to kill her... he would kill me regardless of our contract." The boy said, erasing any kind of hope the scarlet reaper might had.

"We ask none of this!" William said, glaring at Grell, demanding of her to just shut it. "The only thing we want is for you to live longer than what is intended. In short, we would like for you to change the condition of him consuming your soul right after you exact your revenge. Instead we want him to do so only when your life reaches its end naturally!" He finished and allowed himself to sigh somehow relieved.

"What?" Selina said, immediately turning her attention fully on William, the same time she felt Sebastian relaxing a little and young master gasping surprised. "Can something like that happen? Is it doable?" She had never read something like that in all the witchcraft books she knew. Now her eyes were back on Sebastian, leaving him no room for evading the matter.

The strong demon tried to resist but in the end, he simply let out a sigh and yielded to her serious, blue eyes. "It is an extremely rare and quite difficult procedure-"

"Right! And there is no reason to do it! I have no intention of living long as Ciel Phantomhive!" The young Earl announced ceasing the discussion... as he thought.

"Pardon my audacity, my lord, but I tend to disagree!" Selina said in a similar manner, making boy and demon stare at her surprised. The woman was no more the obedient servant, but an adult reprimanding a child. "I understand not wanting to lift the burden of 'betraying' your brother for longer than necessary, but you were the one who announced quite passionately, in front of everyone, that the name Earl Ciel Phantomhive belongs to you and you reintroduced yourself to the Queen as such! You even had us bury your brother in your grave, because you know it would be quite a scandal to find a skeleton in Ciel's Phantomhive grave when the time to bury you would come! You have accepted the role of your brother entirely, so why not live your life to the fullest, even under this shroud of a lie we did everything to mend when ripped?" Her eyes were wide and fiery.

"Shut it!" The boy screamed, springing up from his seat; he also seemed furious and his one eye was burning. "You are saying all that because you mistake me for the son you lost! I will not succumb to your selfishness! I will never take the place of the child you are incapable of carrying any more!" He was shaking from anger; cover for a deep frustration, due to how often he caught himself desiring to be comforted by the woman, as he used to be comforted by his own mother. Perhaps, his own selfishness was bothering him more than that of Selina's.

The woman was taken a little aback from his last words, as she looked at him surprised for a second, but then sadness settled on her features. She had been warned against it again and again by the reapers in her time, but... she obviously failed and fell in the trap entirely. Yes, she could not deny the major reason for wanting the boy to live longer was to satisfy her own desire of caring for a child, a child she loved as her own. She knew it was an illusion thinking of him like that, but she found great comfort in this illusion of a life with a man she adored and their child; the fact that young master behaved more and more like a little devil similar to Sebastian was not helping her to break free. She was preoccupied with her thoughts, so she did not hear or see Sebastian calling the boy back to order with anger in his voice and hard eyes, not allowing anyone to hurt his mate in any way. But then, jumped at the sudden sound of the room's doors opening and everyone spilling inside with urgency.

"And you think you are not selfish deciding to die... whenever you want?" Sieglinde said in an equally authoritarian manner, her emerald eyes glistening from sudden tears struggling to keep back. Wolfram, holding her, stroked her back affectionately, anticipating she would soon give in to her inner turmoil.

"Ciel! How can you say you want to die and leave all of us behind and in pain?" Soma said with an audible sob in his voice, even though tears were not streaming from his eyes yet.

"Young master, please, do not leave us so soon. We are always on your side because... because..." Mey-Rin tried to say but tears prevented her.

"Because you are very precious to us and we love you! You are our family!" Finny cried out and then surrendered himself to a waterfall of tears. Bard took him in his arms to console him.

Young master seemed totally shocked. His face was similar to when he saw his revived brother, minus the great amount of actual fear and terror, but he certainly seemed in denial of what his ears and brain were hearing. He kept shaking his head.

"No! You will not tell me what to do with my life! You are my pawns, I do not need your love or anything! I have no use of my life after I reach my goal, my revenge!" He screamed, shaking and at the verge of a panic attack.

"Ah... but even a king needs to have the love of his pawns in order for them to remain loyal and not rebel against him... says Wordsworth." Snake was heard, looking calm but his eyes were far from it.

"Are you threatening me?" The boy asked in an almost berserk tone.

"Who is threatening you, you Idiot?" Sieglinde was heard again, struggling to get out of Wolfram's arms and then stumbling to Ciel on her tiny feet. She grabbed the lapel's of his coat and shook him, wanting to knock some sense into him. "What we are saying is that just like you have a motive to go on until you reach your goal, we also need one to find the strength to keep supporting you! That motive is that we care about you, you... you... du herzloser Idiot!" The young teenager cried and finally gave in to the waves of emotions chocking her for quite some time now.

"How did you call me?" Ciel said, retaining his fury and got ready to rudely push her away, but Sebastian stopped him.

"No, my lord. I have no intention of accepting the change-" The demon reassured the boy, that instantly relaxed.

"Why not? Why don't you even consider it?" Selina cried out and now she was in agony. "When you made the contract you knew it could last one month, one year or the rest of young master's life and you accepted it. Now, I am here and I can help soothe your hunger for longer! I know I cannot save him, but why cannot I... and the others spend more time with him? Why don't you do me the favor, my love?" Tears sprang out of Selina's eyes too, feeling her heart so heavy.

"Exactly for that!" It was Sebastian's turn to get mad at the woman. Still, she could see caring under the rage in his red orbs and feel it in his gentle touch, as his gloved hand wiped away a tear of hers.

"Mr. Sutcliff, why do you not tell them what did you find on that? They seem to already know about the 'aura feeding the demon' thing." Ronald said with a nudge to his superior.

"Why should I be the one saying it?" Grell whined.

"Because you found it, obviously." The young reaper shrugged and smiled, amused by Grell's grimace.

"Hmph, alright. Just like a soul must willingly take the place of another to break a Faustian contract, a supernatural soul must willingly offer itself in feeding the demon, in order for the duration of the contract to change. If the supernatural soul is the demon's mate it is even easier and better." The scarlet reaper said seriously.

"Hold on... so Selina literally feeds Sebastian off her soul? Isn't that dangerous for her?" Bard asked confused. Finny, sobbing lowly, looked at the couple worriedly.

"No, the soul of supernaturals, like Mrs. Selina, has some different attributes from an ordinary human's. Her magical aura can feed the demon and then replenish itself without endangering her... unless the demon decides to consume her soul entirely." William explained in short.

"Conplicating... Erm, complicated!" Wolfram said, kneeled down and supporting his lady still clutching Ciel's clothes, who had relaxed considerably and was staring at crying Sieglinde with sadness in his eye... but Oscar could detect a glimmer of hope and longing in his big, blue eye.

"Sure but... Damn! The definition of a wife feeding her husband!" The chef said very impressed. "Well, if Selina wants to do it..." He shrugged.

"I do!" Selina said decisively. The couple had not stopped staring at each other all this time, Selina pleadingly and Sebastian angrily, but that gave place to something else... it could be described as a look of adoration, stronger than the one he gave his cats, something extremely rare for a demon.

"I do not want to come to you because I need to feed... I want to come to you because I need you! And I do not want you to feel more pain when the end will come." He said seriously in a low voice, meant to be heard only from Selina.

A wave of emotion rushed through her at his words and threw her arms around him. "I know your honest passion and feelings for me, you have nothing more to prove. And yes, the pain in the end will be great but will go hand in hand with the happiness of a full life... and that makes it bearable. Please, my love, let me help the two most precious people in my life!" She finished whispering in his ear and kissing it. Seeing his hard eyes softening a little, meaning he started reconsidering things, she planted a kiss on his lips.

Then, she kneeled by her master's side, who was still standing frozen there with his hands on Sieglinde's shaking shoulders. The girl was sobbing lowly with her face buried in the boy's chest, her small hands still attached to his lapel's. He did not know what to do, he felt so divided... His raped, beaten and tortured, broken self was begging him to order Sebastian not to accept the offer, because he could not bear the thought of continuing existing after the revenge. His other, more hopeful and... reasonable side was also begging him to allow the change, because that way he would have a chance to live a life, in his brother's name but for his own sake.

"My lord, you are right. I am selfish and deluded, if you like, for nurturing motherly feelings for you, who are not my lost son, but... If you would be so kind to allow me living the illusion a little longer? As payment for my services?" Selina told him softly with a smile, trying to hold back new tears.

The boy looked at her and then the others. "But... I do not understand. Why do you want me around? Look what happened to Agni and... Tanaka because of me! I am a weak, false human!" His voice broke a little bit at the end.

Bronte slithered off Snake's shoulders and on Ciel, examining him closely with her reptilian eyes, and then started hissing. "For a false human, you look very real and solid to me. As for weak, if all weak men had the strength to reach out honestly and pull so many others off the darkness then everything would be different... says Bronte." Snake was heard.

The boy seemed confused again. "What she means, my lord, is that just like you grabbed the lifeline Sebastian threw to you... we grabbed the lifeline you threw us - in Sebastian's form - and we intend to hold on to it until the end, exactly like you hold on to Sebastian." Bard explained.

"And... only if we stick together, we will prevent what happened to Agni and Tanaka from happening again, yes, we will!" Mey-Rin added with determination.

Silence shrouded the room until Sebastian - straightening his tie and composing himself - cleared his throat and spoke. "If I do this change... I must also gain something from the reapers." From the corner of his eye, he saw Selina and Ciel looking at him, Ciel opened his mouth to call him, but then closed it again... Suddenly, he could not bring himself to give the order.

William, Grell and Ronald looked at the demon with wide eyes. "What could we possibly offer a demon? If you request freedom in hunting souls, forget-" William said, getting furious to the insolent vermin.

"No, Will... I think he will ask something more precious to him..." Grell said seriously, seeing how the demon was looking at the blond witch.

"Correct! Grell Sutcliff, for once, you said something right. July 12th, year 1992, a girl will be born in Cincinnati, Ohio, America. Her name will be Selina Clark and will be a natural born grey witch, as well as the Holder of Blue Flame. I ask of you to take her under your wing, have her work for you, train her and when the time comes... Make sure to send her through time back to me, here, to assist us with Undertaker and become my mate." Sebastian finished and a familiar smirk - that of being back in the game and the one moving the strings - appeared on his lips, as his eyes flashed their demonic red. Selina's eyes were sparkling, like the brightest star, looking at the demon

"Right! That was what you meant in St. Ives, that we should look into the future for answers. Neat!" Ronald whistled, impressed by the turn of events.

"Aw, Bassy... You disappoint me so much..." The scarlet reaper pouted.

"Agreed! I see that she wants it too, so... Deal." William said and then froze seeing the demon offering him his hand, along a fake, polite smile. The stern man hesitated, but Ronald reminded him their purpose there and their orders; doing everything they could to convince the demon for the change. Eventually, he gave his hand and perhaps for the first time in history, demon and grim reaper shook hands in mutual agreement.

Selina was beyond herself, as she jumped up and hugged Sebastian tightly, kissing him fully, not caring of being in front of everyone. She knew he would do the change only for her sake and that pleased her more than she could imagine. The demon returned hug and kiss with the same fervour, gaining appreciative 'wows' and whistles form the servants, as well as a pained moan from the effeminate reaper... needless to say, the couple ignored all. When they broke the kiss, both were grinning to each other.

"Great! Once again, someone else decides for me!" The young Earl said, struggling to subdue his rage; his internal battle had started to tire him, he just wanted to make the change - since he obviously could not avoid it - and be done with it.

"Yes! As you selfishly accepted to give your soul to a demon, equally selfishly we decide we want to spend more time with the person we care. We humans are selfish creatures and one suppresses the other. Deal with it!" Sieglinde said, shaking the boy a little more.

"Now, now." Sebastian said back in his usual self, clapping his hands. "If you could please leave the room so that we can proceed. These procedures are not for human eyes, if not participating."

Wolfram picked up his lady, who finally released young master, Snake removed Bronte, who had gotten comfortable around the boy's shoulders, and all of them turned to leave the room, but paused at their master's voice. They looked at him and seemed hopeful and happier than before.

He removed his eye-patch, now he looked at them with both mismatched eyes. "I order you to always stay by my side in this hell all of you condemned me, deeper than the one I already am!" He demanded and to his surprise they willingly accepted; the servants bowed with a "Yes, my lord!", Soma gave him a thumbs up and Sieglinde simply smiled with eyes, puffy from crying, sparkling with happiness.

When the door closed, the boy turned to demon and witch. Selina leaned down and planted a light kiss on the top of his bluish haired head. "Thank you, my lord." She whispered and something in her tone made the boy blush... It annoyed him he always reacted like that when his tutor reminded him of his mother in some way... and he hated it when, together with the demon, the couple reminded him... of his parents.

"What I said the others goes for you too. I order you to stay with me until I die... naturally, as you call it!" The previous thought helped him to easily assume his ill-tempered attitude, causing the couple only to smile amused... to his displeasure. Demon and witch kneeled in front of him, renewing their vow of being with him until the end. "Alright, let us get on with it." He finally demanded.

Sebastian, still kneeled, removed both his gloves. "I will have to change our seal, young master, and make another one on Selina, since it is like we two are in a subcontract. Selina, dear. Can I have one of your wrists?"

"Not an eye?" The witch teased, pulling up her right sleeve.

"I prefer them both blue and fiery." He responded suggestively, only to receive a kick from the boy calling him a "bastard" and making the demon chuckle.

"Can you be quicker? Our shift is drawing to end and we would not like to do overtime." William was heard in his usual cold, business tone.

The demon again smiled at him in his overly-polite, fake way that disgusted the reaper more. Then he concentrated, allowing his human form to waver, as darkness and an ominous black aura filled the room, tendrils of blackness started swirling in the air. His nails were elongated as he lifted his left hand with the Faustian seal before his master's right eye and his right hand closing around the wrist of his mate.

"My lord, will you do the honour?" Sebastian said with a sharp smile.

"Demon, I order you to change the third condition of our contract. You will protect me at all costs and never betray me, until the natural end of my life, even if my revenge has been completed! You are also bound to obey any side condition set by Selina Clark Michaelis!" The boy said and the seals in his eye and Sebastian's hand started pulsing, bright purple.

"I, Selina Clark Michaelis, natural born, grey witch and demon's mate, willingly offer my magical aura to feed the present demon, my mate, until the current contract is completed, under the condition there will be no attempt to speed up the contractee's natural death!" Selina said seriously, causing Sebastian to chuckle.

"Well, then... I accept, my lord and my lady!" Sebastian said and his contract flashed brighter the moment a similar light appeared at the back of his right hand.

Ciel's contract also flashed, causing him to clench his teeth and fists in an effort to withstand the pain, not so intense as when the contract was first created but still... Selina was in a similar state. Just the previous day, she had been released by a binding contract and now she willingly entered another one, carving it in her bones and soul once again... but this time she knew it was worth it. She fought the instinct of pulling her hand away, for fear Sebastian could actually let her, instead she grabbed and hold on to one of his tendrils.

After a while, everything was over. A new pentacle had appeared on Sebastian's hand and Selina's wrist. A pentacle identical to the other but with less markings since it did not represent the major contract. Sebastian, was holding Selina in his arms, still kneeled on the floor in front of their master, who was slumping in his armchair, exhausted.

"Well then. I am glad we managed to properly communicate with each other and come to a deal that benefits all sides!" William said, standing up and already moving to the exit.

"That is what you say. I do not see any benefit for myself!" The boy said grumpily.

"Tsk. Children these days can be so impatient. You have a future to live, boy. Wait and you will see!" Ronald said with a smile and winked at said boy.

"Oh, just a clarification. You must approach me, in the future, only after the Three Flames kill the demon at the cafe. You can keep tabs on me, but do not mess with my life before that. Thank you very much." Selina said and William agreed.

Soon the reapers were gone; William and Ronald satisfied for having completed their task, Grell sulking once again for not being a complete woman, so that she could compete with Selina on equal terms. Master and supernatural servants were left alone.

"Well... since you all decided I should live longer... Selina, how old did you say I looked when I established that factory in your home-town?" The boy said, and a familiar ambitious and greedy glimmer appeared in his eyes, as a mischievous smirk bloomed on his lips. The couple returned the smile, quite pleased.

{~}

The very next morning, Earl Ciel Phantomhive, his demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis, and his witch tutor, Selina Clark-Michaelis, took off to solve one of the Queen's assignments for her Watchdog.

"We have only a few days to finish the job in Dover. I must go to Harrow immediately after, so we have no time to lose; we go all out." The boy Earl said, climbing in the carriage.

"Of course, my lord. What kind of butler would I be, if I could not assist my master in solving such a simple case in two days?" The demon smirked, as his master rolled his big, sparkling, blue eye.

The lord settled in his seat and his servants followed. All the way to Dover, they were discussing the case and Selina's lips and eyes could not stop smiling at the view of boy and man talking casually, but she knew better. She could read both of them very easily and knew they were quite excited for having a case. For Sebastian she knew since last night, when he announced it to her; his eyes were literally twinkling and it was not only by how Selina had just thanked him for the change in his contract.

"My love, I was right from the start. You do enjoy being young master's dog or knight and assisting him in solving the Queen's cases more than you admit! You should look yourself in the mirror, every time we have a new case. They amuse you, excite you, occasionally make you worry and afraid, but you enjoy them! And of course, our cute, grumpy little master is the same... and excited for the life he'll live, more than he thinks. Nina was right in that, he does look more like you as he grows!" The woman thought and smiled at herself, certain she was right to insist. Long, strong fingers closed around hers and squeezed lovingly; she responded in the same manner.

Yes! She could finally say she was happy and something inside told her this happiness would go on for many centuries - despite losing the humans she considered family now - as she and her demon would face contracts, masters and any difficulty or enemy standing in their way.

However, she had a feeling that there would be only one "Young Master"...

For both of them.

THE END


CielxLizzie engagement: To all the shippers, I'm really sorry for upsetting you, but... regardless of whether I like the ship or not, I find it very hard for these two to remain together after everything that has happened. As the saying goes "once the glass breaks...". However, I wanted to give Elizabeth some character growth and I thought that having her finally deciding something for herself by herself is very important (something that of course applies to OCiel too, he will play his brother's part forever but on his own terms). Plus, I really wanted for Elizabeth to overcome this idea of being ugly because she knows how to fight. This is actually her most amazing side, it doesn't take away from her femininity at all (her mother, and Selina in this version, being very good examples of that) and I really want to see her accepting all of her sides, so that she will become a truly strong character. In short, I loved the idea of both OCiel and Lizzie starting taking their lives on their hands, as much as possible, that is.

Agni as an angel: I would love to hear from you about that, to be honest! Personally, I think his unconditional devotion to Soma helped him to be cleansed by all the harm he had previously caused, so he would deserve some reward. But please, let me know if you liked that small twist?

du herzloser Idiot: = you heartless idiot, but in German! I really thank my precious German friend for helping in translating this bit. She also informed me that "idiot" starts with a capital letter because it is a noun and nouns get capital letters in the beginning. Languages... so fascinating and weird! 😍

Selina's birth year and point of origin: While writing the story, I was around 30, same as Selina, so it was easy to decide she would have been born in 1989, like myself. But then, I thought it would make her a lot like me, and since when the story started getting published (three years later), she was still almost 30... I just changed the year to make it a bit more natural. As for the choice of her hometown... I didn't want her in a big city or in a really small town, but somewhere in the middle and a place sunny enough for Selina to get her natural tan. Since my knowledge about American places and towns is really limited to what I watch in series or read here and there, my research showed that Cincinnati fits the criteria. If I'm hugely mistaken, please let me know, give me your suggestions and at first chance I'll make a change.

The whole subcontranct thing and extension of Ciel's life: I know that the way I present it negates what I said above, about Ciel taking life in his own hands, but I think everyone else also deserved to have at least an opinion on what would greatly affect their lives. Ciel has every right to be hysterical in that part, but... I think he is already getting over it by the end of the chapter 😊! Oh, also, I decided to extent his life because I do not want to write his death yet, but having him totally released from the contract feels equally wrong, for some reason!

I think I wanted to comment on so many more things, but I already have written one of the longest author's note, so I'll stop here. I can only hope I'll soon be back and healthy ready to write and share more stories with you, as I'm so not done with Selina, Sebastian and everyone else!

Thank you all! Till next time! Bye! 😘