Kuroshitsuji 1. 1: Return to the Mansion

**Phew, took me quite a while, this one... but I think it turned out quite well :D** Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford

When Ciel returned to his mansion from his journey, everyone rejoyced.

Bart prepared a sumptous meal (with Sebastian´s help) to celebrate, Finny picked flowers from the garden to decorate the table and Mey-Rin for the first time in her life cleaned the cutlery without breaking anything. The young Earl of Phantomhive had not announced his arrival and had feared to find his house in a terrible mess, but to his surprise, everything had been the way he had left it. But for one thing. As the whole staff knew that the office of their master was off limits they had locked it, so that nobody would sneak in there and they had hidden the keys in turns, now nobody remembered who had had it last. Finny said it would turn up eventually, so they gave up searching.

Mey-Rin had spotted the carriage first from the top tower of the building and had nearly run over Finny, who had been in the garden at that time. When she had told him the good news, he had nearly sqished her to death and had run into the kitchen to tell Bart, who was nearly as excited as the two others when the coach arrived in the courtyard of the mansion and their young master got out with his demon butler, Sebastian. And they were welcomed so joyfully, after all the past two years had been very dull.

The dinner was great, but Ciel´s thoughts were somewhere further away, at the residence of a small blonde girl with two big curls and the side of her head, wondering how she was doing.

As for the little blonde girl, she was sitting at her desk, writing in her diary:

"_Dear Diary,_

_I must tell you, I´m quite sad right now._

_Ciel hasn´t come back yet, or maybe he has and I don´t know. It´s not like he´d tell me anyway._

_But now a new person has come into my life. His name is Charles. Charles Rendersom. _

_Oh, I´m sorry, Sir Charles, Duke of Rendersom. He always insists on the title. _

_I don´t like him, but he seems to fancy me. I honestly don´t know what to do if he decides to openly ask me out. If were to refuse, that would be a skandal and would surely be taken to the eyes and ears of the court, which would really ruin Ciel´s reputation and that´s the last thing I would want. But do I even have the choice of refusing? Ciel is considered practically missing and if news of his death (In which I will not believe) should transpire, I would be oblidged to marry another man. I know I can´t refuse, excusing it with my love not being here, but that´s exactly how I feel. I love Ciel and I would never cheat on him, no matter in what way. I so wish that he were and would tell me everything´s gonna be alright. I miss him so much, as well as his smile. I want to see that again as well..._

_Lots of Love, Lizzy"_

She sighed fullheartedly. Now that she had written down all of her thoughts, she felt very tired. Putting back her diary in the upper drawer of her desk, she went over to her bed and cuddled under her blanket, her last thoughts, before wandering off to the lands of dreams, being occupied by the memories of her and the dark haired boy with an eyepatch she so loved.

Ciel was pulled out of his thoughts when Sebastian placed a cherry-raspberry-cream tarte before him.

"Aren´t you feeling well, young master?"

Ciel shook his head. "No, I´m just pondering."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Then may I suggest you try this new creation of mine to take your mind off those dark thoughts"

Ciel´s eyes narrowed. "How do you know I was having dark thoughts?"

"Well, as a demon, my powers allow me to watch over your wellfare as well as your emotional state of being for the sake of your health."

And after another raised eybrow of his young master he added:

"Besides, the frown on young masters face was not to be overseen."

Ciel snorted and began eating his cake.

It tasted really good and Ciel had finished soon. He put the spoon aside and stood up. Mey-Rin took a step forward.

"So was the meal good? Did you like it?"

Ciel nodded. "Hm. Sebastian, I´m going to bed" he said, waving his butler to follow him.

Sebastian did what he was told after giving the rest of the household a meaningful glance, telling them to clean up properly and not to break anything.

After his butler had helped him undress, Ciel lay on his bed, unable to sleep, because his thoughts just wouldn´t come to a rest for a long time.

He thought about how his life would go on, now that he was a demon and how Lizzy was doing.

At the last thought he snorted. His fiancée was probably having a swell time, looking at cute things and talking about cute stuff.

But only very few people, like him and Sebastian, knew that Elisabeth was wearing that maskerade in order to hide the fact that she was extremely skilled in fencing, and generally, in fighting. Although she seemed to be very cute and overly happy, she was very unladylike in her character. She wasn´t the one that would sit at home, waiting, she would be the one that would stand up and fght for her life if she needed to. She loved adventure and she sure seemed to love being around Ciel.

He sighed. His thoughts slowed down and he steadily fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Lizzy woke up in the morning and yawned as she stretched her arms. Getting out of bed, she put up her hair into the big curls tht usually framed her face and looked outside. The sun´s rays filled the countryside with a beautiful red and as she opened the window a soft breeze carried the songs of the birds to her.

"It´s going to be a good day today!" she said joyfully and walked into her dressing room, where she called for Paula, who helped her get into her favourite yellow dress with the violet laces at the front.

"Miss Lizzy, a letter has arrived for you" the young servant said, as she closed her mistresses buttons.

"So who is it from?" Lizzy asked.

"I´d rather you have your breakfast first, Miss, otherwise I can´t guarantee for nothing."

"Fine" she sighed. And before Paula could say "I´m one hell of a servant" her little lady had gulped down the toast with mamade she had brought her this morning.

"Finished" she laughed. "Now can I read the letter?"

"I´ll fetch it" Paula smiled and went. Sitting down on the chair, Lizzy wondered from whom she had gotten a letter. She hoped it wasn´t from the queen or something, telling her that Ciel was dead, and she sure didn´t hope if was from Sir Rendersom.

When Paula came back, she couldn´t hold herself from jumping up and down before her maid and sqealing for her to open the letter. She had a distinct feeling about the sender the moment she had caught a glimpse of his handwriting and now she was too excited for her own good to see if her assumption was right.

Well, her feminin intuition didn´t let her down.

Tearing the letter from Paula´s hands, she read it out loud.

_Dear Elizabeth, _

_I ask for your forgiveness that I didn´t write sooner, but I was caught up by matters that held me from it. Now I have returned to my mansion and as it is Saturday, I guess I´ll be expeting you for tea at 3 pm. Besides that, there are a few affairs I would like to talk to you about, although I will not elaborate them in this letter, should it fall into unwanted hands. _

_Ciel Phantomhive_

Lizzy had to read the letter again and again, to make sure that she had understood correctly.

Then she giggled in glee.

"Paula, did you hear! Ciel is back! And...And...We´re invited for tea THIS afternoon! He´s back, Paula, he´s really back!"

Her maid sure smiled happily at the joy of her young Lady over this great news. The best recipie for a broken heart was for it to be mended again by happiness.

She was only a bit sorry that Sir Phantomhive had only asked them in for 3 pm, that meant keeping Miss Elizabeth in terrible suspense until it was finally time to ready the coach.

But Lizzy took it extremely well, she suggested talking a huge, gigantic walk in the park to pass the time and so she did, roaming the bautiful landscape of the grounds of the Midfords mansion, when she stopped at the small clearing in the woods. There she stood for a while, pondering over what Ciel could have meant with 'matters I will not elaborate in this letter' and she wondered whether it had to do something with his journey. But as she didn´t know, she dropped the thought and went on fantasizing on how great it would be to see Ciel again and what he actually would consider worth telling her.

Lunch was finally served at 1 pm and the whole meal over, Lizzy was so excited that she nearly knocked over her glass with juice. The next hour she spent playing cards with Paula and whincing about why time would only pass so slowly and when the clock finally struck two, she couldn´t hold herself anymore, running through the corridors and yelling for the coach to get ready and hurry. So, having the complete staff under control, Lizzy managed to arrive at her beloved´s mansion half an hour early.

"Paula, now hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!" she squealed, jumping up and down on the spot.

"Well, we definitely won´t be late" her servant laughed.

Not even bothering to ring the bell, Lizzy jumped to the door, but to her surprise, it swung open before she could touch it. Sebastian, of course, had already been awaiting her Ladyship and had opened the door at the apparent arrival of his masters betrothed.

"Hello Sebastian," Lizzy waved happily. "how were your holidays?"

The butler bowed to her with a hand on his chest. "It was quite a trip. Thank you for asking."

"So...where´s Ciel?" she asked excitedly, her eyes beaming with expectation.

Sebastian chuckled. "The young master will be coming downstairs any moment. I informed him about your arrival only a few minutes ago."

Closing the door behind Paula who had followed, he excused himself to the kitchen for preparations with a bow and left Lizzy alone for the moment. But she didn´t have to wait long, a short moment afterwards, she heard a door open in the upper floor and shortly after that, the footsteps she had so longed for finally echoed throughout the corridor.

Then Ciel came down the stairs. The strangest thing was, he had visibly grown and now was no longer in need of heels, his stature had become a bit more manlier and most of all, a small smile was placed on his lips.

Lizzys voice failed her. Seeing him like this in front of her, she fell in love with him all over again.

"Ciel..." she whispered.

Step by step, he descended from the stairs, coming closer.

"Aren´t you going to jump me, like you used to?" he then asked.

The sound of his voice sent a pleasant chill down her spine. It hadn´t changed much, maybe it had just gotten a little deeper. But you could still hear his once so sarcastic undertone in a completely different usage. It sounded almost as if he was joking.

"Ciel..." she repeated. But as his words reached her, she indeed threw herself forward into his arms, which he had already partly held out. This greeting was the most wonderful one she had ever been given by him and as she clang to him tightly, almost not wanting to let him go, she felt to her utter surprise that he had actually passed his arms around her waist and leaned his head against her shoulder. Using the drive from her jump, he swirled her around once, before letting her go and setting her on the ground.

"Ciel...what took you so long?"

Now that she was finally facing him, she felt like tearing up and overflowing him with reproaches as to why he had left her so miserably alone.

"That´s why I wanted you to come over" he replied. "But first of all, let´s go into the dining room and take our tea."

"But Ciel," Lizzy objected. "It´s much too early for tea."

Ciel smirked. "Then why did you come so soon?"

Lizzy stemmed her hands onto her hips in played indignation. "Because you told me so."

"Yes, you´re right. But I´m afraid Tea will take a bit longer today because of certain important matters that we will have to discuss."

Elizabeth´s eyes widened. "Important matters? Why would you talk about them with me of all persons?"

"Because you are my fiancé and most likely the only person to understand them. Besides, officially, no one knows I´m in England. Not even the queen."

And Lizzy finally understood that his presence now and here was a secret only the two of them were sharing. The fact put aside that she was so happy to see him again, she also felt to the utmost flattered by the fact that he had deemed her the only person worthy of understanding the business leading him to his house again.

Putting a hand to her back, Ciel led the young girl to the room where he had ordered Sebastian to serve the tea. Lizzy blushed at this unusual touch, for he had never before done such things. True, when they had been in search for the white deer he had finally taken the step to taking her hand for the first time, but after that, nothing more had happened between them on a romantic basis. She loved him so much, yet he never seemed to have noticed. And now, once again he had returned from a journey and he had changed. Without her knowing. But she swept those thoughts aside, telling herself that his presence alone was everything that mattered to her for the moment.

When they arrived in the destined room, she was surprised to find that they were actually in the library where they usually had played chess on rainy days.

With a gesture of his hand, Ciel motioned her to sit down on one of the chairs, standing on either side of the glass table and when she followed his bidding, he called for Sebastian to bring the tea. Well, tea at the Phantomhives of course included a superb piece of delicious cake.

Ciel asked Lizzy to tell him every news she had aqquired whilst his absense and during the next two hours or so, she filled him in on everything she had noticed while they simultaneously ate their cake. Although he hadn´t explicitely told her to do so, she had always kept her eyes and ears open for every detail concerning murders, blackmailing or any other crime. It turned out, that lately a group of still unidentified criminals had been killing people apparently without any reason. The weapons used for the crimes were also still unknown, although it didn´t seem to be anything they ever heard of.

Ciel´s first thought at that went immediately to death scythes, but why would the Shinigamis kill people without reason? It didn´t fit. But anyway, he wasn´t here to solve the latest crimes of the London underworld, he was here for something else. In the course of the conversation he had put down his cup of tea and crossed his fingers, resting his chin on them as he based himself on his ellbows. His expression had turned back to the old, solemn Ciel he had been before his departure, but that was also due to the fact that his thoughts were racing.

"And finally," Lizzy concluded, "To prevent such crimes from happening any further, the queen ordered that no one leave their houses after seven o´clock in the evening."

His head jolted up from his thinking position and he turned towards the great grandfather clock next to the old fireplace. It´s needles were indicating that it was already a quarter past six. She would never get home in time and he was certainly not ready to take the risk of her getting hurt. But apart from that, he had also realized that something had been bothering her everytime she had told him from home. Shifting his weight to the other side, he let his gaze run up and down her figure. She sure had turned out prettier than he had had her in mind and especially her chest and waist had become more and more defined. And he could certainly imagine men trying to gain her hand.

"Say Lizzy, what´s bothering you?" he interrupted her.

Green emeralds widened at that question.

"What do you mean, what´s..."

"Don´t fool me, Elizabeth. Something´s on your mind and it certainly is nothing good, since everytime you think about it, your face is clouded."

Brows furrowed in anxiety, she looked at him in dispair. Apparently it was written all over her face that the situation with Sir Rendersom didn´t leave her mind. Folding her hands in her lap, she lowered her gaze, trying to hide the ashamed blush on her cheeks.

"It´s...Just...A few months ago, I was introduced to a man named Sir Rendersom. He´s... he´s somehow awkward and I certainly can see that he´s showing interest in me, but...I´d never..."

A sudden hand on her shoulder made her look up in astonishment. Ciel had stood up and gone over to her, placing his palm in a calming touch.

All of the sudden, a knock was to be heard and when Ciel allowed the entrance, Sebastian appeared with a bow.

"Is there anything further Bocchan wishes me to do?" he asked.

Casting a glance at his fiancé next to him, Ciel nodded and walked up to his butler. Standing on tiptoe, he whispered something into his ear. Sebastian seemed rather surprised at the request, but he wouldn´t be one hell of butler after all, if he couldn´t comply to his young masters wishes to his full content. Returning to Lizzy, Ciel held out a hand.

"Dance with me, Lizzy." He requested.

Stupefied, she stared at him. But since he asked for it, she gladly accepted his hand as he slowly turned her around to the sounds of Sebastian playing the violin. She couldn´t help continuing to stare at his deep blue eye, whitch withheld so much of what he was thinking right now.

"Ciel," she whispered. "Why are you doing this?"

"Don´t worry." he replied. "Just forget about that guy."

And there was nothing more for him to say. Lizzy understood that this was his way of comforting her, and since he never had been a volontary dancer, this was one of the greatest gifts he could offer her.

The dance ended too soon for her liking, but it didn´t seem as if Ciel was about to let her go, so she decided to take a small chance.

"Sebastian?"

"Yes, Milady?"

"Can I have one more, please?"

And after a small nod of his master, he put the instrument under his chin and started playing again. A smile stealed itself on the demon´s lips. If there was anything he loved more than cats, it was matchmaking. Especially when it came to the young master and mistress Elizabeth.

This one lasted a while longer than the first and Lizzy devoted herself completely to this dance, loosing herself in the depths of blue. They danced around the table and between chairs, past the desk and around the carpet, and she feel his fingers on her waist so clearly, his palm holding hers and the warmth of his breath on her cheeks. Now that she was so close to him, she could nearly hear his heartbeat. Hers was not to be overheard for that matter, but she loved the fact that he was the only one that could do that to her. Although his mimiks remained the same, stoic ones, like the ones he had had after his parents death, she realized a new attribute to his face. He was still very handsome, but there was something else now. He seemed to be more... at peace with himself. And she was very glad for him that he had finally gotten over the shock of his parents death, but it made her a bit sad that she hadn´t been able to be the one to change him for the better.

"Lizzy, are your parents at home, at the moment?" Ciel then suddenly asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"No, they´re on a business trip. Why?"

"Then stay the night."

"What..." she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.

"I don´t like the thought of you going out there alone and most certainly not at this time of night, if people like that are running around loose outside."

When Lizzy cast a glance at the clock, it confirmed what she had feared. It was already way past her leaving time. Still blushing, she gave him a shy nod, to show that it was ok with her. Her heartbeat now took up double speed. To think that she would sleep in his house! This withdrawn attitude of her was so very unusual, but it was most certainly due to the fact that the Ciel she had now come to know was so much more like how she had wished him to be.

Before she knew it, a tear rolled down her cheek. Ciel looked at first surprised, but when she made an attempt to wipe it away, he took her hand and placed it on his shoulder, cupping her cheek and catching the silver drop on the tip of his thumb, brushing it off. And Lizzy could hardly keep herself from sobbing.

The dance ended with the last chord and she almost wanted to throw herself in his arms again and start crying, but seeing how much _he_ had matured, she pulled herself together and smiled, doing her best to hide the sadness in it.

"Then how about a good supper and then bed?" she suggested, trying to put a bit of her old cheerfulness into her voice.

He simply nodded in approval and although he wasn´t smiling, Lizzy felt like as if his gaze softened upon her. He wasn´t so cold and distant anymore, yet still cautious about his words and actions. A smile curled up her lips. At least he was there.

Supper went past calmly and for the first time this evening, Ciel started to talk about where he had been, the people he had met and cities he had visited. And more than once did he elict a small giggle from her, that somehow, deep down in his somewhere still a little bit human soul, warmed his heart in a for him until then completely unknown way.

But him narrating his experiences only resulted in Lizzy wanting to hear more and more and although he never revealed the reasons behind his actions, she listened to him, never questioning any of it. She knew that he had his little secrets and being part of only one of them filled her with more pride than ever, so that she didn´t care if he decided not to share them all with her. Time didn´t wait for him to finish, so it got later and later, until Ciel finally decided that it was high time for them to go to bed. Lizzy aknowledged this with a yawn and stretched her arms away from her, nodding in approval.

She lay awake long after she had lied down, dressed in an old nightgown Sebastian had found somewhere in the depths of an old cupboard. She giggled at the thought that this nightgown had probably belonged to his mother, because it was cut in such a way that a girl her age would never dare to wear. But it sure was beautiful, with long, wide sleeves, a small lace string at her waist, complimenting her figure and a certainly gernerous cut neckline. But she didn´t mind at all being here. Ciel had insisted that she should sleep in his old bed and she hadn´t protested much, just the right amount to at least seem polite. But everytime she turned around, she could smell his scent and she would cuddle up in her blankets, burying her nose in it, gleefully breathing in the smell of him. For some unknown reason, sleep wouldn´t come over her and she had a distinct feeling in her tummy.

When she finally closed her eyes to at least come to peace, she didn´t notice at first the lights burning up outside the window. Startled by a loud yell in the distance, she suddenly sat up straight, only to see someone flying towards her. Instinctively, she covered herself with her arms as she expected this someone to crash into the window, but when the shattering of the glass stayed out and she looked up again, she saw the strangest creature she had ever come to face, floating before her window. She shrieked in disgust, as she realised it was a rat, but when she looked closely again, she saw a red flash, charging at it again and again.

"Is that...a chainsaw, he´s holding...?" she asked herself in surprise. Up to then she hadn´t realised that a huge fireball illuminated the night sky, but now she also noticed Sebastian jumping up and down and onto another of these horrible creatures. It sure would have looked funny, if there hadn´t been his concentrated look and it was very obvious that he was fighting. Using his silver cutlery, he held the monsters at bay and away from the mansion, but he wouldn´t be able to do it for long. Then the red flash passed again and now she realized it was actually Mister Grell that was now yelling something, batting his long eyelashes at Sebastian and getting a nosebleed while cutting up his opponent with his oversize chainsaw.

Then, she heard footsteps from the corridor, but she couldn´t take her eyes off the strange spectacle just outside the window. And suddenly, with loud bang, the door flew open and Ciel came hurried in, still in his normal clothes.

"Lizzy, are you...?"

He stopped when he saw the expression she gave him. She stared at him with a mixture of fear, surprise and most of all, curiosity.

Slowly, he joined her at the window. Realizing what she had seen, he clenched his fist and a shadow fell over his eyes.

He had meant to tell her. But not like this.

"Ciel..." he felt a slight tug on his sleeve. He looked up again, seeing his fiancé leaning over him with a rather worried look, her now open, curly hair flowing gently over her shoulders and down her back.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He blinked in bewilderment.

"I was going to ask you the same question" he replied slowly.

"I´m fine," she shrugged, " But what about you? You don´t look too good..."

"I´m..." _really at a loss what to say right now._

When his fingers touched the cold marble of the window sill, he realised that he had actually been leaning backwards. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a fireball coming straight at them. Without thinking twice, he pulled Lizzy away from the window, backing away to the wooden panels of the room, holding her in his arms as the deadly missile hit the manor´s wall only a metre away from the window. The wall was still standing after the impact, but a thick, black cloud of smoke evaporated from where it had collided. The two young people were shook quite badly, but Ciel refused to let her go, until he was sure that she wouldn´t fall and even after that, he held her close to him. Clutching the fabric of his costume, she was pressed against him as the blast hit them, but she wasn´t as afraid as she might have been if she´d been alone.

Glancing up at him from inbetween her eyelashes, which was quite new for her, she eyed him curiously.

"Ciel, why are Sebastian and Mister Grell fighting against those...creatures!?"

His brows furrowed. "Mister...Grell?"

She nodded. "Ciel, what´s going on here?"

Then, she lowered her head, realizing what she had just asked of him. "Or is that a classified matter you can´t tell me about?"

Ciel let out a small, dry laugh. Burying his head in her shoulder, he pulled her closer to him and slowly let himself sink to the ground. For a while nobody said anything, only more explosions were heard from outside and the flickering light was reflected by the white of the curtains.

He couldn´t take this. She would surely hate him for it. She would call him a monster and perhaps even run away from him. He had come back because he had thought that letting her into the secret, thus bringing her to cut all ties with him, would help him settle with his past, but now he realized that everytime he had thought about coming back, it had actually always been her that had been on his mind. It had always been her in his thoughts as the one and only reason to return but not out of the reasons he had thought. He now realized that more than ever, he didn´t want to let any harm be done to her, let alone by himself. But now he asked himself, could a broken heart be mended so easily? Truth be told, sometimes she was the only thing that kept together his sanity, she was his safe anchor in his messed up, crazy life.

"I´m sorry, Lizzy." He whispered. And he couldn´t keep his voice from trembling.

"I meant to tell you earlier, I really did. I tried, even tonight, but I couldn´t. So I wanted to do it tomorrow. I didn´t know they would go for me and even come this far..."

Releasing her from his grasp, he came to face her, but she just knelt there between his angled legs, hands folded in her lap and looked at him, patiently waiting for a further explanation.

"Truth is, I don´t know, if I actually came back to stay. Maybe, I´ll just go on, travelling the world, or maybe I won´t. But in either case, I wanted to see you, to give you one last explanation, so that you would know what really happened."

A bitter laugh escaped him again. "Turns out, this is harder than I thought." His gaze held low, he couldn´t look at her, but she forced him to by putting a finger under his chin.

"Just go ahead and say it anyway."

He closed his eye and leaned his head against the panel behind him.

"Those cratures out there... they´re not human."

The following pause didn´t exactely encourage him, but he went on, anyway.

"I don´t know who created or summoned them, but what I do know is that they origine from a place simple mortals wouldn´t be able to reach so easily. It´s a place where demons are created. A place where no rules exist. Sebastian and I were chasing these vermins all over the world, but it seems we haven´t touched the bottom of it quite yet. They started turning the game around and now we´re the mouse and they´re the cat. Coming back here was a huge mistake,...I..."

He cleared his throat and let his head hang low, his bangs covering his expression.

"I´m sorry I brought you into such danger, Lizzy, ..."

His voice failed.

" I...I can´t protect you anymore. Not even Sebastian can..."

"Although he too is a demon?"

His head jolted up. His eyes widened. And his tongue, paralyzed, couldn´t bring forth a single sound. There she sat, emeralds innocently looking at him, while she herself had just uttered something other people would have had them get taken to the sanatarium. It was too late for denial, his surprise had already confirmed her suspicion, but he was petrified by the mere thought that she had already been approached by these matters.

"How..."

"Well, it wasn´t that hard to find out. He is pretty skilled after all, he can catch bullets with two fingers and is extremely witty when it comes to killing people who dare come too close to you."

"But demons actually shouldn´t exist..." he tried a small protest, still not believing that he was actually having this conversation with her.

"Nor should Shinigamis." She retorted.

Now he was perfectly confused. How had she found out about all this?

"At least that´s what Grell-sama told me..."

Ciel sweatdropped. "Grell...?"

She nodded happily. "Well, that was a story, I tell you. I was sitting in the middle of a nice little clearing, when I heard someone clashing into a tree somewhere nearby and when I went to look there, I found Mister Sutcliffe, dangling from a tree, seeming pretty dizzy. When I asked him who had done this to him, he brabbled something about a certain William, in combination with 'the hottest man he´d ever seen' and 'Why is fate being so cruel'. I pulled him away from there, just in time, before his chainsaw came sailing after him. To be honest, I was really curious about that thing and as I asked, I got actually more information than needed. It seems he was in a very talkative mood that day." She giggled again at that memory.

"He told me all about Shinigamis, death scythes, cinematic records, his job and I think somewhere along the lines, he started romanticizing about a certain black butler. That´s when I decided that he had absolutely lost it and I walked away. Not even two minutes after that, someone tried to jump me in an attempted assassination, but Grell-sama saved me by cutting that someone in half and when I saw these cinematic records for the first time, I finally believed him. And every word he had told me, too."

"So you know about demons...?" Ciel whispered disbelievingly.

She nodded. "I may be innocent and cute, but I´m not blind, Ciel. No one is. They simply don´t _want_ to see it, so they don´t."

"They?"

She shrugged. "Everyone. For a long time I had had my doubts about these mysterious cases in the London underworld being solved so quickly. Then it turned out, that they had all been killed. I guess that was the work of the Shinigamis."

"But...how did you find out about Sebastian...?"

"I don´t know. But I guess I had this feeling since the moment you introduced me to him, that there was more to that incredibly skilled servant than met the eye. Besides, he does make a divine apple pie."

Ciel almost chuckled. "What´s that got to do with it?"

She shrugged again, grinning. "An apple pie as godly as his simply can´t be made by mortals."

He almost laughed again. Almost. "He´s a demon, Lizzy, he´s not from heaven."

Lowering his eyes, he closed them again. They both fell silent, as a long pause came up, in which neither of them knew what to say. She was the first to break the silence.

"So,...that place where the rats came from, is that...is that the place where you met Sebastian?"

His shoulders twitched as in his mind, he replayed his first encounter with his butler, but he nodded. "Yes. I made a contract with him. A contract that provided, that he would be my butler and serve at my side, until I completed my revenge for the death of my parents."

"And..." she swallowed, "Is your right eye the price you payed for that contract?"

He let out an empty laugh. "There´s nothing wrong with my eye, except for the fact that it has a demonic mark upon it and it would irritate people whilst staring."

With a very low voice, Lizzy carefully dared a question.

"Can I see it?"

After a short moment of hesitation, he raised his arms to undo the knot holding his eyepatch, but she gently took away his hands and leaned over him.

Her snowwhite, slender fingers undid the ribbon with a graceful movement, but he didn´t shudder at the unusual touch.

When the knot had been dissolved, she swallowed once more, before looking at him, waiting for his approval. He didn´t say anything, he simply returned her gaze in expectation of her dreaded reaction.

Gently letting her index finger run down his cheek, stroking it, she then slowly lifted the black peace of leather.

Ciel let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding as the cool air hit his still closed eyelid, but he bit back his remorse as he gradually opened his eye. He could practically hear Elizabeth breathe in sharply as he revealed his brand to her, glowing slightly in the dimly illuminated room.

Cupping his cheeks with her smooth hands in an ever so light touch, she looked deep into his dark blue irises. And Ciel could almost feel her touching his soul in this one small gesture. She didn´t say anything, her eyes simply stayed focused on his, and he could read the worry in her eyes. But what about, he didn´t know. It seemed more, as if she were trying to read him, his soul, his very being at that moment, and he almost was afraid that she succeded in finding out what he really was. But she only sighed and took away her fingers, and before she even realized, a tear dropped from her eyelashes again.

"Why...Why are you crying?" he asked in bewilderment.

"I...I think I understand a lot more than I did before,...but..." she wiped the tear away, sniffling.

"...But what I don´t understand, is why everytime you go away and seemed to have disappeared from my life, you always come back, so different from what you were before..." she burst out.

Seeing this, Ciel was at a loss what to do or say. He had never been good at comforting her, but ever more so, in this situation he was less than unable to help her in any way. Without even thinking, he passed his arms around her waist and pulled her into a firm, long, and desperate hug.

"I´m sorry," he repeated. " I never meant for you to get hurt in such a way."

Her shaking shoulders slowly grew calmer as did her sniffing and as a sign that she mostly forgave him these past few years of lonlyness, she snuggled into his chest, eyes still closed, and sneaked her arms around his torso.

Ciel didn´t push her away, because he didn´t even think about finding this action unpleasant. Her warmth, her scent, the salt of her tears, it all felt like it was a part of him, and always had been. And maybe, he thought, maybe it had.

After a close while, in which he nearly enjoyed this proximity, knowing that it would be probably the last he would ever come to know, Lizzy pulled away from him and wiped away her tears with her sleeve.

"I´m sorry." She said wearily.

"What for?"

"That I always get emotional..."

And Ciel didn´t know what to reply.

But she simply sighed fullheartedly. "I guess I´ll leave as early in the morning as I can, then..."

"Wha..." Ciel stared at her, mouth agape. How had she gotten to this topic now?

"Why would you?" his voice almost sounded harsh.

She shrugged. "You won´t be needing me anymore, since you got Sebastian and as I recon, you are here on a mission." She glanced up at him again and smiled ever so soft, giving him the worst bad conscience, he´d ever had.

Slowly heaving herself from the floor, she put herself in an upright position and rubbed her arms to get warm, because it was getting rather cold. Immediately, Ciel sprang up too.

"What do you mean, I won´t be needing you?"

Following her, as she walked over to the bed, he started buttoning down his jacket.

She stopped and turned to him and although he could see the sorrow in her eyes, she did a brilliant job at acting out her smile, still as genuine as he had ever seen someone curve up his lips.

"You´ve got a complete life, Ciel. You have a job, a butler who can do almost everything and a reason to live for. There´s no place for me in that world."

"What... what do you mean with complete...? My life hasn´t been complete since the day my parents died!" he practically screamed. "Ever since I contracted Sebastian I have been searching for the one responsible that night, but that quest ended up in..." he could barely stop himself there.

She lowered her eyes to the floor again.

"I know there are more important things to you in this world, Ciel, and don´t you dare contradict me. You´ve always made your point clear that I´m am simply one factor in your life, yet not worth considering first priority. And now I understand why." She paused. " But I guess you came back here to cut all ties with your previous life and start a new one. And it´s ok. I understand."

Ciel threw his jacket around her and clutched it´s fabric on either side in his fingers, pulling her close to him. He didn´t know why he was so enraged, for it had actually went quite the way he had wanted it, and even better, but there was still something else, and tht something was now coming up, as he tried to oppress his anger.

"You don´t understand. You don´t understand anything. You maybe right that I originally planned to leave everything behind, but..." his treaturous voice failed him, trembling.

"It´s ok." She whispered. "Don´t worry. We´ll...We´ll simply break off the engagement and then..."

"What do you mean, 'break off the engagement'?" he shouted.

"I..." she was dumbstruck. Ciel was really getting more and more agitated, but his anger soon turned into what seemed desperation.

"Why the hell would I want to break off our engagement? It´s the only thing keeping me sane in this crazy world!" he yelled.

"Ciel..."

" I came back, thinking that you would hate me after you knew the truth and everything would be much easier, but now I realize..."

He froze as she flung herself against him, cuddling him and surrounding him with her warmth and grace. She did freeze anymore since he had put his jacket around her and her presence soothed his torn feelings. And completely indulging himself in her endearment, he sunk his nose into her soft hair.

"I realized I can´t let you go, because I love you." He whispered. "I love you, although I shouldn´t and I know it will only cause trouble and pain, but I can´t stop."

A small white hand touching his cheek made his head jolt up.

"Why shouldn´t you love me?" she smiled sadly.

Her smile broke his heart.

"I´m one of them, Lizzy."

He closed his eyes and waited for her repudiation.

But it never came. The truth had been spoken, but she didn´t reply and he could feel her gaze scanning him. Yet her emeralds didn´t show any sign of fear or even hatred, they sparkled with the power of love. But he couldn´t see that since he had his eyes closed.

He almost fell backwards, as he felt a small nose leaning against his as did her forehead.

"I don´t care. For me, no matter what state your soul might be in right now, you´re always Ciel and always will be. The Ciel that used to smile so much, but then turned into a shadow of himself and now has come back once again."

"You...don´t hate me?"

"Oh Ciel, far from it. It´s the complete opposite. I love you. I love you so much."

He trembled slightely as his lips found hers in a desperate move, but her tenderness calmed him down as she recovered from the first moment of surprise and started kissing back, sneaking her arms around his neck and him tightning his grasp around her waist. Eyes fluttered close, as she dived into the depths of this moment, and him conceiling the fears he had had yet shouldn´t have needed to have. And neither of them noticed that in the distance, the lights slowly burnt down and the star lit night sky took over, because they were simply too busy catching up what they had lost these past few years.

When he carefully pulled away, she left her eyes closed, trying to keep his bitter sweet taste as long in her memory as possible.

"Stay with me this night." She mumbled.

He nodded and picked her up, carrying her over to the kingsize bed and let her glide off him. She quickly snuggled into the light sheets and he took his jacket she had reached him, carelessly throwing it over the next chair, following after her and closing her into his arms, a hug, which she eagerly complied to.

Letting his fingers run through her hair and enjoying the blissfull peace inside of him he had newly won, he couldn´t resist placing a last kiss on her soft lips.

She opened her eyes again, smiling. "It´s just a pity that it wasn´t me who changed you back again."

He leaned his cheek against hers, moving closer to her ear.

"Oh Lizzy, it was you. It always has been. Only neither of us noticed..."

"..."

"..."

"Ciel...?"

"Yes?"

"Right now, I´m the happiest girl in the entire world"

"And why´s that?"

"You kept calling me 'Lizzy' the whole day through already, but I didn´t notice uptil now."

He chuckled. He chuckled, because he had come to love how she always showed him that she enjoyed the little things in life the most. And most of all, he loved her the most of all.

"But Ciel...?" 

"Yes...?"

"Is there anything Sebastian can´t do?"

"What would think of?"

"Hm...Maybe forcing the sun to rise later..."

"Ah, yes. But who needs the sun, when he´s got you," Ciel whispered. She only snuggled deeper into his chest as approval and grinned sheepishly.

**Sooooooooo, phew, finally finished! You can´t imagine, how much time it took me to write this. It was a puzzle work, one page per week! Anyway, Here´s something for my lovly supporters! IF, emphazise IF I get 100 reviews who encourage me to do it by the 5****th**** of April, I will update this story with a 2****nd**** Chapter, LIME INCLUDED! Only if you want it! I´ll write it anyway, but the question is, will I update it? Fate is in your hands! And don´t you dare leave this story without a review!**


	2. 2: Love no matter what

**Here goes guys, have fun and excusxe me for updating late, my PC broke down and I had to write everything from anew... **** but now it´s here! Enjoy and many many thanks to all of those who reviewed! Oh, and one warning, the lime kinda turned out a little more hardcore than I had originally planned, since I had to write everything a second time, so... please tell me how I did. **

* * *

When Sebastian came in the next morning, he found his master and her Ladyship in a compromisingly close position, huddled against each other in a deep embrace.

Chuckling silently to himself, he closed the door quietly and went downstairs to do some chores, until the young Earl and his fiancé felt like taking their breakfast.

A little while after that, Lizzy woke first, but refrained from getting up already, since she didn´t want to wake the still peacefully sleeping Ciel. She simply lay there, recalling the events from last night, letting the memories run through her mind again.

"_I´m sorry, Lizzy, I can´t protect you. Not even Sebastian can."_

"_I wanted to see you, to give you one last explanation, so that you would know what really happened."_

"_I realized I can´t let you go, because I love you. I love you, although I shouldn´t and I know it will only cause trouble and pain, but I can´t stop."_

"_I´m one of them."_

And then... the kiss. Truth be told, she actually hadn´t believed it to be reality, until he had kissed her the second time around. Looking back now, everything had gony by so quickly, yet when their lips had finally touched, she had felt like being stuck in time. But the fact alone that he was now lying beside her and yesterday had hugged her as if tomorrow were never to come, proved that everything had been real, for once.

And she just kept on reminiscing about what had happened, letting her gaze glide over his sleeping face, when she stopped as it fell upon his eye. She knew he thought of it as a brand, a sign that he was meant to move amongst demons, now even as one of them, and he despised it, but she found it beautiful, marking him as a powerful young man, willing to go his own ways and create his own paths, showing that he certainly was not helpless.

Carefully, she took his hands away from her back and placed them beside him, before slowly rolling over to her side of the bed and swinging her bare feet over the brim, flinging the covers aside and yawning, underlining this statement with two outstretched arms to either side.

Still a little dazed from sleep, she walked over to the boudoir, where she had put down her dress, but deciding not to change clothes yet, she opened the door, in search for the restroom and a good dive into the bathtub. With a last glance, assuring that Ciel was still soundly sleeping, she sneaked out, not bothering to close the door properly and went to do her morning toilet.

No one crossed paths with her as she roamed the corridors, until she came to the big, marbled bathroom, already steaming from heat. _Sebastian must have already warmed it up_, she thought, as she pulled off her nightgown and tiptoed into the wet, testing it´s temperature.

"Perfect..." she mumbled, letting herself glide into the warm water. Sighing and closing her eyes in satisfaction, she let herself sink into the comfort of this wellness until her shoulders were completely under water, putting up her hair so that it wouldn´t get wet. And once again, she replayed that fateful kiss from last night in her mind, still being able to feel his lips on hers and the beautiful feeling it had created inside of her.

After she had relaxed herself for a while, simply following her thoughts, she got up, giving in to the grumbling of her tummy and as she looked around for a towel, she realized that Sebastian, great butler he was, had thought of giving her an extra pair. Wrapping herself into the fluffiness of the cream white cloth she smiled happily, as she breathed in the sweet scent of maracuya, vanilla and peach, a creation surely originating from Sebastian´s potion mixing skills.

She rubbed herself dry and put on her gown, leaving the basin as quietly as she had entered it, sneaking through the house to at least be back at Ciel´s side when he woke up. But as she turned left, she realized she had taken the wrong corridor, for this part of the house seemed awfully like the part where the servants used to sleep. But curiosity took over, as she heard a stiffened giggle from the turning to her right. Following the muffled voices, she suddenly saw Finnian and Mey-Rin eavesdropping on a small oak door.

"So, whatcha think?" Mey-Rin whispered in excitement, barely even able to hush her voice, trying to stop her nosebleed and blushing all over her cheeks. "How long have they been at it before they fell asleep?"

"Eek, Mey-Rin, you pervert," Finny exclaimed, yet not blushing or grinning less than she did.

"Well, I always knew he had a crush on her, but I never knew, he´d actually..."

"Shsh,...don´t wake them...!" he puffed.

"Nah, they wouldn´t wake if Mister Sutcliffe would do a strip dance on the kitchen table, showing us his poledancing skills" she replied.

"What´s there to see?" Lizzy asked innocently, peeking up from inbetween them, trying to get a glimpse of what they were seeing through the keyhole.

The maid and the gardener froze in shock as they noticed who had spoken.

"Ah...Uhm..." Finny scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well, we were..."

She cocked her head to one side. "C´mon, apparently it´s some love story I don´t know about. Please tell me, you know it can´t resist those..." she pleaded, giving both of them her best puppy look.

"Ah...well" Mey-Rin gave in, sticking one finger in the air. "But please don´t...be harsh with judgement, Mylady, it´s..."

Lizzy giggled, her voice held low. "Why would I judge anyone badly who obviously did everything right in love?"

The two servants looked at each other, shrugging.

"I guess...you´re right..." Finny whispered. And grinning like a cheshire cat, Mey-Rin tugged her over to the keyhole and let her look through it.

Through the form of the missing key, Lizzy could definitely see Bart, Ciel´s cook, in trousers and shirt, whithout his apron though, sitting on his bed, visibly fast asleep with a small, slim figure, cuddled next to him, one hand splayed on his chest and the other one lying in her lap, while one of his hands was in an undefined position around her waist and the other one was intwining it´s fingers with the free hand on her knees.

Lizzy recognized these brown, long locks anywhere.

"That...That..."

She had to hold herself from bursting out in a heartily laughter. Mey-Rin and Finny quickly helped her hold her mouth, before the two lovebirds could wake up.

"Well, that´s a couple..." she finally managed to sqeal after she had calmed down. "Who would´ve thought that Paula was falling for Bart...?"

"Yeah," Finny giggled, "I knew he had a major crush on her, but I never knew, it was requited affection."

The two girls sighed in unison. "Ah yes," Mey-Rin replied. "One in soul and feelings..."

"forever to be in one´s heart..." Lizzy added dreamily. The three of them looked at each other and burst into a fit of restrained giggles again.

"They make a cute couple," she stated once again. Finny and Mey-Rin looked at each other, still grinning, but when their gaze met, Lizzy could definitely see something in those meaningfull looks.

"You do, too, by the way" she whispered, a define twinkle in her eye. They stopped laughing and immediately broke eye contact, but their blush was all proof that Lizzy needed, to know that she had hit the nail on the head. But leaving it up to themselves, she turned round whispering one last "see you at breakfast" before disappearing around the next turn, waving before she got out of sight.

As she turned round the next corner, she nearly bumped against Sebastian, who saved the morning tea with an elegant bow, holding out one hand simultanously to catch her fall. Giggling, she let herself be pulled up again into a standing position.

"Good morning, Sebastian!" she greated happily.

He bowed in response, smiling. "I wish the same for you, your Ladysh..."

"Oh Sebastian," she interrupted him, "If you can´t call me Lizzy or even Elizabeth without any formalitys, then at least Miss Lizzy. Please." She offered.

"Well, If it is your wish, Elizabeth-sama..."

"Yes it is, Sebas-chan!" she grinned. "Oh, and I think Ciel will be sleeping in today, so...better not wake him yet."

"If you say so."

Sebastian looked after her diminuating form as she wandered down the corridor when a small smirk pulled up his lips. He wondered if something had happened between those two besides kissing and cuddling. Not that he was in any position to ask, anyway. But matchmaking was one of his favourite hobbys after all, and it had been him that had helped the cook and Miss´Lizzy´s servant to have to share one quarter. He had been sure they wouldn´t mind, and he had been absolutely right, but he had refrained from checking in on them after midnight, since he most certainly didn´t want to be a witness to THAT. Well, not that he thought they´d do it immediately, but you could never know. With another smirk, he took up his walk to the dining room again, where his master surely would want to have breakfast when he woke up.

Lizzy slipped through the half opened door, right the way she´d left it and went over to her fiancé, who was, to her surprise, still sleeping. She smiled to herself and leaned over him to give him a soft peck on the cheek. Yet he still didn´t waken, but his previous frown had been replaced by a small, graceful smile and he murmured

"Lizzy...don´t go..."

"Silly..." she giggled, "I´d never leave you, no matter what."

And he fell silent again. With a last loving glance she decided to get ready now and went over to the chair where she had put down her clothes. She hesitated for moment as she wanted to pull of her nightgown and decided to do her curls first. First she grabbed the brush lying there and carefully went through her golden locks. The the continuating rhythm of her movements let her fall once again into a daydream, she herself smiling at her fantasies. Then she put the brush down and attempting to part her hair into two equal halves, she raised her arms when she suddenly felt a hand around her waist. Turning her head, she looked into Ciel´s eyes, smiling down at her.

"Don´t do it." He said.

"Don´t do what?"

"Put your hair up."

She frowned. "Why not?"

He passed his second arm around her too, intwining his fingers before her stomach. "I wouldn´t say it doesn´t suit you, but... you don´t need to be cute for me anymore, Lizzy, just to make me smile. You´re much more beautiful this way."

She couldn´t help but grin happily at that statement. Leaning her head against his chest, she nodded into him and then gave him a quick peck on his lips, making him blush furiously.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty" she mocked him playfully.

"Well, a very good morning to you too, my prince" he retorted with the utmost sarcasm he could come up with at this time of day. "Who turned on the lights, anyway?" he asked, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

She simply shrugged, still smiling and letting go of her, he reached for his eyepatch, an accustomed movement every morning, but as soon as his fingers brushed against the leather, he felt himself repulsing against the thought of having to hide the thruth day after day, especially before her. He took his hand back and faced away.

"Ciel...?"

Turning to her again with one of the most kind smile on his lips she´d ever seen, he simply shook his head.

"I won´t be needing that anymore. Not around you, anyway."

And she replied with a smile, so similar to his in tenderness and love. Grabbing her dress and stockings, she went into the room next door to get dressed, leaving him to do the same.

After she´d closed the door and left, he thought long about what happened. The fight, his confession and the kiss. But he didn´t regret it at all, because for once in his life, he didn´t feel like having to put on an act before her. And she was the only exception. For her, he´d open himself up to the very last bit of his soul to show her how much he loved her. Because now he was sure she loved him back the same way and would for evermore. Sighing in content, he opened the buttons of his white blouse and went hunting for a similar one in his old cupboards. After he had completely dressed in the blue costume he had been wearing the day before, he went next door and knocked carefully.

"Oh...whatever...come in!" he heard her call.

He entered and saw his fiancé fighting with the many buttons on her back. Flushing red, he closed the door behind him.

"Ahem... can I...help you...?"

"Ah yes..." she replied happily, obviously not minding his presence. "Maybe you could close the buttons from the lower half... the rest I can do alone."

Ciel´s eyes narrowed and he began to think.

"Don´t you think it´s a bit small...?"

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, going into fits of blushing.

"Well, I think you would manage even without my help, if... well, if the cloth wouldn´t... be stretched so much..."

"Are you saying I put on weight?" she pouted, putting forth her lower lip.

"Uh, yeah, something like that..." he muttered under his breath. "Know what, I think I got something for you. Wait here."

With that, he closed the door and left her with an astonished look. When he came back, he held a beautiful green dress in his hands, from the looks of it alone, a very expensive material.

"Ciel..." she gasped.

"Hands up" he commanded and she pulled off her old dress, yet leaving on her underdress and raised her arms to the air so that he could help her into it. The wonderful cloth caressed her skin as it grazed her and she could smell a little perfume from it. It´s skirt floated around her like waves and it followed her every move perfectly. There were three white lilies growing from the left side corner and the blossomed right above kneeheight and a small, golden belt defined her waist line from it growing yet another small pair of lilies on the other side. It was nearly shoulderfree, yet with the right amount of chastity for a girl her age and she stared at it, mouth agape, in the mirror before her.

"This...I can´t..."

"It belonged to my mother." He stated. "But I guess, I´ll never be wearing it, so I think you´re the only one that´ll ever be worthy of wearing her things."

Lizzy nearly teared up. "Oh Ciel..." she whispered. "Thank you...I..."

"No, Lizzy..." he interrupted her "Thank you."

With that he took a step forward, pulling her into an embrace and an affectionate kiss, putting all of his feelings into this gesture. She gently complied to this act, hugging him tighter in the process. He broke away a little, noses still touching and smiled.

"No money could ever be worth what you did to me, but at least I can give something back to you." He said.

"Oh, Ciel, I´d do anything for you..." she smiled, wrapping her arms around him again."

"So would I for you" he muttered.

Pulling away after a while she wished had lasted longer, he took a step backwards and opened the door, waving her through with a slight bow and closing it after she had passed him, still smiling. They both made their way to breakfast with a slight reddening to their cheeks, but on midway, Ciel took hold of her hand.

She looked at him, at first astonished and surprised, but naturally, she didn´t push him away, instead she tightened her grasp and entwined her fingers with his. Walking hand in hand, they reached the library again, where she sadly hat to let go of him and she sat down on the couch once again. But everything was soon pushed into unimportance when she smelled the superb breakfast Seastian had prepared.

Speaking of the devil/demon, he came, as soon as Ciel rang the little bell placed at his seat and brought the tea, pouring it from the most beautiful bonechina pot Lizzy had ever seen. And you couldn´t say what tasted best, because everything was unique in it´s own way.

"You´re wearing quite a beautiful dress, Miss Lizzy," the butler remarked politely, complimenting her at the same time.

She blushed happily and simply nodded, not wanting to spill the mouthful of tea on her tongue.

"Good point Sebastian," Ciel retorted " which reminds me." he handed his butler a small note with some numbers on it. "Go into town and order five of these. Same length and style. Choose the patterns as you wish." He commanded.

"Yes, my Lord."

Waving his hand, the boy dismissed him and with a last bow, Sebastian departed. He closed the door behind him and Ciel concentrated on his breakfast again. When he looked up from his toast, he could read the curiosity in Lizzy´s eyes, but he simply smirked.

"I´m not telling."

"I wasn´t asking."

"But you want to know."

"´Course I do! But I won´t ask." She replied stubbornly.

He let out a laugh. "Good. Then I won´t have to answer."

"Oh, Ciel, you´re so mean!" she giggled, trying to seduce him with an affectionate batting of her eyelashes, but he naturally wouldn´t give in.

Seeing as she had finished her meal, he stood up and held out a hand. "Do you want to play something for me on the piano?"

She nodded happily, regaining her 'bounce' and sprung up, tugging him by his sleeve through the main hall, up the big stairs and into the music room, her now open, blonde hair waving behind her as she pulled him along. She practically flung herself on the stool and waited for him to finally catch up with her.

"Well, at least one of us is awake" he mumbled.

"Oh Ciel, don´t be such a lazy bone" she commented as he walked towards her and heaved himself onto the piano, legs dangling from the beautiful instrument.

"Start playing" he requested.

She smiled and put her hands in position. When her fingers moved over the keys, drawing such wonderful tones from it, Ciel lost himself in the peacefulness of the music, gazing at her, thinking nothing in particular and simply listening to the world she created with her movements, a world, in which they both belonged, together on one side of the map, united in a strong will and the power of love. It ended too soon for his liking, just as the two dances they had shared yesterday, but he asked for one more, and one more after that and yet another, until she had nothing more to play from her memory. Looking up at him, she made him understand that she was finished.

He smiled and jumped down, motioning her to move aside and took place next to her on the bench.

"How about you improvise?" he asked.

She shook her head, her golden locks bouncing around her face.

"I´m not so good at that. How about you play me something?"

He grimaced. It had been such a long time since he had actually played, but for her, he´d try.

"Ok. But don´t be harsh with judgement, I haven´t played in a long time."

A small grin tugged at her lips. _Don´t be harsh with judgement_ , she´d heard that sentence already today. But as soon as the first melody came from the keys, she stopped thinking. For the music he played somehow was a mirror of his soul. It was complex, yet beautiful, twisted, but with defined lines and a recurrent theme and she couldn´t believe he was actually playing this simply without any notes or something. This was a completely new composition flowing from his fingers and representing the feelings inside him. And just like her he played on and on, but she didn´t have to ask for a continuation, he didn´t stop for a long while. For whenever he´d look upon her face and see how utterly happy she was and how the music enchanted her, he said to himself that he could play on a little while still. And it didn´t even bother him.

When he started to play a softer tune, she snuggled close to him, gazing deeply into his eyes and she wondered whether he would miss the keys if she were to kiss him now.

But every daydream and magic of this moment was crushed as the unmistakeable sound of the doorbell echoed through the hall.

Ciel sighed in dispair and ended his song with a beautiful chord, jerking his head towards the door, motioning her to come along with him. She smiled cheerfully, even although she was a bit sad that they had been interrupted so rudely, but she ran ahead, nosy to see who it was, because Ciel didn´t have guests too often.

Too late did she realize that he had told her his presence was a secret and that actually nobody knew that he was in England. But she had already slithered to the door and put the hand on the knob, anyone with good ears would know that somebody must be home.

And ever more so, the moment she opened the door, the second she regretted it.

"Good day, Miss Midford."

Oh, some people really deserved a broken nose. Or better, everything broken. Before she could do anything about it, the man that had knocked entered, forcing her backwards if she wanted to avoid body contact and grabbed her hand, placing a slimy wet kiss upon it. Disgusted, Lizzy´s mouth turned upside down.

"Sir Rendersom" she replied dryly, trying to show all her dislike in these two words.

He smirked in response. Lizzy furrowed her brows, noticing two scars, marginably visible running down his cheek.

"I am very pleased to meet you here, dear Lady," he replied, bowing to her once more, "For I came here in the purpose to find you."

"W...Who told you I´d be here?" she stuttered, now angry that he had dared to stalk her.

"Some people in town say, you often pass your time with... well, let´s simply say, unique people."

_Thank god everyone´s unique, the world would be destroyed in two minutes if we had two of him running around_, she thought. But having to keep her cool, she forced a smile and look up expectively at him. He flashed her a smile, probably thinking it to be attractive, or even flirtatious, she simply found it disgusting.

"I´ll come in, shan´t I ?" he remarked, taking a step forwards, and shutting the door behind him, closing in on her position, still grinning like a skull on the graveyard.

"Uhm..."

_Wipe that grin off your face, you monkey. _If thoughts could kill, he´d be dead twice over.

Trying to suddenly sneak a hand around her waist, he attempted to pull her into kiss, when her reflexes activated and she gave him a good bitchslap right in the face.

"How dare you try kiss me, you impertinent dog! Who do you think you are?" she yelled, fuming from rage and raising her arm to hit him again. Completely taken aback from her aggression, he tripped and fell over his own feet, trying to evade from her anger by crawling backwards.

The surprise on his face shortly showed his true expression, until he remembered his status and got up again, grabbing her wrist, the element of surprise not longer on her side.

"And who do you think you are?" he raised his voice against hers.

"Actually, ..." And at that moment, Lizzy was never happier to see Ciel in that cold, stoic attitude on the middle of the stairs, his human eye glittering with anger and self-restriction and with every word he spoke, he took the stairs step by step towards the baffled man, waying each syllable on his tongue.

"She happens to be Elizabeth." Step. " Ethel" Step. "Cordelia" Step."Midford." Step. " Heir to the Midford family." Four steps. "Daughter of my mothers sister," the last steps he took fluently, walking up to Lizzy and placing his hand on her shoulder, nearly as if he wanted to claim his property.

"My cousin, my fiancé and the wife of the Queen´s Watchdog" he finished. His demonic eye, covered by his bangs, was not visible, but she could almost feel its hungry glare.

"And you happen to be...?" Sir Rendersom nearly spat.

"The Earl of Phatomhive." Ciel smirked. "And the last person you will ever speak to, if you don´t leave my property this instant."

Lizzy cuddled herself closer to Ciel, passing a hand around his waist and laying the other on his shoulder, simply stating whom she was siding with. But unfortunately for him, Sir Rendersom was not willing to comprehend that he had lost and he drew his sword.

"You´re nothing short of an Earl" he hissed. "You could never be the heir to the Phantomhive company and I don´t think Miss Lizzy could possibly want to marry a child."

"The only person behaving like a child is you, for you don´t know when to leave or how to accept a game lost." Ciel retorted, placing a clearly visibly hand on Elizabeth´s hip.

"Then let´s fight for it."

The young Earl raised an eyebrow and looked down at Lizzy, who nodded at him barely noticable and smirked with the tiniest of smiles.

Letting go of her, he took back his hand and she retreated to the weapon chamber, bringing back a blade for Ciel, as one for herself too, well hidden below her dress. From the top of the stairs she didn´t even bother to call out to him as she threw him the metal with a swift throw directly into his hand, making Sir Rendersom realize that suddenly he had a sword at his throat.

"Touché." Ciel mocked. But the other man quickly moved to one side, Ciel letting him, because it would be too easy to kill him instantly. And the duell began, Lizzy remarking with the utmost of satisfaction that Ciel wasn´t even putting up half of his strength as he would have had as a human, which meant that if he kept it up, he could beat him without even having to access his demon powers.

The metal kept crushing and whenever it met, it would resonate in a high pitched sound, almost shrieking. Ciel wasn´t even sweating, but Sir Rendersom was ever more so. His concentration was at the fullest, but this boy simply wouldn´t fall for any of his tricks. Irritation began to spread amongst his face as Ciel won a wonderful parade, missing his eye by an inch and continuing as if nothing had happend.

"You´re not as good as I expected" Ciel remarked, becoming a little bored by the lack of entertainement.

This completely broke his nerve and with a quick gesture of Ciels hand, Sir Rendersoms weapon fell to the stone floor with a loud clang. At the foot of the stairs, Lizzy smirked. Now it was her turn.

Getting up, she walked behind the man, putting him between her and her fiancé. Ciel raised his sword again, but Sir Rendersom began retreating.

"F...Fine..." he muttered. "You´ve...you´ve won."

Ciel smiled evilly. "But that was not why I fought you."

The man gulped. "It...it wasn´t...?" And with a sudden sound of surprise, he noticed Lizzys weapon inbetween his shoulderblades. Her face was cold as ice as she glanced upon him, her head held high.

A shadow passed upon Ciel´s eyes and only the white of his teeth could be seen as the evilness showed through that grin.

"I want revenge. I want to give you the same humiliation Elizabeth had to feel for being put under pressure in public and most of all I want to give you a warning you´ll never forget."

And with that, he charged at him. Lizzy had no time to think about his words as her body took over the control and the only thing she was thinking about was how perfectly she and Ciel moved together against the once so cocky man. But although it was two against one they never managed to hurt him in a lifethreatening way. In the course of the fight, he had had to take in a few injuries like a graze in his face, a large cut to his knee and one right across his back. But Lizzy noticed that he was growing weaker and weaker and his movements went more and more uncontrolled.

It was rather unfortunate that Sebastian came in, thus breaking Ciel´s concentration and giving Sir Rendersom the opportunity to hit the sword out of his hand. Before Lizzy knew what she was doing, she had taken two steps and had flung herself into the air screaming, aiming her flight straight at the triumphantly grinning man who wasn´t grinning as selfcontent anymore when he felt the sharp blade penetrate his chest. They both landed on the floor and Lizzy pulled out the bloodstained metal, looking at the man below her in disgust.

"Don´t you ever dare do that again" she hissed.

She could see that her victim was falling unconscious, but suddenly he started to glow in a red light and he began lifting himself into the air, hovering there for one moment until the light began to flicker and a huge rat emerged out of nowhere, holding the nearly dead Sir innetween its large front teeth. Before Sebastian could do or say anything, the rat blinked and disappeared into a black hole, leaving nothing behind but two small bloodstains from the body, dripping onto the floor like a last warning.

Lizzy was trembling from adrenalin as she sank to her knees, but she soon recovered again as she remembered Ciel and jumped up, turning around only to see him at her side, ready to catch her if she fell.

"You okay?" he mumbled.

She simply nodded, closing her eyes and yanking her arms around him, his scent calming her excited heartbeat.

Sebastian bowed in apology. "Forgive me, young master. I should have protected you."

Ciel was to tired to be angry. "It´s too late now anyways. Just get the mess cleaned up, bring the things I ordered into the right room and put up a nice hot bath. I don´t think we´ll be needing supper, thank you very much." he uttered, putting his arms around the still trembling Lizzy and pressing a kiss upon her forehead.

Sebastian commented this gesture with a raised brow, but complied to his masters wishes as the young Earl softly pushed away the girl and led her to her room, holding her hand. If the demon had had some glasses, he would have pushed them up his nose and sighed. But as he didn´t have any, he simply went to tell Mey-Rin and Finny to get it done, as he would prepare the young masters bath.

But even after the visit in the steaming hot water Lizzy could not relax as she sat upon her bed, still dressed in the green dress she had worn all day. A knock made her head jerk up and she quickly openened the door. To her relief it was Ciel.

"Are you alright?"

She bit her lip, weighing her head from one side to the other, not being able to say yes or no.

"I don´t know " she finally confessed, her eyes widening as she found herself in a sudden embrace.

"Just tell me Lizzy" she felt him mutter against her head.

"I...I´m really glad I hit him, but on the other side...I´ver never...I mean,...I´ve never actually killed...someone."

"But that´s not the only thing bothering you, is it?"

She chuckled slightly. He knew her too well for her own good.

"I didn´t like...how he wanted to claim me...as if it wasn´t obvious as hell that I belong to you...he just saw me as another woman to toy with..."

Ciel didn´t have to say anything. His silence completed her thoughts and brought comfort and peace to her.

"Ciel..." she whispered "can...can I ask you a favour?" she felt the heat raise to her cheeks. This was insane and comletely inappropriate. She shouldn´t be doing this at her age. But she didn´t feel her age, with Ciel she felt much more mature than anywhere else and she was so willing to take that step.

"Anything..." he mumbled back.

"You sure?" her emeralds looked up at him, so insecure.

He pulled away a little, yet still letting his hands remain on her waist, eyes widened slightly. "Lizzy...what the...of course, anything!"

She sighed once. "Okay...then... make...make me your wife."

And for one moment he looked the same eleven year old boy he had been a few years ago, flushing the most beautiful colours of red.

"You know I´d marry you the instant we step into a church, but I don´t think any priest would give us his blessing at our age."

"I don´t...I don´t mean it that way." Her fingers clutched into the fabric of his costume and she let her head hang in shame. "I want to be truly yours, Ciel...and I don´t want anybody to claim me in any way. You´re the only one I´d ever allow to be by my side...and we...we wouldn´t need a blessing...for..." she swallowed.

When Ciel pulled her into a hug again, she could feel his racing heartbeat and could almost imagine how his face was looking like. In fact, he had closed his eyes and was frowning.

"I...honestly, Lizzy, I´d do it. But do...do you know what you´re asking for...?"

He could feel her nod into him. A little silence followed.

"But what if I lose control...what if I hurt you..." he muttered more to himself than to her.

This time she pulled away and he noticed she was crying again.

"Then I´ll bear with it, because I said I loved you no matter what. And the fact that you love me although you have a demon inside you proves that I am more important to you than your inner darkness wants to admit. And I don´t mind, if it´s you... scars heal, you know...?" she tried to smile softly, but it turned out rather sad due to her tears.

He closed in a little. "But...you are sure about...this?"

She nodded and leaned her forehead against his. "I am and I..."

But she was cut off by his lips pressing against hers. And for a moment she could feel his desire for her, flaring like a fire being heated up again after it had died down. The kiss soon turned into a more heated one, until she had to gasp for breath, but he wouldn´t allow her to part from him too long. Step by step he forced her backwards, responding to her eager kisses. Her hand started to tangle in his hair as did his and her golden curls soon were claimed by his grasp. The other one she let glide over his cheek and when she felt the matress against her knee, she knew they had arrived at the bed.

He hovered over her lips for a moment as he placed his hands over the zip at the back of her dress. She simply leaned in to show her approval, molding her lips against his as he started to undress her. The green cloth soon fell to the floor and she took her hands from his face, letting the jacket of his costume glide from his shoulders, immediately starting to unbutton his shirt underneath. In the meanwhile he had heaved from her shoes onto the bed and stepped out of his own, leaning her in an almost upright position on the mattress and kneeling with one leg inbetween her own. Slowly, he started to push up the shorter white dress she wore underneath and she shivered in pleasure as his hands stroked her.

For a moment she allowed herself to refrain from her actions to stare in awe at his muscular form, letting her fingers glide over his chest and he looked down on her, wondering how long he could take this without loosing his mind in her beauty. With a sudden movement she pulled him down to her, letting her head sink onto the sheets and with a light shove he pushed her a little upwards so that they were now completely lying on the bed. She started to angle her leg, entwining it with his own and he could feel himself get hard down there.

"Lizzy." He murmured inbetween two kisses. She stopped and looked at him attentively.

"Whatever happens tonight...You´ll always be mine and only mine, no matter what...and you´ll be the only one I´ll ever love."

With that he pulled off the last of her clothes covering her chest and leaving her only in her panties. Letting his hand run over her torso, she shivered as they came to rest upon her breast and he let himself fall sideways, turning her in the movement and grabbing her neck to kiss her ever so intense. His hand on her body went roaming south, until he came to where her spine ended and with a quick movement, she flung her leg around his hip, rubbing her core against his hardened length. In an almost synchron movement they removed the last peace of cloth from each other, throwing it carelessly out of reach, too busy claiming each others lips. And Ciel could feel the demon in him stirring. Or was it his own lust? He didn´t know anymore.

He only felt her against him, her frame fitting ever so perfectly into the gaps he left. Flicking her twice over, he came to be on top and she could feel his full erection between her legs.

"Are...are you ready...?" he asked.

She nodded and closed her eyes as she knew what pain she had to be expecting. But when he got into her, she could help screaming. Stars danced before her eyes as she felt...everything. She arched her back into him as he starting thrusting back and forth, in and out of her. She screamed his name and he moaned hers as with every thrust he went deeper until she felt both of them cumming to the point of climaxing.

And when Ciel came, something in his mind switched. Something took complete control over him and still staying inside her, he started licking his way from her jawline to her ear enjoying the moans he elicted from her. Because fun wasn´t over by a long shot.

"C...Ciel...ngh..."

"Yes, Lizzy?"

"...hah...what are...you..."

He took back his tongue and grinned mischievously. Pulling out of her, he leaned back and waited until she opened her eyes. When her emeralds showed, he tucked a lock of her golden hair, meanwhile splayed on the sheets, behind her ear. And when her eyelids fluttered open, she realized his normally deep blue eyes were glowing a bloody red. And she knew that his demon had taken over because in any other situation Ciel would have never lost control. To her own surprise, she smiled. It didn´t matter what form he was in, he was Ciel. And she loved him for that.

And as she smiled, the demonic red in his eyes flickered. And Ciel, the true Ciel, the one captured in his own soul, began to fight. He fought to regain control over his body, to regain control over his life. He didn´t want to be a bystander while his first night with the one person he had ever come to love and he most certainly wouldn´t lose to himself of all persons. Her smile reminded him of everything he had been through, good or bad and he knew that she had always been with him. Be it physically or in his mind.

Lizzy realized the inner fight he had to be going through, because he didn´t say anything, he just lay there, holding himself on one arm on one side of her head and the other one right next to her tummy. His eye colour changed from red to blue and back again and then he started gritting his teeth.

She cupped his cheek with one hand.

"Ciel. Listen to me."

He focused on her, yet now clenching his fists.

"Whatever side of you wins, I don´t really mind. Because both of you are Ciel. And I love you."

With that the red died down, leaving a sweating, trembling Ciel behind whom she gazed deeply into his blue irises.

"Both...of me?" he panted.

She nodded. "I don´t believe you actually are a demon, Ciel. It´s simply something that has taken over the dark part of your personality. It´s a part of you, but it´s not you. Not completely. You may think this darkness inside of you has taken the upper hand, but I know better. You can be gentle, but just because you can also be fierce, it doesn´t mean you´re bad."

Ciel looked at her, disbelievingly. Although she wasn´t into the cuteness of the world anymore, she still thought positive of him in every way.

But still, he felt somewhat ashamed that he hadn´t been able to control himself. Sitting himself up, he faced away and turned, so that he wasn´t lying on her anymore.

"I´m sorry." With a nervous gesture, he flipped a few wet strands of hair from his face with a short jerk of his head.

He could feel the bed bend as she sat up too.

"For what. For wanting me?"

His head turned round in surprise. He had been afraid he had hurt her, but she seemed completely unafraid.

"Well..."

She chuckled and crawled behind him, sneaking her arms around his waist, hugging him.

"I don´t think there´s anything to apologize for."

With that she let go of him and crawled further, until she sat on his lap, both legs to one side and she passed her arms around his neck.

"And it most certainly doesn´t make you a bad person, just because you want your desires fullfilled."

"Lizzy..."

Next she put her legs to either side of his, arousing him once more. Feeling him harden under her made her smirk even more. Maybe she even be able to make him come a second time. This time with a little more foreplay.

"I wonder..." she said, putting one finger to his chin. " ...what your demon form would be like..."

"Wha..."

"I bet it would be a dog" she stated happily. "You are the Queens watchdog after all"

He stared at her. With a seducive look in her eyes, she glanced at him from inbetween her eyelashes and giggled.

"If you are the dog, then I shall be the cat..." she said, starting to close in on him and forcing him to lay down on the bed again.

Ciel looked away, now blushing again. "Well, Sebastian is more into cats than I am...but if you say you are one..."

He looked at her again "...then I guess you´re my cat, aren´t you?"

She giggled. "You think you´re a demon, just because you want me? Then I´ll show you how much of a demon I can be..."

With that she closed the gap between them and started rubbing her butt at a slow pace against his length while she let her hand glide from his cheek down to his collar bone and chest up down to his abdomen.

"Li...Lizzy..."

"Nah..." she whispered into his ear "Now´s my turn..."

With that she started licking his ear, just as he had did before and with every lick she moved further down, making him blush furiously. She wasn´t blushing less, but she could always push it on the heat the both of them were radiating.

Leaving her hands at his stomach, she arrived at his erected member and grinning up at him, she began to run her fingers alongside it spreading all of the precum on her hand.

He gasped, but didn´t say anything, for it simply felt too good.

When she finished massaging it, she licked her fingers one by one, still smirking.

"Mhmm. Sweet."

To give proof to her statemet, she bent up and gave him a kiss, but as soon as she had stuck her tongue inside his mouth, Ciel knew what she had meant. It really was somehow...addicting. Then she went back to licking again, only this time she wasn´t messing around with only his ear. Just as she had said, like a cat she licked the cum from his tip and wrapped her tongue around his length.

"Ngh...Lizzy,...don´t..."

She giggled again. "Why? Am I messing with your head?"

Indeed she was and Ciel could feel his demon wanting to come forth again but he gave a shit about that right now. At the moment, he was really too preoccupied. In the next moment, he grinned. Grabbing her shoulders, he gently pushed her back and went down on his knees, taking hold of one of her creamy legs.

"Let´s change roles, shall we?" Now it was his turn to smirk.

"But..."

But an objection he would not hear, as he started running his tongue from the inner side of her thigh up to her core, where he started to circle his tongue around her lips and savouring the wetness she gave away.

"...C...Ciel..." she threw he head from one side to another, gripping the sheets in pure bliss at this treatment.

"Ah...y...yes..." and even more liquid came from her as he continued to stimulate her further by stroking her legs and placing one of them on his shoulder to have a better position. Up his tongue went and down again, back and forth like he had before, until he felt ready for a second time and moved over her again, placing his tip at her entrance.

"Now,... let´s... let´s try again" he whispered, still a similar voice as he had had when his inner demon had come to show, but his vision was clear and he was in complete control now. She nodded, as their hips crashed together but she couldn´t scream as his mouth covered hers, leaving her to come to witness her own taste he still had left on his tongue. Only this time, when he started to thrust again, he went slower, almost enjoyinh her begging for more.

"Oh...Ciel...please..."

"What...what is it you want?"

"Go...go faster...deeper, Ciel...please..."

He left her in suspense for a while, until he came to a little pause, simply wanting to hear her beg for more one more time. But she wasn´t as cooperative as he thought, because as he wanted to pull out, she sunk her nails into his shoulder.

"Don´t...don´t pull out...leave it...in..." And she flung one leg around his hip, sinking him even further in. Ciel let out a surprised gasp. They simply lay there, panting and gasping for air, but the scent of arousal and their lust hadn´t died down yet, both of them still craving for more. So Ciel started to push back and forth again, suddenly leaning backwards and pulling her with him, so that she was now riding his dick. She pressed her lips on his as her walls clamped around his length in her orgasm and as she continued the rythm, she felt him spill into her, her throwing her head back and screaming his name. He helped her by holding her tight and exausted, she sighed and slacked together as her hormones told her they were finished and Ciel supported her with one hand on her back and let his nose glide from the valley between her breasts to her shoulder.

" Now you´re truly mine" he whispered and in response she flung her arms around him like she had done so many times before, only this time, unlike the past years, he returned her hugs, leaving her so happy and fulfilled like she had never been in her life before.

With a swift movement, he slid from her and lay himself next to her, hugging her firmly letting her snuggle against him, just like they had last night.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you, I need you and I crave you" Ciel whispered back. He entwined their legs one more time, leaving as little space as possible between them as both of them steadily fell asleep.

When Sebastian came in the next morning, he found his master and her Ladyship in a compromisingly close position, huddled against each other in a deep embrace. The only difference to the last time was that now, the clothes were all over the room.

When the demon had decided that in future his lordship could get up by himaself when Miss Lizzy was there, he went to prepare breakfast.

The door closed and Lizzy giggled. Openeing his eyes, Ciel smirked at her.

"So...you´re in for breakfast"

She shook her head vehemently. "Nope. I´ll just enjoy a little free time with you."

He chuckled and she felt the humming in his chest as he did, since her head was layed against it.

"By the way, what was it you had Sebastian fetch yesterday?" she asked.

"Well, that was an order of five dresses for you, since you´ll be living here a little while, until your parents come back."

Both of them grinned like two school kids until he added "Although I don´t mind which clothes I take off you..."

"Ah, so you´re implying we repeat yesterday...?" came the question with batted eyelashes.

"Sure,...you´re free tonight?"

* * *

**Soooooooooo, here´s the final 2****nd**** chapter ^^ hehe, and, as promised, Lime included *big grin* As you surely realized I included two extra (more or less) hinted pairings, for which I will probably write two seperate fics, probably one-shots ^^ Furthermore, a huuuge thanks to all the reviewers. Well, I gotta admit, it was kinda blackmailing, wasn´t it? But, I love playing little sadist :D Enjoy and leave me as many reviews as you did before, puhleaaase :D Plus, please give me a feedback as to how I did with the Lemon, I don´t know how much I sucked at that...**

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Kuroshitsuji, Humor, Romance