The Dark Path

          Dodging easily, Sebastian hit Grell in the face with the door as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The door itself was not very thick but, with some luck, it might prevent the other servants from hearing that someone else was in the head butler's bedroom. Grell howled, clutching at his nose. "Ow! That hurt! You need to be gentler with a lady's face, Sebas-chan!"

          "What are you doing here?" Sebastian said, his voice neutral as he looked at the man in front of him.

          "You're so mean to me!" Grell turned to look at him, still sniffling lightly as he rubbed his nose. "And here I came to follow up on our agreement, too! I just couldn't wait to see you again, especially not after our passionate encounter the other night..."

          "Firstly, I do not remember verbalizing any sort of acceptance to your proposal," Sebastian said, "and secondly, even if I had, you have received more than enough in payment."

          At mention of the kiss, Grell swooned. Sebastian's expression darkened into a frown. That particular gesture had decidedly not been one of his finer moments, but it -had- bought him time to revive his young master and take the boy away. Nevertheless, it had not been an agreement to the bargain that the shinigami had offered. That particular fact had obviously not registered with Grell, who hugged himself and sighed blissfully at his own train of thought. 

          "Surely, the gates of Heaven would pale in comparison to your sweet kiss! However," Grell paused, tapping a finger to his own lips as he looked at the butler, "are you really going to go back on your word? I always figured you to be pretty straightforward. I love a man who isn't afraid to say exactly what he thinks! Your touch was very straightforward. You got me all tingly and hot..."

          Sebastian took a step backward as Grell stepped toward him. Standing flush with the wall, Sebastian's eyebrow twitched at Grell's words. "I do not lie. It was you who failed to specify exactly what you wanted in exchange for your agreement. You are also the one who did not realize that I had not given my agreement to your particular wishes."

          "Isn't it obvious?" Even though Sebastian had stepped away, Grell had wiggled his way closer. He stood less than a foot away, his thin body leaning heavily toward the butler. "I want you, Sebas-chan. All of you."

          "Regretfully, I am entirely unavailable," Sebastian said, his voice not regretful in the least. The demon took a wide step to the side, skillfully evading Grell's hands as the shinigami reached up to take hold of his tie. "I've told you before, my entire being, body and soul, belong to my young master."

          "That brat really has you wrapped around his little finger, doesn't he?" At mention of Sebastian's master, the look of wistful longing on Grell's face quickly turned to one of disgust. He paused in his efforts to get closer to Sebastian. "He's nothing but a scrawny little brat, someone's sloppy seconds, and yet you follow him around like a lovesick puppy. It's disgusting! You need someone who can give as good as she gets, Sebas-chan."

          "It is because of the contract," Sebastian said, annoyance clear in his voice. His patience was quickly running out. "And I will thank you not to insult my young master."

          Finally getting a grip on Sebastian's tie, Grell wiggled the tip of it out of the butler's waistcoat and ran his fingers down the length of silk. Quirking an eyebrow, he leaned up towards the butler's face. "You aren't in love with him, are you? He's going to break your heart, you know..."

          "Most unfortunately," Sebastian said as he grabbed Grell by the throat, "if I were to kill you in this room, it might damage some of my young master's belongings. Therefore, I will give you a choice. If you would like, you may leave of your own volition. You would be undamaged and leave this house and its things undamaged. Otherwise, I will escort you out of the house, in which case I cannot guarantee that you will be in one piece when you depart."

          "You may certainly esc--" Grell's voice cut off as Sebastian tightened his grip on the man's throat. Letting go of Sebastian's tie, Grell reached up and tried to pry the demon's fingers away from his throat. His fingers scrabbled uselessly over the cotton gloves. After a moment, Sebastian's grip loosened enough to allow Grell to breathe. Panting, Grell shouted as best he could, "You wouldn't dare hurt a lady!"

          The look on Sebastian's face clearly begged to differ. Just then, Sebastian would have greatly enjoyed nothing more than doing just that. "Mr. Sutcliff, threatening my master will not endear you to me.  I never agreed to your offer, and claiming that I did is a true sign of ignorance. I have had more than enough of your antics for one day. You will leave now, either by your own choice or by mine. I can assure you that you would benefit greatly from making the decision yourself."

          "You ungrateful son of a whore!" Grell shouted indignantly, seemingly forgetting that Sebastian's hand was still around his throat. Giving up on flirtation, he turned quickly to anger. "You're lucky that I didn't just leave the little whelp on the list! Will is already suspicious and I--"

          Thud.

          Grell's voice died in his throat as both he and Sebastian turned to stare at the door. Thud. A low, slow pounding sound was coming from somewhere on the ground floor of the mansion. The sound was incredibly loud, but it was not likely that it would wake the rest of the household staff. They were far from the source and human ears were weak. However, both the shinigami and the demon could hear the noise very clearly. Sebastian turned back to Grell. "You were saying?"

          "It looks like we will have to conclude this later, Sebas-chan," Grell said, "It's time for me to go to work."

          Sebastian dropped the shinigami unceremoniously on the ground. "Work?"

          Grell stood up and dusted himself off. Giving Sebastian a longing look, he walked over to the bed and picked up his chainsaw. "As much as I treasure every moment we share, I didn't come all the way out here -just- to see you, Sebas-chan. I have five collections that they are making me take care of," Grell grinned, batting his eyes and blowing a kiss at Sebastian. "Of course, next time, I'll have you all to myself."

          The pounding sound continued in the background. Sebastian ignored the last half of Grell's comment. The part about there being collections in the local area was baffling. After all, the Phantomhive manor was the only estate around for several miles. They were well outside of London. Farms and other estates were their only neighbors, and they were all at a fair distance from the property. Frowning, Sebastian asked, "Where are these collections?"

          Grell smiled, showing every one of his sharp teeth. "Here."

          Without another word, Sebastian picked up the lamp that he had lit previously, opened the door and vanished into the hallway. In the hall, he could hear the pounding much more clearly. Mindful of the lamp in his hand, he walked quickly upstairs and followed the sound. Moments later, he stood in front of the main door to the house. When the pounding paused, Sebastian placed his hand on the handle and turned it, pulling the door open.

          Standing in a light rain on the doorstep was Edward Crowley. He was dressed in a wool cloak and smiling brightly. At his side, Basil Rosier looked like a poorly dressed statue. Strangely, neither of these things were what Sebastian noticed first. His attention promptly went to what Basil Rosier was holding. Finny, unconscious and bloodied. Rosier moved one arm, revealing that he held a pistol in one hand. The barrel was pressed firmly against the side of the young gardener's head. Edward Crowley took a step forward. "We would like a word with Earl Phantomhive, if you please."

 

          Sebastian placed his hand on Ciel Phantomhive's shoulder, shaking the boy gently to wake him up. "Young master."

          Bleary blue eyes opened into the near-darkness that encompassed the room. A couple of oil lamps were lit, but everything was still dim. The deep shadows that crept in the corners looked like phantoms, the flickering light making them appear to dance. Ciel blinked twice, clearing the illusion from his eyes. Despite the lamps, there was no getting around the fact that it was still dark. It was nowhere near time to wake up. Looking at Sebastian, he attempted a glare and failed. Yawning, he grumbled, "What's the problem? I'm sleeping."

          "I am very sorry to have to rouse you at such an hour, young master," Sebastian said, "but Edward Crowley would like to speak with you."

          In an instant, Ciel was awake. He stared at Sebastian. "He's here?"

          "Yes," Sebastian said. The butler was already pulling clothing out of the wardrobe that stood against the far wall. "He is currently in the sitting room, along with Basil Rosier." 

          Ciel sat up properly and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "When did they arrive? Wait. Sebastian, why did you allow them in?"

          "They arrived only a few moments ago." Sebastian unbuttoned Ciel's nightshirt and quickly replaced it with a dress shirt. "I thought it best not to turn them away..."

          Ciel nodded.

          "... especially since they have a hostage."

          "What?!"

          "When I answered the door, I discovered Mr. Crowley and his companion standing in the rain. They were escorting Finny, who appeared to be unconscious. A gun was being pressed to his temple. They apparently felt that this might help them to talk their way into the house," Sebastian told Ciel as he helped him into a pair of shorts. "I also do not believe that knocking on the front door would have been their preferred method of assault if they intended to murder you outright, therefore I permitted them entry. I suspect that they captured Finnian as he finished his duties this evening, as I personally have not seen him since dinner."

          "That would mean that they've been watching the house for some time. At least for a portion of today," Ciel said. His eyes studied Sebastian, tracing over his face in the darkness. "You didn't notice their presence?"

          "No, young master, I did not," Sebastian said, his voice quiet. Gloved hands worked quickly, studiedly fastening buttons and straightening clothing. Socks and garters were fastened without a second thought. Shoes were slipped into place and properly buckled. All the while, Sebastian watched his master's face. 

          Even though it was early, Ciel looked as awake and alert as if it were the middle of the day. Even though the young earl was not looking at anything in particular, Sebastian knew that he was going over everything that he knew about Edward Crowley and the current situation. Many a police detective could learn a thing or two from the detail and study that Ciel Phantomhive put into his assignments, especially the ones that he personally became entangled with. For a boy of only thirteen, Ciel had every bit as much dedication as a man twice his age. 

          Sebastian had been silently dreading the trip to Tonbridge the next day. He had not been anxious to have his young master anywhere near the two assailants that had so recently stolen the boy's life. He had hoped that they might have a little more time before that happened. After all, Ciel had been seriously injured. While those injuries had been treated and he was recovering quickly, even for a human, he was still not in an ideal condition. Sebastian wanted to be certain that Ciel would be able to hold his own if the need arose. He disliked the fact that not only was his young master still injured, but that the very cause of those injuries was in the sitting room of the Phantomhive mansion at that very moment. With the trip to Tonbridge, he had hoped that they might have another week. Instead, they would be facing the two people that Sebastian had been hoping to avoid after only a few moments.

          Ciel Phantomhive had dealt with criminals of all shapes and sizes before. Sebastian was well aware of that fact, and the boy had his complete confidence on such matters. In more than one case, Ciel himself had been held hostage. However, they had never been in a situation where their opponent had been an unusually tough human who had a demon at his side. Sebastian had not told his master of Basil Rosier's true nature. He had hoped that there was a chance that the subject would never need to be discussed. Demons frequently stayed out of human notice. After all, the last thing that a demon needed was to be discovered. While most humans would not be able to destroy a demon, they could certainly make their life a living hell. When a demon made a spectacle the way that Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier had done with their cultists and sacrifices at Tonbridge, the demon involved would typically move on before they had been detected. This was clearly not the case this time. 

          Easing a cravat around his master's neck, Sebastian tied a bow in the ribbon. When he finished, he kneeled down in front of the bed to fasten the buttons on his master's jacket. Ciel watched him quietly. "Sebastian?"

          "Yes, young master?"

          "Why do you seem so distracted?" 

          "My apologies, young master," Sebastian said, "I am not distracted. I am simply thinking."

          Sebastian glanced up at the boy that was sitting in front of him. Ciel's eyes looked at him curiously, the pentacle that marked their contract glowing faintly in his right eye. The flickering light of the lamps played over his skin, giving him an otherworldly look in the darkness. The silence was unnerving. There was nothing left to interrupt the train of thought that was truly bothering Sebastian. In the sitting room, no more than a hundred yards from where he and his young master were, Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier were waiting. They had killed Ciel Phantomhive once before. They clearly had no problem with using violence. If he were not careful, Sebastian knew that Ciel might die again and that there would be no bringing him back if that happened. More than anything, Sebastian knew that he could not allow that to happen. 

          Reaching up, Sebastian ran his hands through Ciel's hair. Without the aid of a brush, he straightened the strands so that they laid in some semblance of neatness. Pulling his hands away, he reached to the side of the bed and picked up Ciel's eye patch. He had retrieved it from the nightstand a few moments before. Lifting the patch, he tied it in place, letting his fingers rest in the slate strands of hair for a moment as he looked at the boy in front of him. Ciel regarded him with his uncovered eye, eyebrow raised questioningly. He clearly wondered what Sebastian was doing. Sebastian's lips turned up easily into a soft smile as he watched the curious expression on his master's face. All too clearly, he could hear Grell's words from earlier.

         You aren't in love with him, are you? He's going to break your heart...

          Words mattered little. Sebastian only knew one thing; he would not lose his young master. Very slowly, Sebastian leaned upward and kissed Ciel. The caress was soft and sweet, the faintest of touches between their lips. As he pulled away, Sebastian's fingers drifted away from his master's hair. He stood up and dusted off his clothing. His voice was soft as he said, "Please be careful, young master."

          Ciel stared at him, wide-eyed and clearly shocked. His mouth fell open in surprise. "Sebastian w--"

          "Not giving Ciel time to finish his sentence, Sebastian walked to the door of the room. Bowing lightly, he gestured toward the hall. "Shall we?"