A Demons Mate

I love Lizzy?

Shortly before dinner, Serena caught Sebastian coming out of Ciel's room.

"Master has decided to take dinner in his rooms."

"Is he okay?" She looked to the closed door.

"I assure you he's fine. My Master is just tired." The demon brushed a lock of her hair as he walked past to go down the stairs.

Serena looked to the door again and remembered Elizabeth's crying face.

'No way is he going to hide out. I'll get the blame.'

Nodding to herself, the red head knocked on Ciel's door and waited for him to tell her to come in. She saw the sitting room was empty as she closed the door. The door to the bedroom was open.

"Sebastian, what are you doing out there?"

"Sorry, wrong person." Serena popped her head into the room with a smile. "I wanted to check on you."

"I'm not some invalid."

She raised an eyebrow, taking in the Earl propped up on a stack of pillows with the covers up to his chest. "Well, you're the one who doesn't want to come to dinner. Do you really expect people not to worry?"

Ciel glared at her but she shrugged it off. He realized that he was seeing her through two eyes. With a gasp, the Earl reached over for his eye patch, keeping his hair over his eye. Serena stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I know that your contract mark is in your eye. You don't have to cover it."

"How do you...One of your books I assume?"

"Yes." She answered simply and brushed the hair away from his eye. "Can you still see out of it?"

"Of course. There is nothing wrong with my eye, just others cannot be allowed to see it." He put a hand over it. "It burns a little when I send Sebastian away for an errand."

"Incentive to keep him close." Serena leaned forward and brushed her thumb over the soft skin below his glowing eye. She saw him swallow hard before he pulled away.

"You really shouldn't be in here. Lizzy and Sebastian will get suspicious."

"I never get why everybody thinks that if two people are in a bedroom together that there is something going on. I'm just visiting. You're the one who won't get out of bed. So, I guess I'll visit here." Serena smiled as she jumped up on the side of the bed. "Do you feel better now?"

He glared out the window. "Yes."

"What is it?"

"I hate that I'm so weak."

"You're not weak, Ciel. You're not a physical combat person. So what? Neither am I. At least you know something about defending yourself."

Ciel fiddled with the blanket that he was crushing in his fists.

"I mean, look at the time that I've been here. I was drug around London by Elizabeth and wished I could have slept for a week. I was captured by a demon and had to wait for Sebastian to rescue me. And I was almost killed by a reaper. It was pure luck that I didn't fall and break my neck while Grell was chasing me. The only thing that I can do is draw. At least can say that you're a smarty pants."

He nodded with a smirk.

"You should feel better about Elizabeth now." The red head nudged his leg with a smile.

"I do." The Earl sighed, still playing with the blanket. "I still don't want to bring her into this."

"You love her."

Ciel jerked back, staring at the red head in shock.

"You do. It may not be that, be all end all, the world is hearts and flowers, I have to marry you right now because I can't spend another minute without you kind, but it's there."

He shifted in the bed, obviously uncomfortable with the discussion.

"Honestly, I don't think that is love anyway. I think that's infatuation. It's fleeting, you can't keep up that level of intense forever."

"I agree with that, but I think that is what she's expecting."

"Maybe, Elizabeth is still a teenager, but I think that she'll come to realize that's not what makes a marriage. You told me once that most people in your class sometimes hate who they have to marry. You and Elizabeth have been together your whole lives. She puts up with your grumpy and you, reluctantly, put up with her annoying. I would bet that there are a lot of marriages that turned out alright, based on a hell of a lot less."

Ciel nodded, still thinking.

"Good." She slapped a hand on his leg. "Now that you've had your pep talk, get dressed. Come down to dinner and show Elizabeth that you're alright."

"Fine," he huffed.

Serena smiled and slid off the bed. As she reached the doorway to the sitting room, Ciel called her back.

"How do you know? That I love Lizzy?"

She held the doorframe as she looked her shoulder.

"You wouldn't be so worried about her if you didn't. I'll see you downstairs." The red head walked through the sitting room and out the main door. When it had closed behind her, Serena let out a sigh. "When did I become Dear Abby?"