A Demons Mate

His kiss so different than Sebastian's

Serena opened the door to Ciel's sitting room slowly the next morning. The red head had chickened out earlier and had asked Sebastian to bring breakfast to her room before he had to leave. There were still a few errands that the Earl had for his butler and that would give her time to talk to him. She didn't relish the idea of being stuck inside a carriage with Ciel glaring at her over his ever-present papers. When she looked inside, the Earl was seated on one of the couches with a cup of tea and the morning post.

"What is it?" He didn't bother to look up from the letter in his hand.

"I was hoping that you would be more willing to talk with me this morning." Serena walked in and shut the door behind her. If she was going to be treated to another blasting there was no reason to disturb the rest of the house.

Ciel set the papers down, his face carefully blank. "Have you had time to think about yesterday?"

"I have. Are you still angry at me?"

"I just don't understand why you have to be so difficult." He threw the letter onto the other side of the couch.

"Sebastian said that you were worried about me."

"Of course I was. You go running off and..." Ciel stood and went to the window, keeping his back to the red head. "There are not many people that I care for. They keep dying off, one after the other. And you just keep getting into trouble."

"Ciel, you can't protect everyone. Do you plan to put the people you care for in a glass box and watch over them twenty four hours a day?"

"You keep finding trouble of the deadly sort. A glass box, huh?" He snorted. "It's not a bad idea actually."

"That would never work." The red head came to stand beside him, but Ciel wouldn't look at her.

"I'm still thinking seriously about keeping you in the country."

"You can't do that." She shook her head at him.

"Watch me."

"You still owe me a tour."

Serena laughed at the expression on his face.

"Is there any chance that you might forget about that?"

"A deal's a deal," she teased and was faced with a glare.

"Funny."

"So, you're not mad at me anymore?" Serena smiled at him.

"I wouldn't go that far."

The red head laughed and held out her arms. The Earl glared at her, trying to intimidate the girl into backing down. When she just kept smiling, he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Fine."

Serena giggled a little and wrapped her arms gently around the Earl. She was a little surprised when the hug was returned and he didn't try pull away. He was taller than she had realized, the strong heartbeat under her ear made her remember yesterday.

"Ciel?"

"What?"

"If you...if there was a way to break your contract, would you?"

He pulled away to see her face.

"What are you talking about?"

"If Sebastian would let you go. If you could just walk away, have the rest of your life, would you?"

"Well, after five years of him following my orders, that doesn't seem very sporting of me." He walked away from her, picking up the papers that he had thrown.

"Ciel, I'm serious."

"What do you want, Serena?"

"I don't want you to die!" The red head walked to the couch and sat down. She couldn't look up as she heard him take the chair next to her.

"Everybody dies." Ciel forced her to look up at him.

"That's right, but they also have a chance at something else. Another life, heaven or hell, something."

"And what would I do, without the contract?"

"What you do now. But you would have time." Serena took his hand trying to get him to understand, already knowing what his answer would be.

"Time? Time to wait for the next attack, the next person who decides to try to destroy the Phantomhives, or the same one to come again. Time to try and forget what happened?"

"You could hire more people around the manor with the background you need."

"Yes, because that did my predecessor so much good." He took his hand back.

"Ciel..."

"No. I didn't get out of that cage to hide in my manor and wait for the people who tried to eradicate my family before to finish the job. I didn't come back to build an empire and live like nothing happened. It's just another way to instigate them into making a move." Ciel stood to stare down at her. "I told you before, I have no regrets about my contract with Sebastian. I won't let it go and I won't die until someone pays for what happened to myself and the Phantomhives."

Serena jumped from her seat to wrap herself around him again. He heard a soft sob from the red head and let her hold onto him, for now.

'I knew he wouldn't let it go. I knew that Ciel wouldn't break his contract even if given a hundred opportunities. So, why does it hurt so much?'

"Serena." Ciel pulled away and wiped he tears from her eyes. "Don't make it harder on yourself. I do not regret my choice and you shouldn't for me. I'm in too deep, and nothing is going to change that."

"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this? It's your soul. That's it, there's nothing after that."

"Exactly."

"What?" She stared at him, horror written in her eyes.

"Do you really think that I would want to do this again? Do you really think that I want to live another life like this? What about after? I'm not stupid, Serena. Knowing that souls are real, that demons are real, I know where I would end up."

"But what if you didn't? What if you could have another lifetime?"

"And what's to stop this from repeating? There are millions of stories that are the same as mine, the world over."

"I want to keep you," she said quietly.

He stared down at her, her beautiful eyes filled with tears. Tears for him. His thumb brushed over her skin and Serena realized that he wasn't wearing gloves. She saw his intent, read it in the slow and uncertain movements, and did nothing to stop him. As Ciel's lips touched hers, the red head held onto his jacket tighter.

'His kiss so different than Sebastian's, so soft. Like a butterfly on my skin that will dart away at the smallest movement.'

Ciel pulled away slowly, still brushing her cheek. Serena looked down, not wanting him to see how confused she was. A knock on the door stopped what he was going to say. The two broke apart as Lizzy stuck her head in and smiled at him. The red head kept her head down as she turned to the window and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly freezing. She didn't want to look at the younger girl she had tried to give so much advice after kissing her fiancé.

"Ciel, we need to have the costumes picked up before we go back to the manor."

"Sebastian is doing that before he returns." The Earl assured her.

'Sebastian. Can I really be with him after Ciel's death? Can I look at him and not see Ciel's murderer?'