The Devil's Bride *Sebastian Love*

Her Butler, Chance Encounter

  "Is this really the time for a game of chess?"
"Obsessing about it won't help you solve the case. Why not just leave it all to Sebastian, dear?"
"Because he's simply my chess piece. I'm the one who moves him by giving orders. But he's no ordinary piece. He can move as many squares as he needs to...Like that." Ciel moves his piece and promptly knocks over Madam Red's piece.
"Ah! That was against the rules, you know!"
"Indeed, it would be if this was a game. But rules such as that have no true meaning in the real world. There are always knights who break the rules, and pawns who betray. If you let your guard down... it's checkmate."
"Rules are so tedious; Ciel never likes to follow them. He always bends them so he can win, after all. I never like playing against him." Adds in Alette, as she pushed her wavy brown hair out of her eyes. Selima serves them Dragonwell Green tea, a personal favorite of Alette's.
"You must have had other options in life besides policing England's underworld. I'm sure my sister -- your mother -- wanted something else for you. And yet after their deaths, you returned to be the Queen's guard dog. Is it because you're trying to avenge your parents' murders?" she asks.
"The need for revenge is a funny thing; it won't bring back the dead, nor will it bring them happiness"
"But, then..."

"To answer your question, I didn't return to the house of Phantomhive for my parents. I did it for myself. I want to find the people responsible for what happened. And I want to make them experience the same pain and humiliation that I suffered."
"I still remember when you were born, though it seems so long ago. You were so tiny and fragile, I remember thinking, "No matter what, I have to protect him." You know I was never able to have a child, but there was you. And I've come to think of you as my own son. Which is why I wish you would quit this." She stands up and ruffles his hair.
"This is a task I've freely chosen. It's still my choice to make, and no one else's. I don't regret my decision, and I won't be coddled, by anyone." She nods then exits the room, Sebastian leaves after her to help the lady with her coat, leaving just Alette, Ciel and Selima.
"Alette, why do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Help me."
"I was instructed to."
"What? By whom?"
"The queen of course. She implied we should team up."
"Why was I not informed of this?"
"I haven't a clue. It runs deeper than that though. I took an interest ever since I heard of you. For me, its about standing for something, making the world a better place, where maybe one day my mother can get help and we can be happy again. I want to help you get your revenge Ciel. You deserve to watch those who made you suffer, write in agony."
"Thank you. What are you to the queen?"
"I am the queen's scorpion." She smirks a bit
"Hmm...And why do they call you that?"
"I'm cunning and work in the dark. Not many see me and those who do, get stung. * * *
"I have it now." She assured Sebastian, buttoning her coat.
"My lady."
"Promise me: say you'll never leave his side. This is a dangerous world for a boy. Make he doesn't lose his way." Sebastian bows to swear his devotion.
"Fear not. I swear, I shall stay by his side until the very end."
"I'm here to escort you back home, my lady" Grell informs, holding an umbrella. Lightening strikes, illuminating the crimson of her eyes and hair.
Meanwhile, Ciel turned over in bed.
"Well then?"

"No matter how I look at it, the result is still the same." Alette sat on the couch, which was ornate to say the least. He refused to let her stay at home, now that people knew the guard dog was on the prowl with a scorpion close at his side. 'It was too dangerous' He said. Selima personally, was offended. It was like he didn't trust a lady butler. Sebastian tried to tell her not to read too much into it. But she still felt slighted. Ciel preferred having her closer to him, where they could speculate when they wanted and move when they needed to.

"Yesterday's murder -- the viscount didn't do it."
"Exactly. None of the people in his mansion could have done it, either.

"Indeed... No person could move that quickly. Anyway, tomorrow we'll start...Sebastian! You didn't..." He accused
"Of course I didn't, my lord. I told you, I never lie.
Now. Involved in medicine, ties to secret societies or black magic, lacking alibis for the nights the bodies were found: The only human who fits all criteria is the Viscount Druitt."
"We must be missing something." Inserts Alette.
"You know more about this than you're letting on, don't you?!" indicts Ciel.
"But I'm simply one hell of a butler. As you well know, I only carry out those orders my master has directly given me. You need only say the words, my lord; I become either your pawn or your knight. Now, master, move me into check." It was at this point Alette stepped out, her business now laid elsewhere. She wandered outside and found Selima in the now freshly watered garden. She seemed preoccupied, but looked simply radiant in the moonlight.
"Selima, what progress have you made?
"I've compiled a list of possible suspects. The evasive Madame Rubis is however, still unidentified she informed."
"Perfect."
"You're right she is perfect."
"Selima what nonsense are you talking about?"
"So smooth and scaly."
"What?"
"With such beautiful beady black eyes."
"Selima Lovelace!"
"I'm sorry mistress, it's just- look at how cute she is!" She turns around revealing a slinking copper garden snake wrapped around her neck lovingly. Alette screams something awful. Selima strokes the snake carefully as it hisses in approval, raising her eyebrow at the terrified girl. Sebastian rushes in on the scene, then stops dead in his tracks.
"Selima get it away, get it away! "
"Oh Miss Vamphina, you're honestly such a girl." She sighs and lets the reptile slither away.
* * *
"He'll show if we stake out this place, right?" Ciel and Alette were dressed as peasant children, sporting patched clothing in the light of the lanterns elucidating the stone street.
"He should."

"Yes." Agreed Sebastian, a bit preoccupied.

"You know... I've realized the murdered prostitutes had other things in common besides their profession."

"The most beautiful, glossy black hair." Sebastian smiles at the ebony kitten curled up in Selimas lap, petting it while playing with the ends of Selimas glossy black curls, making her blush.

"But I still don't understand why he had to kill them all."
"It's something people like us wouldn't understand."
"So very lovable. lt could almost be a sin..."
"And what's more, I..."

'So soft... Ah, so soft..." Selima giggles a his moment of weakness; she found his little obsession endearing.
"Listen when I'm talking to you!" yelled Ciel.
"Selima I'm getting real sick of your shit today." Growls Alette.
"Sorry, my lady."
"Oh... I apologize, sir, but she's so beautiful. And soft..." A scream echoes through the brick encirclement, breaking the awkward silence.

"How could someone have gotten past us?!"

"Let's go, sir." They race toward the source of the shout, Ciel flings open the door and is met with a bloody massacre.

"Come away!" Sebastian snatches Ciel and hops backward, Selima follows with Alette, though she had never gotten close to begin with. "You've made quite a bloody mess of things in there, Jack the Ripper... or rather, Grell Sutcliff?" reveals Sebastian.
"No... No, you're wrong! I...I-I heard the scream and rushed to help, but..." stutters Grell.
"Your acting skills are rudimentary." Spits Selima.
"You can drop the innocent act, Grell. It's over. You know, this is actually the first time I've met someone like you in the human world. You played the role of "helpless butler" well. Your act had almost everybody completely fooled. If Selima hadn't tipped me off, you almost would have gotten away with it." Blood drips from him, it covered the poor man.
"You... you think so? How kind. That's great to hear. After all, I am an actress. And quite a good one at that. Of course you're not really "Sebastian" either, are you? There's something fishy about the lot of you." Grell smiles, revealing pointy, almost canine like teeth. He begins to undo his hair, switch out his glasses, all the steps necessary for him to show his true self.
"Ah, you're playing the "faithful dog." Well, you're handsome enough to get away with it. Anyway, here we are, Sebastian... No, I'll call you Bassy! Let me introduce myself: The Burnett butler, Grell Sutcliff. What do you say? Let's get along. ♥ Ah, it's so nice to talk to you in my true form! I admit I was surprised when I first met you, I've never seen a demon playing a butler." Selima cringes as Grell teases Sebastian, she didn't like the flirtation going on, despite it not being returned.
"But I could say the same about you. I never thought I'd find one of your kind playing a butler either. You're supposed to an intermediary between man and God -- a grim reaper. Why would a divine being like you pretend to be a servant?"
"Why, indeed? For now let's just say that it was out of love for a certain woman."
"And that woman would be?"

"You don't really need to ask, do you?" interrupts a new feminine voice. Ciel peeks past Sebastian's gloved hand.

"Madame..."
"Well, I hadn't counted on this. I didn't think anyone would be able to tell who Grell truly is."

"Naturally you were on the suspect list from the very beginning. But all of your alibis seemed flawless."

"You mean you actually suspected your own aunt?" she seemed incredulous.
"I was looking for a murderer; degree of relation to me did not matter. None of the humans on the suspect list could have been responsible for all the murders. But if one of them had an inhuman accomplice, that would change the game completely. It had to be someone who could enter and leave the room without being noticed; someone who could travel from the viscount's home to the East End instantaneously. In the end, you two were the only ones who could be Jack the Ripper... you Madam Red and Grell Sutcliff. I began to look into what else the victims had in common besides prostitution. And then, I noticed they'd all undergone a certain surgery at the hospital where you work. We made a list of all the patients. One, the only one who was still alive, was a woman by the name of Mary Kelly. We knew if we waited around here you would come for her eventually. But we were too late..."
"If this didn't work out we would have had to offer Selima up as bait. She's the only one that matches your description after all."
"Wait what? I do not recall agreeing to have my uterus removed! Or to play the role of a prostitute!" cries Selima.
"Does it matter? You do as I order you."
"My darling nephew, how unfortunate this turned out to be... If you had let it go, we could have played chess again. But now... you've taken everything!" she growls, wrathful as she had always been. Grell lunges forward, chainsaw scythe at the ready. Selima jumps backward, shoving Alette behind her while Sebastian grabs the scythe with both hands. She shoves the man back, hoping to set him off balance but he only flips backward and lands on his feet.
"What is that?" cries Ciel.
"Grim reapers use tools for harvesting souls. That is his reaper scythe." Explains Sebastian
"Don't you dare call it that! This is so much more than a scythe; I worked very hard to customize it! This is a special "death scythe" of my own design. It can hack anyone into tiny pieces! I've been far too well-behaved. I'm getting. Out. Of. Shape. ♥ I would love to exercise my skills. So. Shall. We. Play? ♥" he flirts
"Perhaps you could be a bit more respectful of my position? I'm on duty after all." Growls Sebastian

"What a stoic man you are! That makes you even more irresistible! You know, red is my favorite color.
It's perfect for hair, for clothes, for lipstick. So, I painted all those women with pretty, pretty red blood. So, Bassy, now I'll make you even better looking than you are. I'll tear you up from the inside, and trust me I'll make you like it. ♥ You'll be as lovely as scattered rose petals."


"You are a grim reaper; your job is to quietly harvest the souls of the dying. And as a butler, your job is to follow your master like a shadow. You have violated both of these expectations. And quite frankly, I find it sickening." Sebastian drapes his coat over Ciel, preparing to defend his ground.

"Bassy, you wound me. You know, I'm more deadly efficient than I seem! ☆"

"In my name and that of the Queen, I order you, Sebastian: put an end to them!"

"Indeed, my young lord." He begins wildly swinging his scythe, and with each move Sebastian dodges with ease, doing front and back flips.
"Ooh, yes! Please run away! We can play tag, Bassy! But see what happens if you're not fast enough -- you get cut! It's more fun when it hurts a little bit though, isn't it?" She rips his jacket a bit and red blossoms into a small wound.
"You're still the Queen's guard dog, which means that now I'm your prey. But if it's hunt or be hunted... There's only one thing I can do!" Madame grunts. She swishes forward, knife at hand, ready to chop her darling nephew to pieces, when suddenly Alette was in his place.
"You little brat!" she screeches. Alette grips her arm then pulls out a knife of her own, always strapped to her inner thigh. 'It's a dangerous world for a woman. In case I'm ever not around, you should keep this." The memory of Selima floats forward. She grasps the knife tightly and before Madame Red can process what has happened, Alette shanks her quickly.
"You're a doctor! How could you do it?!" asks Ciel as his aunt writhes in pain.

"You wouldn't understand if I told you! You're just a child! You... You brat...You shouldn't have been born in the first place!" she yells. She shoves the girl out of the way and wraps her hands around the boys small throat, then began to squeeze. His gasps for breath did not soften her frozen heart.
"Master!" cries Sebastian, sacrificing a arm.

"Stop, Sebastian! Don't kill her! Your arm..." Madame Red's knife clatters to the ground. Sebastian breaths heavily and clutches at where his arm once was.
"Oooh, how sweet you are, Bassy! Really, what a prince. Sacrificing your own poor limb to save that kid... On the other hand, you're a disappointment, Madam! Come now. Hurry up and kill the brat already!" He demanded, prying his scythe from the wall.
"I loved my sister... I loved her husband... I loved their child...I can't. I can't kill him. I can't kill their beloved son..."she admitted.
"Really? You're getting soft-hearted on me all of a sudden? After all those deaths? If you don't end him, he'll end you!"


"Madame..."
"But... this dear boy..." Grell lurches forward, ready to take out Madame red for her soft heartedness, when all of a sudden a dark shadow was in front of her, grasping his chainsaw.
"Oh so there is two of you! What fun this is going to be. I was going to spare you -- professional courtesy and all that -- but if you insist, I'll send you all to heaven together!" She tosses the scythe back and before the reaper can land on his feet, Sebastian flips him forward.
"Heaven?"
"You must be joking."
"We know nothing of heaven." They harmonize, then lunge for the reaper together.