Chapter Six - Change of Mind

Ciel entered his room that night with an irritated sigh. The meeting was just as insightful as it was a roadblock. There was more than one Wilkinson in the family that forged swords, and apparently the one who crafted Faye's dagger was not Henry Wilkinson Head of the Wilkinson Company, but Bertram Wilkinson the estranged son of Henry Wilkinson. It would be a hassle just trying to find out where Bertram had ended up, considering the last time he spoke to his father was some twenty years ago. Ciel would have to ask Sebastian to look into the matter.

"Discouraged, my lord?" Sebastian asked. Ciel sat down on his bed with a huff.

"Not at all. This investigation has only just begun. Have you put together what you've found on the death of Lord Bernard Turner?"

"I have," Sebastian said. He knelt down to untie Ciel's shoe laces.

"Make sure it's on my desk to read in the morning, then."

"Already done, my lord."

Ciel grunted. "While we're on the subject, how is Miss Faye?"

"Much better than she was when you saw her, my lord. I do believe she is strong enough now for a tour of the mansion; I found her wandering about in the library today."

He removed the first of Ciel's shoes and the boy tapped his finger, deep in thought.

"How close are you to learning anything from her?"

Sebastian paused, but Ciel couldn't read his expression. Not that it was unusual, but there seemed something that the demon was unsure of.

"If you mean to ask whether or not she's told me anything, she is keeping her mouth well and truly shut. In both the figurative and literal senses."

"But has she told anything to you by accident?"

The demon gave him a small smile. "These things take time, my lord. For now I can be certain that she has lied about her ability to speak, but that is all."

Ciel huffed and glared at the wall as Sebastian removed his socks. There was no doubt the demon was hiding something, but he had no idea what. He hadn't thought of specific enough questions to get it out of him, he supposed. At the least, there was another matter he could ask about which had been bothering him since the meeting with the Undertaker.

"Sebastian, you've had dealings with this assassin order in the past."

The demon grinned, genuinely pleased. "Indeed I have."

"Well then, what do you know about them?"

"Not much, to be honest," Sebastian put his hand to his chin in thought. "When I ran into them, I wasn't concerned with who they were, only with getting rid of their nuisance. As it turns out, they were more difficult to deal with than I had first presumed."

"Why?"

Sebastian grinned. "Ah, there is where my answers run out, my lord. They were strong but still human, so their ability to survive skirmishes with me and give me enough trouble to seek to eradicate them was unprecedented."

"You tried to eradicate them?" Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite. I was going to, but they went into hiding before I could, and I hadn't the energy to devote to searching after them."

"Hm…" Ciel frowned as he tried to puzzle this matter out, but he knew that answers would continue to evade him until he pursued after the matter directly. That ball was coming up, if he recalled, and if there was something shady going on in the Covington manor then he would surely find out. It was bothersome that neither of his investigations were revealing any fruit as of yet, but the game had only just begun. The matter with Faye was closer at hand and was the mystery he thought would sort itself out sooner. He had hoped that maybe Faye might offer them some answers, but it had been nearly a week and she was still resolutely silent.

Sebastian began to unbutton Ciel's shirt, and the boy chanced a quick look up at the demon. He couldn't get a read on him, but still he sensed that there was something about this subject that the demon wasn't speaking of. Again, Ciel knew he hadn't asked the right questions yet. Perhaps asking after Faye directly wasn't the avenue he needed to be taking. At least, not until something came up in his own investigations. He wouldn't send Sebastian after this "Madame" character – not yet. As soon as the butler left the property there would be undue trouble and he simply didn't want to deal with that, let alone put Faye in unnecessary danger.

"Tomorrow I want you to have Miss Faye dressed properly to meet the rest of the staff," he said. "And I want her answer as to whether or not she'll be staying."

"Oh, I don't think you'll need to worry about that, my lord," Sebastian said with a saccharine smile.

Ciel narrowed his eye. "Well then, seeing as how you're going to be spending a good portion of the day with her, then I expect you to gain some information of import."

"Yes, my lord."

Sebastian finished dressing him in his night clothes. However, as he laid down to rest, there came a timid knock at his door. Ciel froze, thinking the worst, but his servants wouldn't have been so conservative with the noise. He reached for his eyepatch, which Sebastian tied back in place, and then stood, motioning for the door. Sebastian took his time and Ciel almost expected whoever had been there to leave. His eye widened as the butler opened the door to reveal Miss Faye, who had turned, it seemed, to walk away. She grimaced before she turned to look at him through the doorway. He noticed that she resolutely refused to make eye contact with Sebastian and stored that information away for a later date.

"My lady Sain-Clair," he said with a smile. "It is good to see you up. Do come in."

Faye clutched the papers in her hand tighter and kept her eyes fixed on the carpet as she came forward. Sebastian shut the door gently behind her and, for a moment, Ciel thought he saw something akin to fear flash across her eyes, but he couldn't be certain.

"Please," he said, motioning to one of his chairs by the fire. "Sit."

The lady did so, stiffly, and Ciel knew that whatever supernatural healing ability she might have had, it wasn't nearly as strong as Sebastian's. Her wounds still gave her discomfort. He sat in the chair next to hers and crossed his legs. Something told him that such a meeting in the night was improper but he doubted Faye would have sought him out unless it was important. Especially considering she had not yet received a tour of the mansion and should therefore have no idea where his room was.

"To what do I owe such a late visit?" he asked.

Faye shifted in her chair and looked down at the papers in her lap. The top one, he noticed, already had a lengthy message written out on it. She handed it to him.

My Lord Phantomhive, it began, I apologize to have come to you at such a late hour, but I feel that I can put this off no longer. I must thank you for your hospitality – I surely would not have survived without it. You have been very good to me and I do not want you to think that I am ungrateful for the kindness you have shown me. However, I am afraid I must refuse your offer. I cannot stay here. In the morning, I will leave at first light. I thank you again for your compassion.

Ciel pressed his lips together as he finished reading the note. He had nothing to worry about, Sebastian had said. Yet here Faye was, about to leave his protection and walk right into her death. She might have been strong enough to leave bed, but she was in no condition to carry on outside just as the winter was beginning to start in earnest. That was assuming she wasn't found by her pursuers, either. Ciel placed the page on the small coffee table between them and glanced at Sebastian. The demon had a perfectly blank face, but Ciel knew he had been able to read the words. He turned his eye to Faye, who stared into the fire and chewed on her lip.

"Do you mind if I ask why you came to this decision, my lady?"

Faye closed her eyes for a moment and released her lip. She turned to watch him for a long moment, then looked back at his desk. Sebastian took the hint and brought her ink and a quill. Still, she did not look at him, even as she took the small vial.

I have no ties at home anymore, so I cannot claim familial longing. But I cannot stay here, my lord. It is too close to London.

Ciel read the message and passed it back to her, frowning. "If you are worried after your safety, my lady, I assure you that you will find no better safe haven than in these halls."

Faye shook her head and wrote, It is not physical well-being I am worried about, my lord. But every time I look outside I am reminded of how close I am to the place – here she paused – that I suffered for these past months. I cannot stand the thought of it.

"I understand," Ciel sighed. If that was the truth then he doubted her decision could be swayed. However if past conversations were any evidence, then there was a lot she wasn't telling him. "If you would wish it, I would be glad to lend you transportation, at least to a port city or someplace you might be able to stay in safety. I would hate it if you were found again."

This brought forth a genuine smile on Faye's face, and for a moment, Ciel saw her as she might have been before all this happened – beautiful, kind, innocent. He knew she wasn't innocent, least of ways not of lying to him, but that didn't mean that she had any sinister agenda.

I again thank you for your kindness, Lord Phantomhive. But I believe that I shall be fine to travel on my own from here. I won't be going through cities.

Ciel nodded. It made sense. Why would she go through places that reminded her of the torture she suffered? He wished he had that luxury. But as she stood and curtseyed to him, he couldn't help the tugging in his heart. He knew that if she left, he would never see her again. Not because their paths wouldn't cross, but because they couldn't. She would die.

Faye left the room. Sebastian shut the door behind her and turned to him, waiting for orders. Ciel's face hardened and he stood with his chin raised.

"Do not let her leave, Sebastian. Do everything you can to convince her to stay. I will not let her walk into her death."

The demon, absent of his usual smile, placed a hand over his heart and bowed. "Yes, my lord."

With that, the demon left. Ciel retrieved his robe and stepped into his slippers before he exited his room and made his way toward his study. The Undertaker had made clear that Faye's dagger had some connection to the death of this Lord Bertrand. Perhaps he could gain some insight into her if he read what the demon compiled. At the very least, he hoped Sebastian had figured out more than he was letting on. Then maybe he had a chance at stopping her.

Ciel paused in front of his study before he'd even placed a hand on the doorknob. A thought flashed through his mind. He questioned why he was bothering to save this woman. She was a stranger and had nothing she could offer to him in services that Sebastian could not. He shouldn't care – he knew he shouldn't. But the way her eyes lit up at his offer, the way her smile softened the hard edges of her face. She, like him, had not seen much kindness in this world. He would be damned if he let her die without doing all he could to prevent it.

With a nod to affirm this, he opened the door. It was time he figured out what this Bernard fellow had to do with Faye.

xxXXxx

She should have known that it wasn't going to be so easy to leave behind this place. It hadn't taken long for Sebastian to catch up to her – she'd only just made it to her room, down the hall from Ciel's. She stood, her back facing the door which the butler had just opened, and she waited with stiff shoulders. Sebastian stepped inside and closed the door, letting it click shut behind him. Faye didn't like that sound. Too much of a finality.

"You know," he said, velvet voice floating through the air and wrapping around her ears. "I must admit that I cannot quite seem to understand you, my lady. You seem to be rather determined to do whatever you must to fight for your survival, but at the same time you insist on throwing yourself into danger. Having trouble making up your mind?"

Anger flashed through her at the implication behind his words and she turned to glare at him, hoping that the look would be enough to drive him away. Foolish.

"My master is quite adamant that I keep you safe, my lady." He took a few calculated steps forward; she didn't back away. "Surely you know that the moment you leave my protection, those people will come after you."

She didn't blink. Didn't look away. Didn't move to make an answer. Instead she lifted her chin in challenge.

So stop me, she dared, made sure it was written in every line in her face. Foolish indeed. Jumping into danger indeed.

"Don't tell me you think that you have a chance of standing up to me," he said, expression turning harder. "You know by now what I am."

Faye raised an eyebrow – what's your point?

"You don't even have the power to stand up to those who hunt you. What sort of hellion like yourself could fall to such great depths?"

Her eyes widened, shocked at first, but then furious. She took a threatening step forward. Just what was he implying? Hellion? How dare that stuck-up, smirking, piece of –

Sebastian's face slowly melted into realization as he watched the anger surge through her, and then he couldn't seem to help the cold laugh that left his lips. The sound stunned Faye. She couldn't decide whether to be horrified or outraged.

"Oh, this is rich," he said, a genuine smile alighting his face for the first time since she'd been here. "You don't even know what you are, do you?"

Faye paused, confused. Didn't know what she was? What did that –

She sucked in a breath as she remembered. Glowing red eyes, fanged smirk, voice like velvet, impossibly charismatic. But the face was different; it wasn't Sebastian's. It was the man who claimed to be her father. No, not a man. Something else.

She turned from Sebastian and wrapped her arms around herself. The images bombarded her – cruel nails, strong grip, knife cutting through skin like butter. What sort of father - ? But no, he hadn't started off that way. It wasn't until she turned him down, until she left him behind, until she betrayed her sisters that he – heavy chains, empty stomach, no water, acrid stench. The days turned into weeks turned into months turned into – fire burning, scalding, scorching harsh marks into her back, empty screams, no more tears left to give, all she wanted was an end to the pain. Why couldn't they understand that she didn't walk away because she wanted to ruin them, but because she couldn't handle that life anymore, senseless killing, emotionless bloodlust, horrified screams of victims. What could she say to make them realize –

"Faye!" the voice snarled at her, pushing through her thoughts and tearing her from that place. It deposited her in a heap on soft carpet, cinnamon spices, cotton wrapped around her broken body. She gasped as her senses came back to her and she realized that Sebastian knelt in front of her, his hand gripping her chin. He stared into her eyes until he was satisfied at whatever he found. Then he stood.

"You are a pathetic excuse for a demon," he said.

She snarled up at him and surged to her feet, pain forgotten. She would have slapped him if it would have done any good. Something changed in his eyes then. It was subtle but instead of decoding his hidden messages she turned from him and sat on her bed, wishing he would leave her be. If she was to die, then she was to die.

"I don't want you here any more than you want to be here. But my master seems to think that you two share some common ground. He's doing everything in his power to find out who is hunting you, and I've no doubt he'll order me to do something about them when he does. However, you should know that he does not take kind to murderers taking advantage of his hospitality."

Faye whipped her head around to face him, nostrils flaring. Did he know?

Sebastian reached into his coat pocket and drew out an envelope sealed with, her heart clenched, his contract symbol. "Evgeniya Turner," he said.

Her face fell into absolute horror. She stared up at him with wide-eyes as he held her in cold regard. Just what did this butler know? How far had he dug into her past life?

"She was a sweet girl," he said. "Very close to you, I presume. Her father was an Englishman, her mother a Russian. Lord Bernard took you with him when he went to live in Russia, and you raised that girl. What a pity it was when her mother died of illness. What a pity when the daughter did the same. And you exacted your revenge on Bernard's poor treatment, didn't you? But you weren't caught because you kept the murder weapon with you when you fled. A dagger. The very same dagger my master is now keeping safe in his study."

Faye pressed her lips into a thin line. So he knew everything – or at least everything in public record, and he'd made some decent guess work about the rest. At least that was all he seemed to know. She still failed to understand what this had to do with her staying in the manor.

"I have on these papers everything that I've just said, only in more detail. Lord Phantomhive is smart, and he will be able to draw the same conclusions I have. The report I gave him on your past does not include this information, but should you leave this property I will have no choice but to show him everything."

Sebastian held the papers out to her and she took them gently, fearfully. She opened them. Newspaper clippings, police reports, a few statistical charts – all of them translated into English, of course. Everything that could incriminate her was here.

"If you stay, then I won't show him these papers, and my master will have every reason to believe you're the innocent tutor you say you are. That will save you from his wrath, and believe me, since I am the one to carry out his orders, you don't want to suffer that."

Faye furrowed her brow, emotions swirling in her that made no sense. It couldn't have been that easy, there was no way. This butler couldn't care so much for his master's feelings, could he? He had to have some ulterior motive. That was the only explanation. Yet, as she looked up at him, she could find no evidence of anything but an assurance that he was not lying. And she knew that whatever end she would come to at his hands would somehow be far worse than those that hunted her.

Her hands tightened on the papers and she looked down at them again. Her choice was simple. Either leave and fight off a pack of brainwashed fools in her weakened state or stay with her past tucked away from Lord Phantomhive where, for whatever unfathomable reason, he had ordered his pet to protect her. Live or die. The answer should have come to her easily. But then, there was more to her situation than the demon knew. Would he really be able to fend off the advances of the beast that claimed her kinship? It would be easier to leave, come what may.

"Is it really so hard a decision?"

Faye glared up at Sebastian. He looked down on her with cold, calculating eyes and she could tell that he watched her as a scientist would their experiment. His presence was far more threatening than any of the Madame's forces. And yet… should he come into contact with the beast that hunted her… Perhaps he would survive. Perhaps neither of them would survive. If there was a chance, even the smallest chance that they would fight, then she might make an escape.

Finally, she stood. Sebastian's gaze followed her as she walked to the still-smoldering embers of the fire. She tossed the papers on the ashes. They burned. When she turned around, she was met with gleaming eyes and a completely unreadable expression.

"Well then, Miss Sain-Clair. Welcome aboard to the Phantomhive staff." He bowed with his hand over his chest. "I look forward to working with you."

A/N: Lmao, what? A chapter? I honestly doubt anyone even remembers this story exists. Oh well. Here is chapter. Have fun. Maybe I won't drop off the face of the planet for half a year this time. Maybe I will. Depends on things I guess?