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Sammael smiled as he pulled the nightshirt over Ciel's head and did the buttons up. "Pretty soon, you won't be needing anyone's help with this." he said.


Placing his uniform aside to be cleaned later, Claude slid under the covers When Sebastian got in, he wasted no time in putting his arms around his lover. "What are you so happy about?" he asked teasingly. his hands lightly caressing his skin under teh covers.

"No, not at all, because as of tonight, your going to have to put on your nightshirt yourself from now on." Sammael said. "Sebastian was starting to sentimental by not teaching you sooner." He said with a smirk. "Goodnight young master."

Claude chuckled, "Your easy to please." He closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep.

---

During the next few days, Isabella was disappointed to find out that violinist had cancelled all his appearances citing a family emergency, but life in the manor went on. Ms Spencer was still stubborn. the human servants crashed the manor, and Tanaka drank tea.
But with one exception, Claude barely touched Sebastian sexually since that night of the incubus attack.
"Sammael!" The spider butler was stalking thought the manor, hunting for that black trickster on four paws. Hearing a meow, He looked up and saw Sammael hanging upside down from the chandelier, "Where are my glasses Sam?"
"Which ones?"
"All of them Sam."
"First apologize for giving me that catnip tea yesterday."
"I told you for the thousandth time: I didn't!"
"If you didn't. then tell me, who did?"

But the cat demon noticed Sebastian. He let go and did a flip while he was falling so he landed lightly on his feet on the floor. He pressed himself into Sebastian's back. "Sebastian....You will help me find the culprit won't you?" He started purring under his breath, knowing that the crow demon would find it irresistible. "Can you find out who- Ack!"
Sammael found himself hanging two inches off the floor with Claude holding him up in the air by the back of his uniform. He gave the glaring Spider demon a nervous smile. He pulled out a pai of glasses from his vest pocket and handed it to Claude. "The rest of them are in the crook of the owl's tree."
Claude put on the glasses and let the cat drop to the floor. "I must say it was rather embarrassing to see you rolling all over the floor. " Not to mention it was front of the representatives of an American shipping company Ciel wished to negotiate with.

the unfortunate Claude, had been oblivious to the plots around him, he was still a coolly professional butler no matter what the circumstances.
Still, Sammael was fuming, "Whoever did it, will pay dearly for it. My lady Isabella is going to tease me about it for the rest of her life. This black cat will cross paths with them." He avowed much to Claude's raised eyebrow. "You put a dash of catnip in your tea this morning." He stated flatly, when Sam turned to glare at him. Claude smirked. "Don't let it become a bad habit. you know that you could lose your job if you become addicted kitty."

Sammeal had to turn his head to hide his smirk but his shoulders where shaking betraying his snickering. Claude ignored the cat demon and knelt down to fix the buttons, raising his eyebrow. it seemed that Ciel had gotten a little taller since he last did this, how long had it been? More then a month ago?
Ciel was growing....

________

After retrieving his glasses from the cat demon's hiding place Claude went back to their rooms, just as he thought, Sammael was passed out on top of their bed. The cat was laying on his side.
Claude did have a few minutes before he had to go make afternoon tea for Ciel and Isabella. He sat down on the bed, his weight causing the black cat to roll over a little resting against Claude's warm leg. Sammael barely woke from his catnip induced stupor, instead laying with his' paws sprawled apart, his soft underbelly exposed. Claude smirked and started to slowly stroke down soft underfur.
Sammael started purring and tilted his chin upwards, the butler obliged by gently petting under his chin in long slow strokes.
"You certainly know how to add zest to living in the manor....." He said to the sleeping contented cat demon. To which Sam responded by a fresh burst of rumbling purrs.
Much to Claude's delight, Sebastian had never touched Sam since he made his promise. He reserved his time with Sam when Sam was in this cat form, in his lap petting him just like Claude was doing now or playing with him with a bit of string or throwing a small rubber ball.
He behaved as perfectly a pet for them and received affection from both in return. It was what Sammael had called. "a perfect time".
Claude petted him for a few minutes more before he got up to go make the afternoon tea.
A perfect time indeed....

Claude brought in their tea and snacks, Isabella was seated nearby practicing her croqueting, she didn't seem to have the knack for it the needles kept slipping. Claude glanced over saw her problem and made a suggestion. "Try looping it like you would a slip knot." Isabella looked puzzled for a moment then nodded. She was more familiar with tying ropes then croqueting. Her work improved. She smiled. "Thank you, You must know a lot more about ropes then I do." Wink.
Claude ignored her teasing comment, or at least he tried too, the slight blush on his face betrayed his embarrassment. He put the lemon meringue pie down and started to cut it to serve it.
Ropes indeed. Claude was trying to forget that night and the tentacles that held him captive, His golden eyes drifted to Sebastian's wrist where the bracelet was. The sight of it unnerved him in a way. When he had asked Sebastian to take it off, the crow demon had told him that it wouldn't come off, it refused to come off his wrist.
Whenever he tried to become intimate with Sebastian the sight of it effectively killed his mood.

Isabella put down her needles to enjoy the pie, complementing as she always did.

In a rundown shack, the old man coughed as the last of the candle sputtered. It was cold He'd have to get the boy to stuff more grass an mud into the cracks if he was going to survive another couple of days. He was sick, bitter and at the edge of his life's cord. But he waited, laying in a bed that nothing more then a pile of straw with old ripped up blanket piled around him for warmth.
Hearing the door open, the old man's face brighten into a smile. "Son.....you've returned."
"Yes Father, and I have something that will help you stave off death for a little while longer." the well dressed figure closed the door and placed a wrapped object in the old man's hands. The object glowed under it's wrapping of silk and felt. "Just say the word Father....and the whole of England will suffer as you have suffered."


---

Later that afternoon, after that day's music lessons. Isabella swung on the swing, laughing as Ciel pushed her higher and higher. Her fluffy skirts flowed around her legs, her slim legs kicking up high.
A black cat watched them from his perch up in the tree.
"Higher Ciel!"
The governess was seated on a bench nearby, looking worried. "Not so high Ciel...."