The sound of horseshoes thumped against the road heavily. Madame Red looked out the window, her face clouded in thought, yet her crimson eyes were darkened with distaste. Every time she was in a carriage, especially in the Autumn, she became uneasy. Memories of her past clouded her every thought. The crash, her loss, her pain; all lingered and replayed on repeat in her mind. The cool autumn breeze blew into her carriage, rustling her short red hair. Instinctively she reached up to hold her hat atop her head, stopping it from flying off. The large plumage gently brushed her cheek, making her think back to the days of her youth. Vincent Phantomhive, her first love. She always hated her crimson features, the loneliness, and isolation it brought; nearly brought her to tears. He admired her unique hair, and eyes. It gave her a sense of hope, a sense of belonging; until that night the manor was engulfed in crimson flames.

The baroness shook her head, ridding herself of these thoughts as her crimson eyes glanced at the falling leaves. The soft breeze was just enough for those loose leaves to fall, soft as a feather, to the ground below. The plethora of colors made her features relax momentarily, they were mostly shades of yellow and orange, akin to the setting sun. The random spatters of the red leaves made images flash through her mind. Crimson life fluid splattered on a cobblestone road. The feeling of the warm liquid made her look at her hand trepidatiously, fearing to see the crimson on her fingers as well. With a soft laugh, she covered her eyes with her hands, holding her head to try and calm her fraying nerves.

As the carriage stopped her body visibly cringed, a knee jerk reaction of sorts since the carriage accident, and snapped her out of her reverie.

"Seems we have arrived Madame" Grell grinned wickedly, his luminescent eyes glowed with silent mischief.

"Seems so." The widowed baroness gracefully exited the carriage with expertly practiced movements, her features changing from bored indifference to playful flirtation. She mustered everything she had to gracefully enter the manor of the Midford family. She smiled and greeted Elisabeth with earnest happiness. The purpose of her visit was to go over some etiquette training with the young lady. Elisabeth was always a happy girl, but after Ciel died, her eyes were lifeless. She was a shell of a person. As Elisabeth elegantly sipped her tea, pinky raised, she admired the trees. Angelina averted her gaze from the trees and continued the lesson.

The day went by in a flurry of activity, eventually, in the evening she had to go to work to counsel a client. This client was one of many who did not desire children and sought her expertise in "ridding them of their burden". Women like these made her cringe. They did not value life the way Madame did. Routinely she did the necessary procedure, even though it pained her to do so; to waste such a sweet innocent life. As she was washing her hands, the blood coming off her hands, pouring into the drain, made those bothersome images return. She was thinking of how much she wanted this patient to be her next victim. To watch her blood spill slowly from her body, between the cracks of the cobblestone, into a storm drain. She was suddenly snapped away from her reverie when a frantic nurse entered the post-operation room. "Dr. Dalles! It's your nephew! He is in the waiting room!" The panicked brunette's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. Without a second thought, Angelina frowned and nearly growled. "You better not be playing tricks on me. This is not funny!"

In her heart of hearts she knew, Ciel really did return. Without a moment's hesitation, hands still wet and dripping, she took off into a dash to the waiting room; stopping mid-step. Her feminine features paled upon seeing the gray-haired boy who looked so much like his father. He sat unmoving in a chair with a tall butler, all clad in black at his side. She fell to her knees upon seeing him, her heart nearly burst from her chest it beat so hard.

"Ciel?" She asked cautiously.

"Auntie Ann..." The boy responded softly.

Without another moment, she wrapped her arms around the boy, holding him to her. One arm tight around his ribs and the other up in his hair, pressing the back of his head to her shoulder. Tears beaded and filled her eyes, streaming down slowly. 'I must be dreaming...This has to be a dream.' She thought. 'I'm surrounded by red, there's no way this is real. Good things never happen when red is involved....' Sobs began to escape the baroness, pure joy filled her being. She held the small boy, and after a moment she held him in front of her, at arm's length, taking a good look at him. He looked so much like his parents. It was like a part of her heart, which she thought had died with Rachel and Vincent, was alive once again. She smiled a true, honest smile; the first she had since the fire.

"Come. Let's take you home. Do you remember...what happened?" she asked softly, not sure if it was a good idea to ask that question so soon after he returned. She stood, fixed her skirt and held the small boy's hand. Leading him outside, she looked up at the night sky, silent tears streaming down her face. She watched red leaves breeze past them, and couldn't help thinking. 'Perhaps...Just this once, red isn't so bad. My dearest sisters son returned. Autumn isn't so bad after all.' She smiled at the thought as the carriage took off towards the old Phantomhive manor.