Title: The Monster

Genre: Friendship/Family/Humor/Romance (maybe, they are five and six...)

Rating: K+

Summary: "I'll just stay in here tonight and protect you from the monsters under your bed." Elizabeth put her hands on her hips and smiled. A little one-shot about a five-year-old Ciel and a six-year-old Lizzie and the monster under his bed. A little fluff, too.

Warning: For lack of a better word, they say 'monster' a lot. They also have bad child grammar.

"Lizzie?" The five-year-old, blue-eyed boy began, "Are there really monsters under my bed?"

"Of course not, Ciel!" The six-year-old blonde girl dismissed, as she stood up, "I just checked."

"Are you sure?" He questioned, "They probably come at night."

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm whole year older, so I'm a whole year smarterer than you. And my smartness know there is know monster under my fiancé's bed," She explained slightly arrogantly.

"But Edward is four whole years older and smarterer than you. And he's five whole years older and smarterer than me. Shouldn't he know if there are monsters under my bed?" Ciel asked.

"I guess you're right..." She pondered, "But wait, there has never been any monsters under my bed!"

"Remember what Edward said. There are none under your bed because you're sweet and cute. But I'm not, so they are gonna come eat me!" He proclaimed as he flailed his arms all around.

"You are cute and sweet," Elizabeth said, grabbing his chubby left cheek.

"I know you think so, but Edward doesn't and he's the smarterest," He replied. She nodded.

But she couldn't let her fiancé get eaten by a monster. She thought for a minute. Her eyes lit up and she smile, "I'll stay in here tonight."

"You will?" He asked as his eyes too lit up.

"Yeah. Me and Brother are already spending the night at the manor, I'll just stay in here tonight and protect you from the monsters under your bed," Elizabeth put her hands on her hips and smiled.

He frowned, "But wait, I'm gonna be your huband, so I have to protect you."

"Firstly, the word is husband, with an s, and nextly, that's not for like a trillion years, and nextly after that, just 'cause I'm girl doesn't mean I can't beat up monsters for my cousin," She stated proudly.

He nodded, "You're right," He gave her his giant, adorable, contagious smile, "Now we get to have a sleepover!"

"Do we have the marker for drawing on them?"

"Check!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "Do we have the pokey things we cook marshmallows on?"

"The skewers? Check!" Ciel nodded, "Did you get the flashlight?"

"Check!" She made a swift motion onto the paper and gave him a smile.

Suddenly, there was a small knock at the door. Ciel looked up, "Come in!" He called.

"Good afternoon Young Master Ciel, Young Lady Elizabeth." Tanaka greeted.

"Hello, Tanaka." They said in unison as they hopped off of the bed.

He smiled at them, "Today, I have brought chocolate chip scones, brownies, and Lady Elizabeth's favorite tea."

Their eyes widened and sparkled, "Yay!"

Tanaka sat the tray down on Ciel's small table. The two immediately sat down and began to stuff the various sweets in their mouths. Tanaka noticed their assortment of...ahem...combat tools and was curious about them.

"Master Ciel? Lady Elizabeth? May I ask what these are for?" The butler motioned towards the marker, the skewer, and the flashlight.

"We need them, to protect Ciel from the monsters under his bed!" Elizabeth announced between bites.

"I see..." He said. He picked up the skewer and left the room.

"Lizzie?" Ciel began to tap her head as her emerald eyes fluttered open, "Wake up."

She looked up at him from her sitting position on the floor as he was laying on his large, soft, comfortable bed, "But I'm tiiiireeed." She whined.

"But you have to stay awake to protect me." He argued.

"I have to sleep, too, Ciel." Lizzie crossed her arms over her chest. Then a lightbulb went off in her head, "I know. The monsters don't eat me because I am me. If I sleep in the bed with you, the monsters will know not to eat anyone around me, and we'll be all right."

He thought for a momen, "Hmm... Okay!" He extended his hand to help her up. She grabbed it and hopped on his bed. She got under his covers and smiled at him.

They laid in his bed silently for hours (well, actually it was just five minute, but you know children have bad estimations of time) before the boy with the sapphire eyes spoke:

"Lizzie? I'm scared."

Lizzie turned herself over, "Do you still think the monsters will come get you?"

He nodded with a scared look in his eyes.

"Well, if the monsters come and eat you, they'll have to eat me, too." She smiled.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, "I don't think that is very smart."

"It's true." She said, "Even if the monster doesn't come for a really long time, like next wee. Or even two! I won't let 'em eat you unless they eat me, too. Well, I do my best to not let you be. You won't be dinner for any mean monster on my watch!"

"But what if they come while we're asleep and we don't know?" He asked.

She tapped her chin. Then she threw her arms the other young noble and pulled him towards her. He gave her a confused look, "Huh?"

"Come on. Put your arms around me, and that way, we can protect each other!" She said giving him an assuring smile.

"Okay." He wrapped his arms around his bethrothal he pressed her small body to his, "Are you sure this will work?"

"Yep! And even if that monster comes, we can fight. We got that pokey thing back from Mr. Tanaka!" She announced.

So they laid there for a while looking at each other and smiling. After a while, Elizabeth spoke, "You're warm, Ciel."

"You're warm, too." Ciel complimented.

"This is comfy." She noted, "We should do this more often."

He nodded, rubber her nose with his.

"Goodnight, Lizzie."

"Goodnight, Ciel."

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Ciel's ears perked up. Was that the monster? Wait, wasn't it under his bed? He moved away from Elizabeth and checked. There wasn't anything under his bed. He sighed. He probably didn't really hear anything...

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Wait. He heard it again. It was getting closer. He gasps. The monster probably went to get some food from the pantry. He probably ate off of the brownies and cookies and chocolate-covered pretzels. He was gonna be dessert for that monster. That evil, evil monster...

Clack. Clack. Clack.

He shook his fiancée, "Lizzie. Lizzie wake up. The monster is coming."

Lizzie shot up. She gave him a determined look, "Give me the pokey thing."

Clack. Clack. Clack.

They grew scared as the gold-tinted door knob began to twist. A young man's figure appeared, "Grr..."

Ciel turned on the flashligh and they saw toilet paper hanging from the monster's arms.

"Ah! It's a toilet tissue gremlin!" Elizabeth shrieked.

Ciel charged up to it and began to doodle on it viciously. He knew monsters didn't like to be drawn on with markers!

He soon discovere that it wasn't very effective. The monster growled, "Get off me, Ciel Phantomhive."

Ciel hopped of it and cowered, "It knows my name! Lizzie! Get it!"

Lizzie grabbed the skewer and charged towards the gremlin, but-

"Wait! Liz! It's Edward!" He turned on the lights and just in time, too; his little sister's weapon was and inch from his leg.

"Edward? You're a monster?" Elizabeth tilted her head.

"No." He let his head hang down, "I was trying to scare Ciel."

Lizzie frowned, "Why?"

"Because that little muskrat keeps kicking me and hiding my stuff!" He replied.

"Ciel wouldn't do that!" She defended as her cousin in question stuck his tongue out.

"Look he's sticking his tongue out at me." Edward mentioned.

The pink appendage returned to Ciel mouth, "Why, I would never be part of such barbarism."

"How did you learn that word?" Elizabeth asked, "It's so big!"

"I stuck my tongue out at Auntie once, and that's what she called it." He explained.

Elizabeth suddenly yawned, "I'm going back to bed. Goodnight, Edward." She crawled back on to Ciel's bed and before Edward could respond, the five-year-old pushed him out of the room and shut the door. Ciel reached up and turned off the lights and got back up onto his bed. He slid into the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Ciel, it's okay. You don't have to protect me from the monster. He's my brother!" She assured.

"I'm going protect you from everything else that's tries to hurt you." He announced, "If you get hurt, sad, or die, I get hurt, sad, or die, and I don't like to get hurt, sad, or die."

She smiled as she put her arms around Ciel, "M'kay! I'll protect you too!"

...

"Goodnight, Lizzie."

"Goodnight, Ciel."