Title: Heat

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Characters except for the unknown ones.

Warning: This story deals with gender bender, it's AU, and OOC for some characters. Lime Warning!

Author Notes: This is the final chapter for Heat. A sequel will be coming in the near future so please watch for it, though it will not be up until I finish another story I am working on. A thank you to Odji and Kinsey55 for input/feedback while writing this chapter.

Pairing: Claude x Sebastian, Undertaker x Grell

Even while in the midst of sleeping, Claude's hands did not release Sebastian, holding him closely within his arms as they slept. His precious mate's head was resting upon Claude's shoulder, eyes closed as Sebastian breathed in and out slowly, making little to no sound. Despite the fact that it was day out and their Masters had gone, the two demons had no inclination to wake.

Sebastian had valid reasons for sleeping so long, his back mending itself from his beating while he rested, warm and safe against his older mate. Additionally, his body was soon going to undergo necessary changes, the physical evidence of the child that he carried. For the present time, the unborn baby was not even a month old and Sebastian was young and this was his first child. Bearing a child was not without rewards, though it also carried great risks.

The child would be primarily drawing on Sebastian for its needs, fatiguing him more and more as it grew and became stronger. Sebastian, being younger than most Demons, had not reached his full peak in terms of his own powers. He was quite capable of taking care of himself for the most part, though with the drain on himself for the baby, he was exceedingly fortunate that he had bonded with the father of the child.

Claude Faustus was powerful in his own right, older than Sebastian Michaelis, and quite capable of supporting and protecting his life bearing mate. Their bond made it possible for Claude to share his energy with Sebastian if need be, not a bad thing considering how young Sebastian was in comparison. With initial genuine affection between them after the first time Claude slept with Sebastian during his mating cycle, it had grown deeper and much more meaningful between the two demons. They knew each other on an intimate level, not just physical, and with a child to join them in several months, their future together seemed perfect.

Claude himself had fallen asleep with the comfortable warmth against him. He had no reason to actually do so, but he had no intention of being away from Sebastian right now. Both the baby and Sebastian were precious to the golden-eyed male, who was glad that the Demon who had dared to beat his mate had been killed. If Lord Lucifer hadn't done it, Claude would have. There was no excuse for it and it could have killed the two Demons who meant more to Claude than anyone ever had before.

Sebastian was his whole world right now. The sweet, somewhat shy Demon lurking beneath the arrogant facade was endearing, as were his smiles, laughter, and warm embraces. Claude would do anything to keep his mate safe, even if it meant fighting all the forces of the Demon World. No one was allowed to lay a single finger on Sebastian in violence, not if they wanted to keep said finger. Even the mere thought sent anger churning through the sleeping Demon, his face gently nuzzling against Sebastian's crown, feeling his soft hair.

As for the child- Claude loved it already, because it was his child with Sebastian. He'd never let anyone hurt their child, nor would he ever leave the child to fend for itself the way most Demons did. His parent had died, though until that time, he had not been alone for she had cared for him and raised him. Sebastian, Claude knew, had been brought up by a loving, compassionate Demon Lord, for how else could he have retained his sweet, innocent nature? There was no fear of Sebastian wanting to send the child away either. Though it had surprised them both to learn that Sebastian had conceived during their first time together, their joy could not be denied.

Claude had also surprised Sebastian with his tenderness, taking great care not to hurt Sebastian when he claimed the smaller demon during his first mating cycle. The virginal Sebastian was so innocent that he hadn't even realized that he'd been in heat, not until Claude figured it out. Being older, the symptoms were easier for Claude to read than for someone who'd never even looked at another being as a sexual partner before. Claude certainly had no issues with Sebastian being intersexed and had proven himself to be an extremely protective and caring mate. Having gained official acknowledgement by Sebastian's Demon Master, though not many realized that Lord Lucifer was also Sebastian's grandfather, Claude knew there would be very few, if any, challenges on his claim of Sebastian. Not that he wouldn't fight every challenger to the death for that audacity, but such a thing meant that whoever challenged him would face the wrath of a powerful Demon Lord.

Further down the hallway outside of the room, William T. Spears sat silently, his back resting against the wall. At least the carpet was comfortable, he mused, occasionally rubbing his eyes. Ronald was dozing next to him, his mouth open slightly as he slept. What Ronald didn't know, however, was that his head was currently resting on William's shoulder.

After William and Ronald had spoken, clearing the air between them in regards to Ronald feeling guilty for having potentially hurt William with his words and the older Reaper embracing him, they had stopped talking. They had not kissed, though, but the embrace had been far more telling. Very rarely did William ever offer comfort, much less physical comfort, such as a hug, and yet he had done both.

The blush had not faded yet from Ronald's face, though it would have grown if he had but seen the way William was looking at him, his lips curved into a slightly doting smile. The dark-haired Shinigami wouldn't have let anyone else do this to him, but he didn't mind it so much when it was Ronald. The implications of that escaped him for now, but later he would call himself a fool for not realizing thing sooner.

Perhaps it could be blamed on the fact that he, of all people, was standing guard over Sebastian Michaelis, a Demon? Regardless of whom he was related to, William rather hoped that Undertaker would be back soon. William was concerned, though, because the fact that he hadn't returned yet meant either Grell or Demon Lord Lucifer had been injured.

William didn't want Grell hurt because Grell was a Reaper as well, even if he was a tad strange. The redhead was emotional and passionate about everything, sometimes annoying William to the extreme, but since Ronald had taken care to point out to him just how unfairly he treated Grell, William knew he owed Grell an apology. Hopefully, the other Shinigami was still in one piece and well.

It wasn't the Demon himself that William primarily worried for in regards to whether Demon Lord Lucifer was well. It was what it would mean if he died before Sebastian was ready to take over as part of the triumvirate. By no means did William want things to return to war, as had been done back under Lucifer's father. Few were those who were alive then, but their stories had been more than enough to convince William to aid Demon Lord Lucifer in surviving the assassination attempts.

Not to mention, Undertaker would have been furious if something had happened because Grell would have gotten hurt too. Grell had been the backup William had sent because he was powerful, despite how he acted most of the time. It had simply slipped William's mind that he had sent the redhead without a proper weapon to fight with, having confiscated the chainsaw quite a while ago.

Hopefully both he and Ronald could leave soon, William mused silently. They had a rather difficult time trying to have a conversation here when someone could overhear them talking about things that were best kept private. After all, he didn't want anyone else to bring up Alma to him anytime soon. Even so, Ronald had given him a new perspective on the whole thing, to consider what she would have wanted him to do. And that sobering thought had made William realize just how blind he had been. She had been so kind and loving that she never would have wanted him to mourn for her this long. Nor would it have made her happy to know that he still held a grudge against all Demons for what had happened, and that he had lashed out at those who would be friends with him if he would allow it.

Life or in William's case, the afterlife, was certainly complicated to the extreme. For the longest time, William had thought Grell to be in love with him. The way that the other Reaper had flirted with him, hanging off him on occasion and grabbing onto him at random; he hadn't seen Grell doing that very often with anyone else. Aside from Sebastian Michaelis, that is, for everyone in the Shinigami department knew how Grell had fallen in lust with the Demon butler. If Sebastian had hurt Grell, William wouldn't have let it go without a swift and immediate punishment. But aside from their occasional fights and Sebastian being repulsed by the flirting, nothing else had happened.

In William's opinion, that was all for the best. A Reaper and a Demon certainly didn't belong together, not when both races still held such tension with each other after the war. Besides, Undertaker and Grell seemed to have hit it off rather well, if what he had seen in Undertaker's room was any indication. And maybe Undertaker could quell some of Grell's overbearing personality, though considering some of the things that Undertaker considered normal, it might just be too much to hope for.

Then again, William had found himself actually caring about someone else, which he'd vowed to never let happen again. He tried to guard his heart as fiercely as he did his job, but Ronald had snuck in there without his even realizing it. How could this have happened? When had Ronald become less of an employee of the Shinigami business and something more? Was it because Ronald had managed to make him smile, even if it was only a few scattered times? He knew Ronald cared about him and it was a frightening prospect since William cared too. It had been countless centuries since he had reached out to touch anyone physically in an embrace. He'd almost found himself about to actually kiss the younger male, though the moment had passed. But William could remember the cute, flushed way that Ronald had looked up at him through half-lidded green eyes.

Ronald slept on peacefully, unaware of William's thoughts. He certainly didn't see how he was being watched, though he was emotionally worn out. While their lips had not actually met, somehow the warm kiss pressed to his forehead had been much more intimate, causing much deeper warmth to spread through Ronald as he looked up at William silently. Neither had spoken a word, both sitting and leaning back against the wall, though their shoulders had brushed together. The physical contact between them had spread down to their hands, their fingers entwined tightly.

Being asleep, of course, Ronald was not actively thinking on any of this, but it signified a definite change in the dynamics of their relationship. The fact that Ronald was even being allowed to sleep on William's shoulder was significant as well. What would come of it in the future had yet to be determined, but they were clearly no longer just coworkers with one being a rookie and the other part of the management for the Grim Reapers.

Things were silent inside of Undertaker's room in the Demon World as well, two males curled together in sleep beneath silk sheets. Both had long hair with vastly different sheens; fiery crimson on one and old silver being the other, though with the way that they lay entwined, it was hard to tell whose hair was whose. One, Grell Sutcliffe, possessed paler skin and no scars and the other, most commonly known as Undertaker, had scars that marred his pale body.

Usually, the much older and retired Reaper wore layers of clothes beneath his black cloak, hiding the scars from sight. As such, only a select few even knew of their existence and fewer still were those who knew where they came from. In fact, there were only two. The scars, though, had been revealed to Grell when they'd made love for the first time. Having seen Undertaker's face before without his hair covering it, the marks upon it had been clearly shown to the younger male.

It was a gift, a sign of some much deeper emotional attachment that Undertaker had even allowed another to see all of his scars. He knew that they made him stand apart from those Shinigami that were still active but it didn't matter to him. Undertaker took the stares and looks of shock, horror, and even revulsion in silence. Those young ones could never understand why he had no regrets, for the scars he'd gained had saved the life and sanity of his best friend.

Grell might understand, but it had surprised Undertaker that Grell was not repulsed by the scarring across a great deal of his body. His face, his chest, his back, and limbs; all of them held at least one silent, physical reminder. Yet Grell had surrendered to him regardless of his less than worthy appearance, the passionate redhead eagerly responding to his every touch and caress.

Though they slept now, making love had been powerful and sweet. Needful cries had passed between Grell's parted lips as Undertaker drove into him, filling him completely. Ragged breathing, sweat gleaming, and hands caressing as Grell was pounded into, though Undertaker had made absolutely certain not to hurt him. It was a slick but tight entrance that Undertaker had penetrated, fingers and lotion making the way much less painful for Grell.

Preparation had been a necessity because Grell had been a virgin despite his flamboyant personality and the way he flirted with many, many males. Everyone had spurned his attentions, some kinder than others, but Undertaker had not. In fact, it appeared to Grell that the legendary Reaper had wanted him for a very long time, though he had not realized it until recently. What a fool he had been to waste his attentions on those who didn't care for his attention. Undertaker had been everything he'd wanted in a lover, far exceeding Grell's expectations.

From the way he'd been teased, fondled, and brought to climax without Undertaker entering him, Grell had known then that this was going to be a time to remember. Before his seed even cooled, thick fingers coated with a spicy smelling substance had pushed into him, one at a time until he was ready. Grell had expected pain but had not known that even with the pain there would be great pleasure, not until he was fully claimed by Undertaker. By the time that they were finished, he was so tired that he couldn't even move.

Strong arms had pulled him close, pulling blankets up over them so they'd be warm as they rested. Grell's perch was quite comfortable, his head on Undertaker's chest as the older man slept, holding him close with his arms. If anyone was foolish enough to peek in there, given the rather erotic sounds that had come forth from both of the Reapers, it was obvious that they had been lovers. Undertaker was sleeping, his whole body turned in towards Grell as he held him close, not wanting to let go, and Grell nuzzled against him even whilst he slept.

The only thing that was missing now was a pentacle mark that had been present upon Undertaker's shoulder for well over a millennia. The evidence of his Demon contract fading away as the hours passed by, unnoticed by either of the two as they slept on. What this would mean would not be seen immediately, though the effects would certainly have repercussions in the Demon World.

Not far away, a lone Demon stood in front of the mirror, his robe hanging off of his shoulders and open as he gently traced a mark that was slowly receding. The contract between them now broken, there was nothing else to be done. Would it be strength or weakness if he showed his genuine pain right now, he wondered. Once more, he was all alone and the timing could have been better.

To be without Uriah right now, without him standing by his side for what was coming left Lucifer vulnerable but it could not be helped. To deny the feelings Uriah felt towards Grell would be like denying that the sun rose each day in the Human World. He wasn't cruel or selfish enough to wish or even to personally inflict harm upon Grell or to do that to Uriah, despite the deep, aching sense of loss that he felt now. His hand gracefully moving to rest upon his abdomen for several moments, Demon Lord Lucifer looked down silently before his lavender eyes focused upon a letter on his desk.

The summons to a Conclave was not surprising, for Lucifer had expected nothing less. Once again, he was going back to Demon court because of her, she who didn't know that she was far too late. For even though things had not gone exactly as Lucifer had been planning, this moment was what he'd been waiting for. His careful planning since he'd begun raising Michaelis, while having been altered by unexpected happenings, had paid off. For so long, it had been game, set, match, and back to game again. Mariel had finally made her move.

But this time, the game was his.

The End