A/N: Hello everybody!

If you're a past fan of my stories, may I just start by apologizing. I know, I totally suck at updating, but this story has been dragged around for months now and I just had to use it. Rest assured, this and the other stories will not be neglected!

Anyway, this is an AU, to satisfy my Gilice love. I hope you enjoy, this story's title and its chapters' titles are named after flowers; each of these flowers bear significance in terms of their meaning. I did this for a Hunger Games story of mine, and now I'm using it for this, seeing as how Mochizuki tends to incorporate flowers into her works too as a means of conveying hidden meaning and such. Have fun linking the title's meaning to the chapter!

To conclude, I hope you enjoy! I know this pairing isn't exactly popular, and my chapter's a bit too lengthy with not too exciting content, but I hope you like it nontheless! I really see this story going places! Please review, tell me if you like it or not, and have fun!

I don't own Pandora Hearts! Enjoy!

Helenium

Chapter I: Celandine

joys to come.

xxx

"You're late again, you know," he heard her voice, calm, contented, elegant, with a sliver of malice only she could pull off without seeming like a horrible person to him echoed, as he pulled the ancient door shut behind him.

"I know," he said softly, as his approached her, golden eyes lowered, feet shuffling, ashamed at knowing that he had kept her waiting once again. "Sorry."

Softly, he heard her rise up from where she lay, footsteps echoing, whilst he kept his eyes studiously trained on the checker-pattern of her quarter's flooring. She'd never liked waiting. Ever since they were children, she'd always complain and get furious whenever he or his Master's companion failed to arrive on time. But now, she was quiet. Calm, even. Feeling her stop before him, the inheritor of the Baskerville Head's identity felt her soft hand caress his cheek, before raising his head up to look at her.

The sight of her face never failed to amaze him.

She was, in short, absolutely beautiful.

"Don't worry, I forgive you," she breathed, gentle smile set in place while her brilliantly impassioned purple eyes gazed into his own, captivating and smouldering simultaneously. Her long dark hair was, as always, effortlessly unruly, curling in dark chocolate tendrils around her waist. Before, he'd wanted to cut it so badly, when his hate for her had consumed and driven him.

Now, all he wanted to do was run his fingers through it and wonder how on earth could he have ever managed to even 'hate' her.

"Just don't do it again, will you," the girl warned light-heartedly, the same dark yet innocent gleam glistening in her garnet eyes as she ran her fingers up to lock into his curly hair, her smile turning into a playful smirk. "I don't like to be kept waiting, after all."

"Mhm," he nodded, wordless, as she released his hair and eyes from her hold, turning around in her wine-coloured dress to pad over to her shelf of plush toys. All he could do was watch, entranced and speechless, as the young beautifully aristocratic girl picked up a black rabbit from her collection of beloved stuffed animals and dolls, holding it, almost contemplating it quietly. That was the thing with her; he could never understand her fixation with her toys and with the black rabbit in particular; she was almost a woman by fall and yet she still adored them, treating them as if they were alive, even. Often, he'd try and convince her to get rid of them, when they were younger, but she'd always firmly insist on keeping them. Perhaps it was the fact that they were the only presents she got on her birthday, he did not know, but the girl was adamant on employing them as sufficient company when he was not around.

And if there was one thing he knew, it was that she always got her way.

"Glen came by earlier," the girl suddenly remarked, snapping him from his awe-induced stupor, as he straightened, blinking momentarily. "He came to apologise about you coming late recently. It seems you two have been busy, am I correct?" she presumed, twirling around daintily, fingers holding the black rabbit's arms as they spun, almost dancing.

"Y-yeah," he spluttered, feeling his cheeks warm up slightly. "You know, business about becoming the next Glen and all that. Vincent's not all to happy about me being away all the time, either. He thinks I'm just finding an excuse to spend all my time up here with you rather than with him." he smirked wryly, thinking of his heterochromia eyed brother. His brother had always been over-zealously envious of the time he spent with her, in this tower, often complaining about how angrily he hated her. Always, he would retaliate, reprimanding his younger brother for saying such awful things about the girl. Old habits died hard it seemed, and Vince still couldn't get other Alice's bratty attitude towards them.

But, then again, that was only because she'd never really known what it was like to care about someone else's feelings. Before, when she'd always been alone, so painfully alone, always hidden from the world, unknowing to the kindness of the human touch or the love one could offer...

but now, with him here, things had changed.

"Hey," he suddenly remembered, opening the door briefly before retrieving the basket he had left behind it earlier, "I have a present, you know, to make up for me being late." he offered, holding up the basket in his hands helplessly, while her head whipped around, eyes blinking inquisitively, curiously.

Setting the black rabbit back in its place on the shelf, she padded over, her pet dog, Bandersnatch, nowhere in sight. A gift from one of the other Baskervilles, the dog was a menacingly huge, black creature, savage to all but his owner and a few of the other Baskervilles themselves. Inwardly, the young man was glad that it had yet to make an appearance, for he dreaded it so, but atleast it was better than that cat Cheshire she had called her companion years ago.

He'd always hated cats.

Slowly, she made her way across the room over to him, taking the basket from his hands.

"Your favourite..." he began.

"Meat!" she suddenly exclaimed, cheeks bright red with excitement as she gazed gloriously at all the glistening steaks, hams and sausages piled up neatly in the basket. Ecstatically, she looked up at him, a grin on her face, eyes shining with admiration, almost as if she were a mere child again. "You, you got me-"

"Yeah, don't thank me. Just shut up and eat it. I got it from the market," he grumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up at how happily she looked at him, the young woman giving a squeal of delight as she less than gracefully dug into the roast duck, pulling it apart and shredding it with her teeth. As he watched her, so youthful, so full of life, the young man couldn't help but feel a warmth spread throughout him as a smile curved up on his lips.

She's... so...

"Ah, so delicious!" she proclaimed jubilantly, the basket wiped clean as he gaped wordlessly at how quickly she'd eaten it all. The meat had cost him a lot, and she'd just gone and eaten it in less than 5 minutes, just like that? She was crazy!

She... she...

was everything.

"I've never been happier, than here, right now, in this moment," she finally said, wiping her mouth clean with her sleeve, him inwardly cursing her rather un-lady like, almost barbaric habits, as she set the basket aside abruptly, fingers clasped and interlocked on her stomach as she lay contentedly on the bed, eyes closed, lips curved upwards, hair fanning out like an angel, looking completely and utterly ethereal as he sat, next to her, watching her. "Being here with you," she whispered, softly, happily, "I never want this moment to end."

"Yeah," he mumbled quietly, feeling that same warmth spread throughout him once more, as he leaned in slightly over her, "me too." It was true he was always happy with her, even when they fought, even when he was totally and utterly furious at her for making odd and cruel, menacing yet harmless comments about his hair or even his brother, even when she forced him to comply to a tea-party with only she and her toys included. With her, he was happy.

Even if their time was short and running out.

Like sand grains inevitably slipping through his fingers, deep down he knew that this happiness would not last forever.

"I don't mind if you're busy," she continued, completely serene, surrendered to the quiet of the room as his eyes studied her peaceful face, almost regretfully, knowing that the more he stared at her the harder it would be to forget her when time came when she would have to go away, "I don't mind if you have to go somewhere for a long, long time, and you have to keep me waiting," she spoke softly, he himself knowing that their time apart would, if not destroy her, would ultimately tear him apart with longing and grief, "even if you decide to be with other girls for your amusement and decide to give your heart out to them," she recanted, completely at ease.

At this, he narrowed his eyes, not as an act of scrutiny but at the sad fact that she was willing to let him go and do as he pleased for his sake alone. "You know I'd never do that," he said softly, searching her face for even a hint of animosity or jealousy. "I'll always be yours, you know that."

"Perhaps," she responded, slightly amused as the smile never left her face, "then again, you are my property and man servant, after all. As your master, I do demand your undivided loyalty," she confessed, smile tilted into a full-blown taunting smirk now, "I mean, really, what kind of mistress would I be if I let you go off with other women whilst I stayed here all alone all day? Honestly," she sighed rather dramatically, as he felt the age-old indignation and vehement outrage flare up.

"W-what!" he exclaimed, spluttering rather ungracefully, his cheeks heating up as they always did whenever she brought this up, as she always managed to do for all the years he had known her, "how many times do I have to tell you, I am not your man-servant-!"

"But will you promise me one thing?" she suddenly interrupted, the sad, bitter-sweet tone in her voice wiping out all previous humour in the atmosphere. Instantly at this, he stopped.

"What is it?" he asked, quietly, watching as her smirk reverted to a sad, heart-wrenching smile. "I'll do anything."

"Will you promise me, If I feel pain, or get hurt, you will help me? That you'll always protect me, no matter how far you are?" she asked, almost tearfully, as her eyes opened, revealing those beautiful orbs of violet once more.

"Of course I will," he replied determinedly. "No matter what," fingers curling around her own tightly, pressing his lips against her hand fiercely,"I'll always protect you."

At this, the dark-haired young woman smiled, shutting her eyes as a smile spread across her face.

"Thank you, Gil." she whispered softly.

Gilbert felt his heart clench with immeasurable happiness. Just to hear her call his name, which she did so sparsely, was enough to bring him to his knees.

He was, completely and hopelessly and foolishly and utterly, in love with her.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

The young man felt his own lips mimic the shape of her own, as he leant down, lips hovering above her own.

"Anything for you, Alice."

The way in which their lips locked was a gesture of sweetness and pure, untainted love, the sealing of their lips a sealing of the promise he had made.

And, with that, the sealing of their tragic, bleak and hopeless fate.

.

.

.

It was on that day that the girl was feeling particularly alone.

Her beloved prince was late once more.

The idiot, she thought, disgruntled, always ending up not showing... leaving me here all alone...

It was an unsaid truth that Alice hated waiting.

Especially when she had been doing so all. Day. Long.

Growling exasperatedly, Alice leapt up from where she sat, fists clenched and shoulders rigid as she stomped off, pacing around the room like an agitated tiger in its cage. Who did Jack think he was, keeping her waiting for this long? Didn't he know how much she hated being stuck here, in her cursed tower, all alone? Furious, Alice kicked off her heels as she always did, and padded to the shelf of toys, grabbing her beloved black rabbit and crushing it against her torso. She hated waiting! She hated being alone! Why couldn't the stupid Vessalius consider that?

Stupid man, Alice thought angrily, holding the black rabbit just under her chin as her eyebrows furrowed menacingly, sulkily, thinks he can keep me waiting here, Alice, all day long whilst he goes out to pick some roses with those stupid other noble girls. I mean, really, who does the idiot think he is, keeping me of all people waiting?

I'm Alice! No one keeps me waiting!

Angrily, Alice noted how nicely she'd dressed today, too. She'd picked out one of her more favorable dresses out of the hundreds she had, a black corset with a skirt that flowed out like a long jacket, leaving the front of her bottom half exposed. A tight black skirt had been fitted half way across her thighs, with ribbons draped lazily over her limbs. Her legs were bare, as per usual.

Alice was a peculiar girl, with an even more peculiar reason for existence. Rude, sharp-tongued, bratty, then charming and sweet the next minute, the odd little girl was both a marvel and a hindrance to behold. Her appearance dictated that she was a typical 13 year old, when really, she had only been born roughly four weeks ago. It was all due to the strange, miraculous mystery that was the Abyss.

Alice's parents were not exactly the conventional type either. Unbeknownst to her, Alice's mother had been a beautiful young woman who had gone by the name of Lacie. It was from she that Alice had retained her violently volatile yet indisputably enchanting and warm persona. In fact, if viewed by any who had ever known Lacie, Alice could be described as the spitting image of her, beautiful and dark yet frighteningly captivating at the same time.

Alice's father meanwhile was another matter. An equally just as mysterious person, Levi Baskerville had been the one to suggest he and Lacie have a child, despite Alice never having ever been truly aware of the identity of her parents. With long, snow-white hair and violet eyes (traits one would later relate to Alice's sister), Levi bore no resemblance at all to his brutally uncultured daughter.

Her parents had not met and created her out of love and the desire to raise a family; rather, she was what was the result of an experiment, born from a completely scientific and entirely devoid-of-feeling hypothesis. Where most children were born from fairytale-esque things such as romance and happy endings, the unruly-haired little girl was made from both equal curiosity and boredom, Levi suggesting Lacie help out with his experiment and Lacie too resigned to her ultimate fate to care otherwise. Though her birth into the world had been rather a strange affair indeed, Alice's parents had deep down cared for her nonetheless.

And the manner in which Alice had been born hadn't exactly been of the ordinary sort either. In fact, her mother had been purged into the Abyss itself, where then Alice had been born, along with a twin sister who went by the exact name as she. Despite the endless darkness that engulfed the Abyss, the Abyss had oddly taken to cradling the two babies, nourishing them and sustaining them as if their own mother had done so. It was here in the time-distorted Abyss that Alice aged at an incredible rate before being sent back to Earth, to the Baskervilles. Her sister had remained, chosen to be the vessel of the Nucleus of the Abyss itself.

But even if Alice had been returned back to the real world, her life wasn't exactly ordinary. She was kept in a tower all day for no apparent reason, and she would spend time often either alone or occasionally relishing in her time with either her beloved Oswald or her deteriorating father. But sometimes, Alice would find herself temporarily suspended in the Abyss as her sister took over her place in the real world, Alice's body a conduit for the two twins to travel between both realms. Alice didn't mind; she loved her twin a lot and both took equal turns in both worlds. And of course, she had Oz. There really wasn't anything to complain about.

That was, until Jack came.

Alice didn't know how she felt about Jack. A tall, blissfully ignorant young man, Jack was an attractive and warm nobleman who had always acted rather pleasantly towards the young girl and her sister, Alyss taking to the Vessalius immediately, almost obsessively. However, Alice felt rather contrary to her twin's own feelings.

There was just something about Jack she couldn't trust.

Was it the way he always seemed to be hiding something; continuously putting on a mask, a charade? Or was it the way the deep beneath his cheerful smiles that so easily fooled the rest of them that Alice could see, could feel something far more sinister, far more dangerous lurking beneath? Even Alice's beloved Alyss had been acting strange because of him, ignoring her dark-haired counterpart at times in favour of the the deceitful young man. Quite venomously, Alice hated him, loathing his sunshine-gold hair and his glittering green eyes. And yet, because of her utter lonesomeness, Alice couldn't help but begrudgingly yearn for him and his company.

I'm going to hit him this time, Alice told herself angrily now, biting down on the cheeks of her beloved Oz, I'm going to hit him this time for sure and make certain he never does this again! Ugh, what an idiot he is! I'll really punish him this time!

Suddenly, Alice heard a soft yet familiar rap against the door. Instantly, Alice felt herself perk up, stumbling to her feet as she turned the door knob.

"You idiot," Alice exclaimed rather haughtily, her violet eyes narrowed in annoyance as the damnable Vessalius' blond head came into view, "how dare you arrive here so late - "

"Oh, Alice, it's you today, I see!" Jack suddenly announced, unperturbed by the pure fury surrounding her. Truth be told, Jack preferred dealing with her far more pliant and soft-spoken sister, however, that didn't repel Jack from trying to get along with the more violent one of the two twins. Though it was both mentally and physically exhausting in dealing with the dark-haired twin, Jack hoped to one day reach the girl and make her obedient to him, especially since she and her compliance to him was essential to his plans. "How are you? I'm sorry I'm late," Jack apologized clumsily, as brilliant and as radiant and as loathsome as ever, "did you miss me?"

Alice scowled, crossing her arms huffily as she squeezed her beloved Oz against her chest. "Hmph, of course not!" Alice said, a little too sharply, as her violet eyes were turned away from his own emerald green ones, "why would I miss being around an idiot like you?" Alice sneered, her laugh coming out in a sharp bark, so dainty, so devastating, as Jack tried to maintain a hurt expression, "I'd rather spend time with Oswald than you!"

Now that stung a little. Perhaps it was the fact that he had become so deluded to the point that he had begun, in his deep yearning, seeing Lacie more and more each day in the young Baskerville before him, but Jack had felt a knife cut at him deeply at the mention of Alice's obvious preference for her uncle over he himself. Still, he kept up his harmless charade, burying the darkness beneath his mask once more. "I'm sure you don't mean that, Alice," Jack pouted light-heartedly, whilst Alice merely resumed to looking indifferently out the window, "we're going to have all sorts of fun today! Trust me!"

And it was just like that that Alice continued her day with the treacherously disarming young Vessalius. As much as Alice hated to admit it, what with his constant effort to put on a bright face despite her overall dark disposition, Jack was an amusing way to pass the time here in her tower, even if she didn't exactly place the time she spent with him as "pleasurable" or "enjoyable." During his usual visits to the tower, she would partake in all sorts of activities, such as card games which she would then ruin rather brattily if she knew she was going to lose, as well as both teasing and playing with her charming visitor's mind until he would be forced to take his leave under the excuse that he "had had enough fun for the day." Jack was nothing more than a plaything, one with whom she played a dangerous game with.

Now, as Alice looked out her little gateway to the world outside once more, where she and her sister had first laid eyes on the blonde noble currently entertaining her with a story regarding him and Oswald, Alice could not help but feel a deep sense of yearning stirring within her chest, unsettling her greatly. It wasn't that she was lonely. She had plenty of fun with Levi and her beloved Oswald, not to mention the wicked delight she derived from tormenting Jack greatly. More importantly of course, she had created many valuable and precious memories with her beloved Oz, memories which she treasured greatly and valued highly. One might think that being raised in the dark and forbidding Abyss as well as being imprisoned in a tower for the majority of your short life would be nothing short of lonesome and miserable, but that was not true. During her short time here in this world Alice had come to love the world she had come to recognize as her home very deeply, just as her mother had. She was just naive to the world's bitterness and darkness as her own mother was not.

But what was really bothering Alice was her sister. As mentioned earlier, Alyss had been rather awful at late, all due to that aggravating man that went by the name of Jack. It was because of Jack that Alyss began ignoring her twin, even when Alice was bothering her for attention. Alyss had even stopped smiling because of Jack, something which infuriated Alice incredibly! It was because of Alyss' neglect that Alice truly felt lonely as of late.

As Alice continued gazing out her window, idly admiring the brilliant red roses and vivid flowers that grew outside her tower, something suddenly caught her eye, intriguing her greatly. There, standing out in her gardens, were two boys. Curiously, Alice peered out more intently, all attention now focused on the two boys whilst Jack's story abruptly came to a halt. What were they doing?

Alice watched the pair of them, entranced by the absurdity of the two. One, she could discern, was younger, with unkempt blonde hair and a big smile, directed only for the other, older boy. The oddest characteristic about him though were his eyes: one gold, the other a wine-red. He looked to be a few years younger than her. Alice couldn't help but notice despite his innocent appearance, there was something unstable about him. Almost like Jack.

The other boy, meanwhile, couldn't have looked any different. With dark, unruly hair, similar to that of seaweed (according to Alice's vivid imagination at least), and with golden eyes, this boy looked to be about her age, or maybe a bit older. There was a kindness to his face which Alice couldn't help but liken to Oswald's own, despite how subdued it was on the current Head of the Baskervilles.

"Ah, what are you looking at, Alice?" Jack inquired curiously over her shoulder, having given up on his story long ago. Jack couldn't help but notice the way Alice's face seemed alight with both wonder and awe, her face for once in his life not screwed up in either a contemptuous glare or a mocking smirk. When Alice looked like this, so unguarded, so pure, Jack could almost feel himself grow a sense of fondness to her that he had done so for Lacie back in their younger days.

Almost.

"Oh!" Jack exclaimed, as Alice blinked in surprise, startled out of her trance, "Gil and Vincent! You remember them, don't you?" Jack asked, actually enjoying the fact that for once him and Alice had reached a state of complacency. Alice merely gazed at him blankly, turning back to the two boys, before scowling.

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked irritably, her brows furrowed. "I've never even met them before!" She recognized them faintly, but from where...?

Jack merely regarded the girl with confusion, before realization set in. Of course, he realized, as Alice returned back to watching them play amongst the flowers, slightly envious of them. When Jack had brought the two orphans in to see her, Alyss had been in control of the body, not this Alice currently before him. Jack remembered that encounter well. What he had hoped would be a day of new-found friendships and bonding had quickly turned to a horrible disaster, his usually sweet-tempered Alyss quickly taking to insulting Vincent out of both cruel ignorance and jealousy, only to have Gilbert pull at her hair in retaliation. The day had not ended well on either of their parts.

But with this Alice... Jack pondered the possibility of the three children, and the potential that could arise from them. Despite Alice's prickly exterior, Jack had observed her to have demonstrated many acts of kindness and affection throughout her short existence, despite those acts not necessarily being directed towards him. Who knew, perhaps this Alice could get along better with the two brothers than her twin could? It was an idea that Jack entertained casually, as Alice remained ensnared.

Finally, the two brothers looked up, having finally acknowledged the girl's presence. Alice started, her violet eyes bright and her cheeks slightly red, partially embarrassed from being caught staring at them. Briefly, Alice felt something flicker in her chest, a little snatch of hope: would they invite her to play with them, to fill in the emptiness that had existed since her sister's painful neglectfulness of her? Would they smile, or wave? And how should she react? Scowl as she usually should, or smile and wave back? She wasn't very good at niceties and manners, not like her sister. What if she frightened them off? And why did she care so much anyway?

Alice gazed on, breath caught, as seconds ticked by. Finally, however, the boy with the dark hair finally reacted, much to Alice's obvious dismay and anger.

He glared at her.

"Wh-what!?" Alice suddenly exclaimed, all calmness and gentleness out of the window as Jack merely shook his head lightheartedly, her face set in a vicious scowl as the two brothers quickly ran away and out of her immediate vision, "how DARE he! That rude, insufferable, ill-mannered bast - !"

And just like that, so began the long, often painful, often beautiful, always tragic relationship between Alice and Gilbert.

A relationship that would both lead to their beginning,

and their end.