A/N: Well, looks like this little pet-project of mine is the first thing I'm posting here. I just hope it isn't too bad; I whipped it out with no idea what I was doing o_o;
The timeline is sorta weird, but let's just say it's after Elliot dies, but before all this Reo/Glen stuff.
Anywho, enjoy~!
Disclaimer: Me? Own Pandora Hearts? Surely you're joking! Ahahahahaha~!

We all have a social mask, right? We put it on, we go out, put our best foot forward, our best image. But behind that social mask is a personal truth, what we really, really believe about who we are and what we're capable of.
-Phil McGraw

For the past month, things had been quiet for the small group of Pandora workers. Surprisingly, no illegal contractors had popped up, giving Oz and company a chance to relax; although Alice had other opinions of this lull in her memory-hunting mission.

"I'm bored! Manservant! Make me un-bored!" Her loud voice carried out into the hall and into Gilbert's room, where he was attempting to relax after being subjected to Oz's 'fun'. Attempting. Why couldn't that stupid rabbit just shut up for once! It seemed that every time he wanted peace and quiet, she was there to ruin it.

The all-too-familiar sound of Oz's scream broke through his angry thoughts, sending Gilbert into an instinctive panic that had him rushing to the small front-room. "OZ! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO HIM, STUPID RABBIT!"

Much to his relief (and chagrin), the scene that greeted him was not one to worry about, except maybe the fact that a smirking Alice had perched herself on the out-of-breath Oz. Glad to see that his master wasn't dying, Gilbert proceeded to reprimand the two for causing him undue grief.

"Geez, you two! Don't make such a racket! Especially you, rabbit,"Alice stuck out her tongue,"And Oz, please don't scream like that unless you're dying or in danger."Said boy had been casually avoiding his servant's eyes, hoping not to be noticed, but at the mention of his name he gave a sheepish smile.

Alice removed her person from Oz's chest, muttering 'stupid seaweed head, ruining my fun!' and headed into the kitchen to find some meat. The blond, recovering from having his breathing impaired, stretched his arms above his head. "Giiiiiilll~ Help me up!" Despite knowing the boy could do so on his own, Gilbert pulled him to his feet with little effort.

Stepping back, he evaluated his predicament; one bored, stupid rabbit raiding his kitchen, and one bored, troublesome young master. All in all, not a good combination. Leaving Oz to straighten up his hair, Gilbert wandered over to the smWall window that looked out on the narrow streets of the edge of Lebleux.

"I feel like a babysitter,"He muttered under his breath, pointedly ignoring the crashing noises coming from the kitchen area.

"Children can be a menace~! Right Emily?"A smooth voice said in his ear, scaring the daylights out of him.

"GAH!"Jumping, he noticed one Xerxes Break standing directly beside him, looking pleased,"BREAK! What the hell is your problem! And how did you get here?"

The strange man ignored him in favor of sitting on the arm of one of the couches. "Lady Sharon has asked me to deliver an invitation~,"He pulled a crisp, white envelope from nowhere, completely ignoring Gilbert. The disgruntled gun-man took the letter none too gently, glaring at the intruder (anyone who randomly appeared in his home without invitation was an intruder) while he opened it.

Oz, Alice, Gil,
We have recieved news of mysterious disappearances and deaths in Voleurne, and it is suspected that an illegal contractor is the cause. A couch will meet you outside the city tomorrow at 7:20 in the morning. Please be prompt.
Sincerely,
Lady Sharon Rainsworth

Gilbert felt a small burst of hope in his chest; hunting down a contractor would certainly take everyone's minds off of their restlessness and boredom. He especially hoped it helped Oz stop thinking about Elliot.

The teen had been different since his friend's death; quieter, more focused. Gilbert knew he shouldn't worry, but there was something off in Oz's demeanor; he just didn't know what. Returning to the present, he noticed that Break had disappeared. Not really caring about the whereabouts of the crazy man, he called the two troublemakers back into the room.

"Aah! Don't drop it-ouch!"

"Hmph. That should teach you to order me around. Besides, I wasn't going to drop it!"Gilbert sighed in dismay, trying not to imagine what the two might be doing to his kitchen. With a few last giggles, the pair finally stumbled into the front room.

Raising his eyebrows at the mess that adorned their faces and clothes, Gilbert decided he'd rather not know just yet. "Well,"He began,"Lady Sharon has invited us over tomorrow to discuss a possible illegal contractor in a town up North." Suddenly, he found himself staring at the ceiling with Oz sitting on him.
"O-Oz!"He stammered, feeling his face heat up at his master's sudden close proximity. The boy simply stared at him with wide, burning, green eyes.

"Does this mean we get to go somewhere?"He implored, childish excitement radiating from his entire being. Gilbert nodded, and anything he might have said was drowned out by the enormous cheer Oz gave as he leapt up. Alice joined him in his celebratory dancing while the ravenette lay on the floor in defeat. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

After cleaning up the mess in the kitchen (which actually wasn't that bad), Alice retired to her room, claiming she'd had enough of 'slave-driving seaweed heads'. Oz took a seat beside Gilbert on the couch, wondering at the sudden silence that had fallen. Neither spoke or looked at eachother until a hand brushed against Oz's face. Gilbert answered his master's unspoken question with a quiet, "There was something on your face." Oz is different at night, Gil thought, when there's no one to see him, and he's too tired to smile. He was yanked from his musings when something fell against his arm. Oz really was different when he was tired. "...Gil, I'm really sorry."

Something in his voice scared Gilbert. "What for?"He replied calmly.

"I've been making you worry again,"He sounded...distant,"I told you I would try and handle things on my own, but I still make everyone hurt." Gil watched in shocked silence as he fell asleep, a tiny frown upon his face.
"Hurting us?"The raven-haired gunman moved the sleeping teen so he was lying on the couch,"Is that what's been on your mind all this time?"He carefully arranged a blanket over Oz before heading outside. He needed a smoke.

A/N: So, I'd really like to know how it was. Is it worth continuing?(I have the basic plot outlined. There will be angst. And action.) Should I destroy it? Anything I could improve on? Please leave a comment! (No flames please :) )