It's finally over.
Gil is grinning so wide that his face hurts, but it is okay because everything is Calm and the worry that has been plaguing him for weeks – months even- is gone and he's happy. Everyone seems to be okay with a result, such as this – of course the cost of such an end where high, but there's nothing they can do bit live well for the sakes of those lost, which is a fate he will take on whole heartedly.
"-oh."
Gilbert should have known that such a sense of calm and peace would not last. Alice is already at Oz's side when he turned to a sight he never wanted to see. Oz is kneeling on the ground, his form lending heavily on Alice and breath coming out in short pants. "Oz? Oz!" Alice is better as emotions now and her worry is easily detected in her called of Oz's name. Gil doesn't have time to be confused on why Oz has collapsed when just moments before he was twirling around in an odd sort of victory dance that everyone else was laughing over. The others are silent in apprehension as Gil joined Alice at Oz's side.
"Oz?" he questioned as the other gives a smile "you should know. This body has finally reached its limit." Oz explained as his skin turned to a ghostly paler and shards of sand form as the end of his fingers. It is then that Gil knows what is happening and Alice's cry of shock lets him know that she does too.
Jack's body was in its final cycle and it seems the cycle ended earlier than expected.
"No.." is all that leaves Gil's mouth as the calm is replaced with solemn acceptance.
Death is inevitable and it makes the Valet want to scream.
It doesn't take long for the remains of Jack and Oz too be just a pile of sand.
Alice is surprisingly a hard worker.
Of course she was accepted into the Rainsworth House after everything was said and done. She gains position at Reim and Sharons side in the ruling of the House of Rainsworth with Alice being particularly good in relations with Pandora and other houses. She does not replace break and knows she can't but the three still form a close friendship.
Gilbert takes his place at Ada's side to protect her in Oz's place. Of course Vincent is there as well which is perfectly Fine with Gil. Ada knows she can never take Ozs place, but still accepts Gilbert as a protector and a friend just as Vincent is content to have his brother beside him for the rest of their life's.
While it's few and far between as the years past, Gil and Alice still come together to visit Oz.
There was no body to bury but everyone saw it fit to give Oz his own place of remembrance. So Oz is given a tombstone near Lacie's own as it was the only place they knew in secret from the rest of the world. The first couple visit end in both sobbing and shouting on how it wasn't fair- though that came more from Alice stomps rucking the grass around the place. Arguments have started here and teasing ensures when more time passes and the void left by Oz lessens to just a crack in their hearts.
That Crack reopens when Gilbert receives word that Alice is in her final days.
It's odd really, seeing how time has aged Alice. He still looks the charming age of 25 while Alice is white haired and wrinkles, wrinkle the corners of her eyes and mouth. He doesn't comment on such things less he get a fist to the face- not that it would hurt much, but he thinks of it as the principle of the thing. Still she is grinning and teasing him much like the days when Oz would either join in or make sure Gil didn't kill the rabbit.
He is glad thinks haven't changed much.
So he stays at her side through the final week of her life and the moment she falls silent and just nods, he knows just as he knew when Oz started to fade away.
He gives her a smile of his own and tells her to not beat Oz to much if she still can in the beyond.
He gets reckless after that he knows. In missions for Pandora he had to always be attentive, less he loses another limp.
Or his life.
So he isn't too sad when no one is there as Raven leaves him followed by his last breath.
I''ve missed you. Oz. Alice.
"-Crap! How could I sleep in!"
Terrance lets out another string of curses as he wrenches his draw open to grab the first shirt he can fine and pull it on. His black curls are a mess, so he just sighs and pulled it up to a ponytail as he rushes out the Door. It's his last day of classes before the Winter break and he couldn't have just skipped out early with the grade he had but that just wasn't his style.
So he's running and not looking where he is going so of course he runs into someone. For a moment he is on the ground, dazed at what just happened when an irritated voice speak up from in front of him. "can't you watch where you're going!?"
He looks up to meet Amber eyes that held their own fire as they were narrowed in a glare. The other person is definitely a girl shorter than he was- like most people were seeing as he was practically a giant- with long brown hair that had some of the strands pull back it a braid held by a flower clip in the back. He is still in awe as he stands a hand held out to help the other. She huffs but takes the hand anyways. He pulls and she up on her feet and that's when he recognized her. "Wait.. You're in my Collage algebra class! Uh..Rachel right?"
She gives him a scrutinizing look and nods" yeah. And you are...?" He should be annoyed that she doesn't know his name but then again, they haven't really talked all that much. So he just smiles" Terrance." he replies simply as she takes a glance at the watch on her wrist. "you know it doesn't seem like the name Terrance fits you" is all she says before she starts walking again "I have to go, but I guess it was nice meeting you"
He thinks the name Rachel doesn't fit her either but that thought is lost as he picks up the pace of his run and barely makes it to class on time.
It's the next semester that he and Rachel have an actual conversation. They quickly get on each other's nerves and argue a lot. Yet they find that they can still be the best of friends as well. Rachel tells him the woes of having a twin sister just as Gilbert complains that his brother doesn't get out enough.
They both find themselves having odd dreams once this friendship starts however. In the night Gilbert finds himself waking up with a sharp pain in his arm and tears on his cheeks while Alice sees a Rabbit once in a Pet store she is walking by and couldn't stop the tightening in her chest.
These episodes form images in their minds that become phantoms that they don't share about.
Course that changes the moment Terrance called Rachel "Alice"
She snaps up from her laptop just as Terrance gains the look of a fish out of water. " I. Where did that come from.." he thinks aloud as Rachel lets out a scream. She is on the ground before Terrance can blink and gasping and clawing at her own throat.
He panics and doesn't know what to do besides call for help. His head it is pounding as a roaring sound in his ears when arms circle his waist to pull him away. He doesn't understand why he fights the person holding him as "Alice" becomes the name he calls out.
Later he is apprehensive as he stands outside Alice's hospital room. He doesn't know what happened and the doctors won't tell him anything so he figured it was time to get to the bottom of this. He enters to find that she is awake and absent minded braiding a few strands of her hair.
She tells him that the name" Gilbert" suits him better and suddenly everything clicks back into place.
He isn't even all that annoyed that she takes to calling him Seweedhead again.
A new year starts up in school and both decide to get an apartment together. His other friends congratulate him on getting a Girlfriend but he just shrugged and doesn't feel like correct him and of course Rachel- Alice- Could care less. With the New Year comes in the freshmen who get lost a lot and ask a lot of questions.
Terrance is happy to help and he is definitely glad he did.
It's a program on campus, To help the freshman settle into their dorms and such. So when he is not in class or hanging out with Rachel he lends a hand in making sure the first year isn't as awkward as it usually would be. Its three weeks in that he is asked to help set up the dorm for someone who was lucky enough to get a room to themselves the first year.
So he wakes up a little earlier to grab himself a cup of coffee and head out with Rachel wishing him good luck. She doesn't help because freshmen are brats even if the age differences only a year or two.
It's doesn't take long to get to the room, but Terrance wishes he had a bit more time to prepare himself.
He knocks and the door opens to the form of a boy who is definitely short for his age or just really smart. A grin is on pale lips and a head is top with blond curls. The boy is looking at him with big amber eyes that show the mirth the boy held. It's a gaze he has seen- admired- so many times before back when they were young-And someone else.
"It took you long enough, Gilbert"
It seems in this world Oz is named Noel.
Quickly it is made so that Noel-Oz- is living with them too. Terrance and Rachel are a little confused as to why Oz looks different than before to which Oz tell them how he is finally the real- human- him.
For the first time since this new life of theirs has started Alice is in tears and they all laugh with joy filled hearts.
"You want to put the star up, Alice?"
In the privacy of their own Apartment the three take to calling each other their former names out of the comfort they held.
Currently a tree is almost done being put up in the corner of the living room as Oz stands with said star in his hand. Alice grins" yeah, sure! But help me up"
In this world Oz is a long time competitive swimmer so getting Alice on his shoulders so she can reach the top is not much of a problem. She sets it on the top branch easy enough, but didn't feel like getting down so just kind of shifts her legs together around his neck.
When Gil comes through the door moment later with the requested Starbucks in hand Alice toppled both then over with trying to get down so quickly.
Gil cries out in shock as Oz and Alice end up in a pile by the Christmas tree just as both laugh off the pain in their limps. Nothing is broken and Alice still gets her peppermint hot chocolate.
Gilbert sighs and Alice comments on how he worries like it's a sport.
Oz just smiles contently.
Its Christmas Eve and Oz is ranting on how it seemed impossible that Gil and Alice have never seen Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas.
"I mean I use to watch it all the time and Sophia- I mean Ada- would cry at the last story and-"
"Oz!"
He snaps to attention at the annoyance he knew Alice's voice held. She gives a sigh" why don't we just watch it then? Not like we have anything better to do."
He grins as Gilbert agrees that it's a great idea. So Oz is quick to leave the apartment they shared to rent said movie as Gilbert rearranges the living room for movie watching- something they do quite often-And Alice starts popping enough popcorn to feed three kings.
It doesn't take long for Oz to return and start up the movie. Gilbert takes the end of the couch with Oz in the middle and Alice on the other side.
-Oz totally cried at the end and Alice is laughing and Gilbert can't help but snort till Oz declared that he so gonna kill them both for laughing and Alice laughs harder-
Gilbert wakes up to a weigh in his lap and an arm in a death grip.
Somehow Alice ended up in his lap with her head in the crook of his neck and Oz is laying on his outstretched legs with his arm enough around Gilbert's like a vice and dammit he really needs to pee but he doesn't want to wake the other two.
So he just groans and lays his head back on the couch.
He didn't think he was too loud, but of course he was wrong and Oz is awake followed by Alice, who starts to run about shouting that they should open quickly does what he needs to cause Oz insist they can't start without Gilbert and Alice is whiny.
Gilbert comes out with Alice practically dragging him to Sit by the tree and he just sighed for what seems like the millionth time and Oz laughs.
It's music to his ears to hear a laugh so carefree.
So he isn't even mad when Oz and Alice show that they decided to get him the dumbest looking Christmas sweater they could find.
And he has to wear it all day
Perfect.