Disclaimer- Hey guys! Just wanted to begin by explaining that none of the characters belong to me, they belong to Mochizuki Jun's Pandora Hearts. I do not wish to make any money off this story and am just writing for personal enjoyment.

Author's note: Some of the characters and events will be ooc. They may not follow the exact timeline of Pandora Hearts. This story will focus on Jack and Lacie's relationship together. Without further ado, I present to you the story!

Also, when the words are written italics it means a past memory is occurring or internal thoughts.

The man who wished for death, and the woman who wished to live

Chapter 1- The woman devoured by the Abyss

People dress in red cloaks stared in horror at the spectacle in front of them. When just a few minutes before they had waited in anticipation for the new Glen to ascend to power. Now they watched in shock as chains burst out of the ground and surrounded the young woman kneeling on the floor. A cold shudder ran down their spines, even though they knew what to expect when a Child of Misfortune was cast into the Abyss it did not make it any less terrifying.

The new Glen was Oswald Baskerville, a young man in his twenties with piercing violet eyes, wearing a red cloak which slowly was falling off his shoulder to reveal his usually worn black coat. Oswald was known for keeping a stern expression amongst the Baskervilles and some found him hard to approach. But now he wore the face of a man conflicted with his duties as Glen.

And why shouldn't he when he was about to play the role of a murderer to the one person he cherished the most- his little sister, Lacie.

Lacie was a peculiar girl who always was known for questioning the world around her. While people were afraid to approach the older sibling for his sternness, the others were afraid to approach the younger one due to those cursed eyes. The red eyes which marked her as one of the unfortunate Children of Misfortune. The children destined to die so the Glen could attain all the chains which would protect the world.

Nobody could deny Lacie had developed into quite a beauty before their eyes, and it was a pity something as small as red eyes would destine her to a life of loneliness. People refused to see the woman she was, all they saw was someone who would bring misfortune on their lives if they came into contact with her. Many people knew Oswald did not take kindly to people acting cruelly to the woman, and to remain in his good graces they would act humble whenever he lurked around the corner. When they were certain he wasn't around, they showed their indifference and animosity to her once more. At the ceremony, she was the only one wearing her usual purple dress amongst the sea of red cloaks. The lone figure who quietly accepted her fate while the others released a sigh of relief they weren't the ones in her place.

Plus, there were whispers of the girl's mental instability she would smile as brightly as the sun one moment before laughing hysterically when people mentioned her time of death was approaching. How the girl found amusement in the knowledge she was dying was something none of the Baskervilles understood. Except for one man, the previous Glen-Levi.

Levi with his long flowing white hair tied back into a braid and those animated purple eyes. While many considered him friendly, nobody knew for sure what went through that man's head. He stood to the side with a mischievous grin on his face as Oswald finished the sentencing. There were rumors that Lacie found solace with Levi and people questioned whether there was more going on behind the scenes whenever Levi went to visit her in that lonely tower where Lacie was placed.

Forever outside the main house where Oswald and Levi dwelled, forever away from the affections of other human beings.

Lacie had just been sentenced to the Abyss, an unknown dimension where she would be alone once more. Nobody understood exactly what the Abyss was but one thing was for certain- those who were sentenced were never to be seen again. Because the Abyss served as the place where they were sent to perish. People wondered if a beast lived within the realm and would devour the bodies of those who wandered into its grasp.

When the chains first appeared, Levi tried to keep his glee hidden. None of these other fools could know of his "little experiment" he conducted with Lacie. Not even Oswald knew since he would surely put a stop to Levi's plans and he couldn't let that happen since he was so close to discovering whether his plan would succeed or not.

While the other participants in the ceremony watched in awe at her sentencing, Lacie felt nothing but amusement in their shock and terror. Why be afraid of something she had been expecting since childhood? The look on her brother's face brought on a wave of mixed emotions however. She was glad to have been useful in his dream to become Glen, but… at the same time she wished to have stayed around longer to see him in his prime.

She could feel the chains creeping along her body ensnaring her like snakes coiling around their prey. Soon she would leave this world and never return. As she pondered over this a few memories floated to her head. She remembered first meeting Levi and thinking he was a strange man with a whimsical nature about him. He always had hidden goals and often met in secret with Lacie to discuss these strange ideals he held of the world. Though she found him bizarre on some occasions there was something about him that made it hard to refuse him. He was a god of sorts, and she was the puppet he was controlling to satisfy his own curiosity. Then, she could recall growing up with her brother and the numerous fights they had over his blunt nature and refusal to disobey Levi. Now thinking about it, how she treasured all those spats because it reminded her of how it felt to be alive. To argue, to pest, to annoy, now these were true feelings felt when one was alive!

Lacie looked up at her brother and gave him a devilish grin before whispering her final words to which he had to strain his ears to hear. This was to be her final message to her brother. She bid him farewell internally and had to contain the laugh when his eyes widen at the realization of her final message. Goodbye brother, please live a long fulfilling life in my stead.

She took a small glance at Levi who hid himself in the shadows behind a pillar covering his mouth so the others would be unaware of his absolute enthrallment at the scene before him. How he wish to laugh like a child fascinated in watching his careful, calculative planning proved correct after hours of waiting and hoping. Noticing Lacie looking at him, he removed his hand to reveal a somber expression. He could not allow her to see him in this state, he nodded at her. This non-verbal communication meant he was silently telling her everything would be okay. Levi, thank you for treating me as an equal, and I hope things work out on this experiment we mutually agreed upon.

But she was not stupid, her time was up and she would disappear. She closed her eyes and waited for the chains to pull her down into its dark depth. A flash of gold appeared in her mind and a warm smile appeared from the golden vision. She opened her eyes in this dream-like state to see the boy who cherished her more than anything in his life. Jack Vessalius.

She could remember the look of despair on his face when she first encountered him on that one snowy night all those years back. Her feet had gone numb, and she could feel goose-bumps forming on her skin due to her lack of appropriate clothing. How foolish it had been of her to wear a simple white cotton dress meant for summer to make her brother feel guilty if she had fallen sick to pneumonia. She was taking a stroll through a local town when she stumbled upon a figure huddled in rags inside an alleyway. The figure looked so defeated and on the verge of death she decided to keep the stranger company before they withered away. The feeling of death seeped from the figure in her imagination.

How surprised she was when the stranger proved to be a boy around the same age as her. Delighted to find company on that cold night, she began pestering him with questions just to satisfy her curiosity of why someone his age was in this condition. He could have been no older than her, maybe a year or so? She estimated he was about fifteen and would be lying if she tried convincing herself he was not attractive. She had never seen such fine golden hair before and she to resist the urge to run her fingers amongst the ruffled hair strands to see if it was as silky as she imagined it to be. What drew her in were those green eyes. They were such a pretty shade and she felt instant pity that such beauty in two green orbs could hold such sorrow in someone so young. At first, the boy stared vacantly at her and gave her short answer responses. Gah, what was his problem!? She finally managed to get a name out of him-Jack. She had to keep from tumbling over in laughter at such a boring name, could his parents be any less inventive? After minutes of pestering him, he finally fell unconscious due to his malnutrition and hypothermia. His skin was as cold as death when she tried shaking him awake. For reasons she couldn't explain at the time, she refused to allow him to die when she finally got the boy to express some resemblance of emotion.

What he needed was nutrition and she snuck along some carts moving down the street and managed to sneak a bowl of soup away from one of the stands while the worker was preoccupied. How humorous his face became when he awakened to find a steaming bowl of tomato soup placed next to his face. The poor boy began scarfing down the food as though he had been starving for half of his life. Which may have been true in some ways?

While he continued eating, she took a pair of scissors she had found among the way and began snipping away at his hair. He proved adamant in refusing to allow some strange girl to snip away at his locks, but she won when she began debating him over proper personal presence. Or he may have fallen silent by the way she kept swinging the scissors around animatedly while trying to prove her point.

He settled down and continued sipping at the soup when he finally made a comment which stopped her mid-snip. She had just finished asking him about the crest he wore symbolizing his status as a member of the Vessalius household when he mentioned how disgusted he was with his parents. As soon as he said, "I've lost everything," she could see a glimpse of her future self in this teenage boy. She knew she was destined to die and had refused to allow this fact to haunt her every waking second and to see someone wishing to die willingly filled her with great anger. Nobody should wish to die while there was still such wonder in this small, cruel world inhabited by humans too ignorant to appreciate the beauty around them.

She snipped at his ear and took great pleasure at the look of embarrassment when she began licking at the blood slowly dripping out of the wound. Such a cute face he made, she secretly took a twisted sense of excitement at the shock which replaced that dull expression he wore hours before. Oh, how exciting to play with someone who showed such vulnerability openly! While she herself kept the darkness and loneliness hidden away in her heart so no one could see the sadness she felt in reality.

She could see the darkness enclosing around her and hear the people gasp as she started to disappear. But she kept her eyes closed and accepted her fate willingly. When she opened her eyes again, she was already within the darkness of the abyss. The chains began tightening around her wrists and ankles. One of the chains circled around her neck tightened to the point of suffocation.

And who appeared before her once more-Jack. How strange that the face of that once somber boy now gazed at her cheerfully since the moment he reentered her life. Although knowing he wasn't physically before her, she couldn't resist the urge to reach her hand out to him. She wished Jack was here now to hold her, to laugh merrily with her, to take such pleasure in her singing. He always wore such a serene expression whenever she began to sing. That strange, depressing song she had created all on her own would bring such joy to a man? Jack was a true oddity amongst men.

But she would be lying once again to herself if she said out-loud she didn't want to see him once more. In all honesty, she felt an unfamiliar warmth tug at her heart when he embraced her at the ceremony where they were reunited once more.

Still extending her fingers, she watched as the illusion of Jack turned around to grace her with his warm smile once more before fading away. She wondered how he would take her death. She removed the thought of him displaying those vacant, hopeless eyes once more. Thinking of the man who she tried to keep a distance from now that he had once again reappeared, she sincerely hoped he would find happiness in someone else…even if it couldn't be her to make him continue that childish display of joy whenever she showed him attention.

A tear slid down her cheek, she would no longer be amongst the people who she cared for the most in this world. A sad smile formed on her face and she released a humorless chuckle, "I'm sorry I had to leave so soon," the figure of Jack faded away entirely, "Goodbye Jack."

The chains began pulling on her limbs and she had to choke back a sob. None of the pain she had felt from past injuries could amount to this. Finally, the pain proved too much and she let out a whimper as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

I'm going to die

A golden light began to grow immensely from her stomach startling her. At first, she didn't know what was happening until it dawned on her. The Abyss was trying to protect the life that was growing inside her. The experiment she and Levi kept hidden from Oswald, the child which would be born in the Core of the Abyss, the center of the realm. Throughout the years, Lacie would often visit in her dreams and came to realize something lurked within the center of this golden realm. A feeling of loneliness could be felt by that presence and it often broke Lacie's heart when she had to leave. But her child would be the one to end the Core's lonely existence since deep down Lacie had always suspected the Core possessed a conscience. Another small sob escaped as the chains yanked on her once more. Though she knew this was her fate and secretly feared her death, she knew the Core had no desire to end her life since the Core would always give her a feeling of joy whenever she visited. But fate had destined her to die and the Core had no choice but to abide by the rules set down for the Glen's to attain the chains.

Lacie relaxed her body and accepted what was to come, as the darkness began to consume her body once more, she whispered, "To my child I'll never meet, know this I'm sorry that I will never be able to hold you in my arms or watch you grow." She closed her eyes and finished her speech, "But know that I already love you more than anything in this world."

The chains encircled Lacie and tore her existence apart until not a trace of her was left. Lacie was right about the Core having emotions similar to a human because it grieved for her departing as soon as it realized she existed no more. While the Core was devastated over her death, the sound of crying interrupted the Core's grieving. Two small babies lay on the bottom floor screaming their heads off. At first, the Core was unsure of how to comfort these small beings that looked so fragile like they would break upon contact. Finally, the crying grew so immense the Core decided to take the babies into its arms to try comforting the children in the same manner it remembered Lacie doing when she dreamed of presenting the Core with the two rabbit dolls. The babies stopped crying to stare about them in wonder. Both children appeared to be female. The Core could see the similarities between mother and daughters automatically. Both children had the same wandering glance as their mother whenever she was exploring something of interest. The Core was filled with abundant happiness of these small features and did not realize a portal had opened within the realm. The two girls went stark still and the Core watched in surprise as the babies began growing spontaneously. Releasing them from its grasp the Core watched as limbs grew longer, hair began growing, and breasts began developing. The Core clothed the nude girls out of a sense of modesty. Two teenage girls now sat before him blinking in confusion. One girl was an exact replica of Lacie with brunette hair and a mischievous grin as she examined her surroundings. She wore a black dress with dozens of ribbons placed chaotically in different places. While the other girl had white hair and appeared to have a more serene feeling about her as she stared at her twin with a blank expression. Her attire was an all white dress with black laces wrapped around different areas to give the dress some character. The main difference the Core noted was both girls lacked their mother's red eyes, where as their mother's eyes were ruby red, these girl had a violent tint. The Core knew humans needed a name since it gave them a sense of identity, but what would fit these two special young ladies. Their mother's name appeared in the Core's mind and the name popped into its head a moment later. The Core sent a mental image into their heads and both girls said out-loud at the same time, "My name is Alice."

The Core had just placed a hand on the white Alice's head when the portal grew wide and began to suck everything into its hole. The black-clothed Alice began screaming and the Core knew it had no means to protect her since she was chosen to be rereleased back into the human world. The black Alice was pulled out of the realm as her twin stared in confusion.

"Where is she going?" the white-clothed Alice asked meekly. The Core felt a familiar wave of sadness as once again someone the Core had developed an attachment to had been taken away.