AN: Let the games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favor! (Oh is this not Hunger Games? Oops!)

This is a pairing challenge between my friend Ozapolien and I. What are the rules? We use a list randomizer to determine the pairing and then write a oneshot between 500-2000 words.

The idea is what whoever gets the most reviews by the time we post the next chapter wins for that pairing. (So review!)
And here is her version of the story:

s/8875279/1/Dare-to-Pair

They stumbled into the shack with abrupt, broken foot falls. Heavy breathing filled the air with clouds of hot air that froze before their very eyes. Break carefully laid the girl he had been carrying down on what seemed to be an armchair. He leaned wearily against the door until it gave the resolute click of closing.

"Let me see your leg."
"What! Are you crazy!? No!" Alice drew back utterly affronted.

Break sighed, gesturing towards a hastily bandaged wound on her knee. Already blots of scarlet were seeping through the torn strips of cloth. Alice stilled staring into his single eye. The usual creepy grin and teasing laughter was gone from his expression. Deciding to trust him, she resigned to the dull ache in her leg, stretching it forward for him to inspect.

With hesitating hands Break peeled back each layer; the wound was worse than he had imagined. Alice fought to keep her expression neutral, but there was no denying the pain that was so obviously in her eyes. He reached upward, roughly yanking the necktie off his shirt. Hesitating hands gently pressed the silken cloth to her knee. Alice jerked back, a muffled cry escaping her lips, she kicked him away eyes flashing. Her leg rose in an automatic reaction, delivering a swift kick to Break's face.

"Ow! What was that for!?" Break whined.
"Don't touch me you crazy clown!"

"I'm just trying to get your leg wrapped so you don't get an inflection, but if you'd rather us amputate your leg in the future be my guest!" Break laughed flippantly at the startled expression that crossed Alice's face. Her entire body rejected the idea, eyeing the white haired man with extreme distaste.

Alice crossed her arms defiantly, but nevertheless she thrust her leg back into his arms.
"Fine. Just do it." The stupid clown face only smiled in mirth.

The battle had been harder than any of them had imagined. It was supposed to be a simple capture of an illegal contractor, but no one had anticipated the sheer numbers of chains that had taken up residence in the old abandoned town. Sharon had insisted that she keep Eques in their shadows, despite the low danger that was anticipated for the trip. He had protested at the time, but- once again his mistress was right.

Break sighed; "Can you walk Alice?"

She responded by shooting him an irritated glance.

"Of course I can walk! What do you take me for?"

She stumbled to her feet, carefully masking her expression. She took a step forward, hesitating for a second before placing her weight on her injured leg. A sharp shock of pain struck her. Alice clamped down on her teeth determined not to show pain in front of that infuriating clown. Break only smiled at her, clearly aware of her current state. Bitterly Alice was determined not to lose to him, 'stupid clown' she grimaced to herself. Taking another step she shot him a triumphant grin, just as her injured knee buckled beneath her weight.

Break rushed forward, his hands going forward to support her arms. Alice couldn't help but lean on him for support, the sharp jabbing pain in her leg screamed for relief. She found herself pressed against the smooth cotton of his coat, the scent of sweets prevailing over the underlying musk and grime. The sheer aroma of his being was intoxicating, Alice found herself leaning closer into his body.

"Guess we'll have to stay here for the night." He stated mildly, hands shrugging in mock ease.

Despite the sour expression that Alice fixed him with, she allowed him to gently lift her up, carrying her tiny frame over towards the makeshift bed. Covering her with his Pandora jacket, Break stripped off his blood stained gloves, they were no use to him now.

"Hey Break?" Alice muttered, "Why did you save me?"
Break opened his mouth to give her a witty answer filled with half truths and outright lies. But no words came to his throat.
He only mustered a "What do you mean?"

"During the battle, when the chain attacked me." She remembered the expression that had crossed his face, she hadn't seen the chain's attack, but Break had. That odd look on his face, she couldn't quite place it; in a split second it was gone replaced only by cold determination. From behind him the Mad Hatter appeared, cutting down all that was in his path, this was nothing like that teasing pervert that she was used to. It was in that moment that Alice remembered Break was every bit as powerful as she was. That cold hard expression, it was not Break, it was as though she saw someone else in those eyes. She had heard the whispers of Kevin Regnard before, but it wasn't until then that she knew exactly what that name meant.

"Because Alice-chan you aren't as useful to me dead, of course." He offered in a light hearted tone, trying to end this train of questioning.

In reality he couldn't explain to himself the panic that had stricken him, the utter fear that filled his veins with ice, all he saw was the red that burst forth from Alice's body and his mind stopped altogether.
Somehow she accepted his answer, acknowledging that he'd most likely never tell her the whole truth anyway. A truth that he himself didn't even know.

Break remembered the last words the Will of Abyss spoke to him. She had begged him with forlorn words: "Save Alice."

He rose to his feet, accepting that fact he most likely wasn't going to be falling asleep tonight. Break walked over to the little sofa that Alice was resting on, she looked so different asleep, he mused to himself.

Xerxes Break knew then that he was lying to himself, he never protected Alice because of some selfless desire to grant the Will of Abyss' wish. No who was he kidding?
Kevin Regnard, Xerxes Break, whoever he was; didn't survive this long by being selfless.
This girl, chain, whatever she was had become something more to him. He felt his heart stop seeing her in danger, that piercing pain that he couldn't explain. His movements then were autonomic, he didn't care what happened to him as long as he could save her.

He leaned over and brushed the hair from her eyes, smiling wistfully. "What have you done to me, Miss Alice?" He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.
"Perhaps you'll make an honest man out of me yet."

AN: And that was the very first chapter. Review and help me win this competition! :D
Please? My pride is on the line, take pity!

May the best author win...