A/N: Hello Readers! Oh my gosh, I couldn't believe at how well received the first chapter was; I loved all the reviews! But I must apologize at how late this chapter came in coming. My flashdrive with this chapter and everything else (including all of my homework) disappeared and I only found it a week or so later and then home life and school life got hectic and we have exams soon and it's crazy! But I made this one especially long just because of it. Note that since my exams really are coming up soon I doubt I will be able to get another chapter out quickly but please wait for me! So please read, enjoy and review! (In that notable order).

Chapter Two: Consoling

"You stupid girl!"

This time when the slap came Alice fell to the ground.

"Who the hell do you think you are disobeying me like that? You are going to marry him!"

Alice didn't look up at her father, hiding her face in the shadow of her hair. She just shook her head weakly. "No Otou-san, I'm not going to marry him."

"What did you say to me?" Glen Baskerville roared. With a single stride he picked up his daughter at the collar so that her swollen face was at his. "You ungrateful useless child! Where do you think you would be without me? With that disgusting vile man!"

Tears ran down Alice's face and when she spoke her voice was frail and broken. "P – Please Otou-san, don't make me marry him."

With a jerk she was thrust against a table like a doll and she landed with a thud. The vase she had contacted fell to the ground with a crash and the pieces scattered broken around her. Glen looked down at her in disgust and spit at the floor. "You should never have been born."

Alice lay still against the cold floor, her body rattled with silent sobs.

Oz sat in the carriage with a prominent scowl on his face and rubbing his nose tenderly. "That stupid girl," he muttered angrily. "Who does she think she is?"

"At least your nose isn't broken," Gilbert offered hesitantly.

"That doesn't fucking matter!" Oz cried, nearly jumping out of his seat and hitting his head against the roof. "Sh – She punched me!"

"Well you did kiss her all of a sudden."

"Gil," Oz began slowly. "If you don't shut up right now, I swear to god I'll send an army of cats after you."

"Eek!" His servant's face paled in horror. "No, no I'm sorry! Forgive me!"

"That's right." Oz sighed and leaned his head against the cold glass window. He suddenly felt far too tired.

"But um, why did you kiss her anyway?" Gilbert asked in curiosity.

"To win," Oz answered simply, as if it was the most obvious answer. "That girl embarrassed me – a Vessalius – in public and tried to kill me. I had to get back at her somehow."

"But didn't she win in the end?" Gilbert rationalized carelessly, not realizing the growth of irritation on his master's face. "I mean, she kidnapped you, you kissed her, and she punched you. She won."

Oz's eyes narrowed dangerously, turning into perfect slits. At this Gil finally realizing his blunder, cowered in the tiny enclosed space they were in. With that face, Oz almost looked like a cat ready to pounce. "What was that Gilbert?"

"I – I mean you won of course master!" he stammered hastily.

"That's right." Then Oz sighed and muttered under his breath: "I really hate that girl. She wasn't cute at all."

"So what's happening now?" Gilbert asked after waiting for a safe amount of time, "With you two and your contract?"

That's right, Oz thought, remembering her words.

"Let's form a contract. We'll work together."

But after having Gilbert suddenly appear before them and ripping them apart, Oz had no chance to get any further details before he was dragged back to his uncle's place. He'd still yet to get a hold of her.

"I have no idea," he answered truthfully. "It was just a spur of the moment anyway."

"But Oz, what are you gong to do about it? Like it or not, that was your engagement party that your father planned."

Oz cringed at the word engagement. Even in his mind it sounded dirty. But he thought of his father, who hadn't even had the decency to give any warning to the news. "It was just like him to pull something like this," he commented. "Sudden, immediate and so I'd have no time to retaliate."

"And he's sure to fire back again. Even if that idiot girl ruined things yesterday and the engagement did not become public, it doesn't mean your father's plans for you haven't changed. The engagement is still on, probably going to be announced very soon, whether it involves both of you or not."

"Yes, yes I know that," he snapped in irritation.

Oz imagined his father's face as he received the news: Alice Baskerville kidnaps Oz Vessalius! It nearly burst him out laughing if he could have seen him turn red in the face with rage at his failed attempt. But it was true. His father hated him, wanted to get rid of him and it didn't matter who was the bride, as long as he was out of the picture. And when his father set his mind to something, he was hard-pressed to stop until he got it. It also meant that this engagement, no matter how disgusted Oz felt about it and how unused to the idea he still was, it was very real.

"Fuck!"

"Oz?"

He sighed in aggravation. "This is whole thing so annoying. Gil, don't we have some wine stored in this carriage? I need some consoling from this news."

Gilbert smiled, leaning back in his chair. "I thought you're way of consoling involved more physical contact?"

"Oh course it is. But that'll have to wait until we get back doesn't it?"

"Oz, I think it's a little too early for alcohol."

"Gil," Oz began slowly. "If you don't hand me a bottle, I'm not going to tell you about the cat I hid in your closet."

"W – What?"

"Wait, wait, wait, let me get his straight? You entered the ballroom, kicked Oz, Oz Vessalius to the ground, called him your manservant, and then proceeded to kidnap him with plans to leave him to die in a forest and then he kissed you? You got kissed by Oz Vessalius!" Allys exclaimed, as if this were the most important part, and to her, it was.

Alice cringed at that last part, still feeling his touch on her defiled lips. "Stop mentioning it," she muttered under her breath. "I'll kill him for that."

"Onee-sama!" Allys squealed, jumping onto the bed of her big sister. "What was it like? Kissing Oz-sama?"

"I would never kiss that jerk! He kissed me! And don't call that asshole manservant sama!" Alice snapped. "And as for that meaningless excuse for a k – kiss, all it did was make me want to vomit."

"Onee-sama, why are you blushing?"

"N – Nothing!" Alice glared and turned a bright red, throwing a pillow at her sister's head. "Shut up."

Allys pouted. "I don't understand you Onee-sama. If Oz-sa – I mean, if Oz-san kissed me, I think I'd die!"

"If he kissed you, you'd want to die, believe me."

Allys squeezed the little doll she always kept with her lovingly. "But he's so handsome and cute and perfect and – he really does seem like a prince doesn't he? And that hair and those green eyes! They're so dreamy and –"

Alice rolled her eyes, not finding it up to herself to listen any longer. She climbed off the bed and stepped in front of her floor-length mirror, frowning as she gazed at her reflection. Her hair brown hair was frizzy and small bags had formed under her violet eyes from a sleepless night. She brought her hand to her face, and felt the small bump along her right jaw. Then she traced the outline of her lips and sudden rush of fury shook through her bringing hot tears to her eyes.

I can't believe that jerk took my first... my first...

"O – Onee-sama?" Allys frowned in concern.

Alice raised her right hand in a fist when a shot of burning pain shot up her arm. "Ugh!" She cried.

"Onee-sama? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," she said, rushing over to her. "Something happened didn't it?"

Alice looked down.

"Was it Otou –?"

"I said it's nothing!" Alice cried, harsher than she meant. Tears sprung to her little sister's eyes. "Allys I –"

The younger girl retreated, plopping back onto her bed. "At least he pays attention to you," she muttered, so low that Alice was unsure if she'd heard correct.

"Huh?"

"It's nothing," she snapped back indignantly.

"Look Allys I –" Alice stopped and sighed, knowing she'd get nowhere. "I'm sorry. I'll make sure to pick up a new dolly for you when I get back alright?"

"What? You're leaving?"

Alice rushed inside her walk-in closet and from the recesses of her closet she pulled out some black trousers, tunic, and a pair of sturdy brown boots.

"Onee-sama, what are you doing?"

"I stole them from one of the servants." She explained as she showed Allys her new garments. She twirled, marveling at how free her limbs felt in the loose cotton fabrics. "The servants have it so good! No fifty different kinds of petticoats, no high heels and the best part: no corsets! I can actually breathe its amazing!"

"But they're so dirty, cleaning everywhere and sleeping in – do they even sleep in beds? I thought they slept in cots or something. What's a cot anyway?"

"I have no idea, but I think it'd be worth it if you get to wear these kinds of clothes."

"But where are you going dressed like that?"

Alice didn't answer. She walked up to the window that looked over the back courtyard. Just beneath were bushes of roses and a single stone fountain.

"Onee-sama?" Allys groaned irritably. "You could at least answer me when I ask something."

"Sorry Allys, but I'm planning out where I'm going to land."

"Land...? You're going to jump?" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet.

"Allys don't be so loud. Someone's going to hear."

"Maybe that's a good thing if you're planning to kill yourself!"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Please, this jump will be a hop for me."

"Hop? We're on the third floor. And you have a choice between landing on a fountain, or a million sharp hazardous thorns!"

"You're making way too big a deal out of this."

"Fine!" Her sister flung her arms up in exasperation. She stomped away and crossed her arms. "Kill yourself for all I care!"

"Sorry Allys, but can you cover for me while I'm gone? If Otou-san finds out, just tell him you couldn't stop me. It's true enough." Alice opened the window, allowing a rush of cool morning air to pour in. She hoisted herself up until her back was leaning against the outside wall, only a thin ledge for her feet that separated her from a three story drop.

Alright, three... two...

"Onee-sama, at least tell me where you're going!" was the muffled cry from inside.

...One!

"To that manservant!" she said, before jumping off.

The main Vessalius household sat atop a mountain side that overlooked a large valley, so that all towns and communities from miles away would be able to see the grand manor. It was surrounded by black iron-wrought gates that towered twelve feet high, and its walls were an intimidating array of brown stone. It was more of a castle than a mansion, fitting for the most powerful ruling family in the world.

It was to this building that Oz entered nonchalantly. A number of servants greeted him fervently, like puppies wanting a treat.

"Hey," he said to one, "Get me our best vintage wine."

"Yes Oz-sama."

"And you, get me –" Oz froze, feeling a cold pit form in his stomach. He froze, seeing a looming figure across the vast foyer. His father. Zai Vessalius was an intimidating figure, dressed in nothing but black and surrounded by similarly dressed men. However, comparably, they orbited him like little insignificant planets. His hair and eyes were the trademark Vessalius blonde and green, but they almost seemed iced over, like a clean sheet of frost over grass that would never thaw. There was an aura around him that commanded any lesser man, and it pissed off Oz more than he cared to admit.

"O – Oz," Gilbert said behind him hesitantly.

But Oz hardly heard him. He was glaring at his father with such rage that the tension became palpable. He wanted him to yell at him, to hit him – anything at all. But he wouldn't, that much he had known for a long time. Without so much as a look, his father left the room, his business men following behind obediently. The full weight of anger crashed down on him and after a night of sleeplessness and sudden surprise followed by a long carriage ride home, Oz was exhausted.

"Fuck him," he spat beneath his breath and shot down the opposite hall of his father.

"Oz where are you going?" Gilbert enquired of his master, concern coloring his voice.

He ignored him, voicing out loud insults. "He's quite pathetic isn't he Gilbert? He cowardly tries and has his son married at the last minute so he wouldn't have to say anything to him directly. And then he doesn't even have the guts to say anything to my face. I wonder what everyone would say if they found out that the great Zai Vessalius was afraid of his own son!"

Gilbert opened his mouth to speak, but shut it, knowing that when Oz entered this mood the only thing to do was to wait it out. He silently followed him as he winded down the dozens of hallways, jogging to keep up.

"Oz where are you going?"

"To find some consoling."

The Baskerville household was a good carriage days ride to the Vessalius household. That would have been the case if Alice was riding it at a relatively moderate speed. But it was merely a little past midday when she saw the grand manor on the mountainside. She abandoned her stolen ride near its base, lousily hidden in a patch of trees, and made her way up. The inclined path that she took, suicidal to most, was an amusing and simple task, especially with her loose clothes. And after an hour she easily pushed herself up onto the mountain plateau.

She kept low, finding a blind spot where there were no guards and effortlessly scaled the tall iron-wrought gates. Dodging every and all eyes, she bee-lined her way through the large courtyard, using hedges and sculptures to her advantage until she saw it: an open window on the east side, nearly begging her to slip inside. Alice smirked, though something inside her was disappointed that the task would be so easily accomplished.

Pathetic, she thought. If I were a Vessalius, I would be very afraid if this was my security.

She got ready to sprint across from her hiding place behind a cupid fountain when she froze, catching someone exiting the main entrance. Blonde hair… green eyes… But it wasn't the person she thought it was. He was different; older, taller and cold. Something inside her squeezed and there was a sudden, abrupt throbbing at her skull, like someone pounding on a door that wouldn't open.

"Ah!" she groaned, clutching at her temples. Her vision blurred.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Hahaha! What are you so angry about? I gave you an heir! Two in fact! Aren't they wonderful? They look just like you!"

"Shut your –"

"If you hate her so much, why don't' you kill her yourself? Hahahahaha! Take her life as you took my beloved's!"

The voices began to drift away and the pain slowly subsided. Alice blinked, beads of sweat running down her forehead and her breath coming in heavy rattled gasps. She looked around and she realized with shock that not even a minute had gone by. The man was no longer at the entrance, but was entering a finely made carriage. She wiped at her eyes, where tears had built up.

What the hell happened to me? Who were those voices?

They were two men, one of them she was sure she'd heard before. In fact, it had sounded so familiar that she could hardly believe she couldn't recognize it now. But no matter how hard she squeezed her eyes, she couldn't remember.

She gave a heavy sigh, breathing softly until she finally calmed down. She didn't have time to brood over it if she didn't want to get caught. Pushing back her disheveled emotions, she ran to the open window and climbed inside.

Now where's that manservant?

With a moment's observation, she decided she was in a study. Peeping her head out of the door, she was in a hallway that stretched from left to right, a number of other doors lined against it. She sighed in frustration, too impatient to check every single room. She went out and down the hall, determining that she might as well start searching.

"Manservant!" she hollered carelessly. "Hey Manservant!"

"Who the hell let you in?"

Alice twirled around, coming face to face with a familiar figure.

"Hey!" she said, lifting a rude finger to point at him, "you're that stupid seaweed head that pulled me away before I could land another punch at that blonde-haired asshole!"

Gilbert's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Don't you dare insult my master! And did you just call me a seaweed head?"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll show you what I'm going to do about it!"

"Oz-senpei, won't we get in trouble if we're caught?" The girl giggled when her lips weren't on Oz's.

"Then we just won't get caught now won't we?" Oz answered in a slurred voice, shoving a door open and pulling her inside.

"Ha-ha, a library?"

Oz gave a sly smile, laying a trail of drunk kisses down her slender neck. "Well you know what they say; you can absorb a lot of information by sleeping in a library." He laughed stupidly at this.

She grinned, pushing him against the book shelves, causing them to rattle. "Then I guess if we want to get really smart we'll have to sleep here more often?"

Oz shoved the books off the top of the shelf, sending them toppling to the ground. He raised her on top of it and started pushing her skirts up.

"O – Oz-senpei!" she groaned as his hands traveled up her thighs. She unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it to the floor.

"Oz!"

This came from the door and Oz whipped his head around. It was Gilbert, standing awkwardly at the entrance.

"Oh!" The girl gasped, turned a bright red and tried to quickly straighten her appearance.

Oz only glared at his servant in annoyance. "Gil can't you see I'm busy?"

He looked down, shamed burning on his features. "I'm so sorry Oz, but she just came in and refused to leave."

"Who?"

"Um, well, it's someone you won't be too happy to see."

"Hey Manservant!" was the shout from down the hall.

Oz sighed in exasperation, running a hand through his golden hair. "She couldn't have given me one day huh?"

"Oz-senpei? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Oz said, flashing a seductive smile back at the girl. He ran his fingers down her jaw line, lifting her chin up to him. "I'm just going to have to leave for little while."

The girl in front of him pouted and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Will you be back soon?"

He smirked leaning in to nibble on her ear. "Will you be waiting for me when I return?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll be quick as I can."

"Hey Manservant, didn't you hear? When I call you that means you answer!"

Oz turned around, and standing there, much to his dismay, was Alice.

"You disgust me you know that?" she said as her eyes turned to the girl behind him.

"Oz-senpei," she said. "Who is this girl? And why is she dressed like a filthy servant?"

"Filthy?" Alice repeated in disbelief. "You're calling me filthy?"

This shut the young girl up effectively and with a little "humph" she stormed out of the library. Oz watched her leave indifferently. The moment the door slammed shut, Alice stomped up to Oz and with her left hand, gave him a hard and sudden slap.

"What the hell!" Oz demanded, tumbling to the floor.

Gilbert had sprung into action, rushing to his master's aid. But with a simple kick of her leg, Alice flung him away, landing him effectively into a shelf of books.

"How old was that girl anyway?" she demanded.

Oz shrugged, getting up and tottering slightly.

"Do you even know her name?"

"Look," Oz began in irritation, getting to his feet and clutching his tender cheek, "if I had to memorize and write down every girl's name that I'd ever been with, I'd require another library."

This earned him another punch at the gut.

"Fuck!" he cried. He lifted his arms up in defense, but he wobbled, not very balanced in his drunken state. "You know, it's not very nice to hit a vulnerable drunk guy."

"It's not very nice to take advantage of a young girl that probably has never even been with a guy before this!"

"So what?" Oz said with a smirk, "I'm giving her experience."

Another punch.

"What's wrong with you? You're acting like a jealous wife," Oz had to laugh at that.

Alice lifted her fist again but it didn't reach its target. Gilbert had a firm grip on her hand and was not keen on letting go.

Oz clutched his stomach, trying to stay upright and not throw up all over a pile of literature. "Took you long enough Gil?"

Alice was still fuming when they entered into the gardens.

"What are we doing in here?" she demanded.

It was her manservant who answered. He had had a quick dunk of his head into a bucket of cold water, which had considerably sobered him up, while his Seaweed Head Servant shamefully relayed to him how Alice had scaled the mountainside, gotten past a legion of the best guards and thoroughly beat him up to show her where Oz was. "Just in case you go on another rage against me for reasons I don't understand, all you can throw at me are flowers. That is unless you're strong enough to throw a tree," he muttered to himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"So tell me," the blondie said, stopping by a little patch of daisies, "to what do I owe the pleasure of such a lovely visit?"

"I'm going to punch you in the face – again. And so hard that I'll make sure no girl ever finds you attractive."

To her increasing annoyance, he raised an eyebrow, as if to say: I'd love to see you try.

"That would be a marvelous feat, to make every girl find me unattractive. Sounds a little impossible but I guess there's no harm in you trying right?"

Without warning, Alice leaped at him, raising her arm high. But just before her hand made contact with his face, Gilbert had stepped forward, catching her hand again.

Oz smirked which Alice answered back with one of her own. "I can't wait until Seaweed Head isn't here to protect you."

"Over my dead body," Gilbert growled.

"Hey, hey, hey," Oz said getting in between them, "I know I'm worthy to be fought over, but I don't think now's a good time. I'll give you each a kiss later."

This made Alice's skin crawl. "Shut up."

"What?" To her growing irritation, his mouth turned up into a wider smirk, "Didn't you enjoy our last kiss Ali –?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Alice roared. "Maybe to most of the girls you're with it doesn't matter, but to some, kisses are important!"

This outburst caused him to take a step back. But she didn't notice Oz's eyebrow's furrow, an unthinkable thought passing through his head. "That's it, isn't it?" He said incredulously. "That's why you're so mad. Hah!"

"What are you talking about?" Alice said through wary slits.

"Why you're so mad, it's because I took it, your first kiss."

Alice stiffened, flushing in embarrassment. "Of course not!" she exclaimed indignantly. "It's because you're a huge pervert that I was going to be married to!"

"No, no, no, that's not the reason," he continued. Alice was gearing up a kick to his groin. "When I kissed you yesterday, that had been your first real kiss."

"And it was never supposed to go to you!" Alice bellowed, hot tears building up in her eyes. "I can't believe I let some asshole manservant take something that never mattered to him in the first place, just as long as you can claim as much as you can right?"

Through her blurred vision she noticed his eyes bulge in bewilderment and she hated that he had reduced her to this. But did she catch a glimmer of remorse? She quickly dismissed that thought. All that was standing in front of her was a conceited and uncaring person that she could not marry at all costs.

"Hey look I'm –"

Alice's head shot up, the tears vanishing as quickly as they'd appeared. She'd felt something. An irregular breeze coming from the wrong direction? A scent that didn't belong there? Immediately her senses picked up and her eyes were darting in each direction, trying to spot the unusual presence.

"Hey what's going on?" Oz demanded. He bit his lip, turning around wildly. His servant had rushed to his side and together they formed a triangular front, back to back.

"Girl, what's happening?" the seaweed head asked.

"Will you shut it?" Alice snapped. Her mouth twitched into a twisted smile. "We're not alone."