Okay, here it is. The last chapter of Straight for the Heart. I would of had this up sooner, but writters block struck at the last second, and I had bucket loads of homework to do. I have an english project due tomorrow and it's still not done, so I need to get back to that once I'm done here. Then there was Retrace 66: Jack, which is finally out, and Lacie virtualy shocked me. So, snow finally arived here, but it's only five inches. Hammock's new album came out also, so I'm glad about that. The second song on it, Sinking Inside Yourself, really helped me along with this chapter.

Also, thanks to all of you who reveiwed; MissIndigo, Tomoshibi-Chan, Remembering Alice, The Plot Theif, Fuuko96, DreamingInThePast, and Sorceress-of-Abyss (thanks for your cheerful reveiws). Thanks so much to all of you!

I do not own Pandora Hearts. Enjoy the final chapter of Straight for the Heart

Chapter 30: Sunrise

The next day came, and I had expected to see Leo, but this time, I was greeted with Elliot, who looked well rested I might add.

"Good to see you, Elliot." I said with a grin as he stood by the doorway. "You brought us back here then?"

"Yeah. I used your phone to call Sasha before we left."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "But you've never seen a phone in your life."

"I've seen you use yours enough times that I memorized how you use it. And don't you remember when I asked you to show me how that stupid thing works?"

"Oh, that. So you did memorize that after all."

He nodded, but then his face turned serious. "I want to ask you one thing though."

"And that would be?"

"Why did you stab Leo?"

I thought he was going to ask me about why I had taken a nearly deadly blow to save him, but it was this instead and there was no way I could escape that question. By doing what I did, it was my hidden plan, and I never told Elliot, out of pure fear that he would try and stop me.

"I...Elliot..." I had started to form these words, but Elliot cut my off with an irritated sigh.

"Just tell me why." He said, his voice more serious.

"I received another letter before we left." I paused and took in another breath of air. "It said to take the dagger included with it and strike him through the heart, then channel my power into him to remove the fragment and reset the incuse." I looked at Elliot, knowing he must be mad at me. Meanwhile, Sasha had been hanging on every word, her eyes wide with interest. "Elliot, I'm sorry. I knew if I told you, then you would try and stop me, but this was the only way. You can be mad at me all you want, but I'm sorry about what I did; I truly am."

His eyes went to the floor for a moment, but then he smiled lightly at me. "You had reasons, and, ultimately, you and Leo are alright. Even though I was pissed off at first, you knew it was the only way, so I forgive you."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Elliot. Also, to the both of you, I have something to tell you."

"What? That you're some reincarnation?" Sasha interrupted before I could speak again.

"A what?" Elliot exclaimed, looking at Sasha, then me.

I growled at her, but then calmed down and spoke in my most serious voice. "I am the reincarnation of Anastasia Mouchette."

Sasha started to laugh, but then it softened, because she could tell that I was serious.

"After I used my power, I found myself in this dream like place. And then she appeared before me." I started to explain, now grabbing Elliot and Sasha's attention. "She later showed me how she died 300 years ago; that she died by Glen Baskerville's hand, just as her lover, Aaron Chapman had on the same day."

"But how do you know you're her reincarnation?" Elliot asked.

"Because she's talked to me once, the first day I talked with Leo after he woke up. And then I knew, I knew it was her. Also, we have the same power, so, I know that we are one and the same."

"I guess that would make sense that you two have the same power. Otherwise, if you didn't, I guess you wouldn't of been able to removed the fragment. So, I believe what you say. You two are the same."

"Yeah." I shifted in bed and then snapped my fingers together, remembering something. "Speaking of which, what became of the fragment?"

"We have it here." Sasha explained. "We locked it away in a glass container so it can't harm Leo anymore. It's in a box on top of a bookshelf in the library."

"Okay then. I'm glad he's free of that bondage."

"Oh, Carrie, I found this in your coat pocket." She reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt and pulled out a pendent; a blood sealing mirror. "Is this yours?"

"No, mine is-" That's when it hit me, remembering about the contract Leo had with Jabberwock. "That one...it must be Leo's! The contract must of reset and channeled into the mirror that I had received in the letter along with the dagger! I should go give it to him!"

A smile grew across my face, but it fell as I looked at both my sister and Elliot. Their faces were blank, as if they didn't want me to get up and take the mirror to him.

Something's wrong.

"What are you guys not telling me?"

Elliot was the one who answered. "Well, you see, Leo...um,"

I was gripped in fear by his words. 'Oh God, please don't tell me I was too late! Please don't tell me he's dead!'

"He's actually been asleep longer than you have."

Well, at last he's not dead, but still asleep? "How long?"

"Ever since you used your power." He started to explain. "Leo is alive and well, but he hasn't woken up yet, not even once."

I stare at the both of them for a moment, slowly understanding those words. Then I leapt out of bed and dashed off through the door, barely managing not to slip on the wood floor of the hall.

"No, Carrie, wait!" I ignored Elliot and rushed right into the room he was in, but I stopped frozen in the doorway and my breath caught in my throat.

On the opposite side of the room, Leo was lying in bed. He was clearly asleep and the covers of his bed were pulled up comfortably over him, but still exposed his chest, which was wrapped in bandages. I slowly walked over to him, noticing that his glasses had been placed on his nightstand, and I looked back at him, silent to me. Elliot had said that he had been asleep longer than me, but the fact that he hadn't woken once was concerning.

He was definitely alive, but I wanted him to be awake, I wanted to kiss him, I wanted...to apologize.

"Carrie." I turned to see Elliot come in also, coming to stand beside me. "He's alive, don't worry about that. And I found that were you had stabbed him, the wound had healed, but it was burned, so I put some bandages around it."

"Oh, I see." I reached a hand out and lightly stroked the side of his face "Leo."

"He's fine, and he'll probably wake up soon enough." I didn't answer Elliot, only looked down at Leo, A blank stare at his peaceful form.

"Can you...leave me be for a little while, Elliot?"

He gently put his hand on my shoulder. "I got it."

His hand slipped off me and he walked away. When he left, I knew he had closed the door, because the room was now semi dark.

I sat down on the bed, and let out a low sigh. "Leo."

"Well, I guess that means it was them." Maverick concluded as Thorn sat down at the table with the three, carrying a cup of coffee. Philip was away on business and couldn't join them, so that Thorn, Artie, and Tracy to talk over the strange occurrence in Arolia that had been making headlines for two days now.

"What makes you say that?" Artie questioned.

"Carrie is the only one who would carry a power to cause a phenomena like that, and, if that's so, it just proves that she is Anastasia Mouchette's reincarnation."

"A reincarnation?" Tracy exclaimed.

"Yes." He took a sip of his coffee. "It's quite odd though, that the soul went through an abnormality."

"The first recorded one in history." Artie added.

"Quite right." Thorn interrupted. "There was a certain abnormality regarding the Abyss around the time of the battle of the two powers 100 years after the Tragedy of Sablier. In 1908, the day of the incident in Siberia, the exact same abnormality, with the exact same frequency, was detected when the supposed meteor exploded over Siberia. It's too close to be a coincidence."

"So, what your saying, is that this abnormality, was the soul of Anastasia Mouchette?" Tracy opened a pack of sugar and poured in in her coffee, then stirring it. Thorn rolled her eyes in response.

"That is the most likely reason, Tracy." Maverick continued to explain. "It is most likely that her soul was supposed to be reborn in that time, but because of that battle, it was thrust forward into a different time, a light speed jump if you will. It emerged in 1908 during the Siberian incident, but for some reason it wasn't reborn until Carrie-kun was born, inheriting her body."

"Ah, I see." Tracy stared into her coffee. "Then, what about Leo?"

Tracy's question made everyone stop what they were doing and look at her. Tracy glanced at each of them with a confused expression, but Maverick was the first one to answer before any of them.

"Leo-kun is indeed a Baskerville." No one bothered to say anything, so Maverick let out a sigh and continued. "His full name is presumably Leo Baskerville, but we can't assume that yet. Back 200 years ago, he was the heir to the Baskerville family, the 'container' for Glen Baskerville."

"How can you be certain?" Artie questioned.

"Because, Carrie-kun told me what happened between her and Leo-kun when Glen first awoke within him and took control. She had gone off to find him and the next time I saw them, Leo-kun was unconscious in her arms. She had told me that they had faced off against each other. At that moment, I was certain of what she had said."

"So, does that make him an enemy?" Thorn asked anxiously.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be on their side, and besides, he has a magnificent talent and power that could help us in the near future." Tracy said more gleefully this time.

"Exactly, Tracy." Maverick said, leaning back in his chair. "Those two, and the new one that joined them, are great assets. Between them and all of their skills combined, they hold a great power that could help us solve many mysteries."

I ran my fingers lightly through his hair, noticing how soft it felt against my fingertips. Leo silently slept beside me, his chest gently rising and falling. Speaking of which, I found it odd how, well...hot he seemed shirtless. I ignored these thoughts, now not being the time to think of such a thing.

Carefully, I reached out and touched his bandages, knowing what lay underneath them was were I had stabbed him, but now it was healed. My eyes then caught sight of a scar on his arm, and I wondered what that was from, maybe something happened back in his time that gave him that.

As my eyes were drawn back to the bandages, I then saw yet another scar. It was barely seen, mainly because the covers of his bed were laying over it, but pulled back the covers slightly to see it more clearly. It wasn't that big, but it was located just below the point where his ribcage separated.

Out of curiosity, I put my hand to it, and suddenly, I saw a flash of a image.

It had been a flash, but I saw a blond haired boy, his arm raised, and a chain had shot right through someone, but I couldn't tell who.

I pulled away, thinking about that flash. I had no idea who those people were, but had I just seen a memory? Is it a new power?

If so, that meant what I had seen was a part of Leo's memory, which could only mean that it was back from his time and the black haired person was Leo and... I saw how he...died...?

"Leo." I said softly, adjusting the covers over him again. If it was true, that must of been a very painful way to die, and I had nearly done the same. That only made me feel worse. I wanted to apologize so badly, I wanted him to wake so I could say it.

I just...

"Ngh..." Surprised, I looked down at Leo, only to see his head move slightly. He coughed and shifted in the bed, before settling down and tilting his head to me. "Carrie...?"

My hands were shaking. "L-Leo. How are you feeling?"

"My head still hurts a bit, but I feel better now." He took in another breath of air, then reached a hand up to my face. "Are you...alright...?"

I nodded in response. "Yes. I'm fine."

He let his hand fall away from my face. "That's good. And Elliot, he's alright too?"

"Yes, he's fine."

He suddenly flinched. "Ow, my chest hurts a little. What happened, Carrie?"

At this question, I thought back to what happened that night. "Well, you passed out and then my power activated. I don't now how I did it, but I could feel that energy flowing into you. After it faded from me, we both collapsed onto the ground. A few moments later, I heard you scream and then I saw a purple crystal shot up into the air from your chest."

"No wonder it hurts. Where is this crystal now?"

"Sasha told me that it's in a little container in a box that we put on a bookshelf. But you don't have to worry about Glen hurting you. The fragment is removed, and my power somehow reset your incuse and it channeled into a blood sealing mirror I had on me at the time."

He shifted in his bed once more. "Okay, but what about Jabberwock?"

"You're still contracted to it, but it'll be sealed inside you for now, just until you can use its power." Now my thoughts had drifted back to what happened afterwards, what I had seen.

'He needs to know.' I thought bitterly.

"Um, Leo, I need to tell you something." I began.

"What is it, Carrie? You know you can tell me anything." He was being perfectly honest with me, but it would be unclear as to how he would react.

I took a deep breath and cruled my hands into fists. "I am the reincarnation of Anastasia Mouchette."

He just tilted his head off to the side. I knew he was confused, so I started to explain. I told him of all the thing's I had seen in the time before I woke up. I told him of when I came face to face with Anastasia, how I had seen her battle Glen and the power she released that was like mine, how she had died when she was fatally wounded, and how she had told me those secrets, including the truth that I was her reincarnation.

My voice was tired afterwards, but I could tell that Leo had listened to every word.

"So, you and her are the same then. Well, you are still 'Carrie' after all, right?"

"Yeah." I paused for a moment, trying to find the words to speak, a light joy coming back to me as I looked at his face, which I compare to a porcelain doll. He was finally awake, right here in front of me. To see him wake was an overwhelming joy, but, I still needed to apologize. "Um, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"About what I did back then. I had stabbed you through your heart, and I'm sorry I did that. It was the only way, because I could channel my power then, and this corrosion would stop, and you would be saved. But...I almost lost you. If I hadn't been able to...Leo, I'm sorry."

"Carrie-"

"Please forgive me!"

I closed my eyes and turned my head away from him, not able to face him now. He had nearly died because I couldn't activate my power. It was only a miracle that I did. I can still remember that night. I had seen his face twist with shock and pain the moment the dagger's blade had struck his heart. He felt so cold as he trembled in my arms, and I was scared for him, so desperately trying to activate the power. Back then, the boy in my arms didn't even seem like Leo, it seemed like he was a different person, but it was him.

I had almost killed him.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my own. Turning my eyes to see my hand, I saw that it was Leo's that grasped mine.

"You don't have to apologize." His face offered a light smile. "I know, Carrie. I understand your reasons for doing that. It's alright now, and I forgive you."

I looked down at him, my eyes brimming with tears at hearing those words of forgiveness. Even after I had done such a terrible thing, he still forgave me, even though I almost killed him.

A smile automatically appeared on my face and I reached over to the nightstand and took his glasses, then turning back to him.

"Don't get me wrong, you're eyes are wonderful, but I like you better with your glasses on." I gently set them on his face. "I love you, Leo."

He chuckled. "I love you too, Carrie. Don't ever forget that."

I couldn't answer him, but instead, I gently laid down and hugged him. In return, he put his arms around me and gently stoked my back.

'I love you so much, Leo. I'm glad everything's over.'

As soon as Dan took the thermometer out of Mark's mouth, he let out a sigh and leaned back on his bed. Actually, he lay down instead, letting his head rest against a pillow.

"You seem fine now." He said to the other boy as he put the thermometer inside a box, closing it and then standing up. "I should go see if Heater-san needs any help with preparing dinner."

"Go ahead." Mark plainly said. "I just want to sleep for a little bit."

Dan nodded and left the other to be alone. The second Mark knew that Dan was gone, he wearily sat up and got off his bed. Walking over to the mirror on his dresser, he looked at a piece of paper that had the words 'Gold pocket watch' and 'Lacie' scribbled down on that parchment, a question mark next to the name.

He wondered, just exactly was the importance of this pocket watch. Of course, he possessed no such thing, but why was it so symbolic? What was with the name too? Could 'Lacie merely be a name of a person, or the name of a song?

He had thought about this mystery for a while, and he certainly didn't want to call upon a certain someone to ask for the answers, since half the things they said never made sense.

Mark decided to put it out of his mind (for now anyway), but when he looked into the mirror, he saw something that shocked him.

'M-my eyes.' He continued to stare at his reflection. 'Are they...turning color?'

He couldn't really tell. One second they were blue, and now they were switching over to green? Or was he seeing things? No, his eyes looked blue, but...they looked a bit green. In retrospect, Mark liked the color of his eyes, and to have them change color on him, that only filled him with more dread.

Were his eyes really changing color? Were they fading from that soft sapphire and into that dreaded emerald?

He clenched his fists together and walk towards to window, leaning on the wall beside it.

Now, he was starting to think about the events gone by. Seconds after he awoke and went out to find Dan and Heather, he had seen a flash and blacked out. The next time he woke, Dan had found him and they soon ran into Heather. However, there was no sign of the Carrie, Elliot, or Glen.

Another thought came over him, like why is he still thinking that, when he clearly knows why Glen is gone.

"She really did it then." He breathed. "Carrie really does have that power!"

Did he regret it? No, he did not.

"Are you alright? Your pulse has quickened."

Mark nodded at this voice, knowing who it was; his Chain. 'Yes, it's just incredible to know that she really does have such a power.'

"Of course. You told her yourself."

'Look, I had my reasons.'

"By attacking those cards, by helping Carrie and Elliot; you do realize that you betrayed your only allies?"

He paused, thinking his answer over. 'I didn't feel comfortable with killing an innocent person. Leo was only possessed by him, it wasn't truly Glen. That boy was important to Carrie and Elliot, so, even if it was an act of betrayal, I did it out of knowing what was right.'

The Chain chuckled quietly. "Do you regret it?"

'No.'

"Do you think they could help? You have no idea how much longer your body can put up with this before the barrier shatters, or worse, you die from all this wearing down on you."

Mark closed his eyes and grabbed some of the fabric of his shirt, right above his heart; the thing faintly and weakly beating, keeping him alive.

'Yes, they could...Icarus.'

They went on through life, each day passing by.

The day when he woke up again, Carrie had let him be because he needed more rest. When she had to go back to school, she would anxiously await the moment when she could return home to him. While Leo recovered, Elliot would stay with him most of the time, mainly because they shared the same room.

Leo had once said to him that he was surprised that Elliot wasn't complaining about this reality, or searching books to find a way back home. Elliot only replied by saying that this was his new home now, so what use was there complaining. Leo smiled because he knew Elliot was content, because he was surrounded by these people, the ones that he now called his family.

After he had fully recovered, Leo was able to stand on his feet without falling over. Carrie had taken him out to a restaurant were they had the most wonderful dinner, well, they had brought Elliot along too, not that they minded his company. The trio were now good friends, all of them with unbreakable bonds.

Soon after, Carrie turned 17. In honor of her birthday, Leo had gotten the new album of one of her favorite bands. Of course she had been overjoyed, and she hugged him tightly for the gift. She had spent most of her time listening to it.

They went on a trip to a neighboring city once, and it had started snowing on the way there, an uncommon occurrence in October. On the way there, Carrie found that Leo had fallen asleep against her, so she rested his head on her lap while he peacefully slept, which made her blush.

Carrie would often wonder about the scar on Leo below his ribcage, but she never once asked about it, yet she would wonder. She would think back to thee image she had seen flash by when she first put her hand to it, and she would wonder if she had seen the memory of his death. Anastasia, on the other hand, never spoke to her again, even when Carrie asked if she had some power of reading memories.

Still, her, Leo, and Elliot, went on through their lives, while also working for Pandora on various missions and such.

They were still wondering about the Baskervilles though, and what their true intentions were, but they knew that it had something to do with the five legendary bird-like Chains. All three of them knew that one day, the Baskervilles would come back. There was also the matter of the letter sender Icarus, and it was unknown if this person was a Baskerville or not, or if that person that had saved Carrie and Elliot from the card on the night of the battle had any connection or not.

Maybe they would be after the two Chains Carrie and Leo possessed, or maybe the fragment.

Carrie and Leo had discussed this already, and they had decided that until that time came when they would have to face their enemy, they could continue living their normal lives, just enjoying the calm.

They agreed to this and sealed their deal with a kiss.

~fin

Okay, that the end. Again, I thank everyone who read and reveiwed. I'm glad you liked it. I'll get to work on the sequel as soon as possible, but just wait a little bit, because I might not have it up until around Christmas time, but I'll work on it when I can.

About the seuqel, it will be called 'Crying in the Rain'. I know there's some unanswered questions in at the end here, so you'll get some answers. For starters, what the Baskervilles want with the five black winged Chains. Also, you'll find out more about Mark, because he hides a secret. The truth of 300 years ago has been twisted, and in the sequel, all three of them will learn the reality of the truth they thought they knew.

Again, thank you so much.

~Rubi