Title: Roses Are Red

"What is that you have there?" A curious Levi asked as he walked into Lacie's room. He strolled over to where she was standing and looked down at the giant vase of roses she was tending to.

"It's nothing." She said as she turned to him.

He grinned at her. "Why would you be taking care of them if it was nothing?" He asked.

"They're flowers, okay?" She said annoyed that he wouldn't just drop it.

"Flowers from your favorite little puppy?" He asked as he inspected them. "These do look like they would have come from the famous Vessalius Rose Garden."

"Shut up." She said as she walked over to the couch and sat down.

Levi followed her over there. "Well, well. He gave you roses, and you actually kept them. That's surprising for you. You usually throw away anything your playthings give you. What made this so special?"

"Nothing. I just didn't want them to die is all." She replied as she thought back to that day.

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Lacie stared at the giant, white door in front of her as she slowly grabbed the knocker and hit it. A loud bang burst out, and she froze. She looked behind her and considered heading back. She wasn't sure why she was even here. Jack had invited her over to the Vessalius mansion, and he had been so excited to show her the famous Vessalius Rose Garden. She agreed to visit, but now she felt odd being there. She wasn't used to going out, but this had been one of the rare times Levi and Oswald allowed her to go. She figured they let her go because in a month she would be dead. Yet even though she wanted to go outside the tower, she still felt like it wasn't right for her to be here. As she turned to go, the door flew open.

"Lacie! You made it!" Jack shouted excitedly.

She turned back to him. He was standing in the doorway with his trademark smile plastered on his face. His hair was in a loose ponytail instead of a braid, and he looked weird without his green coat. He seemed so happy to have her there. She walked into the house and said, "Yes, thank you for having me."

She slipped her long black cape off, and he took it from her to hang up.

"I thought you would have servants to do all this for you." She said as she adjusted the sleeves of her favorite purple dress.

"I asked them to let me get the door today. I wanted to see you when you came in." He replied as he placed her cape on an ornate coat rack.

She smiled at him and then turned around to inspect the house. Though it was smaller than the Baskerville's mansion, it was still large. The walls were pure white with detailed carvings in the molding. The tile floor sparkled. "This place is beautiful." She said as she ran her hand over the smooth railing of a giant staircase.

"Yes, it is. But you haven't even seen the best part yet." He said as he motioned down the hallway. He started walking, and she followed next to him. They soon arrived at another large door. Roses were carved into the wood, and she knew this was the entrance to the Vessalius Rose Garden.

He slowly opened the door, and Lacie gasped when she saw it. Rows of red and white and pink roses fanned out from a fountain placed in the middle of the garden. The smell was overpowering as she stepped inside.

"Wow." She whispered to herself as she looked around. The ceiling was high and the windows somewhat tinted to allow just enough sunlight in. There were small sprinklers strategically placed throughout.

Next to the fountain she noticed a small table for two with tea and tarts set up on it. Jack walked over to the table and pulled out a chair for her. She smiled at him as she sat down and he pushed the chair in for her. He then poured her a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Jack." She said as she grabbed it from him. As she took sips of it, she looked around trying to take in the beauty of the garden. The roses were perfectly aligned, and they stood so still that they looked like they were in a painting. She breathed in the scent again and sighed. "It's so nice here." She said. "I love roses. The colors, the smell, the soft petals, even the thorns."

Jack was staring at her as spoke. He smiled as he saw the sparkle in her eyes. "I'll be right back." He said as he got up from his seat.

Lacie watched as he ran off down one of the rows of roses. He stopped in front of a line of white roses, rolled up his sleeves, and cut a few. He then moved to another row and cut some of the pink roses. When he got to the red roses, he reached down and cut a dozen of them. He then ran into a room at the other end of the garden.

A few minutes passed and Lacie grew curious, so she got up and headed to the other room.

It was a little workshop with gardening and florist tools. Jack had wrapped the giant bouquet of roses in cellophane and tied a red bow around them.

He turned around at the sound, and he smiled when he saw it was Lacie. He then grabbed the bouquet of roses and held it out to her.

Lacie looked at him confused. "What's this?" She asked.

"It's a bouquet of roses for you. If I had known you liked them, I'd have brought you some before." He replied.

"Jack, you don't have to give me that." She said as she looked away from him. "Besides, won't you get in trouble for taking those?"

"Don't worry, Lacie. I'll take any punishment that they give me. I just want you to have these." He said.

She turned back to him, and she couldn't help but stare at him. He looked like a character on the cover of one of those romance novels she had been reading. His golden hair was sparkling, his eyes were firmly locked on her, his hands gently held the roses, and his soft smile lit up the room. It seemed like when she was around, he could never stop smiling. "Thank you, Jack." She said as she reached over and took the roses.

When she looked down at them, she couldn't help but smile too. They were perfect.

Jack then walked past her and opened the door. "Should we go finish our tea?" He asked as he extended his hand toward her.

"Oh yes." She said as she placed her hand in his, and they walked back towards the table. She couldn't stop staring at Jack as he walked a little ahead her.

However, her eyes were soon clouded as the bright lights of the Abyss shown around her.

"Lacie." A voice whispered. She froze and let go of Jack's hand. "Lacie." It whispered again. She tried to ignore it, but it kept getting louder in her head. "Lacie! Lacie! Lacie!" Was it trying to drag her in?

"Lacie, are you okay?" Jack asked worried as he leaned down to look at her.

At the sound of his voice, the lights began to fade. "Yes, I'm fine." She said as the last of the lights faded away and she saw his face again. She felt a weird feeling in her chest when looked back up at Jack. It was almost like she was relieved to see him again, like she was glad she didn't lose him.

"Do you want to go sit down?" Jack asked. "You look a little sick."

"Um, yes, please." She said as she grabbed his hand again and he led her to the chair.

She sat down, and he let go of her hand, but she quickly grabbed it again. She didn't know why but she didn't want to let his hand go. She then clutched the bouquet of roses against her chest. She knew her death was approaching, and while she loved the Abyss, there was something in her heart begging her to stay here. Stay in this world...with Jack. Could the Abyss sense her hesitation? Could it tell she was having other thoughts? Was that why it tried to take her?

"Lacie, are you sure you're okay? Do you need me to get you anything?" Jack asked.

She didn't say anything though. She just looked back down at the roses clutched against her chest. She didn't think it was possible, but she was feeling lonely as she thought about the Abyss. Was she feeling lonely because Jack wouldn't be there? Was she actually going to miss him? The stupid little puppy that searched eight years for her? She looked up at his face and felt pain in her heart again. She knew she had to go to the Abyss, and she wanted to go, but at the same time, she also wanted to see that stupid face again and again.

She then sat the roses on the table, stood up, and grabbed Jack's face. He stared at her confused.

"Lacie-" He didn't get to finish his sentence though before Lacie kissed him.

Jack froze at first, but when he felt Lacie's arms wrap around his neck, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.

She felt her heart swell as they kissed. A wave of happiness and sadness mixed together. This would be their first and last kiss. But she had to do it now. She had to release all of these crazy emotions she had been feeling.

When she broke away, she wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his chest. "Jack, I don't want to leave yet." She whispered.

"What do you mean? You can stay here as long as you want, Lacie." He said as he smiled down at her.

She smiled back at him and hugged him tighter. She couldn't stay here though. She knew that. She had accepted her death long ago. It was more important that she go to the Abyss- so it wouldn't be lonely, so that she could complete Levi's experiment, so that Oswald could become Glen, and so that Jack could move on with his life. Yes, going to the Abyss would be better for everyone.

Yet as she stood among the roses, holding onto Jack, she wished that it wasn't.

Thanks for reading!