She sipped at her tea, careful not to stare at the man for too long. Blood Dupre was the only other person at the table. Being alone with a mafia boss wasn't exactly something that Alice had planned herself. When she had accepted the invitation, she thought that Elliot and the twins would be at the party. But Blood had informed her at the last moment that it would just be the two of them. Upon hearing that, Alice almost made up an excuse to leave. But she knew that would be incredibly rude.

It wasn't that she was afraid of being alone with Blood. It was more that he had a tendency to make her nervous. It didn't help that he looked so much like her very first crush. He was the spitting image of one Hector Richardson, down to the enticing blue eyes.

"It's rude to stare, young lady," Blood informed without looking up from his cup.

The flustered Alice tore her eyes away from him. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Blood smirking at her.

The table spread was a lot more lavish than normal, which was quite the achievement, considering that it always was. Now, in addition to the normal snacks and tea, there were tarts of all flavors, small candies that the twins would've enjoyed, and a gorgeous strawberry shortcake. It was evident that Blood has sweets on the mind when he invited her. Did he somehow find out how much she loved sugar?

Lorina always pointed out Alice's sweet tooth as a bad thing. That was why Alice had conditioned herself to not indulge in it too much. But looking at this array of desserts made her want to taste everything on the table. It took all of her willpower not to lose control.

Her cheeks heated up. And Blood's grin grew. He was enjoying this little game of his. Alice was half embarrassed and half angry at him for putting her in such an uncomfortable situation. If she tried to ignore the sweets, then she had to worry about focusing too much on Blood. If she focused too much on Blood, the man would tease her about it. Blood did this to watch her slowly lose control. She was sure of it.

"Fascinating," Blood said. His gaze was so intense that she felt he was burning a hole right through her.

Alice choked back a cough. She steadied her nerves and decided that she wouldn't let Blood make a mockery out of her. Whatever sort of reaction he was hoping for, she would make sure he didn't get it.

Straightening herself in an attempt to look uncaring, Alice dared to glance his way.

"What's so fascinating about me drinking tea?"

"Your lovely face as you do so," Blood answered without skipping a beat, "You have the most expressive features that I have ever seen. It's almost like you're an open book for me to enjoy."

The young woman shot him a dirty look.

"Don't pout, Alice. I didn't mean to insult you."

"I'm not pouting."

"Try one."

Alice blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, "Huh?"

Blood motioned toward the plate of tarts. They all had small cuts in order to show off the filling that each one had inside. Red cherry, blue blackberry, yellow lemon and even chocolate were all on the plate.

"You haven't eaten anything. And a little birdie told me that you enjoyed sweets. So please, take one. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I'm...I'm not embarrassed," Alice stammered. She wanted to ask who told him this information. But the look on his face told her that such a question will go unanswered. Blood liked to be as mysterious as possible.

The man held out the plate in front of Alice's face. As the offered sweets were pushed closer, Alice decided that she would just have one. And she will make sure Blood won't realize how much she enjoyed it.

"Um...thank you," she said in the most civilized and polite manner possible. She took a bite. The flaky crust and sugary filling danced in her tongue. It was a small bite, but Alice made sure to enjoy every minute.

Blood continued to watch in fascination as she took another bite. She placed the half eaten tart on her plate, sipped at her tea, and looked at him. He was being awfully silent. Wasn't a tea party suppose to be more...chatty? And yet Blood seemed to enjoy sitting there quietly.

Was he waiting for Alice to strike up conversation? She decided that she would at least ask him about his day.

"Um...so. How was-"

"You've made quite a mess."

Alice balked at the interruption. But that was the least of her problems. Suddenly, Blood stood up from his chair, walked over to where she was seating, and knelt down so they were at eye level. Their face were inches apart, and yet Alice found herself frozen in her chair.

Blood touched her lips. She shrank her head back as far as she could, realizing in horror that he has her trapped in the chair. There was no way she could climb out without him catching her.

His finger wasn't pressed against her lips anymore, but they still hovered just inches from her face. He smiled in his usual smug way, with the lopsided smirk just barely detectable if you looked hard enough. It was both a calm smile, and a threatening one.

"You've gotten sugar all over yourself. Silly girl. Aren't you sweet enough? Don't you think having sugar on your person is a little too much."

"Silly Alice, don't eat too many sweets," her sister's voice rang into her ears. It was like a memory from long ago resurfaced. She remembered having just consumed a biscuit. Lorina had been scolding her.

...And...Hector was there too. He was looking as amused as Blood was now. The thought made Alice shudder. Blood smiled wider.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

"I think I should go."

"Go where? Are you not feeling well, Alice?" he smirked. He knew Alice felt just fine. He knew his little game was going well for him.

Alice had enough. She shoved him away. If he was shocked at this, he didn't show it.

"I think I'm done here," with a glare, Alice stood up. She proceeded to walk away. But a hand on her hand caused her to gasp, "Wha-"

Before she could make a sound, Blood pulled her close to his chest. Her face burned. She wanted to push away, but she forgot how to move a muscle. She wanted to get out of here. But at the same time, she felt she somewhat enjoyed this. Being in Blood's arms like a beloved girlfriend...

What was she thinking?

Blood tilted her chin so that she was facing him. Her heart beat a million miles an hour. What was his end goal here? Was he just trying to make her uncomfortable. The smoldering gaze in his eyes told her that there was something else he wanted. But try as she might, she couldn't figure out his true intentions.

"Oh Alice. You think I'm going to let you go so soon? Not when I finally have you all to myself. Almost every time we meet, you're with a man groveling on your knee. You realize how jealous that makes me? Or was that your intention all along?"

He leaned forward. Alice reached forward. She would never know why she kissed the man, but she knew that it was the single most intense feeling she ever had.

While Blood remained cool, Alice shuddered like she was freezing.

She ached for more of this man. When they withdrew, she whispered without thought.

"Hector."

She leaned forward for another kiss. But to her shock, Blood gently pushed her away. Now that she looked at him, she detected confusion on his face.

"What did you call me?"

It took a second for the horrifying realization of what she had just done to trigger inside her head. Oh no. Did she really just-

Her hand flew to her lips as if she was trying to put the words back in her mouth. But it was way too late. Blood already heard what she said.

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean...It just came out."

Blood didn't look angry. Merely disappointed. The man sighed, the earlier mood destroyed, and Alice knew there would be no more tea and tarts for the rest of the night.

"I really have to go," she said as a pitiful excuse. She left in a hurry in case Blood tried to stop her. Fortunately or unfortunately, he didn't even try.

"Alice? Alice," Julius' voice broke her from her trance. Alice realized that she had been brooming the same spot for who knew how long.

Julius sat in his desk like always. He must've turned his attention from his work just long enough to notice Alice's distraction.

"Is everything alright?" he asked when he realized he had her attention.

Alice forced a smile that wouldn't convince anybody.

"I guess I'm just a little spacey today."

"I see," Julius raised an eyebrow.

Alice gave up on her chores and put the broom away. She inspected the man in front of her. Julius might be able to help after all. Maybe he could give her some pearls of wisdom that she could use to help mend her friendship with Blood.

"Um. Julius. I think I might've offended someone pretty badly."

Confused, Julius glanced up at her.

"We were talking, you see. And I might have said something...that really upset him. And now I don't know how to make him feel better. I want to apologize, but I'm afraid he won't believe that I mean it."

Julius waved his hand as if he was swatting away the notion like a fly.

"Nonsense. You know that everyone in Wonderland is prone to loving you. I don't know who you may have offended, but I guarantee you he won't be angry for long."

"I'm not sure..." Alice trailed off.

"It's impossible, Alice."

"What do you mean?"

Julius intertwined his fingers together and rested his chin on them.

"It's impossible for any of us to stay mad at you. I don't think you realize how much Wonderland adores you. You're unique, even for an Outsider. The residents of Wonderland-particularly the men-all love you, Alice. So there's really nothing to worry about. You say you've offended him? I doubt he'll even remember the next day."

Alice managed a slightly more convincing smile this time. She prayed that Julius was right.

Blood placed the hat on the night stand and proceeded to rub through his hair. He sighed. Hector, the name that will ever haunt him now thanks to one Alice Liddel. It didn't take much brain power for Blood to figure out who Hector was.

He looked himself in the mirror. A grimace spread across his lips. Did this Hector see the exact same image when he looked into the mirror? Did he look exactly like Blood in every way? Was that why Alice just couldn't see him without seeing her crush?

Blood barely managed not to punch the mirror. It was bad enough that he had to share Alice with the rest of Wonderland. But now he realized that everyone else had an advantage over him. After all, none of the other men had to look like this Hector twat.

He had been so close to having Alice all to himself. But even when he achieved that much, Alice couldn't see Blood as himself.

What could he do? Blood leaned his hands on his dresser, suddenly looking very tired. And he was tired. He was tired of having to share Alice. He was tired of seeing her with other men, think about other men, talking to other men, and even looking at other men. Up to this point, Blood had managed not to let his jealousy show too much.

But last night was the final straw that broke the camel's back. If Alice was going to be this difficult, then he was going to up his game.

He was fed up with waiting. Alice was his.