No one else knew what a rush she got from it—the thrill that would tremble in her dead, stony heart, and the way her lips would involuntarily quirk up. All of them believed her to have been used to it by now, thinking that, after all, the couple had been together for decades. A voice she was so used to couldn't possibly mean so much.

She laughed her high, joyous laugh, voice ringing throughout the abandoned forest, rhythmically hitting each tree.

He just watched on, amused.

"You still ain't saying it right, Alice."

She shook her head, nudging him playfully. "Give me another chance." Immediately she sobered, looking at him with complete sincerity, golden eyes shining. "Eh'm feexin' to go shopping wit' ya'll."

He stared at her in disappointment.

Sticking her tongue out, she crossed her arms, watching as he unnecessarily cleared his throat. "It's; Ah'm fixin' ta go shoppin' with ya'll."

"Can't I just say 'ain't' a lot?"

The look he gave her was clearly one of pain.

With mock earnestness, she gazed up at him from her place on the rotting log, angel's face glowing. "Well what's the difference between ya'll, and all ya'll?"

She heard the words seconds before he said them.

He held back his own grin. "Ya'll is only for one person. All ya'll is for the rest of ya'll unless it's just one ya'll."

They stared at each other for a long moment, before she burst out into another chiming fit of laughter, falling down against him.

He shook his head in a faked hopelessness, arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer.

"Jazz, it's not my fault. It's harder than I thought it would be."

He rolled his eyes. As if Alice could ever find anything harder than 'she thought it would be.' "Big hat, no cattle, that's all you are." He looked on in sudden horror. "How can my girl be from Dixie and not be able to pull off an accent? I've been cheated."

In a last attempt at another sad imitation of his perfect voice, she straightened herself, coughing into a fist before evenly meeting him. "Ah'm awful sorry. Dawggonnit, Ah try so hard, and've dern near got it, but still just ain't there."

He blinked down at her, frowning.

Finally, he melted.

"Alice, that was terrible."

1. She never would get sick of his accent.

That may have been why she attempted to imitate it.