7

Ace looked up happily at the ceiling. Who would have ever thought it would come to this? Alice was sleeping in a perfectly contended Ace's lap, and no one was there to object or interrupt! Happily, he marveled over how easily it had all happened; he had just walked into a room, to see Alice sleeping peacefully. He then picked her up and simply brought her to his room, that was all!

A few peaceful moments later, Alice was stirring. If what that rabbit said was true, he'd only have to talk to her. A simple "Hello, Alice" would do the trick. However, this clever knight had a plan.

"Huh? Ace? Where am I? Why are you here?" spoke a small, female voice.

"Ah, Alice" he said ever so softly. With one look at her eyes, he knew that the prime minister had been telling the truth.

Alice had been awake in Ace's room for several minutes now. Nothing had happened, but for her, being there was good enough. What was this feeling, this overpowering, overwhelming feeling?

"Ace, I – " she said, leaning forward slowly, deliberately.

"Aw, Alice, you're such a cute little kid" Ace suddenly said, ruffling her hair good-naturedly.

"Huh? Kid?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah! You're so adorable!" he said in a little-kid voice.

"B-but I'm 16! I'm not a little kid!" she wailed.

"Aww…You're so cute when you're playing pretend" said the doting father figure.

"I really am 16! And what do you mean, act like my father?"

"Alice, darling, you're taking this teenager act a little too far" he said, in a reprimanding tone of voice.

"No, Ace, YOU stop it! You know very well who I am!" she protested loudly. Unfortunately for her, she was sounding more and more childish by the moment.

"Well, Alice, will you explain to me who you are?" he said, with all the niceness of a kindergarten teacher.

"Damn it, Ace, don't you dare patronize me! I am a fully grown, mature, capable adult who is merely…" Though she started off sounding like a confident, self-righteous young woman, she trailed off, by the end.

"Who is merely what, Alice?" he asked, with a knowing smile.

"Who is… Well, I really don't know!" she said, confusedly. "I don't remember the past few days at all. I don't remember what I did, or who I met, or anything."

"You don't remember anything?" Ace asked, aghast.

"Well, I do remember one thing…" she said quietly.

"Oh, and that is?" he asked, not completely sure where this was going.

"That I love you, Ace." Having said that, she leaned forward and kissed him, after inhaling his scent. Ace, caught slightly off-guard, kissed her back without even thinking about it. To Ace, kissing Alice was natural, perfect and something he could get used to doing every single day.

Alice, encouraged by his involuntary response, clung to him desperately, never breaking the kiss.

And then Ace remembered. What on earth was he doing? His plan was not to succumb to Alice's love; it was to drive her to him, and to make sure she was desperately and irrevocably in love with him and only him. He would show everyone else. Hmph.

So Ace, summoning all the self-restraint he had, pulled away from Alice. Alice, though, refused to understand and leaned towards him to resume what had just ended.

"No, Alice, no", he said, first softly, and then firmly. Then came the signature smile: the cheerful, yet slightly creepy and distracting wide smile that he sported so often. "I'm sorry, Alice. That wasn't anything. You're going to have try much harder than that. How can I believe that you love me?"

"But I do love you!" she exclaimed. And somewhere, in the back of her mind, she remembered something exactly like this happening, except in a reversed manner.

"You don't love me."

"I do"

"You don't."

"I do!"

"You don't."

"I do!"

"Well then, Alice, prove it" he said matter-of-factly. "Let's go and tell everyone you love me!"

"Okay!" said Alice cheerily. Ace, with a very gentlemanly gesture, offered her his arm, and together, arm in arm, they walked in the direction of the Hatter mansion.

After an hour of walking (with some getting lost on the way, in between) they arrived at the mansion. Ace burst through the gates, in a loud and attention-getting manner. Surprisingly, no one came running to stop them. Those twins must be slacking off again, though Ace with an amused smile.

They casually walked through the corridors, and Alice identified the office of the mafia boss, Blood Dupre himself.

They nonchalantly entered the room, to see Blood with a glass of wine in his hands, while Elliot and the twins were fighting. They all froze when they saw their unexpected guests.

"All of you, Alice has an announcement to make!" Ace told them, with his signature smile.

Alice put her hands around Ace's waist in a sort of semi-hug, and said "I, Alice Liddell, am in love with Ace!" Having said this, she smiled expectantly at the person she was holding onto. Ace ruffled her head obligingly, and said "Good job, love."

Alice blushed at the term of endearment, and looked at her feet.

"Well, well, if it isn't the oh-so popular princess. You've jumped men again, I take it?" asked a snide voice that Alice identified as Blood's.

"What do you mean, 'again'?" Alice shot back, getting fired up.

"Onee-san, how could you?" whined the twins. "We thought you loved us!"

"Alice! What- what are you saying?" asked a very agitated rabbit. Then he realized, "Oh, it's just the potion talking! That's okay, we all have a fair chance!"

"Potion?" asked Alice. "Whatever, let's go, Ace" she said, brushing the shocked residents off easily.

"Sure thing, Alice!" he said happily, swept her up and carried her away while Alice willingly clung onto him.

A faint popping noise sounded after their grand departure, indicating that all four of the Mafia men had jaw-dropped at the exact same time.

There was a similar reaction at the amusement park, ending with Boris looking heartbroken and Gowland offering them a special couples' pass.

Alice, deciding she would tell Julius later, skipped the tower.

Next stop, Castle.

Outside the castle, Ace stopped, and stood facing Alice fully. He held her at arm's length and looked at her solemnly.

"Now Alice, do you really love me?" he asked again.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Yes!"

"Now, I am going to ask you something, and I'm going to record your answer. Is that okay?"

"Do whatever you want."

"Splendid" he said, and pulled out a tape recorder. Pressing the record button, he spoke into the mic. "Okay. Alice, do you love me?"

"Yes, Ace, I love you very much."

"Did you or did you not kiss me of your own accord a couple of hours, after confessing to me?"

"I did. Wait, why are you asking me this?"

"Never mind that. Okay, next question. Will you move in with me, at the castle?" he asked with a straight face.

"Of course! I'd love too! Oh, Ace, this is amazing!" she said excitedly.

"Can we act like a normal couple then, and do –beep- and –beep- and making out and stuff?" he asked, looking devious.

"Now that's taking it too far. But yes, maybe some of that stuff."

"Splendid" he said again, and switched off the recorder.

In castle, reactions were violent.

Vivaldi was outraged. "Alice, we expected more of you. You are a married woman! How could you do such a thing, with this preposterous knight of all people?"

"Well, this 'preposterous knight' happens to be the one I'm in love with!" she announced again, and, putting her arms around him, kissed him then and there.

"Ugh, enough, we are thoroughly disgusted."

Just then, Peter burst in while Ace and Alice were in mid-snog.

"Alice! Good lord, what are you doing?" he shouted, and ran towards the new couple.

"Oh, hi Peter. Did you know, I'm moving here?" she said nonchalantly.

"That's good news! But for this man? No, I shall not allow it!" he said angrily. And then, in a swift motion, he grabbed Alice and forced some sleeping potion down her throat.

Alice fell asleep in his arms comfortably.

Alice opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Peter's face.

"Alice!" he said joyously. Finally- FINALLY- his plan had worked!

"Peter!" she said with a huge smile on her face. She grabbed for him, and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so happy to see you! I just wanted to tell you, I love you!"

Peter's expression was one of utter bliss. "Oh Alice, I've been waiting for these words to come out of your sweet mouth since day one! Can I- can I kiss you?" he asked, all in one breath.

"Of course!"

So Peter leaned forward happily. But when he was mere inches away, he heard Alice's loud, angry voice shouting at him.

"Peter, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Alice! You just said...you loved me?"

"Ha, what? Why would I say that, I hate you!" she declared.

"Oh, looks like the potion wore off, Peter-san," said Nightmare, suddenly appearing at the scene. "Tough luck."

"Noooo!" yelled Peter. "I was so close!" he said, sobbing.

Later, after the situation was explained to Alice, she refused to believe a word. "Why would I act like that?" she asked.

And then came the pictures Peter had secretly taken. There was one of her and Boris on a ride, her and Gowland on the tunnel of love and her feeding the tied-up twins. More pictures included her in her nightgown, with Blood, her clinging to Julius, her hugging Vivaldi, and finally, one of her being carried off willingly by Ace.

"Wha-what?" she asked, flabbergasted. "When did this… What happ… Oh my god!" she said, unable to finish her sentences.

"That's not the worst part!" added Ace cheerily. "There's also a tape." And then he played the tape to her. Alice listened in shock as she heard herself declaring her love for Ace, promising to live with him, and do…certain things with him.

"So in short, Peter gave me a potion that mad me do all this and Peter took all these photos?" she asked.

"Uh, yes."

"That's it, Peter. I'm never talking to you again, and also, I loath you!" she said with a touch of finality, and marched off.

Looks like Peter's plan had not only miserably failed, but also made Alice turn against him. Moral? Never trust Nightmare Gottschalk.

END

So, what do you think? This is the end of the story, so review please!

I know, it's been a while, but I've been busy lurking other fandoms. I'm sorry, HnKnA, I've betrayed you. : (

Bye everyone! Thanks for reading!