Change of Plans--A Heart no Kuni no Alice FanFiction

Part 12: It Kind of Hurts

As I'd promised my worried friend, I told her the whole dream from the very beginning. I chided her a little bit for not telling me about everyone being in love with her, which made her blush. "It's not like I'm happy about it," she'd grumbled to me. "Sometimes it can be downright annoying." While I didn't argue with her on that, I was still kind of miffed that she hadn't told me. I told her about how I was supposed to assist her in playing this game she was part of (she told me she still didn't understand it either), and I even told her about the potion, assuring her that it didn't have the same side effects that hers did.

Then I told her about his parting message-that Don was alive. "I hadn't been thinking about Don while we were talking, so he couldn't have read my thoughts or anything like that," I explained. "So I'm trying to figure out how on earth he knew about him." I rubbed my temples a little bit, heaving an irritated and somewhat tired sigh. "I'm starting to wonder if I had stopped dreaming after taking the potion and that my mind had conjured up something startling to wake me up."

"I doubt it, but maybe you're right," Alice said slowly. "And if you are, I'll just blame it on brain damage." I rolled my eyes, making her giggle a little bit before she became serious again. "You didn't start thrashing until just before you woke up," she told me with a worried look, "but you were frowning and muttering the entire time Elliot was cleaning your wounds and patching you up." I winced at the brief mental image of me being sewn back together. "Don't worry," Alice assured me, a small smile on her face, "you didn't actually need stitches. It just looked like you did, especially on your head."

"Stupid incubus," I muttered to myself, "trying to freak me out by telling me I was getting sewn up like a rag doll." I heard Alice cough softly, trying to disguise another fit of giggles. "Just how long was I out anyway?" I asked, steering the subject in a different direction.

Alice shrugged one shoulder at me. "A couple hours at least," she told me. "Elliot said you passed out from blood loss and exhaustion. He carried you the whole way here." A little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "He tried putting you down on the bed, but you didn't want to let go of his jacket." My eyebrows shot up into my hairline, trying not to believe her. "It's true!" Alice said, her smile getting bigger and her eyes starting to get a mischievous sparkle in them. "He even tried prying your hands off of him but you just whimpered and said 'Don't go' in a really soft voice! It was so adorable!"

My cheeks felt like they were on fire. "I don't believe you," I growled indignantly, glaring down at the sheets. "I don't believe you at all." I would never do something like that, I told myself firmly. Never, ever, ever. Especially not to a friend, and especially not if that friend was apparently in love with someone else. My stomach did an uncomfortable flip-flop as I remembered what Nightmare had said about all the inhabitants of Wonderland being in love with Alice. That would naturally include Elliot, wouldn't it?

"I would have you ask Elliot himself," Alice told me with a cheerful grin, "but he's talking to Blood in his study right now. You can ask him about it later."

"You'd better believe I will," I grumbled, folding my arms over my chest. I felt a slight tugging on my side from where the bandages had been placed. During the brief silence that followed my declaration I mulled over something that had been bothering me since...well, since my outburst in the garden. "Alice," I said slowly, "how do you stand him?" Alice gave me a very confused look, and I realized that she probably thought I was still talking about Elliot. "Sorry, I meant Blood. How can you stand to be around him?" I asked. "He's arrogant, self-absorbed, and he likes toying with people way too much. I know you like giving people the benefit of the doubt, but..." I shrugged my shoulders helplessly. "I see no reason to trust him, and I haven't known him as long as you have."