𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄

-𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳

Alice awoke in the middle of the night in a panic. She clutched at her chest, attempting to steady her rapid breaths. Her vision began to blur and she began to shake, which is what ultimately woke Marcus up.

"Alice, hey it's okay," he immediately held her in his arms, in a very tight hug. "Everything is okay, baby. Take deep breaths for me."

She tried to control her breathing, listening to him count to ten in his ever so soothing voice. Suddenly, the an urge to throw up came to her, causing her to quickly jump from the bed and over to the empty basin in the corner. He rushed after her and held her hair back, letting her release her stomach of its contents.

Once she was done, she slumped against the wall as Marcus got up to get her some water. She took a swig and swirled it around her mouth then spit it out, before taking an actual drink so her mouth felt clean.

"I'm sorry," Alice mumbled, only for him to shush her quietly and carry her back to the bed.

"Don't apologize, baby. It's not your fault."

"I think it's the stress, of wondering what Henry is going to say. He's never been mad at me," she began to let tears flow from her eyes, only making Marcus angry. Not at her, of course, but Henry for putting for putting her through this roller coaster of emotions.

"Nothing is going to change between us, baby," he soothed. "I'm ready to do whatever it takes to be with you."

Nodding slowly, she felt sleep slowly take over again. She felt his fingers running through her hair, making her eyes droop shut.

"Go back to sleep, my love. We'll work everything out when you wake up."

"I love you," she mumbled out groggily, making him chuckle and kiss her forehead as she finally let sleep take over.

"I love you, forever and always," he whispered against her forehead before also closing his eyes. However, unlike Alice, he didn't fall back asleep right away. Instead, he spent the remainder of the night planning on what to do if Henry didn't give them his blessing.

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Finally waking up for the day, Alice stretched and let out a big yawn. However, she was overcome with nausea again. Laying back down, she waited for the feeling to pass, not wanting another episode like the one in the middle of the night.

Not long after, a knock on the door made her shoot up from the bed in a panic. Looking beside her, she sighed a breath of relief seeing that Marcus wasn't there so she could answer the door.

"Alice, please answer the door," she heard Henry's voice, laced with desperation on the other side.

Sighing, she got up and quickly covered up the best she could and let him inside.

"Good morning," she bowed her head slightly, not ready to meet his eyes yet.

"Can we please talk?"

He sighed in relief when Alice nodded and led him to her sitting area. She tried to hide her nervousness, not sure of what to expect after yesterday. They both sat in an awkward silence, neither one of them wanting to be the first one to speak.

"How did you sleep?"

She shrugged slightly at her brother's question. "I slept okay. How was yours?"

"Good, good," he nodded. Finally, he sighed and continued. "I want to apologize for yesterday. It was uncalled for. I wish nothing went on behind my back, but I can understand why you did it."

Alice nodded, not wanting to get her hopes up. When he noticed she wasn't going to respond, he smiled slightly.

"I also give you both my blessing."

Smiling, she jumped out of her chair and ran over to his now standing form, crushing him in a big hug.

"Thank you, Henry. What changed your mind?" She asked, finally releasing her hold on him.

"It's obvious how much he loves you. You both have been so happy these past few weeks, as well. You're not a little girl anymore," he wiped a stray tear and continued. "I need to understand that you're grown now and that you can make your own decisions."

"I'll always be your little sister, Henry. Nothing will change that."

"I already spoke to Marcus. I caught him on his way to the kitchen. I'll see myself out, before he comes back with your breakfast."

Now realizing that he knew where exactly Marcus was coming from, she blushed profusely and ushered him out of her room. However, the fast paced motion made her feel faint, which didn't go unnoticed by Henry.

"Alice?" Her brother asked in a panic as he led her to her bed, "What is it?"

She shook her head and just laid back. "I'm not sure, I've been feeling like this since this morning. I must be coming down with something."

"I'll send the doctor in to check you out," Henry covered Alice up with the blanket, then left after placing a small kiss on her forehead. Not long after, Marcus was back with no only food, but wet rags as well for her forehead.

"I'm not sure what's going on. The doctor should be here soon," he soothed, but she had a hard time feeling down, knowing that they didn't need to hide anymore.

"Marcus," she cut off his rambling. "He gave us his blessing."

Nodding with a smile, he laid next to her and kissed her temple.

"He did, he gave us his blessing."

It was those words, where she felt herself drifting off her yet, into another sleep.