Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.
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Everyone looks shell-shocked as they realize who they really are. Like they're waking from a long dream.
Welcome to the club. You guys are twenty eight years late.
The sight of people cheering and hugging is infectious. My smile falters just slightly. There's a quiet ache in my chest that I can't seem to shake.
"Alice?"
My ears feel like they're deceiving me when I hear my husband's trembling voice. My heart picks up speed.
"Alice!"
I turn around slowly. I lock eyes with his, and my heart rate slows. My shoulders drop, relief flooding my veins, numbing everything else.
"Andy," I whisper, so quiet and reverent that I know no one can hear me.
I run, matching his pace. We quickly meet in the middle as I allow myself to lean into him. I grasp the back of his jacket in my shaking fists, holding on like I might float away otherwise. Suddenly, I feel like me again. The me from before the curse. The me I missed more than life itself. Andy pulls me back by my shoulders a couple of inches to get a proper look at me.
"What happened to you?" He whispers roughly.
I shake my head, tears forming.
"I-I-There's not much to tell."
The lie slips out before I can stop it. I can tell by the look on his face that he doesn't buy it. He lets it stand for now. The truth spills out regardless, unruly and relentless.
"I was kept in an asylum. All twenty eight years."
I go to reach for my scars instinctively, but think better of it. I don't want to alarm him too much.
"God, Andy, I remembered everything. I thought I was crazy. They-she made me believe I was crazy. That was my punishment. It was...awful, and I missed you every day."
My words quickly break off into a sob.
"Shhh, come here." He soothes, pressing my head back to his chest.
He strokes his fingers through my hair. I used to hate it when he did that. But the familiarity makes it feel like heaven.
"God, Alice. I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't know, otherwise-"
"I know." I cut him off with a fond smile. "You would have come for me."
His hands come up to cup my face in his calloused palms, pressing his forehead to mine.
"All of that's over now." He whispers. "I'll make sure nothing ever happens to you again. We can go back to the way things were before. Get back to the Enchanted Forest, find our ship, and we can go wherever you'd like."
"That sounds perfect."
Something unsettled stirs in me at the picture he's painted, a tightness low in my chest that I don't recognize. That feeling doesn't make sense. So I push it to the side and stand on my tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss to his warm lips. He returns the kiss eagerly, but I quickly pull back.
