Impossible (A HEARTLESS Fanfic)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Ace wrinkled his nose as the strong smell of marinated field mice hit him in the face. He descended further down the stairs of the demolished tree house and into the kitchen where Alice sat at the table, staring at a plate of the smelly food. When he entered, she lifted her eyes and gave a weak smile.

"Are you actually going to eat those?" Ace asked as he approached her.

Alice shook her head. "No, the smell just reminds me of Mr. Ferret." She held the plate up to him. "Would you like some?"

"Unfortunately, I already ate." He pulled a chair over and sat down beside her. "How are you doing, Alice?"

Releasing a sigh, Alice placed the plate back on the table. "I'm staring at a plate of dead mice. How do you think I'm doing?"

He leaned in closer and ran a finger down her arm. "You don't have to do this."

"Everyone is expecting me to."

"So?"

"So what if I let them all down?"

"They're your friends, Alice. They love you. They just want you to be happy."

She tore her eyes away from the mice and focused on him. "How did you know I was here anyway?"

Ace shrugged. "It's the day of your coronation, so I figured you'd be as far away from the Castle as possible. And I doubt most people would think to look for you here, considering all the reminders of Mr. Ferret."

"But you knew."

"Well, I like to think I know a little bit about you, although I'm certain I have so much more to learn."

Alice smiled, but her gaze wandered back to the marinated mice. "If I refuse the crown, what will Hearts do? The Kingdom needs a queen."

"But it doesn't have to be you."

"What if someone much worse than Lady Pinkerton takes over?"

"I doubt that's a possibility."

Alice propped her elbows against the table and rested her cheeks on her fists. "And what if I'm completely and utterly incompetent and run Hearts into the ground?"

Ace leaned forward and tried to catch her eye. "Remember what you told me? What Pierrot said?"

Her gaze wandered to him. "To choose my own future?"

"Yes. Alice, this is your choice and your choice alone. No one has the right to choose for you." He slipped his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze. "And whatever you decide, know that I will be right there with you."

Straightening up, Alice smiled. "So if I decide to become the Queen of Hearts?"

"I'll be by your side as your loyal Captain of the Guard. That is, if you want me."

"And if I decide to run away and never look back?"

Bringing her hand to his lips, Ace brushed a soft kiss against her knuckles. "I only hope you'll run slow enough for me to keep up."

The smile on Alice's face was contagious, and Ace found himself grinning stupidly at her. She glanced about the kitchen, her eyes darting from the collapsing shelves to the pictures on the wall and back to Ace.

"I wonder what Mr. Ferret would have advised me to do," she said.

"I'm fairly certain he would have told you to follow your heart. Or at least that's what I would expect from someone who loved another person enough to sacrifice everything for them."

"Follow my heart?"

"Sounds like something a doting guardian would say."

Alice's eyes wavered for a moment, focusing on his lips and then back to his eyes. His muscles tensed for a single moment, and there was a fluttering sensation in his stomach. Alice grabbed his face and pulled him towards her, catching his lips with her own. It took him by surprise, but her soft lips moved so passionately and without restraint that he couldn't help but be swept up in the moment. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and her hands moved from his face to his hair, drawing him even closer. Ace felt suddenly weightless. It was like a heavy burden had been thrown off his shoulders. If Alice hadn't been holding onto him, he was sure he would have floated away.

When at last they parted, it took a moment for them to catch their breath. Alice smiled at him, her hands still buried in his hair and keeping him close. He was glad, as the thought of ever leaving this enchanting thief nearly broke his heart.

"Was that your heart's doing?" he asked breathlessly.

Her grin grew as she leaned forward once again and placed another kiss on his lips. "My brain thought it was a good idea, too."

He tightened his grip on her waist, his heart pounding wildly. He never wanted to let this girl go. He would follow her to the end of Wonderland.

"And now that I've finally gotten that off my chest," Alice continued, "I think I know what to do about the coronation."