( Olol. A cute oneshot. Jack x Alice, cause it's adorable. Just plain fluff. )

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" Alice! Aliceee! " called a familiar voice from below her Rapunzel-like tower. A smile spread over Alice's face, and she tossed aside one of her many stuffed toys and ran to the window. Popping up through the window, she noticed that her tower wasn't the only thing Rapunzel-like...

Jack stood below, waving up to her with a smile. That was normal...but his hair... Alice's jaw dropped open. His hair wasn't in its usual braid, and he honestly had the longest head of hair she had ever seen.

" J-Jack? What happened to your hair? " Alice called, a bit startled. At times, she had often found herself wondering if the man ever washed his hair...maybe this meant he did? Jack twirled a lock of his golden hair in his hand and gave a cheesy grin.

" I need your help, Alice! Could you come down...? " he hissed under his breath in reply. The way he said it was almost like a secret. Alice furrowed her eyebrows and sighed. She plopped her head on the window sill and gave him a puppy dog look.

" I suppose so! " And with that, the little girl whisked herself away from the window and to the stairs, dodging various toys along the way. She gave Cheshire a quick pat, and opened the door to the row of stairs. Alice heard Jack squeal ' Yay, yay! ' like a small child that had found a playmate. She giggled, and shook her head...that man was like a little child. Alice pulled on her boots by the doorway and began her trek down the winding stairs. Her fingers traced the walls as she went down, and her bright eyes took in every nook and crany of the bricks. Sabriel had beautiful buildings...but she didn't like being stuck in her tower alone. Jack was the perfect friend for her.

Before she knew it, Alice reached the end of the stairs, and almost ran head first into the door. Her hand reached for the knob, but someone on the other side turned it first! She squeaked in surprise and skittered back a few steps. " Ah! Did I scare you? " Oh...it was only Jack. He poked his head through the door and gave her an odd look that soon changed to...well, pity. " I need your help. Dreadfully need your help. "

" Alright, alright... " Alice laughed, walking to him and popping beside him outside the door. " But first, why is your hair so...so... " she frowned, searching for the words. It wasn't that it wasn't pretty...it was the prettiest golden hair she had seen. But how in the world had it managed to escape from that tight braid?

Jack averted her eyes and chuckled weakly. " W-Well...you see, Alice, that's why I called you down. " He took hold of her hand , and led her over to the tree he had fallen out of when they first met. The two slid down the bark to the gound, and sat with interlocked arms. Alice tiltled her head to the side, waiting for him to finish telling her about this ( apprently ) terrible problem. " I see you noticed my hair... " She nodded. " I-It's quite long...and a hassle to wash. Gilbert- " Oh. That kid that pulled her hair. She frowned, but kept listening. " - usually braids it for me after I wash it, but he's away right now. "

" Can't you braid it yourself? It's plenty long enough! " She said while poking fun and running her hands through it. Jack, on the other hand, wasn't so amused.

" I-I can't braid...I don't know how. " he said with a downhearted frown. Jack closed his emerald eyes and turned his head. Alice was about to laugh at him for being so ashamed of such a silly thing, and tell him that she would teach him, but he turned his head back and had the soppiest, most pitiful puppy dog face - sparkley eyes included.

Taken by surprise, Alice recoiled a bit. " Ah? "

" P-PLEASE BRAID IT FOR ME...! " he practically yelled, grabbing her shoulders and staring down at her. " I would do it myself, but my hands are very clumsy, and Gilbet has tried to teach me so many times! I'm a lost cause, Alice! " Little tears ( she actually doubted they were fake ) welled up in his eyes.

Ailce reached up and removed his hands from her shoulders, intertwining them with her fingers instead. " You're not a lost cause! I'm sure you're great at a lot of things! Just not...braiding...! Ah...haha... " she said with a weak smile. Jack grinned and nodded his head. Alice was afraid that for a moment, the talkative man would start listing off all the things that he was good at, but he didn't. She removed her hands from his and made a spinning direction with her finger. " I'll braid it for you, then! Turn around! "

Jack looked like the kid who just got a giant lollipop. He leapt forward and smothered her in a bear hug, swinging her back and forth. " Oh, thank you! Thank you! This is why I like having you as a friend! You're so nice! " Alice said a quiet ' eh? ' and a light blush spread over her cheeks. Jack was the only one who had ever called her a friend. She smiled and was relieved when he released her from the hug. He spinned himself to face his back towards her, and right before she reached to start braiding, he looked at her backwards from upside down.

" Ah! I almost poked your eyes out! Stick your head back up or I won't be able to work with this mop of hair you have! " she chided. Jack giggled and did as he was told.

Alice was pretty sure braiding his hair would take all day, since it was hopelessly thick and long. In fact, it easily dragged the ground when not in a braid. She brushed it out with her fingers, and laid it out full length ( she ended up being a few feet away from him ). Alice then scooted back to him so she could start at the back of his head. She took in a deep breath and set to work. Jack kicked his feet back and forth and hummed the tune Lacie to himself as she let her fingers work their magic. Alice leaned forward and stared as she worked intently, set on braiding this monstrosity of hair.

" Hey, Alice? " Jack started to turn his head, and she shrieked in horror. Her precious work!

" No, no, Jack! Don't turn around! I'll mess up! " He stiffened up and slowly turned back around.

" Sorry...! I was just wondering something. "

" Well? Spit it out. " Ah, there she went again, that bipolar Alice that could be sharp as a sword or sweet as candy.

" I want to write some lyrics to Lacie, but I can't think of any, and have no one to sing them. " he said nonchalantly.

" Why don't you sing it? " Alice asked curiously, tilting her head back and forth as she worked.

" Ha! " Jack almost burst a gut laughing. Alice's face turned red, and she wondered if it was weird that she suggested that he sing the words. He coughed a few times, and was finally able to regain his breath. " I-I'm a watchmaker, not a singer. My voice isn't half as lovely as yours would be. "

Wait, what? " Ehhhh? " she drawled out. " You want me to sing for you? I've never sang in my life! "

" Hmph. I doubt that, miss Alice. All little girls sing. It's only natural. " he said with mock disappointment.

Alice had sang some...but she didn't like her voice much. But instead of telling him that, she came back with a sharp retort. " Isn't it only natural that a man cut his hair at least once in his life? "

Ouch. " Aw, Alice, that was mean! Don't you like my hair? Wouldn't I look weird if I cut it all off? "

Alice giggled. " I didn't mean it, silly Jack. " she said with a smile. " And yes, you would look quite weird ; kind of like if I shaved Cheshire! " ( A/N : OHSORRY OZ. BUUUUURN. )

The two friends sat and chatted, though it was mostly Jack trying to convince Alice to sing for him. Alice was incredibly grateful to him, as he always spent time with her and made her laugh. It also turned out had been right - it did take almost all day to braid his hair. She had started at noon, and now the sun was beginning to set. Thankfully, she was nearing the end of the trail of hair.

" Oh, Jack, you've taken away our day. " Alice sighed, braiding the last few inches.

Jack, of course, had a sickingly sweet reply. " But aren't you happy that you spent it with me, making a lonely guy like me happy by doing me a favor? "

Oh brother. " It won't be a favor if you don't have a hair tie with you! " As if on cue, Jack fished a green hair tie the color of his eyes and coat out of his pocket. He tossed it back to her, and Alice managed to catch it. She gave him a smug smile that he couldn't see, because he was still turned around. ' Ha. He's such a suck up. ' she thought.

Stringing together the end tightly, she stood up quickly and proclaimed, " Done! " Jack held out his hand, and she helped him up. He reached around to grab his long braid, examining it.

" You're much better than Gil! " he laughed while admiring her handy work. Alice puffed out her cheeks pridefully and smiled. Jack patted her on the head, and she promptly grabbed his arm.

" Of course I'm better! I am a girl, aren't I? "

Jack chuckled and bent down to her short level. She tilted her head, wondering what he was possibly doing. To her surprise, he pecked her on the cheek. Her face immeadiately flushed cherry red, and she dug her claws into his arm, trying to fight back embarassment. " No, you're a lady. Lady Alice. " he said with a gentle smile.

Alice pulled on him and dragged him towards her tower, ready to get the ' walk me home ' over with and run up the stairs to her roomand bury her head in a pillow. " What was that for, Jack? " she huffed and looked away, still slightly pink.

" Ladies deserve a kiss for doing a favor, don't they? " Jack asked. He ruffled her messy brown hair playfully.

" You're such a trouble maker... " she sighed. What a strange logic he had. As they reached her door, she let go of his arm and turned to bid him goodnight. " Kiss or not, I didn't mind braiding it for you, but I won't be doing that every day! That useless Gilbert is back on duty tomorrow! "

Jack gave her a puzzled look. " Oh? But I don't wash it everyday...I wash it every other week. "

" E-eh? That's gross! Don't make me wash your hair, too! " she hissed, appalled.

He smiled and laughed, turning to leave. " Well, goodnight, Alice! I had fun today! You will sing Lacie for me, right? "

Alice sighed...he was still going on with that. " I'll think about it...Goodnight, Jack. I'll see you tomorrow! " she said cheerfully, swinging open her door and flashing him a smile before trotting up stairs.

Jack stood below, waiting until her footsteps disappeared and a candle flickered on inside her room, making sure she was alright. " See you tomorrow, my lady Alice. " he murmured quietly, and whisked around to leave.

Upstairs, Alice had flopped onto bed with her day clothes still on. She rolled back and forth, cuddling a pillow. " Why'd he start calling me a lady? " she asked Cheshire, who was sitting across from her on the window sill. The only answer to her contemplative thoughts was a ' meow '.

" You're no help at all, Chess. "

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( DON'T WORRY JACK! I don't know how to braid either! ;n; )