The pain echoed through her body when she thought of a romantic relationship with someone in Wonderland. Yet, she found herself drawing closer to the very thing that hurt her the most. Her emotions were confused and she was helpless. She couldn't trust again, that was what she decided long ago. So, why is it, she almost regrets speaking the words?

With Julius gone from the Clock Tower it was quiet, so much so that she could even hear her own heart beat. It bothered her, hearing a sound she once loved. It wasn't her heart that the sound of pleasure came from, it was from someone she should have never trusted. It was a horrible temptation – the sound of the heart – that drove her to insanity, the very enemy of her sanity, which she doubted if she had any left at this point in time.

She clutched her hands together, her eyes in fixated on something not there, her mind left to wonder, yet, all the time, wondering what she was even doing. Her mind was a mess, not being able to comprehend anything, not wanting to. It didn't seem like anything mattered anymore. After all, she decided not to trust anymore. Something she decided along time ago, something to stop the awful feelings she had from coming back. No, she didn't want that again. She would protect herself with those words.

The thumping of feet rushing up the stares, awoke her to reality. Her eyes widened for a moment as she came back to the Clock Tower. The door creaked open as a figure stood standing there in the middle of the doorway. A bloodstained, brown, hooded cloak soaked in blood and a sliver mask was all that he wore, being completely soaked in others blood. "Is Alice the only one here today?" came a familiar voice from behind the mask. "And I was so hoping to catch Julius today. Oh well, too bad." His large hand gently removed the bloodied mask as he slipped it into one of his may pockets that he had, his eyes completely focused on Alice all the while. "It'd be fine if I just leave them here, right?" he asked, smiling, as if being soaked in blood was something normal.

It must be true. She was loosing every ounce of sanity she had left if she didn't respond at all to the man walking in covered in blood, acting as if this was a normal sight to behold, seeing as she was the one who despised killing the most. "Yeah, Julius had some work to do at the Amusement Park so he left me to watch over the place, knowing you'd come back sometime today, and didn't want to take the chance of missing you. So, it's fine if you just leave them here, Ace" Her words seemed emotionless. Then again, she hasn't been quite herself these last few days. Her mind was always in a haze and when she didn't want to think, her mind wandered to thinking about the knight. She was contradicting herself when she said she wouldn't trust again. Was she just hurting herself even more because of that?

His eyes didn't falter from the girl for one second. He was adapt at picking up small body movements of people around him, for this was key in his "job" that he had. If he didn't then, he wouldn't be the best fighter in all of Wonderland. He had worked hard to gain the title, and would stop at nothing to keep it. That being said, he had seen the slight change in Alice's eyes. Emotions that weren't there before becoming clear, while an emotionless demeanor took grasp of the girl. He had seen how her eyes flickered back into a daze like state, how her mouth silently mouth words that didn't come out. "Alice."

She quickly was back to the room, once again, as the knight said her name. It was only her name, yet it made her feel awkward to be around him. A fear took hold of her, making her realize that she dare not look at the man for fear she may never be able to look away from the cunning man. "Yes, Ace? Is there something that you want?" She tried to act nonchalantly like his voice didn't bother her, like she couldn't feel his stare.

For the briefest of moments, he truly felt like he didn't have control of his body, but he quickly regained control before he said anything. "Well then, next time you should come camping with me. I'm sure it'd lots' of fun, just the two of us."

Ba-thump. She knew she was a fool to let her heart long for him. To be honest, maybe all this time she was just scared. She didn't want to fall in love; she wouldn't. Her face showed a painful expression. She could feel it come across her face and tried to hide it with her hands. Though, she knew, it was useless against him.

He had also seen the slightest change in her expression when she hide her face in her hands. "Alice …. are you afraid of me?" He wasn't one to care what her answer was. After all, he had left her crying once before, so why should he care? Yet, the question tugged and pulled at his very being.

She looked up at him, her face a black poker face. "No. I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of what you'll do."

The words echoed through his mind, playing over and over again, as if there was no end to it. He felt it again, the feeling of not being able to control what your body does, as his body walked over to Alice. His hands both thrust onto the wooden desk, upon wish she was resting her hands. He had heard Alice talk about it before with Vivaldi once when he was lost. He heard her tell her the story about her horrible betrayal from the man she loved, about how she decided to never fall in love, to never trust "them" again.

Her eyes showed mixed emotions but her face showed her anger at the man's actions. "Ace, what are you doing?"

He opened his mouth and a smiled curled on his face. "I'm not him, so I won't hurt you, Alice."

Her heart echoed with temptation once again, a temptation she never thought she would ever feel. How was it that only a few mere words could turn her into such a mess. Would it be okay to trust him?

"Alice," he said, sliding his hand threw her hair on the back of her head, his face drawing closer, "let me love you."

She couldn't look away from him; his eyes enchanted her, drawing her into a poisonous temptation of lust and desire that she had never felt before. It was like he knew exactly what to say to get her to say what he wanted. A smiled seemed to curl upon the corners of her mouth. Of course he could, he was the Knight of Hearts, after all. "...alright."

-The End-