The wind softly tousled strands of silky strawberry-blond hair. The woman who he was in step behind had captured the heart of everyone in the Country of Hearts, including his. The woman turned around to face her friends, who had come with her to town.

"Thank you for coming with me."

"We had business in town, Alice," replied the man in the top hat, "It is merely coincidence that you were going at the same time as us."

Alice harrumphed and continued walking. Blood Dupre, the boss of the Hatter Family, adjusted his hat and stared at the swaying body that drew so many eyes.

"Not fair, Boss!"

"Be nice to Big Sis!"

The two gate-keepers rushed passed Blood to latch onto Alice's hands.

"Boss is just in one of his moods."

"We would have happily gone into town with you, Big Sis."

The twins talked back and forth so quickly that it was difficult to discern which of them was talking. Back at the mansion, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, also know as the Bloody Twins, were constantly trying to pull the outsider into their harmful and dangerous games, like hide'n'seek and knife tag. Luckily, Blood, Elliot March, Blood's right hand man, or some other situation would save her from serious harm.

Alice gracefully disengaged herself from the twins and made her way back to Blood and Elliot.

"They want to play hide'n'seek when we get home, but I don't think that I can handle another round of it after last time."

The last round had turned deadly, when Dee started shooting hiding places, and Dum tortured servants to get them to tell them where she was. Luckily, both Blood and Elliot confiscation the weapons and torture devices and declared the game finished.

"Agreed. If you tire of the next game, you can always come and hide in my personal rooms." Blood gave Alice a mischievous grin. "We can play something else without their interference."

Alice clenched her teeth against the rising blush. Memories of that one time they had spent together in his room filled her mind.

"I made it clear that I don't want that kind of relationship, and I am getting tired of your innuendos. I don't want to fall in love, Blood."

But you already have, filled her mind. Alice turned away from the man who had stolen her heart. She clenched her fists and fought the sadness that the thought of leaving made her feel.

Blood studied the figure beside him. He had cornered her multiple times, but he hadn't forced himself on her since that one night. He had vowed to himself that he wouldn't do that again without her consent, so he settled with teasing and toying with her. Her hesitance and blushes of embarrassment always made Blood feel satisfied for a while.

Alice turned away to hide her oncoming blush, which Blood's gaze had provoked, and looked out into the forest that surrounded the road. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move that was out of place. Her time in Hearts had sharpened her senses, warning her of anything that might be dangerous. A silver barrel emerged from the bushes, pointing directly at Blood. The Hatter Family did not seem to notice the proximity of the threat, and kept walking and talking normally.

A rush of protectiveness made her push Blood out of the way just as the gunshot sounded. A burst of pain spread across her chest. She vaguely heard Dee and Dum take off after the shooter and kill him. She looked down at her hands. They came away from her chest glistening red. The reality of what just happened registered in her mind.

She had been shot.

Her legs gave out and she fell backwards. A pair of arms caught her and Blood's face filled her vision.

"Alice!? Alice, can you hear me?"

Blood saw Alice smile weakly and reach up to touch his face.

"At least now I can wake up." She started coughing, causing blood to run down from the corners of her mouth. "Even if I don't want to right now. I have never had a dream where I have not wanted to wake up so much."

"What if this isn't a dream? What if this is reality?" Blood demanded, trying to keep her with him. He stood up and started quickly back to the mansion.

"In what strange, twisted reality would I get the chance to fall in love with the same face twice?"

Blood stopped short and looked at his burden. Her clear blue eyes radiated love. His clock started to skip ticks. The one thing that he had come to truly love lay in his arms slipping away, like grains of sand in an hourglass. There were so many things that he had done that he wanted her forgiveness for, and he had so many things that he wanted to say.

A quiet voice broke through his thoughts. "I was so scared of my heart breaking again, that I didn't admit my feelings, even to myself. I . . . I am so sorry, Blood, for not coming forward with them sooner. I should have told you about them after that time we spent together." Alice smiled in remembrance. "That time was one of the happiest in my life. I know I didn't show it, but it was. I never expected to be loved like that ever again in my life. Thank you for this time, for giving me back my hope for love."

Blood couldn't hold himself back anymore. He set his lips against hers. They stayed in this embrace for awhile, but all too soon, Blood felt her gasp and breath her last. Her clear blue eyes stared up at him, but there was no more life in them. The last remnant of emotion lay in a single tear that fell down her cheek from the corner of her eye.

Blood let his tears drop shamelessly down to her face as he pulled her closer to his chest. He felt her still warm blood soak through his jacket, and touch the skin where his clock rested beneath.

Blood opened his eyes just in to time to see Alice's body scatter into millions of shards of light. A single object was left. The last piece of Alice that remained, that she had left for him alone. A beautiful, yet devastating reminder of her feelings and what they had cost him.

*ducks behind desk* Don't kill me! It's not over yet!