Alice stared up into the starry night sky. It was truly a beautiful sight, the pinpricks of light scattered across a mottled background of deep blue and dusty swirls. Did night skies back home look like this? She couldn't really remember anymore, and that scared her more than she would ever admit.

Alice didn't mind such thoughts right now though. They were better than the raging hurt and embarrassment she'd been feeling when ran from the ballroom. Anxiety and worry aren't the best distraction to use, and she knew it. Any distraction was welcome at this point though.

"Alice!"

'I stand corrected.' Alice thought to herself when Peter's voice rang through the castle garden.

She braced herself for impact, but instead of pouncing on her like usual, Peter stopped a short distance away. Alice eyed him warily from the corner of her eye, and he stared back with an unreadable expression.

"What do you want Peter? I'm not really in the mood for company right now."

She turned to face him completely, and the still drying tear tracks on her face caught the moonlight's reflection. Peter's expression softened at the sight of it.

"Alice, I wanted you to come to this world. I thought that I would be satisfied as long as you stayed here, whether or not you were by my side. I was so sure of that...but now I'm feeling conflicted. I know this isn't the best time, but I really need you to help me."

"Help? How?" Alice asked, curiosity and confusion getting the better of her. Peter's eyes shined, desperate and earnest.

"Alice...I love you. And because I love you, I want you to be happy. Your happiness is all I need, and with that wish alone I brought you to this place."

Despite her annoyance at anything even remotely related to Peter, Alice couldn't help but be touched by the sincerity of that simple wish. It had even come true; in a strange way a lot of the people she met here mad her really happy. Considering how hard she'd fought against coming and staying here, it was rather ironic.

"And yet, I can't bear to watch you fall for someone else." Peter said, head dipping in shame while frustration rose in his voice. "If I really care for you I should be able to watch you be happy with whomever you choose. But I can't! I can't even let you choose whom to go to for comfort, I can't take the pain of not doing anything for you! I've never had to deal with these emotions. What should I do?!"

His head suddenly snapped up, his gaze meeting hers.

"Why must this be? Why can't you choose me? I want your love more than your happiness, and if you would just choose me everything would go perfectly. I would never hurt you...I would never-"

"Choose you?" Alice interrupted, uncomfortable now that Peter was back to his usual shtick. Still, she felt sympathetic after his confession, and tried to be gentle. "Peter, I don't plan to fall in love in this world."

Peter looked surprised, but also strangely hopeful.

"If your not in love with anyone here, then there's no reason to let a crass man like Dupre chase you out of castle. Won't you come back to the ball with me?" Alice smiled sadly.

"Being in love wasn't the problem; it was embarrassing to act that way in front of all those people. Even if everyone acts like nothing happened, I won't be able to stop thinking about Blood."

"That's it!" Peter shouted, startling Alice. He gently touched her cheek. "If you remember you'll stop thinking about that man altogether."

"Remember?" Alice asked.

"Yes, remember you and me." He suddenly pulled her close, making her head rest on his shoulder. "Please remember, I am you precious-" Peter's voice cut off as a hazy image flashed through Alice's mind, her and Lorina sitting in the garden back home. The memory was so familiar and nostalgic, yet different...somehow.

'Did I meet Peter before? Before coming to this world? When?' The memory went deeper. Lorina read a fairy tale to her, the remains of their picnic forgotten as an enraptured Alice listened. 'The Sunday afternoons I love so much...Peter was-' A sharp pain suddenly shot through her head, and the memory began to fade.

'NO!' Alice's mind surged against the foreign darkness, scrambling to get a hold of the memory. She was sick of feeling like she was always missing something, and she was so close to figuring it out. The darkness became stronger, trying to force her out, but Alice had found her grip and she refused to let go.

Distantly, she could hear Peter's voice calling out to her. He told her to stop, that it was alright not to remember. But it wasn't, it really wasn't. The Country of Hearts had turned out more wondrous than expected, but her past was important too. She refused to lose anymore of it. Another, vaguely familiar voice entered her mind, telling her she had to remain in the dark. She almost lost her grip because of it, but she didn't let the memory get away. She mentally dug in her heels and reasserted herself. She clawed through the darkness that tried to push her back, despite the voice's continued warning.

Until, finally, she was through.

The first thing she realized, was that the memory was older than she originally recalled. It had been a long time since she had seen her sister, much longer than she'd thought it had been, but why-

Memories that had been locked away came flooding back to her. She hadn't seen Lorina in a long time because she was...her sister was...

In that moment, Alice became aware of everything she had forgotten.

And something within her snapped.

For a brief moment, she once again became aware of her physical self. The cool night air against, her skin, a pair of gloved hands holding her kneeling form, and Peter desperately crying her name. The next moment a darkness all her own crept over her, and it all faded away.