A/N: Glad to hear that people are actually interested in a Jafar/Alice pairing! At first, I was really unsure about how it would go over but since I've gotten some positive feedback on it, I will definitely continue the story. I realize that they aren't in character, but I felt that Jafar needed to be a bit more open with Alice in order for her to warm up to him.

P.S. I know I took a while to post this new chapter, but chapter 3 is already in progress so it shouldn't be too long before it's posted.

Enjoy and please review!

To say that Jafar suffered a rough night's sleep was an understatement. He was plagued with flashbacks, as he often was, of his father attempting to drown him. The nightmares were so vivid that as Jafar was tossed and turned in his sleep, he could swear that he felt the burn of the water in his throat.

"Jafar! Jafar, wake up!" Alice was screaming at this point, having been awakened by the panicked sounds that her companion had been making in his sleep. Suddenly, Jafar's hand came up to grasp her throat, cutting off her air instantly. "Jafar, please. I need you to wake up!" She squeaked.

It was Alice saying that she needed him that snapped Jafar into full consciousness and had him releasing her throat . "Oh Alice, it's only you!"

"Of course it's me Jafar! Who else could it have been, and what the heck was that for? I thought we had a truce, an unspoken one, but a truce nonetheless!"

"We did, I just - I thought… I thought that you were someone else, I'm sorry."

"And just who did you think I was?"

"My father."

For the second time in as many days, Alice stood staring at him with her mouth agape. "Why would you strangle your father?" Granted, she had never had the best of relationships with her own father, but not once had she ever even considered killing him.

Jafar looked at her, clearly uncomfortable, this was a story he had never shared with anyone else; for if his enemies knew of his past, they could use it against him. It was obvious that his Alice - determined as she was - was not going to simply let this go, so he told her what she wanted to know.

"When I was a child in Agrabah, my mother laid dying in bed and she told me that my father was the Sultan, that I should take the ring he gave her and show it to him so that he would know that I was of his blood. When I did so, he believed my story, but he would never admit to me being his son, and forced me into servitude for him and his spoiled family. One day, there was company at the palace and I spoke out of turn about a policy that the Sultan had recently enacted in Agrabah and my sniveling brat of a ROYAL BLOODED half brother didn't know. I was later slapped across my face by said 'brother' , and when the Sultan came across us he told him to give me one more to make sure that I had learned my lesson. I was a fool to think that it was all over when I turned to wash my face; the Sultan shoved my face under water and held me there until I had drowned. I awoke the next day in a pile of palace garbage thanks solely to my anger that kept me alive."

"Jafar…" What could she say? What could anyone say to make what Jafar had gone through okay? Since she could think of nothing, Alice simply grabbed his hand and squeezed.

Talking about what had happened all those years ago, sharing it all with her, had helped Jafar to move on.

It was mid afternoon by the time they neared Cyrus's new home, the necklace that kept Alice linked with him glowed brighter the closer they got. As they made their way out of the woods, they heard voices, and could see the cottage that they were coming from just ahead. Soon, Alice was able to distinguish one of the voices as Cyrus's , and was about to walk toward the cottage when he stepped out of it, laughing. Before she could move however, Jafar grabbed Alice's arm to keep her still.

"What-" she started.

"Shhh, just watch and listen." Jafar knew what she was about to see would change her life and the way that she looked at the world around her forever.

Cyrus laughed as he stepped out onto the lawn. "It must be nothing, I don't see her anywhere. Could you imagine her face once she saw us together?" He said.

"Darling, are you certain? After all, she does have that necklace, she'll always know when you're near." This came from Anastasia - formerly known as the Red Queen - who followed Cyrus outside and slipped her arms around him.

"No need to get jealous Anastasia, I'll find a way to get that necklace back from Alice, and soon it will be yours I promise."

"I can't believe she actually came back to Wonderland, after all of the heartbreak we put her through darling; on just the possibility that you could be alive."

"Yes well, I made sure that she was so in love with me she would do anything to save me." Cyrus bragged. "I've learned over the years to gain the trust - and often the affections - of my 'masters' quickly, which was all too easy with Alice. She was like a lost little puppy, when her father wouldn't believe her about Wonderland; she was desperate for someone to love her enough to believe in her, that it was easy to play the part of the enamored."

"Ha! You remind me of myself with Will, I simply convinced him that I was in love with him too so that he would do whatever it took to be able to get me to Wonderland. He had no idea that I was planning on gaining the King's special interests so that I could one day rule as Queen."

"Yes my dear, I think that with our combined intelligence and magic, we will work brilliantly together in this realm," he stated pulling the Red Queen to him. "Away from Jafar's slightly more powerful magic, and lovesick Alice who will stop at nothing to 'save' me from you, you and I can finally be together the way we are meant to be." He finished, kissing her passionately.

When the couple finally went back inside, Jafar sat in silence as Alice digested the information about her genie. As tears began rolling down her cheeks, Jafar decided he had had far enough.

"Come Alice, it's time to go."

"No."

"What do you mean no? Why would you want to stay here?"

"I need to talk to him," Alice said as she stepped out of the forest and walked toward the cottage.

"Alice! They BOTH played you, they used your vulnerabilities for their own personal gain!"

She whirled on Jafar then. "So did you Jafar! God how can I trust you, when I can't even trust him! You tried to kill me, the knave, and my father. Why should I trust you now, when it's clear the only person I can rely on to protect me is myself?"

"Alice, I could have killed you at any point in our time together these past two days, especially last night while you slept - vulnerable and unaware, but I didn't. Now why do you suppose that is?"

"Because you have some ulterior motive, you want to gain my trust just like Cyrus did, so that you can use me!" As soon as she said it, Alice realized that she didn't even believe her own words. She somehow knew that she could trust Jafar now.

"If that is what you need to believe Alice, then go ahead, but I am done sticking around to help you with that two-faced genie of yours." Jafar turned and walked away, leaving Alice to stare after him helplessly.

Well crap, Alice thought. She hadn't meant to start a fight with Jafar, after all, he HAD been honest when he had warned her that Cyrus was a two faced backstabber, it wasn't Jafar's fault that her life was crumbling before her eyes. Her father was in another realm and believed that she was crazy, the Knave was nowhere to be found, and now she was discovering that Cyrus had never loved her. It seemed like the only person she could truly trust in any realm was Jafar, because even though he did things with questionable morality, at least he was honest about what kind of person he was.

Deciding that it was best to go after him now and apologize to Jafar before he stewed over their fight for too long, Alice started going in the direction he had gone, but something stopped her. The necklace she wore, the one that glowed only when Cyrus was close, began gleaming a brilliant red.

"Hello Alice," came the voice of her former lover from behind her.

Everything went black.

Sorry, cliffhanger. Don't worry though chapter 3 pick up where I left off here, and will have a bit more fluff.