Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters. I'm new to this particular fandom – CuriousArcher, MadArcher, whatever you want to call it. I mean, how hard was it to not love Robin and Alice? They're totally adorable! Thanks, OUaT! Any and all mistakes are mine.

Chapter 3

"So, now that we broke the curse," Alice began, "how do we get home?"

It was later the same day as far as either of the woman could tell. Both had fallen asleep while Alice was in the middle of telling Robin about Gothel. She'd understood the archer was fighting sleep and knew when she'd given in. Once her lover was fast asleep, as warm as could be, better than a blanket, Alice, too, had let her eyes drift shut.

They had both awakened some hours later, feeling refreshed, although Robin's headache had come back while she slept. This worried Alice, though she knew that head injuries were tricky. She'd used her magic on the tender spot on the archer's skull again, which helped. Then, Robin suggested she go through her pack because she was almost sure her mother had put in a first aid kit of some kind.

Now, sitting on the massive bed in the bedroom, the contents of Robin's pack strew about them, the archer had started to wonder if it had been such a good idea. She'd forgotten just how much stuff she'd packed, along with what her mother and aunt had put in it. They had found the 'first aid kit'. It turned out to have much more than bandages and ibuprofen in it. Together Robin and Alice found a complete set of instructions for everything in the kit - bandages that would heal all but a mortal wound, painkilling potions and potions for healing internal injuries, a packet of helpful little capsules labelled 'period management', and a myriad of other small things. Robin drank one of the painkilling potions - and one for internal injuries, just in case - and within ten minutes felt her headache leave her. She touched the sore spot on her head and sighed when it didn't hurt.

"Well," she began as she repacked the first aid kit, "the way my mom and Aunt Regina told me, this place has two curses on it. One was specifically aimed at you. It's what kept you so… closed off, made you keep people at a distance, and it's what hurt the Troll. It wanted you lonely and alone, it wanted to make you sad and it wanted to hurt you."

Alice frowned deeply at her, playing with the ties on a package that she held in her lap. The package had been given to Robin by Fiona on the day they left the swamp. She'd just smiled at the archer when asked what it was and said, "When the time comes, you'll know when to use it." It turned out to be the dresses that she and Alice had worn for the adventurer's birthday celebration. Alice had been overjoyed because she was not looking forward to wearing the dark clothing of her namesake.

"Why did she wear that awful stuff? It's so… so dark." And that was when Robin knew for sure that her bright and sunny Alice was truly back. God, she had missed her!

"Alright," Alice said, trying to follow the logic, "so what's the second part of the curse?"

"So, the first part we had to end with True Love's Kiss, right." Robin said. It wasn't a question, but Alice nodded slowly. "What usually comes after that?"

Blue eyes widened, and an eyebrow raised. "Is that why you've been trying to seduce me?" She demanded.

Confused, Robin just blinked a couple of times. Then her face turned red and she choked on a laugh. "N-N-No!" She cried, doubling over in helpless hilarity. She laughed for several moments, until tears streamed down her cheeks and Alice's expression grew more confused. Getting control of herself, the archer reached for and took her lover's hand in her own. "Not that. I mean… That could be part of it, I don't know. And who's been trying to seduce whom?"

Alice smirked just a little but didn't deny anything. "If not that, then what?"

Robin pulled the hand she held up to her lips and kissed the palm. "The Happily Ever After, goof. We have to turn Alice's Unhappy Ending into a Happily Ever After."

"Oh." Now it was the blonde's turn to blush. "That makes sense, I suppose."

The archer kissed Alice's palm again and then twined their fingers together. "I want that because you're the most beautiful woman I've ever known, and I've really, really missed you."

"How's your 'ead?" The beautiful woman leaned forward, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Robin chuckled. "Better. Mom's potions always work, but…" She looked at the mess spread around them. "Maybe we could repack, first?"

Since Robin was a neat person, she hated leaving a mess. That, she supposed, came from her mother - queen of the anal perfectionists. Alice was naturally more spirited and tended to leave things cluttered, but she was quick enough to do clean up if Robin asked her to. This time was no exception. They put away the stuff that belonged in the pack, then hung the two gowns up in the giant armoire in the room.

When it was all done, they settled down on the bed, both on their sides, facing each other. Despite the teasing a few minutes ago, they both took some time to take in the person in front of them. Emerald green met sky blue and the lovers smiled at each other. Robin caressed Alice's cheek with the tips of her fingers.

"A day ago, I was so afraid that I'd never get to touch you like this again," she whispered. "Before that, I wasn't even sure if I'd ever even see you again."

"I know. I'm sorry, Robin." Alice lowered her gaze.

"Hey," Robin put two fingers underneath the blonde's chin and pressed up until her lover was meeting her eyes again. "Sweetheart, it was an impossible choice. You couldn't keep hurting your father, I know that. That's one reason I couldn't be mad at you. And you believed enough in me to know that I'd come get you."

Alice smiled tentatively. "You never lie to me. You said you'd always find me."

"And I will. But…?"

"Yeah?"

"Could we maybe not test that conviction again any time soon?" Robin requested. "I just want to make up for all of the time we lost when we were cursed. Margot really wanted to ask Tilly on another date - to make up for the last one. You do remember Margot, don't you?"

"I do. And Tilly. It's weird having the memories of three people in my 'ead."

"I bet. I still get these odd flashes of memory of my mom and it confuses me for a minute until I realise that it's Margot's memories of Kelly. Will you be okay?"

Alice shrugged her shoulder. "Sure. It's confusing, a little bit, but I sort of like remembering what it was like to grow up with a mother and father."

"It must be nice," Robin said, wistfully. "Don't get me wrong, I love my mom. It's just…"

Alice scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her love. "I know. I bet he would be proud of you. You're brave, you're kind, sweet, funny… beautiful. I am so lucky to have met you. And I bet, if you did meet him, your father would love you as much as I do."

Robin leaned in to press her lips to Alice's when she suddenly stopped and grinned. "I did! I did meet him!" How had she forgotten that? Hadn't she been excited to tell Alice all about it?

"You did? How? I thought he was, ya know, dead." Alice asked, looking confused.

Robin did kiss her then, just a quick peck on the lips. Then she launched into exactly what had happened when she'd first come into this realm through the dark portal. She told the adventurer all about meeting Gmork and how she'd used a magic bean to send the beast back to wherever the Dark One had taken it from.

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Alice wondered aloud. "I feel like I've heard of it, somewhere before."

"So have I - well, Margot did. She liked books as much as she liked food. She read a lot. I just can't remember what book it was." Robin told her. "Or maybe… no, it was definitely in a book. If we were back in Hyperion Heights, I'd call my mom and ask her to check my bedroom at home - uh, I mean Margot's room."

The adventurer was quiet in thought for a few moments. "Do you reckon the Dark One took the scariest beasts he could find and put them in the stories - to keep the Happy Endings from being completed?"

"Maybe. It's not like we can ask him."

"That's for the best. We'll just have to be extra careful." Robin nodded in agreement. "Love, how do you suppose we get this story a Happily Ever After?"

"Actually, I think I sort of know." The archer sat up. Alice stayed lying down, rolling onto her back so she could look up at her. "For any story, the Happy Ending has to happen for whoever the main protagonist is. In this book, that's you - well, the other Alice."

"But she's me because I have all her memories."

"Right. So, then, what do you think would give Alice a Happily Ever After? What does she want most in this world?"

The answer came almost as soon as Robin had finished speaking. "Her parents!"

Robin nodded. "Exactly! All we have to do to end this curse is find Alice's parents and get them back together again."

"So, you really do believe that they're still alive?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Oh." Alice's eyes grew shiny with unshed tears. "Alice never wanted to admit that she failed at finding her parents for so long because they weren't around to find. And nobody else really believed that they were alive, after so many years."

"I know." Robin traced her fingers along Alice's jaw, cupped her cheek, and caught the first tear with her thumb. "That's part of the curse. It took away all the good things in Alice's life and replaced it with fear and uncertainty. But we're going to end that."

The smile that Alice gave the archer was wobbly as more tears fell. "How can you be so sure?"

Robin pulled the other woman into her and let her cry. "I know I told Alice some lies, - I hated doing that, by the way - but I could never have hurt her like that. The reason I believe that her parents are still alive and the reason I told her so was something that Henry said to me before I came here. He told me that this Alice wasn't like my Alice because she thinks that both of her parents were dead."

"And that makes you believe they aren't?" The blonde mumbled into Robin's chest. It took a moment for the archer to translate the mumble into comprehensive words, but she smiled when she did.

"The keyword is thinks. I didn't read the book. I know it's cowardly, but I just couldn't do it. To see you in pain and be able to do nothing about it just isn't something I -" Her sentence was cut off by firm kiss.

"I wouldn't read yours, either." Alice told her when they parted. "So, I guess I'm cowardly, too."

Robin brought them together for a second, much longer embrace. "That's good to know," she said, when she was able to form words again. It did make her feel better to know that Alice wasn't angry with her for not reading the book.

"So, you believe that Mama and Papa are still alive because of Henry?"

"I do. If they were dead, Henry would have said something like, 'Her parents are dead.' He might be an author, but he doesn't mince words when it's important." Robin explained. She had realised several weeks back that she was no longer angry with her cousin. Not only had he simply been trying to save his family, he'd also done everything that he could to help her get Alice back - including that little tidbit of information about Alice's parents.

Alice didn't say anything for a little while. Robin had started to wonder if she hadn't fallen asleep again, so it startled her when the blonde finally moved. She wiggled and the archer let her go. She rolled onto her back and looked up into Robin's face, her blue eyes serious. "If they are alive, how do we find them? Robin, she looked for them - for years. All she ever found were rumours that led her in circles."

"I'm not sure, yet." Robin admitted, "But I do know that together, you and I, we can do anything. I know we can figure it out. Alice isn't alone anymore."

"She has you." Her smile was radiant. "I have you." It was Alice's turn to reach up and touch Robin's face. "How did we get so lucky?" She whispered.

The archer's eyes fluttered closed and she leaned her face into the caress. "We found each other." She inhaled sharply through her nose, taking in Alice's familiar scent. When she opened her eyes again, they had darkened and gone liquid.

"Robin, I -" Alice was silenced by a gentle finger on her lips.

"I don't really want to talk anymore," Robin told her lover. "Do you?"

In response, the blue-eyed beauty smirked and wrapped her lips around the digit laid against them. She sucked on it gently for a moment before letting go, making the archer gasp. "C'mere, then." Alice whispered, drawing their mouths firmly together.

Author's Note: Two chapters in one week! Neat, eh? As always, thanks for sticking around and I hope you enjoy. Be kind, please review. Cheers!