PLW: HUGS AND KISSES TO ALL OF YOU! I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!
You have no idea how much this chapter has changed from its first idea. And I know that a lot of you want to know exactly what Blood said, but let's just say that it's hard for me to write him correctly.
For the sake of everyone's sanity, Blood accepts Laura's presence, and Alice and Boris's relationship, but he does ask an important question that will be addressed in the chapter. Also, Laura is about 2-3 years old.
Let's get this ball rolling!
^.v.^
"Mama! Mama!"
Alice snapped out of her thoughts as a small hand tugged on the edge of her dress. Laura, her tail curling out under her black dress, hair pulled into a braid and falling over the pink shirt underneath, was staring at her mother with a sort of begging expression.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Go-round!"
"Hm?" Alice looked around for Gowland. Soon after Laura had started to speak, she had made the connection between the park owner's name and her favorite ride. To his chagrin, and the delight of her parents, 'Go-round' was Laura's go-to name for Gowland.
"Go-round, Mama! Go on go-round!"
Of course, 'go-round' was Laura's way of saying 'Merry-go-Round', which caused confusion, like now. The tiny girl was pointing at the carousel, which was letting off riders at the moment.
"Oh, you want to ride?" Alice smiled. Laura jumped around, squealing. Boris was sitting on the bench with Alice, and smirked.
"You want me to go with her?"
"You went on most of the rides with her, Boris. Don't you think it's my turn now?" Alice joked.
"I guess so. But you two are going to be gone for I don't know how long. I wanna get in as much quality time as possible." Boris pouted. Alice kissed his cheek.
"You are fine, Boris."
Laura started tugging again.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming." Alice took her daughter's hand, and the two got on the ride.
" 'Clyse!" Laura yelled, running for a gold-maned, white coated horse. 'Clyse', as he was so aptly named, was Laura's favorite horse on the ride. Alice boosted her daughter up there, and held on to a nearby pole as the ride started.
She smiled along with her daughter, amused by the childish innocence and glee, but her mind was elsewhere. After this, Alice and Laura were headed for Heart Castle, so as to introduce Vivaldi to the girl, whose presence she had found out the last time Alice went there.
(Flashback)
"It has been so long since we have seen you!" Vivaldi smiled, relaxing on a couch in her private room.
"I know." Alice replied. "I've been… busy."
"With what?"
"Laura's getting a lot bigger now, and she's starting to climb, so all the stuff that we had to move after she started walking isn't so safe anymore and-" Alice abruptly stopped talking. She hadn't even realized when she had started talking about Laura, but there it was.
"Who is this Laura? Do not tell us she is a child of yours!"
Alice sighed. "Actually, she is, mine and Boris's."
Vivaldi squealed and clapped her hands. "This is wonderful! You must bring her to see us!"
"I would...but the problem is Peter. I...don't know how he'd react if he found out."
"We assume that if anyone saw Laura, they could guess her parentage, correct?"
Alice nodded.
"Then only bring her along with you. We will try to keep White from spotting you and your child, and deal with any rash decision he makes justly."
"Thank you Vivaldi."
^.v.^
"Who we see, Mama?"
"We are going to see Queen Vivaldi. She lives in the biiig castle back there, you see?" Alice pointed it out to Laura, who also pointed.
"I see, I see!"
"You remember Ace? He also lives there, with Vivaldi, the Heart King, and Peter White."
"With Ace and Bad Man?" Laura loved Ace; the knight would always tell her stories, and run around with her on his shoulders, giving her parents a break. When her parents talked about Peter White, she had noticed how their faces changed, much like if they were telling her that something was bad and she should not touch it or do it, so she called him 'Bad Man'.
"Yes, with Ace and Bad Man."
"Someone call me?"
The pair was now at the entrance to the garden maze, and Ace was there as well. Laura laughed, and flung her arms open.
"Ace! Uppies!"
Alice laughed and transferred her daughter over to the knight, who hoisted her up, the two of them laughing as only children could.
"I see, Mama! I see Hearts!"
"You going to see Vivaldi?"
"Yes. I slipped about Laura four time periods ago, so she pretty much demanded that I bring her here."
"Ah. That explains why she gave Peter a bunch of jobs and asked me to meet you here."
"Go, Ace, go!" Laura chanted from her perch. "We see Vi-val-di!"
Despite Ace being a bumbling fool, they reached the entrance fairly quickly. Laura was eager to see Vivaldi, and expressed it multiple times.
However, even the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. No sooner had they left the maze did Alice hear a familiar, and aggravating, voice, but right now it filled her with dread.
"ALLLIIIIICCCCEEEE!" Peter White ran towards them at breakneck speed. Ace quickly pulled Alice out of the way, leaving Peter to careen into the bushes.
"What are you doing here, Peter? I thought Vivaldi gave you an errand."
"I got guards to cover for me, when I heard that my love was coming!"
"I didn't come for you Peter, I came to see Vivaldi."
Peter was about to protest when he heard a small, soft voice say, very quietly, "Mama?"
Laura was hunched over Ace's head, attempting to shrink. Her ears were plastered to her head, tail curled next to her leg. Her eyes, as bright a blue as the day she had been born, were wide and filled with fright.
Alice cooed, and had Laura lean back, into her arms. Laura turned so that her back was to Peter, and shoved her head under her mother's chin. She glanced sideways at Peter, wary.
"Bad Man?"
"Yes, hon. That's Peter, 'Bad Man'." Alice smoothed her daughter's hair, much like someone petting a cat to calm it down. Laura just snuggled further into her mother's arms.
The 'Bad Man' in question was in a state of shock.
"Alice...is she-"
"WHITE!"
Peter flinched as Vivaldi's voice echoed. The Queen of Hearts was standing at the entrance to Heart Castle, looking quite cross.
"We thought we had told you to work, not to play around with Alice, who requested that you not see her! No stop dawdling, and do your duties!"
"Yes, your Highness." Peter's voice was devoid of emotion, his face a mask as he bowed, then walked off.
Alice approached Vivaldi, who huffed.
"That man, we swear…" Vivaldi noticed Laura, and gave a soft coo. "Is this the young Laura you told us about?"
"Yes."
"Come, both of you. We see that Peter has frightened the young lady."
Soon, all three of them were inside Vivaldi's private chamber. A tea tray was sitting on the table, and Laura was curled in her mother's lap, wary of Vivaldi.
"She bad, Mama?"
"No, sweetheart, this is Vivaldi. She orders around the Bad Man, she can make him go away. She's a nice person."
At a few soft urges from her mother, and her own curiosity, Laura climbed off of Alice's lap and approached Vivaldi. She clambered onto Vivaldi's lap, staring eye to eye with the Queen. Laura soon noticed the beauty mark on Vivaldi's chest, and touched it. Alice gaped and Vivaldi laughed at the display of childish wonder and innocence.
Laura's hands touched Vivaldi's cheeks. "You pretty." She said, her voice full of wonder and awe.
Vivaldi smiled, and put a finger to the child's nose. "Ah, but you are by far prettier still, Little Lady Laura. A fairer rose than the one in front of you."
Alice felt a swell of maternal pride at the spectacle in front of her.
"We almost hate to ask this, but...is Laura of Wonderland, or an Outsider like you?"
A jolt went through Alice's body.
Does she have a clock, or a heart?
Blood's question rang through her ears. Alice's hands curled, balling into fists, clasping her dress.
"Mama?" Laura could see the worry and fear crossing her mother's face. It made her fearful.
"...Blood asked that too."
Vivaldi raised an eyebrow.
"I… to be honest, I haven't checked. There are times that I want to, and some opportunities present themselves, but I never follow through. I'm scared, honestly, to find out."
"Would you like us to?"
Alice's head snapped up. Vivaldi's face was calm, composed, the question hanging heavy in the air.
"No...I'll do it now." Alice could feel a burning, one of shame, that it took a simple question for her to make up her mind.
Laura felt Vivaldi gently push her over to her mother. She complied, and walked over, climbing onto the couch beside her mother.
"Clock or heart?"
"Yes, hon. Clock or heart." Alice could feel tears. She hadn't realized that Laura had overheard her talking to Blood that long ago.
She extended her hand, trembling, and laid it on her daughter's chest.
Underneath the clothes and skin, she could feel a steady thump. Like the one Alice possessed in her own chest.
^.v.^
Boris scowled at Gowland, rubbing his head where seconds earlier, the park owner had connected it with his violin bow.
"What the hell was that for?!"
"You're getting too antsy. They'll be fine Boris."
"I know." He whined.
"You're too protective sometimes."
"They're my family, Old Man. Of course I'm gonna be protective." Boris also knew that Laura was as special as Alice. A stray bullet, or any other wound, could suddenly thrust them away from him forever. He'd sworn to Laura, promised her, on the day she was born, that he would protect her with his life.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud 'BANG'. Boris felt something fly past his cheek, grazing it.
Peter White was standing in the walkway, gun raised, and he looked ready to kill. Patrons were screaming as ushers directed them elsewhere.
"Damn, what do you want?!" Gowland yelled.
"Do not concern yourself, this has nothing to do with you." Peter addressed Gowland, never taking his eyes off of Boris.
"Like hell this has nothing to do with me! This is my territory, you-"
"Go, Old Man."
"Boris!"
"Just go!"
Boris's own pistols appeared in his hands.
"So, you met Laura, huh?"
Peter fired again. Boris was ready this time, and rolled to one side, responding with his own shots. The sounds of gunfire echoed around the amusement park.
"YOU SCUM! YOU TRASH! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER?!"
"Hey, I love Alice! We didn't plan it, but I sure as hell don't regret it!"
"BUT YOU...YOU...YOU DON'T DESERVE HER!"
"And what makes you think you deserve her more than I do?!"
"I CAN MAKE HER HAPPY!"
"Really? Cause I never once saw her seem happy when you were around! And I don't think killing me will make her happy! Or make you any closer to Laura!"
"Is that what you call her? The child with Alice's eyes? The child who looks too much like you for me to accept that she is also Alice's? She's a bastard, is what she is, and I won't ever-"
Peter was cut off by a roundhouse punch connecting with his face. He landed on his back, blood streaming from what was most likely a broken nose. Boris towered over him, growling, eyes flaming with paternal pride and protectiveness.
"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HER THAT!" Boris spat. "DON'T YOU EVER CALL LAURA A BASTARD! SHE'S MY DAUGHTER, AND IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO HER, I WILL KILL YOU!"
"Ok, wow. I should probably take him back now."
Boris looked up to see Ace standing there.
"Where the hell were you?!"
"I kinda just got here. Vivaldi would probably not care if you did kill Peter, but she would still get pretty pissed. She'll probably get pissed after she hears what he did here."
Boris spat in Peter's face, then moved off of him.
"Take him before I change my mind."
Ace grabbed Peter, the White Rabbit sputtering. He turned to leave.
"Wait. Are Alice and Laura safe?"
"They're with Vivaldi herself. They're fine."
^.v.^
"We're home!" Alice called as she stepped through the door. Laura was curled sleepily in her arms. "Sorry we're back so late, Laura really didn't want to leave…"
Her eyes widened as Boris stepped into her line of view. He was bruised, bandages on his cheek and hand.
"What happened?"
Boris didn't answer, but stepped forward and hugged the both of them tightly. Alice was surprised, even more so when he started shaking.
"Hey, Boris, it's alright," Alice said, rubbing his back. "What's the matter?"
"Peter….Peter came to the park. He wanted to kill me, maybe even Laura after he was finished."
"He did this to you?!"
"You should have seen him." Boris gave a weak laugh.
"Papa?"
The parents broke the embrace, looking at Laura, who was staring drowsily but intently at her father.
"You got owchies." Her hand came up to touch the bandage on her father's cheek.
"Yeah, I guess I did."
Laura held her hands open for her father, who took her and held her close. She curled up, burying her face into his chest and falling asleep. He stroked her hair, kissing her between the ears.
PLW: Aaand, that's all folks! Naw, not really, there's one more chapter to go!
Man, Peter was a psycho in this! Then again, he kinda did the same thing in Cheshire Cat Waltz.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Laura.