Chapter 14

Errands with the Twins

"Ally…"

She stirred at the sound of her name, refusing to open her eyes. She was still too tired and wasn't ready to wake up just yet. Whoever was calling her could wait.

"Ally…"

Then her muscles tensed. That voice, the familiar, soft cadence… It could only be one person. Her eyes snapped open, surprised to see a blonde woman: Eclaire. Allysia's face lit up, and she ran forward to hug her.

"Eclaire! You have no idea how happy I am to see…" To her surprise, Eclaire evaded her and kept her distance from the brunette. Allysia stood in her place and stared at her cousin, puzzled. "E… Eclaire?"

"Why did you leave us?" her cousin said in a cold, monotone voice. "Why did you abandon your mother and me?"

"What are you talking about? I never did such a thing!" Allysia reached forward towards her, but Eclaire stepped back. Her hand retreated nervously to her side. Allysia just did not understand her behavior. Her cousin couldn't be mad at her. From her knowledge, she didn't do anything wrong. It didn't make any sense…

"Unforgivable… We will never forgive you…" Eclaire mumbled. Her green eyes shone with a harsh light, glaring at her through a fringe of blonde. Such a sight caused Allysia's stomach to twist. "How dare you leave us…"

"But I never left you! In fact, all I wanted to do was go back!" she shouted. Eclaire said nothing. With one final glare, Eclaire turned her back and walked away from her. "Please, you have to listen to me! Don't go!"

"Lies…" Allysia froze in her place. Standing before her now was her mother. "I never knew I raised a daughter who only lies…"

She suddenly felt herself step back, disturbed by the frightening gleam in her mother's eyes. "M… Mom?"

"I never expected my own flesh and blood would abandon me then lie about it… how repulsive."

"No, no! Mother, you misunderstand! It isn't like that!" Allysia cried desperately, her voice suddenly growing hoarse. She stilled when she felt Mrs. Gale's cold hand graze her cheek.

Her mother smiled cruelly. "You're just so selfish… I will never forgive you for this."

The young brunette fought back a whimper and viciously blinked away her tears, turning her gaze elsewhere. All she could see was an incorporeal miasma of color. Her eyes widened, her aching heart calming in relief. She wasn't home; she was only dreaming.

Allysia shouted back, "No! You're not my mother, and she isn't Eclaire! They would never treat me like this! Never!"

The woman only smiled wider, disappearing before her very eyes. All Allysia could hear was an echo of her mother and cousin's voice, chanting, "We will never forgive you… We will never forgive you…"

"Stop it…" The chanting did not cease. Her breath hitched, and she clamped her hands over her ears. "Just stop it!"

"Allysia…"

"Go away! Stop tormenting me like this!"

"Allysia?"

She did not bother responding, trying to block these tormenting from her mind. This was all a dream… all part of her imagination…

"ONEE-CHAN!"

Allysia suddenly opened her eyes when something heavy landed on top of her.

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She groggily awoke from her nightmare, struggling to keep her breath even. It was just so realistic… it felt like she really was speaking to Eclaire and her mother. Her heart still pounded against her chest, her stomach performing back flips at such a frightening dream. She dismissed it from her mind and looked down to see who had woken her up.

"Hi there, onee-chan!"

She blinked in surprise, staring down at two pairs of blue and red. "D… Dee? Dum? What in the world…?"

"Yawn, hey what's with all this racket? Ally and I were having such a nice nap…" Ace mumbled groggily, yawning loudly in his hand. The twins merely glared at the knight, holding onto Allysia even tighter. He rubbed his eyes and stared sleepily at the two twins. "Say… when did you three get here?"

'Three?' Other than Ace and her, there were only the twins. Just who was the third?

Then she was struck by a startling realization, answered by the thunderous sound of a gun.

Ace dodged the assault with ease and laughed. "Hahaha! Oh, you missed me!" Just as the tent opened, the Red Knight pulled out his blade and pointed it towards the unexpected intruder. "I thought you had better aim, Elliot!"

Elliot March scowled at his teasing, pointing his gun at the knight. "You bastard… how dare you! Where is she?"

The Knight chuckled and feigned ignorance. "Who are you talking about? Where's who?"

"Allysia, you idiot! I know you have her!"

"Elliot, I'm right here." His gaze snapped towards her, seeing the twins wrapped tightly around her. He sighed in relief and glared at the Heart Knight. "You sly bastard… how dare you kidnap her, and right in front of our faces! The entrance of the Hatter territory was right around the corner!"

The foreigner released a loud gasp of surprise and looked over to the Heart Knight. Her eyes narrowed. "Ace, I thought you said you couldn't see it!"

"Hahaha! Of course not! It was so dark after all! I could barely see my hand in front of my face last night!" he admitted innocently, that carefree smile still on his face.

Her blue orbs boiled over, darkening into a torrential storm. That sly, perverted knight… how dare he purposefully place her in such a precarious situation…

Elliot then announced, "So, we will be taking her back to wear she belongs – with us."

"Oh, I don't think so! I am supposed to be her escort, and I plan on bringing her back!" he argued, his expression pleasant yet adamant.

"No way in hell am I letting the likes of you bring her back! Knowing you, you would be wandering around for days before you two catch a glimpse of our gates!"

"Ah, at least I think I'm better company than a grumpy rabbit like you!"

At that statement, a nerve peeked through his temples. Elliot's face fell impeccably blank. "What did you say?"

"Uh-oh… The knight shouldn't have said that… It looks like now's a good time for our escape plan, right brother?"

"I'm already on it." Dee separated himself and swiped his knife through the tent, creating a large, gaping hole.

Allysia gasped. "Dee, why'd you do that for? That wasn't necessary!"

The blue twin assured her, "Oh I wouldn't worry about that, onee-chan! After those two are through, I'm sure that there would be dozens more …"

She was genuinely confused. Elliot did seem rather sensitive (and delusional) whenever he was referred to as a rabbit, but he couldn't be too high-strung about it.

"I said you were a rabbit, Mr. Rabbit!" Ace said with a wide smile on his face. Elliot's face burned with rage.

…wasn't he?

Dum hurried through the opening. "Now, let's go, onee-chan. Come with us."

Allysia followed the two without any protest, cringing at the horrible crescendo of bullets.

Note to self: Never, ever refer to Elliot as a rabbit again.

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"So, why I am in town with you two?" Allysia asked the twins, each of them walking on both of her sides.

"Well, Boss gave us an errand, and we were to buy some supplies!" answered the red twin.

"We thought it would be more fun if our onee-chan came with us!" added his twin brother, his blue eyes sparkling at the thought.

"Well instead of making me tag along with you two to help gather provisions," she said, shaking her bag slightly as emphasis, "Maybe you two should have helped Elliot back there instead."

The twins snorted at such a suggestion. "Why would we do that? Newbie-hare can take care of himself!"

"Plus, he's always mean to us! He doesn't deserve our help… like we would!"

Allysia replied with only a sigh, staring at the twins as their cheeks puffed up in irritation. Of course…

Though, she had to admit, spending time with the two tykes was a refreshing change of pace. Despite of their mafia heritage, she found Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to be the cutest children she had ever seen. She had never seen siblings so close and who got along so well. They always were considerate to her, making sure she was always by their sides. Those two always ran energetically to their destination, insisting on carrying the heavier bags despite her protests otherwise.

Being near those sweet kids sparked some latent maternal instinct within her, reminding her of her longings for children of her own. Though no one would ever expect it from a cynical realist like herself, she absolutely loved kids… and she preferred to keep it that way. Eclaire would tease her endlessly if she caught wind of such secret desires.

Spending her day with the twins was unexpectedly relaxing. The kids were much sweeter and cuter than she expected them to be… and deep down, even in their most mischevious of moments, she didn't think they were bad enough to cause such destruction at Heart Castle.

'Did they really steal her bear and kill those servants?' Though they were perfectly capable, she wanted to belief they wouldn't do such a thing. The facts still stood. She saw Dee's gun in Vivaldi's hand as evidence.

"Hey guys… I heard you like playing games with Boris at Heart Castle, right?" she asked.

The twins nodded their heads. Dum said, "Yeah! It's so much fun playing with those card soldiers in the garden! It's like target practice!"

"Plus, the Queen gets upset so easily. It's really funny!" Dee added with a chuckle.

"Really? Well have you guys ever tried pushing Vivaldi's buttons even further?" Their paces slowed. The two stared at her, bright red and blue gazing up at her in confusion. "What I means was… Did you guys think og moving your games inside, 'playing' with the servants in there and taking something from Vivaldi just to tick her off?"

Dark brows furrowed in confusion. "No… We would never push it that far. That Heart witch would be furious, especially if we stole something from her."

"Plus, Boss would get in trouble if we did anything like that! We don't want to get Boss in trouble." Allysia nodded her head in understanding. "…If she said anything to you, we promise we didn't do it!"

"Yeah, if that queen has been telling such things, I bet she has my gun too!"

The foreigner stared at Dee in surprise. "Your gun is missing?"

He nodded and grumpily said, "Yeah! One moment I had it in the gardens, and the next moment, it's gone! I tried looking for it everywhere, but I couldn't find it! I bet that royal hag found it and is hiding it from me!"

"We're not going to complain though. We have extras at home, Dum said. "It'd be annoying if we mentioned it anyway. If we did, both territories would get upset, and we'd have this whole mess to deal with!"

'Because one wrong word can cause an entire war.'

Seeing the tinge of annoyance still on their faces, she realized just how tenuous the territories' relationships were. Thefts, killings, this underlying antagonism between the territories… was someone really trying to push everyone to war? She believed the twins when they said they didn't do it. There was no reason for them to lie. Just who'd do something like that?

'And is that force related to that person who tried to attacked me earlier?'

"Miss Allysia?"

At the sound of her name, the trio froze in their place. Standing before them was a large group of card soliders.

She regarded them warily before answering. "Yes?"

One spoke up. "We are under orders from Lord White to bring him the foreigner if we see her. Miss Allysia, please cooperate and come with us."

The twins stood protectively around her. "No way! Onee-chan is staying with us! There's no way she's going anywhere with you guys!"

'Especially to Peter.' She sighed at the rabbit's sudden desperation. She could admit that she hadn't seen the White Rabbit for quite some time. She managed to survive her last visit to Heart Castle, and she wanted to keep it that way.

If he acted more normally and didn't keep trying to break her ribs every time he saw her, she wouldn't mind hanging around him.

'But must he be so desperate for my company that he has to order a whole battalion of card soldiers to capture me on sight?'

She supposed he was.

The card soldiers remained unperturbed by the twin's proclamations, staring at them with a blank, eyeless gaze. "We are to follow our superior's orders, using whatever means necessary."

"Not that I understand what our Prime Minister sees in the outsider, considering she is the Hatter mafia's harlot…" One added absently.

That soldier then found himself knocked to the ground when Allysia punched him squarely in the face. She snapped at him, "What the hell did you just call me? I am not the Hatter's whore! No freakin' way! Just try saying that to my face again, you bastard!"

"Onee-chan, please calm down." All ire slowly evaporated from her veins. She turned her attention to the twins as they smiled at her. "We will handle this!"

Dee and Dum turned to face each other, looking in a way only the other would understand. They nodded and took stance, holding one hand behind their backs.

"Ready? 1… 2… 3!" The two dramatically swung their hand around and placed them in front for the other to see. Dee's hand were tightly clenched while Dum's were wide open.

The red-eyed boy pumped his fist into the air and cheered victoriously. "Woo-hoo! I won! Paper beats rock!"

"Aw… that's not fair… I wanted to do it for onee-chan," the blue-eyed child whined. Dum only stuck his tongue out at him. Dee sighed, took his brother's bag, and relinquished his gun. "Just don't have too much fun! Boss is expecting us back soon!"

Dum smiled, assuring him he won't. Dee nudged Allysia through an opening of soldiers. "Come on, onee-chan. We still have one or two items we need to buy before we go back. My brother can handle himself."

Allysia remained silent and nodded her head, following the boy without a single complaint. It wasn't like she was stupid. She already had a very good idea what Dum had planned to do. When it all came down to it, those two were notorious to all as the Bloody Twins.

Once the walked far enough away, Allysia tried her hardest not flinch when she heard the first sound of gunfire.

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Just as they had finished purchasing the last of their supplies, Dum returned to them with a bright smile on his face. "Brother, onee-chan, I'm back! Sorry for taking so long, but I'm sure those guys won't bother us any more."

Allysia regarded him for a long moment, her expression blank and impassive. She dryly said, "Yeah, I'd think so. It's kind of hard to bother someone when they're dead."

Both twins flinched and looked at the young woman. "How'd you find out?"

"For one thing, I'm not blind. Even though you are wearing red, I can still see those blood stains."

Both of the twins cried out in surprise, studying Dum's still bloodied attire. He groaned, believing he had cleaned it all off when he was finished.

Allysia placed her only free hand on her hip and scolded them. "I don't like you guys using violence to solve your problems! There is a better way to deal with those card soldiers then shooting their brains out!"

"Aw, so you didn't bother using our new dagger on them?" Dee whined while Dum shot him a stern glare, promptly shutting him up.

They both froze in their place, cowering at the foreigner's suddenly frightening aura. "Just stop doing these kinds of things! Not only are you guys hurting others, but you're hurting yourselves! Have I made myself clear?"

The twins forlornly dropped their heads, shifting uncomfortably in their places. "Yes, onee-chan… But that's why one of us took you away. We knew if you saw it would make you unhappy."

"We just didn't like someone else insulting you like that. We didn't want onee-chan to be unhappy or to be mad at us…"

The brunette tensed, finding her heart touched by their consideration. She harrumphed and dug her hand into her bag, keeping her countenance perfectly void of emotion. "No matter your intentions, I still do not like it when you guys resort to violence. There are better ways to deal with things."

The twins flinched and kept their gazes downcast, bracing themselves for further verbal lashing.

"…but no matter what, I can never be really mad at you guys." Red and blue blinked in surprise, seeing two large cookies in front of their faces. They looked up at Allysia, their gaze curious. She turned her face away from her, more so to hide the softness in her features as well as a rising blush on her face. "When you guys weren't looking, I bought you two cookies, one for each. I was planning on giving them to you when we got back, but since you guys were trying to defend ne, I figured I can give it you now."

Their eyes sparkled brightly, their lips curving into big, wide smiles. They eagerly took the cookies. "Oh, thank you so much, onee-chan!"

"Just promise me you won't do something stupid like that again, or else I won't be as lenient. Okay?" The twins nodded their heads in understanding, ravenously chomping on their treat. "Good. Now let's go back."

The three of them commenced walking forward. The twins settled themselves on either side of the foreigner, sidling uncomfortably close to her. She fought to retain her poise and dispel this rising heat in her face.

She mentally cursed herself. Who knew she was such a little softy when it came to kids?

'This is so bad for my image… I would never hear the end of this if my cousin saw this…'

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The moment the three entered the Hatter's office, Elliot shouted, "Why were you guys out so long? I was worried sick about Allysia! I thought that stupid knight kidnapped her again!"

The twins appeared insulted and glared at him. "Shut up, newbie-hare! We just brought Allysia with us while we went out for our mission."

"But she could have gotten hurt. Or worse! Someone could have taken her away again!"

At the suggestion, the twins clung to the foreigner's arms and shouted, "No! We took really good care of her. We wouldn't let anything happen to our mommy!"

Everything fell completely silent, turning their attention to the twins. Even Blood, who was busily finishing some paperwork on his desk, looked up and stared.

Allysia was especially shocked, stammering, "M…. mommy? B… but I thought I was onee-chan?"

"Oh course! You are always onee-chan to us, but today were so nice and caring… just like a mommy would!"

"So we also see you as our mommy too, onee-chan."

Allysia wasn't sure what to say by their admission, torn between shock and maternal pride. A small part of her was flattered they thought of her as their mother, considering they did not seem to have a mother in the first place.

"But… if you consider Allysia as your mother, then who's the father?" Elliot asked.

"Boss!" they replied, smiles appearing on their faces.

The young brunette almost fell over in shock. What?

Elliot nodded his head in agreement. "Ah, yes I agree!"

Blood did not offer a response, grinning coolly at his seat.

She had never heard anything more absurd. She managed to separate herself from the twins and stomped to Blood's side. "No way! No way in hell should those kids consider you to be their father, especially when they consider me as their mother! I will not have it."

"Oh? Why not, milady? I'd like to think to that I'd make both an excellent father and husband," he answered smoothly, his calm emeralds meeting her heated sapphires.

That only made her blood boil. She slammed her palm into his desk and shouted in his face, "Since when was marriage part of this conversation? I just can't imagine sharing something like a parental role let alone being married with you! It is because of your horrible influence that these poor kids are so tainted."

Her muscles tensed when he gently grabbed her chin in between his fingers. "Your words wound me. I never knew you had so little faith in my abilities. I can assure you if I was your husband, I'd make sure you are satisfied in every respect."

Her eyes darkened at his implications, her cheeks burning a bright crimson. She was too angry to say anymore. Bemused by her expression, Blood continued to tease her even further, gently brushing his gloved digits against her cheek and traveling down to toy with her locket.

She had reached her limit. She abruptly jerked away from him. "Stop kidding around!"

Then there was a clatter. Allysia's eyes widened when she saw something silver fall onto Blood's desk, attached to a long leather chain. She immediately felt her neck, eyes widening upon realizing it was bare.

"Oh, no! My chain broke again," she said in dismay, quickly scooping her locket and chain into her hands.

"If you'd like, I can get it fixed for you," Blood offered.

"No. It's mine, and I will do it myself," she said and walked towards the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving. I hope you make good use with the supplies the twins and I bought. Not that I understand particularly why need all those anyway…"

With that, Allysia stormed out of the room. The twins looked at the empty doorway and asked worriedly, "Boss, is onee-chan okay?"

"I assure you she's fine," he said, pondering something in his mind. Allysia just was so stubborn. Why didn't she just accept his offer? He wouldn't mind replacing that broken chain with a newer, nicer one…

His right-hand man's voice broke him of his musings. "Hey, so is now a good time to prepare for tomorrow's festivities?"

Blood composed himself and answered with a slight nod.

A/N Notes: Yep, bonding with the twins... there's no better way to spend one's day (just ignore the impending bloodshed).

And if you squint really hard, you'll see some points that are of plot significance in this chapter. I try to make it so every chapter is pertinent to the story in its tiny way - some more than others, but yeah. :3

Thanks for reading~