Alice had stopped destroying things after Zelena had talked to her during her war on the dishes and had returned to her usual level of fearful calm. She was still easily frightened and watched Zelena every time she came close to her. She'd spent a few days scared of going into the kitchen but after enough offers of spaghetti and cake she had been lured into sitting in the room again, but still tried to avoid it when she could.

Alice sat coloring as she clutched her toy rabbit against her body with her free hand. Regina was visiting again and Alice couldn't stand being around her. Zelena knew this and saw an opppurtunity for Alice to have a little more independance.

"Alice, do you want to keep drawing or do you want to go outside for a little bit?" Zelena wanted Alice to be able to do more without her help. As it stood she couldn't leave the property without it causing problems. She simply didn't know how to handle things and other people didn't understand that. Zelena still occasionally scolded herself for taking Alice to the market far before she had truly been ready. She wanted to be able to try it agian but worried for Alice's safety. Zelena both feared she was being too cautious and not cautious enough.

Alice glanced up from her drawing for a moment and then looked back down and whispered "Outside."

"Okay." Zelena paused for a moment she didn't mind going outside with her but she needed to become more independent. And Zelena really didn't think she'd go very far. Would it be okay for her to explore by herself? Zelena decided she'd go outside with Alice at first.

They got Luna and went outside.

Alice immediatly went to sit in the grass. Outside didn't have as many rules and Zelena never said anythign to her when she did this.

Zelena watched her for a minute and hoped Alice would move more but she didn't.

"Alice?"

Alice glanced over to her. "Do you want to sit there or do you want to go take Luna for a walk?" Zelena was hoping she could find some way to get Alice to make her own choices. She hoped this would work.

Alice stared at her. She'd walk Luna if Zelena said she could. "Walk."

"Alright, go ahead. I'm gonna go inside for a little bit. Don't go too far, okay?"

Alice nodded. Zelena went inside.

Alice didn't know how too far was so she only moved a little. Then pet Luna and talked to her about how much she missed having rules that made sense to her

Zelena glanced out the window frquently while her and Regina talked.. Alice couldn't see her but Zelena could still make sure she was safe.

"I don't know what to do. Everytime we get a little further something else scares her. And she's still terrafied of you simply from you asking her to eat in the kitchen. She spent a few days recently scared to eat in the kitchen at all. I'm just worried."

"Stop worrying so much, Zelena. She'll be fine. Just let her go at her own pace. She'll get there."

"Where will she get, Regina? Will she ever be able to so much as go out anywhere? The last time we tried that she almost got hit by carriage for gods' sakes!"

"I know,Z. One step at a time. Get her to initte doing things herself here first then worry about how you'll make sure she's safe if she ever goes anywhere." Regina was being comforting to her sister but didn't know if Alice would ever be able to fufill her own basic needs without external guidance.

"Not sure she'll ever do so much as use the bathroom without asking someone first." Zelena sighed and continued watching as Alice sat on the ground not moving yet.

"Howfaristoofar?" Alice whispered to Luna.

Luna didn't answer her. Alice stood up. Zelena had said she could walk. Alice started walking in circles. She wasn't going far at all. She covered this amount of space when cleaning the kitchen. It was fine.

Zelena sighed. Alice was just walking in circles. The same circle over and over again. Alice didn't know how far she could go, did she?

Zelena walked outside.

Alice sat down. "Sorry. Toofar." Alice eyes conveyed their usual panic and Zelena held in a strand of curse words that would put the rebellion's resident pirate to shame. But the words had been spaced out a little more than usual. They stistill blurred together but it was better than Alice's usual speech pattern.

"No, not too far. You're fine. Did you want to go further or did you not want to?"

Alice wanted to walk a little more. She nodded. How far was she allowed to go though?

"Howfar?" Alice flinched as she spoke. She didn't like asking Zelena questions. She tried to avoid it. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Zelena didn't bother trying to decipher what the apology was for. At this point she was convinced sometimes Alice didn't know what she was apologizing for either.

"Hmmm, you're taking Luna with you. Go as far as you want to as long as you can still see the house. And try to be home by dark."

Alice flinched a little, which Zelena didn't take too much note of. Alice shook a little as her thoughts started to race. When would it get dark? How would she know how to get where she was going? Why did she have to go home to mother?

Alice stood up and started walking away from Zelena who went inside soon after.

Alice kept walking. "Mother's angry" Alice panickly chattered at Luna, most of her words slurring together even worse than normal. She couldn't think straight. She darted her vision all around her. She took a guess at the direction she thought led to her stone home. "Thatway? No!" Alice's vision was so clouded with her tears. She slouched down onto the ground and pressed her back against a nearby tree. Alice could nearly already feel the pain her mother would inflict the moment she renetered the tower. She could hear all the insults she'd hurled at her over the ears ringing in her mind. She could hear her younger self silently begging for the pain to stop. She could hear mother telling her she wasn't allowed to cry. The tears flowed down her face anyway. She didn't want to go there. She'd missed home but she was scared now. For most of her life all she'd know was pain, it'd been different when it had been the only thing she'd ever known. Now she couldn't imagine not having Robin's games or Henry showing her how to draw different things or Zelena letting her help cook. She was going to miss Zelena trying to comfort her when she was hurt or scared. Usually the latter. . She was going to miss everyone actually giving her a chance to speak. She'd never be able to do the things she could with them again once she went home. And would Robin still visit? Alice wanted her to. She couldn't go back to only having mother. Robin had made the pain just a little more bearable.

Mother would never let her keep Luna and even if she did she'd never let Alice listen to Luna. Alice closed her eyes tight and reached over to pet Luna. Alice would have to go back to only moving when told to. She'd finally have the rules she so desperatly wanted but she'd miss being able to just go to the bathroom when she wanted to. Mother would forget Alice had needs. And Alice had no intentions of asking her for anything ever again. She'd been scared of her before but now Alice didn't know if she could live the way she had again.

Alice was terrafied but she didn't know how to ignore Zelena's order.

"DoIhavetogohome?" Alice asked Luna, who didn't respond. Alice stood back up and kept walking, muttering her frustrations the entire time.

Zelena started to set the table. It was getting close to dark but Zelena didn't doubt Alice would be back at the exact moment it got dark. She took insturctions too litterally and followed them to the letter. She wouldn't worry.

Alice sighed. She was exhausted. And she was lost. "Whereami?" Luna didn't know either. Alice slumped onto the ground again. She was never making it home on time. Alice sighed at least Zelena was the one who had given the direction. Her punishments were rare enough that none had ever happened, mother's however were frequent enough Alice could feel lingering pains on her skin whenever something reminded her of them or she shifted her body the wrong way.

"Ican'tfindhome. I'mscared" Alice let her tears fall and pulls her legs up to her chest, which Luna immediatley intercepted. Alice fell asleep petting Luna.

Zelena's worry had risen along with the night sky. She hadn't seen Alice for a while. She'd told her how far it was safe to go and when to be back. And she wasn't back. Zelena regretted not going with her. But she'd seemed fine!

She should've been back by now. She couldn't have gotten that far. She wouldn't have left the view of the house. But Zelena couldn't think of where she would have gone. Where was Alice?

A/N: this is a 2 part chapter I believe. bc i'm ina mood to be sligtly evil and leave a bit of a cliffhanger.