Alice set down the poetry book on the counter and checked on the soup. After a quick stir of the vegetables and how the swirls created intermingled, she grabbed some rags. Carefully covering the pot handles with them, she moved the pot over to the top of the counter, next to a bowl ready for souping with. Ladling the vegetable soup into the bowl, it looked steamy and appetizing with chunks of veggies popping out through the nutritious liquid sea.
As delicious as it should have been, Alice wasn't too pleased by the tiny sip she took of it with a spoon. She wasn't sure if it was the nausea talking or her lack of appetite, but she knew it would give her the energy she so desperately needed to get better. It didn't taste right but Alice added some salt and pepper anyways, trying to season to her best abilities despite knowing her taste buds were out of whack. Some empty jars of marmalade and a plate with bits of fruit of various kinds near her bedside gave her more of an indication and incentive to take another spoonful, slowly chewing a bit of carrot and potato.
Every bite seemed so monotonous. She groaned and put the back of her hand to her head. It was pounding once more even though she wasn't tired. "I think I'll leave it here for now," she told Mr. Rabbit, leaving the soup behind and grabbing him to head to bed. Alice made sure the stove was put out and blew out all the candles in the tower, having the one closest to her bed blown out last as she got under the covers with Mr. Rabbit. The only light that was left was the soft glow of the fireplace in the living room area.
Snuggling the pillow and kissing the plush on the forehead, the girl stared off into the slightly illuminated tower space, past her hung up curtains partitioning what was her bedroom. Having herself and the plush rabbit now under the covers, Alice closed her eyes, barely fighting the urge that it was much too early in her opinion to sleep as the pain was throbbing.
When Alice opened her eyes again, the candle that she was sure she had blown out in front of her bed frame was lit.
"Papa, are you really here? How can it be?"
"I'm here, love, but only as long as this candle stays lit. Don't worry about the details."
The flame raised for a moment, quickly and unsteadily, trying to keep itself afloat as the wax melted to the halfway point. The former pirate captain that had materialized in front of her was blurry and his presence flickered for a moment as he passed in front of the candle to her bedside, becoming a brightly illuminated shadow.
She wanted to pry on how she didn't see or hear him come in the tower the way he always did and how he always warned that magic always came with a price if you're not careful, but she didn't want him to disappear if he answered. As his image cleared as Alice blinked her eyes of tears, she cried, "I was so scared you'd never come back! The witch said you couldn't, not as long as you are poisoned."
Doubt etched across her face and she rolled to the farther side edge of the bed, grabbing Mr. Rabbit in her arms to give herself comfort. Giving a hard look at her left wrist, the spiral bump of skin was still present, but it didn't burn or itch. Gasping, Alice looked back at her papa and he didn't look to be in pain and his chest wasn't glowing green. He was as before, the person who could calm her fears and explain everything she didn't know, not gasping for air and being torn from her like the way she remembered him last. The girl inched back, reaching out to him with one arm earnestly with the most energy she could muster.
"It's okay, Starfish," Hook said softly, stroking her tangled tresses away from her face and feeling her forehead with the back of his hand. "All that matters is that we're together right now, when you need me most it seems."
He wrapped his warm arms around her, the scent of the ocean clinging to him from his leather coat, as he hugged her over the blanket. Alice started sobbing as he loosened his grip, most likely to get back to standing, but she tore her arms outside of the blanket to hug him back, keeping him close. Hook's weight crushed her a bit due to his shock but he quickly balanced himself to reciprocate the affection once more. When Alice decided to let him go so they could see each other better, the man sat down on the small chair she had placed nearby, his proper place next to the chessboard table when they liked to have games before bed. Only this time, instead of facing opposite her with the board between them, Hook sat as close as he could next to her.
In between sobs, she grabbed his warm hand. "I couldn't make it like you do but I tried."
"It smells delicious, Alice." The lines near his eyes deepened with his smile. "When you can, try to eat some more so you'll feel better."
She nodded and saw him along with the candle flicker again. Alice's eyes widened. "I don't want you to go," she said, her voice wavering.
Hook shook his head as he looked over his shoulder at the lit item before looking back at her. "Not yet." He positioned himself so she couldn't see the candle and its melting wax behind him. "I know what will cheer you up. How do you feel about doing something special?"
"Mmm, but what?" she asked dreamily. Her eyes blinked slowly as she said, "I feel like I've spun around too many times."
Alice felt drowsy again. She felt like something was nagging at her as her vision blurred but her mind felt clear, taking in the moment. It felt like the time she accidentally mistook a soft wine her papa had left in the far corner of a cabinet for raspberry cordial, a sweet treat and drink when Spring came around and he picked berries for them to make into multiple things. Of course, he had been out to do just that when Alice thought he had made some cordial while she was asleep as a surprise. The wine was what he called "a leftover spirit for when I needed a gentle tide or was weaning off hard liquor." Luckily, she had just gotten giggly and fallen into a deep sleep as he caught her head in his arms, just after he climbed through the tower window, and in her drunken haze had seen him drop his strapped basket and clamber worryingly over to her.
"You must be tired. Lay down and I'll begin," Hook insisted as her grip on his hand loosened and her hand slumped to her lap.
Alice shook her head as if to will her body to pull itself together to mindfulness, a method that worked when she felt off, but her body complied with the request. It was like there was a fog and she couldn't control her actions. The girl's frustrations dissipated within a matter of seconds however as he covered the blanket over her frame and she became content.
Her papa's blue eyes that she mirrored gazing back at him shone brighter as they became misty. His shoulders shook even as he tried to steady himself. From the first few notes, she knew. Usually he'd jest that she was too old to be requesting that tune before he sang in his deep yet brilliant timbre. Regardless, there the former pirate captain sat, choosing to sing the melody without being asked.
"My love said to me, 'My mother won't mind…" Hook started to sing.
"And my father won't slight you for your lack of kine," Alice joined in, chin trembling, holding back the tightening in her throat.
Halfway through the song, she could feel herself succumbing to the comforting lull of the song and she resided in listening to her papa continue the lullaby as her fingers wrapped around one of his fingers, halfheartedly trying to distract herself by playing with his ring.
Soon, the tune ended and he kissed her forehead. "I love you, no matter what." His eyes shimmered as he smiled. "My brave little rook."
With the last of her energy, Alice reciprocated with tenderness, "I love you too." She felt the warmth and saw the light dissipate with him before her eyes, a wisp of smoke barely illuminated. Alice fought sleep, but to no avail. As her eyes shut, tears fell painfully down the side of her head towards the pillow, the light from the fireplace seemed to wither away, narrowing and dimming even though that couldn't be. Before she knew it, Alice was out like a flame.