A/N: Sorry for the late update with this one! I'm trying to get back on a regular updating schedule! Hopefully it happens!

.

Two Months Later

Another two months went by without Alfred slipping up anymore about past lives, yet it seemed he didn't have to. Alice was having plenty of dreams about their past lives together every night, though it wasn't like she would ever mention it to him. All she could do was wonder why she was dreaming such absurd things, but she also wondered why her dreams were so lucid. What was it that made them seem so real?

Just the night before, she had dreamed of dancing with him during the Roaring 20's. The week before, she had imagined coming off a boat from England to one of the first American settlements and running into him first thing. What was all of that about? What did those dreams mean? They seemed so real that she almost believed every single one.

"Is something bothering you, Alice?" Alfred asked one night when they met for dinner. "You seem a little distant lately. Was it something I did?"

"Hmm?" Alice mused, pushing her food around her plate with her fork. "There's nothing bothering me at all, Alfred. Why would you ask that?"

"You've just seemed in a sort of daze lately," he answered, watching her take a dainty sip of her wine. "I don't really know how to put it, but you seem different. It just makes me think that there might be something on your mind. Would you care to share?" He rested his hands on his lap and leaned toward her. "I'm all ears, Alice."

Alice bit her lip for a moment. How was she supposed to approach this subject without sounding strange? "Remember that one night that you were drunk and tried to talk to me about past lives?"

Alfred nearly choked. "I try not to remember that night, if I'm honest," he chuckled to himself. "I really put my foot in my mouth and made a complete fool of myself by morning."

She giggled. "That you really did, but ever since you mentioned past lives, and the fact that I've been in all of yours, I've started to dream of us in all sorts of different time periods." Her lips straightened into a line. "But it was just drunk babble from you. Why is it starting to affect my dreams like that? I've even done some research, and none of it adds up."

He smiled a little to himself, thinking she obviously hadn't done research on the people who remember their past lives. If she had, she would know that once the significant other of the one who remembered heard about past lives, they would start remembering. It was only a matter of time now.

"What are you smiling for, Al? I'm being serious here," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest in a pout. "Why can't I stop dreaming of it? It makes no sense at all, and it's starting to frustrate me!"

Alfred cast her a kind smile. "You would think I was crazy if I told you I knew what was going on," he said before waving the waitress over for their check. "Let's talk about this in a more private setting, Alice."

"Is it something bad?" she asked, emerald eyes wide behind her glasses. Many possibilities flew through her head. Did Alfred think she was insane? Oh, God, she hoped not! "Why do we have to go somewhere more private?"

He simply put a finger to his lips as the waitress came over with their check. Alfred quickly handed over his credit card, urging her to hurry. "We have another place to be," he told the young waitress. "I'm sorry to rush you, but it's a little urgent."

"Right away, Mr. Jones," the waitress said with a wink before hurrying off toward the register.

"Where do we need to be?" Alice quietly asked, leaning toward him.

"I'm going to take you somewhere," Alfred answered as the waitress came rushing back. "Thank you," he told the young girl, signing the receipt and tipping her generously. He rose to his feet and offered Alice his hand. "Whether a romantic date or not, a gentleman must escort the lady properly."

Alice's face turned bright red, but she accepted his hand. "Thank you, Alfred," she softly stated, taking his arm once she was standing. "You really are a real gentleman, aren't you?"

"You've trained me well," he answered with a mysterious smile as he led the way out.

"There you go again," she sighed, "spouting absurd nonsense that I don't understand."

Alfred smiled down at her. "Trust me, it'll all become clear to you tonight."

Alice blinked in surprise. "Tonight? What happens tonight?" She knew she wasn't going to get an answer from him as he opened the passenger's side door of his car and gestured inside. All she could do was roll her eyes and sit in her seat before Alfred shut her door. Where was he taking her?

.

After driving for about an hour, Alfred stopped at a lakeside gazebo. He looked over at Alice. "Do you know where we are, Alice?" he asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He left her time to think as he got out of the car and went to open the door on her side.

"Have we been here together before?" she asked as he helped her out of the car and shut her door. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, but none of it looked familiar.

"We have," he answered, leading her over to the gazebo. "This is one of my favorite places in this city because I have many amazing memories here with you."

"But I've never been here with you before," Alice stated, looking at the golden plaque in front of the gazebo. "It says that the gazebo has been here since the 70's. That's pretty neat."

Alfred led her to the middle of the gazebo and let her look around before spinning her to face him. "Alice, look me in the eyes and think really hard. We have been here before. Just think."

Alice closed her eyes, digging deep into the depths of her mind for any memories of this gazebo. Her eyes flew open when she realized where she had seen this gazebo before. It was in one of her dreams a month ago. Alfred had proposed to her right where they were standing during the late 70's. But that was just a dream. There was no way that could be real.

"How many times have we been here?" she asked him, grabbing his shoulders so she wouldn't lose her balance because of her weakening knees. "Alfred, tell me! Did something significant happen between us here?"

"You remember, don't you?" he asked her.

"It's not that I remember. I've just dreamt of this place before," she whispered to him. Though she knew he would ask what had happened in her dream, she knew she could never tell. That would be far too embarrassing for her. After all, what kind of manager would tell her client she dreams of him proposing to her in gazebos?

"What did you dream of?"

Alice's face burned with blush. "I-I can't tell you that, Al."

"Why not? You've never restricted telling me anything, Alice, so why are you restricting now? Do you think I'll laugh at you? Because I won't." Alfred's eyes held serious intent in them. "Please tell me what happened in that dream. I need to know."

"Why do you need to know?" she snapped. "What could it possibly benefit?"

"Alice, please," he softly said. "I need to know what happened in your dream. I won't consider it silly, and I won't consider you weird either."

She took a deep breath. "If I tell you, will you drop it right after?"

Alfred held up three fingers in a boy scout salute. "I swear."

Alice smiled a little before taking a deep breath. "In my dream, it was the late 70's. We came here on a beautiful autumn day as the sun was setting, because you requested it. I was shivering because it was chilly out, and I was turned away from you. You cleared your throat and I turned around…" Her voice trailed off. "In your hand was an open ring box with a beautiful diamond ring in it. You were proposing to me, and I accepted," she quietly finished. "Are you happy now?"

He was grinning from ear to ear. "I'm glad you remember."

"Remember what?!" she nearly shouted at him, unable to control her temper. "What am I supposed to be remembering, Alfred?!" Alice was trembling with rage. "It was just a dream I had! A dream!"

"But it's…"

"And how dare you try to make a fool of me when I tell you of a dream that I had!" she shouted, pointing in his face. "What kind of a woman do you take me for?! I'm not like you little, Hollywood flings, Alfred Jones! I am a real woman with real feelings! How dare you try to charm me by manipulating my mind!"

"That's not what I'm trying to…"

"I'm not a flirtatious, Hollywood hussy who is willing to sleep with you just because you brought me to a beautiful place!" she continued. "I have a heart, Alfred, and it's fragile! You can't just mess with it like this when you're bloody bored or whatever!"

"Will you just listen to me?!" Alfred interjected, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders. The intensity in his voice silenced her. "None of that is my intention, Alice. I'm just trying to get you to remember!"

"Remember what?!" she demanded. "I don't understand what I need to remember at all! There is nothing for me to remember!"

"But there is!" he insisted. "There is so much for you to remember, but I can't just simply explain it to you! It's too complicated!"

"What's so bloody complicated about it, Alfred?! Do you think I'm just too stupid to understand?! Is that it?!"

Alfred was beginning to become frustrated. He took a deep breath before responding. "Maybe it was a bad idea to bring you here too early," he sighed.

"Too early?! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It's nothing bad," he calmly assured. "It just means it's too early right now."

"But what's too early?" Alice asked, exasperated. She was finally past yelling and was ready to just go home and go to bed. "I don't understand what you're saying." Her eyes looked into his. "Help me understand, Alfred. Give me a signal that will help me understand."

Alfred blinked in surprise for a moment before leaning his head down and kissing her lips. He had no other way to explain what he meant, yet maybe through physical contact more memories could be uncovered. The one thing he noticed was that she wasn't fighting him, but she wasn't kissing him back either. She was just standing there. And when he pulled away, he noticed that her eyes were wide open.

"W-Why would you do that?" she stuttered, staring up at him. "Is this all just some sort of romantic gesture from one of your movies? Is that all you see me as, just some girl to toy with?"

"No! Not at all!" he insisted.

"All my life, I have had men like you walk all over me," she growled. "It's a man's world, and I've come to accept that. But that doesn't mean that they have a right to my body without my permission." She reached up and smacked Alfred's face, hard. "Is that the kind of respect your mother taught you to treat women with?" Her eyes sparkled with tears. "Do you do this with every new girl you come across? Is this why women apparently love you?" Alice clenched her teeth, hard. "Well, I've got some news for you, Alfred Franklin Jones. The woman standing before you is one who won't ever fall for you phony Hollywood schemes. Come to think of it, she won't ever fall for you, period."

Alfred just stood there in shock for a few moments as he watched her storm off away from the gazebo. He had been right. It was definitely too early for all of this. "Alice, wait," he called after her, hurrying off after her retreating form. "At least let me drive you home."

"Why?" she demanded without turning around. "So you can harass me on the way to my apartment as well? I'm not interested! Go pick up a prostitute and have your way with her, because it won't be me!"

"Alice," he groaned. "Stop being so stubborn, and just get in my car! I won't even say a word on the drive to your place."

She turned around to face him, hand on her hip. "And will you keep your hands and lips to yourself?"

"Absolutely," he assured. "You can trust my word on that."

"If you don't, I swear I'll quit on the spot," she warned.

Whenever her voice took a warning tone, Alfred knew she was dead serious. He simply bowed his head in agreement. "I understand," he simply said. "I'll behave myself."

Alice opened the passenger's side door to Alfred's car and climbed in. "You better," she snapped before shutting the door a little harder than planned.

.

Once alone at her apartment, Alice reviewed the night in her head. There were some things that just didn't seem right to her. The main thing was, how did Alfred know about her dream? That seemed oddly suspicious. Why did he plead so much to hear what she had dreamed of? Why did he even care in the first place?

His grand gestures lately really did make her feel as if she were in the romantic scenes of a movie. There was no lie about that. What was he trying to do? Was he really trying to sleep with her like she thought he was? If so, then why did he take her to the exact gazebo where her dream took place? Nothing seemed to be adding up.

Alice's head began to ache, so she sat down on her couch with a cup of tea, trying to make it go away. She didn't want to keep thinking about this all night, but all of her questions about Alfred's actions that night plagued her.

Did she really mean the cruel things she said to him? Did she really think she would never fall for the charming Hollywood superstar Alfred F. Jones?