A/N: I really have no excuse for not updating for over a year. My life is crazy and I'm not raising my older sister's children due to unfortunate circumstances. Between juggling writing and raising two kids, my life has gotten crazy. Things are beginning to calm down, so I'm hoping to get a better updating schedule going on, especially when the kids are asleep or at school. Please bear with me and my crazy life. These stories will not be abandoned, I promise that much. Thank you for your patience. I hope to get better about this.

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March 1994

Alfred entered his and Alice's bedroom to find her in fetal position on her side of the bed, the same place she had been for days. He sighed and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. "Alice," he softly said, placing a hand on her arm. His mouth formed into a frown as she recoiled at his touch. "Please, baby," he softly pleaded, "it's been three days since you've last eaten."

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled back. Her frame had become so thin in the past month. She squeezed her eyes shut as her husband took her hand.

"Alice, it's been a month since we lost her," Alfred said. "Lying around like this won't help either of us. I hate seeing you like this. What happened to my lovely Alice Jones who was always so warm and loving?"

The blonde held her breath for a moment before answering. "She died with our unborn daughter."

His heart sank in his chest as a lump came to Alfred's throat. "Babe, please don't talk like that. I know you're still hurting. So am I. But I can't bear to lose you too."

Alice squeezed her husband's hand. "Alfred, love, why does this have to hurt so much? Why did it have to be our baby? Why? Why?! Why?!" She broke down into sobs as she clung to Alfred's hand as if it were the only thing that could save her. "They say the heaviest of burdens only go to those who can bear them, but this is too much, Alfred! Everything hurts! I can't take it anymore!"

Alfred ran his fingers through Alice's thin, blonde hair. "It does hurt, my angel," he soothed. "I know it does. I, too, feel that this is too much." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Alice's temple. "Is there anything I can do to help ease the pain?" He heard a small, muffled reply but couldn't understand it. "Come again, darling?"

"Just bloody kill me!" Alice cried out, curling in on herself.

Only then did Alfred Jones suddenly feel the crushing weight of everything around him. A single tear slid down his cheek as he squeezed his wife's hand tightly. "Oh, Alice…"

.

Present Day

It had been two weeks since the gazebo incident. Things had become significantly awkward between Alfred and Alice, despite Alfred's many attempts to smooth things over. No matter how desperately he tried to resolve things and get everything back to the way it was, his blunder at the gazebo couldn't so easily be forgotten. To Alfred, it was almost as if Alice mentally flinched at the sight of him.

Alice could plainly see how hard Alfred was trying, but she couldn't bring herself to drop it. Though it had been two weeks since it happened, she still got flustered at the sight of that seemingly-perfect man. It wasn't so much as anger anymore, but more like utter confusion. Why had her dreams of Alfred become more realistic ever since he had kissed her? It were almost as if Alfred's kiss had propelled her mind and heart into overdrive while awake and even in slumber. Why was he the only thing on her mind?

"Hey, uh, Alice," Alfred awkwardly began during a lunch break in between filming sessions. His eyes widened when he saw her nearly jump out of her skin at the sound of his voice. True, they had been sitting in silence for the past fifteen minutes, but had she really been so distracted as to forget that he was there? "Are you doing okay? You haven't exactly been yourself lately."

She could feel her cheeks growing hot as she struggled to look up at the handsome blond across the table from her. "I'm perfectly fine, Alfred. Don't concern yourself with little, old me. Worry more about the filming today."

Alfred sighed and unceremoniously dropped his fork onto his plate. "Was what I did so wrong, Alice?" he asked. "No matter how many times I apologize or try to fix things, you only hold tighter to that one mistake I made. Was what I did that bad? Was it that unforgivable? Just talk to me, Alice," he pleaded. "Things are weird between us right now. Please let me know what I have to do to fix it."

"It's not that simple, Alfred," Alice quietly answered. "Ever since that, my mind has been in a frenzy. My dreams have been absolutely absurd! They're so lucid that I'm starting to have trouble with differentiating them from reality! You're in every single one of them! Alfred Franklin Jones, what have you done to me?!" She balled her hands into fists and slammed them onto the table in frustration. "Those stupid memories you apparently have of us from only God knows how many timelines have been transferring to my dreams. I will ask you once more. What have you done to me?"

"I didn't do anything, Alice."

"That's bloody bullshit, and you know it, Alfred!" she shouted, standing up and glaring at him from across the table.

"But I really didn't do anything!" Alfred insisted. "Are you suggesting that I am controlling your thoughts from outside of your head? Do you even realize how stupid you sound right now?!" Only after the words left his mouth did the man realize his blunder.

"Stupid?" she asked, a terrifying calmness in her voice. "You think I sound stupid, Alfred?" There was an icey edge to each word that escaped her lips, which Alfred knew only to exist whenever she was furious beyond belief. "Who was the bloody twat who began this sort of past lives talk in the first place?! Because it sure as hell wasn't me! You were so intent on discussing these bloody past lives with me, but now that I am willing to discuss them, you call me stupid!"

"Yeah, I really didn't think before speaking," Alfred groaned to himself.

"You're damn right you didn't think, Alfred!" she shouted. "You never do!" Her hand clenched into a tight fist. "This all stemmed from that night when you were drunk off your ass and rambling about some Beatles concert we apparently attended in a past life! Yet you, Alfred Jones, have the audacity to call me stupid?!" She stormed over to his side of the table and, before she could stop herself, slapped Alfred as hard as she could, knocking his glasses across the room. Alice instantly recoiled, realizing what she had done. Her voice panicked and shaking, she attempted an apology. "Alfred, I…" She was at a loss for words.

"I deserved that," he quietly stated, standing up. His movements were stiff as he walked over to where his glasses landed and picked them up. "Do you feel better now?"

Alice held her hands tightly in front of her, her emerald gaze drifting to the floor. She couldn't bring herself to even look at him. Her stomach twisted in a knot as the severity of the consequences of her actions weighed down heavily upon her. At the very least, she would be fired on the spot, yet who knew if Alfred Jones would be that kind after what she had done. Her brain went into a frenzy as she tried to comprehend how much she would lose if he decided to sue her for hitting him. Anything he may have been yelling at her fell upon deaf ears as the panic rose higher and higher in her body. It was only when she felt herself wrapped in a firm embrace that she finally came back to her senses.

Alfred had wrapped his arms tightly around her, realizing how panicked he was. He couldn't bear to see the devastation on her face any longer. His chest was soon soaked with the tears that he knew she had no idea she was crying. He cradled her head against him as she began to calm down.

"What is the meaning of this?" she slowly asked. "Aren't you going to fire me? Sue me?"

He chuckled as he nuzzled the top of her head. "Of course not," he simply said. "After this and the gazebo incident, I'd say we are even."

An overflowing sense of relief, washed over Alice. She doubted it was only relief, though. In her mind, something seemed to have changed about Alfred, though she couldn't name what it was exactly. Something about him seemed more beautiful than before, and she tried to convince herself that it only seemed that was because he spared her career.

"Are we feeling better now?" Alfred asked, pulling away. He put his hand under Alice's chin and tilted her head up to look at him, showing her his dazzling smile. "You're not still mad at me, are you?"

The manager sighed. "How could I be after you spared me and showed me mercy?" Her emerald eyes met his. "You are much too kind to me, Alfred Jones."

He winked at her. "Think nothing of it, sweetheart."

Alice's face instantly flushed. "There you go again," she lectured. "You are much too charming and flirtatious for your own good." She crossed her arms in a pout. "Then again, it is part of your image, so I guess I can't be too upset over it." Her hand pushed her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose. "Do tell me what I am supposed to do with you when you act this way," she sighed.

"Whatever you'd like to do," he flirtatiously responded before taking off toward the set to continue recording.

His manager clenched her fists tightly by her side after he disappeared. She was glad he was gone, so that way he wouldn't see the charmed expression on her face. Alice had no idea how much longer she could take him being that way before jeopardizing her career by falling madly in love with him. Didn't he think about her job before he did such things? While it aggravated her, she did feel a sort of fuzzy feeling in her heart, knowing that she was the woman who spent the most time with him and knew him best. Or at least that's what she wanted to believe.

.

"Alice Kirkland!" Alfred cried out, smacking his fists onto the desk she had been working at, causing her to let out a startled shriek. His grin was almost too big for his face. "Do you have plans tonight?"

She regained her composure and shuffled her papers around on her desk. "No, I don't. And do refrain from ever doing that again. I thought my heart was going to stop." Even as she said those words, she could still feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "Do you get some kind of sick and twisted pleasure from frightening people to their near deaths?"

"Maybe," he sing-songed back at her. He leaned across her desk at her. "What do you say you and I go get some dinner tonight? We haven't had a decent meal together in a long time. There's a new place that I want to check out, and I think you'll like it. They even have scones on the menu!"

Her posture perked up when she heard that there were scones. "What kind of a place is it?"

He pushed his slender index finger against her lips. "Hush now, Miss Kirkland. All I need is a nod or a head shake." Alfred winked a blue eye at her, a confident smile playing on his lips.

Alice thought it over. She didn't have much paperwork left to do at work, and that would resolve in her finishing her work for the day. Also, Alfred was right, they hadn't have a decent dinner in awhile due to the awkwardness between them. The pros had definitely outweighed the cons and she found herself nodding in agreement.

"Sweet!" he cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "How much more work do you have left to do so I can make a reservation?"

She glanced at the small pile of papers to the left of her. "Give me an hour to finish my paperwork and primp myself up a little."

Alfred felt his heart skip a beat when she said she wanted to primp herself up. Was she wanting to look nicer for him? He could feel a blush rising to his cheeks and turned his back to her, heading toward the door of her office. "Yes, ma'am. I'll be back in an hour."

His manager watched him go, smiling fondly after him as he left. She almost felt as if she were the only person who ever saw this side of Alfred. It was nice that he was pretty playful and fun, making her job much, much easier. There was nothing she didn't enjoy when working with him.

She chided herself for admiring him as he left. If she couldn't focus on her work, then she wouldn't get to go out to dinner with Alfred. That was enough motivation for her to get the job done in record time.

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Alfred rapped on the door of Alice's office an hour later. He really hoped that he didn't put on too much cologne. Though he was a grown man, he still managed to struggle with the amount of cologne to put on. Maybe it was just his nerves getting to him over the fact that he and Alice were finally going on a date again after so long.

"Come in," Alice softly called through the door.

When he opened the door, he saw her fastening the final pin she needed for her hair style. He was rendered speechless and breathless. Sure, he saw her all dolled up on multiple occasions, but knowing that she looked like this specifically for him made him more happy than he cared to admit.

Alice turned around to face him. She had touched up her makeup just enough to add definition to her eyes and make them pop. "Are you ready, Alfred?" she asked, smiling softly. She had taken extra care to make sure she fit his preferences that she knew of. He was always taking her breath away whenever they were together, but now it was her turn to repay the favor. All she wanted was to make him breathless, and she would be damned if that didn't happen.

Alfred took a moment to come to his senses, much to Alice's delight. "What? Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm good to go. How about you?" He struggled to find words to say. What was wrong with him? He had never been a man who was ever at a loss for words, yet he couldn't think of a damn thing to say as he looked at the beautiful girl who stood before him. "You look nice," he finally said.

Her cheeks flushed. "Th-Thank you, Alfred." Though she planned to render him speechless, once she achieved her goal, she didn't exactly know what to do. She didn't know how to follow up. "You, uh, look nice as well," she managed to say after a long pause.

What was so different at that moment than any other night they went to get dinner? Why were things so awkward? Was it because they had just made up from an awkward blunder that put a rift in their relationship? Relationship? What kind of relationship did they truly have? What did Alfred really think of Alice, and vice versa?

He grinned at her and offered her his arm. "Shall we go, Alice?" His bright blue eyes took in every last inch of the woman in front of him. He just couldn't get enough of her and internally reminded himself that he was not allowed to make any moves on her again. "You're going to love this place. It has all kinds of traditional British food."

"There are people who don't have the palette for British food," she slowly said, looping her arm through his. "Are you sure you can handle that?"

"If it's something you like, then I'm certain that I'll enjoy it as well," he said, leading the way out of the office. "After all, you've never steered me wrong yet, right?"

Alice tightened her grip on his arm as she smiled. "And I don't plan to."