"Whoa...that's a lot of cake..." Elliot had ordered at least half the cakes the store had to offer. And somehow, he managed he scarf them all down easily. I looked down at my half-eaten slice of chocolate cake, feeling slightly self-conscious for being such a slow eater. Here he was just scarfing his face, while I was just eating slowly and politely as I was taught to. Then again, eating too fast could give one a stomach ache...

I paused to watch Elliot shove another slice of carrot cake in his mouth, before hesitantly cutting off another bit of my chocolate cake. He was eating similar to the way I was, but was still scarfing them all down so fast! Was his stomach a bottomless pit or something?

"Thanks for the cake, Elliot." I spoke quietly, not looking at him. The March Hare paused with his fork halfway to his mouth before smiling.

"Hey, it's no problem! I never get to eat out with anyone anymore, so I was really happy when you agreed to my proposition! Alice is always so busy with Blood that we other role-holders hardly get a chance to see her..." His rabbit ears drooped and hung down beside his head. I wanted to hug the poor guy. "But we got you now!" His ears propped right back up into place as he beamed at me, his sad mood gone almost spontaneously. "You're nice, too! You should visit the mansion more often so we can hang out! Hey, have you tried any of the carrot cakes yet? This one's really good!"

I swallowed the piece of cake I had been chewing and blinked, looking down at the cream-cheese-frosted carrot cake. Originally I had thought it was vanilla frosting, but now that I'm actually paying attention, it looked like straight-up cream cheese. I looked up at Elliot, who staring at me expectantly with a smile on his face. Resisting the urge to scowl uncertainly, I cleaned my fork off with my napkin before taking a small piece off the specific cake, sticking it into my mouth and chewing slowly.

To my surprise, it tasted really good. I wasn't too big on carrot cakes in general, but this one tasted really good. It was probably because of the cream cheese. Elliot grinned widely at the look on my face and exclaimed, "See! Isn't it delicious!? Carrot cakes are the best!"

I hung my head in embarrassment, but that didn't stop the smile from forming on my face. I swallowed and muttered, "Y-yeah... It's-It's pretty good, actually."

"See! I knew you'd like it! Hey, try this one, too! And this one!"

"Uh..."

Remind me to avoid eating cake with Elliot again. I narrowly avoided getting a stomachache. It was fun though, I'll admit. We continued eating, Elliot trying to get me to try almost every cake he had bought, until it changed to morning. Elliot paused and looked out the window, scowling. I looked at him in confusion.

"What's wrong?" He looked at me surprised.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. I'm just not looking forward to the Assembly very much." My eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Wait, there's another meeting?"

"You didn't know?" Elliot asked shocked. "I figured since you were living at the Clover Tower, you knew all about it. We're having one in the next two time changes. You were all dressed up, so I assumed you were going."

Wait...All role-holders have to attend the Assembly, which means Pierce is going to be there, which means I can give him the cheesecake then!

"Yeah-Yeah, I'm going. Alice made me go shopping with her, so I was stuck having to wear this." I shifted uncomfortably in the dress, pressing my legs together with a scowl. It felt so weird without leggings or shorts. "I didn't know there was going to be another assembly, but now that I do, I'm planning on going."

"You sure? It's extremely boring."

"Eh, I'll live." I finished off my slice of strawberry cheesecake and quickly wiped my mouth and fingers off with a napkin. "Well, I'm full. You?"

Elliot pouted at some of the leftover cakes that he didn't get to touch yet, before sighing. "Blood will get angry if I'm late...Hey, can we get these cakes to-go?" He called over to one of the counter-people. An employee then moved over and placed multiple boxes on the table, leaving Elliot and I to put the leftover in said boxes. I then stood up and dashed over to the counter, pulling out the wad of money Nightmare gave me right before Elliot came and got me, and asked,

"Can I get plain cheesecake to-go, please? You-You can keep the change." The chef looked a little surprised at me before smiling and saying,

"Of course!" He sounded french, and oddly reminded me of Pierce. Pierce had the slightest bit of an accent-it was hardly noticeable, but it was there if you paid enough attention. "Here you go!" After a few moments of waiting, he handed me a white box with the store's label on it. The cheesecake was inside. "Pleasure to see you here, young miss! Have a nice day!"

...Blood was British, Pierce was French. Boris and I were American and Elliot...I think he was American as well. Or was Boris Japanese? I have no idea. Okay, you know what? I'm not going to bother. All I know is that Pierce's last name is pronounced "Villiay" rather than the way it's spelled.

My head hurt. I'm not going to bother. I'm done. Screw it. I'm finished. I'm just going to head back to the tower and bug Nightmare.

Elliot looked down at me surprised once I returned to where he was standing. "What did you buy the cake for? Are you planning on eating it later?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no. Not-Not really. I-I'm getting it for a friend, since I was told he likes Cheesecake..."

"What friend?" Elliot asked curiously as we walked out of the store, carrying his cake boxes.

"His-His name's Pierce..." Elliot stopped and looked down at me stunned. I looked up at the adult in confusion.

"You're friends with Pierce? The dormouse?"

I blinked at his incredulous tone. "Um, yeah...Why? Do you not like him?" Elliot looked stunned at my questioned.

"What; where'd you come up with that?"

"W-Well, I-I don't-I don't know! It's was just the way you asked!"

We started to walk again. Elliot said, "I don't have a grudge against him or anything; he actually works for Blood, too." I was stunned. Pierce was Mafia? No way. That guy? "The twins just chased him out of the Mansion with their bullying, and Blood put a ban on coffee, so that was why Pierce ran away here to Clover."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "So, wait...he actually does work for the Mafia? Why did Blood ban coffee?"

"Because he hates it. Pierce hates tea," Oh...ouch. Then again, I'm not too big on coffee either. I'll only drink black and on half-strength. Again, it still tasted strange. "So that was one of the reasons he left the Mansion. He's an okay guy in my opinion, though he can get annoying at times."

Hm...I guess I can see where he's coming from. "What does Pierce do in the Mafia?"

"He cleans up after everything."

Cleans up...after the Mafia. Oh, my god. Does that mean what I think it does? Images of Pierce cleaning up dead bodies popped up into my head, along with images of him dragging said dead bodies into the woods. "That's...slightly disturbing, but okay. So he buries the dead bodies?"

"Yep." How the hell is this conversation so casual?

"...Does he do anything else?"

"He interrogates people for us."

"...That's lovely." I have no idea what to think anymore. It was difficult imagining someone like Pierce acting like Ramsey and stripping skin off of a person's body. God, I hated Ramsey. Unfortunately, now that I'm in Wonderland and they have no TV, I'll never see how he dies-if he dies. So sad... "Does he kill people, too?"

"Occasionally."

Greeeat, I became friends with the Mafia without even realizing it. And here I am, trying to befriend the person who shot me. Yeah. I'm a masochist. "Okay then." I bought Cheesecake for the Mafia. Sounds legit. Wait, why am I acting so freaked out by this? It's a demented version of Wonderland, I know this. The Mad Hatter is a Mafia Boss, the caterpillar is an Incubus, and the Cheshire Cat is a goofy teenage boy who likes to chase around a kissy-dormouse who apparently works for the Mafia. The White Rabbit also happens to be a germaphobe.

See? I got this.

...

"Nightmare, what are you doing?" He was hanging from a chandelier...again. "You're going to end up killing yourself by doing that."

"Quiet! Gray will hear you!"

"How do you even get up there anyway? There's no ladder."

"I can fly!"

"In dreams, yeah, but-"

"I can in reality, too, you know! My powers aren't limited to the dream world!"

"...I question you."

"As I question you!"

Just then Gray barged into the room with a ladder slung over his shoulder, strolling in casually with an annoyed look on his face. "Lord Nightmare, please, behave yourself. The Assembly is to start in ten minutes. You must attend the meeting."

"I REFUSE!" Nightmare yelled defiantly, and I screamed as I tried to avoid being splattered with his blood. It hit the floor and I cried out in disgust,

"Gross!"

Nightmare started yelling in protest loudly as he held onto the chandelier for dear life, Gray having already set the ladder down and climbed on it, and was now pulling on one of Nightmare's legs and trying to get him to release his hold on the chandelier. "No! I'm not going!"

"Lord Nightmare, please! Stop acting so childish and do your job!" There was an accent! Is he British, too!? It's hardly noticeable but it's there! I hear it! I've seen enough DanandPhilgames videos on Youtube to recognize a British person when I hear one!

"You're my employee! You're suppose to be respecting me! Why are you so mean to me!?" Nightmare had tears in his eyes, "I'm not childish!"

"Have you tried tickling him?" I suggested, causing Nightmare to let out a squeal of utmost terror. Gray looked thoughtful for a moment before looking at Nightmare with glinting gold eyes.

"No, I haven't. Lord Nightmare, are you weak against tickling?" Nightmare turned really really pale at this. I felt bad, but I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face in amusement.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" All you could hear was Nightmare's screams of terror as Gray attacked him with his free hand, tickling the back of Nightmare's knees and causing the Incubus to break out laughing so hard, he ended up coughing up blood and going limp. Gray managed to catch Nightmare before he fell to his death and slung him over his shoulder, crawling casually down the ladder.

Wow...I feel so mean towards Nightmare, but at least he'll actually go the Assembly now.

"You...are all...meanies!" Nightmare gasped, banging his fists tiredly against Gray's back. One of their servants walked up and grabbed the ladder, folding it before carrying it away with both arms. That made me question how strong Gray really was. "You are all traitors!"

I quickly ran up to Gray and Nightmare, looking back nervously as I watched one of the maids clean up the puddles of blood Nightmare created with his coughing fits, before rushing over to the kitchen and opening the fridge. To my relief, the cheesecake was still in there and untouched. Grabbing it, I ran out to find Gray and Nightmare, surprised to find them already in the Assembly Hall.

People were already starting to gather inside the room, and they all looked like they were regretting even coming here. I looked around, sitting in the row I did before, waiting for Pierce to pop up. Since I was a foreigner and not a role-holder, I was allowed to sit wherever I wanted. I held the cheesecake nervously.

What if Alice lied and he really doesn't like cheesecake? What if I just make a big fool of myself trying to give it to him? I cringed at my thoughts. Ugh. I hated being me. The Hatter Family arrived first, Blood walking in with his arm around a blushing Alice's waist, Elliot and the twins following behind him loyally before they took their seat in their respectful row. Then Vivaldi, Peter, and Ace showed up. Vivaldi was yelling at Ace for trying to make them late, while Peter just gave everyone a cold look-until he saw Alice that is.

His hard stare turned warm almost instantly, and I was taken by surprise at the sudden change of attitude. So...Peter was cold to everyone except Alice and me, and...Nightmare? He was more civil towards Nightmare than anyone else I've seen him talk to, but he was still kinda cold towards him. Hm, interesting. Then Pierce and Boris came in. Boris was holding Pierce by the collar of his jacket, the poor boy frozen in fear as tears formed in his eyes. Boris dropped Pierce into his row and watched as the boy scooted away frantically from the Cheshire Cat.

Now was my chance...But-But what if he didn't like cheesecake? Ah, screw it. I'll shove it down his throat if I have too! Walking over awkwardly, ignoring multiple stares, I sat between Pierce and Boris, both males looking at me in surprise. This way I could talk to Pierce and also stop Boris from threatening him. Killing two birds with one stone if you ask me.

Making my decision, I looked up at Pierce hesitantly and asked, ignoring the confused look on his face, "Do...Do you-Do you like cheesecake?"

"Hm?" He tilted his head at me, confused. If I looked behind me, I'd see Boris' surprised and stunned face. "Is that what's in the box? Why?"

Damn it, I could feel everyone staring at me. This was embarrassing. And it sucks even more, because Nightmare hasn't even started the assembly yet! God, this is so humiliating... I cleared my throat and diverted my gaze for a moment before turning my head and looking at him out of the corner of my eyes. "J-Just answer the question... E-Elliot and I went to eat cake earlier and-and there was a cheesecake left over that no one touched, s-so..."

Why was I lying? Good lord, I felt like an idiot. I hope the people watching are enjoying my pain. Jerks.

I could feel Pierce's eyes boring into my skull, and I made the mistake of looking at him. His eyes locked onto mine and I froze. His ear twitched, and I had the slightest inkling that he heard my heartbeat speed up a little. Is it just me or is it a little warmer in here? Ugh... I'm blushing, aren't I? Damn it.

Suddenly the box was snatched out of my hands and I was left to glare at Boris, who was opening it and peeking inside. He complained, "How come you give the rat something and not me!? I like cheesecake, too!"

"Because I can!" I growled, reaching out and trying to snatch it back from Boris, "Now give it back!"

"No! I'm hungry."

"BORIS! Give it back; I bought it for Pierce, not for you!" Boris raised his eyebrow at me and smirked, reaching a finger up and poking me in the forehead. I blinked confused. Why was he giving me that look?

"Eh~? I thought you said it was an extra... Did you lie?"

"It was an extra!" I growled. What made him figure out I was lying? "Now give it back!"

"But you just said you bought it for him. So, which was it?" Crap. I didn't even notice.

"J-Just give it back before I step on your foot again!" His face suddenly appeared right in front of mine, and I had to lean my head back uncomfortably. I didn't like how close he was. "Wh-What!?"

His nose twitched and I realized he was sniffing me. I tensed and felt my face turn even redder. "You smell like sweets...but you never touched a single cheesecake. So, was it really an extra?"

I exploded. "Yes, fine, damn it, you win! I bought the stupid thing for Pierce because Alice told me cheesecake was one of his favorites, and I didn't know if he hated me or not for leaving him at the Hatter's Mansion, so I was gonna apologize, and I thought-Hey, Elliot said there's a cake shop? Does Pierce like cheesecake? And then I felt stupid for that thought because it was completely stereotypical since he's a mouse, but asked Alice anyway after she made me go shopping with her and she said yes, so I asked Nightmare if I could borrow some money so I could buy the cheesecake and give it to Pierce because I didn't know when I was gonna see him and I had no idea if Elliot was going to let me bring a friend with, so I settled with bringing him something from the shop instead! My apologies for trying to be nice! Obviously I'm not allowed, so maybe I should just keep being a jerk instead!?"

I blinked, completely stumped and confused, when Boris grinned and placed the box in my hands.

"See? Was that so hard?" His eyes flashed mischievously at me as he smirked.

...Haaaaah? I-I'm so confused...What just happened? My brain couldn't process it. Was I...tricked? Wait, did Boris know all along? How!?

He chuckled and flicked my lightly in the forehead. "I saw you buy the cake in town when I was walking past the shop." He then leaned down, whispering in my ear with a grin, "I also saw you cuddling with that stuffed bear in the toy store when Alice wasn't looking." I froze, and was barely able to react when Pierce suddenly shot up and wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me away from a laughing Boris.

He...he saw? I was horrified. Now-Now he's going to make fun of me! He'll never let me live it down! NOOOOOOO!

"Don't touch her!"

Haaah? My poor brain. I barely noticed Pierce pulled the box out of my hands and set it on his lap, or when he reached up and kissed me on the cheek with a "Chuu"~! I blinked multiple times before my brain started to work again, turning to look at Pierce in confusion when I saw opening the box. He looked down and smiled at me, causing...something to flutter about in my chest. It was difficult not to smile back.

"I love cheesecake! Thank you-Chuu!"

"Oh, uh, you-you're welcome?" It came out more like a question, still slightly confused by all the sudden events.

He chuckled at my confused face. "You're so cute, chuu~!"

"Uh...I try?"

"W-Welcome everyone, t-to th-this Assembly," Nightmare's voice stammered out. "F-Fellow t-territories..." Poor guy. Oh, hey! I can think again! Thank you, Nightmare! His voice squeaked a little right after I said that and I flinched. Sorry...

I jumped when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and whirled my head around to see Pierce hugging me, his head resting on my shoulder with a smile on his face. Wh-What's he doing?

"You're so nice..." He mumbled, causing me to blink at him. His grip tightened on me and I tensed when felt his hands touch my bare arms. He was...surprisingly warm. Slowly, I relaxed into the awkward hug, causing Pierce's ear to twitch.

Boris looked at the scene with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, his tail swishing back-and-forth in amusement. "I want a pillow, too, you know." He said, his cat ears twitching. I stared at him blankly, but that didn't last long before a grin spread across my face.

"Deal with it. You got a fluffy black thing." Boa. I think that's what it's called. I like "fluffy black/pink thing" better though. He pouted at me, and he seriously reminded me of Amber at that moment. (Thought I forgot about her, huh? No...She just likes to hibernate in Nightmare's room. Traitor) I stuck my tongue out at him with a smirk. "Besides, if you tried to use me as a pillow, I'd be squished."

"Like this?" Before I could react, Boris wrapped one arm around my shoulders and the other around my stomach, his head resting on my shoulder. This...was awkward. Wait, why hasn't Pierce squeaked in terror yet? Turning my head to look at the teen, I tensed when I got a face-full of soft red hair. I blinked and looked down, surprised to see Pierce breathing softly with closed eyes...

He was sleeping. Kinda...cute, actually. Like a baby.

Awkwardly, I moved my left arm-the one that was not being held by the sleeping mouse or crushed by the crazy cat-and placed my hand on Pierce's head, gently ruffling his hair. Due to me moving my arm and shoulder, his head and fell and rested on my chest, causing me to tense before forcefully relaxing. Samuel and Samantha used to use me as a pillow like this all the time, so honestly I should be used to it by now...

But they were family. Pierce wasn't.

I petted his head slowly and made a face when Boris yawned next to my ear. "Can you pet me too?" He asked quietly, sounding rather tired. I looked surprised, debated whether or not to actually do it, before sighing and doing as he asked. He was a cat, so... I reached up and scratched behind his left ear, drawing out a purr, before running a hand down through his hair. I brushed my thumb across his scalp gently for a small moment before running my hand down his head. I tensed when he nuzzled my neck, breathing softly. "That feels good..."

Aaaand they're both asleep. And on me. Greeaaat. Just what I wanted... I could feel my face heat up in embarrassment and had a feeling my heart picked up the pace again. I looked up at the people in the other rows and flinched, quickly diverting my gaze when I saw some people smirking and smiling at me in amusement. Vivaldi looked rather interested, while Peter looked like he wanted to shoot the two animal-attribute teens. Ace was just smiling like the hopeless idiot he was-remind me to apologize to him later for snapping at him- and Elliot just looked amused at the whole thing. Blood was smirking at me, and I swore I saw him give me a thumbs up from underneath the table.

Please remind me to bang my head against a wall later. This is so embarassing.

Alice just looked at me with a small smile, not sure whether to be sympathetic or amused.

Ugh...Kill me now. B-But...

I scowled, leaning my head back as I glared at the ceiling.

They're so cute when they're sleeping...like little kids... I suddenly remembered something. Pierce doesn't get to sleep because of the fear of Boris eating him, so how...is he sleeping so easily when Boris is right next to him? Does Pierce ever get to sleep at all? That was an interesting question.

The Assembly continued on for about another hour or two, with Nightmare stammering as he tried to address everything. I let out a yawn myself, all my limbs having fallen asleep due to the two teens using me as a pillow, before deciding to lean my head back and try and sleep for myself.

...

I slammed the door open and ran in, rushing over the bed the sleeping adult was on.

"Derek! Derek, wake up! It's me, Alexis! Derek!" I cried out, shaking the adult frantically as I tried to wake him up. "Bro! Dude! Derek! Delilah! Whatever you want me to call you in order to wake you up! WAKE UP!" The dirty-blonde groaned and shifted in his sleep, his glasses still on his face. Derek must have fallen asleep while fixing something. All his tools were still spread across the bed. Honestly, how can he expect to get a girlfriend if he's so careless about his health? "Brother!"

"A...lexis?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows at me as he yawned. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Aurora?"

"I-" I cut myself off, realizing that he really didn't know about my disappearance. "You're dreaming right now, Derek. I'm not in Aurora anymore."

"Then where are you?" He questioned, frowning as he sat up and pulled off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes. "It's three o' clock in the morning. Why are you in my dorm room? And how am I dreaming?"

"Because I can apparently walk in dreams. You wouldn't believe me if I told you where I was."

Derek frowned as he placed on his glasses, before blinking as he took in my current attire. "Hey...That outfit..." He froze. He then shot up off of his bed and grabbed me by the shoulders, leaning down to look me in the eyes. "Alexis. Tell me where you are, right now."

"Th-The Assembly Hall in C-Clover Tower..."

"Clover?" He appeared confused. "That's not right...Mom said it was Diamond."

"...Hah?" What did he mean "Mom"? He never spoke about Mom. Yeah, he knew her before she died when he turned ten, but... "What are you talking about?"

He looked at me blankly for a moment, an expression that was often found on my face and mirrored, before stating in realization, "Oh, that's right! Sorry, I forgot you didn't know her. She went to Diamond Country. You must be in one of the other three, then. Hey, you wanna see the project I'm working on!? An idiot broke his watch so I have to fix it-" I cut him off when he reached over to grab his screwdriver.

"Derek. What do you mean Mom went to Wonderland?" He froze, before dropping himself onto the bed and crossing his legs with a frown. He turned his head and bit his lip. He then reached up and scratched the side of his neck, a habit I gained from him, sighing.

"She was nineteen, okay? She said her parents died in a fire. Then she got abducted by a black rabbit. Met a boy named Nightmare, told her how to get home, and she wasted no time in talking to people and filling her vial. She went home and instantly regretted it, having not realized her parents were dead."

"Wait, what do you mean she didn't know her parents were dead!? You said that she was depressed because of their deaths!"

"The boy she met erased her memories about it. He was giving her a chance to be happy." Derek explained, fiddling with his fingers as he tried to stop them from tapping against his leg. He had horrible ADHD, but when he wanted he was able to focus. He just needed a distraction to keep him working. He then grabbed his screwdriver and the broken watch on the bed, fiddling with it and twisting in a small bolt. "He regretted that decision when she left. Mom met dad then, and had me. She wasn't expected to have another kid, but you popped up suddenly and she was all happy. She threw a fit that she had to go to work and leave you at home with me. Before she left, she told me the story about Diamond and the people she met; how she met a guy named Sydney, the guy who grabbed her, and how she really liked him, but went home regardless because she thought her parents needed someone to take care of them. She had no idea they were dead. Unfortunately, once she left Wonderland, she couldn't go back, and said that if I ever ended up going there, and met someone I really liked, I should stay. She told me to tell you the same thing, but I didn't really believe her all that much until she showed me a picture she took."

"Derek..."

"So, don't go thinking that you should return for some "duty" or whatever. If you're happy there, stay there. But only make the choice when your vial is filled. Mom didn't want us to make the same decision as her."

"B-But..." Why... "Why can't I!? I miss you! I miss you, and dad, and my friends! Why are you telling me to stay!?"

"Because mom's last wish was for us to be happy! The hospital couldn't save her, and dad was unable to preserve her happiness! All she wants is for us to be happy! So-So even if...Even if I won't see my little sister again, as long as you're happy..." Derek's eyes were starting to water and he quickly turned his head from, frowning as he glared at a wall. "As long as you're happy, you can stay there. But!" He quickly whirled around and gave me a stern look, causing me to stare at him blankly. "The very second someone makes you cry, makes you unhappy in Wonderland, you come back instantly, okay!? I'm not letting you stay if you're unhappy!"

"D-Derek..."

"What is it?" Before he could react, I tackled him, burying my face into his chest as I cried. He was surprised and had to catch his balance so not to fall off the bed. He wrapped his arms around me and holding me close. "Hey...No crying. You know I don't like seeing my little sister cry."

"I don't care what mom said! You're my-my brother! I'm not-I'm not gonna leave you here!"

"Then find someone and make him your brother, Alexis." I froze at his words, kind as they may be, and looked up at him stunned. He was smiling softly at me. "I think you can do that for me, yeah? Get a new brother? I love you, but if you're going to cry..." He looked like he was about to cry himself. I never should have opened his door. "Then find a brother who won't make you cry."

"B-But...you're my brother..." I don't want a different brother! I want my brother! I flinched when he kissed my forehead, before flicking me in the face. I whined. "Why'd you do that!?"

"Because you won't stop complaining! I'm trying to be the good guy here and not be selfish, and here you are making me regret every word that's comin' outta my mouth! How rude are you? You think I want to give up my little sister to some random guy? I'm thinkin' 'bout you here!" He let out a loud yawn and fixed me with another annoyed face. "I'm trying to be nice, but you're crying and complaining about me being nice, and making me want to be a jerk and guilt-trip you into coming back here!"

"S-Sorry..."

"No apologizing! I'll smack you if you do." I flinched, but scowled at him. I wiped my tears away with my hands. I inhaled shakily and sighed, hugging Derek again. "Good girl. No more crying. You look hideous."

"Hey!" I said and pulled back, smacking him in the arm. He laughed at me as I pouted. "You're so mean! Besides, I don't even know for sure if I'm gonna stay in Wonderland or not! I have to think about other people, too, you know."

He pouted and scowled, turning his head. "What? Am I not important enough?"

"Hey, hey, I never said that! Stop twisting my words!"

"I can't twist something if I'm not holding something."

"Gah-Shut up! Jerk!"

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too."

I scowled at him before muttering reluctantly, "Love you too, jerk." He grinned before reaching out and pulling me into another hug.

"I'm gonna miss you squirt!"

"I'm not a squirt! You're just tall!"

"Haha! Lie to yourself all you want!"

"I'm not lying! You're twenty-five! You have an unfair advantage in height!" It was true. Derek was six-foot-one. He'd make one heck of a basketball player. "Wah! You're fading!"

"Says you."

"No! I don't wanna wake up yet!" I complained, planning on punching the person who's waking me up. Derek hugged me one last time, causing me to blink in surprise before hugging him back. "Derek?"

"Don't make a decision you'll regret," He warned me, just as everything faded.

"Chuu!" I groggily opened my eyes and blinked at the feeling of something soft pressing against my mouth. My eyes widened at the sight of Pierce pulled away and hugging me with his arms around my neck. "You're so cute-Chuu!"

D-Did he ju-just-? GAH! Why does he keep doing that!? J-Jerk!

He then paused, ear twitching, and pulled away. He looked at me with a wide smile. "You're awake! The Assembly's over now-Chuu!"

"Stop molesting the foreigner!" Boris ordered, glaring at Pierce. The dormouse squeaked and scooted away from Boris, terror in his eyes. Funny how they were sleeping so peacefully next to each other before. Wait, what did Derek say? She met a boy named Nightmare. So did Nightmare...

I was going to have to ask. I stood up, seeing how the Assembly was over, and started to make my way out of the aisle. However, Boris and Pierce would hear none of it.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going!?"

"I need to ask Nightmare something!" I told them quickly, but quickly let out a surprised scream when I was knocked onto the ground, Pierce having tackled my waist.

"W-Wait! You-You don't want to eat the cake with me?" I turned my head and was about to tell him off, only to pause at the look on his face.

Damn waterworks... "Y-You can come with me...I-I guess we can eat it in the kitchen...B-But then right after I'm finding Nightmare!"

He beamed, and before I could escape Pierce quickly lunged and started planting kisses on my face. "You're so cute-Chuu~!"

"H-Hey! S-Stop that-! Gah-!"

There was amused chuckling and I looked up to see Blood standing beside Pierce and me, Alice with an arm around his back. He had an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Well, well. It seems that little miss foreigner has already ensnared the dormouse into her grasp, and is slowly luring in the Cheshire cat."

There was clapping, and I lifted my head up to see Vivaldi staring down at me with an amused ruby-colored smirk. "Alexis knows how to get men to bow to her will. We, Vivaldi, do still approve of you."

"N-Not really!" I protested, putting my hands on Pierce's shoulders and pushing him off. Vivaldi froze once she saw Pierce's face, and looked like she was about to scream. "H-hey! Calm down, calm down! Pierce is friendly!" Pierce just stared at Vivaldi, who let out an ear-splitting scream.

"RAT!"

Pierce broke out into tears.

"Dirty rat-someone kill it!"

I was alarmed. Kill Pierce!? NO! I quickly lunged forward and tackled Pierce, causing the crying mouse to let out a squeak in surprise as he stumbled, before catching his balance. "No killing my friend!"

Vivaldi looked horrified at me. "You are friends with that filthy creature!?"

"Y-Yeah, but I'm also friends with Boris! Do you hate cats too!?" I loved cats. I've never really seen an actual mouse before except for the short story Flowers for Algernon on the cover with the small albino mouse. And the mice on TV...But I thought Algernon was adorable. I felt like crying when I read the story though. It was sad.

Vivaldi just looked confused at this point, and Boris just looked happy at the fact that I called him a friend. I tightened my grip around Pierce when I felt him place his arms around my waist. "You...are friends with both cat and mouse?"

"Y-yeah..."

"We must speak with you later about this confusing concept," Vivaldi said, looking down at me with purple eyes. Man, she was really pretty... "We must go now..."

Wait, where did Ace go? I looked around the room in confusion before frowning in disappointment, realizing I couldn't apologize. Damn it all. Suddenly I was ripped away from Pierce by Peter, who was hugging me tightly.

"I'm horribly sorry for the sudden greeting, but I wasn't aware that we'd have such a late meeting!"

... Oh! Okay, I get it now. Translation: I'm sorry I wasn't able to greet you earlier, but the meeting had already started when you were available to talk to.

"It's fine." I don't think he's going to be killing me...

"Peta!" Pierce cried out happily, about ready to run over and hug Peter and kiss him, but before he could do anything Peter took out his gun and pointed it straight at his forehead with the darkest glare I've ever seen him wear.

"Touch me with those vile hands and I will make you wish that you had ran." Tears welled up in Pierce's eyes as he broke out into sobs.

"Pierce-! Peter, what the heck!?" I demanded, giving him a look. I quickly pushed myself away from him and ran after Pierce, trying to figure out where he went. Unfortunately, when Pierce ran, you couldn't even hear his footsteps, and when he ran...he was fast. Damn it. "Pierce!"

Ugh...Why do I bother? I wandered the hallways trying to find him, pausing when I opened a room with lots of stairs...and doors. Talking doors.

"Open me! ME!"

"No, me! Open me, Alexis!"

"Over here!"

"Shut up! I'm not opening you!" Last time was a fluke, and luckily I didn't even turn the handle before Pierce had tackled me. Nightmare would have gotten mad at me. "So, shush!"

"Open me, please!"

I tried to tune them out as I wandered about the stairs, annoyed. I didn't like this. I shouldn't be here. However, something was telling me to go down these stairs... I paused, seeing a teak wood door with intricate designs on it. "Open me!" It cried. Open it...huh? Slowly I found myself walking towards, eyes glazing over as my mind became blank.

What would happen if I opened the door... Would I go home?

"Open me!"

Something wooden and smooth caressed the palm of my hand as my fingers wrapped around it. My wrist slowly turned...

Pain hit my skull as I felt myself collide against the ground painfully, somebody having tackled me and knocked me to the floor. "What are you doing!?"

"Ow..." I rubbed my poor head and blinked, confused. My blurry vision cleared and I could make out a single forest green eye, accompanied by a face that looked as though it had been crying. "Pierce? Ow...Where am I?"

"Wh-What are you doing here!?"

"Looking for you!" I told him, frowning at him. "What are you doing down here!?"

"I-I was running from P-Peta..." Something then hit me.

"Why did you try to hug Peter if he was just going to shoot you?" He sat up, allow me to push myself up with my arms. The doors finally decided to shut up. Pierce tilted his head as he looked down at me.

"He's a rabbit. I like rabbits. They make me feel comfortable around them, see? That's why I like Peta and Ellie so much!"

...I have no idea what the relationships between mice and rabbits are, but okay. I'll deal with it. "Can I get up now?"

"Are you still going to eat cheesecake with me?"

"Only if you let me stand."