So this is the third or fifteenth (I lost count) effing time I tried saving and updating this chapter but the documents weren't saving. Was anyone else having this situation? Good thing it's fixed now, otherwise you wouldn't be seeing this.

Chapter 15

I was awake before the sun rose over the horizon. Sadie and Alice still were fast asleep in their colored sleeping bags, cradled close to each other like puppies. I couldn't just lay there and not celebrate Misery's riddance…

Besides, I wouldn't pass up a beautiful sunrise, either.

The sun crept over the valleys in the distance, and the faraway lakes and ponds glimmered gold and aqua. The sky burned like fire, flaming reds, yellows and shades of pinks that crawled across the dome of Earth. One by one, stars faded out at the approach of the sun's rays, and the moon soon disappeared behind me. This was the one time I could look at the sun and admire it's God-given beauty without cringing at the brightness, that would occasionally burn my retinas.

I heard the swishing of grass behind me and stop next to me, so close I could feel their covered shoulder brush my arm. I felt my smile grow a tiny bit wider, glad to have Alice's presence by my side.

"You know," I sighed, "If I still had that mindset of controlling the world, and destroying the Guardians...I'd probably make you my queen of darkness."

"Thank goodness for a different mindset, because that sounds so overly cliché." Alice giggled lightly, still waking up at such an early time.

I chuckled as I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. Her sleeping bag was still wrapped around her shoulders for warmth from the chilly winds of the morn.

That got me thinking. We both admitted to wanting each other in our lives...but our love was forbidden from the spirit world. I didn't know what they'd do to me. Lock me up? Prevent me from seeing her again? Or worse ones that I couldn't even think up. Sooner or later I'd have to find a way...and right now I had no clue.

"You've got your thinking face on, honey." Alice said.

I smirked at her for her chosen pet name, and she immediately blushed and looked down, biting back a grin.

"What? It's only fair because you call me princess."

"Because you are," I kissed her forehead and took her into my arms, "I'm a king, and that makes you my princess. You are my shining star, my one and only."

Alice smiled against my chest, bunching her hands up closed at my words. I would always tell her that.

As long as Sadie doesn't hear, because I know that little girl would tease me for days about it.

"Love you, Pitch." Alice mumbled, and I could feel the heat of her cheeks against my chest.

"I love you, too." I murmured while kissing the top of her head, gently rubbing her shoulders.

By the time the sun was up higher in the sky, Sadie woke up. Alice prepared a delicious breakfast called Eggs in Jail, which are french toast slices with round holes in them, that are filled up with a fried egg with a hint of pepper. I only eat food in a celebratory manner or when something special is going on, preferrably something like wine and a fancy appetizer, but this beats tomato basil crostinis any day.

...What? A guy like me cannot enjoy a few delicacies in life? I fully deserved that right. You haven't tried good hors d'oeuvres until you eat the real ones from France.

Sadie wasn't too happy about going back, and was in a particular cranky mood once she and Alice got into a little bicker over her not being responsible with her sleeping bag. This event led to a moment I realized with more in depth attention that Sadie can be a little trickster, and quite impishly at that.

She threw the snow globe to the ground after muttering their home address, and the intended location was the living room of their quaint little home. But...Sadie was still slightly cranky at Alice, so she gave her a little treat.

Alice wasn't dressed properly for the winter on our way back. I warned her to at least put on the jacket, but she just wrapped it around her hips and said all will be well.

Well...not really.

We landed right in the backyard, and it was absolutely freezing. Not to me since temperatures don't bother me, but I could tell it was absolutely frigid because Alice screamed bloody murder and Sadie laughed maniacally before running inside.

"That's for making me fold your own sleeping bag!" Sadie shouted over her shoulder as she whipped open the back door.

Alice's body was shivering, and her nose and fingers were already cold. I was worried for a second. If it was that cold she should immediately get inside, but nonetheless she sprinted after her.

"Sadie you little spoiled-!" Alice scolded so loudly, I was sure the neighbors would hear.

But Sadie, being that immature and childish ten year old, slammed the door shut. I could hear her running down the hallway and saw her through the window head towards the bathroom to run a hot shower, and that made me feel bad for Alice.

Her jacket fell off into the snow while she was running, which now was wet and solid frozen. There was no point in wearing it, and all she had on was a t-shirt to cover her upper body. Alice tried opening the door, but it stuck in its place, as if Sadie locked it.

"Ugh! Sometimes I hate this house." Alice snapped, kicking the door.

"Just pull it open." I pointed to the door, but Alice sighed at that.

"The door gets f-frozen to the lock when it's b-below fifteen degrees outside. This house is so damn old...o-or at least this door and porch is. F-fucking…" Alice muttered, her words becoming shaky with her violent shivering.

"C-Can't you f-f-find a way i-into the house u-using shadows?" Alice stuttered with begging eyes, rubbing her arms frantically.

I winced at that. "I can't. There aren't any shadows around here for me to use...it's pure daylight."

"Oh, f-fuck." Alice cursed, her breath puffing into the air.

"Stop swearing," I said, pulling my arms out of my robe sleeves, "I'll try the door."

Alice's eyes widened when I took off my robe and wrapped it around her. She looked quite honestly shocked into absolute silence. She wouldn't look directly at my face either, just my collarbone.

"Aren't you freezing? You're n-not wearing anything but your pants under t-this!" I could tell she was warmer a bit because her shivering and stuttering decreased slightly.

I shrugged, wrapping both hands around the doorknob, "No, not really. Spirit, remember?"

"Oh...right…" Alice trailed off, lost in her thoughts.

Her silence was welcomed as I concentrated my strength onto the door, of course, without breaking it in any way. The positive to this predicament was that the doorknob was still easy to use, but the opening of the door was solid shut from snow and ice. I tried jiggling the handle a bit but that soon failed. Certain attempts led me to put my foot on the side of the house and pull as hard as I could. I felt my muscles in my arms flex at the resistance the door was giving me.

"This is one crap door!" I grunted, and finally, the door flew open, almost knocking me over completely.

"Ah, there we go!" I smiled, putting my hands on my hips in proud victory. Hey, it's not every day you get to assist a lady and finally have something work thanks to you, "All you have to do is just insult it and it'll open."

I looked back to Alice, who stared at my torso. I looked down, thinking something might be there. What was so fascinating? I looked back up at her, and she immediately glanced away, biting back a smile.

"What?" I asked.

"I...nothing...I just," she smiled sheepishly, "I wasn't expecting abdominals like those under your robe."

I raised a brow and smirked at her, "You've fantasized what's under my robe?"

Alice blushed at that, including the fact her cheeks were bitten from the frigid cold. I shut the door behind us and glanced at her as she struggled for an answer.

"Not all the time...just, sometimes." Alice said quietly, hiding her smile behind my robe I gave her.

I grinned, "You thought that I was a skinny, lanky person, huh? No muscle? Please, I'm a warrior. Even if I'm locked away in the Earth's core I'd still retain some physical strength."

I stalked behind her before grabbing her hips and brushing my lips against her neck, making her shiver and freeze up in shock. "And if you're that curious as to see what's under my clothes, you're allowed to look and touch it all...it's all yours. Because what lies underneath is nothing but pure, animalistic, tantalizing sex-"

"Oh God." Alice blushed as her neck relaxed at my voice.

I would have taken it further, trust me. But as soon as that bathroom door opened and a little ten year old came out in her flannel pajamas, we both turned to her in sync, not a trace of teasing flicking from our eyes. Instantly we remembered that Sadie was in some hot water.

Sadie looked guilty enough, but that wasn't going to change her punishment. She winced, nervously working with her fingers until they turned white at the knuckles. "Um...Sorry. I really am. I forgot that the door-"

"Go to your room." I said as I pointed in her direction.

"Twenty minutes. Think about what you did." Alice added.

Sadie nodded, her head limp like a rag doll's. She muttered an "okay" before sulking over to her door and closing it shut, making sure it didn't slam. Alice sighed, taking off my robe and giving it back to me.

As I put it on and Alice went to take her turn to use the shower, I heard Sadie's door open.

I looked over, thinking she was trying to sneak out now that her sister had the water running in the closed bathroom, but I only saw a little arm come out from the crack of the door, pin a large, square piece of light green paper on her door before closing it again.

That made me want to see what she put up. I've never seen this trick in the book with kids before. What'd she do?

The sign she put up said, I stink. I'm really sorry. I mean it. I'm a poophead stinker.

I accidentally snorted at that when I tried resisting a bark of laughter, and I smothered it into my hand, trying to make the sound less loud. Never, ever, have I heard the words 'poophead stinker' in a sentence. Oh my God, and that it came from a ten year old that didn't know one single swear in the world made it funnier than hell.

But I knew I shouldn't laugh. She was in trouble, even if she was sorry. Granted, I felt bad.

For like a second. Ha ha!

Soon, Alice came out of the shower wearing sweatpants and a long shirt with her hair in a towel, and her eyes caught me laughing into a pillow to muffle the noise so Sadie wouldn't hear.

"You okay, Pitch?" She asked, walking over slowly.

I leaned up, gasping for air. She saw I was laughing at something, and she started chuckling. "What? What happened?" she pressed.

"Sadie's note. On her door. Word choice is exceptional." I could only use fragments than sentences since my sides were splitting.

It took Alice a second before she zoomed back over and whacked the back of my head gently with her towel, making me stop. "What? It's funny!"

"It is not!" Alice scolded quietly, "She's feeling bad. Go talk with her."

"You do know I'm not her father, right? What in God's name do I say?" I asked, standing up abruptly.

Alice shrugged, "I don't know. You figure it out."

"What about that twenty minutes you punished her with?" I folded my arms.

Alice raised a Don't-Argue-With-Me brow. I sighed, my head leaning back in a mini-tantrum before briskly walking over to Sadie's room.

Sadie was on her stomach across her neatly made bed, her feet swinging in boredom in the air. She looked up at the sound of her bedroom door dragging across the carpet, her small mouth still in a disappointed frown.

"I swear I didn't mean to lock her outside." Sadie blurted, sitting up as I closed the door behind me.

"I know. She knows that. But do you know why you're in here?" I asked, folding my hands behind my back.

Sadie watched her feet dig into the carpet, nodding slowly. I sat down next to her, my hands folded neatly on my lap to show I meant business and was completely serious, despite laughing my ass off at the note she left on her door.

"It was dangerous leaving you guys out in the cold." Sadie muttered, looking up at me under her light brown bangs.

I nodded, "It's almost negative three degrees Fahrenheit out there. She could have caught frostbite, and you sent us outside in the means of revenge for something you didn't agree with her on."

"Alright, I get it." Sadie huffed as she looked away. I could tell by her voice she's heard it all enough.

"Do you?" I raised a challenging brow.

"Yes!" Sadie said, honestly looking at me. Her lower lip was out for an extra dramatic effect.

"Good," I stood up and headed towards her sticker decorated door, "You've got fifteen more minutes to think."

Just as I opened the door and stepped through the threshold into the hallway, I turned to look at her. She stared at her feet again, watching them sway back and forth and hit each other. I cleared my throat, making her look up at me.

"Not that I'm supporting you with the intention of revengeful acts, but if you do feel the sudden urge to do something like that...it has to be subtle," I raised a finger to my lips and winked, "Trust me, I would know. Don't tell your sister."

Sadie beamed at that, and as I closed the door, I felt successful that she both learned her lesson and was in a better mood. I felt no guilt for telling her that. Besides, Sadie isn't one to go out and seek revenge on people. She's too soft and kind, much like her sister.

Alice stood in the living room, staring out the window at the glittering snow on the ground and trees that stood out against the bright blue sky. She glanced at my entrance and smiled, but then raised a curious brow when I came over to her and picked her up bridal style.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her hands holding my shoulders to stay upright.

"You're cold still, I'm going to warm you up." I grinned, heading towards her room.

Alice laughed, playfully hitting my chest, "Pitch, I took a hot shower! I'm not freezing anymore. No hanky panky!"

"I wasn't thinking of that, but if you're insisting-" I smirked at her as I kicked open her door and gently placed her on her feet.

"Not yet. What are you planning?" she giggled as I rolled back the sheets and jumped in.

"You humans call it cuddling. For many years I thought it was strange and honestly inferior, but now I want to try it, because I finally have someone worth...cuddling." I awkwardly said, gently taking her hand in mine and coaxing her into joining me.

She immediately flashed a happy smile and nearly leaped into the bed. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and her legs around my waist, her head nestled in the crook of my neck. I laughed and pulled up the covers to our chins, gently kissing the top of her head.

"I think I may grow used to this form of affection." I honestly said, watching her weave her fingers with mine.

"Me, too." Alice smiled, and kissed me, a kiss full of tender and honest love.