Chapter 26, part 1.

Alice barely had the chance to sit down when the door hissed open and she had to get back onto her feet—at least for a moment, until General Carter waved her at ease.

"How did it go?" She asked, taking a seat opposite Alice.

"Well, ma'am, I am officially Dalia Donovan's legal guardian," the younger officer announced with a small smile. "It was smooth sailing. The judge didn't have many questions and no objections at all. Apparently I am a trustworthy person." She shrugged. "I'm sure the statement from Dalia herself helped, too, though I wish she was a little less arrogant while giving it."

Carter smirked. "Where is she now?"

"I left her at home with Deanna. I hope she's accustomed enough to our world now to get by without me for a few hours."

"You could've stayed with her, you know," the general noted with censure in her voice.

Alice shook her head. "I need to crack this thing before Carlo gets too impatient and goes to someone else." She sighed, waving at the whiteboard—which was covered in equations.

"Do you really think there's anyone out there who can crack it?" Carter asked doubtfully. "It's a very different type of technology. I still don't even understand how they got it." She stood up and walked to the table in the middle of the lab to pick up a small object—it was off-white and metallic, with a black screen on top and straps that could fasten it around a person's wrist. "The Tollan never shared their technology with us, I doubt they would have done it with anyone else. And they've been gone for a long time now."

"I can't explain it, either," Alice admitted, joining Carter at the table. "But if I don't manage to fix it, my reputation will suffer."

"Maybe that's not a bad thing," the general suggested, putting the device back down and turning to face Alice. "Don't you think that someone who can literally fix anything they get their hands on would, sooner or later, raise suspicions?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, but it's not like I've done everything they asked—I told them the UAV frequency jammer was only effective seventy to eighty percent of the time. Plus, it doesn't really give them anything—I mean, they know now that we have a Jumper we can use to rescue our teams even when the jammer does work."

"Ah, but are they blaming you for that?" Carter raised her eyebrow and waited until Alice shook her head reluctantly. "Plus, you do realize that if you fix it, they will be able to get through our iris?"

Alice sighed. "I do, ma'am. It complicates things because I have to find a way to deactivate or neutralize it somehow from our end. I don't actually think they will use it to get to us—that would be suicide for whoever goes through, so unless they literally plan on coming here with a bomb and blow themselves up the moment they're on this side of the Gate… well, I don't think they're the sacrificing types. Plus, it's too valuable to waste it on a one-time attempt."

"Maybe, but we have to have a way of stopping it before we release it, anyway," Carter said authoritatively. "Plus, it would be a huge advantage if we could actually understand how it works—this is technology we've never seen anywhere else."

Alice nodded. "I agree. To sum up—that's a lot of work for me…"

"Well, you don't have to do it alone," Carter pointed out with a big grin on her face. "Tell me how far you've gotten and let's put our heads together on this—we can also run it by Bill and Jennifer. Surely the four of us can figure it out!"

"Yes, ma'am," Alice replied, hiding a smirk. Carter seemed so excited by the idea of working on an interesting scientific project again—it was cute. And so they plunged into an interesting discussion that lasted for hours, until Alice's phone started buzzing, reminding her to get some dinner; and then they went to the commissary together, never stopping their conversation.

Alice looked around at the small crowd they'd left behind and smiled sadly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked, low enough only for Jake to hear her as they stepped onto the staircase.

He glanced back, and then sighed. "Yes. I know I'm gonna miss it—all of it, the people, the city, the work… I don't think there's anything in civilian life that could give you as much adrenaline as this gig… or make you feel this—useful, you know? It made me feel like what I did mattered. However small, I had a contribution…"

She nodded gravely, but didn't interrupt him.

"But it's time to move on," he continued after a moment. He stopped near the Gate and turned back again to look at the room and the people gathered on the upper level, come to bid him goodbye. "I've given enough. And I—" he hesitated, looked away and continued after a bit: "It may sound lame, but I don't want to spend all my life alone."

"It doesn't sound lame at all," she reassured him quietly. She grabbed the handle of his suitcase and turned towards the Gate. The symbols have already started flashing.

"And how about you?" He asked, glancing down at her. "How do you feel coming back here after all this time?"

She lifted her eyes to the crowd gathered in the Control Room above. "It's always good to see my friends, but lately—" She sighed. "There's a lot of ghosts in this place nowadays, you know?"

The kawoosh lurched forward, but neither of them flinched. Jake merely looked up and nodded at the group of Atlantians who had come to see him off, picked up the two cartons full of his stuff, and walked into the event horizon. Alice lingered for just a second more and then followed him through.

General Carter was waiting for them at the foot of the ramp on the other side.

"Congratulations on your decoration, Sergeant," she told Jake, shaking his hand. "You more than deserved it."

"Thank you, ma'am." He smiled proudly at her. Of course it wasn't his first award of this kind, but a Commendation Medal—in addition to the Purple Hearth that he was entitled to by the virtue of being wounded in combat—was certainly a way to finish an active duty career on a strong note.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" She asked with a kind smile of her own. "Just say the word and I'll make it happen."

"Thank you, ma'am, but I'm set in my decision." He nodded curtly. "It has been an incredible privilege to be a part of this Program—but it's time for me to move on."

"Well, if you change your mind, you'll always have a place here," she assured him. "Good luck, Gunnery Sergeant Boyd."

He made a show of clicking his boots to stand at attention and saluted rigidly, as if freshly out of bootcamp. Carter responded with a salute of her own and then nodded at him and smiled to Alice.

"Have a good Christmas break, Boyds," she added kindly before leaving them so they could pick up Jake's luggage—all of the things he'd managed to collect over the past two years fit in one big suitcase and two carton boxes.

"You know this doesn't happen too often," Alice mused as they packed it all into the trunk of her car, a while later. "To leave Atlantis willingly… most people get reassigned, or hurt, or—" She stopped, sighed and got into the driver's seat.

"I know, I'm lucky," he acknowledged and then they stayed silent, remembering those who've been lost—Moors, Allison Porter, Karim… Alice shivered, thinking about the future, seeing herself forty years older with sadness and resignation on her face, talking about how Jake was captured and given as a gift to a Wraith Queen, how he stayed behind to ensure his team would escape… This wouldn't happen in this timeline. Maybe someone else would lead that team into that battle—maybe they would die at the hands of the Wraith, maybe some other family's hearts would break—but it wouldn't be hers, and it wouldn't be Jake dying. She didn't know what would happen to him now that the divergence occurred, but surely anything was better… anything was better than knowing when and how your beloved brother would die…

They didn't talk all the way to Alice's house, at which point the combined forces of Deanna and Dalia quickly succeeded at pulling them out of morose wonderings.

"Ahh," Jake sighed contentedly, leaning back in his chair, a glass of wine in his hand. "That was splendid! Mom, you've outdone yourself!"

Eileen smiled condescendingly at him. "You say that every year, honey."

"And every year it's true!" He grinned. "But this time, we even have some outsiders who can make a judgment. Tobey, you've known mom's cooking before, so I'm not gonna ask you, but Oliver, Dalia, admit it—it was the best feast you've ever had in your life!"

"Oh, yes, Mrs. Boyd, it was sooo good!" Dalia enthused sincerely. "Can I please have another piece of pie?"

Alice, pleasantly full and drowsy, snickered. The girl had already eaten more than Jake—and she was half his size. She probably really never had such a feast before. From everything Alice was able to get out of her, Dalia's life wasn't a cakewalk even before she left Rayah—without parents, she was raised by the entire village, but that also meant she never really belonged to or been spoiled by anyone.

"Dalia is very right, Mrs. Boyd, this was such a wonderful meal!" Oliver added, watching Eileen cut the pie. "I want to thank you again for inviting me—that was so amazingly lovely…"

"Nonsense," she replied, passing the piece of pie back to Dalia. "It's our pleasure to have you here, my dear." She lifted her head and gave him a warm smile that made him melt.

"Man, you're so lucky, you have no idea," he told Jake. "With a mother like this, and a sister who's so devoted to you…"

Jake put his hand over Oliver's shoulder. "I know," he acknowledged, winked at him and then leaned out to look at Alice. "Are you really devoted to me?"

She was too lethargic to muster too much energy to respond, so she simply pulled her tongue at him, making them all laugh.

"Why aren't you with your family?" Dalia asked bluntly, stuffing her face with the pie. Alice threw her a sharp look, but the girl either didn't see, or didn't care. "Is this because they don't like you?"

"Dalia!" Alice censured, but Oliver waved his hand and didn't look offended or saddened.

"It's not that they don't like me—they despise me," he replied, quite cheerily. "My parents firmly believe that being gay is a filthy sin," he added simply. "They threw me out of the house when they caught me putting the moves on my first boyfriend on the couch of their living room." He shrugged. "In hindsight, not the smartest thing I've done…"

Dalia raised her eyebrows, but then she finally caught Alice's warning look and simply shook her head. "That's crazy," she professed and leaned back, apparently finally done eating.

"Well, some people are just stupid," Tobey agreed. "Case in point: my father."

"Your father is not stupid, just stubborn and, well, wrong," Eileen noted. "I hope he comes to his senses soon."

Alice squirmed a little, remembering the shouting match they'd had in a food court at the Pentagon. She didn't tell anyone about it—even Jake. She didn't want to upset him any further.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad at least Jodie is normal," Tobey said. "I think it's the first time in my life that I'm actually looking forward to seeing her."

"It was very kind of her and Taylor to invite us all for tomorrow," Eileen commented. "I'm sure she's keen to meet Dalia, too."

"Oh, yeah, keen is the word." Tobey snickered, looking at the girl sideways.

"What?" She asked with one eyebrow up.

"Nothing, nothing…" His eyes flickered to Alice and then back again to their supposed second cousin. "Just remembered when I first met you, that's all."

"But that reminds me, I have one more gift for you, Tobey," Alice said with a smirk, stood up and went to pick up her purse. She pulled out an envelope and handed it over to him, sitting back down.

"Wow, for me? What is it?" He asked greedily, opening it up.

"Your new orders." She chuckled seeing his jaw drop. "Congratulations, you're now officially part of the SPSC."

He gasped, reading the documents. "Is that for real?"

"Yes. I asked General Carter if I could deliver the news to you."

He jumped out of his seat and hugged her closely. "Thank you!"

She laughed and patted him on the back. "I'm just a messenger here, Tobey. You did that yourself."

"What's SPSC?" Oliver asked curiously, watching Tobey slide back onto his seat.

"Special Program Space Control," Jake lied smoothly. "They have access to the newest and coolest toys to observe the skies."

"Ha!" Tobey exclaimed, waving his finger at Jake. "So I was right! You're involved in it, too!"

"Well, not anymore," Jake reminded him with a smile. "Starting from yesterday, I am no longer on active duty and instead I am part of the 2/23, the reserve infantry battalion in Pasadena."

"When we get back to Colorado I'll tell you everything you'll need to know about the Program," Alice promised. Being moved to the SPSC did not mean automatically that he would have access to all of the information about the Program—but, at least, he needed to know some of it in order to be useful.

"Okay, can we skip dinner with Jodie now and go back tomorrow?" Tobey joked with a delighted grin.

"Oh, I'm not relinquishing all of you kids that easily!" Mom put in happily and then jumped to her feet when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."

A moment later she reappeared in the room with four people in tow: Mr. and Mrs. Starr, Aaron and Ike in his arms. "Look, I found carolers!"

A little bit of chaos ensued when everyone greeted each other and then Alice was forced to retell Dalia's cover story once again for the benefit of the newcomers, so it was some time before they were finally seated—Mr. and Mrs. Starr at the table with Eileen, and Aaron, Jake, Oliver, Tobey, Alice and Dalia on the couch and armchairs, surrounding Ike who was playing on the carpet between them. Dalia mostly ignored them and instead quickly followed the boy onto the floor and played with him happily, only interrupting their conversation once in a while.

Sitting on her knees in one of the armchairs with a glass of wine in her hand, having eaten a delicious meal, surrounded by friends and family, Alice was feeling surprisingly content. She was starting to finally sleep a little better; it wasn't reliable yet, but some nights she could sleep even five hours without resorting to her old aids of Benadryl and alcohol. Other nights she still lay awake and only faded to an hour or two of fitful slumber and, inevitably, a nightmare would wake her up at some point, no matter how long she'd been asleep; but on average it was getting better. Last night was one of the good nights and she felt rejuvenated—even her black cloud was staying at a distance, though still and always there.

"You look a bit better," Aaron noted a while later, when the group splintered into two separate conversations.

"I feel a bit better," she acknowledged quietly, looking down at her hands. "At least, I'm sleeping better. And I'm eating more," she added, lifting her eyes and sending him a smirk.

"Good!" He praised with a grin. "You need to plump up a little. No self-respecting witch would even think about eating you right now. You'd be all wiry and bony. "

She rolled her eyes. "When do you think I'd be in danger of getting eaten by a witch, I wonder, even if I were to gain enough mass to entice one?"

"Who knows, them witches are cunning!" He laughed.

"Maybe I should dress up like one for the New Year's party, they wouldn't eat one of their own, now, would they?" She quipped lightly.

"Wait, you are going to a New Year's party?" He raised his eyebrows, smirking. "And it's a costume party?"

"I don't really have a choice." She sighed. "Deanna is organizing a house party—at our house. I'm still not convinced I won't just flee to work and sleep in my quarters on the base to avoid it…"

"Oh," he said and for a moment he looked—disappointed?

"You… wouldn't wanna come, would you?" She asked hesitatingly.

His eyes brightened up. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Aren't you going to some fancy celebrity party?" She blinked in surprise.

"Well, I will if nothing better comes along," he replied with a significant look.

She shook her head disbelievingly. "I didn't invite you because I thought no way you'd wanna come—I mean, it's in Colorado, for starters, plus it's just gonna be me, Deanna, Tobey and a few other friends, mostly Deanna's."

"That actually sounds perfect," he confessed. "I'm tired of the bling. A nice house party with friends in Colorado might be exactly what the doctor ordered."

She smiled. "Well, in that case—please feel invited." She then looked to the floor, where Dalia was just racing toy cars with Ike across the carpet. "What about Ike?"

He sighed. "It's gonna be Sarah's week. She is going to a fancy party with her movie crowd, but her parents are coming into town and they want to spend the day with Ike. I guess I can't begrudge them—they so rarely see him…"

He looked so dejected that she impulsively reached out to him and patted his hand on the armrest. "That's the right attitude. Remember, she is his mom and they are his grandparents—they have a right to see him."

He nodded. "I know. It's always hard to let him go, though. Crazy how such a small person can take so much space in one's heart," he added quietly and looked at Alice with a sad smile. Why is he sad? She wondered. She thought his relationship with Sarah was improving—at least it sounded that way when they spoke on the phone. They seemed to have found a way to work together instead of against each other—was it still so difficult? Her heart constricted at the thought of her best friend being so miserable.

"He's very lucky to have a dad like you," she reassured him with a sweet smile.

He responded in kind. "Yeah, I guess." He then shook his head slightly. "Anyway, thanks for the invite—I'll be there. Is there like a theme? For the costumes?"

"Yeah, nothing witch-related, I'm afraid—the Prohibition. Deanna's choice," she added as a way of explanation. "She's already created dresses for herself, Dalia and me."

"Good choice," he enthused. "I can't wait!"

She smirked. "Well, it starts at six pm, so don't be late."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be on time." He grinned happily.

At this moment, his mom approached them, indicating that they should be going home—it was getting really late and Ike was getting sleepy. They said goodbye to the Starrs and Oliver, and, now only with family—including the newest addition to it, Dalia—they began clearing the table.

"You were really good with Ike," Alice told Dalia as they stood at the kitchen sink, Alice cleaning the dishes and Dalia drying them with the same flowery towel Aaron had used and been photographed with months ago. "You seemed to enjoy playing with him, too."

Dalia smiled—it was a sweet smile, but there was a fair amount of sorrow in it, too.

"He reminded me of my little brother." She noticed Alice's raised eyebrows and shrugged. "He wasn't my real brother—you know that my parents died when I was just a baby. He was left alone, too, so he was brought up the same way I was—by the whole village. I took care of him a lot."

Alice nodded. "What happened to him?" She asked softly.

Dalia hung her head. "Well, he didn't live happily ever after if that's what you mean…" She sniffled and when she lifted her eyes, they were wet but suddenly angry. "What's it to you anyway? It doesn't matter, now, does it? He's gone." She threw the towel onto the counter and walked away, even though they were nowhere near finished.

Alice sighed. Dalia's emotional swings were starting to get on her nerves, but she told herself it was normal for teenagers, and Dalia went through such things in addition to it, she really couldn't be blamed for her reactions. Alice resolved to ask Doctor Green to talk to the girl about it, though, just in case there was something more in there.

The evening was quiet, the sky fair, a few brightest stars twinkling on the firmament—the rest couldn't be seen due to the bright glow of millions of lamps across the Greater Los Angeles. It was quite cold—at least for Southern California; in Colorado, the temperatures were below freezing, while here they didn't go below low fifties.

Alice was sitting on the lower step of the verandah, swathed in a blanket. From inside the house, she could hear the sounds of the TV going on—Tobey was showing Die Hard to Dalia, claiming it was a traditional Christmas movie. Her mom had just retired to bed, perhaps too shocked and saddened to bear having company. Jake sat next to Alice, quiet, pensive—reflecting on the news she'd shared with them.

"How did you even find out about it?" He asked after a long moment of silence.

"I told you I crash-landed on the Vinson." She sighed; she had related the story to him a few days after it had happened, but kept this one detail to herself until now. "The carrier's captain was dad's wingman that day. He told me about it. Afterwards, it was just a matter of looking up the records. They'd been declassified for six years."

He shook his head. "Why weren't we told?" And, seeing her grimace, he frowned and then guessed: "It was Simon, wasn't it?"

"He said he had thought mom was too fragile for such news at the time." She exhaled loudly, still mad at the memory.

"Wait, when did he say that?"

"Oh." Alice scowled at herself. "Right. I met him at the Pentagon when I went there to testify for the Task Force on Women in Combat. The conversation… was not particularly pleasant."

He huffed. "I'll bet. Any reason why you hadn't mentioned that earlier?" He raised one eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes. "You know why."

He sighed heavily. "I feel bad about this. I mean, I know you and Simon have never really seen eye to eye, but he is family, and it's because of me that—"

"Oh, stop it." She waved her hand dismissively. "At least we don't have to pretend to be one big happy family anymore. I swear, there were moments when I wanted to punch him so much…!"

Jake chuckled. "I feel you. My fists have been itching for a long time…"

"It's his fault," Alice added spitefully. "He did that to himself, he turned all of his family away from him…"

"Well, not all. Jodie still talks to him. And of course Aunt Helen."

She let out a long breath. "I know. I kinda wanted to punch Jodie today, too, when she tried to play a mediator… but thankfully I remembered it's not nice to punch pregnant ladies." She winked at him.

He shook his head condescendingly. "It's hard on her, too. I'm sure she wished her news took precedence. And I can't blame her for wanting to bring her family together, especially now."

"Whatever, she was annoying as fuck," Alice insisted stubbornly. "Thank goodness for Taylor."

"Talk about a calming influence," Jake agreed. "What did he mean when he said that thing about his friend asking if you were still alive, though?"

"Oh, he got me an introduction with a friend of his who's an undercover cop. He gave me some pointers before the New Light started."

"Aaah, I see." He shifted uncomfortably and his blanket slipped from his shoulder. He pulled it up before he continued: "That reminds me. I have a piece of news, too."

"Oh?" She frowned slightly. He seemed a bit nervous.

"Yeah, well, I've been reflecting on what I wanna do with myself now that I am no longer active duty," he began haltingly.

"Did you talk to your friend in New York?" She prompted, because he'd stopped talking.

"Yeah, but he said he wasn't in a position to extend his operation that far yet."

"Bummer. So… have you figured out something else?"

"Well, yes. I think I want to become a cop."

Alice blinked quickly. "Excuse me?"

"I'm gonna apply to the Police Academy."

"You've got to be kidding me!" She stood up, taking the blanket off herself and throwing it over the banister. "You can't be serious!"

"Well, I am!" He mirrored her so that they now both stood at the foot of the verandah, facing each other. "I know what you think about cops, but I'm not gonna be that kind of cop!"

"There are no good cops, Jacob, all of them are complicit!" She raised her voice, her sudden rage spilling over. "And if you think you can change them from the inside, then you're simply naïve!"

"Then tell me what's the alternative!" He bellowed, his face equally contorted with fury. "If you think anything will change without anyone doing anything then you're delusional!"

"Refraining from joining a criminal organization is not doing nothing!" She seethed. "And they are a criminal organization! You know it, I know it, everybody knows it!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Just because there are a few bad apples—"

"Who's being ridiculous?!" She interrupted him, her cheeks red from anger. "This is not about a few bad apples, it's a systemic problem! They have too much power, they are armed like the fucking infantry, there is absolutely no incentive to punish bad cops—"

"So what, it's better to just leave it be?!" He cut her off, his voice carrying over the sleepy neighborhood the way hers couldn't. "At least if I'm there, I can—"

"You can what? Stop a superior officer? Do you not realize how crazy that is?" She felt her eyes getting wet—from rage, she told herself.

"If that's what needs to be done—yes! I will be there for—"

"They killed Deanna's father, did you know that?" She cried out and watched with perverse satisfaction as his face froze in an expression of shock. "They found pot in his car and they killed him for it! Do you know what would happen if they found pot in your car? Nothing! You might get a slap on the wrist or have to pay a fine, but that's it! He was thrown on the ground and stepped on, and choked until his heart gave out! Just because he was black!"

Jake stepped back and took a deep breath. When he spoke, his voice was of normal volume, but trembling a little. "But don't you see? That is exactly why I need to do this. There's gotta be someone who'll stop that from happening the next time a black or brown person is found with pot in their car. I wanna be that someone."

She looked away, blinking hard, trying to not let tears welling up in her eyes overflow. "You do what you want, Jake. But don't expect me to sing your fucking praises." And she turned around, grabbed the blanket from the balustrade, and went back into the house, leaving him to mull it over outside.

It was so late it was actually early. Alice was standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame, with a tall glass that once held a delicious mojito that was now reduced to some mint and lime, with a bit of rum just at the bottom. Her world was spinning a little, but at least someone had lowered the volume on the speakers that were blasting Lady Gaga, so she could finally hear herself think—though her thoughts were a little hazy. She was looking at the room filled with people, most of whom had been strangers a few hours ago. She'd only really known Aaron, Dalia, Tobey, Deanna, and Deanna's friend from work, Jill. Now the group widened to include Dee's friends—mostly people she'd met through Forest Crawford's community outreach program—and their plus ones: Bruno and Sunita, Martin and Inga, and Jill's boyfriend, Sergio. By now, four of them had already left for home, and the rest sat or stood around the kitchen and the living room, talking; Dalia was sleeping curled up in a ball on an armchair, Deanna was swaying to the music while listening to Sergio's slurring speech about the superiority of Nolan's Batman to that of Tim Burton's, Tobey was nowhere to be seen, and Aaron was sitting on the couch, looking relatively sober and playing with his phone. Alice smirked, remembering the sudden hush and then an outburst of excitement when he had first come. Deanna had warned her friends he'd be there and implored them to behave normally, but it didn't work: they were all too star-struck and he spent the first hour of the party signing autographs, taking pictures with people, and listening to their general oohs and aahs.

She had to admit, he did look particularly well. In a tailored 1920's style suit, with a black hat rakishly slanted on his head, he looked very dapper, indeed, even though his long hair pulled into an elastic on the nape of his neck did not really match the era. By now, his hat and jacket were off, he'd pulled the sleeves of his shirt all the way up to his elbows and let his suspenders fall to the sides and somehow, it made him look even more handsome than previously. No wonder everyone fawns over him, Alice told herself, but for some reason the thought didn't please her. She shook her head at herself and the world whirled around even harder, so she clutched the doorframe for support.

Well, Aaron seemed quite taken with how she looked, too. It was all thanks to Deanna, of course—she had prepared an unforgettable ensemble for Alice: a black mini-dress with a delicate fringe at the bottom, covered in shiny silver embroidery that made it sparkle in the light—it looked like something that belonged on the set of the Great Gatsby; and, in fact, Deanna told Alice in confidence that the promotional photos from the upcoming movie were of great inspiration to her. Dee also insisted on styling Alice's hair and applying makeup to match the period, and then put her in the impossibly high stilettos they had bought a few months before. Alice's hair had since lost some of it shape and she got rid of the shoes—now even barefoot she wasn't too sure on her legs—but when Aaron had first come in, she was freshly 'made' and she had to admit it didn't feel half bad to see him stammer and blush as he complimented her look. Thankfully he recovered quite quickly and they had a good time, dancing, eating, drinking and talking the night away.

At midnight, they all filed out into the backyard with several bottles of champagne to greet the New Year. Alice was in charge of the fireworks so she didn't really get to do much of the counting down as she was preparing to let them fly, but as she finished, someone put a glass in her hand and she exchanged a few random hugs and well-wishes with people close by. She remembered Dalia's huge eyes as she had watched the light show in the skies, and smiled. The teenager might have been annoying at times, but it was good to see her enjoy herself, nevertheless.

Alice sighed and wobbled towards the coffee table. She put the empty mojito glass on it with a light thud, grabbed Aaron's jacket that lay on the backrest of the couch and put it over Dalia's curled form. "You don't mind, do you?" She asked Aaron in a hushed tone, though if the girl could sleep with the music still so loud, then probably even shouting wouldn't wake her up.

He put down his phone and smiled at Alice. "Of course not. I should've thought of it earlier." He then cocked his head and asked: "How are you feeling? You look a little… uh, unsteady."

"I'm drunk," she informed him happily, taking a step back from Dalia's armchair. Her leg caught on the corner of the coffee table and she teetered and would've fallen on her butt if Aaron hadn't caught her and pulled her onto the couch by himself. "Oops!" She giggled.

"I guess you weren't kidding," he noted, putting his arm around her as she sank into the couch against his side. "You're gonna have quite the hangover tomorrow."

"Why aren't you more drunk, huh?" She asked, the dizzy spell still making her feel faint. She rested her head at the nook of his shoulder, her cheek on his chest. "You haven't been exactly policing yourself…"

"I'm twice your size, Allie," he reminded her condescendingly. "Besides, I switched to water a while ago. You should drink some, too. Want me to get you a glass?"

She was still a little woozy. "No, stay here. This is nice…" She sighed happily. His body was radiating enough heat to make her feel warm. She hadn't even realized she'd been cold until now.

He tightened his grip on her. "Yes… it is…" He inhaled deeply and added softly: "You smell nice…"

A distant alarm bell sounded somewhere in her brain, but the alcoholic fumes obfuscated it too much. She was too comfortable to move right now. "That'll be Deanna's perfume. You like it?" She asked, her speech becoming a little slurry.

"I don't think that's perfume. It must've evaporated by now. I think it's just your scent—and it's lovely."

The world kept spinning and she was beginning to feel heavy, her eyelids drooping. She fought against the sudden onslaught of sleepiness. "You've been working out," she muttered, noticing how hard his muscles felt under her cheek.

"I took up kickboxing, haven't I mentioned it?" He explained lightly, his voice warm and bright.

"Oh, yeah… you have…" She remembered some conversation on that a while back. So he followed through… that's nice… Her thoughts were strangely slow and incoherent.

"My therapist said strenuous physical activity might help me get rid of the bad emotions and produce some endorphins as well," he continued in a low, soothing tone. "She was right, as always."

"Mhm…" She murmured, too dazed to respond intelligibly.

She didn't lift her head—she didn't have the energy anymore—but she could hear the smile in his voice. "It's okay, Allie. You can sleep, now. Rest up…"

She was already drifting away but she still heard the last part of his sentence.

"…I'll take care of you."