cruelwonder | IC Contact

Except cleanin' the house, oddly enough, guess who doesn't have a spell for that?

[He leads them toward the middle of the park, up a hill. From there they can see most of the city and have a bit of privacy, which is just what he wanted. Coming to a stop, he turns to her.]

Pretty, ain't it? The view.

[He licks his lips nervously as he glances out toward the city. Now or never.]

Look, Alice, I been thinkin' a lot lately. About . . . about this place and about home and all of it. About how . . . I mean--

[He takes a deep breath and glances toward her.]

Two years ago, I left home for good. I don't know how and I don't know why, but I did. And a year and a half ago, I came here and I been livin' here, makin' a home for myself, ever since. And I figure . . . all that stuff, leadin' up to me meetin' you, well, that's gotta be fate, ain't it? Fate or somethin' like it. Cuz we're from different years, different countries, different classes, but somehow we still managed to meet and fall in love. I've never known any girl half as brilliant, as amazin', as-- as understandin', as perfect as you are.

[Jack swallows and kneels. Pulling the box out of his pocket, he opens it and presents it to her.]

I love you, Alice Liddell. I can promise you that. And I was hopin' you could do me the honor o' bein' my wife.

Oh, how convenient for him. No wonder it's as it is.

[She smiles.]

No offense. I know you clean when you can but it's obvious you don't get much help.

[When he turns to her, she does the same, smiling. Soon enough, though, her smile fades.

She wishes she had known how someone had proposed to her sister, or how it was truly supposed to go. As it stands, she has no idea, and the very notion that someone would propose to her - mad, mad Alice - that someone wants to be with her... It's startling.

She doesn't know what to say. She doesn't know how to respond. Her eyes are wide and she has to remember to keep her mouth closed. That's highly unladylike, isn't it?

She blinks.]

You... You want-- Jack.

[She's speechless.]

[His eyes dart around her face, trying to read her expression. Was this the wrong move? Was this too soon? A thousand doubts and fears and insecurities flood his mind, but he doesn't pull back the ring.]

I want you, darlin'. There's no one else for me. If-- if this is too soon, if you don't want to do this, that's fine, that's always fine, we can not, I just thought--

[A shaky smile.]

I just thought I'd . . . check.

[Three weeks ago, she might have told him to wait. She might have told him that it wasn't time, that she wasn't ready. But after he disappeared, after everything that happened...

She was lost without him. She was heartbroken. The first person to ever understand her outside of Wonderland, the first man who ever showed her kindness and genuine compassion, and love, was gone. And she knows this. She knows how close she was to losing him. Even if they had found him eventually, he would have been lost still. He would have withdrawn. She knows this.

A minute passes where she just stares at him. But then she shakes her head, voice catching in her throat when she speaks.]

Three weeks ago, you were gone. I thought I'd lost you forever. You could have come back and never remembered me. Never remembered us.

[She touches his cheek.]

I don't want to ever lose you again, Jack Kelly. I want to be with you.

[She slowly smiles again.]

Yes. Yes, I want-- I want to marry you.

[For a moment he stares up at her, dumbfounded. He'd been mentally preparing himself for rejection, for a gentle letdown, for her to tell him that he was asking too much of her. The fact she said yes-- that she's smiling and nearly crying and that she actually said yes-- is almost too good to be true.

Almost.]

Alice--

[A large grin appears on his face as he stumbles to his feet. His knees are shaking, but he hardly notices; reaching for her left hand, he slips the ring on.]

Oh, god, Alice, that's--

[He doesn't have words for what that is. Leaning forward, he kisses her fiercely, quickly, overjoyed by this.]

I love you. I love you so much.

[She grabs him, pulling him close when he kisses her. She kisses him back with almost as much fervor, squeezing his hand. The presence of the ring is felt immediately; it's so strange to have it there.

She laughs against his lips, overjoyed.]

I love you too, Jack. I love you.

[He stays close against her once the kiss breaks, their noses bumping together, grinning at her.]

Are the rings all right? I thought somethin' simple'd work best.

[He reaches blindly and slips his own on, not pulling away from her while he does.]

Of course, of course they are.

[She looks down at his, smiling. She isn't really openly admiring the rings, caring little for their pricing or how they look. She likes how they are.]

They're perfect. Where did you-- How did you get the money?

[He shakes his head slightly.]

I had a ton saved up from EMT work-- and we don't pay bills, you know, so there's that money saved.

Hah. The, uh, the guy, the jeweler, he kept tryin' to sell me all these huge diamonds for you, but I figured this'd be best.

[She smiles, kissing him again.]

No, no, they're perfect. Diamonds are... Those are too much. These are wonderful.

[Breathless with excitement and joy, she kisses him once more.]

You're wonderful, Jack. I'm so happy.

You me both. I-- this is perfect.

[He pushes a hand through her hair, bumping their noses together again.]

Christ. Think o' how Thomas'll take this. All the children.

[She smiles, bumping noses with him.]

Thomas? What about Sirius and everyone else? Did you tell him?

He knows I'm gonna sometime-- but he didn't know it was today. I'll tell him when I go home.

And he's all right with it?

[Only the briefest of hesitations.]

Yeah.

[She looks at him.]

...Is he?

[He makes a bit of a face and shrugs.]

He's . . . he's never liked committed relationships. I think he figured he and I would get old together. But he likes you, and you like him, and he's gotta get used to the fact we're together.

Well, I never want to separate you two. I like him quite a lot. I don't see how I'd ever be able to, anyway.

[Sirius was broken without Jack and she's sure Jack would be the same if Sirius disappeared.]

And you won't. It's not like me marryin' you is gonna take me away somehow. He'll get used to it.

I hope so. I don't... I don't want things to be strange between us.

Hey-- hey. C'mere.

[He ducks down, meeting her eyes.]

Come on. They won't be. He likes you-- he really does, believe me, he woulda told me if he didn't. He just don't like marriage, but he'll get used to the idea. We'll be fine, love. All three o' us.