They were greeted by loud music and raucous merrymaking as they entered the tavern known as the Walrus and the Carpenter. A tipsy toad stumbled into them, sloshing his mug of ale on their feet. Ace pushed him away only to watch him stagger into a burly woman who immediately slapped him across the face.

"Is this really where we want to stay?" he asked Alice.

"Well, you're all worried about people recognizing us back at the Cuckoo Corner, so our choices are a little limited."

"Is it even safe to be back in Hickory Dickory? The last time we were here, someone tried to blow us up."

"Neither the Swans nor the Black Swans would expect us to come back," Ina said, surveying the dimly lit establishment with an unreadable expression, her hands tucked beneath her cloak. "Likely they'll think we went our separate ways with you two returning to Hearts."

Swallowing, Ace threw a nervous glance at Alice. "Does that mean Hearts is in danger?"

She smiled up at him, but he could see the worry in her eyes, masked by that irresistible nonchalance. "All the more reason for us to finish this quickly."

They moved further into the tavern, slipping through the crowd of inebriated patrons to reach the bar.

"Can I help you?" asked a bored young woman picking at her nails.

"Yes, we'd like to rent a room," Ace said, raising his voice to be heard over the din.

The young woman raised an eyebrow. "One room? For all three of you?"

"Yes, please."

She stared for a moment but finally shrugged and handed them a key. "The symbol etched on there will match the one on your room's door, stairs are that way, please don't steal anything or spill ale on the carpet."

With barely a wave to show where "that way" was, the young woman returned to her nails. Ace turned to Alice and Ina and let out a sigh. "Shall we head straight up there or did you want to eat or something?"

Someone stumbled into a table, crushing it beneath their weight. A loud cheer filled the air as an old man called for another round. The woman at the bar paid them no mind, focusing on a chip in the nail of her right index finger.

"We ate at Norine's. Besides, I'd prefer not to be around all of this...noise," Ina said, her eye twitching slightly as she glanced about the room.

They made their way to the stairs, skirting broken glass and puddles of vomit, as well as dodging the mechanical mop creatures that were cleaning up spills . "Too bad we're on a mission," Alice said. "These folks really know how to have a good time."

Ace stared at her in disbelief, but she simply gave a teasing smile and raced up the stairs.

There were several doors down the long hallway, all bearing faded symbols carves into the cracked wood. Some were hanging by their hinges, and one was missing altogether, as was the bed and every other piece of furniture inside the room.

When they came to the door that matched their key, Ace was relieved to find that the bed was still there, though it wasn't much to look at. The thin quilt was covered in all sorts of stains, and there was a strange smell coming from underneath. The room was pitch dark, save for the bit of moonlight streaming in through a single tiny window.

"Well," Alice said as she slipped inside and pulled a match from one of her pockets to light the candle on the bedside table, "at least there are no clocks."

The flame lit up her face, and Ace couldn't resist the grin she was sporting.

"You two take the bed," Ina said, her cloak billowing behind her as she turned to close the door. "I'll keep watch."

"You don't have to do that, Ina," Ace said. "We can take turns."

"No, I insist. You two are married, you should be able to at least share a bed for the night."

Blushing, Ace shook his head. "Trust me, I don't—"

"Ah, I don't think anyone is going to want to be sleeping in this bed," Alice said.

They turned to find her staring down at the bed, the quilt turned down. "What do you mean?" Ace asked.

She pointed to the mattress, and as they joined her, they saw what she meant. Oysters. At least a dozen oysters had eaten their way into the mattress and had built a nest of barnacles and sea glass. They hissed at the light from the candle and burrowed further into the bed, leaving salty trails of water in their wake.

"How?" asked Ace, unsure of where they had even found barnacles and sea glass.

"Don't know, don't want to know," Alice said as she grabbed the quilt and spread it out on the floor. "But I do know that I have no intentions of sharing a bed with them tonight. This will have to do."

She sat on the blanket and placed the candle at a safe distance on the floor. Patting the space beside her, she beckoned for Ace to join her. He took a seat and waved for Ina to join them.

"I should really keep watch," she said, inching towards the door.

"Ina, would you please sit your butt down?" Alice said.

She hesitated. "I don't want to intrude."

"Intrude? What do you think we're going to do? We're in pretty close quarters. Trust me, no one's going to be getting too amorous. Besides, you're family, there's no way you could intrude. Now sit."

Though she was still reluctant, Ina finally knelt down beside Ace. He ruffled her hair a bit, managing to tease a smile out of her.

"My, my, my, did you two bond in my absence?" Alice asked.

"Something like that," Ace said.

Ina's face dropped. "But not like that. Like a brother. And a sister. Not...not anything else..."

Laughing, Alice playfully slapped Ina's shoulder. "Calm down, Ina, I don't think you're trying to steal my husband."

A nervous smile flickered across her lips. "Sorry, I just...I'm not used to...this."

"'This'?" Ace repeated.

With her eyes fixed on the ground, Ina mumbled, "Having a family."

The vulnerability in her voice tugged at Ace's heart. He exchanged a look with Alice who gave a soft smile. Leaning across him to reach for Ina's hand, she gave it a squeeze. "Get used to it. You're stuck with us."

Swallowing, Ina glanced up and allowed a smile to pull at the corner of her mouth.

~

With the hour being so late and the three of them being so physically and emotionally exhausted, they decided to postpone making any plans until the following day. Instead, they told jokes and riddles to lighten the mood, all three of them desperate for some levity. But the conversation eventually slipped back to more serious matters. Like Alice's mother.

"What was her favorite food?" Alice asked, leaning against Ace while Ina sprawled out on the blanket with Tart curled up on her chest.

Ina thought for a moment. "She liked spiced bread."

"Spiced bread?"

She nodded. "It was her favorite thing to steal from the bakery. At one point, the baker was so frustrated that his loaves kept disappearing, he stopped making it altogether. But then your mother waltzed in there and batted her eyes at him, pretending to be just another innocent customer. Before we knew it, we were loaded up with enough spiced bread to last months."

Ace chuckled. "Sounds like something you would do," he said to Alice.

She glanced up at him. "Me?"

Nodding, he gently stroked her shoulder with his thumb. "You have more charisma than anyone I know. You could charm your way out of a prison cell. In fact, you basically did."

"Please, you didn't spring me from the Castle. I had to escape myself. Well, Hatta and Haigha helped, too."

"Yes, but I will remind you that I was the one so taken with you that I left a warning with the White Rabbit to give you a chance to get away when the Queen sent soldiers after you."

A self-satisfied grin spread across her face. "So it was you who wrote that note."

"Not to mention I let you go after that Bandersnatch attacked us."

"That was only because you saw that I had the Vorpal Sword."

Warmth spread over his body as he gazed down at her, remembering how close their faces had been between their crossed swords. It had taken everything in him not to kiss her at that very moment. Not kissing her continued to be a struggle, even now that they were married.

"You as a person had a lot more to do with my decision," he said.

"So you two were enemies at one point?" Ina asked as she tried to hide a yawn.

"Not enemies exactly," Ace said.

"What else would you call a thief and the captain of the Guard?" Alice asked.

"We may have been on opposing sides of the law, but I in no way wanted to see you fail. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I often hoped we'd never find you. Well, sort of. I didn't want to find you so I wouldn't have to turn you over to the Queen. But I also desperately wanted to see you again."

Ina smiled. "She really stole your heart, didn't she?"

"Indeed she did."

Nestling her head on his shoulder, Alice grinned triumphantly. "My thieving skills know no boundaries, do they?"

Ace chuckled and place a kiss on her head. "You are the most talented thief I know."

She was quiet for a moment. "My mother was probably better, though."

Ina shook her head as her eyes began to droop. "I'd say you two are rather matched in your skills."

"You're just trying to make me feel better."

"I'm not very good at making people feel better. I'm good at being blunt. It seems expert thieving runs in your blood."

"Much like royalty," Alice mumbled.

The conversation lagged after that. Ina eventually drifted off, but both Ace and Alice remained awake. They were quiet for a while, but Alice finally broke the silence with a heavy sigh.

"I was so excited to learn about my mother when Ina first showed up," she said. "But now it just makes me depressed."

"Why? Because she's gone?"

"Because I can never live up to the legend that she is."

"First of all, I don't think anyone expects you to."

"Yes they do. Look at the Swans. When they look at me, they see her. They want me to be the same ruler she was."

He ran his fingers through her long, blonde hair. "Even if they do, it doesn't matter. You don't need to."

"I'll disappoint everyone."

"Not me. And I doubt you'd disappoint Ina."

"I'd disappoint her."

He paused, realizing who she was referring to. Looking down at her, he gently stroked her cheek. She turned her face up to him, her expression filled with doubt and fear and anxiety. Despite knowing how rotten it was considering how upset she was, Ace was actually relieved to see such emotions displayed so plainly on her face. It meant that for once she wasn't hiding her true feelings from him.

Cupping her chin, he gave a sad smile. "I didn't know your mother, Alice, but if she's as much like you as everyone claims, I know she wouldn't be disappointed with you. Nor would she expect you to be just like her or even to follow in her footsteps."

"You think so?"

"I know you wouldn't do that to your daughter. You'd want her to be her own person, choose her own fate. You'd never want her to feel like a failure for not living up to your reputation."

Considering this for a moment, Alice let out a long breath and leaned against his chest. "I certainly hope you're right."

Silence filled the room. With Alice in his arms and relief in his heart, Ace became drowsy. His eyelids began to flutter, and he was nearly lulled to sleep by Alice's steady breathing. But just before he could nod off, Alice's voice brought him back.

"Daughter, huh?"

He jerked awake and looked down at her. "What?"

Glancing up at him with an inquisitive expression and a playful smile on her lips, Alice said, "You want a daughter?"
Feeling his face go red, Ace swallowed his embarrassment. He was married, dang it, why did talk like this always make him so flustered? "Ah, well, sure. Maybe. A daughter. Or son. Probably not a lizard."

Alice laughed softly. "A magpie wouldn't be too bad, though. They're very good at stealing shiny things."

Tightening his grip on her shoulder, Ace tried to force away his discomfort. "But in all seriousness?" She turned her face to him again. "The idea of having children with you is...well, it's definitely not unappealing."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Definitely not unappealing?"

He took a deep breath. "I'd like to. Have children. With you."

"Well good, because if you wanted to have them with Ina, I might be a little—"

Placing his hands on her cheeks, he drew her closer. Her blue eyes wandered back and forth, straying occasionally to his lips. A gentle smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Raising a family with you would be a great honor, Alice Liddell," he whispered. "But only if it's what you wish. I don't want to deprive you of the adventurous life you crave."

Her eyes stilled, focusing on his own. Leaning forward, she placed a kiss on his nose. "You are my greatest adventure, Ace."

His smile grew. Pressing his lips against hers, he pulled her closer. How relieved he was when she returned his affection with equal eagerness. The kiss deepened, filling him with a sudden burst of energy, and he found he could not get enough of her. Apparently she felt the same way, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and inched closer. However, almost as soon as she did, she pulled away.

"While I am open to the idea of children," she said, glancing at Ina's sleeping form, "we did sort of promise Ina that we wouldn't be getting too amorous tonight. So perhaps we can postpone this 'discussion' until after we've overthrown the Black Swans."

Regaining his senses, Ace nodded and removed his hands from her hair. "Right, right, completely understandable. Later."

"After this rebellion."

"Right."

She caught his eye and gave a devilish smile. "But we will discuss it."

That warmth returned, spreading to every inch of his body, and it took everything in him not to kiss her again.

They settled back down on the blanket, and as Alice curled up in his arms, she laid her head against his chest and sighed, "I love you, Ace."

Though she had spoken those words to him on a number of occasions, somehow they were far more meaningful then and there with the knowledge that she was still imagining a future with him. The fear that he was losing her was all but forgotten, and he allowed himself to bask in cautious optimism. So long as they came out of this rebellion alive, Alice was not going to leave him. And he most certainly would never leave her.

Placing a kiss atop her head, he whispered, "I love you, too, Alice."