Silence stretched an uncomfortable screen over the atmosphere while they were both busy with their respective tasks. After having filled the tea pot with hot water from the cattle Robin took off her gloves and cape and sat down in one of the chairs. She thought about lightening the mood.

Her mind settled on something Alice said earlier before they kinda agreed on a Candy sort-of-date. At times she forgot that this Alice was the famous Alice from Alice in Wonderland, a book she had read a few times during school. Lighthearted she asked with a crooked smirk, "So did you really play croquet with a flamingo?"

Alice scoffed and sat down. "There wasn't so much playing as the flamingo refused to hit the hedgehog. Luckily I could escape the situation and flee before hurting any of the animals. Well, or getting beheaded for that matter."

With furrowed eyebrows Robin tried to recall what had happened in the book. Each time they talked about Alice's adventures Robin remembered how everything in the book seemed to have been caused by coincidence while in Alice's version most things had been her doing. "Didn't the game turn into a chaos when the Cheshire Cat appeared?"

Tilting her head to the side Alice responded, "No, in reality I've refused to play and kicked an eight of spades into some diamonds causing a lot of them to fall over. I slipped out of the gardens during the havoc," she paused before adding sarcastically, "The cat is a whole different story."

Robin tried her hardest to picture Alice kicking a card with head, arms and legs and as big as herself which did not look like a copy of the Disney movie but failed. Not for the first time since hearing Alice's stories her imagination did not seem to match the weirdness that was Wonderland. Almost in disbelief she shook her head at the miracles the other girl had experienced. "The things you must have seen," she uttered lowly.

Alice chuckled before she rose to her feet and began to serve the tea, "Not everything was pretty to see."

It was only then that Robin noticed a third cup on the table. Leaning forward she scrutinized the cup, checking for any deviation to the others.

She couldn't stifle a laugh when she saw the cup standing in front of the chair with the soft toy. It resembled a rabbit and looked kinda old.

One of the things so uniquely Alice was how she did things most people considered mad in an adorable and heartwarming fashion. Like now. Serving tea to a soft toy.

When Alice caught on her amusement she humored her, "As you can see, not only do I talk to a hat but have a cuddly toy as a friend, too." The irony in her voice was emphasized by her accent.

Robin snickered once more before she finally calmed down and leaned back in her chair. When she looked at Alice again, she saw her sitting next to her again but instead of the smile, Robin expected, she wore a deep frown. Alarmed Robin leaned forward, "Are you okay?"

"I am sorry. It's an old habit. It's just that even if it is just pretend company, it feels like I am less alone. Although I am not alone now, so it is silly," Alice rubbed one hand over her arm and fiddled with the material of her skirt with her other.

Without any reluctance Robin placed her hand on the one above Alice's thigh, seeking to give the blue eyed girl comfort. Winding her fingers around it, she squeezed it tightly once, making Alice look at her before she said, "Hey. No need to feel sorry. I get it. Silent company is better than no company at all." Robin then nodded towards the stuffed animal with one of her playful smirks forming on her face. "And he looks like he has been through a lot together with you."

Fortunately, this lead to the desired effect as Alice smiled at her, even if it was a sad smile. "He did. Mr. Rabbit is one of the few things I brought with me when I've escaped the tower. Papa gave him to me when I was little. I have him as long as I can remember and he accompanied me on many journeys."

"That's nice. He seems to be very special to you. When I came to the Enchanted Forest the only thing I've brought with me were the clothes I wore. They weren't even my personal clothes but my school uniform. Though I had not much of a choice," Robin replied, recalling the day she had attempted a spell in the crypt of her aunt Regina which lead her to the enchanted forest but also to Gothel. The woman who was Alice's mother. They usually avoided this topic for the woman had done no good in their lives.

"Isn't there anything you miss?" Alice asked, circumnavigating said topic like the captain's daughter she was.

"No, not really," Robin answered and shrugged. In Storybrooke she had felt restless. In the Enchanted Forest she felt home. As if sharing a secret, she remarked in a low voice, "I guess, deep down I never truly belonged in Storybrooke. It felt like something was missing. Like I've needed a reason to stay."

"And you've found it here?" Alice asked softly and bewitching.

There was something in Alice's voice, something in her eyes which chased the air out of Robin's lungs and made her heart pick up a violent pace.

All of a sudden she became very aware that they hadn't stopped holding hands. Her skin tingled at the warmth and she rubbed a finger over the back of Alice's hand. She could not tell if it were her own fingers that quivered in the wake of the touch.

Transfixed she watched the blue eyes glaze over, darkening with an emotion Robin had not seen in them until now. Before she could stop herself she whispered, "I might have," words roughened by the dryness of her throat.

Her eyes ran over Alice's face, fleeting restlessly between eyes and lips.

Deep blue eyes stared back at her. Pink lips fluttered open. The motion called for Robin's eyes to drop down where they stayed to linger.

Her other senses dulled.

The sound of her own heart beat deafened in her ears and she began to lean in, holding her breath. Coming closer, she almost felt the shadow of Alice's hot breath tingling over her own lips.

Goosebumps rose on her skin and a fire raged within her, threatening to burn her flesh, when she shifted clos–

Bam!

Pain exploded in her knee and Robin yelped, while jumping back from the collision between knee and table-leg.

"Holy crap!"

Tears stung in her eyes and she hissed through clenched teeth as she arched her back and rose her knee to hold it. "Shit."

The pain throbbed through her leg and in realization of what just happened, she squinted her eyes open and looked at Alice, who appeared to be lost in shock.

A moment later the bright blonde leaped to her feet and was at Robin's side, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Oh my goodness, Robin! Are you alright? Can I bring you something? Does it bleed?"

Robin groaned, feeling a headache starting. After having been snatched out of a state of urging excitement very abruptly, the pain from hitting her knee against the table tormented her senses. Blinking the tears away, she huffed, "I'm fine," unwilling to appear more uncool than she already did.

"I am so sorry," Alice uttered desperately.

"It's not your fault. I was the one who wasn't paying attention." Robin sighed deeply and let go of her leg, planting the foot back on the floor. The throb in her knee had simmered down and she rubbed the spot for damage control. It would most definitely bruise.

Rising her gaze at Alice she saw regret clouding the blue and she wondered, if it was because of the "knee knocking on table's claw" incident or something else. Maybe the interruption? Or maybe the almost kiss in the first place?

Robin wasn't sure and her insecurity made her vulnerable to the feeling of shame.

After a few more moments Alice backed away and returned to her seat, eyeing Robin up and down now.

Silently they watched each other. Neither of them seemed ready to rise the topic of what occurred mere moments before.

'You're so lame,' Robin told herself. How could she have messed up this perfect opportunity for a kiss so badly? She hoped nobody would ever write a ballad about her romantic life. It would seriously harm the name Robin Hood. Mockingly she thought, 'Robin Hood, champion of the common people fighting against injustice, unable to properly kiss her girl.'

Not even her girl.

A girl.

THE girl.

The ridiculousness of the situation became frighteningly clear to her and she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

In her embarrassment she began to chuckle. The chuckle became a giggle and when looked at the other girl, she saw how Alice became infected, too. Joined in, they both soon found themselves heaving with laughter.

She had no idea how long they were caught in the fits of laughter but when they finally calmed down Robin pushed away tears and saw Alice was doing the same thing, holding onto her stomach with one arm.

Having calmed down her nerves, Robin hummed, feeling much more relaxed. Not wanting to make the situation awkward again, she chose to ignore what almost happened earlier and picked up the conversation where they had left it off, "Anything else you brought back from the tower?"

Alice's face fell for a blink of an eye before she smiled again. But Robin had noticed and she did wonder, if the blue eyed beauty was disappointed about the change of topic. She had no time to dwell though for Alice almost immediately responded, "Not so much a thing than an activity I used to keep myself busy with whenever my papa left the tower."

Alice rose to her feet and walked towards the one piece of furniture next to her bed that was covered with a drape. Pulling it aside she revealed what was no furniture but a propped up canvas.

Only seeing the back of it, Robin stood up as well and walked over. "What are you painting?"

"It's me and my papa when we are reunited," Alice explained, unfazed of showing her art.

Stopping in front of the canvas, Robin could clearly see what Alice had just described. In vivid colors she saw a dark-haired man in a black, long coat hugging a blonde girl dressed just like Alice in a forest. The resemblance to both people was strikingly obvious. Amazed at Alice's talent Robin breathed, "Wow. It's really life like. You are like that Monet guy."

"Thank you," Alice said with one of her prettiest smiles. "Whoever this money guy is."

"Mon – Forget it. It's not important," Robin said half jokingly and continued to examine the painting, eyes rushing over numerous of paint brushes amounting into a work of art. She was enchanted by the depth of the colors. No photograph could compare to this portrayal of Alice and her father. Nevertheless, for all it's beauty, there was something odd about the painting. While everything was extremely detailed with all the shades and light, the upper half on the left was untouched. The canvas was free from any paint, gawking back shamelessly naked. Rising her eyebrows Robin looked at Alice in puzzlement, "Why is the left side empty?"

Alice shrugged and brushed the sole of one of her boots over the floor tiles. "I don't know. It's as if something is missing. I've been working on this for so long. Maybe the reason why I can't finish it is because I have found no way to be close to papa again or maybe it's because I don't feel like painting when I am alone."

Something was missing... Robin could relate to that idea. After all she had found what or rather who was missing for her. The one person who was now looking at the canvas with a sadness and longing that made Robin's heart bleed for her.

She would do anything to help Alice find what was missing for her, even if it was just her company so Alice wouldn't feel alone. In a strong voice she told her, "You know if you want more company I could come for more than the letters. You know that I am there for you."

Light rose in Alice's eyes and Robin felt pride swell inside of her at having chased away the clouds shielding the sun away.

They were a bright blue now, only bested in their brightness by the smile that formed on Alice face. In this moment Robin knew she had just created a painting herself. In her mind she would always be able to procure this image again and again.

"Perhaps I could teach you how to play chess," Alice told her with the tone of mirth masking her voice.

Itching to respond with a sassy comment, Robin almost back flipped when she saw Alice still smiled at her as if she was the moon and the stars. Instinctively Robin grabbed her hand and interlaced their fingers.

She looked at Alice and with half a smirk she said, "Yeah. Maybe."

A/N: Poor Robin, I have no idea why I can't let her have her Alice-candy *cough*... Don't get me wrong, I love Robin (perhaps to an unhealthy degree, but who cares? XD). I am just a big tease when it comes to writing romance. (No regrets, though... I love teasing. :P)

"Seattle Love Story" will be updated on Friday (roughly 2 pm CEST) and this story will be updated from now on Tuesdays (also roughly 2 pm CEST).

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