Off With Her Head

I sat beside my mom while she was unconscious in the hospital bed. I wouldn't leave her side. I should probably call Jefferson to let him know that everything is okay.

I get up out of the seat and I call the number back.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I just called to let you know that everything is alright. I'm at the hospital."

"Are you alright? How's your mother?"

"Not conscious, but she's okay. I didn't have a scratch on me."

"Good, I'm happy you two are doing fine. Do you want me to come up to the hospital?"

"Yes, please. I would really like to see you." There was a long pause. i thought he hung up.

"I would really like to see you too. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Okay, I'll meet you down at the lobby." I bung up the phone and walked back to my mom's bedside, still not awake. I sit down and read a magazine for about five minutes. Then, I start heading for the elevators to get to the lobby. I want to buy my mom some flowers anyway in the gift shop.

I reach the gift shop and started looking at all the flowers. I remembered what I was thinking of before we crashed. I thought about the flowers that lit up the might and shined on the water that Jefferson and I were dancing on. I smiled as I thought about Jefferson leaning in to kiss me. I see some white roses, pay for them and a vase, and sat at a chair in the lobby. I just feel so drawn to him.

My feet are tapping and I'm biting my nails with anticipation. Only a couple more minutes until he said he would be here. I couldn't sit still. Now I was nervous to see him. I couldn't stop fidgeting. It seemed like forever until he finally came through the door. I get up and hug him tightly. He hugged me back so tightly that I couldn't breathe, but I wouldn't want him to let go.

"I'm so sorry, Jefferson. So sorry."

"For what?"

"Not standing up to my mother. I'm sorry."

"I saw you through the window of her car. You looked so heart broken. Why?"

"Not here. I'll tell you soon though. Right now, I have to worry about my mother's health. Dr. Whale said her condition is stabilizing, but we can't be too cautious."

"Of course. Lets go see her." Jefferson and I head to the elevator and reached my mother's room.

"I'm sorry, but both of you have to leave," said Dr. Whale.

"But, I'm her daughter."

"I know, but you have to leave. Visiting hours are over."

"Visiting hours? She's unconscious! Who's going to be here to watch her?"

"We have a twenty-four hour staff here. We'll have someone watch her. If anything happens, we'll give you a call. We will take care of her." I take one look at my mother, gave the white roses to Dr. Whale to set on my mom's table side before Jefferson and I walked away. We take the elevator back down to the lobby and we walk back to Jefferson's house.

We walked on the side of the road and just talked about how we were starting to feel about each other.

"Can you tell me now why you seemed so heart broken?"

"Its because I feel so drawn to you now. I thought before that you were a crazy person trying to keep me hostage, but that sounds both horrible and biased. Now, I need to be near you all the time. My heart gets this pain when I'm being ripped away from you. Do you feel it too?" We both just stop walking and he looks at me.

"Yes. I felt it."

"It was so painful. I then realized that we need each other."

"Now you're starting to sound like yourself," he said as he smiled widely. We keep walking, holding hands. It felt like my hand fit with his like two puzzle pieces.

As he and I walked up the steps to his house and he starts unlocking the door.

"Why don't I make us some tea to warm us up? You must be freezing. I picked up those pies you ordered from Granny's. I wanted to wait to eat them."

"Did you know I was coming back?"

"No, I meant I was saving them until later. I'll get them out of the fridge."

"Thank you." I peel off my jacket and put it on the coat hanger. I unzip my boots and placed them neatly on the mat and headed for the kitchen. Jefferson already had the kettle on the stove and tea cups waiting to be filled. He pulls my seat out and back in when I sat down. I love when he does that. He sat across the table from me and we just looked at each other without saying a single word.

"You know, I saw this movie called Pulp Fiction. Two people were sitting at a table and there was a long silence just like this. The woman finally said that you know you found someone special when the two can just sit in a comfortable silence."

"Really? I don't have a television here like a lot of places do. I prefer not to be mesmerized by a talking screen that lights up."

"I used to watch movies all the time. Some that are kind of old. I loved Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, A Clockwork Orange, Pulp Fiction. I would love to show you if you had something we could watch them on. I know a couple romantic movies too." He just looks at me.

"You said you feel drawn to me?"

"Yes."

"Why are you now? You were so scared when you came here. You wanted to get your cat and leave."

"How is Chess, by the way?"

"She's good. I've taken care of her. She's probably sleeping in your room." I feel so relieved. With everything happening, I almost forgot about her.

"But, why are you drawn to me now? Its not like Stockholm Syndrome, is it?"

"No, I don't know what it is. It just feels right. Its hard to explain. Why do you feel drawn to me?" Before he could answer, the kettle whistled. Jefferson got up and poured the tea in the cups. He got the pies from the fridge, grabbed two plates and two forks.

"Thank you so much," I said taking a bite of the pie. It was so delicious.

"You've always loved chocolate. It made you a little hyper though. You were indeed a child at heart."

"What was Alice like? I mean what was I like?"

"When you first came to Wonderland, the first time we met, you were very shy. You were scared, confused, and a bit cowardice. It was to be expected. You said you came from a realm without magic. I thought you were lying. I thought it would be impossible for even the most powerful and skilled sorcerer to travel to a land without magic and back to a magical realm, let alone a woman. When you told me you got to Wonderland by falling in a rabbit hole under a tree, I nearly laughed myself to death." I chuckle a bit and sip my tea.

"What else?"

"You want me to keep going? Bare in mind, I can't tell you any important events. They are memories you need to find out for yourself."

"But minor details are okay? I just want to know. I'm a curious person so I'm naturally curious to know."

"Alright. Remember when I told you that when you first drank tea with us, your hair turned blue? Well, it stayed like that for weeks. You were so upset at first, but you grew to like it. It suited you. We told you how to adapt to Wonderland. You eventually couldn't wear your wedding dress anymore, so we found a blue dress for you to wear."

"Because blue suited me," I asked and took a sip of tea.

"Exactly. So that all I can tell you that wasn't that important for you to know."

"You said I had to 'remember' all of these events in order?"

"Thats right."

"Why did I not see any of that, but I saw when you leaned in to kiss me?"

"I don't know. Maybe because it was essential to see that?"

"Why would it be essential? Is it a life threatening detail of my past life?"

"Alice isn't a past life, she is who you are and will be when the curse is lifted."

"But why was that essential?"

"Maybe I need to kiss you." I take another sip of the tea. I could feel the cheeks on my face turn red. I looked all across the room, trying to avoid eye contact. The last time he kissed me, I just came out of the shower and it was so sudden.

"Are you implying that you want to kiss me?" He only shrugged.

"Is that a yes or no?"

"I'm going to leave it open for interpretation."

"Tease." He only chuckled and sipped his tea. I finish my pie and told him I wanted to go to sleep. I go up in 'my room' and change into pajamas which was a black muscle shirt and men's batman boxers.

I curl up under the covers with Chess who was purring and curled into a little kitten ball. It seemed like I was annoying her because I kept moving around and disturbing her cat nap. I look at the ceiling thinking of what would happen if I kissed Jefferson. I try to think back to when I saw him and I at Wonderland and dancing on the water, it was fuzzy because its been a few hours since I last thought about it. But I felt the butterflies in my stomach again. Even thinking about kissing him made my blood feel like fire in my veins.

I stay awake for hours. I heard Jefferson go to sleep about two hours ago. His room was at the other side of the hall. I had the sudden urge to sneak into his bed and cuddle with him. But, I don't know if he would want that. I might wake him and I might make him really mad, but it feels like I really should. So I'll act on my urge and climb out of bed. I open the door and tip toe down the hallway toward his room. I'm at the door and I'm hesitant about opening it. I don't want to wake him with the sounds of a squeaky door, but just to see if that would happen, I open the door ever so slowly and I check to see if its him sleeping in the bed. I see his face is toward the door, so I close the door and tip toe to the opposite side of the bed, pull the covers so I could slip in. I put my arm around Jefferson's torso and laid my head on the pillow. This was a great idea. I feel so secure, I feel like I could fall asleep.

I snuggle a little more into him to get warm and I feel his hand move on top of mine. I gasp and move my hand.

"Why did you move your hand away?"

"I didn't know if you wanted me in here...."

"But I do. So stay." I wrap both of my arms around his torso and we both drift to sleep.