Cross woke up in a room what wasn’t his own, but he was still intimately familiar with. The smell of medicine hung heavy in the air, filling his nostrils as he took in a deep breath. His body hurt, but not as much as he expected it to, all things considered. Galen had done it again. No doubt he would be in for another lecture, though lately Galen had begun to favor the cold shoulder. Cross preferred that.

For a long time, he stayed completely still, his eyes glazing over as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

Blinking slowly, he ran the fight over in his mind. Every single thrust, parry, and counter. He sighed as he reached the final moment. Up to that point, he could confidently say that he had done everything he could have done to win, but she had got him.

He reached up and idly brushed his fingers against his dry lips.

With a shake of his head he pulled his hand away and sat up, and nearly fell out of the bed as he realized he was not the only person in his room. Sitting in a chair beside the bed, slumped over the edge with a bunched up pile of the blanket serving as a pillow, was Lexi. Dark strands of loose hair hung across her face, moving back and forth in time with her breath.

Cross stared at her for a moment before smiling. Reaching out he gave her a gentle shake.

Lexi let out a groan and snuggled her face deeper into the blanket, drawing a small chuckle from Cross. The noise startled Lexi back to consciousness and she sat up.

"Morning, Princess," Cross said as Lexi ran a hand through her messy hair. A rare sight.

"What time is it?"

"You tell me. I don't even know what day it is."

"You've only been asleep one day. The Dance was yesterday."

"Ah," Cross frowned and reached down to touch where Alice had stabbed him through the ribs. The spot was still tender. He looked down at the covers. "Sorry, Lex."

"Why?"

"I lost."

Lexi reached out and gave him a light nudge. "You fought well."

"Did I?"

"Until the end."

Cross let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah… yeah.”

“So,” Lexi began to comb through her hair with earnest. “Tenchi style.”

“Mmmmm.”

“You never mentioned you knew that.”

“It never seemed all that important. Can’t really use it that often.”

“The Mistress mentioned that.”

“She was telling the truth, so you can stop thinking what you’re thinking.”

Lexi gave him an innocent look. “I don’t know what you talking about.”

“We’re not sparring anytime soon.”

“We will see.”

“Lexi, you’re killing me. I literally just woke up.”

“If you had a touch more stamina you may have never been knocked out in the first place.”

Cross leaned back against the pillows. “Don’t know about that one.”

“You could have won.”

“Didn’t, though.”

“It’s not always about winning.”

“Doesn’t mean as much coming from a winner, you know.” Cross gave her a pained smile.

Lexi reached out and squeezed his arm. “You still fought well. I’m proud of you. We all are.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Lexi.”

The pair looked up as the door slid open and Alice stepped into the doorway. She reached up and rapped her knuckles against the frame. “Knock knock.”

“Alice,” Lexi greeted evenly with a small dip of her head.

Cross remained silent.

“Lexi, would you be a dear and give me some time alone with Cross?” Alice asked as she stepped into the room.

Lexi glanced back at Cross. He het met her and gave a small smile. Lexi held his gaze for another moment before nodding and standing up. Without another word she brushed by Alice, shutting the door as she left.

Alice smiled down as Cross as she walked around to the side of his bed. “I didn’t expect you to be up so soon. A shame. I wanted to see if a kiss could actually wake the sleeping beauty.”

Cross sighed heavily. “Pretty sure that only works with curses.”

“We can’t know if we don’t test it.”

“I’ll pass. It not worth the stab wound.”

Alice leaned suddenly forward, her face only inches from Cross’s. “Oh… I see.”

“What?”

“Not even a hint of hesitation with that answer. No stutter. Not even a little blush.”

“Feed someone enough poison they’re eventually going to build up a tolerance.”

“Do you think I’m poison, Cross?”

Cross stared at her at length. “Maybe venom would have been a better word.”

A surprised laugh slid over Alice’s lips before she hid her mouth behind her hand. “Oh, yes. That is quite good. Your tongue is getting sharper by the day. I wonder how that would feel if I were to kiss you now.”

That line did manage to provoke a small reaction from Cross, his eyes flicking down to her lips before he let out a grunt and rolled his eyes. Alice laughed again, reaching down and sliding her hands through his hair.

“It was fun though, wasn’t it? It’s been so long since we’ve crossed blades. You’ve improved quite a bit since I left.”

“You might have just gotten sloppy.”

“You know better than to lie, Cross. You were never good at it.”

“Never did manage to learn that from you.”

“Oh, I rarely lie.” Alice’s hand moved down to cup his cheek. “I simply obscure the truth. It’s quite different.”

“Is it?”

“I suppose that depends on who you ask. Though, I don’t imagine I could lie to you. You know me far too well” Alice’s hand fell away from his face. “I thought you would be more upset with me.”

Cross shrugged. “It’s like you said. I know you. I should have expected you to do something like that. I let my guard down and I lost. Nothing more.”

“I wonder about that…” Alice sighed as she perched on the side of the bed, her eyes moving to the window. “You’ve really grown up, you know that, Cross?”

Cross shrugged. “Time does that.”

“So, it does.” Alice glanced back at him, her eyes filled with an emotion Cross couldn’t quite place, but it made his heart ache all the same. “I wish… I really do wish I could have been here to grow with you, Cross. More than I can ever put into words. But I couldn’t. I just…” She bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Alice…”

Before Cross could continue, she popped off the bed, her back turned to him. She remained there for a long time, only moving ever so slightly to shift her weight from one foot to the other.

“Cross?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you close your eyes again?” She glanced over her shoulder. “I promise not to kiss you. Please, Cross.”

Cross gave a small nod. “Yeah.”

“Closed tight, alright?”

Cross did as he was asked. Almost immediately he felt Alice move in close and she took his hands, pulling them together. She placed something in hands.

"Alice?"

"Don't open your eyes until I leave," Alice whispered, a hint of nervousness to her voice.

She didn't give Cross a chance to answer before pulling away. A moment later he heard the door open and close. True to his word, he kept his eyes closed until he was sure she was gone, then, with a small sigh, he opened his eyes.

In his hands was a thick pile of envelopes tied together by a purple ribbon. Slowly Cross undid the ribbon and picked up the first envelope. An envelope addressed to him.

Dated back just over three years.

A lump formed in his throat as he thumbed through the rest of the letters, checking each date. Two-week intervals.

Without fail, every two weeks, Alice had written him a letter that she could not send.

Every two weeks, she had kept her promise.

For three years.

Swallowing hard Cross gently tied the ribbon back into place and pulled the bundle against his chest. Looking up at the window, he smiled.

"Right, then."

xXx

Lexi looked up sharply as the door opened and Alice stepped out. Spotting Lexi, she let out a small laugh and approached the shadow mage.

“I had a feeling you were going to be here still. You don’t quite trust me, do you Alexis?”

“I don’t know you.” Lexi answered honestly, stepping forward to meet Alice. “I can only judge you by the actions I’ve seen you take.”

“I see. And I take it you disapprove?”

“I do.”

“I suppose this isn’t much of a surprise.” Alice shrugged and continued past Lexi. “I do thank you for taking care of Cross in my absence.”

“Alice!” Lexi called out, causing Alice to pause a short way down the hallway. “How could you? How could you do that to Cross?”

“How, huh?” Alice smiled. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more specific.”

“You know how Cross… You know him. Yet you still did… that. I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you would do something like that do your family, your guildmate. Why would you go so far, just to win?”

“Oh, I see.” Alice nodded. “So, you want an explanation, do you?”

“Yes.”

Alice leaned against the wall “I suppose that is fair, but before that, I must know, are you asking as his Leader?”

“I’m asking as his family.”

“What a good answer.” Alice rolled her head back in thought. Finally, she held up two fingers. “I can think of two reasons to explain why I did that to him. Will that be enough?”

Lexi nodded silently.

“The first is for him. Cross is naïve. He can handle a sword, but does he truly know when to use it? He lets his guard down constantly. He’s not like me, or you. He’s not always watching, waiting, expecting. I could see that in the few days I’ve been with him. He doesn’t have the edge he used to.

“Now that would be fine, if he were to be just a courier, but he’s not, is he? No, he’s a member of your team, Alexis. He was nearly killed by a succubus while working under you. This world is becoming more chaotic by the second, and it shows no signs of slowing down. I have no doubt he will be placed into even more dangerous situations, and if he isn’t ready, if he isn’t absolutely prepared for every situation, then I all but guarantee he’ll die.”

Lexi swallowed down a hard lump that had formed in her throat. “And your second reason?”

“Me.” Alice pushed off the wall and approached Lexi. “I did it for me. Because I wanted to. I wanted to know what it would feel like to kiss him since… not since I first saw him, no… when was it?” Alice lifted up a finger to her chin. “Oh, it was right after you won the Dance.”

“I don’t understand.”

“We went shopping for a gift for you. In the market, I teased him and he fought back. He finally fought back. He looked at me, really looked at me, as an equal.” Alice’s hand moved down to clutch at her chest, her fingers gripping the fabric tight. “For so long Cross has only been able to look up to me, and because of that I could only look down on him. But I had to know, I had to know if it was real. So, I did everything I could to break him. I hurt him, I taunted him, I manipulated him, but still, he didn’t break. And now, now he looks at me for who I truly am and he doesn’t look away. He’s the only one who has ever been able to do that.” Alice sucked in a sharp breath and a forced smile appeared on her face. “Also, there is another misunderstanding I believe I need to correct with you, Alexis.”

“What?”

“I left this guild, willingly. Cross is not my family, nor am I his guildmate. I would ask you not to forget that and keep those words from your tongue when you are around me. Now, if there is nothing else.” Alice dipped her head and turned again to leave.

“I don’t care what you say.” Lexi said, taking a step forward. “Even if I could understand your reasoning, twisted as it is, I can’t accept the way you do things. I would never do that to Cross. Ever.”

Alice slowly turned around. After a long moment she let out a laugh. The sound tumbled over her lips like shattered glass and she stared at Lexi, her eyes filed with such a visible agony that Lexi nearly took a step back.

“Of course you can’t, Alexis,” she turned back around. “After all, you’re not wretched.”