It was the only way. The only way to keep Ace and Ina safe. She had to do it. Alone. And once it was done, this would all be over, and they could go back to their normal lives.

At least, that's what Alice kept telling herself as she wove her way through the forest, which was made ten times more sinister by the darkness of the night. Not that she hadn't been in the forest at night, but tonight, it was different. Maybe it was the fact that her only friends for miles were sleeping in an oyster-infested room back in Hickory Dickory. Or maybe it was that she knew her destination was filled with murderous thieves out for her blood. Whatever it was, something made the forest feel ominous. Every shadow was a potential attacker, and every step she took was loud as thunder.

She could be hurt. She could be taken captive. She could even be killed.

But this was the only way. She had to keep her loved ones safe. Besides, she has a secret weapon no one knew about.

Though she was tempted to slip her hand into her pocket to be sure the watch was still there, she forced herself to keep her fingers still. If someone were in fact watching, they'd know she had something hidden away in there. She had to be careful. Every move she made could either help her or hinder her.

Or kill her.

She shook her head, trying to banish the thought of dying from her mind. While she knew she was willing to die for her friends and family if it came to that, she didn't particularly want to die. She quite enjoyed living. And she was certain she had so much more of it to do. Death would be inconvenient. And she guessed it would likely hurt quite a bit as well.

There was a small glow coming from the dying fire within the camp as she approached. Slowing her pace, Alice darted behind a bush to survey the scene before walking in. Unlike her last visit to the camp, there was no one milling about. It was eerily still and silent.

Like a trap.

Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly left the safety of the shadows and made her way into the camp. She knew it was a trap. The moment she read that note, she had known it was a trap. But knowing it was a trap, she was prepared. Of course, there was the chance that they knew that she knew it was a trap and they were prepared for her being prepared. But that all made her head hurt, so she focused on the task at hand.

Find Dodgson.

She had made it to the fire, and still no one had come out to greet or attack her. Glancing about the camp, she wondered what sort of trap they were setting. Ambush? Luring her into a false sense of security? Outright murder? As she considered the possibilities, a woman and a man appeared out of nowhere and approached her, each sporting a wicked smile.

"Miss Alice Chataway?" asked the woman, disdain dripping from her every word.

"Liddell," Alice corrected her.

The man gestured to a nearby tent. "This way, my lady."

The mocking sarcasm in his tone was not lost upon Alice. Still, she refused to let their sneers and taunts unnerve her. Lifting her head up high, she followed after the two unsavory characters as they led her into the large tent.

It looked more like a bedroom than a tent. There were ornate tapestries on the walls, intricately woven rugs scattered over the ground, and a bed piled with silk sheets and thick quilts. A low, orange light came from the paper lanterns hanging above, casting menacing shadows all about. More menacing than the shadows, though, was the man standing in the center of the tent.

Dodgson Skeffington.

His mouth was twisted into a vicious grin as he looked her up and down. "Well, aren't you just the spitting image of her?"

Alice set her jaw. "I'm assuming you mean my mother?"

"Indeed." He circled her slowly, and though Alice would not follow his movement, she kept on high alert, listening to his every step. "It's like I'm looking back in time. To a younger, less dead Alice Chataway."

Even not knowing her mother, his words pierced Alice through to her heart. Still, she wouldn't let him know it and kept her face expressionless.

"Although," Dodgson was once again in front of her, leaning forward so that his nose nearly touched hers, "I think you have his eyes."

She resisted swallowing the knot in her throat. "My father's eyes?"

Dodgson stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Yes. Well, at least with regards to the color. Somehow that pretty blue makes you look less," the corners of his mouth lifted in a mocking smile, "intimidating."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Alice gave him a withering glare. "As fascinating as the appraisal of my physical features is, perhaps we should get down to business?"

"He was a soft man, your father. Cried at the drop of a hat. Pathetic excuse for a thief. Not sure what your mother ever saw in him, to be honest. Scrawny, emotional. So very unlike her."

Alice knew very little about her father. Everyone was so focused on her mother. So even if the information was coming from such a despicable person, she was hanging on every word he spoke.

"Perhaps that's what she liked about him," he continued. "He was weak and utterly in love with her, so she could get him to do whatever she wanted."

"I did not know either of my parents, so if you're trying to get me to jump to their defense, it's not going to work."

It was mostly a lie. His words were causing her pulse to race and her blood to boil. Even if she didn't remember her parents, hearing someone speak ill of them still ruffed her feathers. Especially someone like Dodgson.

"Don't get me wrong, I understand the use of a spineless, malleable individual." He stopped and flashed her a toothy grin. "Both my daughter and her mother proved to be very useful in their time."

"Ina is not spineless," Alice snapped.

Dodgson raised his eyebrows. "So you two have become chummy? Not surprising. You really are just like your mother. Seeking out the weak to get your way."

Narrowing her eyes at him, Alice ground her teeth to keep from another outburst.

"I applaud your tactics, of course. What are minions good for except to use as stepping stones, am I right?"

"Ina is not a stepping stone. And she is not a minion. Now why don't we move on to the real reason I'm here?"

"See, your mother made a mistake," he continued, moving about the tent as he spoke. "She lost her touch. I suspect it happened when she became a mother."

Alice sneered at him.

"Something changed when you were born. She became sentimental and distracted. And far more emotional. Which was good for me. It made it much easier to manipulate her once her husband was out of the picture."

He was trying to get a rise out of her. She knew it. And yet it was so hard not to react.

Dodgson smiled, clearly noticing her affected state. "There's something you should know about me, Alice."

A shiver went down her spine. The way he said her name sounded like a threat.

"I see people. I know people. I understand people. So I know exactly what to say, what to do, and how to act in order to lure them into my trap. With your mother, it was playing on her fragile emotional state and appealing to her attraction to weak-hearted, spineless men. And I suspect you are very much the same as her."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"There are tears brimming in your eyes. You're worse than your mother and your father combined. You wear your bleeding heart on your sleeve. Awful for negotiations, I might point out."

Holding back the tears Dodgson was mocking, Alice took a deep breath. "Is this the only reason you brought me here? To mock me and my loved ones?"

He glanced at her and gave a smirk. "Oh, I haven't even touched your loved ones just yet. Because as you said, you didn't know your parents. So how could you love them? And I would be hard-pressed to believe that you love my ridiculous excuse for a daughter."

Heat rushed up into Alice's face, but before she could refute his hurtful comments, he pulled a long dagger from a trunk by his bed. Her heart leapt into her throat, but he did not descend upon her. Rather, he examined the blade carefully.

"No, as far as I know, you only have one loved one in your life." His eyes strayed from the blade and met hers. "Your husband."

Every muscle tensed, and her fingers twitched, longing to grab for her sword.

He paced the tent and chuckled as he stroked the blade of his weapon. "What's that ridiculous saying? The apple pie doesn't fall far from the tree? Very much the case with you. Choosing a man as weak-willed and pathetic as your father was."

Alice swallowed down her rage. "What do you know about my husband?"

Dodgson paused by one of the walls, still examining his dagger closely. "I know that he is so stupidly devoted to you that he would risk his very life to save you." He glanced up at Alice. "And I know that he followed you here tonight."

Before Alice could even comprehend what he had just said, Dodgson stabbed his dagger through the tent wall. A gasp came from the other side, and someone fell through and collapsed on the floor. Alice's eyes widened in horror as she recognized the man sprawled out before her.

Ace.

She raced over to him, ready to fight off Dodgson and his cronies if they dared try to stop her. But none of them laid a hand on her. Dodgson retreated to his bed to clean his blade, and his minions remained stationed by the entrance.

Grasping Ace's shoulder, she quickly surveyed the damage. He was clutching his abdomen, but even as he pressed against the wound, blood poured from it, staining the elaborate rug he laid on. A pit sunk in her stomach as Alice forced her eyes away from the wound. She focused on Ace's face, but his attention was on the blood covering his hands. Something like realization dawned in his eyes, and he met her gaze.

"Ace," she whispered, leaning over him and cupping his face. "Ace, why are you here?"

He grasped her wrist and forced a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Alice. I just..."

He winced in pain and gasped for breath. Alice leaned closer, brushing his hair out of his face and forcing herself to focus on his eyes and not the blood staining her skirts.

"I wasn't...I wasn't following you because I don't trust you," Ace said. "I just...I wanted to be there for you. In case...in case he..."

He lost his breath and swallowed the rest of his words. How had he known? How had he known where she was going? How had he known what she was doing?

Alice pushed those questions aside and fixed her attention on Ace. She needed to do something quickly. He was bleeding so badly. If she didn't get help soon, he would—

But she refused to consider such an outcome. Calming her own nerves, she tried to steady her shaking hands as she pulled off her vest and bunched the material up. She pressed it against his wound, doing her best to keep the tears at bay.

"I didn't mean...I didn't mean to cause trouble..." Ace whispered. "I just wanted...wanted to be there for you."

Alice shook her head. "You're not trouble Ace." She turned to him, terrified by how pale his face had become. "You're wonderful. You're loyal. You're everything a dishonest thief like me could never dream of having."

Lifting a bloodstained hand to touch her cheek, Ace gave a pained smile. "I love you so much, Alice." He squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth before opening them once more. "I'm so sorry we didn't have more time."

With a sharp intake of breath, Alice abandoned her wadded up vest and grasped his hands. "No. No, Ace, no. We have more time. We have all the time in the world."

"Alice."

"No! No, this isn't the end. This can't be the end, Ace. I refuse to believe it. I absolutely refuse."

His eyelids fluttered. "Alice. I love you."

Panic gripped Alice's heart as she saw the life drain from his eyes. And then she remembered.

The watch.

Scrambling to retrieve it from her pocket, she fumbled with the key, desperate to still this moment before Ace slipped away from her forever. After what felt like an eternity, the key clicked into place, and the world stopped.

The unnatural stillness around her hardly registered in her mind. All she could see was Ace in the throes of death. His pale face. His distant eyes. The pool of blood surrounding him.

Words failed her. The only sound she could manage was an agonizing wail that echoed off the walls of the tent and rang in her ears. She threw herself across Ace and sobbed into his unmoving chest. There was nothing she could do. A minute wasn't enough to bring him to safety, to stop the bleeding, to keep him alive.

Ace was going to die.

And it was all her fault.

The sobs wracked her body, and she barely noticed as her pocket watch counted down her final minute with Ace. Every second that ticked away was one more memory she wouldn't make with him. One more kiss they wouldn't share. One more promise they wouldn't make. Their future, their plans. They were all gone now.

And it was all her fault.

The final second was poised to strike, and Alice knew she would never be prepared for what would come next. A life without him. A life without her husband. A life without her best friend.

A life without Ace.

But Alice never heard that final second pass.

Instead, she heard a voice.

"My, my. You could fill a pool with all of your tears."