Alice trooped through the forest around Gravity Falls, taking a trail she had traveled many times before to see the Luminiferous Cranes. While the birds had left their nests by the waterfall, Alice liked the silence that swelled in the area. 

She shifted her bag on her shoulder, her pristine ice skates bumping against her back as she pushed past snow-covered branches. The crisp air flowed into her lungs and escaped her in soft breaths of steam, a smile crossing her face as the small waterfall came into view.

Despite the slightly moving water, a thick layer of ice had formed over the water, strong enough for Alice to skate on. She dropped her bag into the snow, stretching her arms in front of her and pressing a foot against the top of the ice. When she didn't hear the tell-tale snaps or cracking of ice, she braced her weight against it.

It stayed in place.

Alice smiled, tossing her hair over her back and leaning down to her bag, pulling her skates from the bag. It took a moment, leaning against the nearest tree and slipping her boot off, exchanging it for the skate.

It had been a little bit since she last skated, not having had the time since her divorce, but she'd always loved it. She slipped on the other skate, her hand braced against the tree as her center of gravity shifted.

She exhaled, a cloud of steam cascading in front of her eyes, as she slipped her phone and headphones from her pocket. She liked the silence, but she preferred to skate to music, her playlist of ballet symphonies was the perfect musings. 

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake began to flow into her ears, and Alice pushed off the shore, gliding forward in confident strides. Her body moved with the music, each spin and leap perfectly timed to the swelling of the strings. The fluidity and precision of her movements were trained from years of practice, her hands ebbing and flowing with the graceful yet power-filled orchestra in her ears.

As the music reached its climax, Alice launched into a final, soaring leap, her body arching through the air before landing effortlessly on the ice. She let out a slight grunt, feeling her knees ache under her, but pressing forward as the music changed in her headphones.

She turned on the ice, allowing her skates to guide her path as she nodded her head to the music, planning a route in her mind when she paused. Ford stepped out of the trees, a small smile on his face as his eyes glimmered on the bright snowy day.

"Hey," She breathed, yanking her headphones from her ears and letting them fall over her chest. "What are you doing out here?"

Ford chuckled, his head bowing toward the ground as she skated in small circles on the ice.

"I could ask you the same thing," He replied, slowly approaching the edge of the frozen pond. "I just wanted some fresh air. I wasn't expecting to find you out here... Skating."

Alice shifted her feet, skidding to a stop and angling her feet so she didn't slide.

"Well..." She laughed, brushing her hair from her face, flushed from her circle around the pond. "You found me."

"That I did," He chuckled, kneeling at the edge of the ice and stretching out a hand. "The real question is... What am I going to do with you now."

Alice laughed, shifting her phone and headphones back into her pocket, pushing forward, and taking his hand.

"Admire my Tchaikovsky routines?" She guessed, pulling herself toward him on the ice. "Dance of the Little Swans is next, and it's one of my favorites."

"I believe I might," He chuckled, his fingers twined around hers, a smile on his face. "You know, I never knew you were such an avid skater, Dove."

"I was a competitive figure skater in high school and college," Alice told him, a small flush crossing her cheeks as she confessed. "I stopped competing after I got married, but figured I could pick up skating again with all of my new free time."

"That... Explains a lot," He replied his expression a combination of awe and curiosity. "You move so... Perfectly. You're like a swan gliding on the ice."

"You can thank Tchaikovsky for that," Alice smiled, releasing his hand and pulling her phone out once more. "I learned to skate off of ballet music. Swan Lake specifically."

"I may have to listen to more Tchaikovsky then," He chuckled, eyes flickering to her phone. "Do you have any other routines up your sleeve, or is it just Swan Lake?"

"Oh no," Alice said with a shake of her head, pulling the headphones from the port and showing him the list of music. "I have Swan Lake, of course, Dance of the Little Swans, The Nutcracker, Hamlet, Symphony No. 5..."

She tipped her head to him a small smile crossing her face.

"Any requests?" She asked, passing her phone to him. Ford chuckled, taking the phone from her and scrolling through the catalog of ballet music.

"Do you have this all memorized?" He asked, a touch of awe in his voice as he looked down at the device.

"No," Alice laughed, chuckling and peering at the screen. "I make it up as I go. But I make sure that everything I do goes with the music."

"Have you ever done the Sorcerer's Apprentice?" He asked, a hint of a challenge in his eyes as he glanced up at her. Alice pursed her lips slightly at the question, trying to catalog the music in her mind.

"P.Dukas?" She asked if only to confirm her suspicion. Ford chuckled, giving her a nod of confirmation.

"Yes," He replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Any chance you can work your magic and do a routine to it?"

"I could try," She confirmed, smirking up at him and taking her phone back. She scrolled through the music until she found the song. Turning the volume up as loud as she could, Alice handed it back to Ford and smiled. "Press play when you're ready."

She pushed back onto the lake, slowing to a stop as she reached the center, glancing up at Ford with a smile. He nodded, finger hovering over the play button as he held her gaze, before pressing play.

The music started slow, and Alice pushed off, gliding across the ice and quickly falling into the melodic pattern of the clarinets, spinning seamlessly with the tune. As it began to pick up pace, she let her movements follow suit, her body flowing through each step with a sense of ease.

Her skates carved intricate patterns into the ice as she spun the whimsical tune, letting her body stiffen as the piques of music crawled into an almost jaunty tune. Her hands moved with the flowing violins and dipping music, she could almost imagine the orchestra behind it, both chaotic and calm as they played.

As the piece reached its climax, Alice's movements became more frenzied and intense, her skates digging through the ice in a flurry of motion. Her skates clicked against the ice as she laughed into a series of spins and jumps, each one executed with focus and confidence that belied her initial ignorance of the piece.

The dramatic finish was something she had not expected and she threw herself into a final sweeping leap, her leg extending in front of her as she drew a circle around her center of gravity. She slid to a halt in the center of the ice, her arms poised taunt at her sides as her chest heaved in front of her, the last few notes of the piece fading from her ears as she caught her breath.

She'd almost forgotten that Ford was watching until she heard him slowly clapping from the shore. Alice glanced up, chest still heaving as he beamed at her.

"That was... sublime," He called out, a note of awe in his voice. Alice pushed back toward him, sliding forward with her hands on her knees and a smile on her face.

"I think..." She laughed past an inhale. "I think I prefer... Tchaikovsky."

Ford chuckled, reaching a hand out to her as she stepped off the ice and onto the snow.

"No kidding," He joked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You move like... Like a dancer possessed by Tchaikovsky himself."

"You should have seen me in my golden era," She chuckled.

Alice leaned against the tree once more, exchanging her skates for her boots and sliding them back into her backpack. Her arms extended over her head, stretching the aching pain she'd felt in her back halfway through her mock performance.

"If I hadn't been so in love with birds, I would have skated for a living."

"And if you'd become a professional skater, we might have never met," He pointed out, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'd like to think that this is the better timeline."

"I could have skated and still crashed into the shack," She pointed out with a grin. "Then Mabel could have bragged that your magnet gun worked on famous people too."

She zipped her backpack, gently taking her phone from Ford and shoving it in her back pocket. Ford laughed, shaking his head as she affixed her belongings before he tipped his head to her.

"How long has it been since you last went skating?" He asked, his smile wavering slightly.

It took a moment, but Alice answered, resting a hand on her hip as she thought.

"Before I started here?" She asked, gesturing to the crane's lake with her free hand. "About a year... I used to take Ella all the time before..." She hesitated, just for a moment, her heart lurching in her chest at the thought of her daughter. "Before Carson and I got divorced. So two years... It doesn't feel like that long."

"It probably feels shorter because of your skill," Ford responded, a mask of neutrality slipping over his face. "You move like a professional. It's almost effortless."

Alice glanced at him, watching as his hands balled in the pockets of his trench coat. It was like she could see questions forming in his mind, a myriad of things he wanted to ask her, but hesitated to.

"Can I ask you something?" He suddenly blurted out, as if it pained him to ask. Alice stepped forward, reaching her hand to him and slipping her fingers into the pocket of his jacket, pressing her fingers into his hand.

"Of course," She answered, bowing her head to meet his gaze. "Ford, you can ask me anything."

His breath caught, his fingers meeting her grasp. 

"Why... did you stop skating competitively?" He asked, his voice strained as his thumb traced over her knuckles.

She hadn't expected that.

Alice paused, her finger stilling against his as she took in the question. She'd stopped skating for a lot of different reasons, her research, her marriage, and because she'd been pregnant. But those felt like excuses rather than answers.

"Because Carson wanted me to," She answered honestly, dipping her gaze from his. "And I didn't know how to stand up for myself when he told me to."

"Did..." Ford started, hesitating for a moment before continuing, his fingers linking with hers. "Did he tell you to do a lot?"

There was a touch of anger in his voice as if the idea of someone telling Alice what to do left a bitter taste in his mouth. Alice closed her eyes, a small, wry smile crossing her face as she thought.

"Yes," She replied, forcing her gaze back to Ford. "And I was young and stupid. I didn't realize I could have stood up sooner when I should have."

His hand squeezed hers, his thumb absentmindedly massaging the back of her hand. 

"You're free of him now," He said firmly, his gaze burning into hers. "And you don't have to listen to anyone anymore. Ever."

Alice stared up at him, watching as a sudden flurry of snow caught in Ford's hair. As if on cue, a gust of wind kicked up a snow flurry, sending flurries dancing through the air. The soft ass of white surrounded the forest, not thick enough to be a danger, but spiraling like a silent dance of white. 

 Alice leaned into Ford, her hand slipping from his pocket to brush the flakes from his hair. Her palm rested against his warm cheek, gently cupping the side of his face as snow stuck to his glasses.

She wanted to kiss him.

With those simple words, he'd confirmed something inside of her that Alice didn't realize she needed.

"Ford," She whispered, her breath coming out in soft puffs of steam. 

Ford leaned into her touch as if it had become an instinct, his eyes flickering shut for a fraction of a second as his glasses sparkled like diamonds. The sun's reflection and the snow surrounding him created an almost godlike halo around his head.

"Yes?" His voice was suddenly soft as if she had melted something inside of him.

Alice gently brought his face to hers, standing on the tips of her toes to meet his lips, her thumb brushing over his cheek. She could feel his breath catching just before his lips met hers, his hands sliding from his pockets and settling onto her waist as if they were made to fit there.

There was no reason to tell him what she was thinking, Alice was sure that he knew. There was no doubt in her mind that, despite the circumstances that led her to Gravity Falls or the mistakes of her past, she loved him. The time he spent at sea only confirmed the longing for Alice.

 But as she drew away, her lips forming into a smile, she spoke.

"I love you," She breathed, her fingers cupping his face. Ford pulled her closer his fingers gripping at her jacket as if she might fade from his grasp. He searched her eyes, searching for something she couldn't fathom.

"I love you too."