Alice rubbed her eyes as Stan pulled down a long narrow driveway, blinding white snow surrounding them as giant trees with thick trunks came into view. If she hadn't been so cold, Alice might have found it beautiful.

She shifted in her seat, trying to stretch despite the cramped quarters. One of the books fell off the seat and onto the floorboard, and Alice reached down to grab it, slowly pulling on her boots before she rose again.

"Are we here?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning, despite her lack of sleep.

Stan nodded, keeping his eyes on the road as he slowly drove the car down the road. He reached up and rubbed his eyes again before shifting in his seat.

"Yeah," he said with a shaky breath, throwing El Diablo into park. "We're here."

His hand reached out, pulling the blanket tighter around her as if that alone could ward off the cold. Alice squinted out the window, beyond the raging flurries of snow, she could see what looked like a house.

A massive cabin.

"Sweet Moses," Alice breathed, her eyes widening at the place. "Is your twin rich or something?"

He reached out, gently grabbing her chin, moving it so her eyes weren't facing out the window, keeping her focused on him. His brow furrowed, anxiety and uncertainty flickering across his expression.

"That doesn't matter," he muttered. "All that matters is that he asked us to come, he wants us here, and we're here."

"He wants you here," Alice pointed out, her lips pressing together as she took in his expression. "He doesn't know about me."

Alice gently lifted her chin from his grasp, reaching down to unbuckle so she could turn toward him. Her hands gently wrapped around his wrists, guiding his hands against the seat of the car. Even if it was cold, Alice could feel how hard his hands were shaking. Stan let out a frustrated sigh, leaning forward and resting his head against hers, closing his eyes.

"It's going to be okay, boss," Alice murmured, trying to work over the anxiety forming in her chest. "I'll have your back."

"I know you will," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm gonna need it, princess."

Alice released his hands, lifting hers to cup his cheeks and press a kiss to his forehead. She could practically feel the anxiety rolling off of him in waves, but there was no point in pushing it back. He lifted his head, keeping his eyes closed as he took in the warmth of her touch. 

"Why the hell do you put up with me?" He muttered under his breath.

"Because I love you, boss," Alice replied, brushing a few loose strands of hair from his face. "Now... Let's get this over with before one of us throws up."

He let another breath, running his hands over his face before looking at her with an almost determined expression. 

"Let's get going, princess," he said, leaning forward and grabbing his door handle. "You ready?"

Alice nodded, pushing the passenger door open and pushing out into the snow. If she had thought seaside California winters were cold, Oregon's were worse. Stifling a curse, Alice shifted her hood over her head, snowflakes desperately trying to cling to her hair and eyelashes.

Stan's hand found hers before she had the chance to shove them in her pockets. She glanced up at him, his gaze fixed on the cabin ahead of them.

"Jesus, it's cold," he muttered, his hand shaking against hers.

Alice squeezed his hand, shoving them in her pocket and pressing into his side. They trudged through the snow, their footsteps heavy as they pressed forward, the wind tossing their hair from their hoods. His free hand went to her waist, grabbing her tightly as they walked up the porch steps to the door.

"You haven't seen your brother in over ten years. It's okay," Alice heard Stan mutter to himself his hand hovering over the door. "He's family. He won't bite."

Her hand tightened around his, her lips pressing together before he rapped his fist against the door.

There was a long moment of silence before Alice heard the click of the lock and the door swung open. Her arms locked around Stan's as the tip of an arrow notched in a crossbow appeared in her vision, and an almost manic expression on the man holding it.

The man who was very obviously Ford.

"WHO IS IT?! Have you come to steal my eyes?!?!"

"OH MY GOD!" Alice yelped, taking an instinctive step back, her breath hitching in her chest.

Stan reacted on instinct, grabbing her by the shoulders, pulling her behind him. Alice's hands gripped his coat, her eyes wide as she watched Stan stare at a nearly perfect replica of himself.

"Well," Stan started, his voice stronger than it had been in the car. "I can always count on you for a warm welcome."

"Stanley," his twin breathed, almost relieved. "Did anyone follow you? Anyone at all?"

Ford didn't move, staring at Stan, but his expression wasn't angry, or relieved. Almost like he was looking through him, a haunted look in his eyes. 

Stan sighed, shaking his head, "No, no one followed me."

Ford seemed almost relieved, lowering his crossbow slightly. He turned his gaze to Alice, his eyes narrowing. "Is this another one of your 'acquaintances'?"

"Hey-" Alice protested, her voice suddenly making a reappearance. "I'm not an acquaintance! I've had bosses back for the past five years, where have you been?"

This was a weird, weird reunion.

"She's a little more than an acquaintance," Stan snapped, his eyes flickering back to her for a moment, almost checking on her. "Can we step inside? It's freezing out here."

Without another word, Ford lurched forward, grabbing both Alice and Stan by the fronts of their coats and pulling them inside the lit cabin. Alice stumbled forward, holding back a curse as Stan's insane twin shone a light in her eyes.

"Hey!" She shoved him away. "Hands off-"

"Ford," Stan snapped, his voice low. "What the hell are you doing?"

Ford ignored him, grabbing his twin by the shirt and repeating the process of shining a light in his eyes.

 "Ah! Hey!" Stan protested, shoving his twin away. "What is this?"

"Sorry, I just had to make sure you weren't... uh, it's nothing," Ford muttered, clicking off the light and turning into the cabin. "Come in, come in."

Alice glanced at Stan, blinking hard as she tried to get rid of the bursts of color in her vision. If this was the person they'd driven 13 hours to visit, Alice wasn't sure she wanted to stay. Stan only sighed, running his hands over his eyes as he moved further into the cabin, his hand slipping into hers.

"You gonna explain what's going on, here?" Stan asked, his voice tight. "You're acting like Mom after her tenth cup of coffee."

"Yeah," Alice breathed, glaring at the neurotic twin. "Not to mention the tactical assault that probably violates some sort of convention."

Alice glanced around the room, feeling like she'd just stepped into the strangest museum in the world. Oddities, artifacts, bones, and even what looked like a taxidermied unicorn head on the wall of the living room. It was strange in the worst way possible, and Alice could feel her fingers curling tighter into Stan's.

"Listen, there isn't much time-" Ford started, clutching a journal to his chest and turning the head of a skeleton away from himself. "I've made huge mistakes and I don't know who I can trust anymore."

"Hey, uh, easy there-" Stan placated, raising his free hand to his twin. "Let's talk this through, okay?"

"I have something to show you-" Ford continued as if Stan hadn't spoken. "Something you won't believe."

"Okay, take it easy there," Alice interjected, taking a hesitant step forward. "Boss isn't going anywhere with you."

Ford continued to ignore her, his fingers tapping on the journal's cover as he started marching away from them like he was expecting Stan to follow. Stan frowned, hesitantly glancing at Alice before his gaze returned to his twin.

She knew that look in his eyes, she'd seen it before.

"Boss, you can't be serious-" Alice hissed, trying to hide the edge of panic forming in her voice. "He's crazy-"

Stan let out a sigh, his hand squeezing her before he let go and took a step forward. Alice almost stopped him, she forced herself to resist the urge to pull him back to the car and drive far away from this crazy house.

"I'm just going to see what the hell he wants to show me, princess," Stan murmured, giving her a small smile she was sure he meant to be comforting. "I'll be right back, stay here?"

Alice hesitated, before pressing her lips together, "Be careful, Stanley-"

 Stan took a silent deep breath, walking after Ford, moving quickly to catch up to his brother, disappearing from the doorway.

For a moment, Alice stood there, unsure what to do with herself before she turned to the skeleton, its head still rotated. She reached out, straightened it, and gave a small nod.

"There you go," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "All better."

"Thank you-" The skeleton head replied.

"OH MY GOD-"