Abandoning Responsibility (Open)

[aliceroosevelt]

"What if you got another one..."

Brilliant. As if she hadn't thought of that herself. But the question was, where would she get one from? Mike had made it clear he didn't have anything lying around, and she didn't exactly carry a spare for emergencies. The thought occurred to her to borrow something from one of the ladies who lived in the other apartments, but showing up at home in a poor woman's frock? She might as well just wear the boys' clothes...

"Do you know someone who would be willing to give you a dress without telling your dad? Or we could maybe buy you one?"

Alice shook her head. "When you're as rich as I am you don't have many real friends..." she said with a slight grin. "And all my money was in my purse..." she added thoughtfully, and suddenly glanced around for the beaded drawstring bag. Then she suddenly remembered: damn it! She recalled Quentin toying with the drawstrings and Kermit trying to snatch it from him...and then storming out of the polo grounds without it. "My brothers have it," she said dejectedly. "And honestly, it doesn't look to me like you would have enough money for a new dress just lying around..."

"Well, don't take to long. The offer isn't standing for long."

He winked at her again, and she was about to turn her attention to getting the trousers on when he kissed her on the cheek. She felt her face flare up with a hasty blush, and she turned to look him in the eyes. There was no way of hiding...his gesture had flustered her. And yet she wasn't angry. Perhaps if it had been anyone else she would have punched them, but for some reason all she could do was look at him, her face red with a blush and her mind swimming. She held his gaze for several long moments before clearing her throat and turning away. "Right...right..." she said, mentally scorning herself for being so awkward.

She focused on getting the trousers on. She lifted one foot to try and pull on the pant leg, but lost her balance and found herself leaning into Mike. She steadied herself with a hand on his chest. She froze for a moment and looked at him again, slowly moving so she was standing upright again, at a loss for words.

(Awkward...haha)

[Mike D. Greaser]

"When you're as rich as I am you don't have many real friends..."

Chuckling, Mike nodded. He could only imagine. Being rich was never a thing he got to experience, but his parents did have a name for themselves. People acted differently around him and he never got close to anyone. Mike could only guess how bad it was for Alice. Jealousy was a major emotion that controlled people when they were around people like Alice. Friends were not the easiest thing to come upon.

"And all my money was in my purse..."

Mike watched as she glanced around. He didn't remember her having a purse... Had he left that too?! Mike felt really guilty now. The dress and the purse of Alice Roosevelt, lying on the bank of the river in Harlem. Great, just great. The newsies were probably going to have a great headline tomorrow. He sighed and shook his head.

"My brothers have it,"

Mike was relieved. "Okay... so buying a new dress is out of the question." And she was right about him not having any extra money. He barely had enough for himself, let alone a new dress. He didn't usually put money aside for dresses....

"Right...right..."

He smirked coyly, satisfied with the way he had flustered her. It was a good feeling, knowing he had an effect on her. She blushed and looked down. Actually, she was very cute when she blushed. Mike would have to make her blush more.

When she used him to steady herself, Mike froze. He was actually going to leave when she changed, but obviously she had different plans. A small chuckle escaped her mouth as she struggle with the trousers. Clearly, she hadn't put on pants before. It was quite the site.

She placed her hand on his chest, trying to regain her balance. They both stopped what they were doing. Mike's breath caught in his throat as her eyes met his. He hadn't expected this to happen, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. She was doing something to him.... making his heart flutter and his pulse quicken. Before he knew it, he was leaning closer. They were inches apart when Mike came back to reality. "I'm going... to... uh... let you change in private," he said, mere inches from her lips. Lingering there a moment longer, Mike could feel her warm breath. He quickly pulled away and walked out.

When he was out, he let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Plopping down on the couch, Mike placed his head in his hands. This was so weird...

[aliceroosevelt]

"Okay... so buying a new dress is out of the question."

Alice sighed. She knew it was unlikely to even think that Mike would have the money for a dress lying around his apartment, but half of her never stopped hoping for the best. So far she'd gotten more, so much more, than she'd first bargained for. "I guess I'm stuck with men's clothes, then..." The thought was more frustrating than disturbing. Alice had inherited her father's love for rugged living. To Theodore Roosevelt, that could mean living out west for a few years and live happily in tents and on the ground. For Alice, sheltered, pampered Alice, it meant making a few sacrifices when it came to her dignity.

With her hand on his chest, Alice realized that Mike was leaning forward toward her. His movement was slow, almost deliberate. But Alice could see it, and for some reason she didn't think of moving away. She barely felt herself gravitating toward him, and finally, they were inches from kissing. Finally he stopped, and some of the daze left his eyes (goodness, she realized, those eyes!). "I'm going... to... uh... let you change in private," he stammered, staying for a moment, and hurried out of the room.

It was only after he was gone that Alice realized she had become light-headed. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it. She was getting too engrossed in her flirting, that was all. There was nothing more to it. She tried telling herself this over and over until she believed it. She steadied herself on the dresser and pulled on the trousers, thankfully knowing enough to put them on frontwards. She pulled off the damp shirt he'd given her and reached for a clean one, pulling it on and fumbling with the buttons until it was closed.

She half-wished she had a mirror to see how ridiculous she looked. The trousers were too big and slumped around her narrow waist, falling under her heels as she walked. The shirt sleeves hung around her hands, and she balled them up to her elbows. The shirt buttoning was uneven, she realized, she had made a mistake somewhere. She shook her head, wondering how she could possibly be conscious about her appearance at this point, and stepped outside to where Mike was.

The trousers felt odd...she wasn't used to wearing fabric between her legs. But she managed to get outside and saw Mike on the couch. "Finished," she announced, and stood before him. "I'm only afraid these clothes weren't cut for a lady..." She was trying to make a joke again...and failed, she thought sadly.

[Mike D. Greaser]

As Mike sat on the couch, he scolded himself for being so stupid. His flirting had gotten out of hand and now it had made the whole situation awkward. Now, they would have to be together for many hours with an air of tension among them. Not that Mike didn't enjoy her company, by no means, but he had made it strange.

It accord to Mike that for the past few hours, his plan of revenge against the newsies had never even entered his mind. He had acted completely different. Sure, the flirting was his thing, but there had been something else behind the flirting besides poking fun. His day hadn't consisted of soakings nor planning, yet he was enjoying it. The idea that Alice could help him was still in the back of his mind. Maybe they would talk about it later.

But that was the least of Mike's worries now. Tonight, at Lord knows what hour, Mike needed to sneak the governor's daughter back to her house; without being caught. This was not going to be easy. What if they got caught? How was this going to work?

"Finished. I'm only afraid these clothes weren't cut for a lady..."

When she entered, Mike stood. Just as he expected; she looked cute. Her attempt at a joke made Mike smile. At least the tension was lifting. "They look nice on you, though..." His eyes, which had been studying her, flicked to her eyes. He hadn't exactly meant for that to come out. How would she respond?

Sitting down, he patted the spot next to him. "We need to figure out what is going to happen tonight..." If they were going to sneak out tonight and get her home, they would need sleep tonight. They would need to be wide awake and alert.

[aliceroosevelt]

"They look nice on you, though..."

She smirked at him, her brazenness returning swiftly. "Well then. Perhaps I should wear your clothes more often." If there was one thing she loved, it was replying to a statement in a manner that no one had been expecting. If someone wanted to embarrass her or make her uncomfortable, she would simply reply with a cool casualness that would stun them. It was no different with Mike. She was trying her best to forget what had happened a few minutes ago, and so far she was succeeding...

So far.

"We need to figure out what is going to happen tonight..."

He gestured to the seat next to him. Alice walked over and sat beside him, her eyes distant in contemplation. She had to go by what she knew. People already knew it was her they had seen on the riverside with Mike. Odds were someone had informed the press already. And also, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that a police officer had told her father about everything, and that she was missing now. She took a search party into consideration, and it seemed accurate. "Every police officer in New York will be on the beat looking for me," she said aloud. "But I want to come home of my own accord. I'll be damned if some policeman will drag me home..."

She knew by now her father would be worried. So would her siblings, and maybe even Edith. Edith would be making a fuss over what to tell the press about all this, something to cover the disappearance. Alice knew that shallow woman wouldn't think of anything good. But Governor Roosevelt would be focused on finding his daughter. As much as Alice hated her father at times, she knew how compassionate he could be. "My father's worried by now, I know that. I doubt I'll get into trouble if I come stumbling home after a time, as if I escaped and took a time to find my way back. But if I come now...he'll just be furious, because he knows I'm safe and sound..." It was fuzzy logic, but it made sense.

[Mike D. Greaser]

"Well then. Perhaps I should wear your clothes more often."

His eyes, which had been studying her, snapped up to hers and he smiled. "I'm going to have to agree with that," he replied coyly. The tension seemed to lift as they both tired to forget about what had happened only moments ago. Her flirtatious manner amused him and it made him feel more comfortable. The thing that happened in his room was simply them taking their flirting to far, nothing more.

"Every police officer in New York will be on the beat looking for me. But I want to come home of my own accord. I'll be damned if some policeman will drag me home..."

Mike nodded and then found himself chuckling. Her manner and the situation they were suddenly stuck him as amusing. Mike, the villain; and Alice, the governor's daughter; running from the cops because of something silly. Alice just wanted to have a good time, and people were just so bloody controlling and thought all children should be quite and obedient. They ruined everything.

"Good, and I wouldn't let them take you.." This came out with a lot more concern then he had meant. It was supposed to be another flirtatious comment, but Mike found himself genuine. Immediately, his eyes flicked to her, seeking her expression. She would probably laugh and reply with some coy comment.

"My father's worried by now, I know that. I doubt I'll get into trouble if I come stumbling home after a time, as if I escaped and took a time to find my way back. But if I come now...he'll just be furious, because he knows I'm safe and sound..."

Mike furrowed his eyebrows and thought about this for a moment. True, he didn't know Alice's father, but he could only guess that Alice knew what she was talking about. Her father would only be worried if she was missing for a long period of time. So that would mean... "Why don't you stay here for the night." The words had come out of his mouth before he could stop them. All of the feelings he was feeling in his room came rushing back and he found his face flushing.

[aliceroosevelt]

"I'm going to have to agree with that."

Alice was struck with a retort, but even she was surprised at its crudeness. For a moment she considered leaving it alone, but decided she might as well say it. Being so sheltered, she had to be exposed to some immorality at times. People had to learn they didn't have to watch their mouths around her, because she probably wouldn't bother to watch her mouth around them. She had a devilish glint in her eye and a coy smile as she said, "But I can only suppose you'd prefer them on the floor...?" The statement was enough to shock anyone, but Alice didn't care. After what she'd been through in the past hour or so, to hell with modesty.

"Good, and I wouldn't let them take you.."

She smiled and laughed a little. The flirtatiousness was gone from her laugh; this time it was warm and genuine, something she didn't hear often herself. "How very gallant of you," she said in reply. But he looked at her, and she found something besides the slight flirty joke in his gaze. Had he meant something more? His eyes radiated a positive answer to that question. Or did they? Alice considered wishful thinking...but exactly what did her thinking wish, then? She pushed the thought away, and realized that she'd locked eyes with him for at least several seconds. She looked away quickly.

"Why don't you stay here for the night."

Her eyes snapped to him in time to see his cheeks fill with color. She had to grin a little at this. He was as embarrassed at his comment as she should have been. She chuckled a little at his blush. "Stop blushing. We passed awkward a long time ago," she laughed. "And if there was nothing immorally implied there, Mike, I'd be happy to stay the night." She knew the innuendo was there, and she didn't chose to ignore it.

[Mike D. Greaser]

"But I can only suppose you'd prefer them on the floor...?"

Mike stared at her for a moment and then shook his head, looking at the ground. "What have I done?" It seemed that in the little amount of time they had been together, Mike had corrupted her. Really, it hadn't been that hard. She was an easy target. A young girl longing for freedom. A handsome devil, like his self, comes along and sweeps her off her feet. She finds her release and shames her family at the same time.

"How very gallant of you,"

Mike chuckled and stood and bowed, mockingly. "Anything for my fare maiden." The tension seemed to be completely gone now, and they now abide in a comfortable environment. Mike smirked at her, glad that they were on good terms. That move he'd made in his room was something he now regretted. But he was glad that she hadn't taken it to heart and questioned him. He hadn't meant anything by it...

"Stop blushing. We passed awkward a long time ago,"

Mike laughed, a real laugh. It was true. In the last 9 hours or so, Mike had gone through every emotion in the book. This had definitely been a strange day, but he had enjoyed it all the same. It was nice to do something different with your life every once and awhile.

"And if there was nothing immorally implied there, Mike, I'd be happy to stay the night."

Smiling, Mike nodded. "Great." It was a sacrifice for both of them. Of course, neither of them wanted to spend the night together. It was just something that happened. They were not doing this on selfish game. Mike tried to convince himself.

{Oh, sorry! That was awful. It was rushed.}

[aliceroosevelt]

"What have I done?"

Alice laughed again. He was under the misconception that he'd done something to make her say things like that. "You haven't done anything," she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I've been like this for a long time. But you try acting like it wearing a corset." She had many stereotypes against her she had to break in short order. The public had a very twisted misconception of her, courtesy of the press and her own family. But she had the feeling that her recent "adventure" would clear most of that up for the public eye. Good, she thought, let them see. She would rather have shameful truth than lies.

"Anything for my fare maiden."

He gave a mock bow. Alice smiled and was about to lift the hem of her skirt in a curtsey...but realized she wore trousers instead. She looked down at herself and giggled. "Since I'm unable to curtsy to my knight, I suppose I'll have to give you a token of my favor instead..." She wasn't quite sure what she would give him, but she was more kidding than anything. If she could find something, however, she would hand it over to keep up their little game.

"Great."

She nodded and looked around the small apartment. "And...where will I be sleeping?" she asked curiously.

[Mike D. Greaser]

"You haven't done anything. I've been like this for a long time. But you try acting like it wearing a corset."

Mike laughed and shook his head. He had to cringe as he thought of wearing a corset. They didn't look comfortable, not at all. Mike wondered if Alice would ever wear one again, after their adventure today. Mike hoped not, because he wasn't always going to be around when she passed out from lack of air. "Are you hungry?" Mike asked suddenly. His stomach was grumbling and he wondered about her.

"Since I'm unable to curtsy to my knight, I suppose I'll have to give you a token of my favor instead..."

Mike smirked and took a step closer. "And what might that be?" He was surprised that he wanted her to kiss him. Was their playful flirting getting out of hand? Mike didn't want to stop it now; he was enjoying it to much. They were standing in the middle of his living room, which wasn't very big. Mike had every intention to ask her to dance, with out without music. It was a sudden urge and it made Mike smile. He grabbed her hand and place it on his shoulder. Then he placed his hand on her waist and began to sway back and forth.

"And...where will I be sleeping?"

Mike shrugged. "It's up to you. There is a couch and a bed. Whichever you choose I will take the other." He turned to her and smirked. "Unless you want me to take the same one as you?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

[aliceroosevelt]

"Are you hungry?"

The abruptness of the question would have startled her more if she didn't find that she was famished. Her father had been planning to take the family to a picnic in Central Park after the polo match, but obviously those plans seemed scratched for all of them. Alice hadn't eaten since the breakfast she had early that morning, and even then her corset was bothering her so she could barely eat any of it. She turned her gaze to Mike. "Absolutely," she said definitely.

"And what might that be?"

He took a step toward her, and she gave a shy smile. She truly didn't know what she would give him. And she didn't know what he was expecting, either, which complicated things further. She was about to reply when he took her hand and rested it on his shoulder. He placed his own hand at her waist and took her other hand, leading her in a dance. She smiled and laughed a little at the jest of what they were doing: dancing with no music, in the middle of a small apartment, both dressed in trousers and shirts. She allowed herself to be led, and found to her great surprise she was enjoying herself. She locked eyes with Mike, and for some reason his eyes made her smile...

"It's up to you. There is a couch and a bed. Whichever you choose I will take the other."

She paused in consideration. "Well..." she began. She didn't want to evict Mike from his bed. After all, she was the guest, and it was his trouble to have her here. But...the couch? Alice could only deal with so much. She knew she would prefer to have the bed, and he probably knew it as well. She was about to continue in her uncertainty when he broke in...

"Unless you want me to take the same one as you?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. She felt a blush flare up again, and glanced away from him before looking back. She said in a low voice, "I prefer the bed...", and left it at that. She didn't quite know how to respond, so he could take that sparse comment as he will.

[Mike D. Greaser]

"Absolutely,"

Mike nodded and glanced toward the kitchen. He actually wasn't sure what kind of food he had in there. It had been awhile since he had checked. What do you expect from a bachelor? Mike stood up and headed toward the kitchen, figuring Alice would follow. When Mike entered the kitchen, he grimaced at the dirtiness of it. Cleaning wasn't one of Mike's specialties. "Do you know how to cook?" He asked, hoping she might be able to find something in his kitchen.

When she laughed, Mike laughed; when she smiled, Mike smiled. He twirled her around a few times, dancing to the music in their heads. Mike was glad the curtains were closed, because what would people think of Alice Roosevelt and Mike D. Greaser dancing together? It was a crazy picture, but pretty all the same. Mike spun her out and then spun her in, dipping her in the process. As she was tilted to his side, Mike smirked and held her a moment longer. "Ya know, I have full power to drop you..."

"I prefer the bed...",

Mike smirked at her red expression. He decided to push her a bit farther. "You didn't answer my second question..." He smirked and took a step closer. They were standing in the middle of his living room, inches apart. Mike kept reminding himself that this was just his flirtatious nature, and the same for her. There wasn't any true feelings behind their actions. Mike told himself this over and over again until he finally believed it.

[aliceroosevelt]

When Mike moved into a kitchen, Alice followed behind. She found herself in a small, dirty excuse for a kitchen, and attempted not to sneer in distaste. The slight distaste wasn't directed toward Mike by any means. Although she had tried her best to rebel against her proper and aristocratic upbringing, some things would remain: specifically, her preference for clean. She thought she might clean things up for Mike, if she was going to spend the night...but then thought against it.

"Do you know how to cook?"

Alice looked at him for a moment, and scoffed in a friendly manner. "Has anything about me so far signaled I would know my way around a kitchen?" she said, almost laughingly. Edith didn't do any of her own cooking, and so neither did the rest of the Roosevelt family. And Edith and Alice weren't exactly close enough in relationship so Edith would share old family recipes, or anything like that. "I couldn't crack open an egg..." Alice said honestly.

"Ya know, I have full power to drop you..."

Alice kept her expression amused. "Drop me and I shall kick you in the tenderest of places..." she threatened, straightening herself from the dip, ending up closer to him than she had planned. Their abdomens touched, their foreheads were centimeters apart, and Alice realized that if she tilted her head just so, she would be kissing him. And yet she did not pull away. He would have to spin her away or do something...they were dancing, after all, weren't they? Alice would take into consideration any logic she could at this point. Nothing about this, any of her feelings, were quite making sense at this point.

"You didn't answer my second question..."

He walked toward her again, getting close. Although she was getting slightly flustered (in a slightly positive way, although she wouldn't be admitting that) she kept her demeanor cool and collected, as if she would play his game right along with him. She raised a finger and touched it to his chest, gazing up at him with a sweet, yet slightly seductive, look. "We'll see how things go tonight and I'll let you know," she said, absolutely radiating confidence. She brushed past him without another word.

[Mike D. Greaser]

"Has anything about me so far signaled I would know my way around a kitchen?"

Mike scoffed, mimicking her. "Well, I thought maybe..." He turned to her and smirked. "You've been full of surprises so far." He winked playfully at her and turned back to the task at hand: food. What could they possibly make? Mike began to search through the cabinets, looking for anything that might work. All the food in his kitchen was fresh, he knew that for a fact. When he first arrived, his landlords wife insisted upon supplying Mike with groceries. "A young man shouldn't be living alone without a woman to take care of him. You need a lady..." Those were her words. They made Mike smile to this day. So, Mike had a kitchen full of food that he hasn't even thought of touching. Going to the local dinner was cheap and fast. He never thought he would have a opportunity to use it, but now that he did, he wasn't sure how.

"I couldn't crack open an egg..."

Mike sighed teasingly and glanced at her. "Your useless, you know that?" His stomach growled loudly, making him laugh. "Okay, hold your horses!" He realized how silly he sounded as he talked to his stomach, but he really didn't care. Again, he looked through the cabinets, for about the fourth time. "I don't know what to make!" He threw his hands up in meaningless frustration and turned to her. "Come on, you're a woman, you should know this sort of stuff!" He stated, not realizing how sexist those words sounded. Mike, personally, didn't believe that was all women were good for, cooking and cleaning. He knew they were worth so much more, and that included Alice. "I didn't mean that badly..." he continued quickly, trying to cover up his blunder.

"Drop me and I shall kick you in the tenderest of places..."

She squirmed in his hold, straighting and doing so made her face just inches from his. Mike's gaze switched from her eyes to her lips. He could miss her now and who knew what would happen from there. Just like Spot Conlon, Mike had the reputation of laying every girl in sight. But that just wasn't true. He wasn't like that at all. Truthfully, he believed in saving yourself for the one you truly loved; but he never admitted that, to worried about his image. He didn't want temptation to be a problem with them tonight. Yes, they had flirted playfully, but Mike didn't it want to go any further than that, not yet. Instead, he loosened his grip on her, letting her fall from his hold. Right before she hit the ground, Mike grabbed her. "And you thought I was going to drop you...." He smirked.

"We'll see how things go tonight and I'll let you know,"

Mike's mouth dropped open in mock shock as she brushed past him. "Hey, hey," he said, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her back to him. "That isn't the answer I wanted..." He mused, smirking playfully. He loved how she was so willing to joke with him and not take it offensively. This was the most fun he'd had in a very long time.

[aliceroosevelt]

((Here's your super reply!))

"Well, I thought maybe...You've been full of surprises so far."

Alice chuckled a little, but in reality found little humor in the fact that two hungry people didn't seem to have the ability between them to cook something simple. "Good point," she said with a nod, "but so have you. And concerning your culinary skills, I've been so far unimpressed." Granted, he was right in saying that she was quite a different person that the press made her out to be. But what in the world did that have to do with her being able to cook? About all she could do in the kitchen was pour water. She didn't know how he expected her to whip up a basted lamb or something...

"Your useless, you know that?"

She didn't take offense, mostly because she saw the jest in his face. If she could dish it out, she had to learn to take it. She retorted back right away, "I don't see you coming up with any brilliant ideas." He was calling her useless for not being able to do what he himself couldn't do. What was she supposed to do? Produce a cake out of thin air? For some reason, her temper remained stable nonetheless. If it was anyone she liked less, Alice thought, she would have thrown them through a wall by now (as if she had the physical power to do that, but the thought remains the same). She stepped into the kitchen after Mike and stood beside him, hiking up the waistband of her trousers. "Hm. There's more than I expected to be in here..." she mused, examining the spread of food fixings Mike had before him.

"I don't know what to make!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "For goodness sake," she said, pushing him out of the way. "Let me see..." She examined the foods she saw laying around. There was a small sack of flour, a collection of eggs, yeast, sugar, salt, and butter. What a selection, she thought bitterly. Of course, nothing there could be eaten as was. It couldn't have been simple, which of course was just her luck. She pushed the eggs out of the way, mostly because she never cared for them in any form. Even if they had to resort to cooking an egg or two, Alice would rather go hungry.

Apparently she was taking too long wondering what to create out of the mess of foodstuffs, because Mike exclaimed, "Come on, you're a woman, you should know this sort of stuff!" Alice's jaw tightened in indigence. She shot back, "And you're a man, so you should be sitting in an armchair getting drunk, but I don't expect you to do that, do I? I wouldn't let you even if you wanted to..." There was a venomous edge to her voice that gave it a slightly less aristocratic intonation. She almost sounded like she belonged there, in Mike's tenement, struggling to make something out of the limited supply of food they had left in the house.

One might even mistake her for a lower-class girl, and Alice wouldn't blame them. She had seen many of the girls who sold papers alongside the boys, and they were almost constantly dressed in boys' clothes, long hair tucked away or tied back and caps covering their faces. As Alice thought of this, she found herself pulling the pins out of her hair that had held it in its elegant up do just hours before, and pinned it back away from her face again. Truly, she thought, just give me a cap and a stack of newspapers and I'll be right at home with them. The oddest part was, she didn't find the thought appalling, as she knew others definitely would. But she turned her attention back to Mike, who apparently had realized his blunder.

"I didn't mean that badly..."

"Yes you did," she said, her brutal honesty coming into play. "Otherwise you wouldn't have said anything. But I don't care. Sometimes I agree. Women have to be a certain way, did you notice? They have to be copies of one another, perfect replicas of perfect housewives and tender mothers and obedient daughters. Otherwise the world will explode or something..." It wasn't that, obviously, but it might as well have been. People acted as if when a woman stepped out of line, there was something terribly wrong. As if they were violating some kind of natural law and were going to be struck by lightning. But then, here she was, after everything that happened, alive and well. People were idiots sometimes...

She looked over the groceries once more, and found slowly that along with any water Mike might have, they could make a simple bread. It wouldn't stay fresh for more than a day, but with flour, water, yeast and salt, they had something there. "We'll make bread," she said with a definite nod. "Go get some water, and we'll be just fine." She didn't know how much of each ingredient to add, but she thought she could figure it out without much trouble. After all, how hard could it be...?

"And you thought I was going to drop you...."

She had gasped when he faked dropping her, and once he said this with a smirk, she scowled and straightened herself up again. Once more, she was terribly close to him, and backed herself away. "I'd rather not risk it. I'm in enough trouble as it is." Her words transitioned into a joke. "If I come home with a broken arm on top of everything, my father would most likely break my other one..." It was an exaggeration, and Alice could almost measure the time her father would be angry upon her arrival home versus his worry that she hadn't been home yet. Even if she went now, it had been only a few hours, and he would assume she came and went on her own will. But give it twenty-four hours, maybe more...and he'd be worrying where she was.

"Hey, hey, that isn't the answer I wanted..."

He took her hand and pulled her back to him. Alice allowed this, and returned his flirtations smirk. She released his hand, and placed her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer toward him. Her heart raced as she said quietly, "If you wait...you might just hear what you want to hear..." She touched a finger to his lips, winked, and slipped away from him, going slowly toward the window. She half expected him to follow her, or else call out again. He probably would, she thought. Their little game wasn't over yet.

But something concerned her, something that made the pit of her stomach uneasy, the feeling similar to forgetting something terribly important. She wondered, as she took a seat in a chair near the curtained window, when exactly it would stop being a game, and when it would finally be something real, if at all. The one thought haunted her, gnawing at the back of her mind, a nuisance. She bit her lip, wiped the troubled look off her face, and looked out the window, pushing the curtain aside slightly. She waited for her mind to clear and said nothing more.