AN: I hope you had a wonderful Halloween. I've been busy with a research paper and speeches but it's all done now so I got some space to wind down.

Cuinn: Don't forget NaNo month.

SD: That's right! I will also be participating in NaNo Writing Month. Wish me luck!

Cuinn: Enjoy this new chapter. I know I didn't

SD: Liar!

Chapter 14: Limit

Alice was biting her nails for the tenth time.

"You are going to ruin your nails if you keep that up," Vivaldi said.

"Sorry. I'm just wondering what's taking Cuinn so long. He should be back by now." Alice could not keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"Don't worry. The Prime Minister knows that it will be his head if anything happens to Cuinn," Vivaldi reassured. "He will be here any moment now."

As if on queue, a cheery voice called out, "Tea is served." Peter stepped into the clearing with Cuinn following close behind, carrying the tray of tea. Alice breathed out a sigh of relief. Peter served Alice her tea while Cuinn served the Queen's.

"I do hope you enjoy your tea, Alice. I'd love to stay but I have a lot of work to take care of," Peter announced after serving Alice her tea. He left without another word. Alice stared after him surprised and with her mouth open as if she was going to say something. Peter was acting very unusual. She wasn't sure what was going on but decided to let it go. It wasn't often that the Prime Minister left her alone. In fact, it never has happened before. Alice made a mental note to ask about that later. She hoped that she didn't make him mad. She wasn't worried about him of course, but afraid that he might take his bad mood out on the castle staff.

What Alice didn't know was that Peter was subtly peeking through the hedge that outlined the garden clearing. He let out a sigh of longing. He greatly wanted to be there sitting next to her instead of doing paperwork. Just suddenly, turning his back to her and walking away took a great deal of his willpower; but he was now seeing that it was worth it. He saw how Alice was staring after him, how his actions left her speechless. Cuinn was right. She had already taken the bait. With a little prodding, she will be chasing after him and soon she will be his to keep. Cuinn just had to keep his end of the bargain. Peter made it clear what will happen to him otherwise. Peter stepped away from the hedge and headed inside the castle.

He wasn't lying when he said he had work to do. He had to appoint scouts along the countries borders. He was not going to do it just to uphold his end of the bargain but for an even greater reason. If the Forever Knight was chasing Cuinn then it would be smart to know when his men entered the country so Peter can get Alice away from Cuinn's side. The last thing he needed was for Alice to be considered an accomplice to his crimes and executed as well. It was going to be a busy day.

After watching Peter leave, Alice returned her attention to Cuinn who was pouring the tea for Vivaldi.

"Thank you, my dear," Vivaldi said as she took the teacup from Cuinn. She noticed two things different about tea compared to the usual type she drank. The cup wasn't very warm so there was no doubt the tea wasn't hot and there was a blue petal floating on the surface. The petal was the same as one from a rose. She took a sip and the most wonderful taste filled her mouth. It was indescribable and unlike anything, she had before. An image of a bee drinking the nectar of a rose came to mind. It felt as if she were drinking the sweet nectar of the blue rose.

"What is this?" Vivaldi asked amazed.

"It is Blue Rose tea, a recipe I made myself that uses the honey of the Blue Rose," Cuinn said proudly.

"It's wonderful." Vivaldi commented. "But why is it not warm? It's just at a normal temperature."

"It's special that way. If you drink it when it's hot, it very comforting and makes you very sleepy, and if you drink it when it's cold it is refreshing and it perks you up. When it's lukewarm, it is delight to drink anytime," Cuinn explained happily. Alice couldn't help but giggle at Cuinn's child-like enthusiasm when he explained his tea. She took a sip and released a pleasant sigh.

"This tea is wonderful," Alice commented.

"It is simply amazing," Vivaldi added.

Cuinn's cheeks tinted a light pink from the praise he was receiving. He moved to take the seat next to Alice away from Vivaldi when she offered the chair between them.

"Why don't you sit here?" Vivaldi offered, gesturing to the chair between her and Alice.

"I couldn't. Alice is more suited for such a place," Cuinn replied. His excuse was just so he wouldn't be in close proximity with the Queen.

"No you can have the chair Cuinn. It's why I am sitting here. I thought it would be a good idea for you two to get to know each other more," Alice replied innocently. Cuinn could swear that there was a slight tone of mischief in her voice.

"Come, sit beside us. We will not take no as an answer," Vivaldi stated firmly with a sly look in her eyes. Cuinn felt slightly on edge. Something wasn't right. He took his seat next Vivaldi, brushing the felling off. Right now, he just had to focus on remaining calm since he was so close to Vivaldi. He about to take a sip of tea when he felt something warm brush the side of his face that it almost made him drop his cup. It was Vivaldi's finger.

"Pray tell us why would such a gentleman like yourself be wearing a mask?" she asked as she stopped brushing his cheek.

"I-It was…a gift," Cuinn stuttered as the blood rushed to his face. He felt her place finger under his chin and turn his head so he was facing her causing his body to go rigid.

"Do you think we can have the pleasure of seeing you without the mask?" Vivaldi asked sweetly. Cuinn knew that all this was wrong. Suddenly it hit him as he stared at Vivaldi, her actions and the flirtatious smile she was wearing. She was teasing him. He turned around to look at Alice who was sipping her tea with a grin that belonged on the Cheshire Cat.

"Alice, you didn't," Cuinn said horrified as he stared at her.

Alice looked away smiling evilly. "I didn't tell her anything. At least anything that has to do with giving you a lot of personal attention. It's not like you're shy around women or anything."

Cuinn paled. That didn't last long. Vivaldi placed her hand on the side of his face and turned his head to face her. The color immediately went to Cuinn's cheeks.

"It is rude to ignore a person after they have asked you a question," Vivaldi stated with that same sweet smile.

"S-Sorry, I didn't…I…It's just…" Cuinn was stuttering so much that he couldn't form a complete sentence. His face was burning a bright red that only intensified when Vivaldi brushed a lock of his hair way from his forehead.

"I never met someone who could turn into so many marvelous shades of red," Vivaldi commented with a giggle.

Cuinn was done. The composed mask that he had been wearing that allowed him to speak with Vivaldi was gone. It was shattered, vaporized with no chance of recovery. He reached his limit. His face was burning in embarrassment. Cuinn wished that his eye mask was a full-face mask. It would make it easier to hide.

For the rest of teatime Alice and Vivaldi teased Cuinn relentlessly causing his face to turn countless shades of red. Cuinn could do nothing but sit there, mute. He was so tongue-tied that the few times he did try to say something he would stammer and trip over his own words unable to say a complete sentence. He was at the mercy of Alice and Vivaldi.

Alice couldn't help but feel a little bad for torturing Cuinn so much, but she couldn't help. He seemed even more adorable when he was shy. She also had to agree with Vivaldi. She never saw anyone turn so many shades of red. Currently Cuinn was sitting with his back toward Vivaldi with his hat in his lap while she ran her fingers through his head. He sat there mute while his face was a deep red. Alice couldn't help but giggle.

"You have very soft hair," Vivaldi commented. It seemed that Vivaldi felt no guilt in mercilessly teasing Cuinn. "Alice, since we have all finished our tea we would like you to join us to our room. We have a new dress that we wish to give to you," Vivaldi said prying her hands out of Cuinn's hair. Cuinn released a small sigh of relief.

"Sure, but what about Cuinn?" Alice asked, referring to how 'girly' Vivaldi's room was and how Cuinn was a boy.

"Oh, I'm sure that he will behave himself," Vivaldi said patting Cuinn on the head causing him to turn another shade. As Cuinn and Alice followed Vivaldi to her room, some of the color managed to drain from Cuinn's face so his cheeks now only had a light pink tint. He was avoiding Alice's stare. It seemed that her grin never left her face. Cuinn couldn't help but pout. It wasn't nice that she told Vivaldi that he was shy around women. No doubt, she was getting him back for what he did at the Hatter's but still. Couldn't she have picked another way? This was too much.

Cuinn soon forgot all that when they arrived at Vivaldi's room and she opened the door. Cuinn dashed past them to stand in the center of her room gazing at all the stuff animals in awe. Alice and Vivaldi looked at Cuinn a surprised. They were not expecting this type of reaction.

"You actually have more stuffed animals than I do!" Cuinn explained excitedly only to clap his hands over his mouth. He slowly turned to look at where Alice and Vivaldi were standing as his face turned red. Both were staring at him with amused expressions.

"Vivaldi actually has more stuffed animals than you?" Alice asked raising an eyebrow. "How many do you have?"

"There's nothing wrong with collecting stuffed animals," Cuinn said scratching his cheek awkwardly. Vivaldi and Alice giggled.

"There's nothing wrong with that at all," Vivaldi commented. The rest of evening was spent in Vivaldi's room with Cuinn playing with all her stuffed animals while Alice and Vivaldi gossiped. At some point during their conversation, Vivaldi retrieved her gift for Alice from her closet. The dress was place in a simple, flat red and white stripped box. When Alice glanced inside the box, she noticed that the dress was in fact a nightgown. As much as she appreciated the gesture, she knew that she would never wear it. The fabric of the dress was highly see-through that it was easy to see the bottom of the box through it. Steam would provide better coverage in comparison. Alice could not wear this, she didn't want to imagine what could happen if she was caught wearing it. Nevertheless, she still thanked Vivaldi for the gift. When Alice glanced out the window, she noticed that it was now late evening. She wanted to drop Cuinn off at the circus before heading back to the tower so she had to leave now if she still wanted a chance to make it before dark.

"It's getting late. Thank you for the wonderful evening Vivaldi, but I must get going," Alice said rising from her chair.

"Are you sure that you can't stay the night?" Vivaldi asked. "We would greatly appreciate having you stay."

"I wish I could but I promised White that I'll bring Cuinn back to the circus," Alice explained.

"Very well, but you have to promise to visit us again soon."

"I will." Alice turned to Cuinn who was on the floor clutching a teddy bear. "Cuinn, we have to go."

"Already?" Cuinn whined as he set the bear in a stack of stuffed animals. "Thank you for letting me play with your stuffed animals, Vivaldi."

"Your welcome. You're the first man we've met who also delights in this hobby," Vivaldi commented. Cuinn couldn't help but blush, which earned a giggle from the two women. Lucky for him that was the only teasing he had to endure as Vivaldi escorted the two to the castle's front door.

"You must visit us again, Cuinn," Vivaldi said.

"I'll try." Cuinn replied. Vivaldi couldn't help but want to tease him one last time. Before Cuinn could react she bended down and kissed him on the cheek. She expected him to blush, but what she didn't expect was for him to stumble backwards and fall to the ground. Alice barely managed to catch him, only saving his head from hitting the ground.

Vivaldi giggled in amusement. "If you don't come back and visit, it'll be your head," Vivaldi said teasingly. Cuinn opened his mouth to speak but no words came out so he nodded. "You both take care," Vivaldi said before departing and leaving the two.

Later as Alice and Cuinn were walking through the forest, she noticed how Cuinn's cheeks were still red. Now she couldn't help but want to tease him.

"It' seems that the Queen has taken a likening to you," she teased. The blush on Cuinn's face darkened.

"Alice…you're…evil," he replied shivering.

"Well hopefully that will teach you to think twice before deciding to give me a heart attack with a prank."

"I said sorry." Cuinn pouted in silence as they walked. Eventually he asked, "Hey Alice what did Vivaldi give you?"

"Oh, just a dress," she replied slightly embarrassed. Before Alice could react, Cuinn snatched the box from her hands and opened it. He gasped. Right away Alice clapped the lid shut and took it back.

"Vivaldi was the one who picked it not me," Alice said embarrassed. Cuinn only nodded as they continued to walk on. Eventually he said, "It could be a worse dress."

"I don't see how, besides what do you know about dresses?" Alice asked.

"You've never been trapped in the female dressing rooms at the circus," Cuinn replied in a haunted voice as his face paled at the memory. This caused Alice to burst out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "What's so funny?"

"You…You are," Alice said between her laughter. It was so ironic that what many men would consider a paradise was a nightmare for Cuinn. "You are one of a kind."

Cuinn blushed at the compliment. "Hey Alice, can I ask for a favor?"

"What it is?" She was finally calming down from her laughter.

"Can you spend the night at the circus with me?"

AN: I wonder what Alice's response will be? I hoped you enjoyed the chapter.

Cuinn: I didn't.

SD: You'll enjoy the next one. Leave us a review. I love reading them. I hope you have a good weekend!