Title: Midnight and Beyond.
Fandom: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.
Rating: General.
Length: 1662 words.
Content notes: None.
Author notes: Written for the midnight challenge in fan_flashworks.
Summary: Sometimes the fairy tales in books have it all wrong.


The fairy tale always ended at midnight.

Alice remembered the tale very well, it had been one she'd favoured as a little girl. Magic and fairy godmothers that could make your every wish come true, that was a hard concept for a child starved for love to pass up daydreaming about. To find love at a ball, marry a prince and live happily ever after, wasn't that the dream of every little girl?

It had been one of hers, she mused as the rain fell from the dark Wonderland sky above. Leaning her head against the shoulder of her dance partner, she sighed as she closed her blue eyes. The nights spent dreaming of beautiful ballgowns and days of wondering how exactly one came upon a fairy godmother were long past her now. Replaced by a fateful tumble down a rabbit hole and into a land of pure nonsense.

Complete nonsense, but somehow it all made perfect sense to her. Then she'd never been what society back in England considered a normal child, so perhaps that explained her love of Wonderland with its talking rabbit, grinning cat that appeared and vanished with the blink of an eyes, the endless tea parties with a man considered mad and a queen who demanded roses be painted red...or else off with your head.

And what use did the curious girl, now a young lady, have for a fairy godmother and a type of magic that vanished at midnight? The feel of a strong hand on her back, the other holding her right hand with their fingers laced together, she had all the magic she could ever need. Anything she could ever desire, all she had to do was speak her wish and it would be hers.

Still, she could not bring herself to ever take advantage of such magic. As a child she may have jumped at the chance, yet now she thought twice of it. There was that fleeting moment a wish or two crossed her mind, she'd be lying to herself to deny it. Maybe she would have spoken one or two, she thought, as she continued to sway to the unheard music they both moved to amid the drops of rain falling in the puddles around them, if not for the look which crossed his face with her one query.

How could she reduce another being to nothing more than an object? The sadness that had crept into his eyes as he'd answered her, it was then she'd felt her stubbornness begin to flare up. In that moment she promised herself not to use the wishes, to not be like everyone else who found his bottle and just toss him aside once she had all she could ever wish for.

Soon enough she realized she hadn't required the little ruby wishes to have everything, or a fairy godmother either. There was no need for a ballgown and a fancy ball filled with other young women vying for the hand of a prince. She was content to slowly dance on a rain soaked Wonderland night in her white dress, now wet from the weather, hair soaked and strands sticking to her face. This was far better than a silly ball where she'd have to be ever so proper and poised. She didn't need that, and was reminded of it every time she stole a glance at the man she spent her days with. If anything could remind her of how wanted she truly was, it was his radiant smile and the way his dark eyes shone with undying adoration anytime he saw her.

Nor had she required magic. All she'd required was to find an abandoned bottle, or walk into it rather, and hidden within she would find the acceptance and love she'd craved for so long.

Maybe her father would never love her as he should, but right then it wasn't important. That was a pain she'd never lose, it would stay with her until the end of her days, but right then she had her genie. She had Cyrus, and he loved her despite his own hesitations.

The clock had struck midnight time and time again, and still her fairy tale continued.

******

The low rumble of thunder in the distance did not disturb Alice's sleep. Lounging on the bed beside her, Cyrus reached over and brushed a few locks of hair off her cheek before leaning over to lightly kiss the soft skin that had been hidden. Unlike her, thunder had a habit of keeping him awake.

Perhaps it was all that time inside his bottle; everything was intensified and thunder the worst of it all. That wasn't to say the genie minded all that much to be awake at such an hour. He'd rather spend as much time as he could with Alice and any spent in sleep felt a waste.

As he pulled back from the feather light kiss, a soft smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Her life would be a mere blink of an eye in comparison to his. Years would feel like minutes, and decades only hours. Still, he was more than willing to deal with the eternity of heartache that would be left after her passing to a place he could not follow.

If a genie could have one wish, he may wish to never be parted with Alice. But the cost might be more than either would want to pay, and with the way wishes liked to twist words it may not be worth it in the end. His mother had told him once that no one is truly gone, so long as there is someone alive who remembers them. And that was how Alice would continue to live; in his memories.

Sitting up, and swinging his legs over the side, Cyrus stood from the large bed. The thunder was growing ever closer, the rain intensifying now. Glancing towards the partition a few feet away, he thought it likely wise to hang their wet clothing to dry. It would give him something to do for a few passing moments while the storm raged outside and Alice slept.

Or he thought she slept, proven wrong when he suddenly felt a hand on his forearm, just above his bind. Turning his head, he saw Alice gazing up at him with a sleepy smile. “Whatever are you doing Cyrus? Come to bed, it has to be quite late.”

“Past midnight my love,” he answered, knowing she liked hearing it had passed midnight on another day. He knew the tale of the cinder girl and how Alice sometimes felt she was living a small part of the story with her fairy tale prince.

Although to his mind, in the hours between night and dawn in which he could not find sleep it seemed to him that perhaps she might be a little off. He'd spent longer than he cared to admit waiting for her to change her mind, make her wishes and be done with him. Even as he slowly fell in love with her, and fought against it, he had expected it to be the same as it always was.

And yet every day she was still there, ready for another adventure with her soft hand clasping his and her melodic laughter ringing in his ears. Cyrus knew he was not deserving of such love and devotion, yet he could not deny the desire to have it last and spend her lifespan returning it in whatever way he could.

Alice watched him, following his eyes when his gaze wandered from her face towards the smaller daybed against the one wall. “I know you rarely stay with me at night, but you do not have to sleep over there my dear Cyrus,” she told him, tugging his arm a bit. She knew full well he loved her with a devotion that was akin to reverence, which explained the other bed. And despite her upbringing, she saw nothing wrong with them sharing a bed. It was not as though they were doing anything scandalous. And with the few words he'd said, it was plain to her that however he was raised before being cursed, he had the same values in that regard as she.

“Alice...” he began to protest as she shook her head.

“Stop being so silly, and I know you do not like thunderstorms.” The shocked expression that crossed his face made her laugh. “Cyrus, you may think yourself hard to read, but I can tell each time there is one you are ill at ease. If you want to continue with the sleeping arrangements that is fine, I would not do anything to make you uncomfortable as I know you respect me the same, but I believe you would sleep much sounder here.”

She wasn't going to say because of his fear of thunder, she knew he had his pride as did anyone else. Alice understood him in that regard, her smile brightening as he moved to return to the bed. Quickly pulling the blankets down so he could get comfortable, she nestled up close to him as he covered himself in the blankets. “There, not so horrible is it?”

Cyrus rolled his eyes, ignoring the soft giggling at his side. Her hand reaching up to grasp one of his, resting them both on his chest as her head leaned against his shoulder. A smile formed when she looked up at him, her eyes gleaming with contentment. “Would you care to tell a story or shall I?”

“I know which one you want Alice,” he answered, as she quirked an eyebrow up. Bowing his head down for a second to kiss the top of her head, he then tilted it to one side as he smiled. “The story of a curious girl who found her true love, only to discover whatever magic brought them together would not end at the stroke of midnight.”