A few fast licks to the face woke Lance from his slumber. He shot up and launched the small dog on the other side of the couch

“Why..is there a do….” the events of yesterday played through his mind. He then remembered Alice and went to check on her. He opened the door and saw she was still asleep. Lance tiptoed in and sat down next to his bed on the floor.

Lance was glad he had cleaned his house up a few days before. Lance felt Alice move in his bed. Sudden he felt his heart move faster. His breathing slowed, and Lance stood completely still.

After a few long seconds, He released his breath “I wonder, why I saved you?” it didn't’ make sense. He almost whispered. “I always gave up and left things alone, but not you.” His eyes fell to the ground.

“I know I am a terrible person who never fights back and lets others have their way with him, but that was the only thing I knew!" He raised his voice, he tried to calm down and tried again. "Maybe If had met you before all this I could have had more fun and lived my life better. Perhaps," His words caught in his mouth. “I could have been happy for a long time. Maybe even felt love or something.”

He looked at the ceiling. “Not that I will ever know if you feel the same since I am too much of a coward to say this when you are awake. Maybe you could have explained this warmth in my heart.”

Then light as a feather and as quietly as a mouse. A pair of arms wrapped around Lance's head and drew him close. Lance could hear the heartbeat. The rhythmically sound echoing in his ears. It was so fast.

“What if I was awake the whole time?” Alice whispered into Lance's ear. Lance felt his face go a deep red, and all he could do was look down.

“This is so embarrassing!” Lance screamed as a feeling of humiliation swept over him.

“Hahaha,” His despair was met by laughing. Then Lance’s head was pulled to where he was staring at the ceiling. Alice's face appeared soon after and as gently as a feather touching the ground, their lips touched.

At that moment time stopped. Lance felt his mind melt away.

Unfortunately, Lance’s surprise kicked in and he shot out of her embrace and slammed his head into this desk across the room.

Well, there goes that moment. When he looked back, a pair of seductive eyes meets him. He felt his legs go numb.With a finger on her lips, she may have been beauty incarnate.

“You could, at least, take your reward like a man” a devilish smile appeared on her lips, cheeks a faint red. However, laughter escaped her lips. I am beginning not rethink my choice of saving her. Wait more importantly my first kiss was treated as a reward….Not bad.

As Lance had his internal debate, Alice stopped laughing. She wiped away the tears that had formed and looked at him again.

“So, my savior, how about getting me some clothes and some food?” She added a smile as if to make it even harder to say no.

From savior to maid huh?

Lance quickly got up and went to his laundry room, where he placed her clothes the night before. He grabbed them quickly and instead of going in, he threw them at her and went out just as quick.

Lance wasted no time and went straight to the kitchen, where he began setting up breakfast. He got out a few pans. One the first Lance spread some butter and set the temp on the stove. The next he grabbed some bacon strips and set them near the next to the other pan. He cracked some eggs and went to work whisking them to perfection.

He went to the rest of his, and in no time, he was done. He places to plates on the circle table a few feet from the kitchen he sprinkles some ginger on Alice portion. The ginger should warm her up more. He thought happily.

As if on cue, Alice, now in her uniform, walked out from the hallways and set down in the available chair for her. She looked at the meal and then looked at him

“You can cook?” She asked to surprise evident in her voice.

“Yes. Since I leave alone, it only makes sense to cook for myself.” he breathed nervously out of his lips.

“Well, there goes impressing you with food. The girl power is strong in you” she complained as she sat down. Lance didn’t know to feel joy or insulted by the words.

Lance brushed it off and moved to grab the bacon, crisp and ready for consumption.

He placed a glass of water in front of her, and Lance made himself some green tea.

Once the preparation was done, Lance waited for Alice to start eating. After the first bite, a smile came onto her face, and she looked like she was in heaven. Her speed picked up. Alice started to choke on it. He pushed the glass of water closer to her, and she inhaled it.

Damn, Never get between her and food, he thought frighted out of his mind. Alice then gave him a death glare and pointed her fork at him.

“Your thinking something rude right?’ She questioned as if she read his mind.

“No, not at all”’ Lance quickly throw up his hands to deny. Lance felt his face go flush.

“Good, now you should eat. It tastes great.”

“Yeah,” Easier said than done. Lance may have been good at cooking, but he never could taste his products. He mostly guessed they weren’t bad

He began his machine eating of his food, until the first bite. Once it hit his mouth, he dropped his fork.

I can taste it? His whole body shivered. It was a strangely warm feeling enveloping his body.

Alice, alarmed, looked up from her plate and at him.

“Hey, why are you crying!?” Concern clearly in her voice. Lance then realized the droplets l of water were falling from his eyes.

For the first time in years, he tasted something. He thought all too long it was some sick joke. It was like a dream come true. He felt his heart large; It has to be wrong to be this happy about food.

“...ah” Alice herself dropped her fork. Lance looked at her and asked what was wrong.

“It is just....your smiling for the first time,” She said as her eyes were as big as light bulbs.

Lance felt his mouth and indeed, his mouth was in the unusual shape of a smile. Something he thought he had forgotten how to do.

Lance shook it off, failing horribly, and followed Alice earlier example and dove into his meal. Not letting a single bit got to waste. Of course, the taste was mixed with his tears, so it was a bit salty.

After eating for a while, a concerned look passed over Alice's face, but she quickly smiled. For some reason, it sent chills down Lance’s spine.

“Lance?” Alice called out with her chilling smile.

“Y...yeah” Lance muttered. He knew he didn’t do anything wrong. Why was she angry? Lanc’s mind was in a panic mode. He replayed all his memories from birth till that very moment.

“Well. I was just wondering,” She played with her fork as she spoke. “I was just wondering if you saw anything you shouldn’t have.” her eyes looked around then fell on him “When you undressed me” in that instant a blade of guilt struck Lance.

Lance remember the flash of black. She must have seen the idea dawn on him because her stare only grew colder.

“So you did huh?”

Where to run in this instant? He begged for an answer and, unbelievably, one came.

The soft sound filled the house. Lance took a few seconds to realize the doorbell had ringed. He jumped at his chance to get away from this tension. Lance jumped up and moved fast to the door.

“I better get that!”

“Hey don’t run away!” he ignored the voice trailing behind him.

He opened the front door, and the mailman had several big boxes.

“Mr. Conner, I have the usual today,” he said cheerfully. By usual he meant the large stack of boxes currently stacked in front of the door.

How he gets all this here is amazing.

“Thanks, Frank. Sorry to make you carry all of those.” the mailman was a common sight, so Lance could be friendly especially after this man helped carry in all his father’s mail. However, he failed to realize something.

The mailman wasn’t a shadow.

Lance having never seen it glossed over the fact, but the middle-aged man in front of him was a sight to see.

“No problem, just need you to sign here.”

Lance skillfully wrote his signature and handed back to the man. Frank tipped his hat then he walking back to his car.

Lance began the long trip of moving the box in one by one; There were five in total. All looking hefty and taking up a lot of space.

“What is all this?” Alice rounded the corner and saw all the boxes and stared in disbelief.

“Well, you see my father is traveling to find a cure for my "disease", and he sends all these things back that he finds.” An idea struck Lance like a hammer on a nail. “How about you help me sort through this stuff."

Alice seemed to think about and agreed. Lance was glad. Hopefully, this would get them away from the talk they were having earlier.

After spend the day moving all the boxes and cleaning them out, when finished the result were three old swords, Several pictures of unrecognizable things, A few hundred trinkets and jewelry pieces.

Alice took a like to few of them, and so Lance gave them to her.

“You sure?”

“Yeah I don't wear them anyway”

As the sun was setting, they got to the last, box where the found more paints and few more odd items, but Lance found a small box at the bottom with a note on it;

“I think this one has the potential for a cure” Is all it said and Lance unfazed by it ripped it up and throw the note in the trash.

“What is it?” Alice has seen the box and crawled over from her place of sorting.

“No idea” Lance waved his finger at the small wooden box and found the latch to open it.

With a low snap, the box came open and inside lay a pocket watch, It had a had no design on the front, it had engraved on the back.

When Lance pushed the button on the top, it popped open to reveal the clock, but it wasn't moving.

Lance tinkered with it, but the hands never moved from the twelve o'clock mark. Lance closed the lid and moved it to the junk pile to throw or be sold, but Alice stopped him.

“I think you should keep it. Your dad did say it has potential, you never know” Lance swore the look in her eyes was saying you have no real choice. Lance signed and the finished the last box in time for Alice to go home and Lance to get some more sleep.