Chapter Nine: Moments & Memories
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Wednesday 27th March
10:02am

Alice woke up slowly, finding herself lying on her stomach with her arms tucked under her pillow. She sighed quietly, opening her eyes as her ears registered the sound of birds tweeting and a horse neighing... the cool breeze from outdoors wafting in from the window above her head.

Slowly... she began to register the faint smell of cooking and lifted her head, then turned over, seeing Magnus's side of the bed vacant. She glanced at the time as she sat up, seeing it just moving past ten in the morning and hummed. After stretching, she got out of bed and ran her fingers through her hair as she carefully walked down stairs to see where that delicious smell was coming from.

To her surprise, her gaze landed on Magnus stood with his back to her in the kitchen area, shirtless, his hair messy with a glass of water in one hand and the other shaking a frying pan with bacon on it. The sound of the sizzling and the salty smell filled Alice's nose and she crossed the space between the stairs and the kitchen area and appeared silently beside Magnus to peer over his arm at the food. "Morning," He said calmly, making Alice smile.

"You're cooking," She smiled, looking up at him as he glanced over at her.

"I'm hungry," he replied, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "Do you want some?" He asked, motioning with his head to the pancakes he'd made that were fresh and still steaming on a plate beside the stove.

"Yes please," Alice sighed happily, "I'll go get syrup," she smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears and turning away and walking over to the door where her fluffy slippers were waiting. She was dressed in one of the silk shirts Magnus had bought her, and because of its size it hung neatly over her body and stopped at her upper thigh.

Alice crossed the gap between the guest house and the main and entered through the back door, making her way into the kitchen which, to her delight, was empty. She searched through the cupboards, and almost jumped when the phone began ringing, it's loud ringtone echoing through the kitchen, irritating Alice's newly woken up nerves. She expected either Adam or Henry to appear to pick up the phone but no one arrived...

Eventually Alice found the syrup in the nearest cupboard to the fridge, just as whoever it was decided to leave a voice mail...

"'enry- you good for nothing son of a bitch, why didn't you tell me my granddaughter was in town to visit, you miserable, stone faced bastard?"

Alice's eyes widened as she closed the cupboard and turned to look at the answering machine in shock.

"I 'ad to 'ear from one of my ladies that you were out parading 'er through town last night as if she one of your prize damn ponies!"  Caroline's voice snapped aggressively out of the machine as Alice approached. "You better organise for 'er to come and see me this instant or I will rip you apart, the army will seem like child's play when I'm done with you, 'enry! O' and Adam, Mon cher, if you are listening to this, I 'ad the most wonderful crème brûlée at your restaurant the other night. Magnifique! My most gracious compliments to the chef. You must drop by and give me the recipe. Adieu!"

"Who the fuck was that?" Magnus's voice asked, causing Alice to jump as she turned to see him stood by the back door, looking expectant.

"My grandma," Alice replied, knowing that the heavy French accented woman had been Caroline Ouellet. Alice released a heavy exhale and smiled as she turned away from the answering machine and walked towards Magnus, lifting her hand and showing him that she'd found the maple syrup. They returned to the guest house together, and gathered up their breakfast, deciding to eat together on the table next to the window that looked out over the pathway that led to the stables...

"So," Alice began after swallowing a mouthful of delicious pancakes and bacon and opening a drawer under the table where she'd stored all her activities lists and brochures. "What do you want to do today?" She asked, placing one of her lists down in front of Magnus then organising the brochures in a half moon shape for them to look at. "We could go visit the jail? Or look at the museums... there's this hiking trail here..." She continued, pointing to the place on the map she'd found the park. "Or we could just- what?" She asked, looking up at Magnus who was watching her with his head tilted.

"How long did this take you?" He asked, seeing the post-it notes and colourful lists.

"Not long," Alice laughed softly, knowing she was lying through her teeth but she kept the small, confident smile on her lips.

"Alright," Magnus chuckled quietly, not believing her before he licked his lips and thought for a moment. "Then let's do your top two first today," he continued, reaching over to push the old jail and the Borealis museum brochures over to Alice as she took another bite of her pancakes and smiled happily at the profile of his face, admiring his features for a moment and liking his choice... and how he didn't push to know how long she'd spent preparing for his visit.

It wasn't long before they were dressed and collecting their things together to leave the guest house... it was a bright but chilly day in Trois Rivières, the sky was clear and vibrantly blue, excusing a few wisps of clouds as the pair decided to walk into town to rent a car for the week.

Magnus and Alice walked side by side, with Alice opening up one of the brochures to look at. "So I think it will only take us about twenty minutes to drive there," Alice spoke up, tucking her hair behind her ears before glancing over at Magnus. He was dressed in a new looking dark green hoodie, a large puffer jacket in black over the top and his washed out jeans that Alice was beginning to like more and more. He'd left his hair messy, but she also began to notice the backs and sides were a little shorter than before. "Did you cut your hair?" She asked, reaching up to smooth her fingers through the back and enjoying how soft it was.

"I got it trimmed. Why?" He asked, his voice low and calm as he glanced down at her, thinking actively about how the feeling of her palm on the back of his head felt good.

"I like it," she smiled as they made eye contact, "Not that my opinion matters," she added, smiling more softly now then looking away and back to the brochure.

"It does," Magnus replied, his voice still calm as if not to draw attention to the weight in his words. "Sometimes." He added and Alice gasped softly, nudging him with her hip before he chuckled softly. He continued to watch her as they settled into a comfortable quietness whilst they walked, his eyes scanning over her carefully... his eyes landed on her cleavage, exposed discreetly just over the top of her soft pink tank top that she had on underneath a cropped white cardigan, she was wearing the flower pendant he gave her again, and he smiled subtly at how well it suited her. Her jeans were tight, light blue with thick white lines moving across the material to make large squares. He licked his lips discreetly, enjoying the fit of her jeans and looked away after a few moments.

Minutes later, they found the place to rent cars and wandered in, seeing the place fairly quiet as a few tourists wandered in and out of vehicles lined up to either rent or buy. Magnus wandered off almost instantly to find what he was looking for, taking Alice by surprise after she'd only briefly looked at her phone to estimate when they'd arrive at the old jail to make it on time for the next tour. "Mags?" She asked, glancing around her in confusion and tensed up slightly, which surprised her.

"Over here," she heard his voice say, and felt herself relax as she saw his hand raise over by where the larger 4X4s where. She sighed quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear as she made her way over. "A Porsche?" She laughed softly, remembering when he'd briefly owned a similar model but it vanished after a few unmentionable activities earlier this year...

"What, you don't like it?" He asked, glancing at her briefly before looking around for someone who worked there.

"I mean it's just to get from... you know what? Never mind," Alice laughed softly, already seeing on Magnus's face that he'd made his decision. He smirked subtly at her as one of the staff members walked over, their customer service smile plastered all over their face.

"Made a decision?" She asked, and Magnus nodded, making a gesture with his hands that Alice seemed to understand as get the paperwork so I can go. Alice sighed, smiling a little apologetically on his behalf as the staff member seemed to flush red with anxiousness suddenly, seeing the expression on Magnus's face.

"You don't have to do that," Magnus said, waiting until the saleswoman had left.

"Do what?" Alice asked innocently, adjusting her handbag on her shoulder as she looked over at her boyfriend.

"Do that smile," Magnus replied, motioning to her lips. "Like you're apologising for me. Because if I was sorry about how I was behaving - I wouldn't behave like it."

"I know," Alice replied simply, "but if you're not going to be polite then i'll just be polite for the both of us." She added calmly, using that tone of voice against him, just like he did to her. She smiled at him and held eye contact, and Magnus watched her quietly back.

He knew he could carry on their discussion about his behaviour if he wanted to, but as he looked at Alice's smile more he felt the urge to be stubborn fade away. "Hm." He hummed and looked away from her, folding his arms passive aggressively as they waited. Alice laughed softly and crossed the short distance between them and leant up to kiss his cheek, as if to soothe his irritation... he felt a warmth travel though his cheeks and down his spine, and exhaled quietly... trying to hold onto the negative emotion as hard as he could... but felt it drift away with little resistance as Alice kissed him again, her lips soft like the inside of a rose petal against his skin... that and her palm of the back of his head again seemed to calm him.

He turned his head towards her, coaxing her lips to briefly and softly press against his for a few moments... the pecks seeming to add an intensity to their feelings towards each other in that moment... although neither really consciously noticed. Someone cleared their throats close to them, and Alice pulled away, glancing over to see the sales woman back with the documents for Magnus to sign since he was the only one with a licence.

Once everything was signed and paid for Alice excitedly went round the car to the passenger side and climbed in, placing her handbag neatly by her shoes. "What ever happened to your car like this?" Alice asked, breathing in that new car smell and enjoying it.

"I sold it," Magnus replied as he closed the driver's door whilst Alice turned on the heat before she made herself comfortable for the journey... after putting in the address of the jail in to the in-built system. "After the thing." Magnus continued after a few seconds as he waited for Alice to put her seatbelt on.

"Oh," she replied, figuring out which thing he was talking about. "Someone bought it?" She asked in surprise as Magnus turned the engine on and reversed out of the parking space.

"Well it wasn't as if I was going to say why I was selling it." Magnus chuckled, "the car was basically brand new, apparently the guy didn't even hesitate."

"You weren't there?"

"No, I had someone else do it." Magnus replied, "and I had it cleaned before I sold it, obviously," he added and glanced over at Alice as he smirked.

"Oh, thank god," Alice sighed, placing her palm on her chest dramatically. "I don't think I'll ever forget that smell." She added quietly, "-and her face." She added in a quieter voice... "It was all like..." she didn't finish her sentence as Magnus glanced over at her again and saw her just staring into space for a moment.

"Are you traumatised?" Magnus asked before he pulled out onto the road as the navigational system showed him where to go. Alice looked over at him, wondering if he was asking a serious question.

"Probably," Alice replied honestly, "Does it freak you out ever?" She asked,

"No," Magnus replied, "I expected it too but... to me it's just like looking at mouldy bread. I know it's gross... but, I don't know, I don't think about it. It doesn't bother me."

"Hm," Alice hummed, looking over the profile of his face. "Sometimes I forget..." she began but trailed off as she realised what she was saying.

"I know you do." Magnus replied, his voice calm as if he was being sympathetic. "Can I ask you something?" He asked after a few moments silence with only the quiet hum of the car engine to fill the quietness.

"Sure," Alice replied as Magnus slowed the car down to stop at a red light.

"Why don't I freak you out?" He asked, glancing over to look her in the eye.

Alice exhaled and licked her lips briefly, glancing down and away from Magnus as she tried to search for an answer. "I don't know." She whispered, "You used to... kinda. But that was before I got to know you and know about everything that you do, in a way. I used to find you very intimidating, but that didn't really change after I found out about the thing." Alice explained tactfully. "It was like the same level, but then over time it just decreased as we started talking and like... figuring each other out and I got kind of attached to you." she continued and laughed a little nervously as Magnus glanced at her. "I don't know why you don't freak me out to be honest, like I know... like, you and us is a very unique situation and I guess if I'm honest with myself...? I just... I guess I just stopped caring about the other stuff because didn't really affect me. And I mean that in the sense like after all that happened I'm not like... traumatised, as far as I know." Alice sighed, "That literally made no sense, I'm sorry,"  She laughed softly, feeling herself blush.

"It did," Magnus replied as they continued driving. He was able to read between the lines of what she was trying to say, and figured that because of the connection they were developing, she found herself ignoring or even accepting Magnus's secret hobby. However, he did think, that maybe if she didn't realise it herself, it was because she had her own darkness that she had been suppressing, and now it just had an opportunity to raise its head and start making itself known...

"Maybe I've disassociated because of the stress and weight of it all." She continued. "Like that doctor and you even told me I had that seizure that literally wiped out some of my memories, I still can't remember them. So maybe my brain is just all weird and freaked out up there and is just wiping all the emotions that would stress me out away..." Alice expresses in an ordinary voice. "You don't mind if I'm honest about this, right?" she asked, afraid that she was indirectly insulting him or calling their connection some kind of fantasy.

"Well I asked, didn't I?" Magnus replied with a subtle amused tone, "and no I don't mind," he added. "And it could happen." He continued, "You could be subconsciously protecting yourself, in a way."

"Yeah... or I'm just as dark as you and my demons are all coming out because they finally have some friends." Alice smirked, "because I feel good. And happy, and confident... and clearer, like I'm more aware of myself and my environment than I was before. I feel more intuitive too." She smiled softly as she glanced over at him and reached over to move some hair back from his face. Magnus smiled... but it faded away quickly and a more serious expression took over as if he knew something she didn't... and Alice noticed as he kept his eyes ahead. "What?" She asked, bringing her hand back to her lap.

He knew he should tell her, but the voice in his head demanded for him to keep all the secrets to himself since that was what he was used to. He bit the inside of his lip, almost having to force himself out of his own head to speak. "Noah replied to your message, the one you sent yesterday."

"What's that got to do with-"

"It's got everything to do with it. Peter, the guy you asked Noah to look up? His full name is Peter Couture. He is the same age as your mom, they went to high school and college together but he ended up going to prison for a double homicide just before you were born... the last photo they have together was dated July 2002." Magnus explained as Alice stared at him. "He was in prison for sixteen years, Alice... but he got released about two months ago."

"Oh." Alice murmured... "Can I see the-"

"In my pocket," Magnus replied, motioning to where his phone was with his chin. Alice retrieved it, and waited for it to unlock as Magnus scanned his thumb then put his hand back on the steering wheel. She opened his messages, finding Noah's category and reading what he'd sent him.

She was quiet for a few minutes, scanning over the words, looking at the pictures... Magnus glanced over at her every now and then, wanting to see her facial expressions but her hair was in the way. He grew impatient, and wanted to know what she was thinking. "Well?" He asked,

"Give me a second." She mumbled, zooming in on a picture of Peter then holding it up to Magnus's face. "Look at me,"

He looked over, and furrowed his eyebrows but Alice hummed and waved her hand at him, as if to tell him to relax his expression... "I kind of see what Adam meant." She murmured, "It is the eyes."

"You're saying I look like him?" Magnus asked, now confused.

"God, no." Alice laughed, "No, I just meant the facial expression. Once you see eyes like that once? You don't forget it." She murmured, looking down at the picture of the man again... "This is so weird." She continued, "I mean I knew my mom and dad got married quickly but seeing her with someone else, and for such a long time right up until the year before I was born is... weird."

"They got married quickly?" Magnus asked, his interest peaking.

"Yeah, so... apparently they went to college together, right? But they didn't date or anything. But my dad says he had this huge crush on my mom for like most of his college life. And it was like... maybe three years after graduation they bumped into each other randomly and hung out and ended up falling in love and then wedding bells and a new baby."

"Huh." Magnus hummed and Alice laughed softly, thinking he was uninterested when in fact it was the opposite. His mind was working away quickly, and he pieces together bits of the story and began to assume what the truth behind it all was. "So you must've been conceived in June..." he murmured out loud and Alice looked over at him.

"What?" She smiled,

"... You must've been conceived in June if you were born in February. Were you full term?"

"I was right on time." Alice murmured, tilting her head as she furrowed her eyebrows at his specific questions.

"The last photo of your mom with this Peter Couture guy is from July... and unless your mom has some serious commitment issues..."

"Magnus." Alice scolded, feeling a spark of anger at what he was suggesting.

"What? I'm just saying-"

"Can you not suggest that my mom is a cheater,