January 27th, 1894 - Alley Beside The Florist Potts

Despite the fact that Zinnia was now married and seemed to be somewhat settled with it, Alvin had kept up his visits to the greenhouse. It wasn't quite as often, nor did he stay as long, but he wanted to make sure Zin was doing alright, given the circumstances. He didn't want everything in her life to change, so he wasn't going to stop altogether. Though he'd initially been relieved that she hadn't taken him up on the offer to step in and marry her, these days he was wishing she had, that way he could at least keep a closer eye on her.

He'd spent an hour with her in the greenhouse, but she ran out of energy early these days, which was understandable, (at least he thought? It had to be tiresome, pregnancy,) so Alvin had tucked away his things, made sure she was all set before he headed back to the house. He'd almost made it to the end of the alley before he doubled back to leave the sketch he'd been working on. Zin was into her watercolors again lately and he thought she might want it to paint.

With that achieved, he turned around and made his way back out the door. Before he had gotten two steps out, he nearly ran over Miss Thompsett. Alvin immediately stopped and moved to step aside so she could enter the greenhouse, unsure as to how to navigate this situation after the Christmas party last month. No letters back and forth; he didn't even have the courage to ask about the Cat to make sure she was doing alright. Alvin had to assume Miss Thompsett and Calla had it well under control. He tried a weak smile, adjusting the satchel of supplies on his shoulder as he waited for her to exit the narrow alleyway into the shop so he cold get by.

---

Sisse Thompsett

  

---

It was cold out. Sisse's breathe misted in the air as she hurried through the alleyway. She'd agreed to meet Calla in the warmth of the greenhouses at the shop once she had finished her Head Girl duties and was running late. Her nose was freezing in this cold and her mittened hands were shoved into the pockets of her wool cloak. The snow was beautiful in the winter, but she had always despised the cold that come with it. Huddling in her cloak as she made her way quickly down the alleyway she almost ran into someone before she had even realized that someone was there. She had been so intent on the warmth of her destination that she would have run into them if the man hadn't stepped out of the way at the very last moment.

Her eyes glanced up to see Mr. Bixby and her chest tightened, constricting beneath her corset. The last time she had seen Mr. Bixby she had been pulled from her childish daydreams into the harsh reality of life. She hadn't dared right him since that night. It now seemed such a childish, foolish thing to do. He must have laughed at each of her letters she had sent before. She, thinking her words so weighted with wisdom and kindness would endear her to him, him snorting at her presumptions. It was better to view the world as it really was, Sisse was learning. Part of her hated that she was learning that, she did have to be practical, she didn't have a mother to do that for her like Calla and Maddie did. She couldn't be the foolish daydreaming girl she had once been.

That did not mean, however, that she could ignore Mr. Bixby. No, he'd likely think she was throwing some sort of girlish temper tantrum and take her silence as sullenness instead of haughtiness or indifference. So she slowed her pace and gave him a polite smile. "Good morning Mr. Bixby." She greeted him with a small bow of the head, priding herself on how mature she looked and seemed - at least that was how she felt she presented herself. Thankfully he didn't know her well enough, she hoped, to realize that the polite words were lacking the true warmth and enthusiasm she would have given him previously. They were imparted as acquittances at a ball, no chilliness in them, but no youthful exuberance either.

  

---

Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Alvin was pretty sure the air in the alley dropped a few degrees, but he could be imagining it and he sure as hell wasn't going to comment on it. "Careful, the top stair is a little icy." He advised, unsure as to what else he could possibly say that wouldn't be putting his foot in his mouth. Honestly he wasn't even sure where he'd gone wrong in their interaction at Christmas, but he'd managed to upset her and he wasn't sure how to apologize when he wasn't exactly sure how he'd made an ass out of himself at the time.

He pulled his scarf up tighter and shifted back even further into the alley to give her plenty of room to get into the shop without him being in the way. He would have offered his hand if he thought she would have taken it, to ensure she didn't slip, but he thought that might be an unwelcome gesture at the moment, so instead just hovered nearby, simply in case.

---

  

---

"Thank you." The words were rote as Sisse started forward again. Yet despite the warning her mind hadn't truly considered it. She walked proudly forward, and promptly tumbled down the stairs into the greenhouse, tangling in her skirts. Her arms whipped out to try and catch herself and instead of doing that, one scraped along the stone, while the other took the brunt of her weight. Sisse's eyes teared up at the pain, but she tried to push it aside. She pushed herself into a seated position, one hand holding her throbbing wrist before she started to force herself to her feet. Her cheeks were bright red with embarrassment. She was such a foolish, foolish girl.

  

---

Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

He watched it sort of in slow motion. Whether she'd heard him and ignored him, or it was just too slippery, she went down and didn't pop up too quickly, cradling her wrist and looking close to tears. Alvin sighed, frustrated with himself for not just offering his hand over his pride.

She was probably going to get mad at him, but he couldn't just let her stumble again. In one swift movement, Alvin followed her tumble down the steps and picked her up, his bad hand under her knees and his stronger arm around her back. He'd done it to Sloane so many times that it felt like second nature, never mind that she seemed determined to be indifferent to him.

Trying to keep the contact brief, he searched for a good place to let her sit, but the greenhouse was woefully lacking in seating, so he set her upon the long workbench not too far from he door. "Can I see?" He asked gently, after stepping back half a pace in case she truly didn't want his help.

---

  

---

Suddenly Mr. Bixby was there, his arm warm and supporting behind her back, sending heated shivers through her, while his other bunched the layers of her skirts together and lifted her behind her knees. She had never been held like this before, her mind all too aware of where his arms were, skittering at the sensations, part of her was aware of how close to his chest her head was, that she could just barely make out the thump of his heart. Her mind was so confused, so foggy, she forgot that she should be mad. Instead everything blended together as if it were happening to someone else.

She was fairly certain she didn't start breathing again until he set her down. The work table was higher up than a bench and her feet dangled beneath her skirts like a little child's. Mutely she nodded and held out her wrist for him to see. Somehow her mind already missed that he wasn't closer to her, that his warmth had settled away from her. But the pain of her wrist distracted her from spiraling further.

  

---

Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

The wild change in demeanor was understandable, but Alvin knew he was still treading on thin ice here, for whatever reason it was. He really didn't know where he'd gone wrong in their blooming friendship, but he had to follow her lead. Still, he was thankful she didn't fight him on anything at the moment; her wellbeing was obviously more important than anything else. The height of the bench put her more and his eye level and he was having a tough time reading her expression.

Alvin refocused his attention from her face to her injuries. The scrape didn't look too bad, he was pretty sure there was some dittany he could use to cover it up (he spent a lot of time in here after all) but the blossoming purple to her other hand was worrisome. He had no way to tell if she'd truly injured it or if it was just a bad sprain. Quickly Alvin removed his gloves and gently took her hand in his, barely touching it for fear of hurting her further. "Can you bend it? How bad does it hurt?" The concern was written clear across his features and he wondered if he should fetch Mrs. Potts or bundle her up and return her to her school chaperon? At least it was warm in the greenhouse and they didn't have to deal with the cold too.

---

  

---

She was grateful she'd slipped her gloves off before she'd fallen. First they would not have survived the fall without needing mending, and two, because she was fairly certain her wrist would have screamed at her if she tried to belatedly remove it. Alvin's hands were gentle on her's as he looked first at the scrapes on one hand and then her injured hand. She winced even at his ginger touch, the pain distracting her from the sensation of his warm hand sending tingles through her fingers, it reminded her to focus on the fact that she was nothing more than a little girl to him.

Resolutely she lifted her chin, fixing her eyes just past his shoulder. She tried to bend her wrist as she did so, and almost started to cry again. "No." Her voice wavered and she found herself berating herself once again for her foolishness. "It's fine." It certainly wasn't, but she didn't need to give him any reason to think of her more as a girl than a lady.

In her stubbornness, her gaze fixing to his temple to be polite but to keep from making eye contact, she did not see the floating ball of green that had drifted above their heads.

  

---

Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Alvin winced at the tone of her voice when she tried to move it. Worse than a sprain then. He was out of his depth here. It wasn't hard to miss in their close proximity that she was avoiding his gaze and again Alvin wondered what it was he had or hadn't done to earn this icy regard. "It's okay not to be okay, Sisse." He murmured as he thought through his options. Maybe it would be best if he just went to get Mrs. Potts. Moms always knew what to do and Mrs. Potts was the most motherly mother he knew.

"I should get Mrs. Potts." He decided, thinking that would make the most sense. She was probably up front in the shop and she wouldn't question the presence of either of them in the greenhouse. At least he hoped she wouldn't. Her school chaperon might have something to say about their encounter though and he would rather not risk reputations on top of injuries. Alvin would actually rather risk Mrs. Potts' wrath than that; which said a lot.

---

  

---

Sisse. It was the first time his voice had said her name since Sloane's death, her heart leapt uncertainly at the sound of it and his soft words brought her eyes to his own. If only they were true. She swallowed, mutely. Unsure of how exactly to phrase that it wasn't actually okay to not be okay. That she had to hold it together not just for him so he didn't think her a little girl, but also for her friends and her family. She'd lost a friend the last time she hadn't been okay. Lester had walked away from her pain then. The pain that went so much deeper than her wrist.

She just nodded in response when he told her he'd go find Calla's mother. Mrs. Potts would know what to do and she'd be able to let her shield down, to give in a little to Mrs. Potts the way she couldn't with Alvin, or her friends, or her family. When had life become so complicated? When had she found herself hating and loving someone at the same time? When had her dreams got so twisted up in reality that she couldn't see what to do or how to be without a smile and a ready lie on her lips?

  

---

Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

When her eyes finally met his, Alvin thought he saw something flicker through, but couldn't decipher what it might be. His expression softened, something bubbled up, something he wanted to say, but wasn't sure if he should. Deciding better of it, Alvin wondered just how cross with him Mrs. Potts was going to be, as he tried to step back and nearly fell on his ass.

Wobbling on the spot, it took him a moment of surprise to regain his balance. "What the..?" He trailed off, looking at his feet and tried to move just one this time. Nope, rooted to the spot. "I uh, can't seem to step away." He admitted, torn between panic at what had happened now and then how to get out of it. What in the greenhouse would cause that?

---

  

---

Some things happen on instinct, which is precisely what happened when Alvin began to fall backwards. Heart lurching, Sisse reached forward and grabbed his arm (wrist screaming in protest) to pull him back, a startled "Alvin!" Shooting from her lips entirely unbidden.

Of course Alvin didn't need her help, he easily rightened himself, but her heart thumped loudly as he steadied himself and looked down at his own feet. She let go of the sleeve she had managed to grab and cradled her wrist in her lap as he thought outloud.

This was not good. She was sitting on table in front of a man in a greenhouse unchaperoned. It dawned on her. It was much worse than Christmas Eve. Or at the very least almost as bad.

"I'll go." She decided moving to push herself off the workbench, wrist angry as she tried to use it. Her cheeks turned pink as it began to occur to her that she would need his help to go anywhere.

  

---

Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Appreciative of her attempted assistance, Alvin nodded when Sisse said she could go get Mrs. Potts. It wasn't ideal, he would rather she sit and wait for help to come to her, but he couldn't actually do anything about it. One problem at a time and hers was obviously the more important one, so all he could do was nod.

Careful of her wrist, Alvin held out his hands, planning to use her elbows to help her get down off the bench. It was far too close for propriety's sake, but of anyone who might catch them in here; he would take the beating from Mrs. Potts any day over it being anyone of consequence. Only the Potts women were really allowed back here (he had gotten permission) so it really couldn't be that bad for anyone's reputation. She could go out the front, he could go out the side and nobody would be the wiser. Why he was currently worried about this when he had acted as her chaperon in the past, he wasn't quite sure, but possibly because it was just the two of them and not with an large group of teenagers that also included his sister.

"Ready?" He still held out his hands to help her down and waited for her cue.

---

  

---

As if he could read her mind Alvin's hands reached out, gently floating under her elbows. She leaned into his assistance, her mind warning her it would be rude not to accept his help at this point. He was already so close and if she leaned forward and accepted his help with a nod. Gently he helped her forward and she slipped off the bench in a rustle of skirts.

One thing was certain as she landed, she hadn't anticipated being this close to him. She could barely look up to his face with how close they stood, instead she had a great view of his neck. The momentum of her movement had her pushing into his chest to catch his balance, her arms braced against his sides as he held her elbow. But there was hardly an inch between them. She stepped back ever so slightly feeling the workbench right behind her giving her no space to move. "Thanks." She tried not to mumble, but it definitely seemed more like a mumble when it left her lips. Her whole body was warm, her ears beginning to turn red first.

She had to go find Mrs. Potts. Right. She had a task. Had to help him, had to have her wrist looked at. "I, uh, I'll," Her tongue felt thick in her mouth and she certainly couldn't look at him right now. At least not his face. "Find Mrs. Potts." She managed to finish as she turned, her side firmly pushing against Mr. Bixby as she tried to flee. Only her feet, too, tangled up, as if they were directly cooralated with her tangled heart, and she found herself falling, clutching at Alvin's jacket to keep from falling over again.

"Sorry!" The apology was out of her before she could even consider it. "I can't move either." She admitted.

  

---

Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Following her lead, Alvin helped her down from the table awkwardly. There wasn't much space to be had, he had stepped back in to look at her wrist and now he was stuck there. Then she too wobbled, saying she was stuck.

"This is very peculiar." Alvin sighed as he kept his arms loosely under Sisse's elbows to keep her upright as well. If he went down and accidentally pulled her with him there was a high risk she would hurt her arm worse than it already was and then he would really feel like an idiot. With one hand, he managed to lean back enough to pull his wand from the inside pocket of his jacket. He tried to cast a generic spell that would end whatever jinx they'd stepped into, but it didn't do anything.

Looking around he wondered if the vines were at it again, but nothing was tied around his ankles and best he could tell, nothing had snaked around Sisse's either. "Do you see anything that could be holding us here?" At this point he was going to have to holler for Mrs. Potts and then he would be dead.

---

  

---

It was pecular, even with her heart thudding in her chest and her knowledge of just how close he was (something he was clearly not affected by the way she was, given how calm and rational he seemed), she knew that. It reminded her of the Christmas party at school -

The thought was broken as Alvin asked her to look around. And that's when it clicked. It reminded her of the dreaded and yet anticipated enchanted mistletoe. Slowly, worried it might be the case, she looked upward. And there it was.

"There." She pointed above their heads where a spring of mistletoe hung above their heads floating in midair, white berries lingering between the spindles of it's grassy arms.

  

---

Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom