A/N: Today I found out that the word "blubber" can be used as a verb to mean "cry". I also realized that some words are hard to rhyme. What does that have to do with Alice and the gang? Read on!

 *****

Alice POV

"Does this dress make me look fat?" Bethany asked for a gazillionth time today.

It was Saturday, a.k.a. wedding day and Beth, being one of the bridesmaids, had put on the pale blue dress her cousin had picked out for the big event. The question, to which I had already replied several times with a "no" was ridiculous for two reasons: first – the tailor-made dress with it's delicate white lacing at the waist was beautiful and second – it looked even more beautiful on my friend, the color complementing her eyes and the shape adding to her slim figure.

The reason why my bestie was freaking out was because she and Asher had finally started dating and Beth had invited him to the wedding. He of course had said yes.

"I wish I wasn't a bridesmaid; then I could've worn whatever I wanted, just like you!" She whined, gazing at my dress – a combination of several hues of brown, ranging from a pale burlywood shade to an almost black one.

"Beth, you look stunning. Now calm down; you are jumpier than the bride and this is her day!"

"You might be right!" She admitted, slumping down on one of the soft futons in her changing room. Yes, the place was big enough not only to supply the bride and groom with their own rooms to prepare, but also an individual space for each of the five bridesmaids. Beth had let me share hers of course.

"I'm just so nervous," she went on.

"And happy?"

"Oh, and definitely very, very happy!"

I laughed at her huge grin and remembered I'd seen the same one when she first announced about the two of them getting together.

Sky and I had just gotten to the twin's home after being chased by that crazy clergyman and we tried to sneak in. Tried to being the keywords here 'cause no one goes unnoticed into the Miller estate.

"Ran into some trouble, young Mr. Miller, Ms. Green?" Alfred's even voice came from behind us as soon as we sat foot in the house. How did that man manage to catch us every single time when we had attempted to sneak in or out of the place was beyond me. He was truly a magician; an amazing out of this world catch-those-teens pro. I should ask him sometimes if he had ever been a prison guard; I bet he'd be good at that!

I greeted him with "Evening, Alfred!" but Sky's frantic "Don't tell mom!" muffled my words. I giggled, looking at his desperate expression. So the teenage boy was still more afraid of mommy than he was of daddy?

I'm pretty sure the butler wanted to let out a sigh and shake his head. But with Alfred being trained old-school, he kept his cool and didn't even raise an eyebrow at us.

"Do you need any assistance, young Mr. Miller?"

"Nah, we're cool," the boy answered and dragged me upstairs towards his sister's room. "Beth, you'll never guess what happened..." He started as soon as he opened the door but halted mid sentence, taking in his twin's anxious expression which turned into a wide-eyed one when she saw us.

"What happened to you?" She shrieked, getting off the bed and coming closer to us. "Did you get in a fight?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine!" Skyler hurried to reassure her and we briefed her in on tonight's event.

"YOU'VE DONE WHAT?!" She shouted, her eyes bulging almost as much as those of the mad priest had. "That is so irresponsible, stupid, pointless..."

"Okay, okay; you wouldn't have done it, we get that," Sky cut her off with a serious tone. "But now that we told you our story, it's time for you to do the same."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Beth, that when Alice and I came in, you were worried about something. What was it?"

"Not worried, just nervous," she claimed, chewing her lower lip.

"About?" I prompted.

"Asher," she said and a smile began to bloom on her lips. "We're dating!" She squalled, jumping up and down and clapping her hands, a telltale sigh of how happy she was.

"What?" I screamed just as Sky shouted "Since when?"

"Since about an hour ago," she explained with a huge grin and went on to relate to us how they talked on the phone, how he claimed that he wanted to confess something to her and said he didn't want to do it on the phone, but he couldn't wait any longer, so he had no other choice. Then, after a lot of calming deep breaths and pauses, Ash had explained, well mostly babbled, on how much he liked Beth and asked her to be his girl. Once the girl made sure she had heard him right, she had replied that being his girl would make her really happy, even if it was a long distance relationship.

"But there's more!" She announced merrily. "I invited him to the wedding and he said yes!"

This time, I had joined in her squealing and jumping around and even Sky let out a victorious "Ooh, yeah!"

"Alice!" A male voice brought me out of my thoughts and I looked up into the amused brown eyes of Joseph Miller.

"Looking very smart, Joseph!" I commented, examining his black designer suit.

"So do you two!"

"Dad, why are you here?"

"I came to see how my girls are doing," the man responded with a smile and my heart melted. Ever since I was a child, he and Catherine had always treated me like another daughter or a favorite niece. Even now he called me one of "his girls". For someone like me – growing up without a father and under the not-so-gentle care of a distant mother, that had always meant the world.

"And both of you look beautiful!"

"Thanks, daddy!" Beth exclaimed, getting off the futon and spreading her arms to give him a hug. He gladly excepted it and held his daughter tightly to his slightly plump body. I smiled once more, but a little bit of sadness crept into me, knowing I'd never have such a close bond with my parents. I barely remembered my own father and the time we spent together, but if he had been even half as kind and loving as Joseph, then I must've been a happy child.

You see, although Mr. Miller was a businessman, a very successful and therefore busy one, he always found time for his family. And if he couldn't find some, he made some.

Family dinner at least four times a week – that was one of the rules he lived by and the only time he broke it was when he had to go on business trips. To be honest, I can't remember him missing even one school play or a school football match. And one more thing I really liked about the guy: the man actually picked presents and flowers instead of sending his secretary, which seemed to be customary for people in his position. How did I know he handled those things personally? Because he often called me to ask which flowers would be suitable for a certain occasion or whether I knew what Sky and Beth wanted for their birthday. He had even asked me to meet him at some stores a few times and help him pick gifts. So it was safe to say, that Joseph Miller was the most dedicated father I'd seen.

Beth and her dad disentangled from their mutual embrace and taking a few steps back, she questioned:

"So what's in the bag?"

Only now did I notice Mr. Miller was holding a plastic bag with two square boxes in it.

"Oh, those are for you," he replied, taking the objects out and passing the first to his daughter. "One for you... And one for you," the man concluded, handing me the second box.

It turned out they each had a boutonniere inside. Beth's was white and mine was the same green shade that my eyes were.

"I didn't know what color your dress would be so I decided that this one will suit you!"

"Thanks," I mumbled, hugging the man and trying not to start crying, moved by his kind gesture.

It wasn't the first time Mr. and Mrs. Miller had done something like that. In their house, amongst family photos, they had pictures with me. And not only ones that showed me with the twins, but such that depicted only me, something that was noticeably missing at Elanor's house. There were also photos with the Millers going to the beach with me, going to picnics with me, going to the zoo, the amusement park, museums... All with me. It got to the point where several new acquaintances of Catherine and Joseph, who visited them for the first time, actually thought I was Sky and Beth's sister.

But it wasn't only the photos and the jolly memories they brought; I actually had my own room in the Miller estate with ALICE spelled on the door. And then there was Star – my beautiful mare, given to me by Joseph and Catherine.

I felt gentle pats on my back and smiled. Releasing Mr. Miller and taking a few steps back, I noticed he was also smiling down at me. But then he looked at his daughter and adopted a serious expression.

"Now about young Mr. Rowan..." He trailed off and Beth tensed as her father mentioned Asher's family name. "Alice, could you leave me with my daughter for a moment?"

"Sure," I replied, aiming not to giggle. Because although my best friend stood a few feet from me, anxiously awaiting what her father had to tell her, I knew Joseph too well and I didn't miss the warmth in his tone when he said "young Mr. Rowan". Regardless of the serious address I was sure he had taken a liking to the boy.

I exited the room to allow them some father-daughter time and went to search for Sky and Asher, who by my calculations, should already be done with getting dressed. A familiar melody started playing and I stopped to reach in my dark brown purse and retrieve my phone. Smiling at who it was, I hit "answer".

"How's the wedding going?" Caden queried, skipping the greeting as usual.

"Pretty good, apart from one female who is panicking about her appearance."

"The bride?"

"No, Beth."

He chuckled at my response.

"Because of Asher?"

"Yep. And now she's even more worried because Joseph, that's her dad, wanted to chat with her about the boy."

"He doesn't like Ash?" Cade questioned, slightly nervous.

"It's not that," I hurried to ease his mind. "On the contrary, I'm pretty sure Joseph approves of him."

"Even though Ash comes from a completely different background?"

I knew what he meant; the Rowans were barely making ends meet and Mr. Miller had been featured in Financial Times, with the editors claiming that he was a fine example of what a businessman ought to be.

"Joseph doesn't care about things like that. Catherine, that's the twins' mother, also came from a poor family. She used to work as a waitress in a small café Joseph visited and that's how the two of them met."

"And he didn't mind her being poor?"

"Not one bit! He claims it was love at first sight; he even stayed till closing time just so he could talk to her." I smiled. Mr. and Mrs. Miller had told us many times how they'd met and how they got together and that had always been one of the most romantic stories I'd heard. The fact that it was true and not a part of a book or a movie only made it better. "I wish I had someone to care for me as much as the Millers care for each other!" I mused aloud. "Then I would really be happy!"

I heard Caden clear his throat.

"That is enough to make you happy?" He asked in a slightly raspy tone. "Just having someone to care about you? Regardless of how much money they have or their education or what they do for a living?"

I laughed at his questions.

"Why would I care about something like that? All I want is for someone to be there for me... Money won't make me happy. I should know, I already have them."

"Glad to hear that!" He muttered quietly and cleared his throat again. "I have some good news," he stated, this time louder. "I've been working for Cillian for the last few days."

"Really?" I exclaimed, not even trying to hide my surprise. "Didn't think wiping tables was your thing!"

"It's not ideal, but it's a start. I really mean to get a grip and try sort out my life, as our favorite pub owner put it. I'm serious, Alice; I'm going to change for the better!"

"I'm proud of you, you know that?"

"You and me both. Anyway, I'll leave you to get ready or whatever... See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, tomorrow. You have no idea how much I want to get back!"

"And see you," I added in my mind.

"So what time does your train arrive again?"

"Noon."

"Okay, Keegan and I will come pick you and Asher up. Bye!"

"Bye!"

I had barely pushed "end" when someone grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me into the direction towards Beth's.

"Sky! What are you doing?" I questioned, trying to set myself free from his grip. He made no response and kept going so fast that he nearly ran over Joseph, who was just getting out of the changing room.

"Where's the fire?" The man asked, dodging his son with a speed enviable for someone with his built.

"This is an emergency, dad!" Sky announced grimly, pushing me into the room, getting in himself and slamming the door. "Oh, man, this is bad!" He mumbled, moving back and forth. "Like really, really bad!"

"Sky, what's going on?" Beth asked just as puzzled by her brother's behavior as I was. He didn't reply to her and turned to me instead:

"Alice, do you remember the psycho priest from the cemetery?" I nodded, wondering why he brought that up now. "Well, guess who is getting my cousin married!"

I gulped. Oh, no, please don't mean what I think you meant, Sky!

"You-you mean..." I stammered, fearing to finish my inquiry, "He's performing the ceremony?"

"Yep! The one and only, cemetery creep, alien zombie-ghost priest!"

I slumped down on the nearest futon. He was right: this was bad! Actually bad didn't quite cover it; this was a disaster!

"So what are we going to do?" I questioned in a small voice.

"I'll tell you what you two are going to do!" Beth said in her angry parent voice. "You are going to spend the whole wedding in attempts to avoid that lunatic clergyman."

"Avoiding him? Sis, how do you think I'll be able to do that? I mean, it will be easier for Alice; she's so small she could just hide behind one of those gigantic flower vases the decorators spread everywhere... But what about me? I'm taller. And gorgeous. You can't hide gorgeous!"

"I'll put it this way, brother dearest: you are a: hiding from the clergyman or b: causing a scene and getting killed by our cousin for ruining her wedding. And to be honest, I think no one would blame her for that."

"Okay..." He drawled thoughtfully. "I guess we are avoiding psycho priest."

"And alcohol!" Beth added sternly.

"What! If I'm dealing with a maniac, I'm going to need some liquid support!" Her brother protested vigorously.

"Oh, no you don't! When you get drunk, you start to sing. Trust me, bro, nobody wants to hear you sing, let alone have that recorded on their wedding day video."

"I really have no idea what you have against my singing, I'm awesome at it. Just ask Alice about all the applause I got last time we've been to the mall!"

"Sky," I started, reflecting on how to put this gently. "They were applauding because they thought you were fooling around and weren't serious about it."

The boy raised one blond eyebrow up, half in confusion, half in distrust at what I had just told him.

"Fine, fine, I won't drink too much!" He agreed reluctantly, then muttered: "No drinking and I have a lunatic on my tail... Some wedding this is turning out to be!"

*****

"Alice, why is Skyler acting like an idiot?" Catherine questioned, observing her son's unusual, well, not so unusual, behavior.

The wedding had gone well for now. The bride and groom had already taken their vows and the priest had been way too busy with the ceremony to pay notice to the guests. But now was the middle of the reception; the clergyman's attention was no longer occupied and both Sky and I were attempting to keep a low profile. The boy in question, being theatrical as per usual, was doing what he called his "international spy moves" which consisted of dashing between people and jumping behind large pieces of furniture and decoration. He'd make a terrible spy!

I on the other hand had glued myself to the table I was assigned to, hoping the priest won't recognize me among all the other people here. For good measure, I had put on a pair of large sunglasses I'd borrowed from Beth.

"Alice?" Catherine spoke from opposite me and only then did I remember I had not responded to her inquiries.

"Maybe he is feeling shy?" I offered the first (and totally unconvincing) explanation, I could think of.

"Skyler? My son Skyler? Shy? Huh! I don't think so!" The woman leaned over the table to get closer to me. "I think he's either up to something or he had already done something and I also think you know what that something is. And don't try to lie to me, Alice! You are a terrible liar."

I sighed. With all the time I'd spent with Elanor, you'd think I would be better at hiding my emotions and leading people on!

"He's trying to blend in with the background."

She snorted at my response.

"That is "trying to blend in with the background"? Sometimes I think my son will never grow up! So who is he hiding from? Don't tell me he slept with one of the bridesmaids and never called her again!"

"Well, as reasonable of an explanation that is, it isn't the truth. He's hiding from the priest." Catherine raised a blonde eyebrow at me and for a moment I felt like I'd traveled into the future and was staring at an older Beth. The two of them were that much alike. I contemplated on whether I should spill the beans and tell her all of it. "Actually, we are hiding from the priest."

I briefed her on what had happened that faithful night at the cemetery. Being the good listener she was (just one more thing she had in common with her daughter), Catherine waited for me to recount all of the events before she laughed at me.

"Come on! He didn't look that scary!" She stated through a snort and I frowned at her.

"Oh, yeah? Wait till his eyes bulge and spit starts coming out of his mouth and he tries to exorcise you with holy water!"

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Catherine raised her hands up in surrender, but judging by the amused smile that was still playing on her lips I could tell I had not managed to convince the woman that her niece's ceremony was performed by a psychopath. "I'm going to go and find my son before he gets himself into anymore trouble," she explained, getting up and moving away from our table. I turned my head sideways and followed the movement, curious as to where the male twin had disappeared to. Once Mrs. Miller was out of my sight, I turned back forward... and got a mini heart attack.

About twenty feet away, talking to one of the guests and folding a glass of red wine, was none other than the madman himself.

I let out an involuntary squeal, jumped from my seat and dived under the table.

Oh, God, I hoped he didn't see me! He didn't right? I mean, he couldn't; I moved really fast... I didn't know I could move that fast!

A set of feet ominously approached the seat I had just emptied. I could barely manage to see them from the small gap between the white linen table cloth and the polished floor, but I could tell they belonged to a man. The silhouette of a hand reached forward and in one swift motion lifted the thin linen fabric, I'd used as a cover.

My hands automatically lifted to cover my mouth and muffle a frightened scream.

"Alice, why did you jump under the table?" Asher asked with a puzzled expression.

I let out a relieved sigh and let my hand fall in my lap.

"Oh, thank God it's you! I thought you were the priest."

"He was here?" A slightly slurred voice questioned and although I could not see the speaker, I knew it belonged to Sky.

"Yes, he was," I responded, getting out and smoothing my dress. I gazed around, searching for the clergyman and noticed that the few people who were still at the table gave me odd looks. Good news was: no crazy clergy!

"That's the one performing the ceremony? The same one you two met at the graveyard?" Ash queried and Sky giggled.

"Oh, my sis told you about the time we got exor... exer... exercised?"

Asher looked confused, so I hurried to clarify:

"He means to say "exorcised"." I translated our friend's drunken question. "I thought you said you'll avoid alcohol today, Sky?"

"I did but... The bridesmaids and I started a game of "I have never ever" and apparently I've been a busy boy," he explained, smiling goofily. "Got a few phone numbers while I was at it."

"Oh, boy! Ash could you go and find Beth for me? And if you see Catherine, don't tell her we're here! She was looking for Sky but I think we should help him sober up a little before they meet."

The blond boy nodded and left us. He had been gone for less than a minute when Bethany showed up.

"There you guys are! I've been looking all over for you."

"Oh, man, is this a wedding or a game of hide and seek?" Her brother questioned, slurring a few words.

"He's drunk?" Beth asked, turning to me, but before I could even respond, she shook her head and reached into her white purse. "You were right, Alice, we are going to need this!" She exclaimed, taking a small bottle out. It contained one of Alfred's pick-me-ups; it was useful to help you think more clearly after having a few alcoholic drinks or when you had a hangover. We had tried numerous times to decipher what was in the mixture, but we never succeeded... And the butler kept the secret to his potion.

"Drink this!" Beth ordered, giving her brother the bottle. He gulped it down and grimaced. Whatever that stuff was, it tasted vile.

"So where is Asher?"

"I sent him to look for you," I responded. Huh, guess Sky was right;: this wedding was turning into a game of hide and seek!

"What do you need him for anyway, sis? A little naughty time in the closet?"

"Skyler!"

"What? That's what I'd do, if I brought a date."

"Yeah, but don't forget: I'm the good twin; you're the naughty one!"

"True, true... But you don't forget: condoms are cheaper than diapers!" He said in a sing-song voice. Beth attempted to hit him with her purse, but the boy swiftly moved aside. It seemed that Alfred's potion was already making him feel better.

"Ash and Beth, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G; first comes love, then comes sex, use rubber or you'll be hearing babies blubber!" He sang and started humping the air and moving around in an improvised dance. Taking advantage of her brother being busy acting like an idiot, Beth took another swing... and this time she didn't miss. Her purse collided with Sky's stomach and the boy let out a loud "Ouch!", before covering the injured spot and bending in two.

"Ha! That's what you get for pissing me off, little bro!"

I chuckled. When would Skyler learn? It was never a good idea to tease a girl on a subject she was sensitive about. Especially if that girl lived in the same house as you; that gave her one too many opportunities for revenge.

"The first time is special to a girl, so stop peeving your sister, Sky!" I ordered, trying to imitate Beth's authoritative mother-like tone. "He is right about one thing though: condoms are cheaper than diapers."

*****

"Enough with the goodbyes already!" Sky whined, rolling his eyes at his sister and Asher, who had snuggled on a bench and cooed quietly to each other.

It was the day after the wedding and Ash and I were about to board the train and go home. Home! Oh, how sweet that sounded!

I turned to the happy couple. They were so cute together! I really didn't want to interrupt their parting embrace but Sky was right: enough with the goodbyes or we'd miss the train.

"Come on, Ash, time to go!" I stated and the boy reluctantly got off the bench, his fingers still entwined with Beth's. The girl followed suit and they shared a long kiss before we got on our ride.

"Bye, guys!" I shouted from the window as the big machine screeched and started moving us away from the platform.

"Don't forget to call once you get there!" Bethany reminded, waving goodbye and sending air kisses at Ash.

"Yeah, yeah..." I responded but my words were muffled by the sound the train was producing. "And now it's time to eat!" I stated, slumping in my seat.

"Alice, we had breakfast less then a couple of hours ago!" Ash protested from his spot opposite me.

"But I'm hungry again! Plus, I'm in a mood for pastry." I got the food in question out of the plastic bag and bit a huge chunk out of it.

"I don't know... You shouldn't trust pastries sold at the train station. There have been several cases of food poisoning due to the out of date ingredients they use."

"Nah, I'll be fine!" I dismissed the boy without a second thought.

I wished I had listened to him then; it would've saved me a great deal of trouble!