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(Happens after Alice's trip to the Nexus post-breakup with Victor. Further reading can be done under the "return of the king" tag for both Alice and Victor.)

They’ve been delaying this for a while – they’d be the first to admit it. Both of them have been nervous about taking this step. But they need to see if they can settle this somehow. Victor really can’t live with the King of Hearts always in the back of his head, even if said King has stopped trying to hurt him. Victor misses the days when it was just his own thoughts inside of his mind – and he’s started having some rather frightening nightmares. Ones that involve burning castles and painful last kisses. . . . My death, the King had explained somberly. As you may have gathered, it was quite unpleasant.

Alice knows far too much about nightmares to let Victor suffer unnecessarily. So here they are, standing at the mirror in Victor’s room. “Are you ready?” Alice asks.

Victor swallows. “I don’t know,” he admits. “Part of me still feels that – we’re asking for trouble, doing this.” He shakes his head. “But this can’t go on. And if your friends there think this is the best way to get him out. . . .”

Alice nods. “Then let’s be off.” She places one hand through the mirror, then extends the other to Victor. He takes it, and together they step back through into Wonderland.

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The Queen draws back, releasing him. "You needn't lie," she says, looking deeply ashamed. "I understand it will probably never be nice to meet me again. Not after what I did."

Alice is heartened. Remorse is always a good sign. "I'm just glad you seem to have no intentions of repeating it."

"I'm shocked enough to find myself alive again," the Queen confesses. "I remember our last battle, your knife hurtling to hit its final mark. . . . I know this really does nothing to make up for anything, but I may as well say it. I'm sorry, Alice. I never. . .it was like a sickness, a -- a different kind of madness. . . ."

"I know," Alice nods. "My own insanity played a large part in yours. The King's possession of Victor helped to show that."

"How? What happened?"

"He -- he tried to kill me," Victor explains, feeling awkward as waves of shame and remorse practically radiate off the King in the back of his mind. "I -- I d-don't like myself very much, you see, and his presence b-became rooted there, so n-neither did he. It wasn't u-until he realized there was s-something wrong about it that we came to our c-current accord."

"The evidence seems to be in favor of the entire Hearts line being tainted," the Queen mutters darkly. "Perhaps it's for the best we've been removed from power."

"Perhaps," the Cheshire Cat agrees readily. "It will be nice to not have to deal with your constantly shouting 'Off with his head!'"

"Hmph," is the Queen's only response.

"Our problem now is getting your husband out of Victor," Alice says, rocking on her heels. "All of us are strongly in favor of them having two separate bodies instead of one shared one. Do you think my trying to think up one here might just work?"

"I don't think so," Cheshire says. "He's rather firmly rooted in your friend, if Caterpillar's thoughts are anything to go by. We'll have to find him a body another way."

A sudden brainwave hits Victor. "Wait a moment -- the King shows up in my reflection," he says, gesturing. "That's how we had our argument that led to his -- becoming less m-murderous toward me. Is it possible we can use that?"

"We can at least see if I continue to do so here," the King adds.

Alice claps her hands. "Fantastic idea! Cheshire, can you go alert someone that we need a mirror out here? Please?"

"All right, but only because you were polite," Cheshire says, a slightly teasing note to his voice. He vanishes.

A few minutes later, his eyes and smile return. "The White Queen is sending along one of her knights to provide us with our necessary implement," he reports, slowly fading the rest of him in. "And fortunately for us, he was on his way before I even asked."

Sure enough, not two minutes later, the familiar figure of the White Knight gallops up, and falls off his horse. He gets back to his feet and bows to Alice. "We heard you needed a mirror, my lady?"

"For an experiment," Alice says.

The Knight, who was eying the Queen a bit apprehensively, lights up at this. "Capital!" He somehow extracts from his bag a full-length mirror and sets it up.

"Go ahead, Victor," Alice urges.

Victor steps in front of the mirror and looks at his reflection. For a moment, it's just him, staring back at him with familiar brown eyes.

Then, suddenly, those eyes turn pitch black, and there's a suggestion of things moving under his mirror-self's jacket. He grins. "It works!"

"It's a start, at least," the King agrees. The location of his voice is odd -- Victor's lips clearly move, but it almost seems to come from the mirror.

The White Knight steps back, startled. "Y-Your Majesty? The King of Hearts? The rumors are true?" he asks in wonder.

"Yes -- he's back," Alice confirms. "Fortunately not to kill anyone." She touches the mirror's surface contemplatively. "Now, how does one go about extracting a reflection?"

"I could stand on my head, if it helps," the White Knight offers.

"The trouble, I believe, is that even hear, mirrors merely echo life," Cheshire comments, pawing at the glass himself. "Perhaps if we could put the spark of life into the reflection. . ."

It hits Alice. "Meta-essence," she whispers. "The lifeforce of Wonderland. . . . How much would we need?"

"A full Heart, I should say," the White Knight says. "There may be a Jabberspawn here I could hunt. . ."

A pink tentacle abruptly lashes against a nearby tree, making everyone start. All turn to see the Queen with a large bloody wound, staring at it intently. After a few moments, the blood turns into a pinkish gas, coalescing upward into a shining pink-purple heart crystal. "No need, dear sir," she says.

Everyone stares at the crystal for a moment. "T-thank you," Victor finally says quietly. He reaches out and carefully touches it. The surface is multifaceted, but otherwise smooth. It's also slightly cool to the touch. "Shall I--"

Nods all around. Victor carefully picks up the Heart and brings it over to the mirror. He looks at the King reflection nervously. "Ready?"

"Yes," the King replies with a nod. "Try the experiment."

Victor nods back, then presses the Heart against the surface of the mirror. At first, nothing happens. But then, suddenly, the crystal melts into the surface. At the same time, Victor suddenly feels the distinct sensation of having something pulled out of his mind. Startled, he steps back --

And his reflection suddenly steps out of the mirror.

Alice steps forward, looking between the two men. "Are you all right?" she asks, not entirely sure herself who the question is directed toward.

The King looks down at himself. He looks a little wobbly, but perfectly whole. He glances back, to see two reflections in the mirror -- his own and Victor's. A smile breaks out over his face. "I think I am."

"I know I am," Victor says, grinning himself as he feels the distinct relief of having his mind be his and his alone again. Although. . .there's a bit of an odd feeling at the very back of his skull. Like a faint -- tunnel? He pokes at it slightly, and somehow feels the King's presence. "Though we still seem to be connected."

"I feel it too," the King confirms. "Perhaps there's no way to fully separate each other." He smiles down at his hands. "I consider this more than adequate, however."

"Me too," Victor nods. A mental link with the King, he can stand. It doesn't feel particularly intrusive either, so that's a plus.

The Queen rushes forward and kisses her husband, wrapping him in her arms and tentacles. "My love, my love," she whispers, now indeed crying.

Alice finds herself smiling at the reunion. God, she never thought she'd smile at anything involving the Queen. However, there are a few things to get straight. "I'm not letting you return to Heart Palace," she interjects in a firm voice. "You're surely aware of the reasons why. You did horrible things to this world, and remorse itself won't fix that."

"I know," the Queen says, disentangling herself a bit from her husband. "I'm willing to stay here in the Tulgey Wood, if you wish. Just -- just please, let us stay together."

"Please Alice," the King adds softly. "I know I have no right to ask favors of you after what I nearly did to Victor, but. . .she's everything to me."

Alice looks between them. For a moment, a spiteful impulse whispers to say no, to separate them, to make the Queen truly pay for what she did (even if it might not have been entirely her fault).

Then she remembers her own heart breaking when she left Victor, and the agony of the days that followed. She can't inflict that on another, even the Queen. And besides, the King was always the best at keeping her in check. "I won't part you," she says. "But you're forbidden from leaving the Tulgey Wood. One step outside, one inkling either of you has started to go darkly mad again, and you'll be facing me and my Vorpal Blade."

"Under the circumstances, more than fair," the King says in relief. "Thank you, Alice." Turning to Victor, he adds, "And thank you. For letting me stay, for -- for not holding my hatred of you against me."

Victor half-smiles. "It's my own hatred of me," he says. "I can't exactly hold that against you."

The King nods, looking more serious. "You shouldn't hate yourself. Others will do that for you."

Victor bites back a laugh. The King has an odd way of comforting people. "Others already have."

"There you are then. Don't waste your hatred on yourself, Victor. There are far more deserving targets."

Victor nods. "I'll try to remember that."

"Don't try. Just remember it." The King turns to his wife. "Ready, my love?"

"Always, my dearest." She glances around. "Thank you," she whispers, in a way that suggests the words are strange to her, but also very heartfelt. Then both monarchs disappear back into the woods, hand in hand.

Alice lets out a deep sigh as they vanish. It feels like a weight has been lifted -- the King is out and about on his own, and she's settled the Queen before any more horror can take place. A very productive day indeed. And while she'll be keeping a close eye on those two, deep in her gut she honestly feels she has nothing to fear. The Queen is freed from feeding on her insanity, and she has her King. There's nothing to suggest another rampage is in the future. And even if there is -- this time, she has someone to stand by her side.

She goes and wraps Victor in a hug. "Want to go to the White Castle and see if they'll have us for tea?" she asks quietly.

"I would like that very much," Victor nods, hugging her back. He's as happy as he can be under the circumstances -- it appears everyone, even the King and Queen, have gotten a happy ending for now. Granted, he still needs to work on his own self-image, but there'll be time for that later. Right now, all he really wants is a cup of tea, and a chance to enjoy the silence in his head.

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