It was nearly five in the afternoon when some of the maids came to take the dishes away. The sheriff and his deputy chatted about work as Artemisia sighed. Alison glanced around the garden, trying to identify the flowers. She was still uncomfortable with the idea of having tea with the queen at the castle, but she decided to accept it the best she could.

"Are you sure that you want to stay in town? You bring a soothing atmosphere to the castle," Artemisia spoke up. Alison turned to her, startled by her voice.

"I think so. Chester, one of Frederick's employees, says that he can get me a waitress job in town. If that happens, I think I'll stay at my grandfather's," Alison replied, nervous to turn down the queen. She just smiled and nodded.

"That's understandable. I'm sorry you have to take up a job, though. I wish I could give you a timeline for the gateway," Artemisia informed as Alison touched her arm comfortingly. It surprised the queen, but she just smiled.

"It's not your fault, and I don't mind picking up a job. I told Chester to tell the boss that it would probably be a temporary job rather than a long term thing," Alison informed.

"Of course, that's a smart idea," the queen praised. Louise came up behind her and whispered something in the queen's ear. Artemisia smiled wider.

"She's awake? Yes, yes, bring her down," the queen instructed before Louise nodded and left. "I was hoping that she would wake up soon so you could meet her."

"Meet who?" Alison asked automatically. 

"The royal devil," Madson remarked with a huff. Artemisia's mood darkened.

"Devil, huh? Just because she doesn't like you doesn't mean you have to be rude about it," the queen retorted. The sheriff exhaled as the queen turned back to her guest. "She's truly very sweet."

"I see," Alison whispered, still not entirely sure what was going on. Madson flinched as Louise came back with a bundle of fabric. Alison was still confused. As the assistant drew closer, Alison could see a small frame, suggesting that Louise was in fact carrying a small child.

"Alison, this is my daughter, Wisteria," the queen informed as Louise handed the queen the child. Alison saw that she looked about a year old, and still terribly sleepy. Artemisia held her close before sitting her up so Alison could meet her.

The small girl looked like an exact replica of Artemisia, except the little girl's eyes were a bright green. She opened them a little, still groggy. Her dress was made of the same type of fabric that the queen wore, except a light yellow instead. Alison gave a small wave to the tiny princess, afraid that the child would cry. Instead, Wisteria smiled and held out her hand in a mock wave. 

"It looks like she likes you," Artemisia cooed as Madson grunted in annoyance. She shot him a quick glare before turning back to Alison. "Like I said, she's a sweetie. She just doesn't like Madson because he tends to be loud around her."

"I'm not loud!" Madson snapped as Wisteria frowned in his direction before starting to cry. The sheriff pursed his lips and sank in his seat. Evan grimaced, starting to be embarrassed by his father. Alison tried to hush the child, as she wasn't used to very small children.

"It's okay," Alison whispered. Wisteria stared at her, still whimpering.

"And it doesn't help that she just woke up, Madson. Good lord," Artemisia complained, further embarrassing Evan. Madson slumped in his seat, staring at the toddler. The queen put the child down, and Wisteria immediately went into the gardens.

"Is it okay for her to wander around on her own?" Alison asked, worried for the small child. 

"It's okay. That's what I hired Louise for. She watches Wisteria most of the time, and helps me with my work from time to time," the queen informed before she stood. The fabric fell down gracefully, complementing Artemisia's elegant figure. "Let's go inside. It's going to get dark soon, and I would hate for us to be in the garden when the bugs come out."

"I agree," Alison answered. She had no interest in bugs, whether they were here or on earth. Alien bugs seemed like the worst alternative to earth bugs, though. 

Artemisia instructed Louise on what to do for the next little while before she showed them inside. There was a small room off of the throne room that was perfect for entertaining a few guests. There were two couches and a small coffee table in front of a large fireplace.

"I shall send for a carriage," the queen informed before she promptly left the room. Alison sat down on one the couches as Evan started poking around in the fireplace. The sheriff sat across from her, staring at her.

"It's still so weird that Robert's daughter made it all the way here," he remarked.

"Don't talk to her like she's not there," Evan sighed. Apparently, they had this conversation before.

"Right, right. How are your parents?" Robert asked, reclining back. Alison twiddled her thumbs.

"They're fine, I guess. They live in a larger house and Robert has a shop in town," Alison whispered, uncomfortable. It was hard to think of home and of her parents. Evan stopped poking the fire and sat next to her, glaring at the sheriff.

"What?" Madson asked. Evan hung his head.

"You know, Dad, sometimes people don't to talk about things when they have a rough time," Evan hinted, nodding toward Alison. She sighed, glad that someone knew what was going on. "I don't think she wants to talk about home right now."

"Alright," Madson exhaled, sitting up again. "So, did Chester end up walking you home?"

"He did. He was very kind in showing me the way," Alison answered, a little more formally than she wanted. Madson leaned in.

"Did he invite himself in?" the sheriff whispered as Alison turned a bright red.

"Dad!" Evan shouted, further embarrassed. Alison shook her head, unable to speak for herself. "You are making a terrible impression. Would it kill you to be polite sometimes?"

"I thought this was a better conversation," Madson answered, growing irritated. Evan sighed loudly, mentally exhausted by his father. "I'm sorry if I've made you feel uncomfortable."

"Um, thank you," Alison whispered, still bright red. "But I think I would be willing to talk about my home in a few days. It's just kind of hard right now."

"I can understand that," Madson nodded with a half smile. Alison took a deep breath and smiled back. "It should be interesting to see what the twins did all day."

"They probably destroyed the place," Evan sighed, too tired to care.

"Yeah, probably. Why did we hire them again?" 

"You hired them because we needed more people on the force, and they were the only applicants at the time."

"Do you think we can fire them?" Madson wondered.

"Probably, but they'll come after you. I will stay out of it," Evan warned before leaning back.

"They would be upset," Madson sighed, rubbing his face. "Although, I'm taking whatever they destroyed out of their paycheck. Charwell won't give us anymore money for the shit they do."

"I don't blame him. This is your deal," Evan reminded. Madson frowned.

"Don't you dare start siding with him. Even his granddaughter knew better than to do that," Madson reminded as Alison grimaced. She forgot about her neutrality stance, and she hoped that wouldn't reach her grandfather. He was kind enough to give her a place to stay. "Anyway, I'm going to step out for a moment for some fresh air."

"Alright," Evan replied, finally relaxing after his father left. There was a moment of awkward silence before Alison spoke up.

"So, long have you been deputy?" 

"A few months, but I was doing this job unofficially for about a year now. Charwell actually suggested that I get promoted," Evan answered. Alison smiled, glad that he at least had a positive experience with her grandfather. "I heard a rumor that you know Lizzy."

"She's my sister," Alison informed, pride swelling in her chest. 

"Why aren't you with her now? I feel like if she was your sister, she would be with you. Since you're lost and all," Evan mentioned. 

"I don't know, I think she's working. She isn't technically related to Frederick, so I didn't want to bring it up. Besides, it's been years since I last saw her. I'm sure she tried to forget about her old life by now," Alison smiled with a shrug. 

"Yeah, once Richard took in Lizzy, I think that she tried to forget. There wasn't much hope for her getting back," Evan sighed. "The gateway was stuck, like it is now, but when it started working again, she had no interest in going back."

"What? Why?" Alison asked, shocked to hear this. Evan pursed his lips then took a deep breath.

"I'm not sure that I should be telling you this," Evan informed. "I don't really know why she stayed, but there was a rumor going around that she had fallen in love with Richard. Another suggested that she viewed this as her new home."

"I see," Alison frowned, wondering if it was true. It would certainly explain why Lizzy left her so easily when the queen summoned her. After a few moments, Madson came back in to tell us that the carriage was ready to take them back to town.