Yup! I'm back with a new fandom! Oh how I love Hatter...Yeah, somehow it's easier for me to write when I add in an OC..but I hope you guys like it anyway =] I have chapter two written as well, so hurry up and review so I can upload it! I promise it will be shorter than this one!!

And So It Begins.

Wonderland. The most amazing thing I have ever known. I found my way here when I was only 6 years old and have lived here ever since. I don't really remember how it happened. One minute I was

chasing this butterfly into an old warehouse, and the next thing I knew I was in Wonderland. Every once in a while I would think of what my parents had thought when they found out I had 'gone

missing'. They had always argued a lot, so I imagined they thought I left because of it. This isn't true. There is a way out of Wonderland, but something in me never wanted to leave. Wonderland was

my home now. My curious and bright green eyes softened as I grew older, but they never lost their wonder and imagination. I am eighteen now, and I have learned a thing or two about Wonderland.

Oysters, or people from my world, don't escape. In this world, they're easily tricked; a few mind games, a spray of chemicals, and the Queen's thriving economy worked smoothly. I hopped out of bed

that morning, threw open the curtains and said hello to my Wonderland. I slipped my black silk ribbon out from the drawer of my dresser and held it in my mouth while I pulled my long blonde hair into a

ponytail. I danced towards my closet to a song in my head and got dressed for work. Today I decided to wear simple black skinny jeans and a dark green tang top. My shoes were old and black and

loved to cause me to slip on things, but they were comfortable. I closed the door to my 'apartment', still dancing to the song in my head and climbed down the ladder. Why Wonderland was built in the

air, I have no idea, but you get used to it. I walk down the street, I guess you could call it, and make my way over to the Tea Shop. Immediately when I walk in, I hear numbers being yelled out and

people shouting at other people. I rolled my eyes, they never stop. I make my way back to my boss' office and shrug off my jacket, hanging it in the clear wardrobe behind his desk. My job in this place

mostly consisted of cleaning up, helping to write down numbers, and occasionally taking over for Dormouse.

"Off the grass." I closed the wardrobe and turned around.

"It'd sure be hard to hang up my coat without stepping on your precious grass." My boss was standing there, in his tan jacket, dark shirt, black tie, dark pants, and hat that matched his jacket. I walked

past him, pulling his hat off his head and stood a few feet behind him. I stuck the hat on my head and smiled. My boss was a tea-drinking fool and an expert of playing both sides of this field.

"You're here late. Usually you get here before me." He turned around to look at me with a smile on his face.

"I slept in."

"Ohhhh...so you get to sleep in, but me, no I have to be here on time, don't I, Hatter?" I crossed my arms and looked at him as he walked over to me and took his hat from my head. He bent over just

slightly so his face was near mine, his brown eyes staring straight into my green ones. He was five six, and I only happened to be one half inch shorter than him, but he loved to make fun of even that

by 'bending down to my level' whenever he could.

"Get to work, Anya." He turned away from me and I stuck my tongue out at him. I turned, opened the door, and smiled to myself as I closed it behind me. I was back to all the shouting out numbers

and arguing. I shook my head. Because this isn't aggravating at all. Basically, on days like these, I took over for Dormouse. So I sat in my chair and whenever a new type of tea would come out, I got to

yell at the people in the shop to shut up while I told them which 'feeling' had just come out. It was getting close to noon and I walked back into Hatter's office to get my coat.

"I'm going on my break." I looked at the back of Hatter's chair as I flipped my hair out of the back of my jacket and saw him wave his hand. I was closing the door to the wardrobe when he spoke.

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No, thank you. Uhm...who are you?" I turned around to see a girl standing with Ratty. She had long dark brown hair and was wearing a blue dress, red leggings, and boots. There was a dirty red

bandana tied around her right forearm and she was soaking wet. Hatter had spun his chair around as soon as the girl finished her question.

"A friend, I hope. I run the tea shop." Ratty had begun to untie the red bandana on the girls arm, revealing a green mark. She's an oyster… It was completely easy to tell, her skin was pearl-white, and

all her emotions were played out on her face, not to mention the big green mark that proved it all.

"How'd you break out of Scarab?" Hatter asked, walking to stand by his desk, looking at me.

"What the beetle thing?" I laughed.

"Yes, the beetle thing." The girl looked over at me and I raised my eyebrows like I hadn't said anything.

"Well, I used my hairpin and-"

"Fell." Hatter said, leaning against the edge of his desk, looking at Ratty and the girl. I stood next to him, my arms crossed.

"As you can see I'm drenched." I saw Hatter nod, and knew his eyes were going up and down with his head. I smacked him upside the head, causing his hat to fall off. He glared at me, and I right back

at him. This girl must be strong, I had never heard of anyone swimming from the middle of the sea.

"Look, this place, where, what is it?"

"Oh, Wonderland." Hatter said, pointing upwards. The girl looked at him like he was crazy.

"That's a story in a kid's book."

"Does this look like a kid's story to you?" I said. The girl looked at me.

"No."

"It's changed a lot since then." Hatter said, looking at me.

"What, so you're saying it's real?" The girl said, looking back at Hatter.

"You oysters don't know how to find us, so you tell yourself that we don't exist and frankly, we'd like to keep it that way." I said, glaring at her. For some reason, I didn't like her.

"Anya, hush." I rolled my eyes. Hatter grabbed his magnifying glass off his desk and walked to the girl.

"Excuse me." He picked up her arm and 'inspected' the green mark.

"Why am I an oyster?" She asked, motioning to the mark. "This?"

"That's not going to come off." Hatter said with a grin on his face. "Sorry." I walked up to them and looked at her arm as well.

"Only people from your world turn green when burned by the light. It's the suits way of branding their catch." Hatter took the magnifying glass and put it in the back pocket of my skinny jeans.

"Really?" I said, looking up at him. He just smiled at me.

"Anya here is from your world." The girl looked at me, and I looked anywhere else but at her. "But when she came here, the suits hadn't discovered the shiny little pearls inside your kind. So, she's

technically one of us, a Wonderlander. Oh, that's why they call you oysters, the little pearls."

"What do you mean pearls?" I took the magnifying glass out of my pocket, snatched Hatter's hat, and walked back to the desk, feeling his glare on my back.

"Yeah, she's Alice. Tell him who you are." Ratty said, interrupting us, and pointing at the girl with a disgusting hand. I put the glass down on the desk and walked back over to them.

"Wow, really." Hatter circled the girl, Alice, laughing, stood next to Ratty, and wrapped an arm around him. I almost gagged, that thing was probably covered in flees. "Ratty here, thinks your Alice, of

legend." I laughed out loud at that one, and all three of them looked at me. I smiled at them.

"Who?"

"Oh my word." I sighed and shook my head. "The last time a girl, called Alice, came here from your world; she brought down the whole house of cards, yeah, made quite an impression. Although it was

a hundred and fifty years ago." I looked to Ratty and Hatter. "It can't be the same girl; oysters don't even live that long."

"I still want a good price." Ratty said.

"Wait a minute, I am not for sale!" I laughed at her again. This oyster had a few things to learn about Wonderland.

"Anya, go get me one of those bottles on the shelf." Hatter said, pointing. I tilted my head slightly and looked at him.

"Do I look like a maid to you?" I was joking around, of course. How else was I supposed to make this whole thing more entertaining for me. Apparently, Hatter hadn't found it funny because he raised

his eyebrows at me and the look in his eyes told me that if I didn't do what he said that sledgehammer of his would be in my face. Violent man..So, I walked over to the shelf he had pointed at.

"Which one?"

"Pick one." I grabbed the one with blue liquid in it, turned and held it up. Hatter looked at the bottle, to Ratty, and back and shook his head. I put the bottle back and grabbed the one with pink liquid.

Turning again, Hatter nodded at me and I tossed the bottle across the room to him. He caught it in one hand and turned back to Ratty."Here we are. Pink nectar. Filled with the thrill of human

excitement. Fifty oysters were drained of every last drop of hullabaloo so that you, Ratty, can taste what it feels like to win just once." Ratty started to reach for the bottle but Hatter pulled it away

slightly. Alice and I watched it all, me with a bored expression on my face and a confused one on hers.

"Warning. Don't take it on an empty stomach and only one tiny little drop at a time otherwise the experience might burst your shriveled up little heart. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good, go." Ratty eagerly grabbed the bottle and scurried out of the room. I choked as his scent left the room.

"He really smells." I said and Hatter nodded, agreeing with me.

"Oysters were drained, what do you mean drained?" Hatter and I looked at each other. He didn't know what to say, so it looked like I would have to step in…again.

"Ratty tells us you're looking for someone." I took Alice gently by the arm and made her sit down on the couch.

"His name is Jack Chase. He was taken by a man with a white rabbit on his lapel."

"I see. Anya, tea." I walked over, poured some tea in Hatter's cup and shoved it at him as he sat down. "The White Rabbit is an organization controlled by the suits. They travel back and forth through

the Looking Glass and…vanish people from your world to ours."

"Why?"

"To use, in the casino." I glared at Hatter.

"Shush!"

"Use?" Hatter choked on his tea.

"Did I say use? I…Slip of the tongue, they're fine."

"Nice save…" I mumbled.

"They keep them alive and moderately happy." I chuckled and Hatter flicked me. Alice's eyes kept flickering from me to Hatter, I could see in them that she wasn't sure if we were telling the truth or

lying.

"How do I get to this casino?" Alice asked, standing up and taking a step closer to Hatter and me.

"That's the thing." I said. "You don't. It's way too dangerous, especially for an oyster like you. They'll catch you and stick you in the game room with everyone else."

"But…" Hatter said, setting his cup on the desk. "I know some people, who…" He stands up and walks towards Alice. "Know some…well, other people. If you know what I mean. It's one of the privileges

of…" He leaned closer to her. "Running a tea shop." He popped the 'p' in shop, which made Alice jump and me smile. "Lighten up." Hatter said, smiling at her. He turned to look and me and pointed to

the wardrobe. I rolled my eyes, knowing what he was getting at. I walked to the wardrobe; all the other coats in there were men's. Why am I the only girl that works here again? So, I ended up pulling

my jacket out and handing it to Hatter.

"You should wear this. It'll cover the glow and stop you from catching a cold." He said, holding my jacket in his hands. I stood back, leaning against Hatter's desk like he did.

"I have a little money, but I understand you don't use that here." Alice said, looking at him.

"Pieces of paper…pointless." He walked around Alice and held the jacket up slightly so she could put her arms in.

"Then why would you help me?" She asked. Hatter smirked behind her.

"Do I need a reason to help a pretty girl in a very wet dress?" Alice spun around to look at him. I couldn't see the look on her face, but apparently it made Hatter mad. "Oh, I see, you don't trust me.

Fine." He slammed my jacket down onto the couch. "I am genuinely hurt. Do you know why they call me Hatter."

"Cause you wear a hat!" I called from my position on the desk. Hatter glared at me.

"No. Shut up, Anya." I smiled innocently at him as he looked back at Alice. "It's because I'm always there when they pass the hat…so to speak. Philanthropy." He pointed at Alice and walked away from

her. "Generosity. I mean, call it what you will it's who I am." He leaned on the back of his chair and I turned slightly to look at him, crossing one leg over the other. "And right now, looking at you there,

there's nothing I want more than to help you find…" He paused.

"Jack." I said. He nodded.

"Jack. And return you both to your charming world of children stories."

"I don't believe you." Alice said, a tiny smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

"I know what you're thinking." I said, tilting my head. "If we're the frying pan, than that out there," I waved my hand at one of the windows. "Is the fire. I'll be square with you, Hatter knows people

who like to help your kind. And if every once in a while he scratches their back…"

"They'll scratch yours." Alice said, finally catching on.

"Precisely. Lot of scratching." They stood there, looking at each other, until Alice finally moved to put my jacket on. Hatter turned around, this look on his face that showed he felt a sense of

accomplishment.

"Do try and keep up." He said, opening the door behind his desk. Alice and I both looked over to see him standing there, holding the door open and staring into space. Alice hesitated for a minute,

looking around, and probably debating on whether she can really trust Hatter or not. She finally walked over to the door and out. I sat there on Hatter's desk, staring at the ground, until he came over

to me.

"Aren't you coming, Anya?" I looked at him standing next to me.

"Do you want me to come?" He nodded.

"If I leave you here, who knows what you'll do." He turned around and headed back to the door. "I'd probably come back and the whole place will be burned down." I smiled, grabbed a jacket from the

wardrobe, and followed Hatter out the door. Hatter realized his hat wasn't on his head and he looked around the room for it. I walked past him, an innocent look on my face. His eyes looked up and

watched the hat pass him. He snatched it back from me and hugged it before flipping it back onto his head.