So when I've been writing, I have tons of scenes that get axed in the third editing I do after my beta gets it, for almost all of my little trilogy. Since my beta is off for a bit and wont be back to edit Illusions' next couple of chapter for a few days, I decided to post this one :) instead for my weekly contribution.

This belongs with the Illusions & Destinies: Chapter 19: Sweet & Bitter. Not sure if anyone noticed/cared, but the part where Hatter and Alice started to walk back to the camp ends just a little abruptly. That's because this deleted scene accompanied it but I had no way of really adding it without it getting awkwardish (not sure about you guys, but I kinda squirmed at the thought of a Carol section right after sex) and not to mention too long and drawn out. But my beta and a few readers requested to see what was there before the edit. Might as well it up now, since there are no spoilers in it.

It's not really edited all that much so I hope it passes muster, so to speak.

Rated: M for Sex. Did have a plot basis in the story but it is standalone as smut.

I recommend reading Illusions & Destinies, at least chapter 19 to get the gist of the...um...leadup?

Illusions & Destinies: Deleted Scene #1

Alice walked through the trees, becoming more and more aware of Hatter walking just behind her. Every step made her feel the slow build-up of tension that went from the pit of her stomach and up her shoulders. Even her skin felt a bit more sensitive, so that the soft breeze made goose-bumps go up and down her arms. Not sure why, she cleared her throat and pulled her coat tighter around her body.

But still the feeling was there and the warmth of her coat did not ease the sensations going up and down her spine.

Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Alice looked back over her shoulder and saw that Hatter wasn't paying attention to her. He was looking over their surroundings intently and she bit into her lip thoughtfully. Maybe she was imagining things.

But then his eyes swung to hers. Immediately, she saw a dark heat in his eyes that sent her stomach to her knees and brought heat flushing through her entire body.

She paused mid-stride before turning a slow circle around the small patch of woods they'd taken as a shortcut back to the camp. Her eyes flicked to their surroundings and then back to his face as he walked, stalked, towards her. She barely had time to catch her breath or even guess his intentions when Hatter caught up to her. His hand grabbed hold of her wrist, his fingers cool even through the thick protection of her coat, and he pulled, swinging her so hard that she collided against him with a solid thump.

His legs staggered to take her weight and she felt herself drop further into him so that her body was cradled by his. Alice dropped the satchel on the ground thoughtlessly, her body numbed by the suddenness of his movement. Hatter's mouth crashed down on hers and she leaned up to meet his kiss eagerly. Ignoring his faint murmur against her lips, she knocked his hat off and dove her fingers into his hair, clenching her fingers tight in the thick strands to hold him still. His grip was tight on her waist as he hauled her in even closer so that she felt every inch of his body and there was no doubt to her then that he wanted her as badly as she wanted him.

Hatter dragged his mouth away from hers and pressed his lips against her throbbing pulse while she gasped for breath. Her eyes shut as he sucked on the tender portion of skin and a soft, strangled sound escaped her lips. They staggered backwards until her back met the rough ridges of a tree trunk and his one hand slide down to cup her knee and drag it up against his hip. The soft folds of her riding skirt parted around his legs and he groaned while he pushed up against her blindly. The intensity he felt was almost mind-numbing when he felt Alice's nails rake against his scalp and he bit at her neck to hear her moan once more.

Reaching down between them, he pushed her coat over her shoulders as he continued to kiss her neck and collarbone and with a flick of his wrist he threw it over the satchel nearby. Her skin felt cool under his touch but her body moved eagerly against his, her breathing loud in his ear when she bent her head to whisper nonsensically in his ear. Hatter smiled against her shoulder and his nimble fingers undid the clasps holding her boned bodice together before she could react. The bodice's hidden clasps parted and snapped loudly, almost echoing in the silent woods. Alice's hair swung around them as he boosted her up higher against the tree. He felt her fingers tug his hair and he lifted his face to hers, his own hands still holding her bodice together. Alice stared at him for a moment before her hands went to clasp his face between them and she held him steady while she kissed him.

Hatter broke away for air, his eyes almost dancing with heat and amusement though his breathing was harsh and loud.

"Want to hear a truth?"

Alice groaned and rotated her hips impatiently, brushing up against his erection to show just what she thought of conversation right now. "As long as you don't stop, I'd hear a lie right now and be content, if you must know."

"No no. You might be interested in knowing this," he insisted and she sighed. Alice almost wondered if she looked silly, with her bodice hanging on her arms and her slitted riding skirt shoved up around her waist. But Hatter seemed determined to tell her something and from experience she knew it was better to let him speak his mind. Even now.

Reaching between them, she unbuttoned his shirt quickly and nodded for him to continue. Hatter's mouth dropped to her ear, his breath shaky and unbalanced as her fingers drew hot circles on his skin. Her chest heaved against his, her nipples hardening with each soft touch, and he lowered his head, biting and licking at her neck. Hatter's attention was diverted when he felt her trembling in his arms and he could feel her growing need. Alice's concentration was broken when he blew in her ear next and her fingers faltered as she came to one of the last buttons on his shirt.

"Know...know what?" she asked dizzily as his mouth went back to hers. His lips just hovered over hers and she groaned when he stayed just out of reach from her kiss.

"Do you remember the last time we were out here? Well, over a year and a half ago?" he questioned, leaning back from her though his hips still braced her up against the tree. His hands trailed up her ribs and then covered her breasts, smoothing circles over the soft curves he found. It sent hot chills up and down her spine.

"When I worried you weren't coming back from your rendezvous with Dormie about Caterpillar?" Her breathing hitched as he bent his head and flicked his tongue across the top of her breast. The bodice still hung off her arms and she lowered her hands to shrug it off.

"Yeah." Hatter pressed his lips against her collarbone and she felt his tongue lap at her skin whenever he spoke. "I stared up at you, from the base of the hill, and decided then and there that if I didn't control myself..."

He growled, his own focus when she put her hands back in his hair and raked her nails against his scalp gently. Alice arched her back and braced her foot on the tree trunk, pushing back at him though he still held her too tightly for her to move far.

"That if you didn't control yourself?" she prompted and he laughed against her throat. The vibration of it was not unpleasant and she smiled when he tightened his grip on her. "Hatter?"

"That one way or another, one of us was going to end up gettin' rid of the tension between us."

"You tried to kiss me then," she pointed out and he lifted his head enough to kiss her on the corner of her mouth.

"So I did. As I recall, you leaned in as well." He turned her face toward him and put his lips over hers, tongue twisting with hers as he deepened the kiss. She moaned but before she could truly return the kiss he was moving back, a grin on his face when he saw her open disappointment. "And if Jack hadn't interrupted us, I likely would have put you on one of Charlie's old beds, creaks and all, and had you very early on in our relationship."

"I might not have wanted that," Alice moaned as his hand caressed the underside of her breast. His thumb strummed her nipple and he made a delighted hum when it hardened further under his touch instantly.

"No? You saying you didn't want me?"

She made a faint sound at the casual way he said it. "I...I... Never said that. Thing is... the harder I fought with how much I wanted you, the more intense the feelings got."

She tugged his head back to her neck and pushed her breast up to his hand.

"Must be my sex appeal," Hatter groaned against her neck as she ground her hips against him.

"Very likely."

Laughing, he kissed her again. The playful kiss deepened and he poured his desire into the kiss with a thoroughness that stole her breath, and with another moan she reached down and unbuckled his belt. "Wonderland how I still want you," Hatter said as he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

She trembled, staring into his eyes wonderingly. "I know the feeling."

Alice glanced around them and blushed. "But we're in the woods, Hatter."

"You're right," Hatter answered and he shrugged off his coat before she could move to help him. He whipped it to the ground and grabbed her hands before they could reach under his shirt like she intended. She whirled about in his arms as he spun and sat roughly down on his coat. Alice laughed in surprise and he pulled her down onto his lap so that her skirts were spread around them.

She tilted her head back and he kissed along the pale column of her throat, his fingers wrapping in her dark hair. It fell like a silken curtain around them when she lowered her head and kissed his mouth ravenously. His moan was almost muted when she flicked her tongue past his lips, and Alice felt his tongue stroke against hers teasingly. Her breasts rubbed against his bare chest and she pushed his shirt off his shoulders so that it soon joined his coat under them. Moving her lips to his now bare shoulders, she traced one of the scars she found gently before leaning back and looking at him.

Hatter grinned at her. "Just means we'll need to be quick, wouldn't you say?"

She nodded speechlessly, not trusting her voice anyway, and reached between them to unbutton his trousers. The worn material was as soft as the skin beneath them and she hesitated for only a moment before clearing her throat and eyeing him meaningfully. He shifted his hips to help her shove them down a bit farther. When she came back to sit on his lap, one of his hands slid up under her skirts to part them better around his hips.

The position made her sink even further against him and his grin widened when she spread her knees wider to get comfortable. It left her exposed, more than she realized. Alice jerked her hips into his when his fingers brushed her wet core through her underwear and he tugged it to the side while he lowered his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth. Her moan was loud even to her own ears and he growled when she ground down against his fingers, making him harder when she moved just right against his lap. They used her leverage to wiggle the underwear from under her and Hatter tossed it aside with a flourish, still grinning at her when she gave him a look for being so careless.

Alice lifted her hands and pushed hard on his shoulders so that he fell back against the ground, cushioned by leaves and his coat. He felt only a little of the discomfort caused by the twigs in his hair and the ones poking him in his back despite the coat's protection. It faded to when she smiled at him and lifted her hips, so he let his eyes close. Alice's head fell back as she sunk down onto him, every inch throbbing through her lower body till she felt almost faint from the sensation.

She wasn't sure who groaned louder, him or her.

"Will it always be so intense?" she whispered as her body shuddered on top of his in a slow rocking motion. She opened her eyes and peered down at him.

Hatter's eyes were shut but he answered her anyway, "I hope so, luv."

She leaned back again, hands braced on his legs as she moved her hips in quick rhythm that he matched as best as he could. The smooth motion of her hips was one they both knew well and Alice trembled as she felt him drive deep inside her. Her back bent into a bow, one that he supported with a hand trailing down her breasts. His fingers slid around her nipples, caressing her lightly but it was enough so that her breathy moans soon deepened. Alice set her own rhythm, her body's demands driving her on and on, and Hatter lifted himself to a sitting position when the sensation became almost too much.

She groaned loudly, bending over to kiss him as they rocked together. Hatter wrapped his arms around her waist and jerked his pelvis up at hers repeatedly. Her own arms were trapped between them but she bit into his lip hard. He slowed his movements down, knowing what she wanted by the way insistent way she kissed him. Her hips circled and ground down on his, forcing him deeper and deeper inside of her. Moaning when her fingers pushed at his chest, Hatter lay back down and guided her hips with his hands instead.

Alice trembled under the strain of keeping the rhythm, her breathing fast and growing louder as the tension built up in her body. Every inch and nerve in her body felt like it was on fire and she cried out sharply when her body pulsed with a fierce shimmer of pleasure. Her skin felt hot wherever he touched her and she raked her nails down his stomach to where they were joined, feeling the muscles in his body tense at the sharp feeling. But it felt strangely empowering to be teasing him like this and she chuckled deeply when he groaned out loud before cursing when her hips slowed. She repeated the movement over and over again, the harsh downward thrust almost matched by her more sensuous, tight lift back up.

Hatter's control snapped when her teasing became too much for him, his own orgasm just dangling out of reach, and he looked up at her. She grinned at him with a glazed expression, so lost in her own desire though he could see her need shining in her hungry eyes. Growling under his breath, he jack-knifed up, gripping her by the back of her neck and twisting them around before she could think to fight him. He pressed her down under him into the ground, moving his mouth onto hers when she cried out in protest. He ignored her, grabbing her one leg under the knee and pressing it back under his elbow so that Alice was more open to him. His hips began to move urgently against hers and she moaned as he touched deeper and deeper, her head dropping back to the ground.

Satisfied that she wasn't about to struggle, he flicked his tongue against the ridge of her throat, tracing a hot path that led from her jugular to her breasts. Alice cried out again, her head thrown further back to bare more of herself to him, and her hips moved impatiently under his. It was a painful squeeze in her body now and Hatter felt it drumming through her body with the same intensity that he felt. Alice's hands lifted and grasped his upper arms so tightly that he had to jerk his arms free and braced them over her head. She struggled under him, biting and licking at his earlobe when he began to move harder into her. Each thrust felt like it went through her entire body and she cried out repeatedly when it drove the tension inside her to painful pleasure.

"I'm so close," she sobbed against his neck, one hand reaching up and gripping him by his hair. Hatter didn't answer her, lifting up on his arms to make his thrusts harder and deeper. Her body shook under the force of his thrusts and he kept the pace, feeling her body start to throb and pulse around him. The tight squeeze of her body around him almost made his mind feel blissfully blank but his own body had a will of its own.

She heard him cry out but she went over the edge first, a blinding sensation of light and rippling muscles that sent her orgasm racing through her body from head to toe. It seemed like every beam of the dawn's sunlight was flashing against her closed eyelids and down through all of her nerve-endings. Alice cried out loudly and her arms flung out to grasp him tightly around the shoulders so she could hold on. Hatter's thrusts became even harder as he drove himself to his own release, his fingers gripping the grass and dirt underneath the coat beside her head. Alice's nails raked across his shoulders, hard enough to sting and leave marks, and then her mouth went to his. He felt her cry out again against his lips and with an almost anguished groan he jerked on top of her, letting go of his control as he emptied himself into her.

Even as it pulsed through his body, he let himself collapse on top of Alice and her embrace was welcoming. His tension fled from his body, leaving him feeling boneless and exhausted, and when she shifted under him he wasn't sure he could move. Her legs fell uselessly from his hips and he felt the tight clench of her nails eventually loosen as well. The feeling came back quickly to his own legs but his breathing was still heavy and strained, and he felt like he'd just finished a mile long sprint. But he couldn't bring himself to move, not yet.

Alice's chest heaved for breath and he lifted his head to look at her. She smiled at him, a satisfied smile that matched his own, before reaching out and pushing his hair from his eyes. He grinned cheekily at her, reminding her of a self-satisfied cat who'd caught a mouse.

"You know," Hatter began before clearing his throat. "I think if we'd done that, if we'd kissed..."

"Yeah?" Alice asked, her voice husky from her earlier cries. Hatter's grin widened and he was arrogantly satisfied when he saw the completely satiation in her expression. Her hips shifted under his and he caught his breath, shutting his eyes to maintain his focus.

"If we'd done this back then, we'd have never left the Kingdom of Knights in the first place. There wouldn't be a revolution to help Jack to the throne, no chance of helping the Resistance. And poor Charlie would have had an eyeful," he joked and she snorted as she tried to control the laughter threatening to bubble up. Hatter smirked and tickled her side with one finger. "Can you just imagine Charlie's face if he'd found us like this back then? Or worse, what he'd say?"

That did the trick. Alice couldn't hold it back any longer and she looked away as she started to laugh. Her giggles infectious enough that he soon laughed as well, unable to resist smoothing his hands over her body. When the temptation became too much, he kissed her mid-laugh, and she relaxed into his hold willingly. It was a gentle kiss compared to their earlier hunger and they broke apart with a mutual sigh of contentment.

"I don't think I'll ever get enough of these moments," Hatter commented and Alice nodded, raising her hands over her head to stretch her arms and ease the ache she felt. It pushed her breasts into his chest and made him suck in a sharp breath. She grinned and wriggled her hips to tease him.

"Me either..." she admitted, lowering one hand to trail over his cheek. She smoothed a finger over his lips and he kissed it gently. "But we have a lifetime for this, Hatter."

He nodded, a smug grin on his face. "I'll hold you to that, luv."

"You'd better," she answered. They lay in silence for several long minutes, still wrapped up in one another and smiling like fools. Hatter enjoyed the sight of Alice lying beneath him among the grass and leaves, his coat rumpled beneath her while sunlight danced over her skin. He was opening his mouth to say so when her brow suddenly furrowed and her smile faded.

It was Alice who felt the sudden rumbling underneath her body and she lifted her head a little to make sure she wasn't imagining things. Hatter felt the next tremor beneath his hands and with a disappointed groan, he stared at Alice. As much as he didn't want to leave the warmth of her body, he disentangled himself quickly.

"It never lasts long enough," he whispered to himself as he put his hat back on his head and set about fixing his clothing. Alice heard him though and sent his back a rueful smile as she stood up and looked for her clothing in the grass. Hatter dressed quickly, having little to do except button up, and turned to help her. Alice snatched her underwear out of his hand when he dangled them at her. It was hard to ignore the satisfied look he gave her when she wriggled the panties back on.

"Turn around," Hatter murmured and she eyed him as he dangled her bodice from a finger to show her his intentions. As he slid the bodice around her front, his fingers brushed over her pale breasts. Alice bit back the urge to moan, his touch still igniting her when her skin still felt hyper-sensitive to his touch. Hatter didn't look up as he expertly redid the clasps of her bodice before stepping away from her. It took him a moment to find her coat and the satchel and he handed them over to her shaky hands.

Once she was warmly wrapped up again, Alice reached out and grasped him by his hand. She turned Hatter into her and when he finally looked at her, Alice stood on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth against his. He kissed her deeply, so hungry and hot that she almost forgot the rumbling under their feet, and it was a long few minutes before she pulled away.

"We'll find time to make it long enough soon," she promised him. He nodded, satisfied with that answer, before bending to grab the satchel they'd left at the base of the tree.

"I know, Alice. Keeps me going, so to speak." He winked at her rakishly and Alice rolled her eyes playfully. Hatter's hand gripped hers again just the sound of explosions began to fill the air. Alice looked at him, worried, and he shrugged with a casualness he didn't quite feel. "Let's see what this is all about then." He set off at a jog and she picked up the pace beside him. Their brief time together was almost forgotten with the sudden fear that the camp was under attack.

I do have additional, but unfortunately, i took them out of the story as they were spoiler ridden (including a fantasy sequence that was definitely very different from my usual m-scenes.) However, I hope to post them soon