Chapter 1: Alicia, not Alice

I feel like a sinner for falling in love with him. I almost hate myself for having these feelings, but it isn't my fault. It isn't like I can help it.

By being a "sinner" I don't mean it in a lustful way. He isn't married either; he doesn't even have a girlfriend. When he is alone, I hear him lamenting about being so alone with no woman at his side. No, he is single, I know that much. However, the man I love with all my heart is none other than the Mad Hatter, one of Gotham's local criminals.

I've never considered myself to be attracted to the wrong kind of man, yet he, HE seems to have changed that. He is very short, for the top of his head just reaches my shoulders and I am very, very short for my age. Even at 23, I'm only 5' 1", very short compared to many of the women I have seen. Anyway, my dear Hatter is short, as I have said, and not fat, yet not skinny either. He has light blonde hair like a clutch of feathers and bright blue eyes that are light, but sad.

I met the Mad Hatter at my workplace. I was his assistant before he became a criminal. He was a scientist studying the human mind and I would record information for him and bring him the right supplies. I was always there for him, she never was…oh my, I'm getting ahead of myself. We'll talk about her later.

For now, let's talk about my love. He was brilliant. Also shy, but I believe that is what first caught my eye. He was quiet and polite and never complained if I was late. He would smile up at me, thank me, then continue his work without another word. He never noticed me, I know he never did.

My Hatter, Dr. Jervis Tetch, would mumble aloud to himself, completely forgetting I was in the room. He would mumble about many things: his inventions, loneliness, but most of all, Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This is where he got his Mad Hatter name from. Unfortunately, this is also where Alice came from. For some reason, dear Jervis was obsessed with the little girl from the story. He would mumble to himself about how he wanted to meet his Alice in real life and that his invention would lead him to her. That's all he ever wanted: a blonde, blue-eyed woman named Alice to be his companion, his love, his one and only.

I…I don't fit what he wants. My name is Alicia, close, but not Alice exactly. Besides, I have black hair, the opposite of glorious blonde, and grey eyes, bland compared to wonderful blue. I knew he'd never see me as a potential Alice at all. I was tanned from constant jogging around the park with knobby knuckles and knees that were constantly dry and occasionally ripping and scabbing over. No, I looked nothing like the delicate Alice my lovely wanted. I was the opposite of everything.

I do believe dear Jervis was beginning to warm up to me, though. He began quoting the book and asking me more about myself. Luckily, I had read the book before this happened, so I was able to quote it right along with him. We would laugh and for once, he looked genuinely happy, not the fake smile he put on whenever out employers showed up. I began to think that perhaps, just perhaps, it could work.

Until, she came along…

It was a dreary Wednesday morning, a month after Jervis and I began to talk more. I was in high spirits and was looking forward to another day with him. However, everything seemed to crash when I walked in. Sitting at my desk was another woman.

She was blonde.

She had blue eyes

She was pale like porcelain with a childish face that still showed that she was a grown woman.

She was absolutely beautiful. And looked too much like Alice.

"Oh, Alicia," Jervis greeted me, hopping down from his stool. "I'm glad you're here. I want you to say hello to the new secretary, Alice." Jervis stared at the newcomer as he said her name and smiled broadly. I had never seen him smile like that, not even for me. It was a loving smile, a smile of adoration.

"You must be Alicia then," Alice said, standing up from my chair and walking over to me, extending her hand. "It'll be a pleasure to be working with you."

I shook her hand, faking a pleasant smile. She was much taller than me, at least two more heads above me, so she towered over Jervis. Her hair ran down just past her shoulders with a black headband set in place. It was crazy how much she looked like Alice.

This is where the story truly begins. This is where you will learn why I'm writing this. It is all the Alices' faults, both the one from the book and the one from my work. This is the beginning of the end.

Author's Note: I didn't think I'd write a Batman fanfic based around the Mad Hatter. I'm personally more of a Scarecrow fan(girl), but I had this idea and headed straight for my computer. I guess this idea came up from the fact that Jervis is so obsessed with finding his "Alice" that he has never noticed any other women. I began to wonder, and thus Alicia was born. Stay tuned! Hope you enjoyed and have a lovely day!