Alice struggled weakly against her restraints but it only caused her more pain in her wrists and ankles that were the shackles held her to the wall. She was the throne room of the Happy Hearts Casino.
That's not possible, She thought, It was destroyed. I saw it collapse like a house of cards.
But logic was not on Alice's side. Because logic says that Mad March, the Queen of Hearts favorite assassin should be in jail, not here torturing Alice as payback for over-throwing the Queen's empire as he was.
"Now, my dear, where is your precious little Hatter? Isn't he suppose
to save the object of his affection? Or is he just stringing you along?" March's taunting smile turned into a disgusted sneer.
That hurt worst than any of the hundreds of bruises that covered Alice's body. Worse than any of the dozens of knife cuts and marks that riddled her. The thought that Hatter didn't love her, that he had been lying.
"He loves me," Alice croaked.
"Oh? It's been five days now. I would think little Hatter would come and save his love by now," Mad March continued mockingly, smiling once again, "And I get bored after so long with a beautiful captive like you."
He dragged his fingers lightly across her collarbone and down the front of her dress. A trail of goose-bumps arose where March's fingers touched her skin. Alice's eyes widened and her breathing hiked at the fear of what he had in mind.
"If you even think about it," she tried to swallow but couldn't because she hadn't had a drink in days, "Hatter will make sure you lose your head again," she paused, " And this time, they won't be able to put it back on."
Mad March ran a finger around the scar that circled his neck from when his head was reattached.
"Your smart, little mouth is going to get you in trouble one day," March said, smiling evilly as he grabbed fistfuls of her skirt. But before Alice could even utter a plea for help, the doors burst open to reveal Hatter with angriest expression Alice had ever seen.
Mad March was still holding her skirt, shell-shocked that anyone had unraveled his plan. He was so startled that he couldn't defended himself when Hatter attacked him. Hatter lunged at him and they tumbled to the ground. Rage made Hatter stronger than March and for once, the Queen's favorite assassin was defeated.
As Mad March lay unconscious on the ground, Hatter rushed over to the wall that Alice was shackled to.
"Hatter, you came," she whispered and smiled weakly.
"Of course I came, Alice," Hatter said happily. He reached up and put a hand against her cheek. She sighed and closed her eyes as his warmth spread through her.
"Now, hold still while I pick the lock." In a matter of minutes, Alice
was free of her restraints. She literally fell into Hatter's arms.
"Oh, Hatter!" She sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her as tightly as he dared, stroking her hair.
"Did he. . .?" Hatter asked, trailing off, the worry clear in his eyes. Alice shook her head.
"No. He almost did, but then you came," She sighed. The security and comfort from being in Hatter's embrace seemed to make the pain from her bruises fade. Standing there, surrounded by his arms, she felt safe and warm. His gentle kisses reassured Alice that it everything would be all right again. Hatter gently caressed the few spaces on her face that weren't injured. She idly wondered how a few minutes could feel like hours.
"I love you, Alice" He said in her ear.
"As I love you, Hatter," She whispered quietly against his chest, "As I love you."
The next thing she knew, Hatter was thrown against the wall by Mad March. His head made a loud thump against the wall and he slumped, dazed and disoriented. Alice, was the
one thought that came through the fog of Hatter's head. I have to get Alice away from Mad March and to a place where she'll be safe!
"Hatter!" Alice screamed hoarsely as she struggled weakly against Mad March, "Hatter!"
"You're not getting away from me that easily, my dear," March growled. You could see the scar was exaggerated by the throbbing veins.
"The Queen still needs you. You'll be the perfect pawn to make it simpler to take over. But first I need to make you more ...Willing. Or at least hopeless."
He forced her on the bed that March had been sleeping on when he would finish torturing her for the day.
"Please, don't. You don't have to. Please," Alice sobbed. He had her pinned and she was too weak from days without food to fight. Hatter was her only hope and he was knocked out. Just then, as March was about to rip her dress off, he was pulled off her. Hatter attacked Mad March, throwing punch after punch.
Anger at March for hurting Alice and fear for her safety made Hatter strong enough to win. Each kick, every hit, made Alice safer from that man. That was what kept Hatter fighting until he was sure that she wouldn't be harmed by March again.
Standing up, Hatter wiped the small cut on his lip with the back of his hand. Normally, he would feel guilty about what he'd done, but the
only thought on his mind was this: Is Alice all right?

He turned around and raced towards the bed where Alice lay. This was the first time that Hatter really saw the existent of her injures.
Bruises covered every inch of her skin with knife marks in between. Her beautiful face was warped with the marks of slap after slap. Alice's perfect lips were chapped and cracked from days without water.
The worst was the thin cut along the left side of her face that started about half an inch above her temple and end just after her face angled downward to reach her chin. I had scabbed over and gruesomely marked these horrifying events. Her skin was unusually pale
and her wonderful black hair had lost it's luster. She was so thin.
Hatter shook with violent rage as he looked at Alice, the girl the held his heart. Rage at the people who started this; an oppressive ex-Queen and her cruel, inhuman assassin, as well as anger at himself. Why couldn't I have gotten here sooner? Found this place before she
was hurt so badly?
Alice opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Hatter, you're crying,' She said, confused. She reached on slender hand to his face and put against his check. Worry filled her gray eyes as she looked at him.
"It's all right. We're safe and I love you," Alice said sincerely.
"You shouldn't."
"What?" Tears began to form in her eyes, "You aren't leaving me, are you?"
"No! I love you too much."
"Then, what do you mean?"
"I failed you, Alice. I couldn't find you in time to keep March from hurting you."
He turned his head away guiltily, her warm hand still resting on his cheek. Alice stood up slowly and put her arm around Hatter's waist for support. Then she leaned up and kissed him.
Hatter put one arm around Alice to steady her and held her face with the other as he kissed gently.
"You didn't fail me," she whispered, "You had more courage then many people would. You saved me."
"Let's get you out of here, Alice." He picked her up, to weak to walk, and held her in his arms. He opened the doors and then Hatter and Alice went out into a moon-lit night with the luster of mid-day, leaving everything that happened in that room behind them.