Hello, readers! Welcome to my newest story for the universe of Batman! A few quick, dull things that must be taken care of first...
Rating: T (for violence, torture, and possibly some disturbing imagery)
Disclaimer: I own no one here...except the March Hare. I made that character up. The rights to Batman go to Bob Kane, DC Comics, and anyone else I failed to mention. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass belong to Lewis Carroll.
Summary: No tea party can be complete without friends. After all, what is a Hatter without a Hare? The origins of the March Hare, an OC who has already made appearances in my "BatAlice" series, currently consisting of Batman: Thru Broken Glass and Batman: Down Once More.
Notes: First of all, I thought this character up long before I discovered there was ALREADY a March Hare in the DC comics mainstream. The character that appears here is MINE. Also, while the first three or four chapters of this are already well thought out, the remainder of the tale has not yet been fully fledged; any suggestions for furthering the story are welcome, and appreciated. Now, without any further delays...
Chapter 1: And This Was Odd, Because it Was the Middle of the Night...
Rain soaked the roads and sidewalks of Gotham City. The storm had come like some monstrous crow, blackening the sky with its damp feathers, shaking them to get dry with great, crackling flaps of its wings.
Somewhere, along a dark street, a small man walked at a brisk pace. He paused, hearing footsteps behind him. Eyes narrowed, he turned swiftly...
A woman ran into a store, folding up her umbrella as she entered.
The man sighed softly, and pulled on the lapels of his dark raincoat, tilting the newsboy cap on his head down to cover his hazel eyes. With a chilled shiver, he hurried away again.
"'Oh, My EaRs AnD wHiSkErS...hOw LaTe It'S gEtTiNg!'" he whispered to himself.
He was, indeed, very late, he thought, as he gazed at his wristwatch; his proper watch had been left in the care of those at the abandoned apartment building he was to be his new "house." He had to hurry; there was no telling when the Sun had gone down past the clouds. This could be good thing for him, he realized…but the chances were that the Jabberwock had other ways of knowing.
The instant the Sun was out of sight, he'd be looking for him.
He could not allow himself to get caught…not yet.
He hustled around a corner, eager to get home. He was cold, wet, and hungry, his escape hastily made; Tweedledee had sent him word on where their new headquarters could be found, and he was glad that his mercurial mind allowed him a good memory.
They'd have a better watch, and his best suit and hat, waiting for him there.
So would pass the rough raincoat he bore now.
He grumbled softly, and broke into a jog; the sooner he arrived at the spot where his "chauffer" was waiting, the better. He couldn't have them waiting all night...
"Oh, WoN't ShE bE sAvAgE iF I'vE kEpT hEr WaItInG..."
He passed by the entrance to Park Row, a.k.a. Crime Alley, the most infamous part of the city. He shivered, but not from the cold; even people like himself feared this area. He gazed at the alley for a moment longer, and prepared to take his leave…
"Urrrgh…"
Jervis Tetch froze mid-step. He turned back toward the alley.
Somebody moaning…?
He looked on for a moment, trying to find the source of the sound, then shrugged and began on his way again.
None of my concern… "it may rain outside, if it chooses. We've no objection. Contrariwise."
He had barely taken three steps when…
"UUUrrrRRRgh…"
He bit his lip.
That was louder than before…
After another moment's pause, he sighed.
The Mad Hatter was a vicious man: he had no qualms with turning women and senior citizens into mindless zombies with his hypno-chips. With the smallest assortment of scrap metal available, he could turn his hat into a weapon of mass destruction, or a teapot into a grenade. In a REALLY upset state, he could tear people twice his size apart with his bare hands, or cut their throats open with playing cards, or cut off a person's head using classroom scissors and never flinch away at all.
But he was a sucker for kids, and he hated to sound of a young person in distress.
Torn between his party and the last shred of his conscience he had, he groaned and darted into the alley, a hand on the small pistol in his pocket; there was but one shot in it left.
He hoped he wouldn't have to use it.
The moaning came from a dumpster nearby.
Raising an eyebrow curiously, the Hatter walked toward it.
When he peered inside, he nearly fell over in surprise.
Curiouser and curiouser…
What appeared to be a giant, brown, rabbit-like creature lay sprawled inside. It's proportions and size were vaguely human, but its hands more closely resembled paws than human appendages, and its feet and legs were definitely meant more for hopping and bounding than human locomotion. A tuft of blonde, human hair shot up from its brown fur on the top of its head.
Despite its…curious appearance, the sounds he heard emanating from it were definitely human.
It looks like a March Hare…
He gazed upon it for a few seconds.
Slowly, his lips stretched into a wide, toothy grin.
And why shouldn't it be?
He giggled to himself, and reached for a phone in his pocket.
"Deever, my lad?" he said. "We're moving the pick-up point. Meet me at Park Row."
When his goon on the other end affirmed he and his cousin would be there shortly, he replaced his cellular device and smiled with fascination at the creature in the dumpster, running a hand over its dirty brown fur.
"'WiLl YoU, wOn'T yOu, WiLl YoU, wOn'T yOu…WoN't YoU jOiN tHe DaNcE?'"