AN: Ok so this is one of my first attempts at fan fiction after many years of reading many different fandoms. I'm still trying to work out the major over-arching plot but I thought these first chapters are a decent stand-alone in case I lose my muse or my nerve. I set it after they part in wonderland because I needed to change the timeline a bit to fit with the rest of my story as planned. So please enjoy and let me know if you think it's a premise worth exploring some more, reviews are the best kind of encouragement. Also the formatting changes a bit between the first couple of chapters but it will get better from then on.
Disclaimer: I don't own nuthin.
Summary: Alice and Hatter are getting settled in to life in the "real" world when circumstances bring them back to wonderland to face new evils and new challenges.
"And lots of other things."
"It's time to go Alice," said the impatient looking glass technician.
"Really, I was just-" working up the nerve, Hatter thought.
And they pushed her. Hatter felt as though a piece of him had been torn and gone through the glass with her. He had offered her pizza and she had offered him lots of other things. He had no idea what other things was limited to but his imagination could come up with many things. He started to walk towards the door out of the looking glass chamber when it occurred to him he had nowhere to go. His place was trashed, the resistance had won, the tea business is shut down, his family had all been killed long ago helping the resistance, and he had re-killed his oldest friend the day before. He had no purpose left in Wonderland, his purpose had become her, and he had to tell her. Hatter turned around and walked to the looking glass, cutting in front of the oysters set to return. He adjusted his jacket and fixed his hat on his head.
"Right then, I'm next." This caught Jack's attention.
"You think you have a right to go after her?" Hatter was getting very tired of Jack getting in his way.
"Look here Prince," he said with great distaste.
"It's King now actually."
"I don't bloody care. I know that I am not royalty, but since the moment I have met that girl I have sacrificed my safety and my happiness repeatedly for hers. I sacrificed my home and all my possessions. I had a lot of nice clothes too, not to mention hats, things that are very hard to come by in Wonderland. Not to mention the fact that I took a bullet for her, I threw myself to the suits to rescue her, I was tortured for her, I even had to kill for her, and I would go through it all again just to spend another five days with her. So if you don't let me past I'm going to have to repeat one of those actions, hopefully not the getting shot and tortured." The threat was a bluff but Hatter really meant the rest.
Jack studied him hard for a few minutes, with a very thoughtful look on his then started walking towards the door out of the chamber.
"Follow me."
Hatter tried to make a run at the looking glass but a couple of suits stopped him.
"Ok, I was bluffing about the killing business, but you have to give a bloke points for style."
Jack looked at Hatter with a great look of annoyance.
"Do you trust me?" Hatter was beginning to see how that question can be so annoying.
"Yes of course, but I don't want to miss her."
"You won't, now follow me."
Jack led Hatter throughout the city until they arrived at White Rabbit headquarters. They walked through the doors and the place was filled with newly awakened oysters. The former white rabbit agents were returning all the possession that were taken off of them when they were brought here. Hatter figured there were only 1/3 of the oysters that should be there.
"Where are all of the oysters that have been drained?"
"Unfortunately not all oysters can be brought back once drained. As for the rest, the process to re-animate them is very complicated, especially since we lost our scientist with the most expertise on the subject." Hatter thought of the look on Alice's face when her father was shot in her arms. He couldn't imagine what it was like to see you parents die so horrifically. He found out about his parents dying through resistance channels and that was hard enough.
Jack walked over to one of the agents.
"Can I have all of the items for Jack Chase?"
"You're not coming back with me, I can handle this myself thank you."
"They are for you."
"I don't understand."
"I had an apartment there, bank accounts, things you will need to stay in their world. And I have connections there, ones you will need if you are going to help me."
"Help you with what exactly?" This didn't sound good.
"There are a lot of oysters who have been away from home for a long time. They may need help finding their families and reestablishing themselves once back. I need an ambassador of sorts. In return for your services you can have my apartment, my sizeable bank account, and you can use the contacts to create a new identity for yourself."
"Why are you doing all this, what is the catch?" Hatter had learned a long time ago that if someone is scratching your back they are going to want the scratching returned, and this refugee story seemed convenient.
"There is no catch. I care deeply for Alice, despite what you may think, and I believe she deserves a chance at happiness. From what I have seen, and what you have told me I think you may be that chance."
The agent returned with Jack's wallet, keys, and mobile phone. Jack handed them over to Hatter.
"So I can go then because I really don't want to lose her, literally, big place there."
"This brings me to a point I have to warn you about."
"Here it comes."
"This is important. When I returned from their world I learned that time moves much slower there. I spent two months searching for Alice and getting close to her, but when I returned, nearly a year had passed here. This will be jarring for some of the oysters whom have spent more than 20 years here, when only three have passed in their time. We're sending back the ones that have been here the shortest amount of time first. The rest we are taking down what information they remember so you can do some reconnaissance, find out what kind of situation they are going back to."
"It's not that I don't want to help, but I know very little about that world. I have no idea how to find a decent tea shop, let alone the oyster's long lost loves. I have no idea how to help."
"As I have said, we have contacts there, members of the resistance that were banished and have assimilated. They used to track white rabbits movements in their world so they are fully equipped to aid the new white rabbit agenda. Not to mention there is a certain young lady there who has spent the better part of ten years tracking her missing father. I imagine she will be a great resource."
"Well I'm not sure she'll be so willing to dive down that rabbit hole again."
"I think she will empathize with people who just want their family members back."
"So we done here, I really don't want to be late for an extremely important date."