"I've missed you."

Alice stood in the door of their apartment and looked at Hatter standing in the hall with some other woman's hands in his. They both smiled as if they were amazed to be with each other again. Just as they were about to move into a tight hug, or something worse, the crashing sounds of brown paper bags filled with miscellaneous groceries hitting the floor startled them enough to look in Alice's direction.

"How could you!?" Before Hatter could answer her question she was gone though. Alice felt her heart breaking in her chest. For once she thought she had finally found someone who she could love and trust to never leave her. But of course she was wrong, Hatter and that- that tramp would be an image that would forever be ingrained in her mind's eye.

She didn't even really know where she was going until she had arrived. The looking glass was no longer covered up but on full display in a library four blocks from her mother's apartment. When she reached out and slid her fingers across in the glass remained solid, however with enough force she knew it would give way and be a strange substance somewhere between air and liquid.

The reflection in the mirror showed the same lost and lonely girl she was a year ago when she first fell through the looking glass. No father. No stable relationship. No hope to find either. Wiping the tears from her eyes she tried to move her mouth into a smile, but on the reflection it seemed forced and fake.

"Can I help you ma'am?" The old librarian came out from behind a bookshelf to the left of Alice.

"Oh, no thank you."

"Are you sure, sometimes a good book can help with a bad day. It gets your mind off of things," a smile cracked across the woman's face and she picked up a small book from the pile she was returning to their places on the shelves. "Like this, it always helps my mind wander when there is too much stuff in it." She placed the book into Alice's hand, gave her one last smile, and then returned to her stack of books.

Alice's Adventure in Wonderland. It was a paperback that was mostly blue but the cover had a picture of that classic blonde haired child in a tree. Thinking about wonderland was never something she liked to do, unless it was about Hatter. But right now, even the bright spots he was able to put in her memories of that crazy world were dark holes that produced only tears. She placed the book against the wall beneath the looking glass then turned to leave. At least she knew she could always go back to her mom.

Looking at the time Alice knew that Carol would still be at work. As she climbed the stairs to the apartment she figured that some alone times would be nice anyway. When she saw the note on the door she was just made even more upset.

Alice, please come back. I don't know where you went but I can explain everything. Please. –Love Hatter

She snatched the paper off the door and crumpled it into a neat ball, he could be all he wanted but she wasn't going to be stupid enough to fall for his tricks again. Even though she was angry by the time she sat on the couch she just crumpled into a ball of tears.

Of course Carol won't mind. She might say "I told you so" once or twice, but she will be more than happy to help Alice move back out of the apartment Hatter and she had been renting. Knowing her mom was going to be there for her just wasn't enough though it seemed. What she really wanted was Hatter. To be curled in his arms and crying against his chest, even though he is the one who put her in this position.

Against her better judgment she decided she would return and give him a chance to explain. If nothing else she could at least grab a few of her things while she was there.

The door was slightly open, which was very unusual for Hatter. The door was always locked, even when they were home. And usually with the chain up too. Living the way he did for so many years Hatter was always extra cautious. Nudging the door open it was hard for Alice to believe it was the same apartment she had walked into just a few hours earlier.

A few of the groceries had made their way to the counter, some apples, tea bags and a few bags of chips. At her feet however were splattered eggs, a gallon of milk slowly leaking onto the floor and a crushed loaf of bread. On the other side of the hall she could see into the living room, all the furniture was flipped over and there was dirt and, was that blood on the wall?

Alice's heart skipped three beats. For a second she forgot all about how Hatter was a cheating scum bag her only thought was how upset she will be at herself if anything bad happens to him. Racing into the living room to have a closer look, and secretly hoping it was just ketchup that exploded when she dropped the food earlier, she noticed something on the wall next to the mirror above the fireplace.

Stay here you stupid oyster. Move on and accept that Hatter is getting what he always deserved. – MM

There was only one person who could have written the note. Alice couldn't understand how I was possible, but it was happening she had to help Hatter. Cheater or not she owed him a rescue. Within minutes she was back in the library, then without much thought, she was falling into Wonderland.