Summery: Hatter hates himself for what he did. How can Alice prove to him that they've forgiven him?

Pairings: AlicexHatter

Hatter's Redemption

Prologue: Remembrance

Alice rolled to the side to dodge another tea bomb thrown at her. Her emerald eyes shot up at the mechanical scarecrow that was once the Mad Hatter.

A scowl flashed on his pale face before grinning and firing a set of missiles in her direction.

She circled around him, avoiding the missiles before throwing a few jacks at him. The sharp toys buried themselves into his arm.

The hatter growled in pain before tearing them out, a small stream of blood and oil stained his sleeve. Ignoring the pain, the hatter turned back to Alice and with long strides stomped towards her.

Alice armed a jack bomb and hurled the toy at the hatter. To her shock, the hatter leaped over the explosion, landing right in front of her. Using his cane like a club, he struck Alice hard in the side, sending her sprawling to the floor.

Taking a few seconds to regain her senses, Alice saw the hatter advancing on her. She scrambled back to try and give her some distance, but the tall 'man' closed in, backing her into a wall. Her eyes darted around, looking for something to use. She had dropped her knife when Hatter struck her and now she was completely unarmed.

Then she saw it.

The musket!

The hatter stood over her, raising his cane up into the air, intending to smash her skull with it.

"Time's up Alice!" he cried, about to bring his cane down on her head.

Without giving either of them time to think, she grabbed the musket and aimed it at the hatter's head.

A look of surprise flashed on his face in the split second before she pulled the trigger.

There was a loud bang and the hatter's now headless body staggered back, arms flailing before collapsing to the floor. He twitched for a few seconds before finally laying still.

Alice slowly climbed to her feet, her eyes locked on the hatter's body.

Then it hit her.

The Mad Hatter was dead. And she had killed him!

It had finally hit her. The Mad Hatter, someone she cared about, someone she loved, was dead. And killed by her own hand.

She didn't cry when she killed the Duchess. She didn't cry when she killed the Tweedles. But this was just too much.

Unable to contain it anymore, Alice fell to her knees, her face falling into her hands and burst into tears. The only time she had cried so hard was when her parents died.

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Alice's eyes slowly opened, bringing her back to the darkness that was her bedroom. She could feel the tears on her cheeks as her eyes stared at nothing. She had often had dreams of nightmare wonderland, memories of that terrible time.

However, whether it was the memory of her battle with the Jabberwock, or the death of the White Rabbit, she treated them all the same, as if they were nightmares.

All but one…

No memory made her made sadder then the memory of her killing the hatter. She could remember it more clearly then any over event in that time. The memory of that sad moment almost tore her heart in two.

"Hatter," she whimpered as tears continued to roll down her face.

"Now's not the time for sleeping Alice," piped a voice.

Alice's eyes widened as she shot upright. She looked towards the door of her room to see an unusual figure standing there.

He appeared human, with a shock of ivory hair and brown eyes. His skin was slightly pale, with a lean build. He wore a red waist coat, a white undershirt, white pants, black shoes and white gloves, as well as a gold pocket watch hanging from his breast pocket.

What made him stand out where the white rabbit ears poking out of his hair.

"Rabbit?" Alice asked, not too sure of what she was saying. The rabbit smirked and raised his arms, showing off his form.

"What do you think?" he asked, not noticing the tears on Alice's face.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you."

In her heart, Alice knew what he meant, but she had to ask.

"Take me where?"

A small glint appeared in the rabbit's eye.

"Where else? Wonderland."

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Not a bad opening if I do say so myself. What has become of the Hatter and the other denizens of Wonderland? Stick around to find out.