AND DREAM AWAY
Chapter 1
What happens when you take a fractured Wonderland story, drop it into an insane mind….and twist.
AN: I've tried to make Alice a little less stupid and take peek into Hatter's cheeky head. Added scenes and deleted anything Hatter isn't in since this is first person from his POV. Rated M for a reason. Reviews always appreciated.
AN: The usual disclaimer, nothing belongs to me. If it did, it would be called Hatter and he would be in every scene.
Ignoring the babble of faces and noise on the screens, I sank back in me white leather wingback chair and reached for the headphones. "Mute." The volume lowered slightly. "Mute!" The sound cut off instantly. Was that whisper of maniacal laughing in my head or not. So hard to tell anymore. Hell with the Queen's orders. I needed some good music.
That was close, very close. Tea, I needed tea. Hot and spicy, something to wake me up. But all I saw was cold leftover breakfast tea still sitting on me desk. Took a sip.
Naturally, the Rat had to come sneaking in babbling about some little bit of Candy he found crawling out of a canal. Said she was looking for someone. Walking, talking Candy. Alice in Wonderland no less. "She saved them, she'll save us!" he whispered hoarsely waving some green paper in the air.
"No' on the grass!" I warned and got up to take the paper gingerly between two fingers. Might be worth something to someone. I slid it in me pocket to examine later. "Hey!" the Rat growled, then lowered his eyes. "That's mine!"
"So, you've already been paid?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"No, no." The Rat looked around furtively. "You know what I want!"
"Yeah, Yeah. Let's have a look at her then." I rubbed me eyes. All I wanted was sleep. Blissful dreamless sleep. But, business first. This girl was another thing that would be worth something to someone.
Closed me eyes till I heard the Rat shuffling in. "Would you like a cup of tea?" She was bound to be frightened, terrified maybe. A good cup of tea would calm her down. Dormie could make himself useful for once.
"No thank you."
I watched her reflection in a screen. She didn't look frightened at all, curious maybe. And very wet. I chuckled.
"Who are you?"
I swiveled around to get a better look and spin a story to keep her from running and promptly fell down the rabbit hole in her eyes. "A friend….."
She lay facedown tangled in white satin sheets "…..I hope." I jumped up and leaned against the desk, tried to breathe. What the hell was that? A Dream? A daydream? Was I hallucinating now too? Wasn't hearing voices enough? I looked in my tea cup, had Dormie slipped a bit of Lusty Dream in there?
"I run the Tea Shop" She was so alive, just standing there I could feel her. Nothing like the women here, even the women in the casino lounge.
"See?" The Rat untied a bit of rag from her arm revealing the mark. Didn't need to see it to know she was Candy. Could feel it. Had to get closer. Had to get away.
"How'd you break out of the scarab?" Couldn't look at her. She was so intoxicating, I could barely breathe. She would be worth a lot. If I could bear to sell her. Wanted to keep her for me very own, yeah. It'd been a long time, a very long time.
"What, the beetle thing?"
"Uh." Could I keep her? How long could I keep her hidden? The Rat would have to be disposed of, he'd talk to anyone that paid him. I shrugged. No loss there.
"I used my hairpin and …" She shrugged.
"Fell." Fell into the canal. Wonder she hadn't been sucked under.
"As you can see, I'm drenched." She gestured at her dress.
I nodded slowly and looked at her, really looked at her standing in me office dripping wet. Took a deep breath. She was certainly a survivor. She lay facedown tangled in white satin sheets. I couldn't see her face, but her hair was damp and the smell of sex filled the air. What the hell. Calm. Calm down. Breathe. She was just a bit of Candy. A nice profit. Nothing more, yeah? Anyone could have white satin sheets, I did meself.
Even pure Lusty Dream wasn't like this. No' bits and pieces. It started and went till it was finished, went till you were finished. I grinned.
""Look, this place… where, what is it?" She looked around.
"Oh" I pointed up with both hands. "Welcome aboard the Good Ship Lollipop"
"That's a kid's song."
"Does this look like a kid's song to you?" she had no idea.
"No…." she looked around.
"it's changed a lot."
As if on cue one of the screens came to life and Shirley Temple sang:
"I've thrown away my toys
Even my drum and train.
I wanna make some noise
With real live aeroplanes."
"Some day I'm going to fly.
I'll be a pilot too.
And when I do, how would you
Like to be my crew..."
"On the good ship lollipop.
Its a sweet trip to a candy shop
Where bon-bons play
On the sunny beach of Peppermint Bay."
"Lemonade stands everywhere.
Crackerjack bands fill the air.
And there you are
Happy landing on a chocolate bar".
"See the sugar bowl do the tootsie roll
With the big bad devils food cake.
If you eat too much ooh ooh
You'll awake with a tummy ache."
"On the good ship lollipop
Its a night trip into bed you hop
And dream away
On the good ship lollipop."
The screen went dark and mute again. I frowned at it. Another glitch or something else, someone else? For the millionth time I wondered if me Tea Shop was bugged.
"And dream away on the good ship lollipop." I sang softly.
She looked around. Took in the modern white furniture, me lovely patch of grass, screens of all shapes and sizes, and back towards the door. She looked back at me. "Are you saying it's real?"
I walked toward her with the magnifying glass. Wanted to touch her. Anything could happen. Who knows when I'd get another chance. Besides, I had to know what she was worth didn't I.
"You Candies don't know how to find us so, excuse me" I took her arm and examined the mark. "You tell yourselves we don't exist and quite frankly…" One long, tanned leg moved, pulling the sheets down revealing a tattoo low on her back, in the hollow just above the curve of her ass.An ass I knew somehow would fit perfectly in me hands. Damn it! I was getting hard. Wanted to go somewhere quiet and just think, just close me eyes and remember this dream. But the Candy wouldn't wait. Good thing I could talk and spin and still keep me mind on something else altogether. Words are easy, lies easier.
"…we'd like to keep it that way." She was wet and covered in goose bumps. She looked up at me and jerked her arm away. Like she'd seen what I was thinking-felt the dream herself. Was she blushing? Had she dreamed it too? Hmmmmm. Did it work like that? Dodo might know.
"Why am I Candy? What, this?" She touched the mark, tried to rub it off.
"That's no' gonna come off. Sorry!" I grinned. "Only people from your world turn green when burned by the light. It's the Suit's way of branding their catch and they call you Candy because of the sweet dreams running thru your veins." I walked back to me desk and laid down the magnifying glass.
"What do you mean, dreams?"
"She's Alice," Ratty interrupted, pointing to her, "Tell him who you are!" He nodded to her.
"Really?"A tattoo of a brown hat with some letters underneath. I couldn't make them out from this angle. I blinked. These daydreams, fantasies, hallucinations, they were more powerful, more real than any Tea I'd ever had. Could smell her perfume, feel her skin. I frowned. A brown pork-pie hat tattoo? Almost, almost exactly like the one I had on. How was that possible?
"ooooooooooooo" Walked around behind her. Oh yeah, right. Like I could see if she had a tattoo thru her dress and tights. Still, it was a very wet dress. At least I wasn't looking in her eyes or touching her.
"The Rat here," Reluctantly, I put my arm around his filthy shoulders. "Thinks you're Alice. Of Legend." He couldn't be getting these dreams. If he had, he'd of bragged about it thinking to score a better deal. Or, I nodded, kept her himself. Wiped something off me fingers. Something from the Rat's slicker. Eww.
"Who?" she frowned. Didn't this girl watch tv? I flicked a quick glance up at the screens. Yes, there was at least one Alice in Wonderland version playing at all times. I didn't like this one, made Hatter look like a moron. A mad moron. She followed my glance and I could see her shiver.
"A girl called Alice…" Walked behind her again. What was wrong with me? "…went to Wonderland and brought down the whole house of cards."
I looked at her. Nothing. "Oh yeah. Made quite an impression." frowned at the Rat. Although it was a 150 years ago. It can't be the same girl. Candies don' even live that long!"
"I still want a good price!" the Rat had the right idea. Back to business.
"Wait a minute! I'm not for sale." Held me finger up to shush her. Like Candy had a say in anything.
I walked to the wall behind me desk. Maybe I could think, hell maybe I could even breathe. The Rat was shuffling after me.
"No' on the grass!" You'd think he'd know by now. You had to be somebody to walk on the grass. Somebody invited.
Pushed a button and the fridge door slid open revealing a row of hyperspray syringes with different colored tips. I reached inside and picked up the blue one. Looked at the Rat and considered. Laid it carefully back down and picked up the pink one. The fridge door shut with a sigh. Showtime.
"Here we are! Mmmm!" Held the hyperspray up like a game show host. "Pink nectar. Filled with the thrill of human dreams. Fifty Candies were drained of every last drop so that you can dream what it feels like to win. Just once." The Rat didn't need the sales pitch. He'd heard them all a thousand times before. Maybe I was showing off for the Candy. But I didn't take me eyes off him. Always maintain eye contact with the mark.
The Rat's eyes were glued to the spray. He licked his lips and reached for it. I repeated the warning every time, but I don't think he ever heard.
"Warning," I pulled the spray back. "Don't take on an empty stomach, and only one tiny shot at a time or else the experience might burst your shriveled up little heart. Got it?"
"Got it," the Rat nodded.
"Good." I held out the spray and he grabbed it. "Go."
I could see her watching out of the corner of me eye. The Rat ran clutching the spray, both of us forgotten. Sniffed the fingers that had touched him. Eeeeew
"He really smells!" Looked around for something to wipe them on, settled for me pants.
"Candy was drained?" She was looking at me again. "What do you mean drained?" Ooops. Didn't want to be the one to explain all that to her. She wouldn't look at me like that or share anymore sweet dreams. Sweet lusty dreams. I retreated to a desk chair.
"The Rat tells me you're looking for someone?" Sat down facing away from her and reached for the tea cup.
"His name is Jack Chase. He was taken by a man with a white rabbit on his lapel." her voice was closer, was she on my grass?
"I see. Mmmmm" Took another sip of tea. Didn't taste like Lusty Dreams or any other kind. "The White Rabbit is an organization controlled by the Hearts. They travel back and forth and …vanish people from your world to ours."
"Why?" she was definitely on the grass.
"To use. They keep 'em hooked up, right under the casino."
"Use?" Spit the tea back in the cup. No sense taking any chances now. Not with business to take care of.
"Did I say 'use'? I…slip of the tongue, they're fine. You know, they keep 'em… alive and…" looked around "alive." Got up and faced her.
"How do I get to this casino?"
"That's the thing! You don't. Way too dangerous." Go to medical? Wakeup a Candy and escape? Oh no, no' happening. Be dead before you knew it.
"But, I know some people who know some… well other people, if you know what I mean. It's one of the privileges of running a tea shop." I popped the 'p' in her face. She jerked back like I'd slapped her. It must have been hallucinations, nothing else had happened for a good five, ten minutes. It couldn't be the Candy.
"Lighten up." No wonder she was being irrational, she was freezing. I ran to my glass wardrobe and swung open both doors. "TA DAAA." Got out the purple velvet coat.
"You should wear this." Wondered if it would change the color of her eyes, sometimes stormy gray, sometimes almost blue. Mentally shook my head. Do not get attached to the merchandise. "It'll cover the glow… and stop you from catching a cold." Held it out so she could step into it. But she just stared at me.
"I have a little money." They were stormy now. The firelight danced across her face as she laughed and licked her fingers. "But I understand you don't use that here."
"Pieces of paper? Pointless." Firelight? Fire was rare here. Dangerous. Had to be hallucinations. Couldn't be true dreams. I sighed. Been looking forward to that.
"Then why would you help me?" Suspicious little thing.
"Do I need a reason to help a pretty girl in a very wet dress?" Walked around behind her, looked down at that ass again. Me hands tightened on the coat, I wanted to reach out and touch. "Oh I see… you don't trust me. Fine! I am genuinely hurt. You know why they call me Hatter?" Slammed the coat down on the loveseat.
"Because you wear a hat?" She looked up at me hat. If she had a tattoo of it, she'd recognize it right? No recognition in those eyes.
" No…" couldn't tell her the real story, couldn't tell anyone that. "because I'm always there when they 'pass the hat', so to speak. Philanthropy, generosity, I mean you can call it what you will it's who I am!" walked back to look at her over the back of me chair. "And right now, looking at you there there's nothing I want more than to help you find…" blimey, what was his name again?
"Jack."
"Jack! And return you both to your charming world of children's stories." Not really Alice, I want to lay you down on me grass and …dream a little dream with you.
"I don't believe you." Why was she looking at me like that. It was a very good lie, especially one on the spur of the moment. When me mind was on other things.
"I know what you're thinking. If I'm the frying pan then that out there," Pointed to the door "is the fire. I'll be square with you. I know people who like to help your kind. And if every once in awhile I scratch their back…" Walked towards her again.
"They'll scratch yours." Ah, finally something this Candy-Alice, understood. Had to stop even thinking of her as Candy, or I'd get us both killed.
"Precisely" I grinned at her, making use of me best asset, the dimples. "Lo' 'a scratching!" She looked at me, trying to see the lie. Ha, better men have failed me dear! She picked up the coat and put it on. Alright now. Walked to the back door and started undoing all the locks.
"Do try to keep up." Glanced up at the ceiling, the picture of a man in a hurry.
All screens started flashing and then a club appeared on every one.
"Volume, level 4." Now what. I held up a hand to stop Alice. She looked at the screens and back at me.
"What is that?" she asked. Motioned her to be quiet.
"ATTENTION PLEASE. STAY TUNED FOR A QUEEN'S ANNOUNCEMENT!"
"Bloody hell." I said softly so she wouldn't hear.
"The Queen has declared tomorrow a Holiday! Fun and Games for all!" the club smiled nervously at the camera. "All businesses are closed. Except Tea Shops, of course. Thank you."
"Volume Level 1" just above a whisper, still within the law. The screens went back to the myriad of shows that were on before.
"What was that?" She touched me arm. Closed me eyes and waited. Opened one to look at her. Nothing.
"Just a holiday. Didn't you hear?" Didn't want to talk about it. Gestured at the door again.
i watched her from the hill. She rode across the valley following a blond man. She'd left me.
Damn it! Not again! I didn't like this one at all. What happened to the sexy ones.
"You have a Queen? And she announces holidays? Aren't they on the calendar?"
I sighed. No wonder they kept the Candy sedated, all they did was ask questions. If I asked what a calendar was, she'd just keep talking.
"She married King Heart and declared herself Queen of Wonderland. The holiday just means some poor sod is losing his head in the morning and everyone is supposed to go and watch." I gestured at the door with both hands.
"What?" Alice didn't move. "I thought you said this was the Good Ship Lollipop?" She shook her head confused. Ha. She should try living here. "Ships have Captains, not Queens."
I nodded. "The ship's insane. He thinks this IS Wonderland. Has for a long time now. The Queen's even insaner… more insane." Took her arm and turned to swing the door open. "So for all intents and purposes, it is Wonderland. The Queen killed the Captain a long time ago."
"Wait!" She put both hands on my arm to hold on. "How can the ship be insane?"
"Enough with the questions! We have to get moving. Come on."
"No! Tell me how the ship can be insane or I'm not taking another step!" She stomped her foot and glared at me. At me, of all people. The one person who would even try to help her. I sighed.
"Look, a ship is two parts, yeah? Hardware and software. You can see the hardware" I gestured around. "The AI is the software, the brain, the heart of the ship. Over the years without a Captain, he's gone….insane. Probably from advanced age and deterioration. There's no one left that knows how to fix the ship or even talk to the AI. The Queen killed them all. Now will you come on?"
She looked out the door and froze. I sighed. This was going to take all day. I was never gonna get a nap.
"How can this be a ship? That's a city out there and…" she narrowed her eyes, "and a lake and a forest. Mountains? How can you have mountains on a ship?"
"Lollipop is more than a ship, it's more like a …biosphere. As much like home as we could make it. We brought all we could. Home's gone now, ancient history. Look, the lights even track like a sun so we get day and night, sort of." Looked outside. "they're real mountains, no' a hologram, if that's what you're thinking."
"What?" She looked at me and back outside. "Hologram?" she frowned.
"Really don't watch tv much, do you? Trust me, it's bigger on the inside than the outside. Yeah?"
I stepped out on the balcony and down thru the access hole onto the ladder and left her. After a minute I could hear her coming. What was she gonna do, I'd locked the door behind us.
I know, I know, ladies first, but not this time. Didn't want her to run off at the bottom, did I? Even if she could make the last step on her own. Didn't even look up her skirt. Not once. Well, maybe once, but there was no point with those red tights covering everything.
Without thinking, I reached up to help her down the last step to the ledge. Somehow she had her hands on me shoulders and was sliding down into me arms. I stood watchingAlice on tiptoe, hugging a blond man tightly, her body pressed to his.She was smiling.
"Thank you." Thank you? Thank you? I stepped back and pulled at me jacket. I didn't want any third party dreams, thank you. Not my thing at all. I heard a gasp and looked back to see Alice trying to press herself into the wall, holding onto the ladder for dear life.
"Wha'samatter?" I frowned at her. Mentally upping the price, she was a lot of work.
"I've got a thing about heights." Then why was she looking over the edge.
I leaned over and looked down. Couldn't see the bottom, and this wasn't the highest building in the city either.
"Why couldn't you people build the city on the ground?"
I sighed and looked at her. This was going to take forever. We would be spotted out here in the open. At least the mark was covered. Why was I being so paranoid? I'd disabled all the cameras I could find.
"Look at me." She had her eyes clenched shut. "Alice." First time I'd used her name. Alice. I'd known she was Alice in the dreams. But was that me? Just because it looked like me and talked like me didn't mean it was me. Not here. When had she become Alice and not Candy?
Without thinking I held me hand out to her. Me right hand. I was doing a lot of that today, doing things without thinking first. She opened her eyes and looked into mine. Alice took a shaky breath and let go of the ladder and grabbed me hand.
"Try not to look down. Yeah?" she took a deep breath and followed as I walked backwards along the ledge.
She stood facing away from me in waist deep water, watching something on the distant shore. I called her name and she turned smiling a wicked, hungry smile. Alice walked like a ninja, slowly, one foot in front of the other hardly making a ripple in the water. The wind blew her hair across her face as she came towards me.
On the beach, she stepped close to me and put her hands on me waist, running them up me chest to tangle in me hair like she'd done it a thousand times. I pulled her tight, hands cupping her ass and kissed her hard. Her fists tightened in me hair and she moaned.
"Alice." I whispered into her mouth. "Alice."
The pounding in me head was so loud I almost didn't hear her whisper me name on a sigh. "David."
Sonofabitch! I couldn't breathe, couldn't let go of her hand if I wanted to. I'd backed smack dab into the side of another building and was trying to walk thru it. "Hatter!" Alice was jerking her hand, trying to get loose. I looked at her, shaken and forced myself to let go. Had she called my name? I looked at her hand, afraid it was a bloody mess, crushed by me right hand. It looked ok, but she was rubbing it.
Me name. Me real name. The Rat didn't know it so he hadn't told her. No one living knew it. Except, maybe Dodo, he liked to know things. So how could she? Smacked meself in the head. Of course, it was just a dream, all in me head. I knew me own name didn't I. I grinned at her. Blimey.
And yes, she fit nicely in me hands just like I knew she would. Only there was more, I felt what that me felt. Not just the sex, but everything. In that minute I was that me and I knew….I knew that I loved her with an unshakeable love. Like you read about in fairy tales. Shook me head to clear it. Love? How did we get past lust clear up to love? Shook me head again. The sooner I got rid of her, the better.
"What was that? What did you do to me?" Her eyes were big and scared. She was backing away.
"What?" She'd felt that? She couldn't have, it was all in me head. I looked at her and then down. I opened me mouth, but nothing came out. I couldn't think. "Nuthin."
"That wasn't nothing! Was that one of those dreams you were talking about?" She looked around, ready to run.
"What?" I looked at her shaking me head. "We have to get moving." Turned to walk on, but she grabbed me arm. Couldn't talk about this. Didn't want to.
"No! first tell me what happened?" She was getting angry. "It felt real, like a memory. You were…kissing me?"
Kissing her? Is that all she felt? All she saw? "You fantasizing about kissing me?" I grinned at her. She shook her head when I lifted me eyebrows at her. "You always freak out over a little kiss?"
"No, you felt something too. Your face was…your eyes were…that wasn't just a kiss for you, was it?" she narrowed her eyes at me. "You're the one that freaked out. What did you see?"
"Dream doesn't work like that." Pulled me arm out of her grasp "I don't know what that was. Things…happen here." I whispered. Why did she affect me like this? No other human Candy had. I shivered.
I looked everywhere but at her. "Look, if you want to find this Jack guy, we need to get moving." That ought to get her going. I started walking.
"You're gonna answer my questions sooner or later." She called rushing after me.
Yeah? No' after I leave you with Dodo. See how much you get outta him. I felt a pang o' regret. Regret? What the hell? She was just a commodity, an item for sale. I didn't care about her. I couldn't. No' after what, a half hour or so. Shook me head. There was that laughing again. Damn it all to hell.