Alright! This is a HatterxOC Alice oneshot that I wrote for my English class on the prompt of "a ritual or tradition", very au and with redesigned characters. I don't own Alice in Wonderland; I just dream about it (and mainly Hatter). I also don't own Brave New World; that's Huxley's, or Orwell's, if you are one of those types. I do take credit for my designs of the Cat, Hatter, the Hare, and Alice, though.

Enjoy, and please review; I may throw in some extra tidbits of deleted scenes if you do. ^_~

Mad World

"'Oh, but Hatter,' I murmured, looking up into his handsome face, 'can't I stay here with you? It's so nice here, and the flowers bloom all year round…' He ran his long fingers through my hair, furrowing his brow, and I decided to try my luck with the hare. 'What say you, Marchie? Surely I can stay at least until after this tea party? The tea won't drink itself, after all…at least, not in my world…'"

"Daydreaming again, Miss Lapin?" My eyes snapped open as Mrs. Kellings peered at me over her glasses. "Try not to succumb to senioritis; I know that Cornell will be most displeased." I nodded and returned to the textbook, trying to squeeze out a commentary on the symbolism of color in "Brave New World". I hadn't drifted off intentionally; the Wonderland in my head seemed to drag me there constantly, no matter what I was really thinking of at the moment. The characters were so familiar to me that I felt I had created them. I remember my mother reading her tattered copy of Carroll's story to me while I snuggled under the blankets, awaiting dreams of nonsense and madness with the fearlessness of the naïve. Long after she left us, I still hung on to those characters from my childhood, her book the only part of her that I had left. Even her face had long since faded from my mind.

"Here I go again…" I thought, exasperated by my mind's attempts at escape. "Back to Huxley…"

__________

The cold air hit me like a slap to the face, but my gasp was one of exhilaration. Winter exams were over, and as I rushed outside with my fellow seniors, the brisk air never seemed more welcoming. For the first time in two weeks, I headed directly home from school without first going to the library.

As I entered my house, my dad beckoned me over to the dinner table, where an elaborate powder-blue box sat, tied with a large silver ribbon. I beamed and made to hug him, but he stopped me with a wave of his hand. Taking a gulp of coffee and swallowing, he told me, "Alice, I've got to leave for my shift soon, but someone left this on our doorstep. The tag says it's as congratulations about college." I knew what he was thinking from the pained look in his eyes.

"Dad," I said firmly, "Mom doesn't know, and she doesn't care. She's dead to me, as I am to her. Whoever it was that sent me this, it definitely wasn't her." He stared at me for a moment, then licked his lips and nodded, downing the rest of his coffee and standing up to get his jacket.

"Well, I'm off. Stay safe. And…Alice…" I looked him straight in the eye, knowing that the fact that my mother and I shared the same name didn't help things at all. "I…I'm real proud of you, kiddo." He stood by the door awkwardly for a moment, then capped his hat on his head and went on his way. I looked at the closed door for a moment more, and then turned to the mystery box from a mystery person.

I tapped on the lid cautiously and stifled a scream as the box skittered. Peeking under the lid, I almost squealed in delight. "A kitty!" The fluffiest ball of white fur peered back at me with emerald eyes, and I could have sworn that its mouth was turned up in a small smile. I brought it to my room, box and all, and shut the door. The cat immediately began to explore my room, but it stopped on a dime as it came to my bookshelf, sniffing at a ragged cover. I sighed as I saw that it was my mother's old copy of Alice's Adventures, the only possession she had thought to leave with me before she abandoned us. "Aww…you like this book, kitty?" I whispered, scratching it behind the ears and smiling as it purred appreciatively. "Well, let's read then. You're a better listener than my mother ever was, anyway," I remarked, doing nothing to hide the bitterness in my voice.

After the fictional Alice partook of the magical mushroom recommended by the hookah-smoking caterpillar, I glanced at the clock, which read 8:43. Judging from my lack of sleep in the past few weeks, I figured it was time to go to bed. My jeans and tunic seemed comfortable enough for sleep, and I turned off the lights and jumped into my bed to prevent the monsters underneath from grabbing my ankles. The warm weight of my new kitten pressed to my back as I turned to the side, and I smiled, drifting to sleep just as the wild colors of Wonderland returned to my mind after so long.

_________

I didn't remember falling asleep, but I dreamed vividly of walking through Wonderland with the Cheshire Cat, who led me to a garden but then disappeared, leaving his signature grin suspended in the air for a moment before it disappeared as well. I heard footsteps behind me, and warm arms wrapped around me and held me close. "It feels so real…" I thought, as I was drawn reluctantly back into the waking world.

But as I returned from my dreaming, something was terribly odd: I could still feel the arms around me, embracing me. "Kitty…?" I whispered tentatively, hoping that I was still asleep.

"Meow," a husky male voice replied, his breath hot in my ear. I shivered and opened my eyes to an unfamiliar room, a different bed, and a stranger's arms around me.

I turned over immediately and tried to get out of his grasp, to no avail. "Let…go…of…me!" I gasped, writhing and trying to pull his arms off.

"There, there, now," he cooed, holding me even tighter to him. "We haven't got time for this, love." I ignored his name for me and, after a brief moment of inactivity, I surprised him by driving my knee hard up between his legs. I expected his gasp of pain, but it was my turn to gasp as he abruptly disappeared. I sat up in the large bed, glaring around the room to see where my kidnapper had disappeared to, and was surprised to see him leaning against the bedpost, a placid smile on his face.

"Where am I? Who are you?" I looked down and was relieved to find I was still wearing the same clothes I went to sleep in. The pale man grinned widely, and as he talked, I could see his sharp teeth glinting in the light from the windows. He had white dreadlocks that fell past his shoulders, and his green eyes held a hint of humor in them.

"My name is Chester, and I'm a Cheshire cat, the same cat you took to bed last night." He winked slyly at me, and I cringed. "I can change form at will, and, among my many talents, I can also teleport. This, after all, was the only way we could get you back into Wonderland after so long."

"So long? It's only been two weeks since…" I countered, highly confused. Chester dropped his grin down to a smile and sat down beside me on the bed.

"You may remember the Queen condemning the man who murdered Time?" I nodded, recalling the contents of the old story. "Well, Time hasn't been the same since. Two weeks to you was two years for Wonderland. And let me tell you, a lot has happened in these two years." The Cheshire ran his fingers through his snowy dreads and I squinted at his claws, and he smiled. "You see, Hatter has always been the bodyguard of the queen, but when the last queen simply dropped dead for no apparent reason, he went, for lack of a better word, mad." I blanched; surely Hatter, my dear Hatter, would recognize me?

"Why did she just die? Was there a conspiracy?"

Chester shook his head. "Two years ago, something happened in your life. Something changed in your thoughts that changed Wonderland."

I thought for a moment, and then everything became clear. "My mother…she left us two years ago. I- she- I said she was dead to me…Chester, did I kill her? Was my mother the queen?" He nodded solemnly, but his grin unnerved me. I closed my eyes and breathed, smelling his minty cologne. How had my world gone so terribly wrong?

But before I could ponder further, Chester stood up and brushed his shirt off, straightening his skinny jeans. "Like I said earlier, we are very short on time. I had to bring you back here because you're the only one that can bring Hatter back to the court. The kingdom needs him; the new queen is something horrible." He sauntered off towards the door. "The closet will have something suitable for you; Hatter made all those outfits for you, remember? And he's made a special breakfast, so I recommend you dress well." He winked at me and left, shutting the door behind him. I cradled my head in my hands for a moment before realizing that Hatter never liked to be kept waiting. With a sigh, I stumbled out of the red silk covers and headed for the small door on the other side of the room.

The large walk-in closet held a phenomenal array of clothing, and it took a tremendous amount of willpower to decide on one single outfit. I finally picked out a black skirt and a matching short-sleeved blouse, layering a corset over it that only fit after I took a sip of a bottle labeled "Drink Me." As I headed down the stairs, my bare feet cold on the marble stairs, I heard frantic whispering coming from a downstairs room. As I turned the corner into the kitchen, the whispers stopped. Chester sat at the dining table and a tall man was at the stove, cooking something. He turned around and my breath caught in my throat.

Hatter was not the father figure I had usually seen in my imaginings of Wonderland. His pinstriped jeans outlined his legs nicely, and he wore a crimson vest over a black collared shirt, the sleeves rolled up for convenience and showing off his toned arms as well. He smiled at me, white teeth flashing, and I blushed. His hand reached behind him and pulled out his signature top hat, planting it on his head to tame the mass of unkempt black hair. He wasn't just mad; he was hawt.

"Well, look at what the cat dragged in," he drawled in a deep voice, oddly accented, and I looked to the floor quickly lest my face flush an even deeper red. He ignored this and waved me over to the table. "Hurry up, love, the waffles are getting cold."

"Why does everyone insist on calling me 'love'?" I wondered, smothering my breakfast in strawberry syrup. Much to my surprise, Hatter wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I squeaked and nearly dropped my fork. "Uh, Hatter?"

"Yes, darling?" he murmured absentmindedly, nuzzling my hair. I saw Chester pretend to puke out of the corner of my eye.

"Do I know you?" The nuzzling stopped almost immediately. I turned around and met Hatter's furious amber eyes.

"Do you know me? DO YOU KNOW ME? Alice, what has gotten into you?" I cringed and tried vainly to remember, but my thoughts were cut short by Hatter's maniacal cackle. "Of course you don't know me. Nobody knows me. I'm just the Mad Hatter, that loony, old coot that lives in his mansion of stone and ivy. Oh, of course, of course. Foolish me, to think that a youth like you would even consider little old me. I am, after all, mad, aren't I?" He walked over to the kitchen counter and glared at me expectantly. "Aren't I?" he yelled, slamming a hand down on the marble. I winced at the noise and bit my lip, looking at the breakfast that was suddenly unappetizing.

"I…I suppose so." Apparently this answer wasn't good enough, for he stalked over and grabbed my chin roughly, forcing me to look him in the eye.

"Say what you mean, love," he hissed, "and mean what you say." I felt his fingers release my chin and his calloused hand stroked me cheek. "So beautiful…" he whispered, as if I weren't listening, "especially when she's scared." He grinned, and I could feel the heat rushing to my pale cheeks again. His hand left my face, although I'd rather it hadn't, and he flounced off. "Tell Mark to visit the Queen," he called to us from the doorway, and I could feel his bedroom door slamming all the way in the kitchen.

"I see what you mean," I told Chester, who just tipped back in his chair and rolled his eyes, grinning.

__________

Mark, as it turned out, was the Wonderland version of my little brother, except he wasn't so little anymore. A boy my own age, he had brown hair and wide brown eyes that made him look perpetually confused, but his sweet laugh kept us all in good spirits. He was Hatter's pageboy, his main courier to and from the court, which Hatter hadn't visited since the last queen's death, or so Chester told me. He returned that afternoon with a large red envelope in his hands, sealed with a heart stamp.

"Has Master Hatter emerged yet from his lair?" he joked, handing the envelope to me. I shook my head, slightly worried. "It's time for his afternoon tea; I'll set up a tray and you can bring it to him. He won't hurt you, you know," he added, seeing the apprehensive look on my face. "He talks about you in his dreams, and when he wakes from those dreams, he's always happy." I blushed again, and Mark nudged me playfully with his elbow. "I'll be back soon."

Indeed, he returned within minutes with a tray laden with biscuits, a china tea pot, and two sets of cups and saucers. "Give him the letter first, and if his temper starts to rise, leave the tea and go. The fact that it's set for two should guilt him into letting you stay." I nodded at this encouragement and headed up the stairs with my interesting balancing act.

A tap on Hatter's door was answered with his reply that it was unlocked. I managed to edge into the room without dropping the tray or the envelope, and Hatter swept over immediately to relieve me of my burden. "Ah, so the Queen has sent me mail." I nodded and handed him the envelope, and he tore it open viciously to obtain its contents. "Ah, of course…the annual rose painting. You don't remember that, do you?" I shook my head, and he smiled gently, making me wonder how this man could turn on a dime. "You see, our new queen," he wrinkled his nose in distaste at this, "is very partial to red roses, especially when they are painted in blood. She holds a drawing each year, with the names of each Wonderlander magically entered, to find a willing or unwilling donor for her annual coat of rose paint. This," he tapped the embossed card, "is our invitation to the beheading. Would you care to go?"

"Would it matter if I didn't?" Blood made me squeamish and nauseated.

Hatter assumed a pout that made his thin lips seem entirely too tempting. "Oh, but I am a guest of honor, and I would be even more honored to have such a lovely lady like you beside me to dance with." He lifted my hand to his lips daintily, and I giggled.

"Fine, fine. As long as it's not Lobster Quadrilles or the like," I warned, and he quickly drew me into an embrace. I stiffened for a moment, and then relaxed, feeling the muscles of his chest against my cheek.

He held me with one strong arm and stroked my hair with his free hand. "I'm sorry, Alice, about earlier. It's just that I've missed you so much, and loved you this entire time, but you never saw me as more than a friend. You see I've changed, because of your needs." I blushed and twitched, and he laughed softly, sending a shiver down my spine. "Oh, keep your mind out of the gutter. But, I will provide anything you need gladly, even such things as those," he added, licking the top of my ear, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I made an indignant noise that was muffled by his shirt, and wrapped my arms around him. I couldn't recall ever feeling to safe or satisfyingly warm. "Stay with me for tea?" I looked up at him and smiled.

As he poured Earl Grey into our cups and added lemon and sugar, he talked in a low, soothing voice. "Thank you for putting up with me, Alice. I know I am a difficult person to deal with, and my moods often get the best of me. But you're not her, Alice, you're not your mother; I know you'll understand." I liked the way he said my name, and as he slipped a gentle hand over mine, I made no objection.

Tea time was extended to the evening. Chester joined us after dinner, and Mark, thankfully, suspected no foul play and volunteered to stay at the court with a friend that evening.

__________

"Darling, have you seen my tie?" I inhaled as far as the tightly-laced corset would allow and called back.

"It's on the dresser in here, Hatter." He came stumbling into the room, hair defying gravity as usual but missing his hat. "Could you get those last two hooks for me?" I turned around and showed him the clasps. He swallowed hard and sighed.

"Don't tempt me, love," he said in a ragged voice. I smirked and ran my hand across his chest, brushing aside the half-buttoned shirt and licking my lips as his breathing quickened. "Alice…"

"What?" I replied innocently, reaching behind him and retrieving the chartreuse tie to complement his violet vest, buttoning his shirt up expertly all the while. "I wouldn't want us to be late, would I?" He looked at me, one eye twitching in torment, and I smiled and pointed to the two hooks again, purposefully not looking down. His fingers trembled as he pulled the two pieces together and hooked them, and his hands swiftly wrapped themselves around my cinched midriff.

"I'm not letting you go. Let's skip this ceremony and go straight to the after party…" he whispered in my ear, nipping lightly at my earlobe. I blushed and sighed.

"We can't ignore an invitation from the Queen, especially since we've already RSVPed. Besides, this will be my first rose painting; you wouldn't want me to miss it, would you?" The look in his eyes indicated that he would, considering the alternative, but I extracted myself from his grip and brushed past him slowly to put on my boots, knowing that I would have to help him tie his bow tie.

We arrived exactly on time, as was characteristic of Hatter, and I received stares and compliments as we walked down the deep red carpet, arm in arm. The guards wore sinister spiked black armor and carried intimidating weapons, and I noticed that Hatter pulled me closer as we passed them to enter the Heart Palace. The second I entered, my eyes were immediately drawn to the figure seated on a throne that stood across the hall. Her blonde hair was the same shade as mine but was pulled back austerely into a high bun, and a sparkling crown perched on her head, the platinum nearly matching her hair and the rubies reflecting the malicious crimson of her eyes. She smiled cruelly at me as we entered, and I smiled back to hide my shudder. My hand found Hatter's, and he gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze as the lizard orchestra began to play a waltz.

I was swept up in the dancing, and the time for the drawing snuck up on me. The Queen stood up from her throne and clapped thrice, and the entire hall of Wonderlanders fell silent. "Let the drawing commence," she said simply, her voice colder than the stone walls. A pretty lady with three pairs of arms and butterfly wings brought out a hookah and ascended the stage, bowing her head quickly to the queen and then to the crowd before drawing a breath from the pipe. Her large eyes unfocused as she breathed out, and the smoke began to form words. I gasped loudly as I saw my name in the purple clouds, broadcast for the entire hall to see.

The Queen's eyes found mine, and she smiled again. "Well, dear Alice, it seems that your legacy in this world will be a short but sweet one." I began to panic as the guards marched Hatter and me up to the stage, where the Queen had conjured a scepter into her hand with an axe blade on the end. "Any last words, then, before it's off with your head?" I gaped at her, trying to discern if this was all really happening.

"Yes." All heads turned to Hatter, who had uttered the fatal syllable. He took several slow, measured steps towards the Queen until they stood nearly touching each other, and she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye, a task she clearly detested.

"What is it, Mad Hatter?" she spat, the wicked grin never leaving her face.

"You will stop this." I cringed at his empty words. "I should have never let you succeed the Eighth Queen; her untimely death left me no choice since Alice was not here. You kill for no reason; you hate all. You have become the darkness in all of us, given physical form, and you've turned against us. It's time for you to leave now, for Alice is ready to take her rightful place." I stared at him, bewildered. The Queen glared at him for a moment more, and laughed heartily.

"Me? Leave? Your words can do nothing to me; I am the queen here, and I make the rules. Off. With. His. HEAD." Her words echoed around the hall, and I barely had time to cry out before her scepter blazed a line in the air and my beloved's head lay on the ground. His body crumpled and the blood flowed out like a river. I stood, dumbstruck, staring at the man who had just held me not an hour ago, and the rage began.

I walked over and picked up his hat, which lay beside his head. I turned to the Queen, who was smiling at me expectantly. I looked into her eyes, and suddenly, I saw my mother there, sad and solemn.

She hadn't abandoned me. She had been here, in Wonderland, all along, manifesting as the force that kept pulling me back to this world. This queen was all my misguided hatred towards her, and as I turned on her, I turned the Queen on Wonderland. As I came to this realization, the walls of the palace began to tear along the corners, black shadows snaking up to confiscate the Queen's scepter. She yelled and tried to tug it back, but I glared at her, and suddenly the tendrils were upon her, clutching at her throat, turning her face a delicate shade of blue. I felt a tightness constricting my own throat as well, and the darkness closed on me before I had a chance to shed a single tear for everything.

__________

"Alice? Wake up, my lovely Alice…" I moaned and tried to cover my eyes from the bright light that pushed past my eyelids. A shadow passed over my face, and as I opened my eyes, I saw Chester's green eyes and his smiling face, fangs glinting. He swooped down and kissed me full on the lips, drawing back with relish. "Welcome back, baby."

He was violently shoved aside by a dark figure that growled, "Watch it, Tom," before lifting me into a sitting position. "Alice, my love, speak to me." I turned to his concerned amber eyes and smiled gently.

"Hatter." He pulled me into a tight embrace, snaking his fingers through my hair and showering my face with kisses.

"You've done it, love. You're the queen, now." He paused for a moment to place the fallen crown upon my head, and he helped me onto the throne. I looked out into the abandoned hall.

"Where did they all go?"

Chester draped himself over the back of the gilded throne. "To them, nothing happened. We and Mark are the only ones that remember this. The Ninth Queen disappeared; if you erased the hatred in your mind, she never existed. To the rest of Wonderland, you have been the queen for as long as they can remember." I bit my lip. "No pressure, though," he added. "I'm the Chief Adviser, and I've been running Wonderland for a long, long time now. You're just here to give them a face that's pretty enough to look at." I blushed and slapped his hand gently, and he caught my hand and brought it to his lips. "Well played, my Queen."

"Indeed," Hatter grumbled from beside me. "I suppose you'll be wanting a king now; Spade country has several candidates." I smiled and took his hand.

"I think I can deal with a couple of consorts for now." He brought his lips up to meet mine, and the three of us headed to the dining hall for tea.

The End...?

Review, please, so I know whether to upload other Wonderland tales or continue this one!