"Carol, I know that that greeting doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, and I know that you're hoping I can explain myself, but the fact of the matter is simple. I love your daughter. The rest isn't that important." Carol looks over at Alice, subconsiously standing slightly behind Hatter, her right arm tucked into his back, her left hand gripping his left arm, which is extended back protectively, his hand splaying across Alice's thigh. Carol again calls Alice's name, the same confused and hopeful tone. Alice steps out from around Hatter, sliding her right arm around to replace her left as she addresses her mom.
"Mom, obviously, some things have happened. The trick is that if I told you exactly what has happened, you won't believe me. I didn't believe me until I looked up and saw Hatter." Carol is even less mollified by this tone, she finally puts forth her complaints.
"I just don't understand this Alice. Last night, we had dinner with your boyfriend Jack, whom you claimed was different than all the other boys you've brought around to meet me. He gave you a ring and you raced after him, I assumed to return it. An hour later, I go looking for you and there is this man, David or Hatter or whatever his name is, clutching your unconscious body. I think, regardless of how likely I am to believe you or not, you had better try to explain because this is like something out of a horror movie." Carol's tone is now full blown panicked so Alice takes both of her hands and leads her into the dining room, looking back and gesturing at Hatter to follow her. Once everyone is settled, Alice facing her mother with Hatter to her left, Alice begins her tale.
"Try to keep an open mind mom, please? So last night, I ran outside to give Jack back his ring when I heard sounds of a struggle, I went over and saw two men throw Jack into a white van and drive away." Carol gasps in horror and Alice laughs a little. "Trust me mom, that is one of the tamest things that happened to me over the past four days." Carol shoots her a look, but Alice continues. "Well I couldn't follow the van but this man stepped out the shadows and asked me for the ring. I slipped it on my finger and let him take the empty box. I followed him into the abandoned building where they found me, but I'd lost him. I fell into a mirror, and instead of all the pain and glass, I was transported to a different world." Carol looks skeptical. "Open mind mom, remember?" The woman rolls her eyes but nods. Alice continues, deciding that getting it all out in one go is probably best, that way she'll see that Hatter hasn't brain washed her, he's the one that saved her.
"Well I was tricked into a room that shrank down into a crate and it air lifted me away. I escaped and fell into the river. I swam ashore and ended up meeting Hatter. He promised to introduce me to some friends who would help me get Jack back. When we went to meet these friends, they turned on us and shot Hatter!" Carol, engrossed in the drama, looks over at Hatter, concerned. He flushes.
"I was wearing body armor at the time." Carol nods like that is an everyday occurrence and then gestures for Alice to continue.
"Well we escaped those crazies and on the way back to Hatter's tea shop, we almost bumped into another mob out to find me. We ran from them, and escaped in Hatter's boat to the forest, where we ended up running from a Jabbermonkey." Hatter guffaws.
"It's a Jabberwock luv, not a Jabbermonkey." Alice sticks her tongue out.
"If you're finished interrupting…? Thank you." She turns back to her mom, who asks "What's a Jabberwock?" Hatter smiles at Alice before explaining.
"They're really big, funny looking creatures. Big fat heads with crooked teeth and googly eyes and really long feelers attached to a dinosaur body by a thin neck. They've got spikes all down their back and their front feet look like hands. They're a little dumb, but they are always very hungry and anything is fair gam-" He stops explaining when Alice touches his arm and shakes her head no, gesturing to Carol's shocked stare. Hatter looks sheepish before Alice continues.
"We fell into a pit and the Jabberwock left when he couldn't get us." Carol's gasp doesn't stop Alice's story. "A knight named Charlie showed us to his camp where we spent the night. Charlie and Hatter told me that Jack was at the Casino and to go there was too dangerous." Carol sighs knowingly, Alice can be so headstrong sometimes. Alice just continues, anxious to get this story over with. "I snuck out of the camp and got myself caught after hiding the ring in the camp. When I got to the casino, the Queen interrogated me, but I just kept asking to see Jack. Eventually he showed up, but instead of my poor, kidnapped boyfriend Jack Chase, I find out he was the Queen's son, Jack Heart, AND he was engaged to a Duchess!" Her mom grasps her hand as she gasps aloud.
"But he tried to give you a ring! Is he mormon?" Alice shakes her head no and Hatter tilts his head quizzically. She ignores him and continues. "
They tried to get me to tell them where the ring was by putting me in this room where the floorboards fall down into a big pit, but Hatter saved me in the knick of time." She smiles fondly at him and Carol also casts him a grateful glance, aware that Alice doesn't like step stools, nevermind deep pits. Her glance is pulled back to Alice as she speaks. "We escaped again and ended up back at the camp. Hatter went back to get his friends to help and they said they would send someone out. Well Jack shows up and it turns out he's a member of a resistance faction trying to overthrow his mother. So he was bringing me, on horse back, to meet one of his posse, when my horse ran off. Hatter chased it down and saved me again and we had to camp out in this really creepy forest. We made it back to Jack the next day and he explained that the guy we were going to meet was the the head honcho of the Resistance." Alice briefly considers telling her mom about her dad, but that will be a really rough conversation and her mom would be devastated if she falls apart in front of Hatter.
"We were captured again and I was supposed to be banished back here and Jack was supposed to be killed and they were torturing Hatter, it was terrible for everyone. But somehow we all escaped, Hatter and I destroyed the Evil Queen's empire, saved all of the other people from our world that were prisoners and we went back to Hatter's for the night." Hatter is pleasantly surprised when Alice doesn't continue to elaborate about their spending the night together.
"The next day, we went back to the Looking Glass, Jack was going to take over the kingdom and I was sent back here." Carol takes a deep breath and nods, her eyes a little glassy. Alice touches her face gently.
"Mom, I'm not making this up. I really did fall into Hatter's world and we really did have this four day long adventure. I can't explain the time difference, I don't think-" Hatter speaks up then.
"I can." Alice and Carol both look over at him, Alice looks shocked and Carol; suspicious. He swallows before explaining. "In the time after you left, I had to tie up the loose ends. I had to gather up my merchandise and hand over my business to Charlie, I had to clean myself up, because if you'll remember, I was a bit roughed up when last we spoke. Well after all that, I convinced Jack to send me through the mirror after you. He sent me over to his White Rabbit guys and they taught me a thing or two about your world, to help me fit in." Alice was looking a little frustrated so he reigned in his nervous impulse to babble. "Well, they also explained that they were sending me back to the time you went back to. So when they sent you back the first time, they sent you back to the time you left, or close to it. They sent me back to that same time, and that's how I found you." Alice nods her head in understanding.
"I wish they would have told me that, when I woke up this morning, I couldn't understand the time difference, I thought it was all a dream. I was afraid that you were a dream." Alice reaches over and takes Hatter's hand. As they stare into each other's eyes, Carol feels out of place. She stands, drawing both of their attention.
"That has to be the craziest thing I've ever heard Alice. If you didn't want to tell me-" Hatter looks at Alice, her face crumbling as her mother doesn't believe her when Hatter suddenly remembers.
"I can prove it!" Carol looks at him skeptically and Alice asks.
"How?" Hatter smiles brilliantly and explains.
"The mirror. All she has to do is touch the surface and when her hand goes through it, she'll know we're not lying!" Alice looks at her mother, who looks panicked.
"I'm not going through a magic mirror to Wonderland. I think you might need to get your head examined young man." Alice speaks up.
"He's not crazy, and neither am I. If you don't want to come and see the proof, then you have to accept that we're not lying on faith. It's your choice mom, but make it quick." She casts a flirty glance over at Hatter. "I promised Hatter we'd do pizza." Hatter smiles back at her, his heart rate jumping as he remembers. 'And lots of other things.' He stands up and grabs Alice's hand.
"Shall we, my dear?" Alice smiles happily at him and looks at her mom, who grabs her pocketbook before following them out into the hall. The elevator ride and the short walk over to the building is tense because Carol is clearly in no mood to do this and she is even less trusting of this Hatter fellow. When they arrive at the mirror, Hatter lets go of Alice and steps up, looking at Carol as he extends his hand to the mirror. She holds her breath as his hand passes through the seemingly liquid glass. She releases the breath when he's not sucked in and she steps forward to examine it. Hatter holds very still and lets her look her fill. He is shocked when she suddenly thrusts her own hand into the mirror. The feeling makes her eyes widen in shock and she pulls her hand back out. She looks at her hand, unchanged and she turns to smile at Alice just as someone comes through the Looking Glass, landing atop of Hatter with a grunt. Alice recognizes the man immediately and pulls her mother away from the two men. The man stands and helps Hatter stand as well.
"Are you alright Hatter? I didn't mean to fall-" He notices that Hatter is completely ignoring him in favor of looking at something behind him. He turns to look and comes face to face with his wife Carol, who promptly faints. Alice slows her mother's fall, but the dead weight drags her down to the ground, still cradling her mother's upper body as best she can.