Jervis tipped his head, letting the length of his hat shadow his face. A gleeful smile brightened his mouth, and he hummed to himself, the tune repetitive. If Alice heard, she gave no sign. She sat quite still, her hands folded in her lap, her dull eyes gazing beyond him.
"Oh, my Alice," he sighed happily. "It is a beautiful night, yes? Quite a wonderland of scenic delights. And you, my curious child, are the loveliest of all." An unsettling silence continued to follow his compliments. Alas, her stare was constant. The young girl didn't blink - didn't move. The Hatter tried not to think about it, tried to rejoice in her company regardless, but he missed her bubbly nature, and the softness of her expressions.
"Lovelier than all the world, really," he attempted again. Anxiously, he adjusted his pale collar, and scooted a little closer. But no matter his measures, he could not coax a reaction out of her.
"Oh, my Alice," he frowned.
His fingers twitched, and he drummed them nervously against the mushroom. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out and gently held her elbow, sliding his fingertips down her skin until his gloved hand entwined with hers. "Alice," he addressed her fervently. "Alice, say something. Please," he moaned. "Please, please…" Jervis squeezed her hand as he held the back of it to his cheek. Desperate, he leaned into her limp touch. "You love me, don't you, my dear? I need to know you love me. Oh, Alice, if you loved me… if you only loved me it wouldn't have to be like this. I wouldn't have to control you if you chose me. I…" Jervis stopped, shutting his eyes tightly. A sob overtook him, and he whimpered, clutching sorrowfully to her motionless hand.
As he indulged in his pitiful emotions, the sensation of warmth burrowed against his glove. Jervis jerked back suddenly - small fingers had curled around his wrist. It was a comforting action, really, and he searched frantically, hopefully, for a spark of expression in her eyes.
Utterly dull.
"Curiouser and curiouser…" Jervis murmured. Slowly, he ran his hand down from the top of her head, catching the ends in his careful grip. He paused, then dropped the strands.
"Did I make you do that?" he asked darkly. "I must beg your forgiveness. I do realize… I understand you would not want to touch me. And why ever would you, my sweet? I warrant nothing from you. I can only offer my madness, my love..." Uneasily, he continued. "I am not handsome, my Alice. I am not young, either. I could never be Billy. But I do have my own sort of genius - there are no lengths I wouldn't go to to keep my curious girl happy. Why," he announced loudly, jumping to his feet, "why, I would fight a Jabberwocky in your defense! I would brave anything, for you to love me," he ended quietly.
The wind picked up, blowing back the end of his coat. Alice's hair swept over her face, and she could not tuck it back. "My little doll," the Hatter sighed as he sat down beside her. "You must be chilled in that dress. Here, take my coat." And he tugged it off, leaving only a dress shirt and vest to accompany his costume. While wrapping it carefully around her shoulders, Alice seemed to snuggle against the material, and the Hatter froze, glancing up into her blank eyes.
"Be wary, my dear…" Jervis whispered. "Please don't make me think this your volition…" He adjusted the lapels on his coat distractedly. "I do want to take the chip out… I do want you as you were… but what if you don't want me? What if you flee? What then, Alice? No, I know you don't want me. I won't, I can't join the dance." Jervis hung his head sadly.
A shadow passed over one of the lampposts, but both ignored the warning. The tears were too blinding as they formed in the Hatter's eyes for him to recognize anything. Slowly, he raised his face. "There are things I want to tell you, things I could not say if I knew you were truly cognizant." Jervis retook her hand, and stared longingly at her profile. "For instance," he began, "you're the only girl I've ever loved. I've waited my whole lonely life for you. The wait has been severe, but Alice… oh Alice, you're so much more than I could have ever imagined. You can't know how lonely it is, disliking people as I do, being shut away with my work. And I began to think that's all there was - solidarity. But you! You stumbled upon me, so to speak, as I sat at the head of my tea party, with nothing but rows and rows of empty chairs that would never be filled. And you sat with me, and you talked with me, and I - I had never been in love…"
The Hatter raised his hand dazedly, and reached out to brush her lips. At the contact, however, he pulled back ashamedly. Cringing, he whispered, "forgive me… for not being able to let you go."
A faint, but definite, swooshing sound alerted the Hatter. Then, without warning, a mass of black landed, crouched, at the foot of their mushroom. Jervis gasped, stretching a protective arm across Alice. "No," he whispered in horror. "No! You can't have her!"
The Bat stood to his full height. "Give up now, Tetch," he reasoned. "It's what's best for her, and you know it."
"No!" he answered feverishly. "I can't live without her, I won't! She was going to marry him… but I've undone all that. We can be happy, now. Just leave us be!"
"Happy?" the Bat echoed. "Happy with your little doll? She's not capable of being what you want, not in this state. Think about it," he posed. "No surprises, no uncontrolled love. That's what you're desperate for, isn't it? So desperate you'd invent all this--" the Bat gestured to their surroundings, "just to grasp a scrap of her love."
Jervis stared wide-eyed at the Dark Knight. "I'd never hurt her…" he whispered defensively.
"You've hurt her already," the Bat answered disgustedly. "End the charade now, before the damage gets worse. This is your fair warning."
Anxiously, Jervis fingered the mind control chip in his pocket. A flick of the wrist and Batman's mind would be his. And Alice - Alice would never leave him. If the Bat couldn't take her, he thought, no one could. It was all so maddeningly easy. "If you say so," Jervis sighed dejectedly. He clutched his invention victoriously. Suddenly, the chip shot from his hand, spinning rapidly towards Batman. But the Hatter hadn't counted on the Bat's reflexes, and he darted, missing the chip by an astounding distance.
Jervis growled angrily.
"I gave you a fair warning," Batman reminded him.
The Hatter had no time to block the blow that crushed against his face, knocking him off the mushroom. Pitifully, he groaned into the grass, then fell silent. His hat lied beside him, mocking his lost fantasy.
Batman rushed to Alice, searching her hastily for the tiny chip. "Ah," he announced, and gently untangled the headband from her hair. Slowly, Alice tipped her head, then groggily raised it.
"Miss Pleasance?" Batman asked. When she eyed him fearfully, he continued. "You're safe now. The man you work for, Jervis Tetch, he planted this in your hair. It's a mind control device. He was using it to keep you with him." Patiently, he waited for her to comment, but she stayed silent. If it hadn't been for the sadness in her eyes, he might have thought she was still under the Hatter's control. "I know this is a lot to take in, but the police will be here soon. You have nothing to fear."
Alice covered her face in her small hands. "Thank you," she whispered distractedly.
Before the Bat could nod, his legs were taken out. The Hatter barreled at him, swinging and dodging with every strength he could rally. Taken off guard, Batman leapt back, just out of Jervis' way.
"She's mine!" Jervis seethed. "You can't take what's mine!"
Angrily, the Bat clenched his fist, arching his elbow. But before he could strike, a small figure darted in front of him, and latched onto the front of Jervis Tetch's shirt.
Jervis gasped, and took a clumsy step backward. Alice was clutching him so tightly her hands were shaking. "No!" she cried as she buried her head in the material. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but tears still managed fall down her pale skin, absorbed by his shirtfront. "Don't make him hurt you!" she begged. "Please, I don't want him to hurt you!"
"Alice…?" Jervis whispered in astonishment.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she responded shakily.
Jervis clutched her arms. "Sorry…" he repeated dazedly.
If the Batman was shocked by her actions, Jervis was terrified. His Alice was in his arms, voluntarily, pleading for him. And she was sorry… for what, Jervis had no idea, but the source of her apology was of little importance to him. The possibility that she didn't hate him, that was something to focus on.
"I didn't know, Jervis… I never - how could I…?" she rambled on.
"Alice…" Batman began warily.
Suddenly, she spun around, making an effort to shield Jervis with her outstretched arms. "Please, he didn't mean to hurt anyone," she reasoned with Batman. "I'm fine, really! He-he only did it because… it's my fault!" she ended desperately.
Batman held up a gentle hand, and took a slow step forward. "I'm sorry, Miss Pleasance, but your employer's crimes extend past tonight."
"But the police don't need to be involved, do they?" Pleadingly, she turned back to Jervis, who had gone stiff and sheet white. "You won't hurt anyone again, will you?"
"I…"
"He won't, I know he won't!" she defended. Batman took another step forward.
"Alice, I think you're a little confused… why don't you-"
He paused, and all three heads snapped up at the sound of nearing sirens.
Alice burst into tears.
"It's alright, Alice," Batman comforted. "They'll put him in Arkham, he'll get the help he needs."
Alice jumped at the sound of Jervis' voice. "Yes, Alice," he agreed slowly. Tears were beginning to well in his dark eyes, and he paused, wearily stretching out his hand to stroke a lock of her hair. "It's alright," he whispered.
Finally, his eyes met hers. She sniffled, but managed to keep her tearful stare constant.
And then Batman was gone, and officers were running towards them; they could hear their boots slap the card maze pavement.
Not once did Alice break eye contact with the Hatter.
Not when they handcuffed him.
Not when they shoved him into a police vehicle.
Only when the car was out of sight did she turn dazedly to the investigators. "He's getting help," she assured them. Slowly, she bent down and picked up the Hatter's coat. He'd given it to her, and she'd let it slip from her shoulders during the fight. With a frown, Alice held the material in her folded arms, before wrapping it around herself. She shivered, and tugged it tighter. "They're taking him to Arkham," she reiterated. "He-he'll get help there."
Then Alice Pleasance began to sob.
A/N: Well, there's the first chapter. I have most of the second part completed, so that should be up soon as well. There are so few Hatter/Alice stories, I figure the pairing could use another voice. Thanks for reading!