'Great Aunt?!' The call went unanswered, so the source of it continued to run down the corridor, her long blonde hair flying out behind her. The girl rounded another corner, 'Great Aunt?! Where have you gone to?' she came to a stop, out of breath, and listened carefully over the sound of her heart beating. She started running again, quickly turning a corner as she found her quarry.
'Good morning, Helen.' Came a serene greeting from the elderly woman, 'You found me quicker than I thought you would.' Helen frowned, waggling her finger.
'Great Aunt Alice, we are not playing a game.' She said seriously, and her aunt seemed caught between a frown and a smile.
'You sound older than me, talking like that' Alice teased kindly, 'But Great Aunt Alice? Now that makes me sound old, Aunt Alice will do just fine.' Helen nodded dutifully, taking her aunt by the hand.
'You are not at all old Aunt Alice.' She said kindly, and the older woman laughed, shaking her head.
'Lying is a useful skill but not a recommended one Helen.' She chastised, and the younger girl blushed.
'Sorry Aunt Alice.' She said shamefacedly, but the older woman simply smiled, Helen smiled back for a moment, before remembering why she had been searching for the old woman. 'Are you coming to take breakfast with us Aunt Alice?' she asked, and her Aunt turned away, suddenly looking distant. Alice had been doing that more and more recently, it was why Helen's parents had come to stay with her; keeping an eye on their slightly batty old Aunt.
'A few things I want to do before breakfast.' Alice said finally, her eyes back on her niece, who raised an eyebrow quizzically.
'Like what?' she asked, and Alice smiled, the lines around her old eyes deepening.
'I want to check on the rabbits.' She said, and taking Helens arm, she led her out into the garden.
'I thought maybe you'd want to play a game or something quizzical like that.' Helen admitted, her relief obvious as the walked down the garden path, and Alice laughed quietly.
'Well I would always encourage the quizzical,' she said thoughtfully, 'would you care to play one while we walk?' Helen nodded, not wanting to upset the old woman, Alice slowly nodded in return.
'Your Great Grandfather used to say that he would believe six impossible things before breakfast.' Alice said simply, 'Would you care to join me in thinking of a few before we have breakfast ourselves?' Helen frowned slightly, it was an odd idea for a game, but it seemed simply enough.
'It's just impossible that you managed to sneak away from me before breakfast Aunt Alice, especially hardly wearing any clothes.' The old woman laughed freely at that, pausing in her walk just to giggle, Helen had a hard time not joining in.
'I am wearing a perfectly sufficient amount of clothing Helen.' She said, indicating her long nightgown, overcoat and high boots.
'If you insist Aunt Alice,' Helen conceded as they started to walk again, 'Now you think of an impossible thing.' Helen studied her Aunt as they walked, and watched a new smile slowly spread across the older woman's face.
'I should think it impossible that all my rabbits have escaped.' She said finally, and Helen's head snapped around, her face falling as it took in the sight of her Aunt's collection of rabbits as they hopped around the Rose bushes.
'Lord above!' she exclaimed, and immediately started running after them.
---
Alice watched Helen tear around the garden after her rabbits in relaxed amusement, her niece was unlikely to catch them, they were clever little things.
'Two impossible things already,' she muttered to herself quietly, starting to walk down the path again, 'how productive.' Alice's eyes darted around the scene, looking at the collection of rabbits, her eyes singling out one in particular; white, and a little on the large size.
'I suppose it would have been impossible for him to have let them out,' she said to herself quietly, turning off into a little side garden, where her best roses grew, half red and half white. 'Utterly impossible,' she said again stroking a withered finger along a pale rose petal, 'so that makes three.' Alice stooped down to smell at the rose, her bones creaking, and then she noticed something.
'Now…' Alice said thoughtfully, 'It would be particularly impossible for there to be a top-hat under my roses, especially that top-hat.' She reached out to touch it, but it was beyond her reach, and as she tried to close the gap, Alice tipped forward. Her thin frame fell to the ground with a soft thump, and she had to stifle a laugh at her own frailty. She vaguely registered Helen calling out for her again, imagining the moment when her niece found her, reaching out a delicate hand to help her up, but then she thought of something else.
'It would be beyond impossible that that hand would be wearing fingerless gloves and be covered in thimbles.' She said slowly, shutting her eyes for just a moment, 'Just impossible that it wouldn't be Helen; that it would be…'
'Alice!' a voice rang out, and Alice slowly opened her eyes again, looking at the hand in front of her, she drew herself up slowly, taking hold of it, and its owner drew her gently to her feet. 'You found my hat! How delightful!'
She wasn't in her garden anymore, she was somewhere else entirely.
'I suppose I did.' Alice said, smiling at the man in front of her, 'It was very careless of you to lose it you know Hatter.' She pointed out, and he looked away abashed.
'Oh undoubtedly shameful, my dear Alice.' He admitted, 'A terrible crime for which I will have to answer at some point, possibly after some tea. Misplacing one's things is never good practice.' Hatter held out his arm and Alice took it gratefully, as they started to walk, she didn't feel so old anymore.
'No, it's a terrible nuisance.' Alice agreed, as they walked along a winding forest path, arm in arm. The Hatter nodded seriously.
'It was certainly a nuisance, misplacing you.' He pointed out, and Alice pondered this.
'I apologise for the inconvenience,' she offered, as they came to a stop by a long glass pond, 'but I do believe it's been rectified now.' The Hatter grinned shyly in response.
'That it has lassie.' He said quietly, and Alice nodded gently, staring at her reflection in the glass.
'Hatter?' she asked,
'Yes my dear?' he asked,
'I suppose it's impossible that the White Queen would have a potion to make me look young again?' she said slowly, and the Hatter scratched at his chin.
'I should think she'll have something to that effect,' he admitted, 'she has all manner of things in this day and age; why only last week she turned Chess pink and purple – that really put his tail in a twist so it did.' Alice continued to look at her reflection, studying her own wrinkled smile.
'Then that makes six.' She said quietly, as the Hatter again took her hand.
'Would you like to see the Queen now?' he asked, and Alice looked up to see the Hatter, his pale face beaming at her.
'Maybe later,' she said, returning the smile, 'I think I'd like my breakfast first.'
I never liked the fact that she left Hatter and Wonderland, so I wrote this not half an hour after seeing the film XP - taken me a long while to put it up ^^"
Um I don't know if it's clear, because the person I asked to beta this kinda refused so i've had noone to ask, but what I was trying to get across here was Alice dying, after a long and happy life and going to Wonderland forever in death. Also having never got married because HatterxAlice is a new favorite pairing of mine XP
Hope someone likes.
Strictly xx