Twins of Wonderland – Prologue

A/N: So, one of my betas and I were working out a story we're planning on co-authoring (another Alice and Primeval crossover) and we got onto wondering who was older: Connor or Hatter. I said, "How do we know Hatter is older? Connor could be, or they could be twi-…damn it."

And here we are XD

Summary: We all know that there's a certain Mad Hatter who happens to look exactly like a young paleontologist (who works for a secret government organization, but that's another story). Who's to say they're not related? Cousins, second cousins thrice removed…or maybe…twins.
Rating: T
Warnings: Fan girls squealing due to excessive exposure to Andrew-Lee Potts.
Betas: It'sOnlyForever and Nightly Rains (Thanks a bunch guys).

The Mad Hatters had been around as long as Wonderland itself. The family had been large and thriving until the Queen of Hearts took the throne. They had died off until a very few were left – and she left them because Wonderland's strange balance depended on there being at least one Mad Hatter.

Then the Alice of Legend came and brought down the whole house of cards and for a long time, Wonderland was free and the Hatters flourished again.

Until the current Queen of Hearts came to power. Crueler than the last, she hunted almost all the Hatters. Out of desperation many of them went into hiding with other refugees. However, they had underestimated the new Queen. She found them and killed nearly all of them. After the slaughter she passed a cruel and dangerous law: The Mad Hatter could only have one child; if twins were to be born, the youngest would be killed.

The law did not pose a problem for the family until the Queen's son, Jack, was born. At the time of the young Prince's birth, the Hatter's wife also gave birth. Birth to identical twin boys. The Mad Hatter knew the law, he knew it well. But, he could not bear to kill his youngest child, so he and his wife came up with a plan.

The lights in the tea shop were off and the dark building was quickly losing its warmth. Two figures emerged from the door and slipped into the shadows. Both were carrying small, tightly wrapped bundles.

The figures were hardly noticeable. The shadows wrapped around them, guiding, hiding, protecting. Soon they reached their destination: the Hall of the Looking Glass. Carefully, they slipped out of the shadows and inched toward the Looking Glass and a man in a suit. The man smiled grimly.

"You have until dawn, Hatter," He said.

"Thank you," The Hatter tipped his hat and adjusted his arms to get a better grip on his eldest son. His wife held their youngest in one arm and used the other to dig out an envelope and small ring threaded on a string to make a necklace. She slipped the necklace around her child's head and tucked the envelope into his blankets. She handed him to Hatter and took the elder twin from him. Kissing her youngest on the forehead one last time, she whispered, "Be safe, dear child of mine, and always remember who you are, because even though you will live amongst the Oysters, you will always be a child of Wonderland."

Giving his wife a kiss, the Hatter turned and slipped through the shimmering surface of the Looking Glass.

London was very different from Alice of Legend's time. The buildings were tall and made of metal and glass. Cars and people clogged the streets, making Hatter even more aware of the time slipping away. He knew that time flowed faster in Wonderland than here; they had done the math, figuring how much time Hatter had to get his son to safety.

It wasn't long.

Of course, he already knew where he was taking his youngest. It was the last place the Queen of Hearts would look if she discovered their deception. His wife had been traveling between worlds under the pretence of looking for new teas. Instead, she was looking for a safe family for the younger of the twins. She had picked a young, newlywed couple, who were doing well and could care for a child. They lived only five minutes from the Looking Glass. The people in the area had said they were very kind and the wife regularly watched the neighbor's children. His wife had chosen them to raise the youngest Hatter.

It didn't take long for the Hatter to find the flat where the couple lived. He checked his son's blankets one more time and as he walked away, he looked at the name plate on the mailbox.

Temple.

Arianna Temple liked to think she was fairly level headed and mature for her young age of twenty-two years. Her husband was kind and loving, even if he drank a little too much. He could support her easily, but she believed in making her own, so she worked. Someday she also wanted a child of her own.

But sometimes she worried about how her husband would welcome a child into their lives. Well, she'd worry about that when necessary. For now, she had groceries to worry about. Or, at least until she opened the door and found a sleeping child on her doorstep.

"You can't be serious, Ari."

"Of course I am! You've read the letter! Poor boy…" Arianna trailed off to coo at the baby nestled in her arms.

"Ari, we can't keep him!" Arianna glared at her husband.

"I will not abandon him, Brian." Her husband sighed and shook his head. He knew that when she was this determined there was no talking her out of it. He'd let her keep the boy until she realized how tiring and useless infants were.

"All right. You can keep him."

Arianna beamed and continued cooing at the babe. "He'll need a name," she said. "How about Connor?"

"It's a good name," Brian agreed. Arianna stood up, grabbed her coat and keys and went to the door.

"Where are you going Ari?"

Arianna slipped on her shoes, readjusted Connor, opened the door, and threw over her shoulder, "The store! We need baby supplies, yeah?"

The door clicked shut and Brian sighed. He turned and left the kitchen, accidently knocking the letter they found with Connor to the floor for the entire world to see.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Temple,

My name is of no importance. The only thing you must know is that without you, this child will die. Where we come from, a cruel and harsh law sentenced him to death. Because of this law, I cannot care for my son, no matter how much I wish so. I beg of you to take him in and raise him as your own. Where we are from, who I am and who his father is does not matter. Please, just take care of our son. We wish him to live a long, healthy, and happy life.

We understand the burden we have placed upon you, but we have no choice.

Thank you for caring for our son.

You have our eternal gratitude.

And that, my dear readers, is the prologue.

Love it? Hate it? You know what to do!