End of the World

AN: Standard disclaimer, I own nothing except my own characters. Based on And Dream Away AU, these are one-shots of Hatter's memories, expanded from pages taken from the Notebook he wrote to show Alice the truth of his life. These will make more sense if you read And Dream Away first. Rated M because on future pages there will be some very M stuff going on. Most of Hatter's life is M.

Ran across the garden straight to the tallest tree, me father's favorite hat clutched in one fist. Only a few minutes to make it to the top if I wanted to see the suns set over the lake between Double Peaks.

Up, up and up I went, an eleven year old boy climbing higher than the sky, hat clenched in me teeth. Perched between two branches, plopped the hat on me head and pulled a couple smashed cream cakes from me pocket. Watched the little paper cups fall to the ground.

I'd made it in time to see the light turn the lake into a rainbow of color. It was the most beautiful thing ever. Except for me mother's eyes.

Like today, when she was standing on the porch, when I'd run home from the stables to tell her father was coming soon, ran down the drive between the trees all golden and bright. Standing there with her hand up shading her eyes, watching me run with a smile.

"Hello mum!" I stopped short of hugging her, too old for that now, not a little boy anymore.

"Hello David. Are you hungry?" Silly question, I was always hungry. "I've made cream cakes for tea."

"What kind?" Didn't like the banana ones.

"Lemon and orange. David?" She looked out over the pasture. "Who are those poor people?" Dozens of people were putting up tents, huddling in the chill air.

"Father said they were refugees from the mountains, come to get on the shuttle. The King said they could stay there for tonight."

"Is the Queen sending them food?" She asked but I shrugged because I wanted cream cakes.

She nodded and smiled down at me ruffling me hair. Her eyes were soft and full of love. It's the last clear memory I have of me mum.

But high up in the tree, I licked icing off me fingers and watched the light fade and the first stars peek out.

Mum carried the tray out in the garden and set it on the big iron table. Me father would be here soon and I needed to get down and put his hat back first. Mum stood at the table and looked around.

"David!" She called. "David, it's time for tea!" I laughed and watched the top of her head. Watched her look for me.

The ground shook and she grabbed the tray. I could hear the cups tink from up here, the cream pitcher tipped and spilled across the table.

"David!" she cried out and I almost answered her, but me father stood in the doorway.

"Did you feel that?" He asked. "Tremors are coming more often. I think we should get on the shuttle tomorrow."

She shook her head at him. "I'm not all packed. I can't decide what to take and what must be left behind." She looked around. "I don't want to go." She said so softly I almost didn't hear her. "This is my home. Our home."

The wind shook the tree and tinkled the leaves. An eleven year old boy can be anything in the top of a tree with the wind on his face and his father's hat on his head.

"David!" Me father called, looking straight up in the tree at me. "Is that me hat on your head?"

"Yes, father!" I called and started down. Suddenly a fissure opened and in seconds half the house was swallowed. Liquid fire flowed out and the mountains shook.

Me tree swayed leaning away from the house. "MUM!" I screamed trying to hang on.

"David!" Mum screamed running towards the tree. More fissures opened and lava bubbled out blocking her path. Me father ran to her and held her in his arms, they stood on an island amidst the lava and fissures and fire. The house was burning, the fields were burning. Even the smaller trees were aflame.

"David!" Me father screamed. "Run to your mum's brother! Your uncle will get you on the shuttle!" He held mum close and didn't turn around as the rest of the house fell and was gone. Me tree tipped and crashed clear of the fire and lava.

"MUM!" I screamed pushing thru the branches and looked around, but it was all gone. Me mum, me father and me home. The world was on fire.

Ran down the drive leading to the stables, past the pastures. Brutus ran along the fence screaming in fear. He was the King's great white stallion, father of all the colts in the stable.

Rearing, his great hooves came down crashing into the fence.

Jumped on the fence and onto his back. Someone had left on his bridle, but I could only reach a handful of mane. Stuffed me father's hat down me shirt and kicked me heels into Brutus. We cleared the broken fence with a handful of mares following.

The stables exploded into flame and the sound of horses screaming was louder than the scream of the fire. There's no way I could get to me Uncle's, so I pulled on his mane, turning Brutus toward the shuttle. It was parked on the tiled pavement near the lake. We raced away from the hungry flames.

There's only small fissures now, nothing Brutus can't jump. I had no real control over Brutus and when we got to the shuttle, pulling on his mane barely slows him down.

Someone grabbed at the bridle, but Brutus doesn't like strangers and reared up to stomp him. I screamed pulling on his mane, backing him up enough to miss the man. Everyone is shouting and people stream past us up the ramp. Something explodes and even the officers run.

I slipped off his back and jump the mile to the ground, grabbing the bridle and rubbing his nose, trying to calm him. The mares are snorting and bunching behind him, afraid of everything.

Another man runs to grab the bridle and I yell at him to stop. He won't come for you. The man looks at the great horse and nods.

"Follow me boy." He leads the way up the ramp and we walk up, someone forcing the people to stop and wait while the King's horses are loaded. I took out me father's hat and held it tight. The horses are more important than one grubby little boy.

Inside he leads us down a ramp to where stables have been setup. I clip a lead to Brutus and to the wall and use some of the hay to wipe him down, talking softly all the while. Someone puts the mares in stalls beside us.

We feel the shuttle shake as it takes off. No one comes and I cry meself to sleep in the hay.

Uncle found me there in the morning, after we'd docked with the ship. He stood there looking at me and sighed. He didn't care much for little boys.

"Come on then." He took me to his apartments and cleaned me up. "I don't know what's going to happen David. The King is dead." Shook his head. "He was here, on the ship when the cataclysm hit, but went back for the Queen. No one could stop him. Neither of them made it."

He stared down at one silent little boy in confusion.

"You can stay here with me in my private stasis unit." Shook his head. "When we wake, we'll be at our new world. In time we'll forget this and have a new life."

Didn't say anything cause there was nothing to say. Everything was gone.

I had nothing but me clothes and me father's hat. I would never forget.

AN: this is all done with total disregard for any valid scientific fact re twin suns. Cake recipe is definitely worth the effort and the 10,000 calories. This one is Emeril's.

Italian Cream Cake (From Beth Lott's Mom)

Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Ingredients

For the cake:

1/2 cup shortening, room temperature

1 stick butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, separated and at room temperature

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 cups shredded coconut

1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar, sifted

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325ยบ F and grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. (You can also do 4 or even two for a more stable cake.)

Cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. With a mixer on low speed, add the sifted ingredients in batches alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the prepared batter. Add the coconut, pecans and vanilla and fold into the batter. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each cake. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. When the cakes are completely cool, stack the layers with the frosting and frost the sides and top.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the nuts and fold together. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to frost the cake.