Title: SHATTERED
Author: HAPPY HEARTS CASINO
Parings: Alice/Hatter, Duchess/Jack, and Hatter/Duchess sibling relationship
Spoilers: Both nights of Alice.
Notes: So, this was the result of my plot bunnies turning rather rabid in the face of Hatter/Alice squeeage, and somehow coming to the conclusion that this could make an interesting little story, so I hope you guys like it ^_^ Also, I'm working on a Hatter backstory fic that has some elements of things mentioned in here in it, so they'll be explained more when I get that started.
Summary:"You only knew me as your mother's creation Jack. You never once stopped to think who I might have been before"
She can still remember the day she lost her parents. The day had been as normal as could be expected in Wonderland; she and her little brother had been playing with their friends, and she'd had to scold him after he'd broken the nose of one of the boys who had started harassing her on their way home. She wouldn't tell their mother or father he'd got into a fight though; David would need to learn how to take care of himself one of these days, and it had amused her to see that even at the age of eight, he had a mean right hook that had taken down a guy almost twice his age.
"But Lil, why do we have to go home now?" David whines, clinging to her hand as she coerces him along the walkways back to their small home.
"Because Mum and Dad will be expecting us home for tea soon" Lilian replies, and she can't help smiling when the youngster's face lights up at the mention of tea. He might only be eight, but he downs the stuff like there's no tomorrow. However, they can't dwell on the idea for long, as she realises that two doors away, the front door of their family home is standing wide open. Face creased in a frown, she motions silently to David to stay where he is while she investigates. Cautiously stepping over the threshold, she can't help but be a little scared as she sees the state the small apartment is in. Picture frames knocked off the wall are broken, the shattered glass crunching beneath her feet as she picks her way through the carnage. Books are torn apart, furniture is upturned, and in the kitchen, her mother's favourite tea set is smashed all over the floor. The only room that seems to have escaped any damage is the one she shares with David, by some miracle. It looks like the house has been hit by a tornado.
However, it's the sight in the living room that almost sends her into hysterics; the white carpet stained forever red, their mother and father...It's all she can do to not start screaming, but David can't see this. Forcing herself to step across the destroyed room, she reaches down to remove her mother's locket and slips it into her pocket before making a swift line for the door, pulling it shut behind her as she returns to her room. Pulling the biggest bags she can find from the cupboard, she begins throwing whatever she can into them as her mind races, desperately trying to find some reason why this could have happened. All she can think of is the voices she heard when her parents thought they were fast asleep, hushed conversations behind closed doors with countless people she doesn't recognise. This had to be something to do with the Queen, it has to be something to do with those hushed conversations that her parents wouldn't let her know about.
Forcing the bags closed, she swings one onto her back and pulls the other one out into the hall. Just before she reaches the front door again, she notices her father's favourite hat lying on the ground, and she bends down to pick it up. David always liked it, and would often run around wearing it when he was allowed to. She brushes a few small pieces of broken glass from it before returning to her senses. They can't stay here any longer. Returning outside, and forcing the door over as best as she could when the lock had been kicked in, she can't help but be a little surprised that David actually stayed put. He doesn't question her when she tells him to carry the other bag, or when she places the hat atop his messy brown hair, and even when she takes his hand to lead him away from everything they'd ever known, he still doesn't ask why. She's his big sister, and it's her job to keep him safe. It isn't until later when they've been taken in by a friend of their parents she only ever remembers being called Dodo that she allows herself to cry, locked in the bathroom under a running shower while David plays with Dodo's son March. She can't let him see her break down now; she's got to be the strong one for him, now that they're the only family each other has left.
This isn't the first time Lilian forces herself to suppress her emotions, and it certainly won't be the last.