Before we start with the story I want to thank my beta 'MyLittleRobin'. She did an amazing work and gave me some helpful advices. She also checked my other Batman OS "Riddle me this, Detective".
So many thanks to you!

Now have fun reading this OS!

Hell in Wonderland

Sirens were wailing in the distance as two detectives arrived at the Gotham General Hospital. "Ah, Detectives, I was calling you because of one of my patients." A woman in middle age greeted the men and walked with them in the direction of her patient's room.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" The older cop asked.

"I'm not so sure. She was brought here just an hour ago. You know, she collapsed at the ob-gyn office. Apparently she didn't took the news so good. Well who could blame her?" The woman answered and stopped in front of the door.

"Is she awake? Did she talk to you?", the other cop asked.

"Yes she is awake but she didn't say much. She mumbled something about rabbits and tea. I believe she was raped and suffers from a mental shock!" The detectives exchanged a stern look.

"May we see her, Doctor?" The older man questioned in a slight southern accent.

"Of course, her name is Samantha Bright and she is 22 years old. Please just be careful, she is not in the best condition." The detectives knocked at the door before walking in, the woman wasn't lying in her bed anymore. She sat in one of the chairs and looked out of the window, she didn't even turn around to see who was coming in.

"Samantha Bright? My name is Arthur Black and this is my colleague John Stein. Your doctor called us; she thought you might have to tell us something." The older cop started the conversation and walked completely into the room. His colleague closed the door behind him.

The woman turned slowly around and faced the cops. Her eyes were red from crying and her makeup was blurred but besides that she looked absolutely calm, actually too calm. Her expression was totally blank as if her mind would wander far away from reality. The detectives weren't sure if it was just the shock or if she was more traumatized than they thought. After a while she opened her mouth, she took a short breath and started talking.

"I assume you already know what happened." Her voice was weak, more like a whisper and she looked through the room without really looking for something.

"Miss Bright we don't mean any harm to you." Detective Black said in a reassuring tone. "Do you think you could come with us to the police department? There you could make a declaration."

Samantha took another deep, shaky breath and stood up. She walked over to her jacket and put it on, all of her movements very slow. She walked to the door and waited there for the detectives who exchanged a short look, before they joined her and took her to the GCPD.

It was quite the contrast from the white and clean, nearly sterile room of the hospital to this grey and dark interrogation room. For a moment Samantha was alone in this room, her hands on her lap and the legs pressed together. She looked down at the table and was waiting in silence.

"She is quite the beauty, with her long blond hair and her sporty figure. Only a mad man would harm her that way." Detective Stein stood behind the window and looked at the silent woman in the room, a cup of coffee in his hand. He sipped at it as his colleague arrived.

"I wonder who did this to her." Detective Black stated in an angry voice.

"'Wonder' is a good start to solve this!" The two men turned around to see Commissioner Gordon in front of them.

"Here", he gave them a folder with a few sheets of paper in it. Detective Black opened it and scanned the documents. "I heard you would interrogate her and her name was quite familiar. She was being held hostage by a well-known rogue in this city."

"The Mad Hatter!" Detective Black growled, his eyes still fixed on the papers. Commissioner Gordon sighed.

"Yes, poor girl. Tetch is locked up in Arkham again, but that won't heal her wounds." The three police men looked at the girl who was still waiting next door. "During her imprisonment he also had some police men under his control. He forced them via mind manipulating devices to rob several banks and jewelries. Just be careful with her. She must have gone through a lot. She didn't even say a word in her first hearing." Gordon said and left the room again.

Samantha didn't look up as the detectives walked into the interrogation room. They sat down on the chairs across from her's. Black placed the files on the desk in front of him, closed so that she wouldn't have to see or read anything within it. Nevertheless her eyes darted at the folder and a shiver went down her spine.

"Miss Bright," Black started in a calm voice, "please tell us what happened. Why have you been at the hospital?"

Samantha blinked a few times and her hands turned into fists. The muscles in her body tensed while she tried to remain calm. After a few moments she began to talk. "I was at the gynecologists. I had abdominal pain at irregular intervals. She should take a closer look on my complaints," She paused and calmed herself. "Then she told me that I am pregnant!" She started to take short and heavy breaths. "Apparently I didn't take the news so good." She continued in feigned sarcasm, but you could see in her eyes that she was nearly panicking.

"It's alright Miss Bright, you are safe here. No one's gonna hurt you anymore." Stein said reassuringly.

Samantha looked up at the detectives as she calmed down a bit, but still her muscles were stressed. "Then I woke up at the hospital." Detective Black nodded and his colleague started speaking again.

"Did the Doctor say anything about the baby's condition?"

A horrified scream escaped the woman's mouth, her eyes were wide open and she held the hands on her ears while rocking back and forth in a reassuring manner. Stein earned a harsh look from the other detective.

The walls Samantha tried to build up in her mind over the last few days started to crumble, her inner self defense decreased and left are only the horrifying memories of a past she would never be able to forget.

"Miss Bright?" Black started talking but it seemed he didn't really get to her. In fact, she didn't even notice his words. Her mind was racing, trying to rebuild the secure walls to protect her again, but everything was too fresh. His face, the hares and tea cups, all of these memories seemed to drown her mind and poisoned her soul for the rest of her life. "Miss Bright?" Detective Black tried again after ten minutes and this time the woman stopped rocking on her chair, at least she heard him. "Do you think you are able to tell us what happened back then?" He didn't want to say the name of her kidnapper; though everyone knew what time period he was talking about.

"I was a cleaner," She started with a low voice and tears were running down her cheeks. "I was emptying the trash bag in a container out of the building our group was cleaning."

Flashback

With a sigh, Samantha dropped the last bag in the container. Her work was nearly done; she just had to check the water automats before she could go home. The woman closed the lid of the container and turned to her cleaning utensils.

Then she noticed three men coming in her direction. Samantha was a really friendly woman but something seemed strange about these men. The two tall guys wore masks who looked like a rabbit, the other man was way shorter and the first thing Samantha noticed about him was the giant hat he wore. Besides that his clothes looked rather old, like a coat and a black bow tie. Since she was living in Gotham she knew that people who dressed strange or were wearing masks didn't mean any good, so in order to not provoke them she greeted them nicely.

"Hello. Can I help you?" The three men came closer and the short man waved his hands in a strangely happy manner.

"Oh dear, my dear. March hare do see who we finally found?" He looked to the man on his right side, before taking out his silver pocket watch. His blue eyes widened in shock for a moment before he turned his attention to Samantha. She jerked under this high and reedy voice, filled in an English accent. In any other circumstances it would seem quite comical. "My dearest Alice, why were you hiding you naughty girl. Now we have to hurry, you don't want to be late for tea, do you?"

With these words the tall men grabbed her on both arms. Her eyes widened in horror, she began to fight the strong grasp and even tried to scream but was shut down by the third man. He stood right in front of her, his hand over her mouth and a questioning look on his face.

"Why are you struggling, Alice? We will be late, late, late. We don't want the dormouse to wait." With his right hand he pulled a blue headband out of his pockets, he took his left hand from her mouth and placed the band on her head. A short scream escaped her mouth, before he flipped the switch and everything around her went black.

The first thing Samantha noticed when she awoke was that she lied on a couch, but it was definitely not her couch. The second thing was that she didn't wear her old clothes but a blue-white dress which she directly linked with the one of Alice in Wonderland. And then the scales fell from her eyes.

The short man called her Alice earlier and with his giant hat he looked like the Hatter. She sat straight and looked through the room she was in now, it was rather small and besides the green couch she sat on, was a small table with a lamp and a book on it. No wonder that it was "Through the looking glass".

On the opposite wall was a door or at least there was space for a door but you could look directly into the next room which seemed much larger. Suddenly her eyes fell on the man who just walked through the frame.

"Oh Goodness you're awake. We were so worried about you Alice that you would might miss the party!" His cheery voice sent shivers down her spine. He went straight to her and stopped in front of the couch.

She pressed herself against the furniture and her eyes looked right into his. Though she could just see his right one, his left eye was hidden behind his straight and straggly hair.

"Come on now, dear. Let's get to the table and have some tea. The hare is already waiting for us!" He took her wrists and despite his small build he had a strong and rigid grasp.

Samantha struggled but soon she found herself in the next room, sitting on a chair at the end of a large table. To her left and right were several men with strange rabbit masks, they didn't move or look around they seemed more like dolls waiting for the next order. The Mad Hatter took the seat on the other end of the table, widely grinning at his Alice. He pulled out his silver pocket watch and chuckled.

"We're still in time. It's 6 PM. Let's have some tea!" He took the tea pot but then he looked over to Samantha. "Oh dear Alice do you remember back then when I had to kill the time for you?" Another dark chuckle left his throat. "Well at least he won't bother us anymore and that's what it was worth for." The Mad Hatter put the tea pot down and looked to the other side of the table. "You look sad, Alice. Why is my Alice so sad?" Suddenly his voice was filled in a whiny tone and he looked terribly confused that his Alice wasn't happy.

Samantha seemed frozen in her position. Her mind was racing while her body trembled uncontrollably. This man was absolutely mad and she wasn't sure how or even if she would come out of this alive. She felt the tears running down her cheeks and quiet sobs could be heard.

"Please try my tea, dear Alice. It's my special tea, my specialty. It will help you'll see just don't be mad at me." Samantha looked at the cup and back to the man who spoke to her, which made him think she'd feel better now.

"See, see my Alice is feeling better now", he started cheerfully.

"I" Samantha tried to speak but her voice quavered.

"Oh Alice wants to tell us a story. Listen everyone, especially you Hare." The Mad Hatter interrupted her to start again and gave one of the rabbit men an admonishing look.

Samantha gulped and opened her mouth again. "I am not your Alice." Her voice was low and careful; she didn't know how this mad man would react to her statement. The room went silent except for the ticking of the giant clock that stood on the wall. After a few moments the Mad Hatter laughed silently and played with the cup in his hands.

"Well of course you are, Alice. You just need to remember!" He looked into the cup and frowned, a disgusted noise came out of his throat as he put the cup back on the table. "I want a clean cup!" He said in a nearly sing-song way of speaking. The men stood up immediately and moved one seat to their right.

The man who was to her left stood next to her now and forced her to stand up.

"Clean cup, clean cup. Move down, move down, move down all of you!" The Mad Hatter nearly sang. Samantha freed herself from the man's grasp and took the seat to her right. She looked through the room and got more and more nervous under the awkward silence that filled the room. "Well, my dear, do you have a story to tell?" Samantha gulped and tried to avoid the piercing gaze of the man with the hat.

"Please," She started again, "I'm not your Alice. Please let me go." With a sinister smile the Mad Hatter looked at her.

"Oh but Alice, you seem so forgetful. You ARE Alice and you belong right here. I'm so glad, I could bring you back home." These words and the way he said them had Samantha panicking.

Without a second thought she jumped up and tried to run, but she was stopped by one of the rabbit men before she could even set a foot away from the table. She struggled in the strong hold and all of her senses geared to escape and survive. She didn't notice her kidnapper coming near her.

"Get off of me, you're all mad!" She screamed in terror.

"But of course, all of us, including you." The Mad Hatter stated in an amused voice. She growled and screamed at the man who was holding her.

"I'm not." She said through clenched teeth. A dark and maligned laughter escaped the Mad Hatter's mouth.

"You are, why else would you have joined us here, when it wasn't your mad idea?" He came closer and wiped one of her tears away.

Her heartbeat increased even more, the sudden touch alarmed her whole body. Finally Samantha could free one of her hands and slapped the first person she could reach, which was her kidnapper himself. His head moved to the right and the room went silent again.

The woman didn't even dare to breath for a brief moment; she was shocked by herself so she didn't notice that the other men still stared motionless down at the table. As the Mad Hatter turned his head to her again, her body started to tremble uncontrollably again and if the rabbit man wouldn't still hold one of her arms, she would have sunk to the ground.

In his eyes she could see what true madness really was and she was far more than afraid, she feared for her life and she also feared the consequences she might have to bear now.

In the speed of an attacking snake he took her wrist, the grasp even stronger and more painful than the first time. He pulled her close to him and when he started to speak, his voice was merely a whisper with a hint of danger, but through all the darkness in his voice Samantha could notice a strange happy tone which made his statement even more fearful.

"It seems as if I have to teach my dear Alice a lesson in manners!" With these words he dragged her into another room which was closed before. He shut the door behind them and left his henchmen back at the table. They didn't seem to care about her pleads and screams that could be heard through the closed door.

Back at the police department

Samantha didn't dare to look at the detectives. She rocked slightly on her chair, her hands still turned into fists and tears were streaming down her face. She made herself responsible for what happened to her.

Black and Stein looked at each other, they expected an unsettling story but that was far beyond it. They never heard that happening between a rogue and a victim first hand. Samantha's voice made Detective Black to turn his attention to the young woman.

"It's my fault. All of it. If I hadn't slapped him, then maybe he wouldn't have done it. It was me, it was just me." Samantha continued to mumble with her eyes fixed on the table.

"No, no, no," Detective Black started calmly, "it was not your fault, none of it."

The woman stopped her movements. Slowly she raised her head and for a moment both detectives were shocked. Her eyes seemed blank, absolutely lifeless.

"Of course it was," She stated matter of factly. "I should have just done what he said, then he wouldn't have had a reason to do this," Then her voice quavered. "It was my fault, every time my fault."

Stein looked at her in shock. "It happened more than once?" Samantha couldn't answer, the horror and sadness were back in her eyes. She could just mouth a 'yes' to him.

The younger detective gulped. "Excuse me for a minute." Stein stood up and left the room, outside he took some deep breaths and walked down to the office of a colleague who interrogated Samantha Bright the first time. Without knocking he stormed into the room. The other cop looked up.

"What the-" He started but was cut off.

"Why the hell didn't the last victim of the Mad Hatter get any psychological help, Geoffrey? You should have seen that she needed professional help!" the young detective nearly screamed.

Geoffrey, a man in his late thirties stood up. "Man, calm down, John. You know the tons of work we had to do in last few months! Some extremely dangerous men escaped from Arkham Asylum, Zsasz for example. Then the criminal acts of the Joker, Poison Ivy and many others."

Stein slammed his fist on the table. "I won't calm down!" Then he pointed in the direction of the interrogation room. "This woman suffered more than many people can bear and even far more than most of them can imagine. It was your job to offer her proper help and get her a therapist!"

Now it was Geoffrey to cut off the other man. "This is Gotham, John. The time in your small 5-men police department is over. Mistakes happen. You better get used to situations like this." With these words he sat down in his chair.

"So that's it then? The explanation to all bad things that are going to happen is 'This is Gotham'?" Stein asked sternly.

Geoffrey didn't look at the other detective but typed something into the program of his computer. "Go back to work, John. I assume Arthur is waiting for you." Detective Stein look at Geoffrey in a derogatory way.

"We're not done with this conversation!" John went back into the interrogation room.

There he noticed a glass of water in front of the woman. She looked a bit calmer now. John checked the time, in surprise he perceived that he was gone for about 30 minutes. Black and Stein exchanged a short look, before the young man took his seat again. Black turned to the woman and folded his hands on the table. "Miss Bright, please tell us what happened the day you were rescued."

Flashback

It has been two weeks since Samantha's kidnapping. In a matter of self- protection from further harm she started to endure this new situation. She stopped asking, she stopped thinking most of the time and she even stopped living, she just existed.

It didn't stop her kidnapper from coming to her whenever he wanted, though. They sat on the large table as usual, when some of the rabbit men stored some bags with stolen jewels, bracelets and necklaces in a nearby room and sat back at the table. She just stared down at the cups in front of her while the Mad Hatter found something out of his pleasure.

"Who got us this disgusting butter, hm? Who did it?" He looked questioning at everybody around. "Was it you Hare? Obviously! You should have known better." He gestured to another men who stood up and walked around the table to the man, the Mad Hatter declared as guilty.

He pulled out a gun and gave the still sitting man a quick shot to his head. Then he dragged the dead body to a corner of the room before he sat back on his chair. All of this happened in absolute silence, but the loud gunshot brought Samantha back to reality.

She looked up at the man across from her, who sighed happily.

"Ah thanks March Hare for getting rid of this imposter. My Alice" He returned her careful glance with an intense gaze. "You look worried, dear. Care to tell us why with a nice cup of my special tea?" He raised the pot slightly and inclined his head.

She shook her head eagerly. "No." She whispered. Despite his usual behavior to change the subject he frowned and stood up. He paced slowly in her direction.

"My Alice loved to tell us a story and she would never have to worry." He may have nearly sung this rhyme but he was completely serious. His eyes seemed to scan her whole body as if looking for something wrong.

Familiar but hated feelings returned to Samantha. She gulped and jerked under his stern glare; she pressed herself into the back of her chair as he came closer. She couldn't classify his behavior, there was nothing special about their conversation.

He asked her to tell a story, she refused and he started the next conversation. But all of this was strange now. Suddenly she felt his strong grasp on her hair, she moaned in pain as he moved her head in different directions. Then he placed his hand under her chin, inspected her face and ignored her whimpers and flowing tears.

His next statement were just five little words but they changed Samantha's world completely, one way or the other. "You are not my Alice!"

Her breathing stopped and she could notice the change in his eyes. Before she could make a run he pulled out a knife and pressed it against her throat. Her eyes widened in shock, she took short breaths and felt the cold metal of the weapon against her skin.

With a playful smirk the Mad Hatter scratched slightly on her sensitive flesh. "So we have another imposter. Enlighten us, what did you-" But he was cut off by a rumbling noise. A feral growl left his throat. "The Batman makes his return. Go get him!" He ordered and the rabbit men run out of the room. He needed a few seconds before he turned his attention to Samantha again. "Oh he always has a bad sense of timing." He chuckled darkly.

In the distance they heard the sounds of the fight. Samantha perceived that the Mad Hatter stopped threatening her further and listened to the fight instead.

He moved the knife slightly and she winced but she tried to control her body as good as possible, just to not distract her kidnapper and force him to change his attention completely back to her. Though her body trembled a bit until a few minutes later the noise stopped. For a brief moment they could only hear the ticking of the clock, before the door on the opposite wall were opened.

The Batman stepped into the room and looked around for any other thugs. When he noticed there were none he turned to the Mad Hatter and his current victim.

"Stop it Jervis. It's over!" His voice was dark and distorted when he spoke and he made a step forward, which induced his opponent to press the knife stronger against Samantha's skin. A small line of blood run down and she whimpered.

"No, you won't stop me from getting my Alice." The Mad Hatter retorted.

"She is not Alice, you know that Jervis." Batman stated calmly and scanned his surroundings. He looked for a way to separate Tetch and the woman.

"Of course she's not. And now she has to pay the price for trying to fool me!" He tightened his hold around her shoulders and took a short look at the knife in his hand.

Batman used the short distraction to throw one of his Batarangs at the man, it hit his opponent just as he raised his head again. The man's giant hat fell off his head and rolled a few feet away, which made him to grow confused just long enough for the Batman to give him a hard clip. With a moan the Mad Hatter fell backwards to the ground, the knife cut a little more on Samantha's throat before it landed on the floor next to her chair.

Gotham's caped crusader walked over to the rogue to look if he was still conscious. When it proved to be wrong he turned to the blonde woman dressed in an Alice costume. He couldn't fail to notice the small dark red spots all over the blue dress. A wave of anger came over him; it was not just that this mind controlling rogue dragged one of his few good childhood memories through the mire, but also that he used it to destroy young women's lives.

"It's over. Now you are safe. The police will pick you up soon." Then he typed something into his device.

Samantha stared at her hands, she could hardly hear the words, she couldn't even believe that all of it would be over now. Slowly she turned her head to the Batman, who was talking to someone on a small monitor. She didn't pay attention to the conversation, her right hand touched carefully her throat. A few drops of blood run down her palm, but she was still too shocked to feel the pain of the cut.

The time seemed to race but she could just stare, the sudden change of the events needed to sink in. The police officers who walked her out later didn't get to her as well.

Samantha didn't say a word, her mind was completely blocked, she simply couldn't see her surroundings. While she was sitting at the police department some officers filled out some papers, they even tried to talk to her but without success.

Samantha didn't let anybody touch her, though. As soon as anyone tried to reach for her, she cowered on the ground and winced in panic. The doctor who wanted to check on her was only allowed to look after her fresh wound on her throat. She couldn't remember how, but hours later she was back at her home and when Samantha sat there alone in the darkness, she slowly started to realize that the terror was over and she cried and screamed into her pillow until she fell asleep.

Back at the police department

No one dared to speak as Samantha finished her story. She looked at the sparkling water in front of her.

Detective Black cleared his throat. "Did you get any help since then? I mean have you ever spoken to a psychologist about this?"

She needed a moment before she shook her head slowly. "No, I told no one till now."

Stein frowned. "What about your family?"

She gulped and twiddled her fingers. "My dad died a few years ago, my sister lives in France with her new family and my mother has terminal cancer, she is treated abroad as well and we didn't talk much lately."

The detectives nodded, Black looked at his younger colleague and Stein understood. "I'll be right back and find you a good therapist!" He left the room and walked to a group of three colleagues. "Mary, do you know a good psychologist or could you give me a list of all of them?"

The elderly woman stood up. "Oh that could be tricky, boy. Wait, let me see." She answered and went to her desk.

"Oh I know a good one." Someone said, which made Stein and his two colleagues turn around. There they saw an all too familiar man.

Before this man could even say another word the three detectives rolled their eyes. "What about Jonathan? He has plenty of time since he's in Arkham and, of what I heard, also a pretty good psychologist. Just consider it." A slight chuckle escaped the man's mouth before it was replaced by a sinister smile. The two cops who were escorting him to one of the cells ,forced him to move on.

Stein took a deep breath. "Certainly … not." He answered and had his eyes glued to the man in front of him. He struggled which made the two officers stop.

"Move on, Nigma. We have enough of your nonsense", one of them said. The Riddler just ignored the comment and stared at the detective.

"Ah, you are just too timid to admit, that I gave you the name of the perfect man for this job. Well, you just seem to be one of these imbeciles who can't even solve an easy riddle. Remember, Jonathan is the best in what he does, just like me." He laughed in an evil and sinister manner as the officers dragged him down the hall.

Stein and his two colleagues sighed annoyed as Mary returned with a list. "Sorry it took some time. It's alphabetical, there is the address, years of practice and their specializations." She handed him the papers and he looked through it.

"Thank you Mary, that'll do it. I'll get you a coffee." Stein said grinning and walked slowly back.

"Never promise what you can't keep." Mary answered and laughed in a husky voice. The years of smoking exacted their toll.

Detective Stein dialed the numbers of the listed psychologists, most of them were otherwise engaged. But luckily one of the last therapists with also some years of practice was able to come over. With a satisfied grin he made his return to the interrogation room.

"Good news" He started. "I've found you someone to talk to, someone who can help you." Stein wasn't sure but it almost looked like there was a small sign of hope in her eyes.

She felt for the glass of water and sipped at it.

"Thank you." She mouthed and put the glass down.

"I assume the doctor will be here any moment. But remember if you ever need help again," Detective Black started, "just call my colleague over here or I. We will help you!"

He handed her two calling cards, which she took carefully. A few moments later they heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Detective Black ordered. The door opened slowly and a woman walks in, she smiled friendly and hold out her hand.

"You called me earlier." She said.

The detectives stood up and shook her hand. "Yes right, doctor. Do you want to speak to her in private?" Black asked and looked at her. She put her small bag down next to the table.

"That would be great, thank you!" Both detectives said goodbye to Samantha but stated that they would be back later.

The doctor took a seat and smiled at the woman. From the beginning she had a calm and trustworthy aura, which made it much easier for Samantha to remain calm. It would surely take some time until she could start to trust in people again. But when the doctor introduced herself, she felt that this woman might be someone who could understand and help her.

"Hello Samantha. My name is-" Then the door was closed and the detectives left for a cup coffee, which they needed now more than ever.