A/N: Based on SyFy's Alice. I don't own any characters you recognize. Noah and Riley are mine though. Please read and review, reviews make my world go round!

Summary: Alice is back in her world and Hatter is still in his. What happens when he has to move on, face old pain, and go up against a new threat?

His stomach dropped to the floor as he watched her go through the Looking Glass. Not even a chance to say good bye. Not a second to tell her how important she was to him, how much he wanted—needed—her to stay in Wonderland. Hatter swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and turned his burning gaze to Jack. The new king flashed a semi-sympathetic smile and shrugged. Hatter clenched his jaw, his hands balled into fists. How he would like to knock the smug bastard out. This whole mess had been his fault. And now…and now.

Hatter turned and threw the door open, taking a giant breath of air, desperate for the rising panic to recede. He looked around, at the sudden new world that Alice had given to his people. It looked a hell of a lot like the old world. At least in his eyes it did. Where to go? What to do? Without her and her crazy adventure, the world seemed dull and boring. The tea shop…yes, his shop. Hatter started walking in the direction of his ransacked shop, hoping that with each step that her face would be burned out of his memory.

Two weeks later….

"Where do you think he's been this whole time?

"What kind of question is that? If I had known, don't you think I would have told you?"

"Alright…geez. No need to get all worked up about it. It was just a question."

"Yeah, a dumb question. A question that didn't need to be asked."

"Well I'm glad you're in such a good mood today, Ri."

Dark blue eyes flashed. Riley stopped walking and turned to her brother. Fiercely swiping unruly blonde hair out of her face, she tilted her head. "Noah. Seriously? Stop being a buffoon."

Noah laughed, a good-natured bark of a sound. "Come on, Lion." He trudged along, letting his sisters' foul mood run off his shoulders. He knew that she was just as worried about Hatter as he was. She just didn't handle her emotions properly. Noah turned, walking deftly backwards. "Come on!" Riley had not taken a step. "I'm going on without you!" Noah turned again, taking purposefully large steps.

Riley stood for a few more seconds then felt a drop of freezing rain on her face. She jumped, as if pinched. Despite her long black coat and black boots, she felt a chill run through her. Sighing, she hurried to catch up to Noah. "You were going to leave me back there," she accused.

"Yep, I was indeed." Noah loved toying with his sister, even though they were both half way through their 20's. It never got old. "Stop looking so disgruntled. Ten more minutes."

The next few minutes were spent in silence, each sibling constructing what horrible fate had become of Hatter in their minds. Riley, prone to a high level of nervousness on a good day, was close to tears by the third imaginary scenario. "I bet he's dead. You've seen the people he hangs out with. Murderers, thieves, criminals."

"Ri, we're criminals," Noah reminded her.

"Yeah, but not criminals who would chop up their friends into pieces and leave them for his real friends to find." Riley swallowed hard, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

"That's not what happened. Don't be ridiculous. Hatter's fine." Noah forced his voice to be optimistic. In all honesty, he didn't know what he would find when he reached Hatter's shop. Noah didn't have many friends—hell, Hatter didn't either—but this was his best friend. In all the years that they had known each other, Hatter had never been away for this long without keeping in touch. Riley was right, Hatter did get involved in some shady deals. But no more shady than the siblings and they were still alive. For now at least.

They reached Hatter's shop and stopped in front of the entrance. It was dead quiet. Two weeks ago that would have been unusual. But now…everything had changed. The Queen was gone and Jack Heart was now running the show. Wonderland was a changed place. For good or bad was yet to be seen. "Come on," Noah said, his voice seemingly creating an echo.

Riley and Noah stepped cautiously through the doors. Everything looked normal. Cluttered and dusty, but still…normal. But the silence was not normal. It was downright eerie. The two made their way toward Hatter's quarters. "Hatter," Noah yelled. Riley smacked her brother on the back, her small hand a pathetic weapon against her brother's broad back. "What," Noah asked incredulously.

"Be quiet! What if someone is here?"

"If someone was here, then they already know that we're here. Stop being a baby."

Riley's eyes widened for a second then narrowed. "I'm not a baby." To prove it, she walked firmly past her brother, heading to Hatter's quarters with her head held high. She flung the doors open and walked in confidently, disappearing into the dimly lit room.

"Riley!" Noah was confident in his own ability to protect himself and his sister but he didn't want her to walk into a dangerous situation first. He jogged ahead into the room and stopped beside his sister, facing her with worry and anger painted on his face. "You're going to get yourself hurt." When she didn't acknowledge him, Noah followed her gaze and his stomach dropped.

"Hatter."

His best friend, the person who he had known since he was six years old, the vibrant and untamable lad that had been his partner in crime, both literally and figuratively, looked like a man who had given up on life. He was slouched in the corner, a bottle of undoubtedly hard liquor hanging in his hand. Small beakers with labels like 'Happiness' and 'Joy' were scattered throughout the room—all empty. Hatter's clothes were rumbled, his skin pale. He looked up with eyes that could have belonged to a dead man.

Riley crossed the room in a run, her heart beating hard in her chest. Tossing her wavy hair out of her eyes, she knelt down in front of Hatter. "Hey there. How are ya, buddy," she asked, her voice attempting to be lighthearted but only coming out shrill. "Where have you been, huh?" Her questions were met with silence. Hatter looked past her into nothingness. Riley looked back at her brother, who appeared almost as frozen as Hatter, and turned back to her friend. "What have you been doing all this time? We were worried." Still no response.

Riley reached out and gently tilted Hatter's face to look at her. His eyes connected with hers. Cold and dead. She had never seen him like this. Never. Not when his parents had been killed. Not when his brother had betrayed them all. Not when she had broken his heart. Never. "David," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Please talk to us."

Noah snapped out of his trance at the sound of his sisters' pained voice. He went to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey Hatter. It's been a long time, man. How about you give me that bottle, hm?" Noah gently took the bottle out of Hatter's hand.