A Whole New World

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, though I simply love love loveeee Andrew-Lee Potts, what an amazing new actor we've been introduced to! Thanks, syfy!

Ch 1: Reconnecting

Hatter had to remember a different time in his life. An era when he was younger, and he had a family, and a real name. He had gone by Hatter for so long, he had almost forgotten what it was. Things had been bad in Wonderland for so long that he thought he would never hear it spoken again.

David.

It was a common name, but a strong biblical name, his mother had told him. She had raised him on her own, and he had been lost when she died. He had never met his father, had never even heard his mother mention his name. She had told him that he was better off without knowing the man, and he believed her. All children trust their mothers. But, when she died, Hatter had no one and so he wandered the streets of Wonderland as a skinny young boy, earning bits of scraps to eat with his amazing slight of hand, listening to tales of glory about a young girl named Alice, and later tales of horror about how the queen was rising to power. He wondered know if there were children being told his Alice's tale, and how she brought about the golden age. He hoped so.

It was funny the errant thoughts that rushed through your head when you were kissing the most beautiful girl that ever lived. He was here in her living room, and she was okay, and they were no longer in danger, and they could be together. That fact alone made him draw her closer to him. After a few more moments, Alice pulled away, and smiled the lovliest smile he had ever seen on her face. She took his hand.

"So, your name is David?"

"Doesn't it suit me?" He asked, returning her smile.

"Yeah," Alice agreed.

"Who is this?" Alice's mother, Carol asked, interrupting them.

"Oh!" Alice jumped in surprise. She had damn near forgotten that her mother was even in the room. How odd this must have looked for her to run to this stranger and be all lovey-dovey while to Carol, it wasn't long ago that Alice had brought Jack to dinner.

Alice clasped both of her hands in Hatter's and turned to her mother. "Mom..."

"Alice, what's going on here? Where's Jack?"

Hatter gave a small laugh that he tried to disguise as a cough.

"Mom, me and Jack didn't really work out..."

"Aw, Alice, so soon?" Carol glanced at Hatter, and then blushed, "I don't mean to offend you..."

"I'm an old friend of Alice's." Hatter said.

"Well," Carol said, looking clearly out of place, "How about some lunch?"

"That would be wonderful, Miss Hamilton, thank you." And Hatter flashed her a smile that used to charm the pants off the women of Wonderland.

**

Alice made sure that her mother was securely in the kitchen before rounding on Hatter. He grinned from ear to ear, and she couldn't help a smile breaking across her face as well. She thought he had been lost to her memories, yet here he was standing in her living room. She felt the need to touch him again, to make sure he was real, so she rested her hand in his. "How did you get here?" She gushed.

"Jack. Well, he's king now. I work for him..." He shrugged.

"You work for Jack?" Alice asked, intrigued. She was glad to hear that they were playing nice in her absence.

"Oh yeah, your old boyfriend pays well, too."

"What do you do?"

"I... well, I seek out and recruit those that opposed the Hearts before... members of the resistance. Jack's got a good head on his shoulders."

"Is that dangerous?"

Hatter paused, and then said, "Did I tell you what he wants to do?"

Alice wasn't fooled. She wasn't letting a question like that get by her. "Hatter, is your work dangerous?"

He sighed. He didn't want to worry her, but he knew that Alice would not be happy unless she heard the truth. "You know I can take care of myself."

She sighed as well. She didn't want him in danger. That was supposed to have ended with the queen's regime. "Can't stay safe for me, can you?" She whispered, looking down at her hands.

"I'm fine." He told her, but his words fell on deaf ears. He reached out a hand, and lifted her chin to him. Her big green eyes glittered with unshed tears, and seeing her like that broke his heart. He needed to reassure her. "Look at me," He said. "I'm fine, I promise."

She nodded once, something else that he had told her troubling her, "What is it that Jack wants to do?"

"He wants to shut the looking glass down for good. I... I support that."

Alice's face fell. She studied Hatter, and swallowed the abnormally large lump in her throat. Was this goodbye? Did he come here, kiss her and then plan on leaving forever? She felt herself getting upset, felt wetness under her eyes. This couldn't be it, he couldn't have come all this way just to... "Did you come here to say goodbye?" She whispered.