Alice felt the beginnings of a smile tug at her lips as she guided Jack through the Vale of Tears, the grass and fountains unaffected by Jack's unnaturally cold temperature. "So, this uh garden of yours, It's called the Vale of Tears right?" Jack asked, wide blue eyes taking in the shifting flora and mumbling sighs of flowers that parted themselves as they stepped through the fields. He gazed at the enormous floating dominoes, marbles and chuckled at the various snow globes dotting the forest, a strange creature that looked like the love child of a moose and a turtle posing behind the glass.
A child's laughter drifted to his ears, and he immediately looked up, instinctively looking for the child that caught his attention. But he froze at the sight that greeted him. A small child, dressed in an over worn, white dress, embroidered with buckles and ties for a frighteningly obvious purpose, was peeking around a tree, half glazed eyes alight with mischief as he stared at the two visitors. But it wasn't the clothes that had caused him to stiffen at the sight. It was the blood that trickled down it's head, the metal hooks lifting it's eyes until the eyeball was exposed, the grotesque black stitching up the side of the child's head, and the….innocence it's gaze, as if it didn't realize there was anything wrong with it's disturbed visage, looking as happy as Jamie did running around with his friends.
"Jack?" Alice asked, startling him out of his horrified stare. He whipped around to look at her, nearly feeling his neck crack at the motion. "I…" He turned back to look up at the child, who had ducked a little further behind the tree, it's gaze just as unfocused as before.
Alice followed his gaze, and to his shock, her expression softened. "Hello little one." She called out, holding out a hand. The figure hesitated, but upon Alice's encouragement, came out, revealing a stubby hand, also covered in a black whipstitch, as well as holding an old and well beaten teddy bear in the crook of his arm. Jack inched closer to her as the child approached, only to see her take the child's misshapen hands into her own, dwarfing them in her smooth fingers. "Jack, this is one of the Insane Children. Say Hello." She said, calmly looking up at him as the child glanced between the two.
Jack shifted, uncomfortable, but having never refused a child before (and not wanting to start) He slowly knelt before the child, offering a smile. "Hey, what's your name little buddy?"
The child shifted, looking shyly up at Jack. "Harry." He said, his small lips in a slight pout.
"Well, Harry, I'm Jack Frost. It's great to meet you." He said, pushing the smile a little harder at the figment of imagination. Despite everything he knew about Alice, it never ceased to amaze and stun him that every single thing in this land he stood in was Alice's own, when they spoke of their own accord, when they even insulted or were rude to Alice, they remained part of her own mind, for all of their independence.
The child nodded, and Alice gently ran her fingers over Harry's knuckles. "It's nearly tea time is it not?" She asked, looking down at the child expectantly. Harry nodded, smiling. "Then you best be off. Being late for tea can be a great offense. Say hello to the others for me, if you can."
The child nodded eagerly, and clutched at his teddy bear as he turned towards his new mission. "Goodbye Mr. Frost! Goodbye Alice!" He called, darting through the trees and out of sight.
Alice remained crouched where she was for a moment, staring after the underbrush the Insane Child disappeared through. Then, slowly, she stood up, dusting off her apron and dress of the non-existent dirt that had gathered there.
"Harry died when he was eight years old." She said softly, her gaze fixed solely on her apron as she smoothed out the wrinkles there. "He was a classmate of mine, in the Asylum for insane children. He committed suicide a year after I met him. He managed to break into one of the laboratories, and upon failing to find a scalpel, broke a glass beaker and used it to kill himself."
Jack stared at her feeling a sudden, still horror at the story. Children. A child could hate his life, his mind, so much that he couldn't remember the good things in life? Couldn't remember the good dreams, or fun times or even remember a good christmas? A child could think that death is a viable option?
He was pulled out of his horror when Alice spoke. "And I envied him."
Jack turned to look at her, watching her staring at her hands, a deep melancholy settling into her striking features. He stood up, taking her hands into his own in an attempt to break up whatever sour memories her mind deemed worthy to haunt her when her life was finally coming into balance.
"Alice. Alice you know the Guardians care about you. We care about you. You know that I would never allow you to take your life when we haven't even had a decent snow ball fight together yet right?" He asked, trying to meet her despondent gaze.
When she looked up at him, he didn't expect his heart to suddenly stutter in his chest, his hands unconsciously tightening around hers as her gaze seemed to tear away whatever preconceptions he held, making him feel naked under her gaze.
Pale pink lips parted, and she spoke. "I know…" She said softly, suddenly seeming just as lost in his sapphire blue gaze as he was in her acidic green one.
It was quiet between the two, the whole world having grown still as they stared into each other, as if bearing themselves for the world to see.
"Gather your nerve girl."
The two nearly leapt out of their skins at the voice, both whipping around to see the gaunt cat lazily smiling at them a few feet away.
"You blasted Cat! There's a bloody steam hammer in my chest no thanks to you!" She cursed, clutching a hand to her chest where it felt as if her heart was about to break her ribs.
"A little push goes a long way, as well as courage." He answered in kind, glancing over at the Winter Spirit. "You'd do well with a bit of advice."
"Your advice is hardly helpful if you mean to frighten them to death first!" Alice scowled at the feline.
Jack held up a hand. "No really, I'm okay Alice."
"Predictably rash. I do hope you'll continue along your way, there's still much in store for you two." Cheshire chuckled, fading away with a wicked grin.
Alice scowled at the empty air. "Forgive him. He is only helpful when he feels like it, and it isn't very often at all." She said, before turning and taking a deep breath to calm her heart back down. "Now, shall I show you the rest of Wonderland?"
But even as Alice explained the various flowers and the names of creatures as the fluttered and gamboled about in the bushes, the only thing the two could think of, was wonder what the other had done, had a certain Cat interrupted their silence.