Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, with the exception of Riley and serenity.

******

Hatter watched her move across the room. The Duchess of Diamonds. Duchess for short. He had busted a few skulls to get tickets to this royal event, just to be close to her. She had captured his attention at a young age. Flaunting her curves and blue eyes for as long as he could remember. It was so not funny that Jack got her and the kingdom. Hatter sigh realizing how unfair life was at a young age. He didn't notice that he was being watched from across the room.

Duchess's little sister, Riley of opals {Riley} watched and hated every second of her sister's presence. More say the effect her presence had over Hatter. It filled her to the brim with anger. Duchess got everything and that was never enough. She watched Duchess excuse herself from their parents and Jack. She made her way past Hatter giving her a wink. She knew only had a few moments to make a move. She walked over to the boy, almost falling several times due to her heels.

"You know if Jack or his mother find out, you will be killed." Riley says rather hushed. Hatter looked at her.

"Yes but it's worth it." Hatter smiles as he turns and walks away leaving her alone in a room full of people she hated and envied all at the same time. She stormed out of the glass doors, shaking with anger. Mad March noticed her and excused himself from the table to follow her out. He walked outside and found her sitting a garden bench, with tears in her eyes.

"What has he done now?" March asks, knowing there were two things in this world that could make the poor girl cry, and unfortunately for her they were together in a random room.

"It's just not fair! She gets everything on a platter…Why does she take the one thing I want? God I wish I could just punch her in the face." Riley growled and March put his arm around her and pulled her close. The three were kind of like the three musketeers until Hatter started sleeping with Duchess. He could not really understand the change in Riley's behavior but March did. The girl always looked at Hatter with stars in her eyes and hung on his every word… Then he heard her laugh as she walked outside, throwing her blonde mane over her shoulder and catching a glimpse of her sister crying. Of course Hatter was right on her heels. March knew this would end badly with Riley as upset as she was.

"Rie, what's wrong?" Duchess asks and feels the wind knocked out of her when she sees the anger in her sister's eyes. She takes a step back and almost knocks Hatter down. He looked around her curiously when he heard no reply. He started to say something but was cut off by her standing up and slapping him across the face.

"Like either of you care. Do me a favor, stay away from my sister Hatter. Because when it's found out that you two have been having a fling, she is not going to give everything up to save your head from rolling. You will be alone and they will kill you. "She snarled before she turned to Duchess," And you just need to quit being such a spoiled girl. Everything is given to you because you are marrying princey boy… Mean while the rest of us can't have a damn thing. Because it is always all about you…"

With those words thrown out she turned and stormed off out of the garden and into Tugley woods. She didn't care if it was dark. She just wanted to be alone and able to process her feelings. She recalled the look of pain that was scribbled across of Hatters face when she slapped him and pointed out the fact that her sister would leave him to die. She punched a tree, knocking it over.

****

Mad March looked at a very stunned Duchess and Hatter. Personally he thought they both deserved it. Well Duchess anyways. She knew how much her sister adored the man with the odd hats. Hatter unfortunately was oblivious most of the time. About that time they heard a tree fall in the woods.

"I suppose I should go get her before she knocks down the whole damn forest." Hatter sighed. He was one of the only ones who could bring her out of one of these anger fits she had. But he lingered, waiting for something to be said.

"You know Hatter, that girl happens to be the one who has kept you from getting your head cut off already. The queen isn't stupid and has her suspicions about you and her son's girlfriend. But Rie is constantly the one sticking her own neck out to defend you. When they confirm what's going on, her head will roll with yours." March spoke sharply. It was such a shame that a pretty intelligent girl like Riley had fell for him. She was destined to die with a trouble maker like Hatter.

Hatter and Duchess looked at each other. The air was stale and awkward with that fact thrown out in the open. He looked into the pretty blue pools of her eyes, searching for some kind of objection to her little sisters words.

"Hatter, I think it would be best if we did not see each other anymore." Duchess spoke cruelly. Hatter nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. He watched her walk off and turned and walked towards the woods. He needed to find Riley before one of them did something stupid.

******

Riley sat under the tree where she and Hatter first met. She had saved his skin then too. She was direly afraid that when this fling with Duchess hit the fan, she would not be able to save him. Though she would certainly try. She could hear branches snapping and felt herself being filled with terror. These woods were not safe for any one, especially her. Being a part of the royal family made her a bit off a target. She stiffened against the tree until a figure walked by. She tightened her fist and took a swing, startled when the person caught it. Then realized who the person was.

"Hatter, go the hell away." She snapped turning and walking in a random direction.

"Riley, would you stop being such a damn girl." Hatter sighed as he went after her. He knew what ever was going to happen would happen. He knew he didn't love Duchess. It was more of a lustful addiction. The younger girl of the two had always managed to give him a weird quirky feeling.

"Go to hell." She growled and he rolled his eyes. He knew why she wasn't the one in the spot light. She wasn't much of a lady and she acted a bit boyish with a wall the size of the heart casino and it was cover with barb wire and thorns. Hatter watched every boy that ever tried to date her get destroyed and then for some reason they all hated him….It was odd her grabbed her wrist and spun her around trying to make her calm down. He was at a loss of words when he saw the tears leaking from her kaleidoscope eyes and streaming down her face. She looked more hurt and confused then she did angry in the moon lights glow.

"Riley honey what's wrong with you?" He asked, startled and unsure of what else he could say.

"Just go away. It hurts enough." She snaps, trying to hide the truth.

"Talk to me. We have always been closer then what ever has been going on before this is. Whatever this is."Hatter stated softly. And something caught his eye. The emotion in her eyes. It was the one he had seen in Duchess's eyes when she looked at Jack. Love. Unconditional and true.

"Hatter do you know how it feels to love someone and watch them constantly with someone else because you are invisible to them? And you know deep down inside you will never be good enough because you aren't pretty enough or smart enough? Being a funny girl isn't enough. It's so obvious why that thing called my sister gets everything. Including you. She isn't funny. She is smart and fucking beautiful."Riley spat every word and wiped the tears off of her face before continuing," It's no wonder I'm invisible. I am just tired of being the one constantly protecting someone who could care less. God all I ever wanted was for you to see how much I love you."

Her hand flew to cover her mouth. The two stood surrounded by silence and the growl of a jabberwock in the distance. For a moment neither of them moved and Hatter watched the tears flowing down her face as her hands dropped to her side. He walked over and pulled her into a hug. He listened as she was over taken by the sobs she was trying to hold in her throat. He could not help feeling like a class jerk. This whole time he had been looking for something real and trying to fool himself with Duchess. Suddenly everything made sense. Why she kept sending boys packing and why the said boys hated him. Why she was always in a fight whenever someone mentioned his name in a negative manner or gave him shit. The girl was always there.

"Would you like to stay at my families shop? So that way you don't have to see Duchess?" Hatter asked her. She looked up, her hair falling into her different colored eyes and whimpered yes.

The two went to his families shop to find Hatters mother sitting at the table, with three cups of two. One for and on for each of them. She looked from Hatter to Riley. Hatter gave her a puzzled look.

"March came by. Said you were to call when you and Riley got here so he knows you two didn't get eaten by a jabberwock." She said to hatter before looking to Riley," Hello dear. It's been a minute since I have seen you."

Hatter went and called March and then hurried her upstairs to his room. He had his little carpet of grass next to his couch. She looked around the room, thinking about the many good laughs they had there. She sat on the couch and he put in one of her favorite movies. Not thirty minutes into the movie, she was asleep with her head in his lap. This was a normal thing for the two but given the situation earlier, it was different. Hatter noticed how much it felt like she belonged in that spot.

He brushed back some of her red hair out of her face. He could see the freckles that dusted her tiny face. It was odd how pale she was and how red her hair was. Though the contrast between colors only made her look that much more intense.

*Authors note{Wow. Six pages. The next chapter is going to be how these two met. Please review. I will greatly appreciate it.}