OC: I know you all like my story~~~~~~~~~3

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Alice Red Riding Hood

Pairing: Halice (Tarrant [Mad Hatter] X Alice)

Rating: T (for horrible blood/death/killing/gore writing and minor language and maybe some future romance. MAYBE.)

Genre: Romance (when HAVEN'T I not done romance?)

Summary: The Tulgey Wood is a dangerous place. Full of lions, and tigers, and bears, and... Mad Hatters...

I DO NOT own Alice in Wonderland, or any characters, just this story and what happens in it.

Thanks to Mikayla, my buddy, who is ALWAYS the first one to get a sneak peek at the chapters and is my new critic. ;P

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Alice sat all by her lonesome self in front of the fireplace. It was the middle of the night, more or less one or two o' clock in the morning, and yet she was wide awake. A overly worried expression was written of her face. Her fingers fidgeted with each other unconsciously, a thing she did when she was waiting. A tea tray was set out for her usual evening tea before bed. But she couldn't sleep at a time like this! No, defiantly not. Why?

She was still in horrible fright.

Even after a week (maybe a week, Alice lost count of time since then) she was still frightened to move or to do anything. The experience she had witnessed, and wished she hadn't, wouldn't leave her curious mind. It felt like she just tried to help the man a few moments ago, and that murderous madman had touched her not even a few seconds ago. Her skin still burned, and every time she thought of his Scottish brogue and his breath on her skin, she started hyperventilating and her face burned up red. And, as if she couldn't stop thinking about it, all the men in town who were suitable for hunting went into the wood searching for him. It was bad enough that they found the burned man (who was later found out to be Bill) in the area children loved playing in, but now they were taking children into the wood with them! They claimed that not even the most horrible man would harm a child. And they were right, no one came back harmed.

No, that wasn't the worst. Her father was out there right this moment! What if the madman, because she knew (and it haunts her horribly) he wanted her to be his next, knew that her father was out there? What would he do? Leave him? Murder him and send his body back to Alice? Then see if she would come to find him?

"Alice?" asked a voice. "What are you doing up at such a late hour?"

She jolted her body towards the voice. It was her father, looking at her in worry. Alice couldn't contain her relief; she wrapped her arms tightly around Charles. He smiled and wrapped his arms, equally as tight, around his daughter.

Alice pulled back suddenly, a stern look on her face. "What happened? Did you find anything?" Did you find him? was what she was really asking but knew better than to ask. Charles frowned and sat in the arm chair next to Alice's. He leaned in towards Alice, his fingers intertwining each other.

"Alice," he started. "did you tell me what exactlyhappened in the Tulgey Wood?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion at the random question. "Why?" Alice asked in return. But honestly, she did lie. She didn't tell her father and the other men who searched for, and found, her about everything that happened. She only told them that she found poor, recently deceased, Bill while she was running after Faith (who actually fled the scene and Fiona screamed because something brushed her arm) and tried to help him, and before she did, the madman came and threaten to kill her. She never did tell them that he touched her skin, or how his hot breath was on her sweaty neck, or that he wanted her, of all people, to kill next. Alice was too frightened to tell them.

Her father was hesitant, which defiantly was not a good sign.

"Because...because seven of our men foolishly left the group and were killed by that horrible man. For two hours the whole lot of us heard nothing but screams of pain of those men -may they rest in peace-...when we found them..they had no heads, arms or legs and a knife was used to carve words into their flesh. Do you know what those words said, Alice?" Charles asked her. Personally, Alice did want to know, and the thought frightened her.

Her father was hesitant again.

"'Give me Alice or everyone dies'..." he mumbled gravely. Charles grabbed his, now scared senseless, daughter's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Alice, I want you to go into the wood. Do you understand me?"

Alice's eyes widened. Was he letting that horrid madman have her? "You're letting him have me?" she repeated, shocked.

He shook his head. "I want you to enter the wood," he began again, quite firmly. "and kill him. I don't care how, just kill him, Alice. Do this for the town, for future generations, for Aunt Imogene. For me."

The blonde girl stood up, looking wild eyed at her father. "I need time to think."

Charles stood up as well. "Whatever you choose, Alice, I will always love you."

With that he kissed his daughter's forehead and headed off to bed. As for Alice, she had the most restless night of her life.

...

"I don't care how, just kill him, Alice."

Alice repeated the words her father told her. She was determined to do what her father asked of her. She could kill this man, by thinking of all the horrible crimes and homicides he committed. He deserved to die. No, he needed to die. It was absolutely necessary. His death would benefit the whole town greatly. It didn't matter if Alice died doing it, it would benefit.

She looked at the gloomy forest in front of her. One breath in, then out. One breath in, then out. Repeat.

Her feet moved robotically as she entered the deadly wood, home of the madman. Trees started dying as she passed them, same as the grass and flowers, soon bursting into flames. But the fire produced no light. It still remained dark. And yet, Alice wasn't scared.

She walked quite a ways. Her expressionless face never changing. She walked until she saw a man sitting on a stump. Dead bodies; some of them with missing limbs or on fire as well as the rest of the forest, surrounded him like people had tossed them to make him happy, like he was a god they worshiped. His clothes were a pair of trousers, worn out shoes, a vest, a button up shirt and a undid bow tie. All were tattered and bloody, other men's blood or course. His hair was a tangled mess of electric orange hair, wolf ears pointed up, hearing for her no doubt. His tail swished around a bit when she walked closer. His face was unseen, just a shadow.

Then he looked up when she was a few feet away. A smile to mock the devil spread across his unseen face. His eyes bright red. He stood and walked towards her, stepping on the deceased. Every step made her want to finish the distance herself. She wanted this over with.

He stopped two feet from her and extended his out for hers to take.

"Will ye like to be next?" he asked her softly, the Scottish brogue barely there.

She grabbed his hand.

Alice woke with a jolt, sweating and panting. She looked around her room. It was 8 o'clock, her old father clock said. The sun was barely rising. When did she fall asleep? She was just pacing her room a few seconds ago, her mind remembered. Who put her to bed? Her father was well past asleep and no one else lived here but them. She looked over at her wardrobe, seeing that the door was open. Alice got onto her bare feet. Cautiously, she walked over and opened it. A gasp fled from her mouth.

All her clothes were covered in blood.

She even looked at her nightdress, which she didn't recall ever dressing in, and saw that it was covered in blood as well. The blood...it couldn't be hers, could it?

"Alice." a voice cooed.

She jolted towards the sound, seeing that her window was open and something was sitting on her love seat. Alice walked towards it, seeing that the something was her hood, her satin black ribbon and a dress she never seen before. A beautiful blue dress, carefully made. It was dull light blue, a rather handsome shade, with sleeves ending at the elbow. White lace hung around the end of the sleeves and was tied together with a black string. Light blue see-through material covered where the collarbone was gracefully. The bottom blossomed like a new rose bud, and was nipped and tucked with blue see-through lace, and then blossomed more. The end was decorated of patterns of flowers and animals (like rabbits, deer, cats and doves) on two solid black lines. And where the dress used to be, a black corset, the one article of clothing she dreaded most of all, rested on the love seat underneath it.

But, seeing that she had no other choice, Alice slipped the newly discovered dress (and corset) on and walked over to her mirror.

She found out that she looked, which she thought very odd indeed, more beautiful than she usually was. Blue was most defiantly the best color for her to wear... Alice quickly moved her gaze away, pulling her signature hood on in a instant. If she got distracted by her own beauty, imagine what every other bloody person would be like!

Alice grabbed the last item. Her favorite ribbon. Her hands pulled some golden locks back, then tied them together with a bow of the satin fabric. Again, she looked at herself in the mirror. And again, she transferred her gaze elsewhere, pulling her hood over her face.

Suddenly, a knock came at her door.

"Alice?" Charles's voice spoke from the other side of the door. Alice replied, "Yes?" He seemed to pause, as if he expected her not to answer. "Have you made your decision?" he randomly asked her. But, for some reason, Alice knew it was coming her way.

"I have..." Alice answered, pausing as well. A sad sigh left her. "And I shall be leaving very soon."

Charles seemed silent.

"Father?"

"...thank you, Alice. For everything you're about to do." he thanked, barely above a whisper. Alice smiled, tears at the brim of her eyes. "Everyone will miss you greatly, especially those Chattaway girls you love being around so much."

"I know." she said, a little smug. She frowned. Everything was going. She was to have nothing left, not even a life once she entered that forbidden wood. Giving up her life, for the sake of others, to a madman, who wanted her. To harm. To torture. To kill. Even to make her his own personal puppet. Who knows what could horrible death she would have to face from him, what indescribable pain she would have to put through. Yet, she was doing it for the greater good. Everyone would be safe after. Right? "I will miss them all terribly."

"Please be careful." her father warned. This, Alice had to smile at. It sounded so stupid at a moment like this. She was about to be killed, for pity's sake!

"I can't be careful around the devil, Father..."