Alice was quiet as she followed Jack out of the Kingdom of the Knights. A silence like a cool fog that smelt strangely of elderberries floated between them.

Absently, Alice wondered if the elderberry fog of silence was really here or metaphorical. Real or not it was incredibly awkward and fidget worthy. And she wasn't going to be the one to break it and have it go tumbling down around her ears.

She shouldn't be glad she isn't doubling up behind Jack. She shouldn't be relieved that she isn't holding on to her boyfriend. Wait. She sent him away. Is he even her boyfriend now?

His back is tall and straight and he rides his horse like he was born to it. He'd never really talked about his past. She'd known he was hiding something. Jack had secrets. Fine. So did she and it wasn't like Alice was going to spill her many mysteries to someone she didn't really know.

She had given more of herself to the Hatter in the last few days then to Jack in the last few months.

And it had been so easy.

Was this the real Jack? This chilly manipulative prince who was using her for some unknown purpose and self proclaimed person who care for her more than anyone in the world; hmm, whatever the reasons for his deception she got the impression that he really did care for her. Despite himself.

That didn't excuse his deception. She didn't resent the whole Wonderland thing. It wasn't even the Duchess thing. He'd hidden himself from her. Shown her only the positive aspects of himself. In retrospect, she'd seen neither hide nor hair of any dark corners or annoying habits.

Unlike, say the Hatter. Okay, not going there.

She wasn't as naive as the Hatter seemed to think she was. Okay, she'd defended Jack on the Duchess issue but, that was the shock talking. She'd been used by men before and every time she'd been all but struck dumb by the betrayal.

That numbness was probably why she didn't kick his ass from here to the Ninth Kingdom. Well, that and Jack had just given the mind-blowing news about her father being in Wonderland. All these years looking for him and her daddy was in a book. Yeash.

The third reason Alice didn't kick his ass from here to Andalasia was…she could really hurt him. He might be good with a broadsword but she could say without any hubris on her part that she was the more proficient fighter.

Alice would cream him. Jack was a fast learner but, it didn't stop him from being a rank amateur in the martial arts. He'd never be able to take her. She really was that good.

She let out a huff. She wished Hatter had come.

Jack glanced back and frowned. She couldn't possibly be pining after that teashop owner. Could she?

He'd never be able to articulate the feeling of bitter jealousy that had burned in his veins at the sight of the hat clad wastrel leaning for a kiss from his girl. Jack's frown deepened. Was she still his girl? Didn't they break up? At least he thought they might have; after his disastrous proposal and her subsequent panic at the notion seemed to have put quite the hamper on their romance.

Even so she'd come after him after he was nabbed by the White Rabbit. Surely, she had feeling for him despite being petrified at the notion of commitment. He hoped.

Oh, he hoped. Even though he'd had to admit to himself that this being Alice, she'd have probably chased after anyone who looked to be in trouble.

"Is everything alright?" Jack asked.

Alice shrugged, "What could possibly be wrong?" Her voice dripped with stringy bits of sarcasm.

"Was kissing the Hatter some sort of revenge?" Jack asked abruptly.

Alice's fine feature scrunched up in indignation, "I don't know what you mean."

"I saw the way you were looking at each other," accused the prince. His lips quirked up at one corner in a tangible sardonic curl, "No, you wouldn't do something like that out of revenge. You like him. You find him attractive. Tell me Alice what is it about him that you could possibly find appealing? I don't see it."

Alice's expressive eyes become a steely blue and her mouth tightened before sliding into a wry smile. "I'll have you know that Hatter is very appealing in a silly sort of wonderland way. And that isn't the fact that he's absurdly brave and has saved my life on multiple occasions talking."

Jack stared. He'd heard about the Hatter. Rumors and backroom stories abounded about the middleman who balanced precariously between the Court and the Resistance and could be trusted for a price. "Has he now?"

The Hatter's dark eyes and wild hair and impish mouth appeared in the mirror of her mind. "He's the Han Solo of Wonderland," Alice jutted her chin out defiantly.

"What!" snapped the Prince of Hearts. It was during one rather memorable outing to a film festival that was showing the Star Wars Trilogy that Jack had glimpsed Alice's elusive 'secretly a big geek' fangirl squeeing self.

It was very cute and he'd always regretted that she tucked it back into whatever pocket she kept it in as soon as she noticed him noticing.

He recalled the movie vividly. Jack had been fascinated with the story and could see many parallels with his own world.

He liked the trilogy a lot less recalling that Han Solo, the quintessential reluctant hero was Alice's favorite character, "Well, he's certainly 'scruffy looking' enough for the part."

"I categorically refuse to play the part of Luke," the prince muttered mulishly.

Alice caught it and smiled once at his back. She bit her lip and tugged the reins until she was riding beside him. "Do you know anything about WWII?" Alice asked thoughtfully.

Jack looked at her pale face from the corner of his eye, "I watched a few specials on the history channel," he wondered what this had to do with anything.

"Anything on occupied France and the Marquis?" Alice mentally dusted off her history degree and buffed it a bit.

Jack shrugged.

"I did my thesis on the Marquis. Specifically, those who spied on the occupying forces; many of those who gave information and supplies to the resistance had to get in good with the bad guys." She let him mull this over.

"Some of these people weren't treated very well after the war was over, accused of being collaborators after they had sacrificed so much for the cause, including, their morality, so that others might live."

She took in Jack's stone still profile. "The Hatter can't go back to his old life now. He's going to fight. But, I think that might happen here. Dodo treats him like that now and that's after Hatter's letting him hide in his mother's library. Don't let it." Alice flatly demanded.

Jack would have bristled at being ordered to look after his rivals welfare had something else not caught his attention. "His mother was the librarian of the Great Library?"

Alice nodded absently and sighed remembering the palatable sadness in the Hatter's voice, "Yeah, she was a spy for the resistance."

Jack Heart swallowed as memories bubbled up despite the vast amount of Forgetfulness he'd taken to forget. His visage was as still a stone while his mind frantically compared faces. The stricken face of a small boy with wild curls and the furious, jealous man who seemed all too willing to beat his face in with a tree branch juxtaposed themselves in his disbelieving brain.

"Mad as hatter, you are!"

"Stop tickling me Jack!"

He fought back a shuddering breath. It just wasn't possible.

Once long ago, a page had been given to his service, the son of the Librarian of the Great Library. Time and age are different in Wonderland, it had been about fifty years ago and he'd been about the same age physically as he was now.

The boy was nine years old and one look into those doe eyes and Jack had been lost. Instead of the traditional lord/vassal relationship they'd been more like brothers or even father and son on occasion. Especially, after the boy's father had died under mysterious circumstances.

The page's mother had been sentenced to death after she had been caught spying for the resistance. And the queen wanted an example. So, she sentenced the entire family to death and planted rebellion in Jack's heart.

Knowing that Jack would not take this quietly, the queen arranged for Jack to be dosed with Lethargy and carried out the sentence when he couldn't move. His father had overseen the executions…

Could the King of Hearts have lied to his Queen? It was preposterous. And yet…

If anything could make a child grow up before its time…?

He cast his memory back to the interrupted kiss and the Hatter's livid countenance. If indeed the purveyor of tea was Jack's lost page then that meant he'd lost everything. And had found Alice who was wonderful and now he lost her too.

Jack felt something inside himself crack. If that were the case then the Hatter and Alice made perfect sense. Two people who'd both lost so much and had been hurt so much…their broken pieces might fit together perfectly. Like a puzzle. Joy and bitter sadness began to do battle inside him.

His page was alive. Alice was maybe lost to him.

By the frumious Bandersnatch, he wished he could think of something else. Oh good. The Garden Tomb.

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo.

What the hell am I doing here?

I don't belong here

Alice choked out a laugh, "Radiohead, Jack?" Charlie had told her that the flowers often sing a new song over and over again until they got it perfectly. And the song you heard going in was the song likely sung by the last person.

Jack smiled at her, "They Might Be Giants, Alice?"

She shrugged and rode forward as a song spun itself out of her heart. It was the song her cousin Robert had sang at his wedding. A song that suddenly brought to mind hurt brown eyes and an unspoken painfully real connection.

You're in my arms
And all the world is calm
The music playing on for only two
So close together
And when I'm with you
So close to feeling alive

"Hey, Jack. I was wondering." Alice's expression was filled with a particular sharp edged humor.

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering if any of those oyster harvester guys ever tried to nab a mutant." Her grin was all teeth. "I'm guessing…no."

Jack tilted his head in thought. That would be interesting. The havoc a single mutant could cause was hard replicated by three native Wonderlanders.

"Or what would have happened should they ever pick up someone just plain awesome. Imagine it— Tony Stark in Wonderland!" Alice continued happily thinking of the mass destruction certain people could cause and how much she'd like to lob them in the Queen's general direction. "He built his first armor in a cave. With a box of scraps."

Jack laughed.

Alice didn't trust him. It hurt more than it should.

Alice didn't believe that he loved her. That hurt exactly the right amount.

Alice might be in love with the boy who might as well be his long lost brother. That didn't just hurt. It boggled the mind.

Alice was likely to leave Wonderland without choosing either of them. It would hurt him. But, it might destroy the Hatter.

He'd have to the situation more thought.

"The hills you say," Charlie eyed the Hatter. Who did the lad think he was fooling? He was going after Alice of Legend and that possibly untrustworthy royal. He may have been born in a breadbox but he was nobody's jester. The harbinger was fooling no one save himself.

"Look, can I borrow a horse or what?" the Hatter asked his voice bouncing around like a monkey on a waterbed.

Well, it wouldn't do to give the game away. "Craven dogs' bottom," the White Knight bellowed.

The Hatter flinched.

"Yellow livered goatboy! Do you always run away from a fight?" Charlie cringed a bit on the inside. Who are you berating old man? "Pasty faced, turnip nosed, fashion disaster!"

The Hatter looked down at his natty silk shirt and leather jacket combo and touched his nose a trifle self-consciously. His fashion sense was just fine thank you and he'd never had any complaints about his nose. Also, not pasty faced.

"You sir are as dumb as a lobotomized monkey! You are as useless as a bicycle to a mermaid! As…"

"There are resistance cells in the hills," The Hatter said with exaggerated patience. "I'm going to join them."

"Oh, why didn't you say so? I'll go saddle Guinevere." With what he knew to be a most obnoxious expression he turned and went to fetch the horse.

The Hatter rolled his eyes.

Alice had left with Jack. Alice had left with Jack. Nope, emphasising certain words didn't make it any better.

She'd left with a guy that didn't deserve her trust. Someone who was using her for an unknown purpose and was two- timing her to boot, Which was puzzling in itself; who'd want a duchess when they have Alice?

And why the hell was Prince Poncy Pants so familiar?

Alice might be Jack's girl, undeserving prat that he was. But, saving Alice from jeopardy, fighting at her side. That was the Hatter's job.

—

Notes

'Appealing in a silly sort of wonderland way' is also from the Love Begins song.

So Close is from the Enchanted soundtrack.