"You know, Walrus was the closest thing I had to a friend."

Alice turned her head to look at Carpenter but he wasn't looking at her. He was staring off into space, a sad smile on his lips. He was now resting against a pillow from the bed they were next to, which the woman had tried to lift the man onto, but he was just too heavy and too weak to help her.

"Sure the he was stupid and he had a bottomless pit for a stomach but he was always there." The green eyed female gently placed a hand on the red head's shoulder. "Lizzie was that way with me as well, I loved her very much but she wasn't around much."

"Your sister? Why, weren't you close?" Carpenter asked. Shaking her head Alice replied, "She was much older than I was, she did try to connect with me at times though." That same look was on her face now. The red head believed it to be love and admiration, something he had never seen directed to him before. He almost wished she would look at him like that.

What am I thinking?! Carpenter shouted in his mind, suppressing the urge to slap himself. "Anyway, you said you disappeared. How did you reach this conclusion?" The girl dressed in blue asked, not even noticing the red head's inner turmoil.

Noticing Alice was asking him a question, Carpenter replied, "Well, I don't know for sure really. It's just when I was hit by the train I felt an extreme pain and then I woke up here and all bloodied up." A thoughtful expression passed over the dark brunette's features.

"Anyway, my wounds should heal up somewhat fast. We folk in Wonderland have always been this way." The red headed man said, changing the subject with a smile. "Then how is it you need my assistance?" Alice questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, well…I just said that because I wanted to get to know you is all."

"Since when did you have an interest in me?"

Since I saw that look on your face. The man thought to himself. "I've never been alone to tell you the truth." He said, changing the subject.

"Never been without that gluttonous beast?"

"Never."

Alice was a bit taken aback by this statement; a silence formed between the two.

"I'm always alone." The green eyed woman said softly.

"I know." Carpenter replied simply. The woman looked back to see that a small smile was on the man's face. "You don't have to be, not anymore."

The next day the man had completely healed. Alice was quite surprised by this, having not totally believed the red head when he said he would be better quickly. "I shouldn't find you healing so fast surprising; I blew the Mad Hatter's head clean off his body before and found him alive the next time I saw him."

Carpenter, who had been stretching out, snorted at the woman's comment. "You actually did that?" He asked, a large grin on his face. Alice smirked and that was enough of an answer. The man barked out a laugh.

"Oh, you are a marvel my girl. A marvel!" Feeling a little embarrassed by the praise, the dark brunette changed the subject. "Do you think you'll be able to travel?"

"Travel?" Carpenter repeated, straightening up and looking at the female with a quizzical look. "Yes, we need to find out if anyone else has come back." She answered, making her way towards the door.

"Alice, I have something to ask you." The red head said, his voice deadly serious now.

"What?" The one in blue asked as she turned back towards the other.

"What exactly happened while I was gone?"

The Carpenter actually saw the girl flinch, her grip tight on the door frame. "Nothing you need to know right now, Carpenter." She replied in a voice that sounded dangerous. "You must have found out something about the train, who might have created it-"The red head started but was interrupted suddenly.

"I SAID YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!" Alice screamed out, losing her composure.

The red head wanted to press further but knew when to drop it. The woman breathed heavily from her outburst. "Come on, let's go." She said finally, refusing to look at the man.

The Carpenter wanted to say something further but knew it was just better if he dropped it for now. He followed the woman as she made her way downstairs and out of the building. As they began to go down a street a figure suddenly began to form in front of them.

"Cheshire." Alice said simply.

"Have my entrances lost their mystery already?" A voice spoke as the figure became visible.

The cat looked them over before a trademark grin appeared. "I see you've found a new traveling companion. Alice, I'm hurt."

"You were hardly around on my journeys before; I don't see why you should be so insulted." The green eyed female answered back smoothly. The red head could see this was a normal thing between the two.

"I seem to remember you not wanting me around." The feline then looked at Carpenter directly. "I wasn't aware you were in speaking terms with this man, I came to the conclusion that you hated him."

Carpenter flinched, he couldn't help thinking this as well after the argument he had with the girl earlier as well as everything else he'd done.

"I don't hate him; I don't know what to think of him right now to be honest." Alice answered Cheshire's earlier statement. The red head looked at the woman, feeling his heart flutter in his chest. An emotion came along with it, something like…hope.

What's wrong with me? He thought to himself. "Well whatever you feel about him, I have come to tell you something." Cheshire said, his knowing eyes still on the man. Carpenter gulped nervously; did the cat know something he didn't?

"What is it now?" The green eyed girl asked, sounding impatient.

"Simply this. Look out for a certain green winged creature with a burning furnace on his chest." Alice's body stiffened, her face turned white.

"Alice, Alice, what's wrong?!" The red headed man cried out, placing his large hands onto her small shoulders. "Oh, she didn't like that news at all." The cat remarked casually, not as affected to her reaction as the man was.

"And what news was that anyway?!" The man shouted.

"Don't you know?" Cheshire asked mockingly. "The Jabberwocky's back."

"The what?" Carpenter asked, completely clueless.

"Ah, that's right, you don't know about him do you?" Cheshire smiling wider, if that was even possible. Now the red head could see why the woman found the cat so annoying.

"OK then, enlighten me."

"The Jabberwocky is a creature that seems to have the sole purpose of making Alice feel guilty about everything." The man's eyes widened. One thing he knew about Alice was she felt she was guilty far too much already, though to what he didn't know.

"What exactly does she feel guilty about?" Carpenter asked cautiously.

"Her family mostly but with what she's discovered recently…oh, she would utterly break." The feline sounded almost too pleased at the idea for the red head's taste.

"I don't even know why she considers you a friend." The man said, something like loathing creeping into his voice. "Oh, did she say something to that effect? If she thinks we're good pals then I wonder what she thinks of someone like you."

"I don't like you."

"Never said you had to." And with that, Cheshire disappeared.