A/N: Yes, I'm still updating this! So rejoice, 5 people who read this. :P

Stacie let her go as soon as they reappeared. They were standing in a long hallway, its walls were made of large stone bricks and the sun filtered in through large windows interspaced evenly along one side of it. There was no one else in there, and Aubrey couldn't see an end to the hallway. The wall opposite the windows was smooth stone all the way without any doors or openings.

Stacie grabbed Aubrey's shoulders and shook her excitedly. "That was amazing! Did you see her face when she saw me?" Stacie laughed. "And you were awesome!" She started kissing Aubrey. "You're so hot."

Aubrey pushed her back chuckling. "Stace, the crown."

Stacie took a step back. "Right, the crown! We should take that to the Queen." She cupped Aubrey's chin. "And then, you and I can get back to celebrating."

She turned around and started walking down the hallway. Aubrey rolled her eyes and followed her. "You have to tell me about the Queen and the Hatter before any celebrating happens."

Stacie stopped walking and pouted. "But celebrating is way more fun than a boring, old story." Aubrey crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Fine, story first. And don't mention the h-a-t-t-e-r while we're here."

Stacie turned right and pushed on one of the bricks. A section of the wall started shaking and the bricks moved to the side, revealing a small room with wooden panels on the walls. Stacie smirked at her and moved inside.

Aubrey followed cautiously and the brick wall closed as soon as she was on the other side. She ran her hand along the wood panel where the opening had stood but that section of the wall was indistinguishable from the rest, any sign of the opening gone.

She turned around to look for Stacie, she was on the other side of the room talking to someone. Aubrey joined her and chuckled when she saw Cynthia Rose wearing a white herald's uniform with a huge red heart on the front.

Stacie turned when she heard her and smiled, taking her hand and pulling her to her side. She kissed her cheek and turned back to CR. "This is Aubrey."

CR looked her over and nodded. "I think I've seen everything now. I never thought I'd ever see her like this."

"Like what?" Aubrey looked between Stacie and CR.

CR laughed. "Tamed. She's like a house cat now. She's practically purring."

Stacie chuckled nervously and glared at CR. "Can you announce us? We have a crown to deliver."

CR smirked. "Sure thing, Stace." She nodded at Aubrey. "Nice to meet you, Tamer."

CR grabbed a trumpet and disappeared behind a tapestry on the wall. Aubrey turned to Stacie with a playful smirk. "What was that about?"

Stacie returned her smile and leaned towards her, stopping just before their lips touched. "I have no idea." She pecked her lips and pulled her behind the tapestry. "Come on."

They entered a big room. A red carpet led from where they were standing to a raised platform where a big heart shaped throne stood. Aubrey could see someone sitting sideways on the throne, their feet hanging from the side and scepter twirling in their hand. She was too far to make out her face but she looked familiar.

Stacie stopped her behind CR, who raised her trumpet and gave out a fanfare before stepping forward. "The Cheshire Cat and her Tamer!"

Stacie chuckled and shook her head, walking ahead. CR winked at Aubrey and went back to the other side of the tapestry.

"Your Majesty, I have a surprise for you." Stacie said in a sing-song voice and skipped forward excitedly.

"This better not be one of your pranks, Stacie." The Queen straightened up in her throne and looked down at them.

"Chloe?" Aubrey whispered. She frowned confused and walked faster.

Stacie smiled at the Queen like the cat who caught the canary. "We got your crown back."

Aubrey lifted the crown and gave her a tentative smile. Chloe stood up and smiled. "Oh goodie!" She snapped her fingers and Lilly walked out from behind the throne wearing a guard's uniform. She took the crown from Aubrey and took it to the Queen. "Thanks Stacie and…"

Stacie took Aubrey's hand and took a step forward. "Aubrey. She did most of the work actually, I was just the getaway driver."

Chloe looked at their joined hands and raised an eyebrow. "Well thank you Aubrey." She looked back at Stacie. "Make sure she doesn't get too attached, I'm not cutting off someone else's head just because you can't shake them off."

"What?" Aubrey let go of Stacie's hand.

"She's kidding." She smiled sheepishly and took her hand again lacing their fingers before turning back to Chloe. "She's different." She squeezed Aubrey's hand.

"Oh really?" Chloe looked surprised and studied Aubrey. "Come closer."

Aubrey looked at Stacie who gave her a reassuring nod. She let go of Stacie's hand and moved to the bottom of the steps leading to the throne.

"She's really pretty, Stace, you really know how to pick them." Chloe stood up from her throne and walked down, circling Aubrey slowly when she got to the bottom. When she got back to Aubrey's front, she stopped and narrowed her eyes at her before smiling widely again.

"I hope we get a chance to get to know each other. Maybe we can play a round of croquet." She looked at Stacie and raised her eyebrows. Stacie grimaced and shook her head. Chloe gave her a knowing look and walked back to her throne. "Some other time then, I'm sure you have other plans. Thanks for the crown, you may go."

Stacie smiled widely and moved to take Aubrey's hand again. "No problem, Chlo-" Chloe looked pointedly at her. "Your Highness."

Chloe rolled her eyes and waved her hand for them to go. Stacie half bowed with a smirk and pulled Aubrey back to the exit.

They went back through the tapestry but there was a different room on the other side, this one covered in lush carpets and big couches. Aubrey let go of Stacie's hand and turned. She looked at Stacie with a confused frown. "This is a different room."

"Your observation skills don't seize to amaze me." Aubrey rolled her eyes as Stacie moved closer. She ran her hands up her arms. "The tapestry takes you out to whichever room you want, you just have to think about it."

Aubrey arched an eyebrow at her. "And you wanted to go to the one full of comfy couches?"

"Well, yes..." Stacie smiled wolfishly. "I thought we could make out for a bit and these couches are really nice."

She took Aubrey's hands and walked her back to the nearest couch, laying her down carefully and crawling over her. The couch was so soft Aubrey felt like she was on a cloud and suddenly all the excitement of the day caught up with her. She yawned and blinked a couple of times. She cupped Stacie's cheek and smiled. "Maybe we can take a nap first and then make out."

Stacie chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from Aubrey's forehead. "Okay." She kissed her nose. "Nap."

Aubrey woke up to the smell of food. She opened her eyes and rolled over, taking a moment to orient herself. She wasn't where she'd fallen asleep, but the bed she was on was just as comfortable. She looked around the room. The bed occupied most of the room, there was a door directly in front of it, a big dresser against one of the walls and a small vanity next to it.

Aubrey kicked off the covers and stood up. Her shoes were next to the bed but she ignored them, walking in her socks out the door. There was a living room on the other side of the door. Beyond that there was a small kitchen where Stacie was humming and dancing while stirred something in a pot, her tail swinging happily behind her.

Aubrey smirked and walked to her. "Hey."

Stacie turned around with the spoon in her hand. She smiled widely at Aubrey. "You're up!"

Aubrey looked down shyly. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay. I thought I'd get started on dinner while you slept so I brought you home." She hurried to pull out one of the high stools by the kitchen island for her. "Sit, I'm almost done."

Aubrey sat down on and grabbed Stacie's hips pulling her closer before she could go back to the stove. "What did you make?"

"Anything soup."

Aubrey's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Anything soup? What is that?"

Stacie shrugged. "It's soup."

"What does it taste like?"

"Anything."

Aubrey shook her head deciding to drop this inane conversation and just wait until she'd tried it. She pulled Stacie closer and slipped her hands into the back pockets of Stacie's shorts, looking up at the smirking brunette and pecking her lips. "Are you gonna tell me the story now?"

Stacie rubbed their noses together ghosting her lips over Aubrey's. "I have a better idea."

Aubrey turned her head when Stacie moved to kiss her. "You said you'd tell me over dinner. Why don't you want to tell me?"

"I do but I also really want to make out."

Aubrey rolled her eyes but relented, pressing her lips against Stacie in a slow kiss. Her hands drifted up to her back, only flinching slightly when Stacie's tail brushed her knuckles as it swung lazily behind her. She pulled back when the brunette tried to deepen the kiss, pecking her lips a few times when she pouted. "Dinner, story, then more making out."

Stacie grumbled but turned around to get bowls and serve the soup. She placed one in front of Aubrey and took a seat across from her.

Aubrey picked up her spoon and looked into her bowl. There was a thick liquid in it that kept changing colors. She looked up at Stacie who was already eating and then back down at the gooey substance in her bowl. She dipped her spoon inside and swirled it around once before lifting it up slowly to her mouth. She paused when the spoon got closer to her face sniffing the liquid but it was odorless.

She finally lifted the spoon the rest of the way and put it in her mouth. The soup sloshed around in her mouth for a moment but she couldn't identify a particular flavor. She frowned wondering if they should consider changing the name to no-particular-taste soup.

"Try it again." Aubrey hadn't noticed Stacie had been looking at her with an amused smirk. "It takes the bit to calibrate."

Aubrey's frown deepened with confusion but she took another spoonful. Aubrey's eyes widened as soon as the liquid touched her tongue. "It tastes like pizza!"

Stacie smiled. "It tastes however you want it to taste. It sends neural signals to activate the right taste buds. Just like the Wonderdrink."

Aubrey stopped with the spoon halfway to her mouth. Stacie chuckled. "It won't shrink you. I fixed that but since they see me as the enemy now they don't have the improved formula."

"You fixed it?"

"Turns out one of the mushrooms I used in the original formula can cause an allergic reaction. I just had to find something to substitute it with." Stacie shrugged like it was nothing.

Aubrey's mouth hung open. "You invented them?"

"Before I was the Queen's prankster, I was her alchemist. I haven't had a chance to do something more elaborate than stink bombs and jello in a while though."

Aubrey considered this as she finished her soup wondering what other things Stacie had invented. Before she could ask, Stacie stood up to take her empty plate, kissing her temple. "Do you want some tea?"

Aubrey looked at her skeptically. "What kind of tea."

"Regular tea. I ran out of the aphrodisiac one." Stacie grinned and winked at her.

"Regular tea sounds good." She waited for Stacie to turn back around from placing the kettle on the stove and kissed her.

Stacie returned the kiss making her walk back towards the door to the living room. She pressed her against the doorframe and broke the kiss. "Go wait in the living room, I'll be right there with the tea."

Aubrey sat on the couch and waited for Stacie looking around the room curiously at the sparsely decorated room. There was a chimney in front of the couch with a surrealist painting of a forest which, now that she thought about it, looked a lot like the one she'd been in earlier, and a large bookcase on the wall that led to the bedroom.

Aubrey stood up to look at it. It was packed with leather bound books about everything, from physics to classic literature to unidentifiable. She ran her finger along the spine of a large tome labeled "Everything Vol. II: O-Z" and was about to pull it out when Stacie walked in carrying a tray with the tea.

She dropped the book and joined Stacie on the couch letting her pour her cup of tea. "Careful, it's hot."

Aubrey gave her a small smile and started blowing on it as she watched Stacie pour her own cup and take out a funny looking pipe from her pocket. She flipped a switch on the side and small clouds started coming out from the front.

Aubrey narrowed her eyes as Stacie took a drag from it. She offered the pipe to her and Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. "It's just water with flavoring, it's harmless. It won't mess with your vocal chords."

Aubrey took the pipe and eyed it suspiciously before taking the tiniest of drags. It felt warm in her mouth but it had a pleasant fruity taste. She exhaled a blue cloud and watched it as it dissolved slowly.

She handed the pipe back to Stacie and turned to face her, waiting expectantly as she took a couple of drags before she started talking.

"The Queen and the Hatter," Stacie began, exhaling red vapor in the form of a little stick figure with a crown and a blue stick figure with a top hat. "were good friends. Better than good friends, they were in love."

Stacie blew out a purple heart that floated around the stick figures. "The Hatter would make hats for the Queen, tall hats with songbirds living in them and tiny little hats that floated over her head. They would go on picnics and had tea parties. But they never told each other they were in love. The Hatter didn't think she was good enough for the Queen and she didn't want to scare the Hatter away. But still they were very happy because they were together."

Aubrey chuckled and leaned against Stacie watching the little stick figures spin around in a teacup. Stacie wrapped her arm around her shoulder and blew out a third stick figure with a sword. "Until the day the White Knight interfered. The Hatter was at the stables for some reason or other, telling the knight to let her borrow a horse. Everyone knew the Queen would let the Hatter take anything she wanted but the knight was being annoying and wouldn't let her take it." The stick figure moved in between the other two. "He kissed the Hatter and the Queen saw them and well, you've met her, she's kind of emotionally unstable, she ordered them to be executed."

Stacie blew out an arrow that cut through the figures making them fade away. "I managed to help them escape before the trial, I knew the Queen would never forgive herself if she went through with it. When she found out she made me prove my loyalty by destroying all of the Hatter's hats." Stacie looked away embarrassed about what she'd done. Aubrey kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand. "That's when people started taking sides and the Queen built the wall. It became us against them, and that's how it's been ever since."

Aubrey turned her head to look at Stacie. "So this all happened because of a misunderstanding?"

Stacie nodded pulling back to look at Aubrey. "So now you know the story…" She smirked and leaned forward. "You said something about more making out."

Aubrey stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Has anyone tried to fix it?"

Stacie furrowed her brow. "Fix what?"

"Their relationship? Has anyone tried to explain to the Queen that it was a mistake?"

"I tried but every time I'd mention it she'd go all guillotine-happy so I stopped trying." Stacie shrugged and tried to kiss Aubrey again but the hand on her shoulder tensed again.

"What if we convince the Hatter to try to talk to her? If they really love each other they must be miserable. You can talk to her and tell her how the Queen feels!"

"Baby, she won't talk to me. I'm the enemy, remember? Besides, even if we manage to convince her, we'd have to find a way to sneak her into the throne room and have the Queen listen to her without getting all head choppy."

Aubrey's hand moved to Stacie's neck and she scratched behind Stacie's ear. "Wouldn't you want someone to do that for us?"

Stacie leaned into Aubrey's hand. "Fine but we need a proper plan. And I better get a very long make out session after this."

Aubrey smiled and kissed her getting off the couch before she could deepen the kiss. "Let's start planning."