I don't own Alice in Wonderland or any of its characters. Based on the 2010 Tim Burton film and Bri-Chan's "When Curiosity Met Insanity."
Note - I am not familiar enough, probably, with WCMI, however, I have been and currently am reading some and have seen enough to be gripped with fascination with the Hatter, in particular. I may be attempting this Cross-over too soon, but I just couldn't wait. Darned plot bunnies! Written for the Alice and Tarrant Advent Calander for Live Journal Christmas.
Alice and Tarrant step through a Forbidden Mirror, and what they find defies anything they could have expected.
The Black Mirror
Chapter 4
"It figures that he has all sorts of women's clothing!" Tarrant almost spat as Alice admired the selection of fine day and night clothes in the wardrobe of the room Reginald had provided her.
"Well, he thinks, or thought, rather, that I was someone else," Alice replied, selecting a white night-gown. "Obviously another Alice has stayed here with him and he expects her back."
"Well, you aren't that Alice and I still don't see why we have to stay here," Tarrant said dourly. "You can tell me all about this holiday and I'll do everything I can to make you happy!"
Alice turned and faced him. He looked utterly miserable. "Oh, Tarrant, please!" she said, feeling horrible about making the decision to stay under Reginald's roof without his consent. She moved forward and embraced him.
Tarrant didn't respond. She was trying to cheer him, he knew, and he also knew she felt badly for pressuring them into staying the night. But it wasn't really her fault; none of it. The Adventure had been his idea, after all, and that infuriating large-nosed hatter was right. It was dangerously cold outside and they were unlikely to find the portal in all that snow.
Alice's arms were around him, he suddenly realised through the fog of his thoughts, and her cheek was pressed against his chest. The sensation was indescribable! His Alice's arms were around him! And they...they were loosening! No!
Then he realised why. He hadn't returned her embrace! What an idiot he was! Quickly he pulled her tightly to him and held her firmly, tucking her head snugly under his chin.
"Ah, Alice, don't worry about me. I'm fine." He dared to press a kiss to the top of her head and was rewarded by a renewed snuggling of her cheek against him. "I'm fine as long as you're with me."
"I feel the same," she said, flattening her palms on his back and rubbing him soothingly. "I'm sorry I made this decision without you," she added, "I should not have done that."
"You did it because you are not so rude and foolish as to refuse hospitality on a harsh night," Tarrant said. "Besides, this holiday means much to you, and he...he knows all about it." His voice trailed off sadly.
"Tarrant, it doesn't matter!" Alice protested, looking up into his face.
"It does!" he said, "I can see that it does! You were so happy when he told you! And I...I can't be a part of it for you. I don't know anything about it." Tarrant sighed. "I know nothing about these days that mean so much to you and he does. I can't make your eyes sparkle the way he does when he..."
"Tarrant, stop it!" Alice said sharply, taking his face in her hands. "Tarrant, I do like him and enjoy his company. He's mad and a hatter and hospitable and funny. But he's not my hatter." She stood on tip-toe and pressed a kiss to his chin. "You are my hatter! And just because you don't know about Christmas doesn't change that! I don't know all about your Underlandian days, do I? But does that make you care for me less?"
"Of course not!" he shot back, and then saw her point. "I...I just want to share this with you, Alice, and I don't know how!"
She smiled and caressed his cheekbones with her thumbs. Tarrant's eyes closed slightly and changed to a lavender colour she had never seen before, but instantly liked.
"It's not so much the day that is so special, Tarrant, it is what the day means. In brief, it is...never mind. I'll explain the story behind it to you another time. Suffice it to say that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are days that have always been special to my family. We all get together and celebrate. We celebrate what the day means, and we celebrate being together. It's the love and the coming together that make it truly so special, Tarrant. It is being with loved ones. I cannot be with my remaining family this year, but I can be with you."
"But I'm not your family," he said, feeling slightly happier, yet unhappy that his Alice could not be with her mother and sister.
"That's all right," Alice said, tracing a finger over his lips now, "I'm with you. You are as precious to me as they are." When his lips curved into a smile under her tracing finger her eyes brightened.
"Now, can you sleep easily tonight?" she asked, her own lips curving into a smile.
Tarrant pulled her hand to his tingling mouth and pressed a kiss to her palm. "I can, lass, I can."
His eyes were still lavender as he bowed to her and bid her good night, before softly closing the door to her room and backing out into the hallway.
Perhaps he would sleep; perhaps not. It depended upon what he could find.
Indeed, Tarrant was not beyond snooping. And he found that he had no reservations about it, either. As far as he was concerned, his host had shown 'dubious intentions' towards His Alice and he was not happy about it. Of course he was jealous of this odd white-haired hatter, but he also knew that this man wanted a Replacement Alice. Well, Alice was not going to be anybody's replacement! She deserved to be loved and revered and treasured in her own right!
Tarrant had located, with the aid of a chamber-stick, Reginald's library. The room was vast, almost as large as the March Hare's entire house! And the bookshelves were so high that ladders were in abundance. But Tarrant wasn't looking for reading books; he was looking for...well, he wasn't sure. But he would know if he found anything.
He carefully snooped through a desk; one of several in the large room, and found what appeared to be a stack of scrapbooks. Tarrant removed one and opened it. He saw various daguerreotypes of Reginald's house and family, apparently, and then with various women.
Ah...this was what Tarrant had been seeking! Reginald Theophilus (the Third, his brain added mockingly) had quite a history with women. He had been with so many women that Tarrant was on his third scrapbook before he found what he had truly been looking for. There were many pages of images of Reginald with women. But the most recent images stunned Tarrant. They were of Reginald with a blonde-haired young woman who looked very much like His Alice!
There were differences, such as the shapes of their noses and mouths, but the similarities between them were striking. It was now no surprise that Reginald had, at first, believed Alice to be the one in these images.
Most interesting...most interesting, indeed.
Christmas Eve was pleasant for Alice and Reginald, and even Tarrant appeared to be in improved spirits.
The trio spent the day making craft items to add to the tree and Tarrant enjoyed learning some of the small things that could be done to add to a day that was so special to so many people. With Alice's aid he learned how to knit mittens and gloves while Reginald made tea, cookies, small cakes and paper cornucopias with nuts.
The house smelled wonderful and the food and tea were delicious. So far, Tarrant was enjoying himself. Reginald had been a perfect gentleman and hadn't made any overtures towards Alice, so he was content.
For Alice, this was the next best thing to being with her family. She had her beloved Hatter with her and a new Hatter who was very different, but quirky in his own ways. Alice discovered, the more she was in Underland, how very much she enjoyed quirkiness!
At one point in her contented knitting, she heard a fuss in the kitchen. Rising, she moved closer to the muffled and angry-sounding voices.
"She's not your Alice!"
"Don't you think I know that? But she's a good deal like her! What's your problem with me enjoying her company?"
"You want to enjoy her company in a very dishonourable way!"
"How dare you, sir! I take umbrage! Umbrage, I say!"
"You take whatever wears a skirt, apparently!"
"Well, you'd look better in one! The mercury obviously made you look more like a woman than a man!"
"You...you slurvish knave! At least it didn't all settle in my nose! I don't know how you manage to hold your head up with that proboscis of yours!"
Alice had been stifling a giggle but now she burst into full-fledged laughter. "You two," she gasped, "stop it! I can barely breathe!"
She came into the room and both men stopped their arguing at once.
"Sorry, Cricket!" Reginald said, "it seems your hatter has a temper!"
"And you don't?" Tarrant retorted, "you started this whole thing!"
"Stop it!" Alice said again, her laughter subsiding into an amused smile. "The two of you had better get along today! After all, Midnight is Christmas Day and I won't tolerate any arguing or unpleasantness!"
"Of course not!" Tarrant said, moving to her side and eager to make amends. "I'm sorry it came to this, Alice! It seems we just have a...personality clash."
"You have so many that you would know," Reginald said snidely, then quickly covered it with a grin. "I'm just joking, my dear Miss...ah...Alice."
Tarrant's head snapped over to Reginald. "You don't even know her last name, do you?"
Reginald looked embarrassed. "I never did ask, did I?"
"Oh, that's not your fault! I never told you when I introduced myself," Alice said. "My surname is Kingsleigh."
"Kingsleigh? What a fine name. No, what a positively splendid name!"
Tarrant grinned. "So, the Alice you thought she was when we came doesn't have that surname, does she?"
"It doesn't matter," Reginald replied.
"I'd say she doesn't have a name even remotely close to Kingsleigh. I think the Alice you believed her to be is named Alice Liddell."
Alice shrugged. "Well, I suppose we must look alike."
"You do, very much so," Reginald admitted. "But you and she are different. My Cricket is quite...ah...spirited."
"And My Alice isn't?" Tarrant said, irritation creeping back into his tone.
"Oh, of course! But I mean it in a different way."
"Under the sheets, you mean?"
Reginald gasped and Alice gaped.
"Ah...um..." Tarrant stammered, then sighed, ashamed. "I'm sorry."
Alice frowned and turned on her heel. "Both of you behave and don't even think of returning to the living room until you have settled whatever is wrong between the two of you!"
She left the two hatters alone to stare at each other in uncomfortable silence.
