Chapter four! I'm excited because I'm hoping to finish this story soon. There aren't many chapters left (it's a shorter story) and I am hoping to finish this before Winter break. During fall break I'll try to update like a madwoman the other stories I have, along with this one, so if you are reading any of my other stories as well, sorry for leaving you hanging! I'm just SO busy, and school is hell. literally.

I have the ending written, but an estimated amount of chapters overall is probably at least ten. Scratch that, fourteen probably. ten seems so short... But it'll probably be ten. Yeah, it's ten-ish. Forget the whole fourteen thing. Stick with me!

Oh yeah, and Tyler makes a semi- appearance in this chapter due to a flashback. Oh! Another thing, is that this story takes place right after volume 4 in the mangas. Just FYI.

Enjoy and sorry for my ramblings!

"My true…home…?" I repeated, stunned. "Wonderland…?"

The floating man nodded, a smile gracing his lips. His eyes (er, eye) were a hypnotic shade of gray, and seemed to be peering into my very mind. It felt as if he was exposing every thought, every fear, and just laying them out on a table for everyone to see. I shivered at the intense sensation.

"Karol, I can see into your thoughts." He interrupted my train of thought, "And I can also see those memories. They're still there, deep down, buried under years of reform and the shock of having your clock stop."

Wait, how did he know I have a clock for a heart! Or, at least, a heart that sounds like a clock…

"I know, because I know you. When you died, all of Wonderland went into chaos. Blood lost all control. He began to kill anything and everything in sight without a second thought. Tyler, you remember him, right? He went after the men who shot you. He found them, killed them, but ended up dying in the process."

I stood there, coming up blank. None of this meant anything to me, because I had no idea who he was or who he was talking about. The pirate man sighed.

"I'm Nightmare, an Incubus. Is it really that easy to forget a place like this?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. I shrugged.

"I don't know what's going on. So much information is being thrust on me that I don't know anything anymore…" I whispered. It was true; one minute I'm a normal girl in London trying to escape an arranged marriage, the next I'm suddenly this girl from a strange land full of strange people.

"Actually, you're the sister to a Mafia boss." Nightmare added. I jumped, and spun around, momentarily forgetting his mind-reading ability. YOU ARE A FREAKY PIRATE MAN!

"… Thanks." He responded bitterly to my thought. Heh, heh.

"So, apparently, I live in a land where everything is strange, such as people carry weapons around and kill a lot along with having physical animal characteristics. I'm the sister—"

"—half sister."Nightmare interrupted. I nodded.

"—half sister of a Mafia boss and used to live in a large mansion with a bunch of people. I apparently died at twelve, destroying my brother and causing the death of his closest friend. My memories disappeared along with my mysterious resurrection, and now everyone knows me, but I do not know any of them. Except Dee and Dum." I finished. "Did I get everything?"

Nightmare nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

I couldn't help but smile at him. "Do you think you could help me out a little bit more with who everyone is?" I asked. Nightmare smiled back, nodding slowly.

"Of course, Karol."

The dusk sky turned quickly to the black that Blood enjoyed so much. He was currently negotiating borders with Gowland, and it was taking longer than expected. His green eyes looked upward at the twinkling stars, regret and sorrow beginning to settle in his heart. The ball was less than ten revolutions away, and Blood found himself desperately wishing for the brunette foreigner to attend. He knew what had transpired between the two of them the last time they met wasn't on the best of terms; he had overreacted, yes. Everything he did that day was uncalled for, but as usual, in the heat of an argument, Blood found himself saying and doing things he never intended.

"…A rule is a rule. And you broke it." Blood said, his voice soft and deadly. "You saw something you shouldn't have. Now I need to punish you." Quickly, his hand snapped up to close around Alice's throat. She gasped in pain, clawing at his wrist, slowly choking to death.

"I've always fantasized…" Blood began slowly, a sadistic smile gracing his lips, "…about killing an outsider…" his voice filled with delight at the prospect. Alice was terrified; this insane man was going to kill her, and there was nothing she could do.

"To wrap my dirty fingers around such a beloved throat. To destroy what everyone loved." His voice droned on, pleased with the thought of her death. "But you turned out to be more interesting alive. I liked you. To the point where I didn't want to kill you." Sadness crept into his voice when he admitted how he had gained feelings for the younger woman. "I never thought it would come back to crushing you with my bare hands."

Alice, still gasping for breath, continued to struggle. She coughed violently. "What's… wrong with you?" she managed to yell, "You tell me you… like me… while you're trying to k-kill me!" she gasped in another mouthful of air. "Is… Vivaldi next? Will you kill her because you love her?"

Blood froze in shock. Vivaldi…? She thought… he loved his own sister romantically? He released her small throat and she fell back breathing in deep gulps of air.

"Love her…?" he questioned out loud, "No… It seems I have misunderstood."

Alice looked at his questioningly, still trying to get more air into her depleted lungs. Blood stood and turned away from her.

"I don't love that woman." He said. His thoughts drifted to the only woman he loved, not romantically, but still, his half sister Karol. She had died about six years ago at the age of twelve. Alice could never understand the deep love he had for his deceased kid sister.

"What's going on then? Because that's what it looked like to me." Alice demanded angrily. Her breathing was less ragged and she could feel energy coursing through her veins.

"Think what you want to think. No one will believe you anyway." Blood retorted angrily. Images of Karol began to fill his mind and he was growing angrier by the second.

"Then what were you two doing? You're supposed to be enemies." Alice persisted. Blood sighed.

"Nothing that concerns you." He replied. They always met to discuss their deceased sister. Vivaldi hadn't known Karol very well, so they met when they could to discuss her. "You're certainly pushy about this. But I think I know why. If you're falling for me, pick yourself right back up."

Blood closed his eyes in exasperation. He didn't want to think about this anymore. It already hurt knowing what he had done to Alice. No need to continue dwelling on it. He sighed. Everyone in his life, he was pushing away. Karol had meant everything to the young hatter; when she died, his life fell apart, slowly.

Tyler went out in search of the faceless men that killed her. He ended up dying in the process. Elliot and Blood had found him in his last few moments.

"Tyler!" Elliot cried. He rushed to his friend's side, lifting the bloody body into his lap.

"…Elliot…?" Tyler asked weekly. Elliot nodded his head.

"I'm here."

Blood noticed the bloodied corpses of several faceless men.

"…I found them…" Tyler gasped, wheezing in the process, "Killed… lot, but some… got away…"

Elliot felt hot tears begin to prick his eyes. "It'll all be okay, Tyler. I promise."

"No… it won't…" Tyler whispered, "Just promise me… one thing… Destroy… my clock…"

Elliot nodded his head, tears beginning to fall even harder. "I promise."

"Good…"

And with that, Tyler left them. His body dissolved, leaving behind a golden clock. Elliot lifted the butt of his gun into the air and smashed it onto the small clock before Blood could stop him.

"Elliot!" Blood hissed, "You idiot! You're going to be thrown in jail now!"

"I don't care anymore." The March Hare said dejectedly. "What's the point? My best friend's dead. He died avenging the brightest light in all of Wonderland. Karol's dead and the Hatter Mansion is slowly falling into disarray. What do I have to live for?"

Blood pondered these words as the afterimages took Elliot March away. His sister was dead and the most honorable man in Wonderland was too. The Hatter Mansion needed Elliot. With a determined look, Blood knew what he was going to do:

He was breaking the March Hare out of prison, no matter the cost.

Shaking his head, Blood returned his thoughts to the matter at hand. He loved Alice, he truly did. He regretted everything that had happened that day. The only way to fix this? Apologize. Yes, Blood Dupre apologizing is something many would say impossible, but for Alice…

Somewhere, deep down, Alice felt something for him too. If those feelings could be brought to the surface, maybe things would end up smoothly.

Besides, the Hatter had already lost too many of his closest friends and family. He wasn't about to loose the woman he loved as well.

Blood sighed before making his way back into Gowland's office. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could get home. The sooner he could get home, the sooner he could apologize to Alice.