Quick Note: I am SO sorry! I know it's been like 2 weeks since my last update. I will try to make it up to you though... Also, based on some awesome feedback I got in the reviews, I think I might have a better handle on the potential pairing... though I have not made it obvious yet. Also... the story has gotten a little darker... I hope this doesn't turn any readers off, but I really think it will add to the substance of it...
Disclaimer: I don't own HNKNA...
Though a part of me was deeply moved by the desperation of his words, something within me screamed not to trust him. As he tightened his grip and moved his head lower to where his cheek brushed mine, I trembled as a chill swept through my body… He's so cold… Roughly pushing him away, I stepped back and crossed my arms over my chest defensively… matching his surprised gaze with a look of defiance, "You still haven't told me where my friends are!"
His hurt look melted into something more powerful as he began to approach me again, this time with far hungrier eyes. "My dear little Alice… you should be more worried about yourself than them…"
Even though I was backing away from him, he had still closed the distance between us easily and I was forced to stop when I felt the cold stone wall of the tower behind me. I tried to move to the right and follow the curved wall away from him, but his hand quickly hit the stone beside me, impeding my progress. His other armed mirrored the first as I found myself trapped by him.
Feeling my throat dry and tight, I barely managed to squeak out, "Why should I be worried for myself, Jack?" His eyes narrowed slightly before a sinister smile took over… his sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight. He stooped over so that he what eye to eye with me, only inches away… his hand moving from the wall beside me, only to wrap tightly around my jaw, pinning me painfully in place to the wall.
"It seems you have somehow forgotten, Alice…" he hissed, "… that I am indeed, a monster…" I felt my eyes widen as the reality of the situation sank in. My heart was beating nearly out of my chest, and my breath came out ragged and uneven.
Seemingly please by the terror I'm certain was evident on my face, Jack's smile widened as he smashed his cold lips forcefully against mine. For a split second that seemed much more like eternity, I tried to process what was happening. The blood rushed to my face and I began to feel lightheaded… but it did not take long for my embarrassment to evolve into rage… how could he!
I began to desperately try to push him away, but the more I struggled… the more his grip tightened, and I felt his talon-like nails sink sharply into my face. I couldn't help but gasp at the pain as his claws drove into my skin. It wasn't until I felt something cold and wet slip between my lips that I realized he had taken this opportunity to deepen the kiss.
Angry and disgusted, I tried to bite down, hoping to injure him and end this… only to realize that his hand was wedging my jaw open, and my vain attempt to bite him only served to injure me further as I felt the nails dig in deeper.
He pulled away chuckling lightly at me, and raking his nails down my face sharply as he leaned back. Unable to hold them back, my tears streamed freely down my face… adding insult to injury when the salty water stung harshly as it poured over the gashes on my cheek.
If I thought I was frightened before, it was only because I couldn't conceive the terror I felt wracking my body now as his narrow forked tongue slid out and tauntingly licked my blood from his fingers… "Why Alice… you taste positively… delicious…"
Back in the Ballroom
As soon as the bright light signaling the rapid departure of the Jabberwock had faded, all of the ballroom's candles flared back to life revealing that the stage and band had disappeared along with him. Even though they remained, all of the faceless who had been in attendance to the ball now lay in a crumpled unconscious heap on the floor, breathing dangerously shallow. The rear of the room near the bar was now painted in a sickening red as the four bloody members of the mafia began to stir from where they were slumped on the floor. The unpleasant, defeated silence was shattered as the prime minister came bounding over to the scene, "Alice!"
Peter began frantically searching around the bar for any signs of his beloved as Vivaldi came running over as well, her hasty steps belying her terror as they displayed more panic than grace. She made a beeline straight to Blood and helped him to his feet, "Blood, what happened to Alice! What did that beast do to her! We demand to know!"
Still rather torn up and a bit winded from the last blow he took, Blood did his best to brace himself against the bar without sinking back to his knees. Taking a few deep breaths, he finally found his composure as his posture straightened and he turned to look at his harried sister as a deep scowl settled on his face, "I'm fine, Vivaldi… Thanks so much for asking"
"We know you are fine! We, ourselves, have done worse to you in the past! So we are asking, where is Alice!" Her voice cracking as her frenetic concern finally manifested. His blue eyes widened as the words finally hit him, and they began frantically surveying the area for any trace of the enchanting little foreigner. More a statement than a question as the infuriating truth dawned on him, "She's gone…"
With tears finally streaming down her face, and the last shreds of her self-control falling away, Vivaldi clung desperately to the lapels of his suit and screeched in his face, "I bloody well know she is gone! Baka Otouto-chan!"
A deathly pale look crossed his face at his sister's blunder, and his eyes narrowed at the all too familiar 'term of endearment'. Letting out a frustrated huff as his only remaining family continued sobbing against his chest, he roughly wrapped his arms around her and begrudgingly began to console her, "Vivaldi, pull yourself together. Your little tantrum has already done enough damage, and it certainly isn't helping us find Alice"
It was bad enough when he looked around to see the eyes of his men staring at him in disbelief, but that damned fool too! His eyes settled on the bewildered face of Wonderland's worst musician whose jaw hung limply at the revelation. The pink feline beside him had already cycled through shocked, then amused, and now completely disinterested as his eyes darted about the room following the crazed form of a white rabbit who was still searching urgently whilst professing his undying love.
"What seems to be the problem, Mary?" Blood cooed, his voice laced with disdain. The named man snapped back to reality as the force of the insult sent him sputtering and pointing a rigid finger at the two, "Wh-what's the problem? What's the freekin' problem! I just found out that the Queen of Hearts and the 'Mad Hatter' are siblings… one of whom I previous thought was totally innocuous in the territory wars, now turns out to be a secret ally… or possibly even lackey, of the mafia!" Gowland was so wrapped up in his raving, that he didn't even notice the deadly stares that both siblings were now sending him.
"What did you just call me…" Blood growled. While simultaneously, Vivaldi began to shout, "Innocuous! Lackey! How dare you! We are the Queen of Hearts!" Within seconds, the situation devolved into all three territory leaders brandishing weapons and arguing amongst themselves.
Now that this had become entertaining again, Boris had a seat on the floor and was now watching with bemusement and rapt attention as the bickering between all three parties escalated. Elliot, on the other hand stood there, still completely confounded that his boss and the queen were… oh, it hurt his head just to think about it.
Dee and Dum had recovered far quicker from the shock, and were now viewing the spectacle before them with ever increasing annoyance. Dee's brow twitched slightly in frustration as he spoke to his brother with his cool blue eyes still observing the obnoxious antics before him. "Hey brother… I think they're forgetting something"
Dum nodded slightly in agreement and his grip tightened on the handle of his axe as it transformed into a polished red handgun. Even though extremely tempted to just end the scuffle by firing directly at the belligerent roleholders before him, he raised the gun high in the air and shot off several rounds. The commotion died down as everyone turned to see the young 'Bloody Twins' glaring mercilessly.
Dum lowered his weapon and his voice as he growled out, "How is this helping us find onee-chan!"
"And why was the stupid Jabberwock so strong?" Dee chimed with a bitter frown painting his face. Brought back to the problem at hand, the three territory leaders all hesitantly lowered their weapons in an unspoken, and rather shaky, truce.
Blood's jaw tightened at the idea of being ordered to do anything by his own employees, but as they diverted attention from his sister's slip-up, he was willing to overlook it this time. "I believe we may be in the mirror realm, in which the Jabberwock holds dominion. That would explain both his extraordinary strength as well as his ability to manipulate this ballroom, which would typically be under Vivaldi's jurisdiction."
"What happened to them?" Dee asked indifferently with a finger pointed to one of the nearer faceless.
"Well it would stand to reason that either the Jabberwock has done this to them intentionally, or the conditions of this realm are such that they are rendered inert. If it is the latter, I worry what might happen if they remain here for any prolonged period of time" Blood replied with a bored tone, completely devoid of any real concern.
"Well, if we are in the mirror realm, like you said… how are we supposed to get back?" Gowland looked to Blood skeptically… never ready to just trust the mafia. It wouldn't be the first time they'd pulled one over on him.
"Oji-san, we can't go home until we rescue Alice!" Dee cried out, with murder in his eyes at the thought of leaving her behind.
"Of course we can't! But if we don't know how to get home once we've saved her, the Jabberwock will just come and steal her again, right?" Gowland snapped back, earning a silent, but cold stare from each of the gatekeepers.
"That is if Alice is still alive…" Vivaldi spoke in barely more than a whisper, as her eyes now red from crying stared blankly off into the distance. After a few seconds more of painful silence, she turned back to them to elaborate, "How many of you had already taken up your roles the last time the Jabberwock was loose? There were five of us to survive, if we remember correctly… Blood, Julius, Ace, Nightmare, and our self. We were all that was left…"
Her voice trailed off as the painful memories came flooding back. In an instant, Peter was standing before her and shaking her shoulders violently, "Alice is alive! She must be! Now where the bloody hell is that Jabberwock!"
"White. She has no way of locating that beast… but Nightmare might" Blood's calm words broke Peter out of his panic and began to give him hope as he quickly released his hold on Vivaldi.
"But how are we supposed to contact Nightmare, Boss?" Dum asked, finally regaining his voice.
"That's simple, like this…" Blood crooned with a malicious and knowing smirk. As Peter turned to face Blood, excited to hear the solution, he was met by a swift blow to the head from the Mafioso's cane and promptly crumbled to the floor.
Baka Otouto-chan - Stupid little brother
Onee-chan - Big Sister
Oji-san - Uncle