Alright so like I promised, end of the week and here's your next chapter. This one is a bit longer with some added stuff by your's truly that I hope you enjoy!


Hatter and Alice walked through a crowd of 'oysters'. Coughing dust from their lungs and making sure no one was hurt. Finally Alice stopped, exhaustion hitting her. Hatter stopped along with her, glancing back at her.

"Don't suppose I could get that hug now?" He asked, making her smile.

"There. She's there get her!" A voice shouted, interrupting Hatter and Alice. The Queen, she survived the downfall. A group of suits surrounded her and Hatter but a group of 'oysters' helped block them off.

"Touch the lady and I'll shuffle your deck." The security guard yelled.

"Don't just sand there idiots, arrest her." She yelled.

"Take a good look at your queen first, make sure she's really worth fighting for." Alice said. The suits stopped and slowly turned around.

"How dare you look at me, she's the one you should be looking at." The Queen said. Alice could tell she was shocked.

"I am not the problem, you are." Alice said

"Off with her head!" The Queen yelled.

"And it looks like everyone is waking up to that."

"Don't listen to her; she's just an insolent girl." Alice could tell the Queen was getting agitated, but weather it was with her, or the fact that no one was listening to her, she couldn't tell.

"No one is frightened of you anymore, your just one of us now."

"This is my kingdom, and I am still Queen." She said with a threatening glare.

"Look around, no one is listening, your power is gone."

Jack came running through the crowd with Duchess.

"Jack, thank god you're here, get everyone to fall in line." The Queen said, back to ordering people around.

"Me, didn't you sentence me to death?" Jack asked.

"Oh, don't be so sensitive, I was just doing my job. Come on now and rally the troops." She said.

"No, Mother its over." Jack said

The Queen was silent, stunned. Alice was surprised; she really thought she would fight more for this. She held out her hand to the Queen.

"The ring." Alice said.

"Are you mad? I'd sooner have you cut off my finger." She protested.

"That can be arranged." Alice was shocked at the calmness she was exuding. When really the suits could turn on her and Hatter at any second.

"Do you have a knife?" Hatter asked Number ten, who promptly pulled out a pocket knife and handed it over, Hatter sauntered up to the Queen. Jack pulled him back quickly.

"Make sure it's a clean cut, we don't want any blood on the ring." He said. Hatter agreed and flipped the blade up. The Queen was resistant but she wasn't stupid, she knew Hatter would do it if he wanted to. Instead she opted for the less bloody approach and regrettably handed the ring over to Alice. Hatter walked away a bit disappointed. Alice smiled and raised the ring in the air proudly, causing everyone to cheer. The Queen of Heart's reign was officially over.

She turned around to look at Hatter who stood behind her with a happy but pained look on his face. She suddenly became worried. She quickly handed the ring off to Jack and rushed to Hatters side.

"Are you okay?" She asked, truly worried now, he was losing color quickly.

"Yeah just, dizzy." He said, but his words came out slow and she could tell something was wrong. She glanced over at Jack who came to her side right away.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Just fine thank you." Hatter snipped. Jack might be king but that didn't mean he had to like him.

"Something's wrong, is there anywhere I can take him, I think he's hurt." Alice said.

"I am not hurt I am fine." Hatter argued but Alice ignored him.

"The scarabs are empty if you want to use one of those; they have first aid kits in them. I am afraid that's the best I can offer you now." Jack said.

"That's fine. Come on Hatter." Alice said taking his hand. He walked a few paces then stopped, putting his hand to his head and closing his eyes, wincing.

"Hatter?" Alice asked. He didn't say anything just shook his head. Jack stepped in and put one of Hatters arms over his shoulder then wrapped an arm around Hatters waist and helped Alice walk him to the scarab. Hatter wasn't happy for the help, he could have made it on his own, it just would have taken him longer.

They made it safely though and Jack helped Alice find the first aid kit before leaving them alone. Alice turned to Hatter who was sitting up against a wall with his eyes shut. She took a rag and dipped it in the small dish of water that Jack got for her. She walked up to Hatter and knelt in front of him placing a hand lightly on his head and using the other to lightly wash away the dried blood and dirt.

"What did they do to you?" She whispered, running her fingers over a long cut on his neck. He didn't answer and she didn't press, he'd tell her if he wanted to.

Once his face was clean it didn't look so bad, a few small bruises, a cut or two and a black eye but at least it wasn't bloody which made her feel better.

"Alright, you think you can get up?" She asked quietly offering her hand. He nodded and stood halfway up but let out a quick cry of pain and grabbed his side, falling back to the floor.

"Hatter what's wrong?" Alice asked, quickly sitting next to him and putting her hands on top of his.

"Nothing, it's fine." He said through his teeth.

"You're not fine. Please stop trying to be so strong, just let me help you." She pleaded with him. He relaxed his grip on his side and Alice helped him shrug his coat off. She laid it next to him then went for the top button of his shirt.

"No." He said batting her hand away.

"Hatter I've got to help you, you can't even move just let me see what it is." She said. He let out a frustrated sigh but moved his hands away from his chest. She reached up slowly and undid the first three buttons then noticed that he wasn't looking at her, his head was turned away and his eyes were closed. She finished unbutton the shirt and slowly moved it off his shoulders so his chest was fully exposed. Her eyes had been on Hatter the whole time; he still refused to look at her. She shook her head and looked down at his torso. She let out a small gasp.

"Oh my god." Her heart sped up and she felt a few tears come to her eyes. At first count he had at least six small burn marks at random places on his chest with one large one on his side that looked horribly painful. There were maybe four cuts, that she could count, that were scattered across his ribcage. None looked horribly deep but they were all bleeding.

"Hatter, what did they do to you?" She asked again, more sternly this time. He still refused to look at her and his jaw was clenched tight, he wasn't going to talk, not now anyway. She let out a shaky sigh and dipped the rag back into the dish of warm water, ringing it out before she gently put it on one of the cuts near his side. He winced in pain and she shook her head.

"Hatter I am so sorry." She said. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't make it better now, all she could do was clean him up and hope that nothing was infected.

It took a total of fifteen minutes for her to just clean his wounds. He was silent the whole time except for a wince every now and then and she was surprised at how controlled he was.

She reached into the kit for the antiseptic and bandages. She rubbed the cream on her hand then looked at Hatter.

"This is probably going to sting okay?" She warned him. He didn't say anything so she took that as her cue to just get it over with. She started with the small cuts first which actually didn't look to nasty now that they were cleaned up. There were actually six of them, three on each side of his ribcage. She rubbed the antiseptic slowly over the cuts trying to be as gentle as she could. She knew when it hurt though, he'd draw in a quick breath and she'd stop suddenly glancing up at him but he never said anything.

She squeezed more cream on her hands and focused on the six small burn marks that dotted his chest and stomach. These weren't too bad at all and she figured they'd clear up in a month at the most. What she didn't like was the large burn on his side. The skin was seared that was obvious and it had bled at bit when she cleaned it off. That one she didn't know about. She put more antiseptic on her hands and then looked up at him again.

"I am so sorry Hatter." She whispered. She had to clean this one too. She put her hand on the burn carefully and as slowly as she could rubbed the cream into the wound. Hatter shook with pain and finally gave up letting out a strangled scream and punching the floor of the scarab with his right hand denting the metal. Alice jumped at the sound.
"I am sorry Hatter, please I am so sorry." She said quickly cleaning her hands off so she wouldn't hurt him anymore.

"Just keep going." He said. His voice was dark and pained. She quickly grabbed the bandages and wrapped them around his waist carefully making sure not to make them too tight. When she finished she pulled his shirt back up over his arms and buttoned it up again.

Then she sat still in front of him, not knowing what to say. He'd picked up his coat but didn't put it on. He just sat there hanging his head. She wished she knew what to do, what to say. But instead she sat there. Until she saw the tear fall that is. One single tear, landed on his coat and that made up her mind for her. She didn't do it quickly because she didn't want to hurt him again but she laid the coat back on the floor and then carefully sat herself down in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his waist being careful not to touch the burn mark. She rested her head on his chest and felt him sigh, relaxing for the first time since they got in here.

"I am sorry." She whispered again. She felt another tear fall on her shoulder and she clenched her eyes shut willing herself not to cry as well.

"It's not your fault." He said wrapping an arm around her waist. She nodded.

"Yeah it is. I should have never gone with Jack in the first place, then you wouldn't have tried to save me and none of this would have happened. Hell I shouldn't have even come here; it's my own fault for following Jack through the looking glass. If I would have just stayed where I was…"
"I never would have met you." Hatter said, interrupting her. She glanced up at him, seeing the wetness the tears left around his eyes. She let a few of her own fall.

"This is all my fault." She said shaking her head.

"No." He said slowly shaking his head.

"This happened for a reason, it's no one's fault."

"But if I would have.."

He cut her off again.

"Alice, it's taken me this long to realize that everything I did, all the stupid things that happened that ended up with me here being bruised and battered. I did it for you." He said seriously.

"I don't understand." She said

"Why would you…" She stopped talking and let herself register how close his face was getting. She blinked slowly.

"Alice, I…"

"Ahem, sorry for interrupting but were getting ready to take everyone home, were just waiting on you two." Number ten said from the entrance to the scarab. Alice sighed and let her head fall against Hatter's chest.

"Yes we were just finishing up here." Hatter said with just the right amount of charm.

"Right well we're ready to leave so if you could just hurry up please." Number ten said, then turned and left.

Alice slowly moved off of Hatter and helped him to his feat and back into his coat.

They walked out of the scarab together and Alice turned to follow Number ten but Hatter stopped.

"Your coming aren't you?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'll be there, I just wanna go home, clean up a bit more first." He said smiling at her. She nodded.

"Okay, I'll see you soon then?" She asked hopefully.

"Soon." He said. Then watched her enter a second scarab with Number ten.

Now Hatter had a choice to make.


So yes I felt bad for making Hatter be in pain but hey, we got to picture him shirtless so that's good right! anyway, the end is within reach now only (hold on let me count).............. 4 more chapters left? Isn't it sad that I don't even know, and it's my story? haha. eaither way were about done. Like I said I alraedy have 3 simple oneshots written and have about 2 or so in my head that have yet to be finished so I am not stopping, these two are to much fun to write. So thanks for reading and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up sometime next week. Review please!!!

~Tara~