Forget Me Not

Summary: "You won't remember me." "Of course I will, how could I forget?" The Hatter feared that Alice wouldn't remember him, but he never considered the possibility that he would forget Alice. AxH

A/N: Holy crap that was more reviews than I was expecting to get for one chapter! xD Sorry for the cruel cliffhanger from the last chapter, but those of you that have been with me since Up From Wonderland should know that I am a cliff junkie. Anyway – onto Chapter 9!

Disclaimer: I only own my OC's and this fanfic.


Chapter 9: The Proposal

"May I just ask where you managed to find that?"

Absolem flew into the room, landing on the White Rabbit's head. The White Rabbit glanced up at him.

"King Vlakobeth dropped it on his way out."

"I find that very hard to believe," the butterfly said, and the White Rabbit looked guilty. Absolem glanced at Chessur, who was inspecting the tips of his claws once again.

"All right, so he didn't drop it. I nicked it from him as he went out the door. Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe," the Cat said, and Absolem sighed.

"Have you thought about the consequences of taking such an item from the King of Underland?"

"He probably has a spare," said Chessur, and the butterfly fluttered his wings.

"A spare?" he repeated. "There is only one Oraculum; it has told us each and every day since the beginning. It has simply added on since the Frabjous Day."

"I can stray from the path," Alice said, finally speaking up for the first time in several minutes. The Hatter glanced at her.

"I strayed from the path before and I can do it again."

"Yes, you strayed from the path before," Absolem said in a drawl. The White Rabbit, catching on, continued, his eyes wide with realization.

"But the destination your path takes you to," he said, pointing to the last venue in which Alice killed the Hatter, "Will be the same."

Alice felt sick.

"I-I couldn't," Alice said, shaking her head. "I saw no way out of slaying the Jabberwocky, but I can't- I can't kill someone close to me. It's impossible. How could I-?"

"Take a look at this," said the White Rabbit, pointing to the frame just before the final one. "It seems that the Hatter will try to kill you first."


Self-defense.

That was it. That was what it led to.

Alice would kill the Hatter in self-defense.

Once again left alone with him, she watched as he paced back and forth, eyes flashing between orange, green, and blue. The White Rabbit and Chessur had left to alert the White Queen of their findings.

"Hatter," she said softly, and he held up a hand to silence her. He closed his eyes as though pained by something.

"Please," he said. "Please, Alice. I'm still thinking."

Alice glanced down to her feet. The Hatter continued to pace, and finally he said,

"All right. I'm done thinking."

He sat down on the bed beside her.

"And?" Alice prodded.

"And," he said with a sigh, "There is nothing we can do. The Oraculum has spoken."

Alice felt her heart sink to her stomach.

"So you're not actually going to – erm – that is to say, you won't-?"

"Alice, I believe in my heart that I would never attempt to rob you of your life," the Hatter said seriously.

"I would never dream of doing the same to you," Alice assured him. The Hatter smiled.

"If I won't hurt you, and you won't harm me, then regardless of what the Oraculum says, we have nothing to worry about."

Alice paused a moment before nodding.

"No, you're right. You're right! Nothing to worry about." She placed a light kiss on the Hatter's lips. When she pulled away though, she saw a crestfallen look on his face.

"Hatter?" she whispered, and he closed his eyes. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Alice. I just have to be somewhere. Excuse me." He began to stand, but Alice caught his wrist.

"Wait," she said softly. "Would you just stay a while?" she asked softly, and the Hatter looked away a moment before nodding. Alice lay on top of her bed covers, and the Hatter moved behind her, drawing her close. Alice closed her eyes, the Hatter resting his chin on top of her head. Both of them could feel the awkwardness between them.

"Thank you," she whispered nonetheless. The Hatter closed his eyes.

"Anytime, Alice."


The Hatter threw Alice onto the bed. Alice welcomed him with her arms, and he climbed on top of her. He could feel her sliding his jacket off of his shoulders, her dainty fingers unbuttoning his shirt. His hands wandered her form, and they both slipped beneath the covers before Alice finally spoke.

"I love you, Hatter," she whispered, nipping at his ear. The Hatter's eyes flashed yellow as her hands grasped at his hips. Nonetheless, he replied in one, soft breath,

"I love you, Alice."

She turned so that she was on top, pressing herself against him. The Hatter closed his eyes, his heart beating irregularly fast.

"A-Alice-"

"Ssh," she whispered. She tossed a discarded garment of his to the floor, and he swallowed. Alice made a sudden movement, her hips pressing against his, and the Hatter gasped, vying for control.

"O- oh my!" The Hatter's shut eyes squeezed tighter and Alice smiled against his ear.

"Don't stop now."

"A-ah!" The Hatter jumped up. No matter how many times it happened, he always awoke with a start. It was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted to stay with Alice through the night. But how could he say no? She had looked so vulnerable, and the Hatter wasn't one to deny Alice. Oh, no. He was a perfect gentleman, always looking to make Alice as comfortable as possible.

Well, in real life at least. Perhaps his thoughts were not as gentlemanly as he wished them to be.

Sure, Alice knew of his dreams now, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing for him in the mornings. Sitting up, the Hatter looked around. He was still on Alice's bed, on top of the covers of course. The Hatter had better manners than to slide beneath the covers with a woman he hadn't wed. In place of Alice, however, there was a pillow, and she was nowhere to be seen.

He found himself walking up to the closet that they had placed the Oraculum in. With Alice gone, presumably speaking with the White Queen, he wanted to take another good look at it. Perhaps they were wrong, perhaps it wasn't the Hatter that was killed, and a different man that she married.

The Hatter lifted the towel it had been hidden under, and his eyes widened when he realized it was gone.

"Hatter!"

He turned and straightened his hat at the sound of the Dormouse's voice. He offered her a small smile, shutting the closet door quickly.

"Good morning, dear Mallymkun. How do you fare?"

"Hatter," she said again, her tail straight as a needle. "Alice is leaving!" The Hatter furrowed his brow.

"What? How preposterous-"

"Look!"

She climbed up to the windowsill, pointing at the glass. The Hatter walked up to it, and his heart stopped beating when he saw Alice climbing onto the Bandersnatch. The Oraculum, he could see, was stowed away in a small backpack on her shoulders.

"No!"

The Hatter ran. He slid, he skidded, and he hopped; whichever way was faster. When he finally reached the courtyard, Alice and the Bandersnatch were already disappearing from the horizon.

"Alice!" he called after her. She didn't hear, and soon, was out of sight.


Three precise knocks sounded.

King Vlakobeth waved his arms and stood from his throne. Two of his monkey guards opened the doors, and Alice came walking up the blue-carpeted aisle.

"Alice!" he said, standing up and sending her a welcoming grin. "Alice, how lovely to see you. How did you know the way to my palace?"

"The White Queen gave me directions," she said softly. He noticed the look in her eye.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked generously, and Alice pulled a scroll out of her bag. The expression on the King's face faltered.

"I want to know what this means," she said.

"Where did you-?" he began to ask softly, but Alice extended the scroll to him, clenching it tightly in her fist.

"What does it mean?!"

The monkeys moved closer to Alice, but King Vlakobeth subtly waved them off.

"I was wondering where that went," he said. "I was hoping you wouldn't find it. It's frightening, is it not?"

"You're banishing me, but it says right here, at this venue, that we are to be wed!"

"I know," the King said softly. He bowed his bald, blue head.

"Then why?!" Alice demanded boldly. A sad look crossed Vlakobeth's handsome face.

"It is no secret that you and the Hatter are close. Throughout Underland, all the citizens know of your friendship. He helped the Underland champion each time she came down the Rabbit Hole. Foolishly," he said, still somber, "I had hoped that if I sent you back to London, I would be able to change the destiny of the Oraculum. No one wants to murder their best friend. Perhaps I would do some part in protecting you in some way."

"Why do you care about me?" Alice asked with a suspicious glare.

"I am King Vlakobeth," he said, bowing humbly to Alice. "I care about all living beings, much like the White Queen."

"I don't believe you. If you did, why did you order the attack on Brillig? Why did you marry the Red Queen?"

"That," the King said softly, "Is none of your concern."

"It is! If I am to be told what I must do and who I must be, I have full right to know!"

"Perhaps," the King said patiently, "I feel remorse for my past actions and simply wish to makes things right."

"You do not make things right by sending me away from the people I love!"

King Vlakobeth smiled.

"Do you really wish to know why the Oraculum predicts what it does?"

Alice nodded curtly.

"I do."

"Then come and sit, dear Alice, and I will tell you."

Alice walked up to the King's throne, taking the smaller seat beside it. He turned to look at her.

"The Oraculum wants nothing more than for its champion to reside in Underland," he explained. "Alas, it has written that you are to marry the King, and as such, gain immediate citizenship in the land."

"That's ridiculous," Alice countered. "I could marry the Hatter instead of you."

"No," the King said. "You couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Alice, this is something not even the Hatter knows. The White Queen, too, tried to hide it from me, but the documents of Underland do not lie. Tarrant Hightopp, he is not from this world."

Alice sent him an incredulous look.

"Of course he is. He is a member of the Hightopp Clan, he-"

"Please," the King requested in a soft voice. "Let me finish. One day, a small boy fell through the Rabbit hole. With brown hair and green eyes, he wandered onto Hightopp soil. One couple, unable to bear children, came across him. They took him in and taught him everything of their trade. They were Hatters, of course. They loved him and they cared for him, and told everyone that he was a miracle child. He wasn't, though. Hardly. He was, I suppose you could say, adopted: he was a child of the world above, and his parents never had the heart to tell him. They were so happy their miracle child turned out to be a small girl by the name of Neenonia Hightopp, born a couple of years after Tarrant's arrival. Unfortunately for Tarrant, they couldn't file for citizenship papers, for they required a signature from the applicant receiving citizenship, and they didn't want to break the news to him. All they had were adoption papers, but those alone can't keep the Hatter here. They were to tell him when he was older, but they passed on before they could."

"Are you trying to tell me that the Hatter will be exiled to London?" Alice asked, and the King nodded grimly.

"But how could he be from London?" she asked. "His eyes change colour, his accents alternate-"

"He fell into the Pool of Emotions, in Queast, when he was small. Dear Alice, if you go to London, you can help the Hatter live and move on. There will be no murder."

"If you stick us together in London, who is to say that we will not murder each other there?"

"The reason for the Hatter's attack," the King said, taking the Oraculum from Alice and unrolling it, "is jealousy. If we do not wed, then the Hatter will not attack, and you will not slay in self-defense."

"You can't just kick him out of Underland, it's all he knows! He would never fit in in London, it's not lively enough, it's not-"

"Alice," the King said sadly. "It is my duty as King to follow the rules of the land. The White Queen is fortunate enough that she is not receiving penalty for not issuing a check every five years."

"You're the King," Alice said. "So change the law. Make things right."

"I wish I could," the King said. Alice blinked.

"What? Of course you can."

"No, I can't. Haven't you wondered why the White Queen just didn't change the law while she was in rule? Why she simply ignored it?"

Alice blinked.

"You have to be married. One King or one Queen can rule, but without marriage, there is no full King or Queen status. Thus, there is no chance of an heir inheriting the throne, and a slim chance that the laws you changed will be maintained. In order to change laws, you need a spouse, for if an heir is produced, then the chance of Underland having a full monarchy becomes high. So unless I find someone to marry within the next five days," the King said with a quiet laugh, "I cannot change the law and you and Tarrant will be sent to London."

Alice, at a loss for words, glanced to her feet.

"I have a proposal for you, Alice." The King walked in front of Alice, kneeling in front of her. She watched him suspiciously.

"If you marry me, I will change the law for you, and correct some corrupt laws that will make Underland the truly wonderful place it should be. Tarrant will stay, you will be free to leave and come as you so wish. We will separate, of course, after all the new laws have taken effect, and you can live your happily ever after with your real prince charming."

"You said yourself that if we marry, the Hatter will be overcome with jealousy," Alice said. Why was he suddenly going back on what he said?

"I know. But I just thought – if we could protect you in the short span of time, keep you away from him, we could defy the Oraculum together. There would be no murder, for he wouldn't be able to reach you, and we would be separated, our marriage null by the time you saw the Hatter next. If you wish, we could even hide your identity when pronouncing you temporary Queen."

Alice stared him down. She examined his eyes, his expression calm but kind. There seemed to be no traces of lies in his demeanor or his words, though Alice had never been a good judge of character.

"What do you think?" he asked. "The Oraculum says we are to be wed; we can get married, but defy the path that follows. There will be no murder – only good for Underland."

"I don't know," Alice said. "Can you guarantee that?"

The King flashed her a smile.

"On my life, Alice."

When Alice returned to Marmoreal later in the evening, the Hatter was waiting. Mere seconds after she slid off of the Bandersnatch, he came running through the doors, Chessur and the March Hare behind him.

"Alice!" he exclaimed, and Alice held on as he lifted her into his arms. Her head rested in the crook of his neck, and the Hatter held her close.

"I was afraid I wouldn't see you again, you know," he said, giggling helplessly. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

"I was afraid you would try and stop me," she said quietly. The Hatter set her on her feet again.

"Where did you go?"

"I saw King Vlakobeth. I asked questions about the Oraculum he'd left behind and…"

"Splendid! So you have answers!" Alice bit her lip at the joyous look on the Hatter's face. Sometimes he could be just like a child: so oblivious.

"Yes," Alice said softly. "I have answers."

"Come in for tea, you two," Chessur's voice called from the doors of the castle. "It's cold out."

The Hatter took Alice's hand and led her inside. Alice felt a horrible guilt eating at her, and she could only watch as the Hatter shut the door to their room and poured her a cup of tea.

"I have a surprise for you," he said, and Alice found herself rubbing her clammy palms against her dress.

"A surprise?" she repeated.

"Yes. When you left, I was terribly frightened you were running away. So I found something that my mother had given me, in case you returned." He held out a small, velvet box to Alice, and her heart skipped a beat. She opened it, and a small stone, shaped like a cloud, sat on a pillow inside.

"I wanted to give it to you, to let you know that despite what the Oraculum says, we shouldn't be afraid. It's a stone that gives you courage, so long as you believe in what you're doing. If we love each other, then there would be no reason for one of us to kill the other!"

"Love?" Alice choked, looking up at the Hatter. He blinked, then a small smile reached his lips.

"Well, yes, Alice. I love you very much."

Alice swallowed, and after a moment, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. He returned it, and kissed the top of her head.

"Hatter," she said.

"Hmm?"

"I have something to tell you."

The Hatter pulled away from the hug, and finally, that childish innocence was no longer there. He looked concerned. He held both her hands in his.

"What is it, Alice?"

"I'm..." she closed her eyes and drew in a breath. "I'm leaving."

The Hatter suddenly grew cold, and his finger brushed against something hard. Looking down, he saw a solid gold ring on Alice's left ring finger, encrusted with several glittering diamonds.


A/N: Don't hate me! Just R&R for the next chapters and things will unfold! XD