Charlie appeared over the pit and stared down at them.
"Missed it again eh?" He called down.
"Maybe next time Charlie." Alice said.
"Well it seems to me the only thing I ever end up catching in this pit is you my dear." He said with a laugh.
"I'll send a ladder right down." He called, and then disappeared.
"Charlie?" Blake asked. Hatter and Alice nodded.
A few seconds later a rope ladder was dropped down the pit. Alice and Hatter helped Blake and Iris up first before climbing up themselves.
When they finally emerged Charlie stood before them, smiling.
"Ah, Just Alice." He said, pulling her into a tight hug.
"And I see you've brought Hatter with you." He said, glancing over at him.
"And friends this time." He turned to look at the two new members of the group.
"Yes, Charlie this is Blake and Iris." Alice introduced.
"A pleasure." He said, shaking Blake's hand and giving Iris a small bow.
"We were actually heading to the kingdom to find you Charlie." Alice said.
"Ah, then what a coincidence it is that we met here." He said.
"I've brought a few horses; I shall escort you all back." Charlie said, turning and making his way to the three horses waiting for him.
Blake helped Iris onto the back of one of the horses and Hatter and Alice shared one of their own while Charlie led the group.
"So the fun begins eh?" Hatter whispered to her as they set off.
"Hatter you know as well as I do that Charlie may be crazy, but he'll help." She said.
"And yes, he'll liven the journey up a bit." She added with a laugh.
Hatter sighed and shook his head then smiled as he felt Alice wrap her arms around his waist and lay her head against his back.
"I swore last time we were in this position you refused my offer of resting against me." He said and Alice could just about hear the sly grin in his voice.
"I think things have changed quite a bit since then." She said, leaning up to plant a kiss against the side of his neck.
"I'll have to remember that if we have to ride on flamingos this time." He said with a laugh.
"There will be no flamingos this time." Alice said with certainty.
"Sounds good to me love." Hatter said. Alice smiled and laid her head against his back.
It took a lot less time to reach the kingdom now that they were on horses but the fact that they probably ran over a mile trying to escape the Jabberwock defiantly cut a lot of time off their trek.
They arrived at the kingdom by early evening, nothing had changed, Alice noticed.
"Blake, why don't you and Iris go check things out, we need to talk." Hatter said glancing at Alice and Charlie. Blake nodded and walked off with Iris.
"So how is it you found your way back into my trap?" Charlie asked.
"You've heard about Dodo?" Hatter questioned.
"Ah, yes." Charlie took a seat on an overturned log and Hatter and Alice sat down across from him.
"Hatter's brother Blake came to find Hatter and I, he brought us back to help." Alice explained. Charlie nodded.
"And the young lady with you?" He asked.
"My sister Iris." Hatter said.
Charlie nodded again, not saying much.
"We came to you because you helped us last time we were here. Are you willing to help us again?" Alice asked.
"Of course, order needs to be restored to Wonderland; I'll do whatever I can to help." Charlie said with a smile.
Iris and Blake didn't go to far so Hatter called them back.
"I think it's pretty unanimous that we're all exhausted after our little run today." Hatter said.
"We'll take the night off, discuss a plan over dinner and then start fresh in the morning." He added.
"I'll start on dinner. Blake and Iris, would you like to join me?" Charlie asked. Blake glanced at Hatter, silently asking if it was okay, he nodded so Blake guided Iris after Charlie and they set off into the woods.
"Come with me?" Hatter asked, taking Alice's hand in his. She smiled and followed after him.
She stayed quiet, letting him lead the way; she smiled when she realized where they were going.
In a few minutes they ended up on top of the same hill they stood on two years ago. Alice looked out at the kingdom in front of her, Hatter standing by her side.
"It's still beautiful." She said. The sun was setting in the distance, making the forest glow.
"It's nice to just take a moment and enjoy it, last time we were a little pre occupied with staying alive and getting you home." Hatter said, turning to face her.
"And you did." She said. He smiled and pulled her close.
"I told you I would."
She let her hands rest on against his chest as she leaned in to kiss him. He pulled back a few seconds later and smiled against her lips.
"No one interrupted us that time." Alice laughed and kissed him again.
They sat down eventually, both of them taking in the view quietly.
"You're sure you're ready for this?" He asked, looking down at her as she rested against his shoulder.
"I am not gonna back out Hatter. I get that I am in a lot of danger but Dodo is harming people from my world just because they decided to make a life here. It might be happening to me if I'd stayed here with you. I can't let it happen to anyone else." She said. Hatter nodded and kissed her hair lightly.
"I never would have let anything happen to you." He said quietly. She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I know." She whispered back.
He leaned down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
He didn't have to prove that he would be there for her, or that he loved her, she knew. But she let him, somewhere in the back of her mind she still needed to be reassured that he wouldn't run away.
"I love you Alice." He said, almost reading her thoughts. She smiled and hummed her approval against his lips, laughing lightly as he gently pulled her down on top of him, deepening the kiss.
It was past dusk when they finally made their way off the hill, camp was still empty when they made it back and Hatter pulled her close, glancing up at the trees above them.
"I know it doesn't count now, the moment's long gone but, I was going to kiss you here." He said, looking around at the spot they were standing in. Alice glanced around and then looked over at where Jack had stood, many months ago.
"I was going to kiss you back." She said, turning back to face Hatter. He smiled and leaned in close, taking his time before he pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around him and let him hold her. When he moved back to breath he smiled.
"No interruptions, maybe our luck will be better on this trip." He said. She smiled and kissed him again.
When they got back to the center of camp Charlie, Iris and Blake had a wonderful smelling supper going. Hatter sat down next to Alice as Charlie passed out plates of the meat he was cooking. The group ate quickly, eager to discuss plans for the next day.
"So how much can you tell us about what's been going on Charlie?" Hatter asked.
"After the casino was taken down Jack had a new palace built on the same grounds. He lived there with the Duchess for a shot time and then Dodo took over. As far as I know Jack is still inside the palace, no one ever saw him leave or has heard from him since so the best bet is that he's still there." Charlie explained.
"We should scout the palace, see where it's week points are, try and get an idea of how to get in there." Blake suggested, the group nodded.
"As much as I hate to say it, I think Jack has to be our first priority." Alice said, Hatter turned to stare at her.
"If he's been living in that palace for the past two years with Dodo he's bound to have information we may need." She offered.
"You're right." Hatter said with a nod.
"So tomorrow, we go scout the palace." Iris said.
"No, Hatter, Charlie and I will go scout the palace, you two will stay here." Blake said. Iris started to protest but Alice put a hand on her arm, stopping her.
"It's okay; they'll be alright, its better if we stay here." She said. Iris sighed but didn't argue further.
"We should get to sleep then, we'll head out early in the morning." Hatter said.
The group stood and helped Charlie clean up dinner, then he took them all around the camp, giving them a space to sleep. There was heavy tree cover where Iris and Blake set up their tents, content to sleep in the warm sleep bags then out in the cold. Alice walked to the old bed she had slept in last time she was here. The springs creaked as she sat down on it.
"Goodnight Alice." Charlie called, as he lay down in his hammock.
"Goodnight."
Alice lay back and closed her eyes, the camp was peaceful for the night. She heard the bed move next to her and she cracked her eyes to find Hatter laying down beside her.
"No keeping watch tonight." He said. Alice smiled and moved closer, letting him pull her in tight.
"I'll be gone when you wake up tomorrow." He whispered. She nodded and planted a gentle kiss on his jaw.
"I'll watch after Iris." She said.
"I know you will."
Hatter leaned down to kiss her, letting his hand run through her hair gently.
"Get some sleep okay." She said quietly, laying her head back against his chest and letting his breathing lull her to sleep.
Again, I am so sorry this took so long. I am doing my best to keep up with it but now I am fighting with a new job and crazy hours and I just haven't had the time lately. I am going to try and at least get a chapter up once a month, that might be the best I can do for a while. I pomise you I will not abandon this story, no matter how long it takes I will finish it. I hope you all can stick around with me!
Thank you all so much for the reviews, I know I didn't get back to any of you, I always like to send at least a thank you but I just haven't had time so I am just going to say thank you to you all right now! It means alot to know that even though I don't update often you guys are still enjoying what i put out there. Thanks so much!
~Tara~