Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Author's Note: We've broken 100 reviews! Wow! Thank you all so very much for the amazing support you're giving me and my story. I'm having so much fun writing this, and it makes me so happy to know that you all are having fun reading it. Thank you all so very much again, every alert I get in my e-box encourages me even more, and I know this sounds cliché, but it really does help me write faster. Now then, I hope you enjoy this chapter -- thanks for reading!

-Chapter 10-

Underland

Mallymkun the Dormouse liked to say she had a good grasp on her life, and the way things were going in her life. For a while things had been grand -- it was always time for a Mad Tea Party, Champion Alice had gone back to Otherland where she belonged, and Underland in general was better thanks to the return of the benevolent rule of the White Queen.

But then it all fell to pieces thanks to that meddling Cheshire Cat and his bottle of Jabberwocky blood. Mally, as a mouse, had always known that cats were never to be trusted, and Chessur in particular was a king among rascals. (Perhaps she was a hypocrite to say that, since she had, upon rare occasion, worked with Chess, but that was for the greater good of Underland.)

So now Mally's comfortable and familiar life had been turned on its ear, and she was less than pleased with the arrangement. Chess, the vanishing rabble-rouser, had made himself scarce just after Tarrant had vanished in the fashion of Alice three years before. It was a pity he had, for Mally had been hoping the cup Thackery had thrown at him would hit its mark right between those slit-pupil turquoise eyes.

Mally had been torn instantaneously in two directions at once. Half of her wanted to chase down Chess and knock all of the teeth out of his smug grin, and the other half of her wanted to go up to Otherland, as scary a prospect as it was, and poke some sense back into Hatter with her hatpin sword. But she had no idea where Chess had gone, and she didn't know how to follow Hatter.

Besides that, she couldn't exactly leave Thackery alone. The March Hare had become distraught the moment people (and cats) had started disappearing, and now he was shaking so hard the entire tea table was rattling. He clutched a teacup to his chest, whimpering slightly, his big eyes locked on Mally as if afraid she would be the next one to disappear. Ever since he'd gone truly mad, he hadn't wanted to be left alone. Mally couldn't blame him.

Breathing out a hard sigh and only part of her anger with it, Mally scurried back to the table and settled down in front of the frightened Hare. "It's all right, Thackery," she said. "I'm not going anywhere, except to the White Castle. Come along."

The journey took twice as long as it usually would have since Mally had to keep Thackery on course. If he wasn't distracted by a flower, he was jumping at every little noise between his home, where they'd been having the Tea Party, and the White Castle.

By the time they finally reached the home of Underland's queen, Mally thought she was going to explode. She'd had plenty of time to think, and even more time to plot and plan. If anyone (besides Chessur, who most certainly would not tell) knew what to do to get Tarrant back so she could talk sense into him, it would be the White Queen. And if she didn't know, she could talk to Absolem. There was little that happened in Underland or Otherland that slipped by his notice.

Queen Mirana was enjoying a few quiet moments to herself and was taking tea when Mally and Thackery came in. The woman's pale face brightened with a genuine smile when she saw the two, inclining her head to acknowledge their bows of respect. "Mallymkun, Thackery! It's a pleasure to see you both again." She shifted her gaze, her dark eyebrows lifting when she noticed who was missing. "And where is Hatter?"

"That's why I came to talk to you, Highness!" Mally tried desperately to still be respectful despite her burning anger. "That cat came by the Tea Party at Thackery's, gave Tarrant a bottle of Jabberwock blood, and he drank it!"

Mirana's eyebrows slipped higher. "I gave Chess that blood as payment for something he did for me. In fact, that was the only thing he requested. And he gave it to Tarrant?"

"Yes, m'lady! But that's not the worst of it! Hatter up and drank it! Then he vanished, just like she did!" Mally stomped her little paw in frustration.

"He's gone to get Alice…" A broad smile formed on the White Queen's lips, and she clasped her hands together in front of her with delight. "Ah, Hatter! He went to get Alice back for us!"

Mally forced herself back to calm. She says that like it's a good thing! "Chessur planted the idea in Hatter's head. He went up without so much as a teacup, just with his Hat and the clothes on his back! And I wonder how he's going to find her once he's up there. After what McTwisp's told me about Up There, it'll be a miracle worthy of the Frabjous Day's if he comes back in one piece!"

The White Queen did not appear to be paying attention. "A brave move, to be sure," she murmured. "And once he finds Alice and convinces her to return…" Clapping her hands together gleefully, she smiled. "I shall have to plan a ball immediately! The return of Underland's Champion is not something to take lightly. Oh, this will be the most wonderful celebration since that original Frabjous Day! Only better!"

Thackery relaxed for the first time since Hatter had vanished, caught up in the queen's enthusiasm.

On the other hand, poor Mally was even more aggravated than she was when she arrived at Marmoreal. This is ridiculous! Am I the only one worried here? "Highness, have you seen Absolem?"

"Hmm? Oh, Absolem. No, not recently. Why?" Mirana had pulled a piece of parchment toward her and was hastily (but neatly) writing down a list of things, undoubtedly in preparation for her Magnificent Ball.

"What about the Oraculum? Did he leave it with you?" Mally wasn't sure she could contain herself much longer. She had to find a way Up There to save Tarrant! And then she would come back and teach that conniving Cat a thing or two.

"No, I haven't seen the Oraculum since just after the Frabjous Day. Absolem assured me he'd let me know when and if something important emerged." Mirana paused, eyeing the Dormouse thoughtfully. "Besides, you know as well as I that it's all too easy to misconstrue the Oraculum's meanings. It's best to leave those things to Absolem, who is well versed in reading and interpreting it." Nodding firmly to herself, she went back to her murmuring and scribbling.

Mallymkun felt her unease grow. She was starting to think everyone was withholding information from her, starting with Chessur. Well, she was no idiot, thankfully, so she was going to find out what was going on. Even if it took her a month. Or longer.

So, leaving Thackery in Mirana's gentle and capable care, she took off to find Absolem, the Oraculum, or, preferably, both.

Unfortunately, Mallymkun wasn't entirely sure where to start looking for Absolem. The truth was, she was going about this on a wing and a prayer and hoping her urgency and care for the Hatter would see her through. But, after three days solid of searching Underland for the apparently unreachable Absolem, she was beginning to wonder at her talent. Everything was going wrong, and it had started the moment Chess had planted that horrid Idea in Tarrant's head, then given him the Jabberwocky blood to see it through.

"Looking for something, little mouse?" a familiar voice purred.

Mally spun around, hatpin sword brandished in an instant. "You!" She turned in a slow circle, warily looking around for the Cat who had started all this.

A grin and two glowing turquoise, slit-pupil eyes appeared above her, floating far out of her reach. "I have no idea why you seem to hate me so, Mallymkun," Chessur drawled. "I have absolutely no desire to eat you. In fact, if I did, you would probably give me indigestion, so I daresay it's a bad idea all around."

With a howl of rage, Mally leaped up, trying to stick the cat with her pin. But he was still only a floating grin and eyes, the rest of him insubstantial and thus un-poke-able. "You sent Hatter to Otherland!" she shrieked. "How could you?! Thackery is beside himself with worry, Queen Mirana is planning a ball in honor of her return, and I can't find Absolem and the Oraculum anywhere! You blasted Cat, don't you see what you've done?!"

At last the rest of Chessur's head appeared, his ears the last. He gazed down on her with a bored gleam in his eyes, as if considering her hardly worth his time. "My dear Dormouse, Underland is never in the proper balance unless there is a Champion standing at the ready to defend it. And since our Champion is currently in Otherland, unavailable to defend, it would appear that Underland is out of balance."

"Then you should have gone Up There yourself!" Mally snapped. "Instead of sending poor Hatter to get himself hurt or worse! What if he can't find her, or worse, the way back?!"

"He still has some Jabberwocky blood," Chessur said. "If he truly desires or requires returning, all he has to do is drink it. I very seriously doubt he is in any danger Up There."

"Your 'seriously doubting' means it's very likely!" Mally said scathingly. "And if you must know, I'm searching for Absolem or the Oraculum, preferably both!"

"Why, don't trust me?" Chess blinked. "I'm injured."

"I wish," Mally muttered, turning to continue her journey.

"I know where Absolem is."

The Dormouse hesitated, once again torn. She ground her teeth, wondering if she should fall for the Cat's games again on the slight chance he was telling the truth, or continue her own search for the butterfly. "All right, Cat. Where is he?"

Chess dissipated in a puff of grey smoke, then rematerialized a few feet away. "Follow me, Dormouse," he said. "I'll take you to him."

Muttering mutinously, Mally kept sword in her paw as she stomped after him. Here she was, believing that Cat again! What was the matter with her? It's for Tarrant's own good, she told herself. Even if I have to trust a Cat, it's for Tarrant's own good. That was the only way she could make herself follow him.

Mally became extremely disgruntled when, only a few minutes later, familiar blue-grey smoke began to wisp around her. She hadn't been that far from him, after all! That blasted Cat.

"Hello, Mallymkun." The lazy drawl seemed to be a part of the mist until she got close enough to see Absolem himself. She had thought being a butterfly and having fewer legs would impede his ability to smoke his hookah, but Absolem was the determined sort, so he'd figured out a way around the problem.

"Hello, Absolem." Mally hesitated for a moment, wondering how best to phrase what she wished to know. "Do you happen to have the Oraculum with you?" Oh, yes, Mally. That was a fabulously smart way to ask that question.

The black-and-blue butterfly stared at her with unshakably infuriating calm. "Of course," he replied. "I am its caretaker, after all."

"Don't suppose you'd care to let me have a peek?" Mally asked hopefully.

Absolem sighed, creating a fresh cloud that almost obscured him from sight. "You know the panic caused by making the Frabjous Day portion of the Oraculum public," he said. "Do you want to recreate that?"

"But that also gave us hope that the White Queen would be restored to the throne, which she was." Mally hesitated, knowing she was getting nowhere with Absolem that way. "Will you at least tell me if there is something about Hatter in there? About his going Up There, and his return to Underland?" And, even though it grated (though she was not beyond begging if it meant helping her Hatter), she added, "Please?"

The butterfly seemed to consider this for a moment, gazing thoughtfully at her so long Mally thought she would scream if Absolem didn't say something soon. At last he seemed to make his decision and said, "Yes, there is a part of the Oraculum that deals with Tarrant Hightopp going to Otherland in search of the Alice."

Her gut clenched. "But not his return?" Anger and fear mingled inside her, and she felt her paws curl into fists at her sides.

"I have already said more than I should," Absolem said. "Be gone, little Dormouse." He puffed another long breath, obscuring them both in a heavy smokescreen.

Mally wanted to argue further, but she knew that the butterfly would be gone by then. So she turned and trudged out of the smoke, returning to where Chessur had settled himself (his entire body intact this time) onto a limb just out of her reach. "Good news, then?" he said dryly when he saw her expression.

"Shut up, you," she growled. "You're the one who created this whole mess."

"This isn't a mess," the Cat said, stretching. "This is Tarrant satisfying his curiosity while at the same time bringing back Underland's Champion and returning balance to our fine land. I do not see how this qualifies as a mess."

"If anything happens to Hatter while he's in Otherland," Mally threatened, "I will hunt you from the ruins of Witzend to the Outlands and back, and I will make you pay. I promise you that." Without another word, she started her journey back to Marmoreal, rehearsing a thousand ways how to make Queen Mirana understand that Hatter was in trouble, and somehow, someway, they had to help him -- before it was too late.

~To Be Continued~

Oooh, Mally and Chess are so much fun to write, especially when they're snarking at each other! I had a delightful time writing this chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did composing it. Back to Otherland and Hatter's POV in the next chapter -- until then, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!