Next Chapter!

So I wrote most of this after having taken some cold meds and drinking a little, okay well alot of wine. So please feel free to point out anything too silly.

Of course I own nothing and enjoy:)

"What's a Sleeper?" Alice asked crossing her Cheshire Cat took the hat off her head and flipped it in the air where it disappeared before she answered.
"When you saw your father here in Wonderland he didn't recognize you. He had been made into the Carpenter. Drained of all the memories and emotions of Robert Hamilton and adjusted into the Queens fun new toy, developing the form of draining emotions that you saw used in the Casino."
"You're saying my Dad was a Sleeper?" Alice asked skeptically.
"Sort of. Robert was a brilliant man, which was the reason they wanted him. Problem is if they drained him up nice and proper like all the rest of the Sleepers he would have lost all of the knowledge he already had that they needed. Instead they gave him a less dramatic version then what was done to the others. Sort of a Light-Sleeper if you will."
"Who are the others?" Alice wanted know.
"Actually, you've met most of them already." The Cat said playfully.
"What are you saying?" Much to Alice's shock the Cat smiled and started singing.

"The girl that came, you know her name,

And likely know her story.

How she took apart, the House of Hearts,

To return our land glory.

But then how come, with it all done,

Our land had grown much weaker?

For that my dear, is why you must hear,

The story of the Sleepers.

For every folk, to which she spoke,

That legend somewhat changed.

But there's those who fear, when change is near,

So all those folk they drained.

They took their hearts, their very thoughts,

Until they were empty creatures

Then filled them full, with made up bull,

And thus began the Sleepers."

The Cat finished singing and Alice was left puzzled by the song. So she asked.
"What you're saying is the Hatter wasn't the only one drained back then, that they did it to everyone the Alice of Legend met while she was here."
"You are quite the bright little human, even if you are incredibly stubborn and have no sense of self preservation." The Cat said then chuckled at the glare Alice gave her. "But yes, they were drained by the very same people who are currently after you, with the exception of the Hatter, they were all adjusted. Stuffed full of new identities and either set loose because they saw no value in keeping that particular individual or kept as a tool for the Hearts."
"Why was the Hatter the exception?"
"Because the Red Queen had him drained too much, the damage done was at the time too much for them to be able to adjust him. Instead they locked away the empty shell that used to be the Hatter, with no thought and no emotion he'd just sit there."
"That's terrible."
"Yes, and quite wasteful." The Cat added. "The Hatter had been quite a resourceful man. One of those rare creatures that could change the course of the battle just by picking a side. Instead he was erased and his legacy was to be known as a traitor to his people or a goofy caricature in a kids story."
"What about the rest, you said I've met them." Alice asked. "But if these are the people from a hundred and fifty years ago then the only person who could be close to that age is Charlie."
"The White Knight is not only not a knight, he is also not a Sleeper." The Cat began. "The Sleepers are as the Caterpillar once described, stuck. When you take all sense of self from a person they cease to be, and when you cease to be you cease to age. Time cannot touch what does not exist. Make sense?"
"No."
"Good, it wasn't supposed to. But to make it simple for you. Once all those pretty little folk were drained and adjusted they quit aging. They are stuck at the moment they were drained, unable to progress until now."
"Why now?" Alice wondered.
"Because of you Alice. Like with Robert you are what wakes up the Sleepers, allows them to remember who they were. All you had to do was show up that first time and then everything just sort of gradually happens naturally."
"But these people have no idea what was done to them?"
"Not a clue, well except for a couple of special cases."
"Who are the special cases?"
"The Caterpillar was one, his mind was always a bit well, complicated. He might not have had full access to who he once was but he knew what had been done to him so all the Sleepers who weren't being used by the Hearts he gathered up into his Resistance. It was also the reason he knew to send Jack to you, he knew you could wake them all up."
"Jack's a Sleeper?"
The Cat snorted. "No, he was already cursed enough with his parents."
"Who else knew they were a Sleeper?" Alice asked, her mind was reeling. She had no idea what to think about any of this.
"The March Hare, or as you knew him Mad March. He had been one given to the Hearts as a tool. He went about completely oblivious to what had been done to him, until the day he angered the Queen and lost his head. Dying and being brought back as a cybernetic freak will generally wake you up. Though I don't recommend it."
"Okay, who else is a Sleeper?"
"That is the question, isn't it." The Cat said coming up and linking Alice's arm with hers. "Lets quit worrying about that for a bit shall we? How about instead you tell me what has you do upset that you came stomping out alone."
"Why do you care?" Alice asked as the Cat began leading her back towards the camp.
"Trust me, I'd rather not." The Cat said looking like she had just tasted something awful. "It's an affection, a concern. What happens to you matters to me and that's a pain in my cheeks if I ever felt one. But unfortunately I do care so why don't you go and unload on me then, make yourself feel better. Remember you used to be able to tell me anything."
"That was when I thought you were my cat and couldn't talk."
"So?"
"So! You pretended to be my cat! Can't you see how crazy that is?"
"No, not really."
Alice practically growled in frustration. The Cat laughed.
"Oh Alice, pretending to be a cat is no different then right now as I am pretending to be a young woman. In reality I have no form. I am not a person, or a creature, or even anything you can fathom. I am a concept. I only take a form to be able to fulfill my role in the grand scheme of things."
"And what's that?" Alice asked.
The Cat's only response was a half grin. They walked then in silence. Alice tried to pull her arm free of the Cat's but her grip was unbreakable. As they approached the camp the Cat stopped before they reached the clearing and spoke.
"I believe I have an idea as to what is troubling you."
"Yeah, I don't really care." Alive replied curtly as possible.
"Its your Hatter, right? You feel he is keeping bits of himself from you and it makes you sad, then angry because you don't want to be sad."
"I'm not talking about this." Alice insisted.
"You want him to share. You want to know the little things, like how he grew up. You want him to connect, you want him to be intimate. You want answers."
"Again, I'm not talking about this with you."
"You want answers, and that is why you never learn anything. Because it isn't about the answers Alice, it's about asking questions."
"Really?" Alice asked frustrated. "Because I've asked plenty of questions and all I've gotten from the man was evasion and vagueness. I can't even get him to tell me his age!"
"I think it's time for a game!" The Cat declared suddenly.
"I am not in a game mood."
"No worries, all you have to do is listen. Now come along!" She said grabbing Alice's hand and dragging her into the clearing where Hatter sat on one of the logs using a stick to poke at the fire he had started. When he heard them approach he turned. His face showed relief at the sight of Alice, then suspicion at that of the Cat.
"You're back." He said to the Cat. "If that doesn't just make this a perfect evening."
"I know." She smiled. "But to our game, I have some questions for you sir and well, I think this might just be fun."
"Not interested." Hatter replied.
"Not asking if you were." The Cat shot back. "Now down to it. First question, how old are you?"
"Really?" Hatter said incredulous. "Some nasty people are after Alice, Jack Heart wants to have me committed and you want to ask me my age? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Mmm, defensive." She said then turned to Alice. "He deflects or evades the question, does it every time am I right?" Alice nodded and Hatter glared at her.
"You're encouraging this?"
"You think it'd matter if I discouraged it?" Alice asked. She was still mad enough she might actually this.
"It wouldn't." The Cat interrupted. "Now Alice, the question you need to ask next is why doesn't he answer such a simple question? So you need to change your approach."
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Hatter muttered throwing his hands up.
The Cat continued. "Next question. When were you born?"
"I don't see how any of this matters right now, shouldn't we be discussing how to keep Alice safe?"
"Again, we've hit that defensive evasion." The Cat sighed. "Let's try something else then, how did you get involved with the Resistance?"
Hatter rolled his eyes but answered. "I've already told Alive all this. Dodo paid Dormie to spy on me, see if there was anyway to take down the most profitable Tea Shoppe around. I found out and used Dormie cut a deal with Dodo. I'd smuggle for them. Get them stuff they needed and help feed the refugees, they leave my business be."
"Look, a straight answer!" The Cat said clapping excitedly. "No evasion, no defensive wall. Curiouser and curiouser. What does that tell us?"
"That you're a pain." Hatter retorted.
"Not quite." The Cat replied and began to pace, tapping her chin with her finger like she was trying to figure something out.
"Alice." Hatter began. "Listen, I don't want to play games right now I just want to talk to you."
"Sorry Hatter, but I am actually kind of enjoying this game."Alice said crossing her arms over her chest. "I guess it's just kind of nice to know I am not the only person you won't be honest with."
"Honesty is not the issue." The Cat piped back in ceasing her pacing. "As he just demonstrated the Hatter is more then willing to give us answers to some questions if not others, but why is that? And why are the questions he doesn't answer the simplest?"
"Because maybe they don't matter?" Hatter interjected.
"Oh no, they matter." The Cat replied. "See Alice, this is where you learn something. You want answers right? Well what if there isn't actually an answer to be given only a question to ask?"
Alice just stared back and the Cat sighed. "Allow me to show you what I mean." She turned back to Hatter. "Final question, and all I ask is that you actually listen and ask it of yourself before you answer okay?"
"Yeah sure, let's just get it over with." He muttered.
The Cat smiled."Do you actually know how old you are Hatter?"
Hatter opened his mouth to reply but stopped. His brow furrowed and he looked at her. Alice felt her insides turn to ice when his brown eyes met hers and they looked confused, like he didn't have an answer.
"Having trouble with that one huh?" The Cat asked quirking an eye brow. "How about this, do you actually remember anything before you started working for the Heart's? Or even how long ago that was? Hmm? Anything? Anything at all?"
Hatter was still at a loss for words, something Alice had never seen. Her heart sunk and she turned to the Cat who laughed and added.
"I take it you understand what's going on don't you Alice?"
"I don't believe you." Alice said shaking her head. No, it couldn't be. This is insane. The whole idea is just too much!
"Don't believe what? What the hell is all this about?" Hatter asked finding his voice.
The Cheshire Cat's reply was simple, she smiled and once again sang.

"They took their hearts, their very thoughts,

Until they were empty creatures

Then filled them full, with made up bull,

And thus began the Sleepers."

Then in the blink of an eye The Cat was gone, leaving Alice to have to explain to Hatter that his entire life was a lie.