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Chapter 12: Whereabouts Unknown
Hatter was nearly to the Tea Shop and still he debated how to make his entrance to the Hearts Casino that would somehow help him sell his story to the Queen. Should he go back to the Tea Shop and wait for the suits to come collect him to take him to the chopping block? Or walk in casually like he owned the place and had no clue as to what happened to Mad March?
Hatter felt lost, like he had absolutely no idea what to do. He felt even more unsure of who he was before Mad March began rambling about his riddle.
Hatter moved as if he were possessed toward the lake, completely forgetting about entering the Tea Shop.
Hatter reached the edge of the lake that was exactly halfway between the city and the Hearts Casino. He stared at his reflection and kept thinking about how the lake was now Mad March's final resting place.
Suddenly, he fell straight into the water as if he had been pushed. He let himself fall deeper and deeper still into the water, until his will to live kicked in and he forced himself to swim to the surface.
He gasped deeply for air and swam tiredly back to the shore.
He laid there for what seemed to be hours. He knew he didn't have the strength to make the trek to the Hearts Casino, so he continued to lay there.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in the infirmary of the Hearts Casino.
"Well, I see you're already feeling better. Perhaps you'd care to accompany me to the throne room so that you can explain to the Queen what happened today." The Ten of Clubs announced to Hatter.
Hatter gulped, which thankfully the Ten of Clubs didn't notice. He hadn't even thought up a good story to sell to the Queen, yet. Hatter nodded and followed him toward the throne room.
Hatter sauntered into the throne room, his clothes still slightly damp.
"Hatter, perhaps you would care to explain why my suits are fishing out a scarab and two bodies out of the lake?" The Queen inquired in her loud, authoritative voice.
Hatter tried to think up a story while he looked around the room and noticed for the first time that there were only five other people in the room besides him: Queenie, the King, Jack, Jack's girlfriend ('whatever her name is' Hatter thought.'), and Ten of Clubs.
"Hatter, have you anything to say?" The Queen asked more impatiently.
"Mother, perhaps he's in shock, the suits did find him at the water's edge." Jack offered up a cover-story.
'Why the hell is Prince Charming trying to help me?' Hatter thought.
"Actually, what happened was." Hatter began as he felt everyone's eyes fall on him.
"Mad March and I were on our way here to give a stats report, when the Resistance attacked our scarab and we went down, in the lake. Unfortunately, Mad March did not" Hatter tried to swallow the lump in his throat,
"survive as his head was severed when the scarab crashed. I don't remember much other than waking up in the infirmary just now, majesty." Hatter lied.
"Then how would you explain your winding up on the other side of the lake on the shore unconscious?" The Queen pressed.
"The waves from the impact must've caused me to drift to the farther side of the lake." Hatter reasoned.
The Queen didn't seem like she completely believed Hatter's story. Hatter tried to come up with something, anything that would save his head from the chopping block.
"I honestly couldn't say what made the Resistance suddenly act up on us like this all of a sudden. Mad March and I had managed to take out one of their ringleaders before the untimely death of my business partner, presumably that's why they took that window of time, our transport to try to take us out. With your permission, I would like to hire an extra hand in the Tea Shop so that I can spend extra time out looking for the savages who defy you and who murdered my best mate." Hatter lied once more.
"No," the Queen simply replied.
Hatter raised his eyebrows, "no?"
"There will be no need for you to go looking for them, Hatter. You're a distributor, if they eliminate you, then this regime will fall and we'll have a larger problem on our hands. The suits will deal with this minor set back. You are to continue your job at the Tea Shop and you will be granted a temporary assistant of your choice to help in the business. My suits will escort you back to the Tea Shop and see to it that no more mishaps occur." The Queen explained.
"Thanks, your majesty," Hatter nodded and turned to leave the throne room.
Hatter returned to the Tea Shop and fell onto the couch. Just as he was relaxing, he heard a knock at the entrance to the door of the office.
"Whoever it is, we're closed. Come back tomorrow, better yet next week!" Hatter called to them.
Hatter heard guns cock near his head, "Blimey, it's been an extremely trying day, don't you blokes know when to give it a rest?" He didn't open his eyes.
"We've brought you a new business partner." He heard Dodo say. "Almost likes to sleep as much as you. Dormouse is one of our best agents and he'll be able to keep an eye on things and fool the Queen. The suits are scouring the city now and we need to leave now before they track us back to the Great Library."
Hatter waved his hand incoherently in the air and dropped his hand as he heard the door slam shut and feet depart.
"Dormie? If you're still here mate, I hung the closed sign. You can have March's old room and we'll discuss the details tomorrow. Right now, I just gotta catch a-few—z's" Hatter called as he fell asleep on the office couch.
Abby wandered around the flat tidying up. Jack had moved out several months ago, but Abby had put off cleaning the mess till now to keep her mind off of things; like the fact that Connor had still not turned up and her relationship with Becker, if it could even be called that; she felt as if she had no one to turn to, to talk about her issues. She liked Becker; she did, just not as much as she liked Connor.
She stopped when she heard a knock on the door. She had completely forgotten that she and Sarah were going to have a girl's night out and see a film.
"Hold on Sarah, I'm coming!" She shouted.
She opened the door to see Becker standing in the doorway with flowers.
"Becker, what, what are you doing here?" Abby asked staring at him rather than the flowers.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"Yeah, sure; but it's cleaning week and Sarah and I will be off to catch a film shortly, so you can't stay very long." Abby explained letting Becker in the flat, closing the door behind him.
"Oh, ok, well, um I just wanted to ask you something." Becker stuttered while he patted the pockets of his jeans and then proceeded to check his jacket pockets.
He pulled Abby to face him and held her hand as he got down on one knee and fished the little box out of his jacket.
"Abby Maitland, will you marry me?"
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