In Love With a Hatter

Part Twelve

Stayne was licking her face and she couldn't untie her hands from his iron grip. He was slowly running his stubby fingers down her body, making her tremble. He whispered dirty things in her ears and had his hands at her shoulders making them edge down towards her breasts. As if on que: Alice found her voice and was screaming. Tossing and turning she felt his grip was tight and making red marks in her skin, she screamed again.

"Alice! Alice!" came Tarrant's voice. Alice couldn't stop screaming and her whole body was shaking. She rolled and felt herself fall off her bed but someone caught her and propped her back on her pillows. She finally opened her red and puffy eyes to reveal Tarrant looking at her, panic-stricken and worried.

"Alice dearheart?" he asked quietly. She found his face again and like the night before started sobbing uncontrollably. Tarrant sat on the bed and pulled her into his arms again and kept whispering over and over that he was there and that it was alright. He felt confused on how calmly Alice had acted once he'd gotton rid of Stayne, focusing her attention on his injury instead. She was so selfless, he thought. Maybe this was the screaming and horror was experiencing now was her delayed reaction. Either way he held onto her tighter.

"It w-was....h-horrible...-T-tarrant..." she sobbed. He pushed her into his chest and smelling his innocent and lavender smell she relaxed easily. The way he held her, it made her feel so...safe and protected. Did she have some sign above her head lighting up and announcing it? "I-it w-was....a-about...h-him...t-tarrant!" she continued. "H-he...h-had m-mee and....-w-was...trying...t-to...s-s-seduce..." she cried into him.

"I...I can feel him all over me! I feel so dirty!!" she whined, tears squeezing out from under her lashes. "That filthy and evil toerag felt me up!" she screamed again but the Hatter had put a finger to her lips. She looked up at him and cried "I can't get the feeling off me!" she wailed, her voice breaking twice. He caressed her cheek carefully "Dose this help?" he asked tenderly. She nodded but her tears still fell from her eyelids, making her sob again. He brushed her cheek, smoothing out her fringe and her hair. He straightened out her nightgown, running his hand down her side and getting rid of the creases in the fabric and touched her wound on her shoulder even more carefully.

He felt burning rage fill his head, took out everything. But the shaking form of Alice in his arms crying was enough to clear his rage away in a heartbeat. "Alice...Alice dearheart, shhhh...it was a dream. That monster is dead and cannot hurt you anymore. You know that. Calm down Alice." He murmured over and over again. The image of Stayne kissing Alice was burned into his memory, he felt weak at the knees to think of it. To clear his mind he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Her shaking shuddered to a halt and it was obvious what she wanted. Company.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" he asked carefully. She nodded and sniffled. Tarrant pulled the blankets over them and cuddled Alice into his chest once more. Her hiccups where the only noise in the silent room, but they died away by the small noise of Alice peacefully sleeping. He ducked his head so it was above Alice's on the pillow and inhaled strawberries as he too, drifted off in her arms again.