A Week in Wonderland, Ch. 13
by wingsinheaven5
A/N: Again, thank you SO much for all your kind words! I wish you could all see me when I futterwacken (or, at least, attempt to) with glee whenever someone leaves a happy review, or even adds my story to alerts/favorites. And I'm not even joking in the slightest! Anyways, I don't have much else to say, except CHAPTER 13!
"Alice, love?" James walked forward, Alice automatically moved backwards, book clutched tight to her chest. "My dear, what ever are you up to?" His left brow was slightly cocked, but only just; it was apparent to Alice that he was trying to mask his genuine suspicions with sickly-sweet affections. He smiled cautiously, affirming Alice's theory.
Two can play that game.
Alice relaxed her muscles, and tilted her head lower slightly so she was looking up at James through batted lashes. She stopped moving backwards, resulting in James basically chest to chest with her.
"James?" Alice cooed, her mind reeling with what to say next. After the briefest moment, Alice continued, James obviously unsure as to what was going on. "I think I know what potion is in that vial! What spell that Hatter," Alice spat the last word with fraudulent disgust, a frown upon her porcelain features, "must have cast on me!" Her excited tone seemed to convince James of her façade.
"Is that so?" Now that Alice could take a proper look, James's smile was really more of an ugly sneer, and she wondered how the rest of the white court so quickly warmed up to him. Of course, thought Alice, because he's with their highly trusted 'champion'. Alice felt her stomach turn at the thought that so many put such great faith in all of her decisions.
"It's here!" She held up the book and pointed at its opened pages. "Blind Love!"
James instinctively put a hand in his pocket, his fingers clasping around the vial that supposedly once belonged to the Hatter.
"And where, might I ask, did you find that book?"
"Under the bed," Alice said nonchalantly. "I tripped, and before I got up, it caught my eye." This was the only thing so far in their entire conversation that was genuine truth. "Do you happen to have the vial you took from the Hatter?"
James faltered for a moment, debating whether he should or not, before finally extracting said vial from his pocket.
There it was. The evidence. Alice itched to just grab the vial from James and run, but seeing how tall James was, and the resulting long legs that could catch up with her within a few strides, she decided against it. She glanced back down into the book, and scanned her eyes over the page.
"See? It says here," again, Alice pointed at the entry, "that, if done correctly, the liquid should be an 'incandescent burgundy color'." Alice looked back up at James, then the vial he held. "It fits!"
James chuckled and, much to Alice's despair, pocketed the vial once more. He took the book from Alice's hands and set it upon the nightstand before snaking his arms around Alice's waist and pulling her close. "Why, aren't you a clever one."
Alice reluctantly, though she didn't show it, placed her arms around James's neck. "Shall we tell the White Queen? Has she returned yet?"
"No, she hasn't. I'm sure she'll be back by morning, so we can tell her then. But in the meantime…" James began kissing Alice's neck. Alice instantaneously felt contaminated where he had kissed her. He eventually found her lips, and kissed her forcefully. Whereas James's eyes were closed, Alice kept hers open, feeling thoroughly repulsed, but following his lead nonetheless. If she was to make him think she was on his side, she had to play the part—which unfortunately also meant this.
After a good bit more snogging, James bent and picked up Alice in his arms. Alice panicked, her lips still glued to his. James took a few steps before haphazardly tossing Alice onto the bed. He crawled his way next to her, and resumed kissing her. He yanked his coat off, and began tugging at Alice's dress. Alice broke the kiss and sat upright. James, caught off guard, sat up as well.
"What's the matter, love?"
Alice turned away enough so James couldn't see her stick her tongue out in revulsion. She turned back, and smiled sweetly.
"I, I just don't think I'm ready for... this." Alice gestured at the bed. "I just think it would be improper to not wait until we are appropriately wed." She heard James sigh. "And since we are to be wed soon," Alice snuggled close to James, fearing he might have suspected something, "I think we should wait."
James held Alice against his chest, her arm draped around his torso. He sighed frustratedly. He might not have any real feelings for this Alice, but he was still a man… with needs. But he couldn't afford to mess things up. "Fine," he growled. "But we can still do what we were doing? It won't go any further, I promise." The words he spoke had nothing to do with his conniving plan, and more to do with his hormones.
Alice thought. There was no excuse she could use without causing some doubts in James's mind, and she needed him to believe her every intention if she was ever to rescue the Hatter. She felt sick to her stomach as she answered him. "Sure."
And once again, James began shoving his tongue down Alice's throat. Alice knew come morning that she was going to need a kettle full of boiling hot tea to scald the taste of him off her tongue.
Alice's eyes opened. They scanned her surroundings, and immediately Alice was brought back to last night… that horrible, disgusting, nauseating last night.
It was all part of the game, she knew. James was tricking her. But he didn't know that now she was tricking him.
Alice made to move, but felt something encasing her waist. She cautiously looked down, and saw that James' arm was slung impolitely across her torso. She made a face, and slowly, carefully lifted his arm just enough to grant her escape. She then tiptoed her way over to the nightstand and annexed the nameless book that bore so much significance to her now. With one last peek at the still slumbering James, Alice snuck her way past the bed, and out the door.
She ran.
Ran as fast as she could whilst still maintaining the presence of a meek mouse. Her wavy hair whipped past her shoulders as she descended the stairs. He had to know. He had to know the discoveries she made. Had to know she had not forgotten him.
"Hatter!" Alice half whispered, half shouted as she burst through the door. The Hatter was sitting against the back wall, his signature top hat tipped over his eyes; Alice wondered when he had gotten it back. She ran to the bars of his prison, and called again. "Hatter!"
Hatter nodded awake, and searched for the source of his disturber. Upon seeing it was Alice, he jumped to his feet and hastened his way to her.
"Alice!" His face glowed with delight.
"I've got to show you something." Alice pulled the book into sight, and flipped through its pages until she found what she was looking for. She turned the book around, and handed it to the Hatter. "Here. Look!"
The Hatter took the small book in his hands, and read. His eyes grew increasingly larger, his mouth forming a small "o" of understanding.
"So this is what that twitch did to you." He looked up to Alice. "It makes perfect sense, really—if ever making sense a perfect thing was possible, that is, though I'd like to think sense would not want to be perfect; lots of expectations, you see, and—"
"Hatter!" Alice snapped her fingers in front of the rambling man's face.
"Thank you." He shook his head clear before turning his attention back to Alice.
"Well now that we know what he's done, what should we do?"
"We must tell the White Queen."
"I don't know if she's yet returned. The first thing I did when I woke up was come here." Hatter felt his heart twit at the idea that he was the first thing Alice thought of that morning. "James said she should be returning today at the least."
The Hatter thought for a moment, his eyes once again scanning the book's pages. "Alice, do you know if James still has that vial?"
Alice nodded. "Yes. He showed me last night when I asked him about this."
Hatter's head shot up. "You what? But then, how did he react?"
"Well… I didn't so much ask him, as I proclaimed my belief that this," Alice gestured to the book, "is what you were planning." She grinned sheepinshly, apologetically.
Hatter nodded. "I see. Well where is the vial now?"
"Still in his coat pocket."
"And where is his coat?"
"On the floor of his room."
Hatter raised his eyebrows. "Why—"
Alice cut him off. "Never mind that." Again, she unconsciously made a face at the memory.
Hatter wasn't so quick to dismiss it. Suddenly, his tone was somber…serious. "Alice, did he hurt you? 'Cus if he did, I swear I'll—"
"No, no, I'm fine. Don't worry." Hatter wanted to implore her more about what may or may not have happened last night, but held his tongue; he knew now was not the time.
"Well then," he began again, "you need to find it. Get it out of his possession. We don't know what he's planning, but we might as well make sure he can't cast anymore of these spells on anyone." There was a sudden rustling from the floor above; both Alice and Hatter jerked. "Go, Alice. Now."
Alice nodded, and ran towards the door. Before reaching it, however, she hesitated on the spot, and turned around.
"Hatter?"
"Hmm?" He was still standing in the same position.
"I'll be back." Her tone was full of promise, assuring the Hatter she would not leave him.
The Hatter smiled. "I know."
Alice tentatively pushed the door open. She peered inside and saw James exactly as she had left him. She entered the room, her eyes searching the floor for James' coat. She moved to it, and rummaged through its pockets until she found the sinister red liquid. She then made to leave the room once more, when an idea hit her.
She looked to James, still asleep. What if…what if she cast the spell on James? All she had to do was down the liquid, and get James to kiss her (which, she knew disdainfully, would not be hard). Then she'd have him at her mercy. She would make him confess, free Hatter from his prison, and vow never to use potion-making for his own personal gain again, whatever that might be. Her heart raced at the idea. With one last look at James, Alice popped open the vial.
Just one second too late.
James had awoken, and he groggily searched 'round the room. When his eyes landed upon Alice—one hand on the doorknob, the other holding what he could clearly see was his vial of Blind Love—he jumped out of the bed, and hurled himself at her.
Wide-eyed, Alice panicked, and before James could reach her, she gulped the vial's contents.
James grabbed her by the shoulders, his eyes angry slits. "How dare you, you loathsome little girl!"
Alice batted her lashes. "What ever do you mean?" She played the innocent card.
"Don't play with me! I saw you just now!" What Alice initially thought was venom in his voice Alice quickly recognized as fear. He was scared he was found out.
"Did you? Why, but you've just woken up, and you don't know wh—"
But before she could finish her sentence, James cupped a hand over her mouth, and began pulling her out of the room. Alice struggled, but he was too strong for her. He swiftly ran down the stairs, and bombarded through the door at the last step. Hatter stood at their arrival, and was quickly alarmed at what he beheld.
"Alice! Why you—let go of her!" His eyes were turning yellow, the skin around them blackening.
But James didn't seem to hear. He shoved Alice into the next cell neighboring the Hatter's, and quickly locked it. Without another word, he turned for the door.
"Why?" Alice's voice came crisp, demanding. James stopped in his tracks, and turned back. He had that same sneer smothered across his face. He walked over to Alice's cell. The Hatter had fallen silent, watching James, swearing he'd kill the bloke if he dared to touch Alice again.
James stifled a chuckle in his throat. "Why? Why what, my dearest?" He spoke the last word dripping with sarcasm.
"Why did you use that potion on me? Why are you locking us up?"
"Why else? My dear, you are the Queen's most trusted. No one so much as trusted me before you came along. Now that they've seen how heed over heels you are for me—"
"She's not," interjected the Hatter.
"—they trust me more than ever! Why, even Mirana thinks I'm just the bee's knees! Or, at least, she will."
"What do you mean by that?"
James chuckled again. "You think you're so clever. That wasn't my only flask of Blind Love."
He turned, and began walking away. "Oh," he turned back again, "and don't bother yelling for help. No one will hear you." And with that, he stalked out of the dungeon and back up the stairs.
Both Hatter's and Alice's stomachs lurched. The White Queen.
A/N: Pace is starting to pick up! Oooooo0o0oo... I wonder what's going to happen next! (Trust me, I know just as much as you do!)