Luck of the Draw

It was a short drive from Ventnor City to Atlantic City, and Hatter spent the time peppering Alice with questions. He wanted to know how an Oyster casino differed from the Wonderland Casino.

"No-one gets drained there, for one thing," Alice laughed. "People go to have a good time, and maybe win some money. Casinos also have shows, like magicians and musicians."

"Not so different, then."

"I always wondered," Alice said. "Was the Casino only used for draining Oysters?"

Hatter grinned at her. "It was the main function, yeah, but it wasn't the only thing the Casino did. Suits and Diamonds lived there. There were places for eating and exercising. The occasional act would come there as well."

"Robinson and Duckworth?" Alice asked.

"Best stage hypnotists in Wonderland," Hatter chuckled.

"Was there a regular game room for Wonderlanders?"

"No, that was for the Oysters. There were…other entertainments for those what lived there."

Alice was pretty sure she didn't want to know what those other entertainments were. And while she still felt good about bringing down the Casino and the Queen, now she felt a twinge of guilt for those people who lost their homes and their livelihoods. She could only hope that Jack was taking care of them.

"It's too bad we couldn't come at night, when the casinos are all lit up. It's not quite as impressive as Las Vegas, but still really cool."

"Las Vegas?"

"It's an entire city built around casinos. Countless casinos, and some look like castles, and one looks like a pyramid. Gram and Poppy took me there when I was seventeen. Too young to gamble, but there's plenty to see in Vegas without the gambling."

"Maybe we could go there one day," Hatter said. "Is it a far drive?"

"It's about six hours by plane," Alice explained. "You have to fly there."

"Oh."

Alice suppressed a laugh. She'd taken Hatter to La Guardia airport to see the planes take off and while he was suitably impressed at the idea of that kind of travel, he didn't relish the thought of having to fly. Alice wasn't overly fond of it herself, but sometimes driving was just out of the question.

They were in Atlantic City before Hatter could ask any more questions, and Alice quickly located the casino she wanted to take him to. The Borgata was fairly new, and most like a Vegas casino. Alice paid the parking fee and then she and Hatter walked towards the main entrance.

The outside of the Borgata was all glass windows, reflecting back the mid-morning sun. Inside, the colors were muted creams and florals, with lots of marble and glass. There were Chihuly glass sculptures scattered about, the kind that Alice had never particularly cared for but that seemed to be everywhere.

"I think this is fancier than the Palace," Hatter whispered.

"They make more money," Alice replied. She led the way through the lobby and into a large atrium dominated by pricey stores and red glass in the ceiling.

"The Casino had the red glass too," Hatter said. Alice just squeezed his hand.

Soon they were in the casino proper, with all of the flashing lights and slot machines and noise. Hatter looked around, his eyes wide. The Game Room at the Casino hadn't been very big, and hardly compared to the cavernous space that they now stood in. Even this early in the day, there were quite a few people sitting in front of the slot machines and at the Black Jack tables.

"Stay right here, I'll get us Club Cards." Alice left Hatter staring and went to get the cards. She put twenty bucks on each of them, the minimum amount; she wasn't much of a gambler and hated throwing money away that she didn't have to. She soon had Hatter sitting in front of one of the new slot machines, and showed him where to insert the card.

"The slot machines used to be much cooler years ago," Alice said. "You'd put money in and pull a big lever to get everything rolling. And if you won, coins would come clinking out of a slot in the bottom. Now they put everything on these cards; kind of takes the fun out of it."

"I'll take your word for it, love," Hatter replied. Alice showed him what buttons to press and soon he was engrossed in the game. It was more fun watching him than playing her own machine, so that's what she did. And despite Hatter's intense concentration, there was no way for him to manipulate the computer. In fifteen minutes, he'd spent all the money on his card.

"Twenty bucks? It's all gone?" Hatter looked at Alice, incredulous. "I didn't win a bloody thing!"

"That's how the casinos make their money, Hatter."

"What a con," he grumbled. Alice held her card out to him.

"You want to use this one?"

Hatter snatched it from her without a word, and Alice knew that he was determined to win something. She followed him as he moved to a different seat, smirking as he muttered something about luck.

Ten minutes later Hatter was down to his last five dollars, and the scowl on his face was fearsome. He looked around at the other people who were sitting in front of slot machines, their gazes intent and unwavering.

"This is just like the Heart's Casino," he said. "Drained of money instead of emotions."

Alice just laughed. "Come on. We should quit while you're behind."

They started to wander out of the gaming room, and then Hatter spied the Black Jack tables.

"What's that game?"

"Black Jack. You have to be the one who gets closest to 21 without going over to win."

Hatter sidled over to the table and watched a few rounds before sitting down and sliding some money across the green felt in exchange for some casino chips.

"I can see it was a mistake bringing you here," Alice said, standing behind him.

"It was a mistake playing those machines. Cards I can do."

And he was right. Alice watched in amazement as he won round after round until he'd amassed $250. Hatter tossed a chip to the dealer for a tip, then handed the rest to Alice.

"Buy you lunch, love?"

"Hatter, that was amazing!"

"Just strategy and knowing the cards. It's easier than playing against a machine." Hatter shot a glare at the slot machines.

"Okay, let's cash these in. We can hit the lunch buffet and then head home. Sound good?"

"Yeah."

Alice cashed in the chips and handed Hatter back the bills, which he counted with a decidedly smug expression on his face. They asked a cocktail waitress in a very skimpy black dress the way to the buffet and left the game floor hand in hand.

The buffet was another treat for Hatter. The Borgata had an especially large and diverse offering of foodstuffs, and Alice trailed after Hatter as he examined everything from the lobster bisque soup to the mango glazed chicken to the cream puffs. She had to admit that just about everything here looked good, and it was easy to fill their plates.

"You Oysters have incredible amounts of food," Hatter remarked around a bite of prime rib freshly cut off the bone. "This lot here would've fed the Resistance for months."

"Americans do tend toward excess," Alice agreed. "At least that's what they're always saying on the news. I love having all this variety, though."

"You'd never find a place like this in Wonderland. Not even the Casino would put out a spread like this."

"Are there restaurants in Wonderland?" Alice asked.

"Not many," Hatter replied. He eyed a stuffed mushroom suspiciously and pushed it to the edge of his plate. "Regular folks couldn't afford to eat there. Hard enough coming by food without paying extra for someone else to cook it."

"You know what I wish they had on the buffet?" Alice asked, her voice filled with longing. "Borogove."

Hatter laughed, then choked on his forkful of mashed potatoes. Alice pounded him on the back until he could breathe again. He grinned at her, his eyes crinkling at the edges.

"Only the Alice of Legend would crave barbequed borogove!"

"Now there would be a good business! We could use the Looking Glass to import borogove into the city. We'd make a fortune!" Alice laughed at the thought of it. "We'd have to bring Charlie over to cook it, of course."

"Of course."

"It's weird, you know?" Alice rested her chin on her hands. "So many terrible things happened to us in Wonderland, but sometimes I still get nostalgic for it."

"I know what you mean, love. Me too."

They sat quietly for a few moments, each lost to their own thoughts. Alice sometimes wondered if it was the adrenalin rush that she missed, that high you only got from running for your life and surviving. Not something she wanted to go through again, of course. Still, it had been exciting. Nothing makes you feel more alive than trying not to get killed.

"There's a honeymoon package they won't be selling anytime soon," Alice muttered to herself.

"Honeymoon package?" Hatter asked. His keen ears missed nothing.

"You know what a honeymoon is, right?"

"Yeah. A trip you take when you get married. A right expensive one, at that. I saw a program on the Travel Channel last week."

Alice laughed. "Yeah, they can be expensive. I was just thinking, they should offer a trip to Wonderland. Now that's a honeymoon you'd never forget!"

Hatter studied her, suddenly thoughtful.

"What?" Alice asked, self-conscious all of a sudden.

"Would you go?" Hatter asked. "Back to Wonderland."

Alice started to reply with an automatic negative, but she paused and thought about it for a minute. She'd certainly been curious about how Jack was doing now that he was King. And she would love to see Charlie again. If things had settled down, it might be nice to go back and be a tourist. Wonderland must be full of…well….wonders, and she'd only seen a part of that.

"You know what, I almost think I would." Alice looked at Hatter and could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing, love. Just a passing fancy. I'm getting more creamy puffss, you want some?"

Alice waved him away and watched him wander over to the dessert bar. She was sure he was plotting something; maybe a way to get back to Wonderland. The Looking Glass had been shut down, but she had no doubt that her wily Hatter could figure something out. And a surprisingly large part of her yearned to go back, ledges and Jabberwocks and all.

Alice was not unaware of the fact that Hatter missed Wonderland. It was the only other home he knew, after all. And no matter how well acclimated he was to New York City, a part of him would always be an outsider. Alice decided, as she watched Hatter stride back to the table, that if he couldn't find a way back to Wonderland for a trip, then she certainly would. He wasn't the only one who could make a plan, after all.

"What's that look for?" Hatter asked when he sat back down.

"Nothing," Alice said. She grinned. "Finish up your sweets. I want to go home."

Hatter waggled his eyebrows at her. "Should I get these to go?"

Alice snatched one of his cream puffs and ate it herself. "Maybe."

The cream puffs were devoured in record time, and soon Hatter and Alice were making their way out of the Borgata and into the sunny Sunday afternoon. They left the casino behind and got back on the New Jersey Turnpike. And if they did little talking on the ride home, it was only because they were each planning and plotting ways to surprise each other.

AN: This was originally going to be part of the previous story, but that one got too long. So this is a companion piece. Special shout-out to 21 for her suggestion of a good Atlantic City casino to use. I've never been there, so please don't yell at me if I get things wrong – I'm pretty much making this up as I go!. ::grins::

So, this went in an unexpected direction, but a fun one I think. Honeymooning in Wonderland? That certainly has possibilities! How will they pull that off? Your guess is as good as mine at this point, LOL! Suggestions are welcome!