A/N: Here she is! Long awaited chapter! I'm sorry it was a little bit longer wait than usual, (damn distracting Connor and Abby) but I hope that it is worth it. And thank you so much, those of you that are still reading and reviewing! If you weren't reading it, I wouldn't be writing it. :) Thank you!

I hope you like this… *worries*

Chapter 21

Erica had waited for Hatter to relieve her from her shift for a full hour before she began to worry. Now that she knew what she was doing, he usually came in later, and sometimes it was just a few minutes before her shift ended. Despite how erratic his times were, he never failed to show for work. The tea shop was Hatter's pride and joy and although he joked and flirted and charmed while he was working, Erica knew without question that he took his business very seriously. If he didn't show for work, something was wrong. She had called his phone, but he didn't answer, and neither did Alice when she tried hers. James hadn't heard from him either, and he suggested she run up to his apartment to check on him.

She'd stuck a note on the shop door and locked it, and then went through the back door, down the alley and opened the nondescript door to the stairwell that led to her friends' home. Erica froze, distraught, as she took in the scene before her. Hatter's tweed trilby lay in the corner of the stairwell, a Hatter's fist sized hole had been broken out of the wall, and blood dotted the stairs and wall. Someone had hurt her friends. Ryan. She would bet anything that it was Ryan. She had to do something. Police. She would call the police.

After spending her afternoon speaking with the police instead of in class, Erica learned that the police had no other leads aside from the one's she'd given them, and that Alice had last been seen that morning, and Hatter hadn't been seen or heard from since the night before. Erica pointed the police in Ryan's direction as the prime suspect, but she didn't know how much good it would do. She thought Ryan would be smart enough to avoid his apartment, although maybe they would find some sort of clue to his location. She provided his address and explained that he'd threatened Hatter and Alice because Hatter had fired him for stealing from the shop. She tried to have hope; Alice and Hatter both had friends on the force, thanks to the dojo. They would do their best to find them.

She and James closed the shop down for the day, but they both agreed to split the shifts to cover for Hatter's absence so the shop didn't have to be shut down altogether until they returned. Erica had to believe they would return; she just hoped that someone found them soon. She would do what she could to help… if there was anything to be traced, she could trace it. After she finished with the detective, she was torn between starting her investigation right then or going to see Carol, but finally decided on Carol, knowing that her longtime friend's mother would need to hear what she had seen firsthand. The police had already broken the news of Alice's disappearance to her; at least Erica didn't have to bear that burden.

Dennis brought Erica a glass of warm milk and then settled in next to her on the couch. She was typing furiously on her laptop, following each little thread and lead down to its end.

She waved off the milk with a grimace, "No. Need coffee. Can't sleep yet. Little longer."

Dennis hugged her gently, "I know you want to help them, but you need to sleep. It's four in the morning. Come to bed."

Erica sighed and blinked her bright blue eyes blearily, "Four already?"

Dennis nodded.

"Okay. Okay. I just hoped I'd find something. I just found another lead, I think," she said as she fingers began to move again.

"Tomorrow, mi corazoncito. It will be there tomorrow," he cajoled.

Hatter and Alice tried to stay awake, desperate to retain the connection between them both, but the conversation faltered and sputtered and finally died as the night wore on. Exhaustion crept in and stole the brief time they had left with each other. Alice dozed first, and Hatter followed suit despite his determination to stay awake and watch over her. The drugs still burning in his veins served to throw the fight. His body rebelled against his mind, sinking him into a fitful sleep, but when Alice screamed his name Hatter was jolted awake in an instant.

Ryan loomed over her, hypodermic needle in hand. Hatter watched, stricken, as he jabbed it into her thigh; Alice screamed her protest and struggled against her bonds. Her wild eyes locked on his, and Hatter knew he would never get the image of her wide-eyed terrified face out of his mind. It would haunt him for the remainder of his life. He'd seen it in his dreams and now his dreams had become reality, and he was helpless to stop it.

"We had a deal!" Hatter growled, struggling in vain against the straps securing him.

"We still do. I need to move her. Can't have her trying to escape, now can I?" Ryan countered, "I thought you'd want to see that I would do what I promised."

Hatter clenched his jaw so tightly that it hurt as he watched Ryan's rough handling of his Alice. Her eyes fluttered and closed as her body went limp, and he had to be thankful that she wouldn't feel the bruises that Ryan's careless hands were leaving on her body as he loosened the straps securing Alice to the bed and then lifted her up and carried her into one of the abandoned offices and dropped her on the floor. He handcuffed her to the exposed piping and then returned to lift the mattress from the gurney and toss it to the floor beside her. Ryan made another trip out of the warehouse, and returned with a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jug of water and the promised bedpan.

He left her lying on the bare, dirty linoleum, not even bothering to settle her on the bed. She'd be cold and stiff when she woke… and she'd be all alone. Ryan made his way back over to him, radiating smug amusement. Impotent fury burned inside of Hatter, what he would give to get his hands on Ryan. If I could manage to get me hand around his throat, I'd like to see if his head would pop off if I squeeze hard enough, Hatter thought wistfully.

Ryan stood over him, sneering, "See. She's comfortable, like I said."

"You needn't have given her more of that poison," Hatter grated.

"This way we know she's nice and safe, and you won't be distracted," he smiled, Hatter looked into his eyes and saw little sanity remaining.

"Your turn mate," Ryan said, his voice laden with sarcasm.

Hatter's eyes widened as he saw the needle, "What's this? How am I to lead you across if you've got me all drugged up?"

Ryan smirked, "Just a small amount. It will wear off, and by then we'll be far away from here."

"Bastard," Hatter growled.

Ryan laughed, "Oh come on, I know the kind of things you have done. You have quite a reputation, you know. Do you think I'm going to take any chances with you?"

Hatter glared his response but kept his words behind his teeth. He knew better than to bait the sociopath. So much for his plan to take Ryan out before they left the building. Well, he'd always been quick thinking, he'd just have to think of something else… quickly.

Ryan stabbed the needle down into Hatter's thigh and depressed the plunger; the parameters of his vision darkened and narrowed into nothingness as the drug bit into his veins and lit them on fire. It burned and then was as ice, and then he felt nothing at all.

Hatter woke, confused and freezing. He shivered and rubbed his hands over his arms; he was no longer wearing a straight jacket, thankfully, but the thin t-shirt wasn't providing much in the way of protection from the elements. He was cold and sore and wherever he was, it was small and dark and the short carpeted floor was hard and rough against his cheek. Before he could quite assemble his thoughts to begin moving in a linear fashion again, the hatch opened and light streamed in. He blinked rapidly at the assault on his darkness adjusted vision; Hatter shielded his eyes and squinted at the figure hovering over him, his head haloed by halogen light.

Ryan peered down at him arrogantly, "Get out of the car. Let me remind you that you need a code from me to ensure Alice stays alive, and only my associate and I know her location. Think on that before you make any rash decisions. Oh, and he's waiting for my call before we cross over."

"And how do I know that you'll give me the code after I've done what you said?" Hatter demanded.

He didn't trust Ryan to deliver on his promises, not one bit. He'd entertained the idea of torturing him to get the code, but Ryan was so totally and completely mad that he was afraid all he would get out of him was a very dead Alice. It rankled, but he had to think of another way out. His best hope lay in the stash of emotion tea he hoped was still hidden safely away. If he could get the right combination into him, he might stand a chance.

"How do I know you won't just kill me when you get the chance? Maybe you think Alice can escape on her own? She won't, by the way. Maybe I should just kill her and let my contact have you instead. Might be safer," Ryan countered.

"No," Hatter glared up at him as he began to climb out of the rear compartment of Ryan's car, "I'll take you."

Hatter didn't recognize the neighborhood, but he figured that was the point. They were parked beneath a streetlamp behind an industrial building that could have been anywhere in the city. It was still dark outside, with no hint of dawn on the horizon. He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. At the moment, he was well and truly fucked.

If his leg had felt rotten before, now it was worse, thanks to the newest injection. His entire body ached and his head pounded relentlessly. It was difficult to think, but he had to have his wits about him for the journey. Wonderland would likely do all it could to prevent Ryan's entry, and Hatter would have to keep the sorry sod alive. He took a step and nearly fell, caught himself on the rear of the car before he fell to the ground.

"Don't suppose the journey can wait until I can walk again, yeah?" Hatter asked, leaning more heavily than necessary on the bumper of the car.

Ryan chuckled, "Nice try. Clock's ticking. Where to?"

Hatter closed his eyes and sighed, "Central Park," he knew it was no use to try to delay it.

Alice was in Hatter's arms and he was laughing, his dark chocolate eyes dancing with mirth and joy. He kissed her and smiled as she pulled him closer, her hands tunneling into his hair. He was safe and warm, and he smelled so good… she tugged him closer but her hands passed through him; he faded into mist and vanished into the night sky. Bereft, she looked for him, but he'd just vanished. She woke with a start and a devastating sense of disapointment and loss. Sure enough, Hatter was gone.

The last she remembered, Ryan had shot her again. She closed her eyes against the fluorescent lights and tried to remember it. Yes, she'd yelled for Hatter. She remembered. What she'd give to never see that look on his face again as he realized there was no way he could prevent what was happening to her. She hadn't yelled his name to ask for rescue, although she knew that was how Hatter would read it. She just didn't want to be stolen from him unawares.

She had to save him.

She tested the cuffs, but they were too snug to slip off of her wrists. She looked for the camera Ryan had pointed out; she didn't think it was at a good angle to catch much of her activities. If she was careful, she might be able to find a way out without ever showing up on camera at all. She had to try to get free, regardless. Worst case, she'd be kept drugged. Not pleasant, but the payoff if she was able to get free would be worth it.

The cuffs were solid, but the pipe they were connected to was loose enough for her to move it a little bit. Each time she yanked against it, a bit of drywall broke free. If she could get the pipe free of the wall, she could slip the cuffs. The cold metal bit into her wrist, bruising it, but she made progress. All she had was time, so she kicked and tugged and wiggled and hoped against hope that someone would come looking for her.

Hatter limped through the park as Ryan followed closely on his heels. He needed to find somewhere quiet and isolated so that he could concentrate. He left East drive behind him and headed straight for the trees; Ryan seemed uneasy, but Hatter didn't think the pair of them was a likely target for muggers. In his jeans and bloody t-shirt he looked as skint as many of the beggars he'd seen on the city streets, and Ryan wore nothing that would mark him as a worthwhile target.

He really wished for one or fifteen of Alice's little Tylenols; the concentration required for this was more than he was sure he could muster in his current condition. He sat tailor fashion in the grass and closed his eyes. Only people with a touch of Wonderland magic could find rabbit holes this way, and only people with more than just a touch could use it as a key to open the way across. Hatter wasn't sure if he had enough; he had never wanted to find out. He wasn't entirely sure he even knew how.

Wonderland being Wonderland, the rules were sometimes bent if the need was great enough. The first Alice had been an Oyster through and through, but his land had needed her so it took her when she stumbled across one of the thin spots in the veil between their worlds. He would be willing to wager that his Alice would have found her way across much the same way, that is, if she hadn't have fallen through the mirror chasing after that prat of a prince. Wonderland had a way of taking what it needed, and it had desperately needed his Alice.

Hatter had read accounts of those that had made the journey in the past. One thing had been common among them all… each journey was unique. Some fell straight through, and some climbed or flew or swam. There was no way to prepare or plan, and he doubted that his route would be as easy as simple fall. He didn't have that sort of luck.

"I'm getting impatient," Ryan stated, interrupting Hatter's concentration.

"Then shut up and let me do what I have to so I can get on with this, eh?" Hatter riposted.

Ryan glowered, but shut up and Hatter closed his eyes again and did his best to banish all the errant thoughts bouncing around inside his head. He reached inside and felt for the sense of Wonderland that told him that a rabbit hole was near. He'd felt it before as he walked in the park hand and hand with his Alice, but he'd thought it was his imagination. They had come to the park for a picnic in the sunshine, and as he closed his eyes and felt the sun on his skin and Alice's hands in his hair as they lay in the grass together, he had felt that Wonderland was near with deep conviction. There was no mistaking it or discounting it.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to find a rabbit hole in Central Park, but it did. It had jolted him straight out of his comfort and relaxation and chilled him to the bone. Until then, he'd been sure that there was no way for him to cross back over, save for the mirror (which should be closed.) He'd not even liked having the option available to him, but once he'd seen it, he couldn't un-see it. It seemed his foreboding was valid, after all. Look where it had gotten him.

He emptied his mind. Forgot all and everything but the moment he was in and the soul that animated him. The pain he let go of first, and then the fear and then frustration; the hardest to let go of was Alice. He felt it… there. Wonderland. He stood and walked towards the copse of trees that hid the entryway, laid his hand upon the portal disguised as a tree.

"This is the way. Make your call," Hatter said flatly.

"Show me first," Ryan demanded.

Hatter nodded and thought about how to open the doorway. He'd not spare a thought for what he'd do if he couldn't. He had no choice but to succeed. He looked down at his right hand and back up to Ryan, feeling the familiar tingle as his body longed to act upon the thoughts circling in his head. His synapses fired and connected the dots… he had his answer. He knew the way.

He cut his eyes towards Ryan, hatred simmering beneath the surface, "Might want to step back."

Not bothering to check to see if he had indeed followed his advice, Hatter turned to face the tree again and channeled every ounce of frustration and anger towards his right fist. It tingled and grew hot, ached to be set free. He drew back and let it fly unchecked. The tree splintered, a crack forming down the center. The crack widened and spread, revealing a passageway leading down through the earth.

Hatter turned to face Ryan, "Call," he growled, fire still burning behind his dark eyes.

White-faced and wide eyed, Ryan dialed and instructed his associate that Alice was now in his care, and that if he didn't receive a phone call with the proper code within three days time, he was to kill her.

"No. I need more time than that," Hatter bit out.

Ryan assessed him coolly, his composure regained, "Make that five days... and before you kill her, you can have your fun. Don't touch her until then, or you know what will happen."

Hatter pressed his lips together in a thin line at his words, "Let's go. It'll not stay open for long."

Ryan smirked, "You first."

Hatter descended down into the tunnel, hope dying with every step he took. The opening closed after a few short moments, leaving the two men in the semi-dark save for the slight phosphorescence coming from the cave walls. It seemed Wonderland would at least give them a slight concession, anyway. He'd promised himself he'd never come back, but now he was past the point of returning. He just hoped he wouldn't have to break any more promises before this was over.

TBC

A/N: Well? What you think? So… Wonderland here we come. I struggled quite a bit with this, but I think you'll like where it goes. Oh, and I'll remind my nervous readers to trust me. *grins* Hopeless romantic….

Please do review? Feed my poor muse? Does help speed the process, I promise.