A/N: Ugh. I hated this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to upload. I just couldn't get it right. I was in the middle of it then I started watching Primeval and then Connor got all tangled with Hatter in my head and it was just not working. So, Primeval is on hold until I finish this. I went back and did a lot of tweaking and rearranging and now I feel better about posting it. Hope you like it, tried to get the feeling right and all that, but like I said, this chapter was a pain to write.

TWENTY-ONE
Goodbye...for an Hour

The cheering died down eventually. Alice had lowered her hand and then offered the ring to Jack. "Here. I think this belongs to you now." She placed it in his hand.

Jack took it, looking up and then around him, where Suits and oysters alike were watching him. "No. This belongs to Wonderland." He said and another cheer followed. And, ugh, Hatter just wanted to gag.

Then Jack began to give orders. So, typical. Only king for half a second and already bossing everyone around. He ordered for the wounded to be taken and looked at by the medical staff that had made it out. They were already setting up areas for the people to gather and areas for people to wait. Hatter winced. So he might have forgotten a pair of doctors tied up in the Truth Room, how was he to know the building would collapse? Surely they made it out…untied themselves…yeah. They'd be fine.

The Suits began their job of directing traffic. Some people to the medical staff others pushed straight on to wait for transport. They were already doing an inventory of what Scarabs had made it out unscathed. Hatter hovered near Alice now that Jack was busy.

She noticed him after a second and turned with a smile.

"So." He began, hands in his pockets. "Here two days and you destroy the Casino. Not bad." She laughed and he loved it.

"You." A Suit had walked over to them, and Hatter was alarmed for half a second before he remembered they weren't working for the Queen anymore.

Hatter looked at the Eight, "Yes?"

Eight studied Hatter's face. "You need medical attention. Please follow line two."

"No-no. Nope. Not me. I'm-I'm good. Just a scratch, really." Hatter looked at Alice and then back at the Suit.

"Your head is bleeding." The man said, just trying to do his job.

"Is it? Didn't even notice." Hatter chuckled. "So, I'm fine. Thank you…for the concern…"

Another Suit had walked over, a Seven and from the look he was giving Hatter, it was not going to be good. "Why isn't this man in line two?" Seven asked.

Eight shrugged. "Says he's fine."

Seven shook his head. "No, I personally helped drag him into the Truth Room." Eight raised his eyebrows at the implication and Hatter most certainly did not like the look they were exchanging.

"What?" He felt panic grip him. They were not going to take him away from Alice. Not before he got his hug. "I'm fine. Seriously…think I liked you better before…"

They looked at Hatter somberly. "Tortured for information. Denial. Come right this way." Eight held out a hand to guide Hatter along.

"Um, no. You guys deaf or something? I am perfectly fine." Hatter shrugged out of their hands. Alice was chuckling behind him, but he did not find this funny at all.

"You should go with them." She said, the filthy betrayer. "Your head does look pretty banged up. Won't hurt to have someone look at it."

"I…but…" He felt very cornered. "You too?"

She laughed and then pushed his arm playfully. "Just go. You could have a concussion."

"A what?" He looked at her. "That sounds serious. Is that a real thing? How do you know if you've got it?" He looked at his hands. "Spots? Or some sort of…" He paused. "You know, there is a ringing…in my ears…is that normal?"

"Maybe…" Alice said. "You should ask a doctor these questions."

Then the Suits began to lead him away again and he suddenly wasn't so concerned with whatever the hell a concussion was. He kept his eyes on Alice, but he lost sight of her once he entered the line. Fan-bloody-tastic. This check- up had better not take long.

Hatter was moved up in the line, no longer held by the Suits, but pouting. When he finally got to a doctor they cleaned up his head and when he asked about a concussion they laughed. "Is that not a real thing?" He whined.

"Yes, but we don't call it that here." The doctor checked his eyes and then, because the world hated him, someone recognized him as the man who was brought to the Truth Room just before the Casino fell. Now he was being hauled off, rather forcefully, to undergo some sort of psychiatric thing. Which, in Wonderland, involved a lot of backwards talking and inane riddles to make sure you were just mad enough to be functional but not so mad as to, say, start murdering your family. Hatter was diagnosed as a healthy in-between and was finally given the okay to leave.

He didn't know how long he had been in there, too long though. Alice had to still be there. She wouldn't leave without saying goodbye…then it occurred to him that she would be leaving now. She had no reason to stay and getting home had been so important to her…he could do with that psychiatrist right then.

Hatter was about to start asking around, noting that most of the oysters had been whisked off, probably for the Looking Glass, when he noticed a white knight sitting on a chair, waiting. Inside he seethed a bit. Last time he had seen Charlie, the knight was whisking off in the wrong direction. Hatter kicked at the ground and then approached slowly. Why was he even here if he had run away?

Charlie had a few bandages himself, Hatter observed. He stopped a few feet away. "So."

The knight looked over and then he frowned. "I know what you're thinking…."

"Really?" Hatter snapped, a bit angrier than he realized.

"I…" Charlie stood up and looked Hatter in the eyes now, making Hatter reel back just a touch. "I acted the milksop." Hatter opened his mouth and Charlie held up a gloved hand. "No, Sir. In my eyes, you are the true Knight here. And I bow to you." Then Charlie bowed. And Hatter, for the first time in his life, could relate to how one felt when embarrassed by a parent.

"Yeah. Thanks. That's good." Hatter lifted Charlie upright when he got stuck and clapped him once on the shoulder. He didn't mention that he felt the furthest thing from a knight, but it had made Hatter smile all the same. "Um, okay." Hatter sat Charlie back down, he was obviously still a bit banged up from whatever had happened, and was about to leave when Charlie spoke again.

"And, Harbinger." Hatter spun on his heel, a little annoyed at the title. "Your Alice has gone to the Looking Glass. She'll be leaving shortly."

Hatter stared. Your Alice? "Um. Okay, thanks. Great." Trying not to think about it, but you know, thanks for the reminder.

"You are going after her?" Charlie asked, puzzled.

"What?" Hatter clicked his fingers, his thought drifting on paths he didn't want to tread. Questions like, what would he do now? Or what would he do without her? Things he just felt better ignoring. "Oh. Right. Will…do. I will do. Just…uh, now." He smiled and then retreated. But he didn't go to the Looking Glass. There were transports taking everyone over, all the oysters still lingering and waiting for their return. He boarded one, but hopped off just as he got to the building he now knew held the Looking Glass. Alice would be in there. That made him immeasurably happy. But Alice was leaving and that made him infinitely more unhappy.

He rounded a corner, strolling about but not venturing too far. Every considerable solution to his problem had crossed his mind in some way. Simply asking her, pleading with her, kidnapping her…in the end, he decided it was best to just tell her. The first and simplest answer is usually the best. He was going to tell her that he wanted her to stay, because it was the truth. Decided, he began his walk back to the Looking Glass, only to turn around at the last second and have another mini debate with his nerves and confidence. There was always the option of telling her exactly how he felt. Scare her with heartfelt declarations of all-consuming love for everything that was her, even though he had only known her two days. For some reason he felt she would consider such a confession creepy and poorly timed. Either way, he didn't see the point in telling her when there was no way, no possibility, that she would return those feelings. The most he could hope for was civil friendship. He'd take that over nothing, but it was so much less than what he wanted.

There was no more wasting time. He had to just push on. So he rounded the corner, pushed open the doors and looked for…Alice. Any thought he possessed, any plan, had crumbled into tiny bits. She was hugging Jack. And it looked like a proper one too. The one he had so wanted. What chance did he have against Jack? None, apparently. She looked so happy. She had wanted him and now she could be with him. And he a king now, too. Anything Hatter might have said felt silly now. What was the plan? Convince her to stay? How dumb could he have been…how ignorant…naïve…the hope that had elated him, that had helped him to open those doors to face Alice again, that was all gone. Best to duck out quietly before any salt could be rubbed in the wound.

"Hatter!" Alice's voice, so sweet to him, was the very salt he had been trying to run from.

He might have tried to leave anyway, but damn it, as soon as she called his name he turned straight around. Alice had called him. Of course he'd come running.

"Alice. Hey." He replied hoarsely. "Excuse me. Sorry." He wound his way through the small crowd. Then he reached her and he drew a blank. His mind sputtered and would not start up again. He fumbled for words. He, Hatter, didn't know what to say. "I was um…" He motioned to the door, the one he wanted to bolt through. "I was afraid I might've missed you."

"Yeah, well, you cut it a little close." She seemed to be smiling. So, in good humor…that was good. Probably happy to be going home. Never occurred to him she might have been happy because he had finally showed up. Nope. Couldn't possibly be the reason.

"Yeah, I was, um…guess I was trying…not to think about it-anyways I wanted to say…" I love you. "Goodbye." He nodded as if that had been what he wanted to say. Coward.

"Goodbye?"

Totally missed her question, and its implication that she might not want to say goodbye. That his saying goodbye was not what she was expecting from him. He was too anxious, trying too hard not to think because when he did it hurt too much. "And…if you, you know…" He continued on, oblivious and awkward. "Ever fancied coming back…" What am I saying? Of course she wasn't coming back. What did she have left in this world, besides maybe Jack? I'm no Jack Heart. If she stayed, it wouldn't be for me…

"You want me to stay?"

And this was his chance. He hadn't even had to bring it up. Alice, the girl who gave him courage. Alice that made him the man he needed to be. Alice that was the only truly good thing that had ever happened to him, ever. Was he just going to let her leave?

"Hell no." Apparently, yes. He babbled. To himself, he argued that if he had said yes, would it really have made a difference? He didn't believe it would because he hadn't noticed the hope in her question. So he felt saying no was safer. Of course, he didn't have to seem quite so happy about it, either. "No. Think you should go home." Did she just look disappointed? Impossible. That would imply she wanted him to ask her to stay. And that wasn't plausible. Right…

"Yeah…yeah, I've had enough of Wonderland for a lifetime." She laughed and he took her words literally and without context. She had enough Wonderland. In his mind, Wonderland was synonymous with Hatter. And he was thinking like that because for the first time in his life, another person was making him feel insecure.

"Yes. I am sure you have." He smiled with her, like this was a joke between just them. Because he had spent more time with her than anyone and he liked sharing a smile with her. "Right." He nodded and she continued to grin and he just had to keep going since she seemed to be smiling because of him. "Still we had…had a laugh. You know. Had some good times…obviously among all the…bad times."

"Yeah…yeah we did."

Another pause and he took a deep breath. I should say something. I want to say something. I want to say…Alice. I've fallen…hopelessly in love with you and…I need-would like for you to stay. Here. Forever. With me. But, naturally, he said nothing. And Alice took it upon herself to fill the silence when she started to remove the jacket he had given her. "Oh, um…yeah." She worked her arms out of the sleeves.

"You don't have to…" she handed it to him, "brilliant. Thank you." He smiled. He shook out the coat and the collar where he held it was still warm. "So." He started and he opened his arms. "We should…?"

Alice nodded and seemed to understand the gesture, reaching under his arms for a hug. But it wasn't a hug. Not the one he wanted. Not the one he felt he deserved. And it was over too quickly. Everything was over too quickly. Two days, that's all it had taken to want her this much. How was he going to handle two hours once she went through the Looking Glass? He held onto the jacket, his fingers rubbing where he could feel warmth.

"You know you could always visit my world." She stated and he was too far gone to see this as an invitation. She was just being polite, that's what he assumed. "You might like it."

"Yeah. We could…" what was that word she had used? "We could do pizza." He hoped it was the right word. He was turning this into small talk, but he knew they should have been way past that. Curse his stupid mouth that never seemed to shut up and now say the right thing. It would be Alice that rendered his near only skill useless.

"And lots of other things." Alice finished and he finally grasped her implication. Of course, it was too little too late.

"Alice please?" Someone was interrupting his moment. Taking her way.

"Really? I was jus'…" I wasn't done. What did she mean? What other things? His mind was racing so he didn't rush forward to stop her like he might have been tempted to do. He watched her approach the glass and then she was being pushed through and it was like a bucket of water had been dumped over his head. Was he reading this wrong? He retraced their conversation. Could she have been hinting that she wanted him to want her to stay? So confusing. Hatter started toward the glass. His feet were moving, that's all he knew. She was just on the other side. He could follow…why not? This mess in his head had to be sorted. He needed just a few more minutes to ask her, to figure out what the hell she had been trying to tell him. He had been trying so hard not to think about it, not to think about her leaving, that he had nearly missed out on the all her subtle clues. She wasn't happy to go. She had been happy to see him. Maybe it was simply because they were friends, but maybe it wasn't. Just a few more minutes and he might have his answer…

A hand stopped him before he could reach the Glass. Jack's hand. Hatter turned sharply, looking at him as if he just noticed the king standing there. "You can't just stroll through the Glass when it strikes your fancy." Jack said.

Hatter glared. "But Alice..."

"She belongs there. You do not." Jack countered and Hatter fumed. He was right…but...that didn't have to be the case. Hatter was beginning to understand one thing. Alice was more important to him than he had realized. So much more than just an infatuation. Love was a powerful emotion. The one Tea the Queen never bottled. The one Tea that, for the longest time, he couldn't even identify. Now it was starting to make sense.

"You went through." Hatter seethed. And it hit him that he was arguing to be with Alice wherever she went. If she belonged in her world then he was going to follow her. Whatever her comments had meant, whatever she had been subtly implying with her unreadable subtext, he'd never know if he just sat around Wonderland pining.

"Yes and it took foresight and planning." Jack removed his hand. "If you want to go to her…you have to follow the rules."

"Okay. What rules?" He'd agree to anything, just so long as they hurried up.

"You can't go back and forth. You must choose. We're looking to shut the Glass down, although it won't be permanent, we can't have oysters falling through. It's our world or hers."

"Hers." He said quickly. There wasn't a question. "Hers." A million times, it was Alice and nothing else, now could Jack just get the hell on with it? How much time was he wasting in her world? He couldn't remember if their time was faster or slower...Damn the rules, he was about to just sprint through anyway.

Jack didn't seem to like his answer, but he graciously nodded. "Alright. Meet me back here in an hour."

Hatter's eyes found Jack again. "Why?"

"Go home. Get some things together and for heaven's sake fix your hair. Her world is a bit more subtle than ours. You don't want to stand out. I've a bit of money for you, it's of no use to me now and the key to the flat I rented. You're paid up for the year, that should give you time to find yourself some work. It won't be easy. Her world doesn't work like ours."

"I don't care." He said, stubbornly. He appreciated the advice and help, but it was still coming from Jack. "Why you doing this?"

"Because she deserves to be happy." Hatter didn't know what to make of that, but Jack was already leaving. One hour. That's all he had to wait. He went to gather some essentials as fast as he could run. Just an hour. He could handle just an hour. Two never, but an hour…an hour he could manage.

A/N: So, the next chapter should go a bit better for me. Hopefully it will be up some time today. Thanks for reading. ^_^