La Belle Dame sans Merci
Author's Note: Here we go, one more chapter after this one and it is over! L This chapter is for all of you who have requested just a teeny bit more of Alice and Hatter before they leave to go home. I do hope that you enjoy…especially the wedding night ;) Hee hee.
Chapter Twenty Four
Alice bit her lip as she stared at herself in the mirror. She smoothed out the front of the tightly fitted white dress, and spun around. The overlaying skirt flared out a bit, but otherwise the dress was form fitting. The bodice sucked her in, and it tied in the front with gold laces. The sleeves were long and draped; the edges etched with the same shade of gold as the laces.
Her dark hair was curled, the loose ringlets reaching down to her chest. It was an arduous process, one that had Alice begging Ditty to remove the rags within an half an hour for her scalp had started to burn. Ditty didn't listen, of course, which Alice was later grateful for.
Alice exhaled, shutting her eyes for a minute before she heard the door open. "I'm coming!" she exclaimed.
"Not yet," Ditty said.
"Oh." Alice opened her eyes. "I thought that you were going to be Charlie."
"Glad that I'm not?"
"A bit."
Ditty smiled. "You look beautiful. I knew that dress would fit you."
"Is it very old?" Alice lifted the sleeves up. "They do feel quite heavy."
"It has been around since the time of the White Queen, though slightly modified of course."
"Oh." Alice blanched. "I'd better not spill anything on it then. Or throw up. My stomach is jumping around so much that I feel like I'm going to."
"Here." Ditty picked up a white box that was waiting by the open door. "This is the finishing touch."
"What is it?"
"If you're going to have a Wonderland wedding, you need to wear this." Ditty pulled out a small wooden wreath that was adorned with leaves and flowers in varying colors of yellow, orange, and red. The way it was all laced together gave off the impression of embers in a dwindling fire. "It's called the wreath of gold."
"I think…I think I remember Charlie saying something about it."
"It's a Wonderland tradition that goes back to when the White Queen was in power." Ditty lowered the wreath down on top of Alice's head. "It's supposed to bring health, wealth, and good luck for the couple."
Alice smiled softly. "I suppose we could use a bit of that right now."
"At first the royal families would use a wreath made of real gold, and only the farmers would make them out of leaves and flowers."
"What changed?"
"I don't know. Maybe the Queen realized that the whole real gold thing was not helping with the class differences?" Ditty shrugged. "When Jack's mother became Queen, she did away with the whole tradition, except…people still included it. In secret of course."
"Thank you." Alice awkwardly tapped the wreath. "For everything."
"Oh, believe me, it's no-"
"You look beautiful, Alice," Jack cut in.
Alice and Ditty turned around. Jack was leaning against the doorway, dressed resplendently in red. "Thanks. I'm not quite sure about that though," Alice murmured.
He smiled, and walked in. "I got these for you," he said, waving a small stack of papers at her.
"What are they?"
"All the papers that you need."
Alice shook her head. "I don't understand what you mean."
"It's stuff that I don't want you to worry about when you get home." Jack put the papers down on the bedside table. "There's a marriage certificate for you and Hatter, a death certificate for your mother, papers showing that the loft and the bank accounts belong to you."
"I didn't even think about any of that stuff," Alice whispered.
"You can decide what you want to do with the apartment when you get back. You can keep it, sell it, it doesn't matter."
"I don't know where to begin." She started to pace around the room. "I mean…my mom had a job. How am I going to explain what happened? I don't even know…I mean, time has passed. I mean-"
Ditty shook her head at Jack. "Well, it doesn't matter," he pressed on, "you can leave that whole part of your life behind."
"I'm going to have so much to throw away," Alice murmured. "And all of those pictures in the house." She shook her head. "There's so many pictures."
"Alice, you can think about all of that later," Ditty interjected. "Jack-"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even-" he stuttered.
"No, you shouldn't have," Ditty retorted. "Alice-"
"So…" there was a chuckle from the hallway. "I wouldn't normally feel bad for him, but the poor harbinger is out in the field by himself," Charlie said.
"Right." Jack breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful for the change in topic. "He's probably thinking that we're all here because Alice has changed her mind or something."
"Jack!" Ditty groaned.
He paled. "I said the wrong thing again, didn't I?"
"We'll see you outside," Ditty said to Alice, pulling Jack after her.
Charlie smiled. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "I know I am."
"You look absolutely beautiful, Alice," he whispered.
Alice chuckled. "I feel like I'm playing dress up."
He held his arm out to her. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes." She linked her arm with his. "Ready."
Hatter fidgeted. He toed his boot in the dirt, and nervously touched the rim of his fedora.
"Hatter…" Jack murmured.
"What?" Hatter shot back, sharper then he intended.
"Alice." Jack nodded over Hatter's shoulder. Alice and Charlie were starting to walk up the hill.
Hatter inaudibly gasped, his cheeks pinking as he wiped the sweat off his hands onto his brown trousers. He reached for his hat, and pulled it off, awkwardly shifting it from hand to hand before he tossed it onto the ground.
"Alice…" he whispered. Hatter took her hands in his as she turned to face him. The sky was a deep pink behind them with the sun half way hidden in the valley of the mountains.
She smiled shyly, her heart racing as she looked at him. "Hatter…"
"Part of me worried that you weren't going to come." Hatter swallowed, searching her eyes. "I was out here alone for a while."
Alice glanced at Jack who was standing patiently in between the two of them. "You never have to worry about that." Her hands shook as she tried to squeeze his in reassurance.
He nodded silently. His eyes traveled up to the wreath adorned in her hair. "You're doing the old Wonderland traditions, yeah?" he croaked.
She pursed her lips. "Do you like it?"
"I love it." Hatter gave her a dimpled smile. "I love all of it." His smile got larger upon seeing Alice blush.
"Are you ready?" Jack asked, not certain if his interruption was going to be welcome. Hatter was looking at Alice as if they were alone in their own universe.
Alice nodded. "Yes."
Hatter repeated the words that Jack said to him, but he didn't know how his brain even processed it. All he could see, and hear, was Alice. Her blue eyes shone at him, and he watched her mouth move as she said the same vows. He broke out into a big grin as she said his name. Alice was smiling, and chewing nervously on her lower lip.
"Hatter," Jack said gently.
"Yes?"
Alice chuckled. "I think…well, I know that you're supposed to kiss me now."
"Oh." He exhaled, pressing his forehead to hers. "I know that if I kiss you now, I probably won't want to stop." Hatter shook his head. "Let me correct that. I know that I won't want to stop."
Alice subconsciously licked her lips in anticipation. "Well, how about one kiss now and…we won't have to stop later tonight?"
"Is that a promise?" Hatter growled lightly.
She grabbed his cheeks with her hands, and pulled him in for a kiss. He let out a moan as their tongues merged, and Alice giggled. "Yes," she promised.
Alice gingerly walked out of the Scarab. Hatter had used one of his ties as a blindfold. He wrapped it over her eyes, and insisted that she keep it on for the duration of the ride. She gripped Hatter's hand, and tightened her hold on a bag that Ditty had given her.
"Do you think that I can take this off yet?" she pleaded.
"Hold on. One…more…" Hatter adjusted the bag of food in his arm as he led her over the last step.
"Where are we? I thought you said that we were going to spend the night at your house." Alice sniffed. "Do I smell the ocean?"
"Wait." He put the bag on the ground, and loosened the tie. "Ta da!"
"Oh, my god." She and Hatter were standing on the rocky pathway that led to a weathered stone cottage that stood on the edge of a beach. The tide splashed against the wall that ran around the house. "Where are we?"
"I was going to bring you to my house, but Ditty, she…this belongs to her family. She suggested that we stay here." Hatter smiled. "What do you think? Maybe a little night swimming?"
"How about a little swimming right now?"
"Hmmm?"
Alice grinned. "I can see there's a back door. Lets throw everything in the house, and then run out."
"Alice…" He watched as she took off towards the door, her hair flying behind her. "Alice!" Hatter chased after her, the bag of food weighing him down as he made his way into the house. "Alice!"
She had thrown the bag down on the couch, and the back door leading to the water was flung open. He chuckled, and left the food on the kitchen table before he headed out onto the back porch.
Alice's clothes were strewn over the porch steps and he could make out her almost naked form dive under a wave. "Hatter!" she shouted.
"You're not all the way naked!" he yelled.
"I'll be like that later!"
Hatter shook his head, and started to strip down to his boxers. "Then this is all you get too!" He jumped off the steps, and hurried in, diving into the water.
Alice panted, her breath coming out in short gasps. "The water's cold," she said unnecessarily.
"That's what I'm here for, yeah?"
"What's that?"
"To keep you warm." Hatter wrapped his arms around her. "Is that better?"
She rested her head against his chest. "I like this." Alice slid her legs up so they reached his hips. "And this."
He let his hands fall down till they found the clasp of her bra. "I think this needs to be removed, yeah?"
Alice shook her head. "Not yet."
Hatter groaned. "When?"
"Soon." She giggled. "Besides, it's not nearly as romantic as you think it is to have sex in the ocean. Trust me."
He cocked his eyebrows at her. "Oi! Who did you have sex with in the ocean?"
They stood shivering in the doorway of the living room. Hatter rubbed Alice's bare arms as he glanced towards the fireplace in the corner of the room.
"You should put the food away and start a fire," she suggested. Her teeth clicked together as she shivered.
"Why don't you sit on the couch? There's a blanket there."
She shook her head, stray droplets from her wet hair splattering him in the face. "I'm going to go upstairs for a moment. I'll meet you back down here."
"Oh?" Hatter waggled his eyebrows. "You have a surprise for me in that bag of yours?"
"Maybe…" Alice stroked the side of his cheek. "You get to work."
"Mmm." He let out a shudder as he watched the muscles in her ass flex as she headed up the stairs. Hatter quickly unpacked the food from the bad, and threw the items into the fridge. The image of Alice's wet underwear pressed against her skin flashed through his mind distracting him to the point that he didn't notice when he put the ice cream into the fridge instead of the freezer.
Hatter shivered, and hopped over to the fireplace. There was a few good cords of wood stacked in a metal container, and a box of matches next to them on the stone. He hurriedly set up the logs, and struck the match against the stone floor.
"You better hope that the flue is open," Alice remarked.
He turned around. "I think we're going to be in a lot of trouble if it isn't." Hatter licked his lips. "Wow."
Alice had changed into a light blue lace slip. It barely covered her non existent underwear, and it hugged every one of her small curves. The tips of her nipples caught his attention, as they were straining against the fabric.
"Do you like it?" she asked uncertainly.
"I love it." He glanced down to where his cock had made a tent out of his boxers. "My whole body loves it."
Alice blushed. "I wasn't sure…" she stammered.
"I should…" Hatter reached for the blanket, and spread it out on the floor next to the fireplace. "Yeah?"
She nodded silently and sat down. "You should probably take your boxers off."
"Oh." He chuckled. "I'm probably going to fall over when I take them off."
"Why's that?"
"Because I don't want to stop looking at you."
Her cheeks pinked again. "You've seen a lot of me lately."
Hatter let his boxers fall to the ground. "But, never like this."
"Oh, this is something that Ditty found. She thought-"
"I mean…" Hatter grinned, and chuckled. "I mean…my wife."
"Oh." Alice smiled. "Right."
His heart raced as he leaned forward to kiss her. "Did you ever think that…I mean, the day we met…" he stroked her cheek, "could you have imagined?"
"From the day we met?" She shook her head. "No."
"I guess I wasn't on my best behavior then."
"And now?"
Hatter swallowed. "I want to ravish you."
"I don't think that's good behavior either," she teased.
He kissed her again. "You make it hard for me." Hatter gently crawled over her till she was lying down. "You always make it hard for me." He hissed as the tip of his cock rubbed against the heat from her entrance. "God."
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"
Hatter paused, and looked down at her. "A good thing. I hope."
"I…I love you," Alice whispered.
"I love you too." Hatter grazed his hand down till it reached her thigh. "I really did think that you were going to leave me."
"When?"
"Every single day that I've known you." They both gasped as he slid inside. "Oh…fuck."
"What?" Alice panted. She moaned, lifting her hips up to give him further access.
"You're so hot. You're so bloody tight. How can you be so bloody tight?" he grunted.
"Magic."
Hatter laughed. He pulled her up so that she was resting on his thigh. "Magic, yeah?" He started to whimper as they began to move together.
"I love you," she murmured in his ear.
"Say that again. Keep saying it," Hatter muttered, burying his face in her neck.
He grabbed at her back as he heard the words repeated. Alice gasped as his thrusts got more intense, each one pushing further in than before. She shuddered out the words one last time before she found that she couldn't speak.
Hatter sunk his teeth into her shoulder, and sucked, his eyes darkened. "Hatter," she whispered.
He used the straps of her slip to bring her closer to him as they rocked back and forth. Hatter moaned as he felt Alice's inner walls clamp down on him. "I love you," he drew out.
Alice's calves were starting to burn, her muscles flexing as she struggled to hold onto him.
"Alice…Alice…" Hatter groaned.
She leaned back. "Yes?"
His face was red, and he visibly shook as he looked at her. Alice watched as his eyes flashed open, and he pulled her towards him, cleaving her to him as his release spurted out inside of her.
She felt him loosen. Hatter nuzzled against her as his breathing steadied. "I love you."
"I love you too," she sighed.
"Am I yours?" he asked, his voice muffled by her hair.
"Mmmm hmmm." She nodded furiously as she cradled his head.
"I've always wanted to be." Hatter grinned. "When I first met you, and you were talking about Jack…I wished that I could be that man that you talked about."
"You are." Alice let out a whimper of loss as Hatter pulled out.
They lay down next to each other on the blanket. "You are to me." Hatter kissed her forehead. "That wasn't good."
"What? What wasn't good?"
"What we just did."
"What?" Alice turned to look at him. "You didn't like it?"
"Oh, no, I…" Hatter chuckled. "I liked it. I love it every time I get to come inside of you. But, you didn't come."
"I don't need to-" She was silenced by Hatter scooching down. "What are you doing…oh god." Alice felt the warmth from his tongue slide along her clit.
"What kind of husband would I be if I didn't eat out my wife every now and then?" Hatter grinned, and winked at her. "A very bad one."
A/N: One more chapter! I hope this was romantic enough, and ooh, tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so there, a nice little one for that!