Disclaimer: Anything that is recognizable outside of this story belongs to someone else.
"I thought you were dead." Maggie said after a moment.
"Why would you think that?" Griffin asked.
"Maybe because the last I heard you were thrown in the dungeon of Heart Castle for trying to murder the Prince of Wonderland? The Hearts aren't known for their forgiveness." Maggie asked.
"So you just hopped through a rabbit hole and didn't look back?" Griffin asked, looking a bit hurt.
"It wasn't exactly my choice. Wonderland was getting dangerous and there were rumors that the Queen was going to be broken out. It was the time to leave." Maggie said.
"Really, Magnolia? You didn't even think to try to break me out?" Griffin asked.
"Quit calling me that. It's not a very common name here." Maggie replied.
"What should I call you then?" Griffin asked, confused.
"Maggie. That's what everyone calls me here." She said. Suddenly, it looked like something dawned on her. "Wait, this is your Griffin?" she asked, looking at Abby with a raised eyebrow. Before Abby even had a chance to answer, Maggie looked Griffin up and down and then turned back to Abby. "You seriously need better taste." She said.
"Hey!" Griffin said.
"What is going on?" Abby asked, looking back and forth between the two Wonderlanders.
"Abby, meet my baby brother." Maggie said, walking over and draping her arm over Griffin's shoulders.
"Baby brother?" Abby asked.
"I really wish you wouldn't refer to me as a baby." Griffin said, shrugging Maggie's arm off of his shoulder.
"So, how did you snag the Stone of Wonderland and how did you get your hands on a Looking Glass?" Maggie asked, directing her first question at Griffin and the second at Abby.
"I, well, kinda stole it." Griffin said making sure to not make eye contact with his sister.
"And I really don't know. Mom picked it up for me last month." Abby said.
"How did you know I have the Stone of Wonderland?" Griffin asked.
"How else would you have used the Looking Glass? The King hasn't allowed much use of the Looking Glass since his Alice left. Wait…your mom is named Alice, too, right?" Maggie asked, turning to Abby.
"Yeah…" Abby said.
"Is she…the Alice?" she asked.
"Yes, she is" Hatter suddenly said.
"So, you're Hatter. When did you get out of the dungeon?" Maggie asked.
"Not so long ago." Hatter said simply.
"Maggie…"Griffin started. He had remained relatively silent for the last few moments.
"What?" Maggie asked.
"Where is dad?" he asked. Maggie bit her lip and sighed, hesitating.
"He went back to Wonderland after getting me set up here. He always says he has work there. Now, I think he wanted to see if he could find you. He used to come back once a month to check in, but he didn't come back last month." Maggie said.
"Was he using a rabbit hole?" Griffin asked.
"Duh." Maggie said.
"They were all destroyed…a little over a month ago." Griffin said. Maggie looked horrified by this revelation.
"So he's stuck there?" Maggie asked, worried.
"We can go and find him…" Abby suggested.
"We aren't going to go anywhere. I could go and try to find him." Griffin said.
"Griffin, no. You're wanted." Maggie said as Griffin turned to go back through the mirror.
"Not anymore. Jack's been overthrown. The new ruler has no issue with me." Griffin said without even slowing down.
"Wait. You can't just go." Abby said, causing Griffin to pause in front of her mirror. He sighed before looking over at her.
"Abby, you know that I'll come back." Griffin said. Abby didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling about him going alone this time. He waited for her to respond, but when she didn't he turned and walked straight into the mirror. However, instead of entering Wonderland, he fell to the floor stunned. He blinked a few times as he stared at the still surface of the mirror and then grabbed at his collar. "Where is…" he trailed off.
"What's wrong?" Abby asked.
"The ring…it's gone." Griffin said.
Weiss had been just quick enough to grab the ring without stopping Griffin from leaving Wonderland. She backed away from the mirror as she took the ring off of the piece of string he'd used to tie it around his neck and stared at it for a few moments. This ring was the most valuable thing in all of Wonderland especially now that everyone thought there was no way through to the Oyster's world. She slipped the ring on her finger and wondered who she should try to sell it to first. Or even if she should sell it. She almost wanted to keep the ring for herself. She didn't have much time to think it over. Before she realized what had happened, she was cornered.
She hadn't known that the two men had brought suits with them or that the suits would come after them. As she had started toward the door, two suits came through and one immediately aimed a gun at her once he saw her. Weiss may have an issue with being overly confident in most situations, but she wasn't one to risk her life. She raised her hands without even attempting to grab the gun that was strapped to her thigh. While the first suit had his gun trained on her, the other one disarmed her and then placed her wrists in handcuffs behind her back. 'I guess Charming finally gets his way.' She thought with a slight smirk.
The suits didn't immediately take her to the castle, though. They looked around the Hall and then started to question her. "Where did the two men who came through here go?" they asked at least ten times.
"Through the Looking Glass" was all that Weiss would say in return.
Then the suits would ask, "How would they have been able to go through the Looking Glass?" to which Weiss would shrug her shoulders and smile. After a while, they realized she wasn't going to tell them anything and did end up taking her back to the castle where they immediately escorted her down to the dungeon and locked her in a cell before taking off her handcuffs.
Weiss was slightly annoyed with being locked up. After all, she hadn't thought that the suits would actually manage to catch her. She was at least thankful that the dungeon was now empty of prisoners, except for a not-so-chatty Dodo, so that she could think over the events of the day in peace and quiet. She didn't get much time to think, though, before a visitor came to see her.
"I told you I would have you hunted down and locked up." Samuel said with a cocky smile as he approached her cell.
"I do love men who keep their promises." Weiss responded immediately, seemingly unperturbed by her current situation. She heard a dissatisfied groan from Dodo, but ignored him. "So, tell me, Charming, what do you plan to do with me now that I'm helpless and caged?"
"Do shut up." Dodo called, but neither the Prince nor the bounty hunter bothered to listen to him.
Samuel narrowed his eyes, the smile falling from his face. "Why were you waiting in the Looking Glass Hall?" he asked.
"Why don't we go somewhere private to discuss this?" Weiss asked.
"You're not getting out of that cell that easily." Samuel responded.
"That's a shame. I had so much I could tell you. I guess you'll just never know." She responded.
"Oh, you'll tell me." Samuel said.
"Really? And how might you persuade me?" Weiss asked with a smile.
"I have my ways." Samuel replied.
"I'm sure you do." She said with a wink. This action, and Weiss's whole demeanor, made Samuel so nervous that he ended up shaking his head and walking off. He didn't know why she always seemed to make him anxious, but he didn't like it. "Looking forward to another little chat." Weiss called after him as he made his way out of the dungeons.
Samuel didn't even bother to acknowledge her last statement. He just made his way through the castle to where his sister was. "And? What did she say?" Samantha asked.
"Someone else needs to go and talk to her." Samuel said.
"Why? I thought you said you wanted to." Samantha replied.
"I figured she wouldn't be so…happy…about being locked up." Samuel replied.
"And what would you suggest?" she asked.
"Well, I'd suggest torture, but I'm sure you don't want to go that route." Samuel said.
"You're right. I don't want to torture anyone. There is no way she's going to talk?" she asked.
"Well…" Samuel trailed off.
Samantha waited for him to continue. "So…there is a way she's willing to talk you just don't like it?" she asked when he didn't finish his thought. Sam tilted his head slightly before nodding once as if he was debating about what he should say in return.
"She wants out of the cell to talk somewhere more 'private.'" He finally said.
"If that's all she wants then maybe we should do it." She said.
"What? And give her the opportunity to escape?" he asked angrily.
"Cuff her, bring her to the throne room, and discuss the situation with her. There will be suits in the hallway in case she tries to escape." Samantha said.
"I don't like it." He replied.
"You're worried she'll escape?" she asked.
"Yes." Samuel replied.
Samantha thought for a moment. "It's a risk we'll have to take. I want to know where Hatter and Griffin are and why she was there." She said.
"How about we just believe what she told the suits? That they went through the mirror?" he asked.
"How would they have gone through the mirror?" Samantha asked.
"Considering how Abby and Hatter were able to come here, I think it's safe to assume that there are other ways of getting it to work than the ring." He said.
"And I want to know what those ways are. Either way, we need to know what she knows. If she saw them leave, then she might know how they managed to make it work." She replied.
Samuel sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Samantha. She looked over at one of the suits. He seemed to understand what she wanted him to do and left the room. "For the record, I don't think this is a good idea." He said.
"Then it'll be me who has to deal with it." Samantha replied. They waited in silence for a few minutes while the suit went to get Weiss. When he returned with Weiss, she glanced around the room.
"Hm, I expected something a little more…cozy...and private." She said as her eyes fell on Samuel. Samantha raised an eyebrow and sighed.
"I'll leave the two of you to chat." She said, taking the hint. She motioned for the suit who had brought Weiss to follow her. He turned to take off Weiss's handcuffs, but Samantha stopped him. "She doesn't need free hands to talk." She said.
Weiss glanced around the room again. "Still not very cozy. You'd think in a building with hundreds of rooms that you'd have been able to choose one." She said, taking a few steps toward Samuel.
"What were you doing at the Looking Glass Hall?" he asked.
"You really need to learn to lighten up." Weiss replied with a small smile.
"Answer the question." He said.
"Maybe we could go somewhere a bit more cozy." She said, moving until she was standing directly in front of him and tilting her head to the side briefly.
"No, we're not going anywhere." He replied. "Answer the question."
"I figured the girl would come back through. I had a buyer lined up for her." She said.
"You were going to sell Abby?" Samuel asked, a disgusted look covering his face.
"That surprises you?" she asked with a bit of a laugh. "It shouldn't since I sold you, too."
Samuel shook his head. "I guess it shouldn't. Where did Hatter and Griffin go?" he asked.
"Why don't you make me a bit more comfortable?" she asked, tilting her head again.
"Answer the question." Samuel said simply.
"Maybe I would be able to if I could speak in comfort?" Weiss tried. Samuel glared at her before turning and walking away from her. With his back turned to her, he asked her to answer the question again. "Where do you think they went? They went to the Oyster's world." Weiss said with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. Samuel turned again to face her.
"How?" he asked.
"You really don't know?" she asked.
Samuel glanced at the door to the throne room. If he knew his sister, she was listening to every word they were saying. "Enlighten me." He said.
"You should really take these handcuffs off of me." Weiss replied. This time she sounded serious, not playful like she had been previously. She then raised her eyebrows once for emphasis. Samuel was going to demand that she answer the question when he realized her sudden change in behavior. He became curious and stepped closer to her before looking behind her at her hands. That was when he saw it. On her right ring finger was the Stone of Wonderland.
"How did you get that?" he whispered in her ear.
"How do you think?" She whispered back with a smirk.
"You better not have hurt them." He said.
"Wouldn't have dreamt of it." Weiss replied.
"So what happened, really?" he asked, turning and walking away from her.
"Like I said, they went through the Looking Glass and that was that." She said.
"And you don't have anything to add to that story?" he asked.
"You don't have a spare bedroom that you can take me to?" she rebounded with a playful smirk. Samuel just turned and glared at her. "That's the whole story. It's not very exciting." She remarked.
"Why would you have let them go? You're not exactly the kind of person to pass up some…merchandise." Samuel replied.
"Like those two would have gotten me anything decent." Weiss said with a roll of her eyes.
"But Abby would?" Samuel asked.
"You'd be surprised how valued the daughter of Hatter and Alice is. Both of them made impressions on the people of this land." She replied.
"So she's worth more than Hatter…because of Hatter?" he asked.
"She's the easiest way to hurt him. Well, she and Alice are the easiest way to hurt him." Weiss replied.
"Who are you?" Samuel asked, appalled by her response.
"Do you really want to know?" Weiss asked. Sam hadn't really thought she would even think about telling him, but her question intrigued him and he looked at her in interest. "Get me a bed, shower, and free hands and I might just tell you." She added with a smile when she noticed how interested he was.
"Can't do that." He said.
"Don't sell yourself short, Charming. Just bat those dreamy eyelashes at Big Sis and she'll give you whatever you want." She said.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" he asked.
"You're the one who grew up in the Oyster's world. I'm sure you should understand the reference." She said. When he just gave her a slight shake of his head she sighed and shook her head slightly. "Snow White?" she asked.
"And?" he asked.
"It's a story about a prince who meets the love of his life in the woods." She said with a smirk.
"You should brush up on your Oyster literature. That's not what Snow White is about." He replied.
"Maybe it should be." She said, the smirk never leaving her face.
"Seriously, though, who are you?" he asked.
"You really want to know?" she asked. Samuel nodded in response. "Like I said, get me out of these cuffs and set me up in one of those lovely little rooms I've heard so much about and my tongue might loosen up a bit." She responded, licking her lips for emphasis.
Samuel's eyes narrowed. "I'll see what I can do…Suits!" he shouted the last word even though he knew that someone would have been listening already and that he really didn't have to shout. The door opened almost immediately and three suits came into the room followed by Samantha. After Weiss was taken away, she crossed her arms and stared at him. "What?" Samuel asked.
"All you did was flirt with her. You didn't get any real answers." Samantha said.
"I did not flirt with her. She flirted with me. There's a difference." He said. Samantha glared at him and pursed her lips. "We know where Hatter and Griffin are and that they're fine. We know why she was there. We know a fair amount." He said.
"And what was that nonsense about asking her who she is? What does that matter?" Samantha asked.
"I figured it might be useful information. She's very insistent about us giving her a room. It might make her more forthcoming with what she knows." He said.
"You sure you're interested in her information and not something else?" Samantha asked.
"Really? You're seriously asking me that question?" Samuel asked. "Of course I'm only interested in the information." He said after she didn't respond.
"Now it's my turn to not feel comfortable with the idea. Give her a room on the top floor. I'll post a dozen suits outside of it to make sure she doesn't go anywhere. This better give us quality information." Samantha said. Samuel nodded and then left to get the preparations started for Weiss's room.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review to tell me what you liked or didn't like. All criticism is appreciated.
Kelleyj: I figured you would catch on to the fact that Weiss snagged the ring. I would love to hear your theory on who she is before I release the next chapter. I'm not sure how much I really want to reveal about her yet, but I will give a basic background on her in the next chapter at the very least.
