AN: Sorry once again for the incredibly long delay in updating. This proved to be a very difficult chapter to write. But, if it is any consolation, it is a long one! :)
Enjoy. And please review.
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"Hatter! Hatter!"
She didn't care anymore if he knew she was here or not. She needed to find him, to make sure that he was okay. The image of Dormie's blood-soaked suit jacket haunted her mind.
She now knew that she could, in fact, change things. When she had woken up that morning, missing Charlie and trying to figure out what she could do to save him, a part of her had wondered if any of it actually could be changed. She had never been a particular science fiction buff, but what she remembered from a movie or two, people that traveled back in time didn't change what had happened, but were rather the catalyst for what had already occurred.
She didn't know if she had just proved the theory wrong, or if it was just another Wonderland oddity that she was able to change things, but either way, she had changed it. Dormie was alive this time. And Hatter...
Hatter was missing. And there was a lot of blood.
"Please don't be dead," Alice whispered under her breath, before calling his name again. "Hatter!"
"You're running out of time!"
Charlie's voice echoed, angrily, off of the walls and the ceiling of the hall. And Alice stopped short. The brown, tabby cat glared up at her from the floor, its green-yellow eyes blazing.
"Where's Hatter?" Alice looked pleadingly at the Cheshire. "Is he okay?"
"You're running out of time!" The words echoed off the walls again.
"Where's Hatter?" Alice was more insistent this time. "I have to find him."
The Cheshire hissed at her.
And Alice lost it. "Damn it, you stupid cat!" she screamed at it. "I was going to save Charlie, and warn Jack, and make sure everyone was okay, but you didn't give me enough time! And now Hatter's been shot and I can't find him! Where is he?"
She glared at the brown tabby, and it glared back at her, and for a moment, they were locked in a battle of wills. Finally, the tabby turned and stalked away.
"Wait!" Alice started to run after it.
Part way up the hall, it turned and looked at her again. A very pointed look. And that's when she noticed it.
A familiar looking piece of brown canvas. Hatter's jacket, the one he wore the day they had been reunited in her world. She blinked at it in surprise, trying to remember if that was the jacket he had been wearing the last time he had gone through the looking glass. Then she shook her head, and dove forward, picking it up.
Like Dormie's, the right side of the jacket was liberally spattered in gore, but most of the blood was on the back of it and the sleeve, not the front. And as she examined the cloth, she gasped in relief. There was no blood on the inside of the jacket. And no bullet holes.
The blood wasn't his either. She felt her legs grow wobbly and she dropped the jacket and slumped against the wall to regain herself. Hatter was okay. He was alive. And thanks to her, so was Dormie.
Someone else had died. She tried not to think about the role she may have inadvertently played in their death.
"You're running out of time!"
The Cheshire was right. Alice scrambled back to her feet. Hatter was alive. But she still needed to reach Charlie in time, still needed to save him.
"Which way to the Looking Glass Hall?"
…
He was finally clear of the fighting. He leaned briefly against the wall and took a few shaky deep breaths. There had been more than a couple of close calls in the fray, and he knew he was lucky. Not that he wasn't hurting. Pain pulsed sharply through his head from the blow he had taken to the face. His ribs complained at him with every step. His entire body felt like one massive bruise. But all things considered, it could have been much worse.
Dodo's bullet could have hit him, for instance, instead of hitting the tea-head who, at the last moment, happened to cross the bullet's path.
Hatter was still kicking himself for being so distracted. His focus had been solely on Dormie, when it wasn't safe for that to be the case. He hoped Dormie would be okay – he had passed out when the dead man had fallen on them, so Hatter had dragged him to a safe-ish spot and left him.
He pushed himself up off the wall, and noted the reddish stain that marked where he had leaned. He inspected his jacket, and retched slightly at the sight of still-wet blood, spattered liberally across the shoulder and arm of it. Shuddering, he shrugged it off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
The sounds of fighting were getting louder again. He didn't have much time. He needed to find Jack.
…
How the Cheshire managed to get her to the Looking Glass Hall before the White Rabbit, she didn't know. One minute, she had heard multiple footsteps and barked orders coming from ahead of her, the next, the sounds of the approaching incursion were behind her. But not far behind her. As she rushed up to the doors, she knew she would only have a few minutes, if that.
To say the two men were both surprised to see her was an understatement. Ten had initially pulled a gun from somewhere in his robes, but had quickly secreted it away again when he realized he wasn't dealing with a threat. Charlie wasn't quite sure what had hit him, and looked rather stunned.
She had practically launched herself at Charlie, wrapping her arms around him tightly and ignoring how uncomfortable it was to hug unyielding armor. Seeing him alive after hearing about his death, dreaming about his death, overwhelmed her entirely for a moment and put all other thoughts out of her head.
It was Ten who brought her back to the present again. "Lady Alice, what are you doing here?" The last he had seen, she had gone back through the glass, days earlier. He hadn't been told she was back. And it rather alarmed him that she was.
Charlie was still staring at her in shock, but he finally found his voice. "JustAlice, it isn't safe here for you."
Alice swallowed against a retort about being a black belt, because the truth was she knew it wasn't safe for her. But, "It isn't safe for you either, Charlie!" She looked intently at her friend in his dented white armor. "You have to come with me. We have to get out of here!"
Charlie straightened and set his chin defiantly. "I have sworn to guard the looking glass."
Alice gave a small huff of frustration. "Charlie, there are a lot of bad men on their way to this hall, and they will kill you. We have to get you out of here." The backs of her eyes started to prickle, and the last word came out pleading. "Please!"
Charlie opened his mouth to respond, but it was too late. The doors at the head of the looking glass hall flung open, and numerous suits, some carrying boxes, others holding weapons, flooded the room. Alice and Ten barely had time to grab Charlie and pull him behind his wooden contraption to avoid being seen.
…
Jack sank back onto the edge of the bed, feeling completely defeated. All of Wonderland seemed to be conspiring against him, and he was running out of options and out of allies. "What should I do?" He hated how feeble his voice came out.
Hatter was silent for a moment, trying to come up with a plan. Really, he only saw one option.
"If the fight comes here, ten guards are not going to be able to stop them. We need to get you and Duchess out of here. You need to go through the looking glass, find Alice, and stay there until it is safe." Hatter breathed out a sigh. "Take the ring with you."
Hatter hoped that the looking glass was still a viable option. If the looking glass hall was overrun, he wasn't sure what a good plan B would entail.
"Is the camera monitor in this room?"
Jack turned from his preparations and pointed at a small alcove. Hatter left Jack and Duchess to get ready, and rushed over to the screen. He smirked faintly as he remembered the games he and Alice had played with it. Now, as it hummed to life, it revealed the Looking Glass Hall. Hatter breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was still empty. He knew that they wouldn't have much time, but the escape route was still potentially viable.
Then movement caught his eye, flashes of black and white, near the edge of the one feed. He squinted at the screen, his brow knit. Then he realized what he was seeing. Charlie was there, and so was the Ten of Clubs. And they were both racing around, working on some sort of contraption that Charlie had in the corner of the room. The camera angle wasn't right to see what it was, but Hatter almost laughed when he realized what they were doing. "Brilliant, Charlie!" he said, out loud.
Jack reappeared behind him. "What are they doing?" he asked, staring at the screen.
Hatter turned toward Jack. "Setting traps," he stated. "Hope they work."
He turned to look Jack over, and in doing so, failed to see that the door to the looking glass hall had opened once again. She was only visible on the feed for a few seconds before she was off-side. A woman with dark brown hair, wearing oyster clothing.
"Do you have the ring?"
Jack placed his hand on his chest, over the hidden pocket.
"Good."
But Jack paused, looking concerned. "How are you going to be able to get word to us that things are safe if you don't have the stone to operate the looking glass?"
Hatter paused. He actually hadn't thought of that. His only thought had been to get the ring safely away. "I'll... think of something," he said finally. "All that matters right now is that it doesn't fall in the wrong hands."
Duchess appeared behind Jack, dressed loosely in a pair of Jack's trousers and a button-down that was entirely too big for her, but was undone enough to show off some of her ample cleavage. That woman could make anything look sexy.
Hatter shook his head. Not the time. "Let's go then. We have to hurry."
But Duchess froze, her eyes going wide. She stared past Hatter at the monitor. "It's too late," she whispered.
…
They weren't hidden. If someone looked in their direction, they would see the three figures, attempting to hide behind the rough wooden contraption. But the suits were fairly singularly focused on the looking glass.
Charlie had somehow moved, miraculously without his armor clanking, to be protectively in front of Alice, though still behind Ten. He was certainly a far braver Charlie then the man they had first met in the woods, and Alice couldn't help but feel proud of him, in spite of the fact that it was this new-found bravery that had ultimately led to his death. But she pushed the thought out of her mind. Right now, she needed to figure out how to keep him alive... and get them all out of here if possible.
Which got infinitely more difficult when Agent White entered – and then ordered the door barred. Alice cursed quietly, causing Charlie to twist and give her a chastising look for her unladylike speech. It would almost have been comical if the situation wasn't so tense.
Alice knew that at any moment the room was going to become a battleground. Hatter had said something about the Resistance fighting them, and that the room had been chaos. She wished they had a better hiding spot. And she wished she had more time to come up with a plan.
…
Hatter watched the feed intently, cursing inwardly and sometimes outwardly, at every new development. Getting Jack through the looking glass was no longer an option. And if that wasn't bad enough, Agent White, who was not as dead as they had hoped, was the one behind the tea sales, and now had a small army of White Rabbit agents and a large shipment of tea in the looking glass hall, preparing to go through to Alice's world.
Hatter had lost sight of Charlie and Ten, and hoped that they had gotten themselves out of there, but a sudden movement on the door's feed drew his attention and more cursing ensued. Charlie was still behind the contraption, and his sudden movement had drawn the attention of Agent White himself. And the net that Charlie was apparently loosing only caught a few of the suits, and not its intended target.
Dammit, Charlie was still in there! But Hatter barely had a chance to process that thought before the camera feed from above the door began to shake, and the door shattered inward. And another army flooded through.
And then the camera fell.
And Hatter's heart jumped into his throat as he stared in horror.
Even though the image was sideways, there was no mistaking what he was seeing. Huddled in the corner, as far behind a wooden contraption as they could get, were three figures. Ten of Clubs, in his usual black robes. Charlie, in stark contrast with his white armor. And Alice.
Alice! Hatter blinked hard and stared at the feed again, only seconds before it went black.
"NO! Alice!"
He immediately switched his attention to the feed from the looking glass, frantically searching. Panic gripped him as he stared into the chaos and fighting. The angle wasn't right. He couldn't see.
What the hell was Alice doing here? She was supposed to be safe at home in her world!
Both Jack and Duchess stood back and stared at him as he wheeled away from the monitor, his right fist clenched, and rushed toward the door. They had barely seen the feed – barely seen what he had obviously seen, but neither doubted.
Alice was in trouble. And getting in Hatter's way wouldn't be wise.
"What should we do?" Duchess called at him as he approached the door.
Hatter barely paused to glance at the royal couple. "Get somewhere safe!" he shouted, then he was gone.
…
Jack stared mutely at the door for a long moment after Hatter disappeared, but when he turned toward his Charlotte, there was resolve in his eyes. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the side of her head. "Find somewhere safe to hide, Charlotte," he whispered into her ear.
She pulled away, staring at him with those large blue eyes. "Where are you going?"
Jack took a deep breath. "I have to help." He turned away and reached for the door, but a hand sliding into his stopped him.
"I'm coming with you," Charlotte's voice whispered back.
…
Hatter had never run so fast, in spite of the agony from his likely-cracked ribs that made it hard for him to catch his breath. The few seconds of a sideways image haunted his mind, pressing him on like a madman. He didn't know how Alice had gotten here, or why she had come, but she was here, and in typical fashion was right at the heat of trouble again.
He paused, only for a moment, trying to get his bearings. Why did all the bloody halls in this palace have to look identical? He cursed again, and listened for the sounds of fighting to guide him.
Something small and brown flashed along the floor, disappearing around a corner. Hatter broke into a run once again, following it. The matted brown tabby didn't spare him a glance, just ran even faster down the next hall.
…
Charlie had nearly gotten them all killed.
Annoyed at the failure of the trap he rigged, he had moved, very suddenly and without warning, to manually trip it. Alice had grabbed for him at the last moment, but he had been too fast. And the sudden movement had caught Agent White's eye.
And she knew he had seen her. His eyes were a mix of shock and venom. And he had instantly reached for his gun.
If the Resistance fighters hadn't chosen that moment to break down the door, Alice had no doubt that Agent White would have shot her. In an ironic twist, Dodo had just saved her life. Agent White was now very distracted. And thankfully Dodo hadn't noticed her.
Charlie had reappeared at her side, and she could see the alarm written on his face as he eyed the chaos going on around them. In front of both of them, Ten crouched as far behind the contraption as he could get, his gun out and pointed toward the fray, ready to shoot if anyone came close. She couldn't see his face, but the tension in his body told her that he was as terrified as they were.
"Look after Charlie. Look after Charlie. Look after Charlie." She mumbled it under her breath like a mantra, over and over. Somehow, she had to keep him safe. Somehow, she had to get them all out of this alive.
Though, easier said then done. A six of spades, aiming for one of the Resistance fighters, let off a shot and it clipped the wall mere inches from Alice's head. And a moment later, a man stumbled, tripped over part of Charlie's contraption and fell on top of Ten. Then a small brawl broke out, and Ten had to press back even further to avoid the fighters.
And in the chaos, Alice lost track of Charlie.
He had been behind her one moment, the next he was gone. Alice shot up from her position, frantically scanning the increasingly chaotic mob for any sign of the White Knight. Panic gripped her chest. Where was he? Time was running out for her to save his life. It had been in this battle that he had been killed. He had run into the fray to save a girl.
A blonde girl. In a moment, Alice saw her, broken bottle in hand, struggling through the crowd to reach a box of tea. And a split second later, Alice spotted Charlie. He was pushing through the crowd, his eyes focused intently on the girl, a look of torment in his eyes.
"CHARLIE!" She saw the suit, raising the gun, pointing it at the girl. And Charlie had almost reached her.
Alice launched herself through the crowd, the hiss of the Cheshire ringing in her ears. "Fix it!"
…
Despite the sounds of battle coming from inside the room with the shattered door, there were very few fighters in the hallway approaching. The Cheshire had disappeared again, but Hatter didn't even notice. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest as he raced for the doorway.
Alice. For the thousandth time, he asked himself what she was doing here, how she had gotten here. None of it made sense. He had sent her through the looking glass before going to find the Cheshires, and the looking glass had been shut down directly after.
For a split second, he wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake, if perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him. But his heart told him otherwise, and so he continued his mad dash through the doorway.
Utter chaos met his eyes. There had to be over eighty people in the room, of all descriptions, all fighting. He instinctively glanced toward the corner he had seen Alice in, but there was only Ten, desperately fighting against a couple of tea-heads. Charlie and Alice were gone.
Hatter scanned the crowd in full-blown panic. And at the last moment, he saw them.
Charlie was in the middle of the fray, rushing headlong into the path of a suit's gun. And Alice was close on his heels. And as Hatter watched in horror, Alice threw herself against Charlie, at the last moment knocking him off of his feet and out of harm's way.
…
The suit's gun went off. And Alice crumpled to the ground.
…
AN: Oi, time travel makes for difficult writing. Lots of back and forth to ensure that Alice only knew what Hatter had told her, etc.
Hope the chapter makes sense. Please leave me constructive criticism if it doesn't (always appreciated). And please review. It really does make my day!
Cheers! Thanks for reading.