March strode down the hall, muttering angrily to himself as his nose twitched nervously. "Hats! Where are you, Hatter?" He stopped, cocked his ears to the side, and then sniffed, "Bliddy Hats..."

Behind him, Alice gazed solemnly at the long gray ears, hoping they would hear something. "Do you have any idea where he could have gone?" She had left Ash with May, who had happily accepted to babysit.

March glanced around, pursed his lips, and then turned to ruffle her hair. "Of course, Alice. We just need... to find them, that's all. You said Maynard right?"

"He tried to get away. Maybe he did?"

"And then Hatter would be wandering about looking for a meal... Ho hum... That wouldn't be good." Wheeling about on his heel, March continued down the corridor, calling Hatter's name.

They searched for fifteen more minutes, checking all the unlocked rooms, the empty halls, and the stone staircases on the lower level that they came across. Finally, they found Hatter, curled up on the floor, full and sleeping.
March grabbed him up, dragged him back to Alice's room. The whole way, Hatter never woke up, too absorbed in his dreams.
As Alice frantically tended to Hatter, wiping away the drying blood from his skin, March went off to search for Maynard.

Maynard fumed in his cell, shivering under a bloody blanket. When March came to the bars, it took him a while before he noticed it, but he instantly bared his teeth and rasped, "What do you want, you bliddy rabbit?"

Fur fluffing up, March growled, "You tried to kill Hatter's son."

"So what if I did?" Maynard turned on his cot so that his back faced March, slumped, and then pulled the covers around him tighter.

"I could have the governors send you back to the Shadowlands as a murderer, not a rapist. I think the punishment would be greater, no?"

Stiffening, Maynard slowly glared about at him before hissing, "You wouldn't!"

"I would!" threatened March, fur bristling. "I'd tell them especially that you tried to kill Alice's child. Think about how the Jabberwock would take that!"

"Jabberwock..." mused Maynard, distracted. "Jabberwock knows of the baby already?"

"Yes, he came and saw it before running off."

"Oh! He ran off!" Leaping up, Maynard left the blanket behind, ran to the bars, and pressed up against them, curious and excited. "Jabberwock ran off? Really?"

March stared up at him. His neck was throroughly ripped away. As he watched with disgust, he could see little threads of flesh knotting themselves together, trying to heal. "Um... yes... They're going to find him though."

Maynard smiled, eyes far-off, "Does Jabberwock like him?"

"What?"

"Does Jabberwock like his grandson?"

"...Yes. Why?"

Maynard's grin grew bright, "Just wondering..." Turning about, he strolled back to his cot, picked up the blanket, and began ripping shreds from it. He knotted these around his neck to make a bandage.

March said dryly, "If you're planning something... I can have you-"

"For the moment, the only thing I'm planning on is getting out of this cell again and going to have something to eat... I'm hungry." Maynard commented, his eyes glittering.

March cast a suspicious glare at him, "Okay, then... Just stay away from Alice and Hatter, okay?"

"Fine. I'll stay away from them."

Nodding, March backed away before turning and scurrying down the hall.

During the next week, Hatter and Alice kept watch for Maynard, certain he would come again. However, they were relieved when they saw no signs of interest from him. Slowly, they calmed, went back to their busy lives of taking care of Ash.
Jabberwock was found, dragged back to the Shadowlands. He had begun building a little shelter in the rubble of Imaginine, only to have some local salvagers notice him and report to the local regent, who, in turn, reported to the capital. Bandersnatch was overjoyed at the news, oversaw the capture of his brother, and lectured him severely on running away.

With both Jabberwock gone and Maynard's interest banished, Hatter started to relax again physically, his tenseness vanishing, as did his constant suspicion. The month dragged on slowly.

Then, exactly twenty-seven days after the incident, Maynard decided to act. Alice woke up to Hatter's furious mutters. Sitting up, she saw him pacing the room, his fingers fidgeting together nervously, his eyes wide and frantic. "Hatter?"

Jerking about to see her, Hatter swallowed the air in his suddenly dry mouth, squeaked, "Alice!"

"What's wrong?" Alice rubbed her eyes wearily. "What time is it? It's still night-time!"

Hatter's eyes watered, "Alice..."

Sensing the choked-up sound that usually accompanied tears, Alice eyes widened, her body tensing, "What's wrong?"

Hatter crawled onto the bed, hugged her to his chest, and then burst out sobbing. Alice felt his hot tears against her shoulder, his fingers clawing into her back in his grief. Lost, she repeated her question again and again until Hatter rasped, "A-A-Ash..."

Her blood froze. "Ash? What's wrong with Ash?"

"He's gone... He's not in the crib..." Hatter's sobs intensified.

Alice blinked before slowly wriggling out of his hold, "What? He's gone?"

Hatter's 'yes' was choked with sobs.

Sliding out from beneath him, Alice hurried over to the crib, glanced over the edge, and froze. Only the smooth top of the blanket stared up at her, the ruffles of the knitted blanket balled up in the corner.
No Ash to be seen.

Once Hatter had stopped bawling and recovered from his shock, he and Alice went to wake the guard corps. At the news of the kidnapping, the soldiers hastily readied themselves, and, a half-hour later, half rode out on their horse-flies to search for the missing baby while another stayed behind to search the castle.
Maynard was nowhere to be found, as was one of the destrier horse-flies.

Morning came, the sunset colored pink and yellow against the purple sky before fading to the usual light blue. The clouds travelled happily across the sky, not heeding the desperate and agitated mood below in Wonderland's capital. The peasants whispered rumor that Lady Alice's child had been kidnapped by the rapist Shadowlander who had terrorized them so many months before.
They were exactly right.

The day passed, and so did the next, with no news of either rider or victim. Alice and Hatter began to lose hope, remembering Maynard's intent to kill the infant a month before. What would stop him now from doing that? They began to withdraw to their room and cry together, missing their little baby.
March, Zero, and Tick tried to comfort them, the latter two trying to distract their grief with little antics of play-fighting. Alice might giggle before lapsing into sadness, but Hatter was unshakable. His tears would not stop, and, when he was dry, he would just lay in bed and shiver.

His heart was breaking, simple as that. He wanted his son back, he wanted his child, and he hated Maynard all the more as he thought about it. He had fathered a child with Alice, and his desire to have that child back began to destroy his confidence and will. He stopped eating, talking, unless if it was with Alice. Even then, Alice would have to insist for him to eat, would have to repeat questions many times before he would answer. His eyes developed a permanent glitter of miserable loss and anxiety.

When it had been a month since Ash's disappearance, Hatter let go of all hope, slumped into a horrible time of withdrawal for a few days where he would do nothing but sit and stare with sorrowful eyes at the empty crib, and then began to open up again. Slowly, he began to venture out of the room with Alice and March, began to regain his strength.
Then, a month and a week after Ash's and Maynard's disappearance, he approached Alice and asked for another child.

Alice hadn't given up hope, but she agreed with Hatter.

Then, just a week later, urgent news came from the Shadowlands that the Jabberwock would be coming over the next day. A miserable Bander came through before, gave his condolences, and then vanished back through the Looking Glass to prepare his bags for the next day.
Hatter was still very solemn, but his attitude had been becoming increasingly better. He didn't mind Jabberwock coming through as long as he didn't try to take Alice from him again.

The next day, Hatter and Alice sat on the bed, talking quietly to each other when March burst in, his ears erect and his fur poofed up, "Hats! Alice! The Jabberwock's here!"

Hatter lifted dull eyes to watch his friend before smiling faintly, "Very well... We're coming..." He stood, offered his hand to Alice.

Alice took it, embraced him, and whispered, "Try to be happy."

Hatter caressed her head softly, kissed the top of the blonde head, "I'll try."

They locked Zero and Tick in the room and followed the bouncy, excited March Hare to the Governors' office. As they neared the door, they saw the Shadowlander escort milling outside, talking happily among themselves, flirting with the two disgruntled Governors. Unlike before, they seemed casual and laid-back this time, clapping each other on the backs and joking around.
Alice gazed at them curiously, Hatter ignored them, and they both strayed past the guards into the room. From the group of guards, Bander gazed at them sullenly.

Instantly, Alice lay squeaking in Jabberwock's arms as he exclaimed, "Alice! Oh, I missed you!" He squeezed her tightly before releasing her and whispering, "I've brought my son! You want to see him?"

Alice smiled softly, "Sure..."

Motioning with a hand, Jabberwock beamed proudly as an elegantly dressed lady stepped forward, a small bundle in her arms. Alice regarded Jabberwock's son and smiled. Dressed in a soft, velvet imitation of a formal suit, he wiggled happily. Soft yellow eyes stared up at her before the child squeaked a laugh, reached up for her hair.

Hatter's face grew miserable, his mind tortured with memories, "Jabberwock..."

"Huh? Oh, Hatter. You want to see too?" Jabberwock sneered, obviously knowing his pain.

"I just lost a son... This is painful..."

"Oh, about that, I have presents for both of you, to show that I am truly and deeply feeling..." Jabberwock's voice was mocking as he placed a hand against his chest and shook his head in fake sorrow.

Alice glared at him fiercely. How dare he make fun of her and Hatter's sorrow!

Turning, Jabberwock picked up a plain, wooden box tied shut with rough cord, turned again, and then held it out to Hatter, his eyes suddenly hard, "Alice will not see what is in it. You will open it in that corner and Alice will stay in that corner." He motioned to two different corners of the room.

Nodding, Hatter took the present, slowly walked over to his assigned corner, and began to loosen the ties. After a few tugs, the knot popped free, and Hatter pulled the lid from the box. Immediately, he froze when he saw what was inside.

March bounced over, "What's in the box? What's in the-" He stopped, stared, and then turned and retched, vomiting on the floor. Gasping, he snarled at Jabberwocky, "What the bliddy heck did you do to-"

Jabberwock crossed his arms, smirked, "I put him through the same process as Hatter... I hope you're happy. I had my fun with him before he died. I know that I am happy... although Bander isn't... Where's Bander?"

Bander's muffled, miserable voice came through the closed door, "I'm not going to come in with him like that..."

His eyes glittering with hateful glee, Hatter glared up at Jabberwock and rasped, "Where is my son?"

"And that's Alice's present." Turning to Alice, Jabberwock smiled before pulling her to a large wooden box whose lid wasn't all the way on, "I wasn't sure how to wrap him, but I wanted it to be a surprise." He let her go, waited.

Alice pounced on the box, shoved off the top, and then stared down at the familiar gray infant who stared up from his bed of blankets. Slowly, carefully, she reached down, picked up Ash, and then burst into joyful tears as Ash giggled at her touch, "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" She clutched Ash to her chest.

Jabberwock smiled softly, "Maynard came about two weeks ago with him, said he would give him to me if I wiped his slate clean and allowed him back. Personally, I thought that he had killed you to steal him, so... I..." He glanced back at Hatter, who was staring at Ash with joyful eyes, the box still in his hand, "...Did things to him. Ash was rather sick, so I gave him to my wife to be nursed back to health... So I know she's good for something." He glared at the Shadowlander princess.

Hatter set down the box, wandered over to Alice, and then wrapped his arms around both her and Ash. Hugging them gently as tears trickled down his cheeks to drip off his chin, he whispered, "Oh... We have him back, Alice..."

"Giftwrapped and all..." Alice joked, too happy for words.

Releasing Alice, Hatter turned to Jabberwock, regarded him, and then embraced his father-in-law, "Thank you, Jabberwock."

The Jabberwocky stiffened, staring down at Hatter, and then glanced helplessly at Alice, mouthed, 'Help?'

Alice giggled, wiped some tears from her flushed cheeks, "Hatter, come here... Hold Ash for me."

Hatter instantly stood before her, arms out to recieve his son, his eyes bright and ecstatic. Handing Ash to him, Alice watched as Hatter cradled him in his arms happily before looking at Jabberwock and asking, "Could I hold your baby?"

Jabberwock nodded happily, "Of course! He's your brother, if you think about it." Glancing back, he barked an order to the princess, who strode forward, held out the baby to Alice. Alice took him and bounced him up and down, seeing the baby's eyes flash yellow, green, blue, red, white, and then back to yellow again as he stared up at her face, a thumb in his mouth. "His name's Sanxi, right?"

Nodding, Jabberwock grinnned, "Yes. Sanxi Jabberwock. Since he's your brother, would that make him Ash's uncle? Is that how it works? Yes, of course. Guess it helps that Sanxi's older."

Alice laughed before hearing March's surprised squeak behind her. Turning, she saw March trying to tug his ear out of Ash's grasp. Hatter roared with laughter, "Serves you right, March! You were teasing him with those ears!"

March mumbled as his whiskers trembled, "I didn't expect him to grab- AY! No, no, no! Don't put my ear in your mouth! No!"

Ash sucked at the end of March's gray ear, wide-eyed and staring at March's indignant face.

Jabberwock chuckled, pulled Sanxi from Alice's arms, and then bounced him up and down, "Well, well... I must warn you about Sanxi then, March. He's teething right now. It'll hurt a lot more if it was with him than if it's with Ash."

March sucessfully pulled his ear from Ash's small fist, pulled it down in front of his face, and then began to pinch off the spit, grimacing. As soon as he was finished, he let it pop back up, straight in the air, and then sniffle, "I'll keep that in mind."

Hatter and Alice cooed over Ash for the next hour, breaking their obsessed fascination with their child only to talk a few phrases. Jabberwock became quite irritated, drowned his frustration by tending to Sanxi.
Afterwards, however, Hatter took his 'present' and his family back to the room, locked the door, and then went to where Zero was sleeping in the corner. Nudging him awake, Hatter knelt, holding the wooden box in his hands, and asked, "Zero... Would you mind eating something for me?"

Zero glared up at him sleepily before yawning. Staggering up, he butted Hatter in the chest gently.

Setting the box down, Hatter glanced back to see Alice watching him curiously, smiled nervously, "I don't think you want to see this, Alice."

"What's in the box?" Alice asked, cradling Ash in her arms.

"Maynard's head." said Hatter simply, bluntly.

Alice gulped, her mouth suddenly dry, "His... head?"

"Without any eyes, ears, tongue, or nose." Pulling the box to him so that his body blocked Alice's view of it, he opened the top, reached in, and grabbed a fistful of sticky hair, "It's rather disgusting."

Alice turned away, heard a digusting -squelch- as Hatter pulled the thing up out of its box. Quietly, Hatter asked, "So... Zero? Will you eat it?"

Sniffing at it, Zero blinked before sneezing, seizing it in his metal jaws, and turning to hide his eating in the corner. Tick meowed, scurried up on Zero's back, and tried to peer over Zero's head, curious.
Standing, Hatter brushed the tainted hand across his pants, smelled it, snorted the smell out of his nose, and then turned, throwing the box down to the side, "Disgusting."

Alice shivered at the sickening ripping and devouring sounds that came from the corner. Jumping, startled, as Hatter's hand found her shoulder, she forced herself not to look back at him lest she cast a glimpse of Zero's meal, "Could we change rooms after this...? Please?"

"Of course... Anything you want." Hatter hugged her, his hands crossed over her stomach, and then whispered, "Maybe I should have waited another week before asking for another child..."

"It's okay... We can have two children!" Giggling, Alice turned around in his arms, kissed him on the cheek.

Hatter smiled softly, kissed her back on the lips, "If you're fine with it..."