Title: Illusions & Destinies
Rating: R for the most part, M for select chapters
Author's Note: I lied. This chapter snuck in and grew so (bc clearly I find it impossible to let go sometimes)... it went from start of an epilogue to its own chapter. Just too many to say good-bye to and to let have their own moments together. Epilogue deserved to be on its own.
Chapter Fifty-One: Endings
"You could come with us. It's well in your right, you know," Abigail said as she stood on the ferry's deck. She looked well-rested and like a dignified noble in her elegant travel dress, and the years were taken away by the relaxed look on her face and the lack of stress from battle. But there were tiny creases of worry still, briefly marring the quiet in her expression, and her hands tightly gripped themselves in her skirts. Standing on the other side of the ferry railing with their feet safely planted on the river's dock, Hatter and Alice had been trying for the past ten minutes to say a decent good-bye without it becoming awkward. It was only a temporary good-bye but even Alice could sense a tension underlying it. Hatter may deny it all he liked, but he did not like the thought of letting his mother go so far away, even though he had asked her to.
She bit into her lower lip and looked up at Hatter curiously to see if he wanted to go. He'd been adamant about not making such a strenuous trip once again, for her sake, but she'd be willing to try for him.
But his smile, though friendly towards Abigail, was a bit tired and absent-minded. "No. I... can't go back there. Not yet. Maybe in a few years. The South will still be recovering from what trouble I brought to it and it won't need me as badly as the City will. Unless, Alice..."
She shook her head quickly, oddly thankful he was standing by his decision he'd made once her mother was safe in her own world. They had agreed that neither were up to trying to go to the South after all that had happened and it was clear he was still too exhausted from the past weeks to try.
"I'm fine with staying here. My memories of the South are not much better."
His mother looked at them both a little skeptically.
"You can't have good memories until you make them. Remember?" Abigail scolded gently and Alice finally smiled. Hatter gave his mother an exasperated look and she raised a hand in the air, chuckling at the expression on his face. "I know, I know. Leave it alone."
"That would be a switch, wouldn't it?" Chesh grumbled from where he leaned against the rail close to Alice. Hatter glared at him and Chesh looked away, smirking to himself.
Abigail sighed. "I'll be back soon anyway. To be sure my future grandchild comes into the world knowing everyone it should this time."
Alice smiled and patted her stomach fondly. "Oh, that won't be a problem."
Abigail's eyes went to Hatter and he stared back at her seriously, ignoring Chesh now in favour of her. With a sigh, she took a few steps off the ferry and held out her hand to him, half-expecting him to ignore it. But instead, he took it gingerly and she gave him a shaky smile at the warm grip of his fingers. Hatter's expression relaxed a little and she squeezed his hand to comfort him.
"But I will be back, Noble. Because you and I have too much to learn about each other. I do want my son back in my life... when you're ready and when this all becomes right again. But I am glad you came back into my life finally."
She pulled her hand back, aware that her words were insufficient but she didn't trust her own voice around Hatter. There were too many years of hiding her feelings, her pain, behind masks of cold indifference and dignity, for her to try to overcome it and tell him everything in a tirade of emotion. She hadn't wanted to be parted from him but she knew that the South needed her and Pidge now more than ever. To help bring some order back into that torn apart region, she had to give up her freedom again and she didn't know if that cycle would ever end. But she was willing to this time; her son had asked her because he trusted her and that meant more than anything to her.
Hatter sighed as she pulled back from him and affectionately rolled his eyes before reaching out and snatching her by the elbow. He swung her back into his arms and hugged her tightly to him, looping his arms over her shoulder to keep her close. She squeaked as what air she had rushed out at the tightness of his hold, so shocked by the show of affection that for a moment her arms hung limply at her side. But when he simply held her against him, Abigail relaxed into her son's embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She stroked his hair with one hand, nearly shaking in relief and happiness.
"Thank you," he whispered against her hair as he tucked his head against her ear. "I don't regret you coming back into my life, Mother. You did what you could for me and Alice, for our child... and I am glad you were there to protect them when I couldn't. Thank you."
She murmured unintelligibly into his ear, momentarily speechless. He'd never really referred to her as his mother in all the time they'd been reunited but now he was saying it with such warmth... . She was terrified that this might be a cruel joke but there was no coldness hiding in his hold. This was her son, the little boy she'd remembered and adored, the child she'd missed for all these years, and she kissed his cheek thankfully.
Hatter held onto the hug for as long as he could, glad to finally have let the wall down finally. It had been exhausting and he simply held her tight, feeling her hand pat his shoulder gently to comfort him.
"If everyone is hugging," Pidge interrupted, "may I get in on this? No one ever hugs me."
Before Hatter or Abigail could protest, he was wedged in between them and hugging Hatter tightly with one arm and the other around Abigail. His grip was so tight that they were both squished against his thin chest. The smaller man coughed for air and Pidge grinned as he slapped Hatter on the shoulder a few times. Pidge yanked him a bit closer and lowered his head to whisper in his ear.
"Remember, you hurt her and I'll kill you."
"Noted," Hatter gasped as Pidge released him and sent him staggering back into Abigail. He descended on Alice next and swung her into his arms, kissing her on the mouth with a quick press of lips that was a bit too warm and intense. Hatter eyed them both in a disgruntled way but his mother held his hand tightly. Alice made a shocked sound and he grinned down at her when he set her back on her feet.
"You hurt him, I'll... find some inventive way for you to suffer."
He winked at her to ease the severity of his words. Hatter rolled his eyes as Abigail managed to chuckle at the annoyed look Alice shot Pidge.
"You'll be careful?" Alice asked, still coughing for breath. Pidge grinned.
"Always am, Oyster. You just keep him out of trouble until I get back."
She smiled and Hatter stepped back from Abigail, holding out his hand to Pidge. Pidge took it with a firm grip above the wrist and they grinned at each other.
"Just remember to keep an ear to the ground. Jack's gonna have his men out lookin' for where the Crows took the conduit vials," Hatter warned.
"They won't find them. No worries. I can keep them going in circles for ears," Pidge said, still grinning.
Alice glanced over her shoulder. "Did you say good-bye to Charlie and Marta?"
"Already done. They're waiting for you so you can get moving on, and we should go as well." Abigail gave Alice a smile. As always, her dislike of good-byes wasn't going to let her become overly emotional. "It was a pleasure serving with you, my dear. I'll see you soon."
Alice nodded to her and glanced at Hatter with a smile. "Sooner than later I bet."
He said nothing but put his arm around her shoulders instead. "I'll send a message down South when we're ready to come back to the City."
"Make sure you do. That's my first grandchild you're having and like Carol, I want to be there. Alastair?" Abigail snapped her fingers at Pidge. "Time to get going, nephew."
"Aye aye, milady." He winked at Alice and Hatter. "Remember, try not to have too much fun for the next month until I get back. No hijinx and mayhem without me."
They smiled and stepped back from the ferry gate, watching as Pidge snapped the rail gate back into place. One of the Mouse family was scurrying back and forth behind them, charging the boiler and revving the engine, and the ferry made a loud groan as it pulled away into the lake entrance. It bumped the dock as it chugged along, and Abigail and Pidge made their way towards to the front of the ferry.
Lifting his hand to wave good-bye to Pidge, Hatter watched it start to move away but Alice looked over at Chesh instead. Ever since they'd come to the Wabe river front, he had seemed prickly and irritable. A little sullen even as he faced the forest path and watched where Charlie was harnessing Arthur up to his borrowed cart, the Cook ordering him about gently.
Chesh's fixated expression was a bit too unnatural, too practised and bored, and Alice bit back a knowing grin.
Glancing at him and then Hatter, she slipped discreetly from under Hatter's arm and slowly approached Chesh instead. She leaned on the rail beside him and tilted her head up at him, her eyes almost laughing at him. He glanced over at her curiously, his black and silver eyes carefully piecing her apart and then putting her back together just as quickly. He did that a lot these days to both her and Hatter; he seemed to think that they were both puzzles to be figured out and he hadn't managed to solve them yet. It would have been eerie and annoying if she didn't find his unpleasantness so funny.
"You're feeling better," he commented dryly, tapping his fingers on the rail.
"Mmhmm." Not about to let him distract her, Alice gestured at the departing ferry. "You know... technically speaking, Hatter gave me your control bracelet for safe-keeping. He thought I could safeguard it better and that I might not use it against you."
He stared at her, eyes narrowing a little. "Meaning what?"
"Meaning you could visit the South."
"And why would I want to do that?" Chesh asked sarcastically. "Right now it is torn apart and not exactly a thriving metropolis."
Alice rolled her eyes. Men.
"Because watching you mope over Abigail is not how I want to spend my time away with Hatter. I want him to myself without you looking over my shoulder. Go and irritate the South for a while. But keep yourself out of trouble."
He gaped at her and then stared back forward. He looked bristly, as if her words were burrowing under his skin, and "I don't know what you mean. And you shouldn't trust me. You know that."
"Oh I think I should trust you about this because this is something you likely want. You don't really have many other options and I know Pidge will keep you in line. If you do stay around though, I'm going to have Marta use you as her personal mouser in her house," she threatened. He huffed angrily, like a child who'd been caught stealing. "There's no shame, Chesh, in having a weakness. Just didn't expect you to have one over someone close to Hatter."
"Enough!" Chesh waved his hand. "Just... stop."
He looked at her and she grinned.
"Go, Chesh. I'll see you in a few months." Alice smiled. "Or do you really miss eating mice?"
"Fine," he grumbled before he sighed and snapped his fingers. She blinked as he disappeared into a haze of smoke, his form dissolving with more ease than it ever had before. He was so quickly and she would have thought it was because he was eager if it hadn't been for the sullen way he'd acted. Chesh had been miserable enough for all of them and Alice felt some relief that he was gone, that she'd not have to constantly be wondering why he was looking over her shoulder.
He could look over Abigail's shoulder for a while instead.
"That was easier than I thought," she muttered to herself with a grin. When she looked over at Hatter and saw that he was staring at her, she barely managed to look innocent. "I thought he'd serve better in the South. Magic and what have you."
He gave her a skeptical look that said he knew exactly what she was up to.
"Let's go find Charlie before I go mad with thinking things I never want to think of again," he grumbled affectionately, taking her hand in his. She laughed at the look on his face and squeezed his hand tightly.
"It seems much worse than it actually is. I'm not complaining, especially since this is our time away from the City," she explained as he led her towards where Charlie and the Cook were climbing up into the wagon. Hatter arched a brow at her and she grinned wickedly. "Now I get you to myself without Chesh or anyone else getting in my way."
Hatter groaned and rolled his eyes to the sky. "Oyster, you're more of a schemer than I thought possible."
It was strange to be riding together again, almost like old times when once Hatter had been nothing more than a con and Alice had been nothing more than a simple girl. Charlie had happily retrieved Arthur and Guinevere and the mare had almost climbed into Hatter's lap when they met each other at the ferry. Hatter had rubbed her ears and spoken to her and it was so much like old times that Alice had nearly felt a bit misty-eyed at it. The chestnut mare had been just as affectionate towards her and Hatter had pulled her up behind him so they could follow Charlie and the Cook in the wagon.
The beautiful scenery of the Wabe forest, the hills and valleys, overgrown and sprouting with new life, was a welcome sight and Alice kept turning her head this way and that to get a good look. The deeper they went through the forest, the closer they came to the Kingdom of Knights, the more the forest changed in tiny ways. The trees still whispered and sung, the wind was still warm, but it was what wandered the paths near them that caught Alice's attention. There were flowers and animals along the path that she had never seen before; pretty though strange and curious creatures and gorgeous coloured flora but all so new that even Hatter didn't know what they were. He simply humoured her as they pretended to name them and she eventually gave up on the questions.
He kept Guinevere a bit of a distance behind the wagon to give them some privacy, and Alice kept her arms wrapped around his waist though the mare's easy gait made it unnecessary. Hatter leaned back against her a bit as Guinevere followed the path mostly on her own, picking her own careful way over the hills that led back to the Kingdom of Knights. Beyond the rolling rumble of the cart and the squeak of the horses' leather tack, they rode in silence. It was only the sounds and sights of the forest surrounding them that intruded on the first signs of peace in weeks. Alice rested her head against Hatter's shoulder and sighed, closing her eyes.
When Guinevere snorted and jarred them from their quiet, she tightened her arms around his waist and held on in case something was wrong while opening her eyes. But nothing had really changed; it was almost as if Guinevere had been telling them that they were nearly home. Ignoring the way Charlie tried to wave them on behind the wagon, Hatter reined the mare in once they came to the hillside that led down to the pathways to the Kingdom of the Knights. The forest-lined road, dotted with crumbling statues and Charlie's discarded inventions was a familiar sight to both of them. The beauty of the ruins was before them, sparkling white and pristine in the sunlight. The horse heads that were massive and carved in marble, the pawn pieces that spiralled towards the sky, the familiar lines and beauty of a long dead kingdom, and all surrounded by a thick layer of brush and flowers. It was a beautiful sight after the coldness of the City.
It was wonderfully empty, except for the four of them.
Smiling, Alice leaned up against Hatter and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Looks like it is all back to normal. Not a soul to be seen from the Resistance. They moved fast when the City reopened, hmm?"
He nodded and sighed happily. "We might actually get a rest, luv."
"Let's hope." She leaned her head against his shoulder and squeezed her arms around his waist. "I do love you, you know."
"Oh, I know. It is the one thing I never doubted." He reached down and stroked one of her hands gently "I love you too."
They were quiet for a moment until he tilted his head on the side, as if some great thought had occurred to him. "End of the story, would you say?"
Alice grinned a little secretively, aware of the tiny kicks going on in her belly. "I'd say it's the start of a new one."
