Alice and What Came After

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Alice – no rights, no claims, nada – it belongs to SyFy and Nick Willing. Rex, Sid, and Nancy belong to ITV/Impossible Pictures. Sarah, Connor, Damon, and Chase are my own creations.

Chapter Fifty: Dinner Date

Chase smiled at Alice when she opened the door. He had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bakery box in another.

"Good evening, Mrs. Hatter," he said politely. "These are for you."

Alice took the flowers from him. "Oh, Chase, you didn't have to—"

"It's okay. I wanted to. And this." He patted the box. "Is for dessert."

"That's really nice of you, Chase," Alice said, welcoming him into their apartment. "You can go ahead and put that in the kitchen if you want or out on the table. It's up to you."

He smiled at the twin's mother and went into the dining room. Sarah and Connor shared a look and darted to a better hiding spot.

"It's good to see you, Chase," Hatter remarked, shaking his hand. "I whipped up a Wonderland specialty for tonight."

"Oh, thanks, Mr. Hatter… but you really didn't need to go to the trouble—"

"Nonsense. Now sit. You're the guest. Would you like a cuppa tea?

Sarah snorted. Connor covered her mouth to silence her. Of course he wants tea—he works in a blasted tea shop!

Not that anyone in their right mind would turn down a cup of tea from the Mad Hatter himself. Especially not a fellow Wonderlander.

"Sure. Thanks, Hatter."

Hatter shot him a smile. "Connor, Sarah! Dinner!" he called as he disappeared into the kitchen. The twins stayed put for a moment.

Alice swept through the dining room, heading for their bedrooms. "Sarah Jessica! Connor Kyle! Dinner!"

Connor grumbled a curse, heading into the dining room.

Sarah stayed behind, trying to calm herself. On the other side of the wall sat Chase Heart, the Prince of Hearts, and the man she'd been trying to avoid since their near-whatever that was. She didn't know if it was just a make out session or if Connor's guess about them doing it was correct. She didn't trust herself. How could she?

Part of her wanted to be with Chase, but part of her wanted to run like hell.

He'd run from Wonderland when she wanted to run to it. They fought like cats and dogs at times. Plus he worked for her father!

This is so wrong…

Then why did her body want to be so close to him? She knew it was wrong, but why did she want it? Why Chase? Why not… someone else? Someone more like her father or someone who would appreciate Wonderland as much as she did…

Not Chase.

Awkward didn't even begin to describe dinner.

It was silent, except for stilted attempts at conversation coming mostly from Hatter and Alice. Connor would occasionally join in, but he mirrored his sister even then.

Sarah barely said more than a few words—most of them were to ask for someone to pass a dish down to her. She'd become mute and wouldn't look at Chase. He had no idea why.

It's not like we slept together. There's no reason to be this… awkward. I do care about you…and if you're not ready for it, then we won't. We've got time. Our whole lives, really.

But the other night couldn't really account for the tension filling the room, could it?

Judging by Connor's glare, it could.

Hatter observed his children over dinner as well as their guest. Sure enough, something was going on between the three young adults. And Sarah, as usual, was in the middle of everything.

After dinner, he called Sarah into the kitchen to help him with the dishes.

"What's going on between you and Chase?" he asked.

She looked up from the sink. "What do you mean?"

"Jabberwock, you barely spoke at all. The only other option is that you're sick, in which case you wouldn't be wearing a dress… and perfume."

"Da!"

"What? You don't normally act like this… no matter who's over for dinner."

"What are you talking about?"

"Luv, do you like Chase?"

"What?"

He set down the plates he'd been scraping. "Chase Heart. Ya know… blond, young, works in a tea shop?"

"So?"

"Why does Connor look ready to cut this throat?"

"Oh… that."

Hatter stared at his daughter. It was hard to believe she'd once fit in his arms so easily. Now she'd grown up to be only an inch shorter than her mother and shared most of Alice's features. Except for her brown eyes, her smirk, and her teeth. Those were all him.

And, of course, his love of tea and hats. Plus, her long hair loved to misbehave.

She was strong and independent, but she was still his little girl, his Jabberwock, and he wanted only the best for his little princess.

"Well?" he tried.

Sarah sighed, leaning against the counter. "It's nothing…"

"Yeah?"

"I just… I went to say hi to him at the tea shop the other day. It's been a while since we talked… and, well, we got a bit carried away…"

"How far?" he asked softly, remembering that his daughter was still young—only fifteen here in New York, enough though she seemed much older and wiser. Wonderland often had that effect.

"Connor stopped us. He hijacked my feelings. And broke it up."

He nodded, glad that Connor managed to keep an eye, err, ear, on the situation.

"He's a good kid, Sarah. Especially for a Heart."

She smiled weakly at her father. "I don't know, da. It's like something's missing still or… I don't know. It doesn't feel right."

"You're young, luv. Don't push it. But if you like him… it's okay. You can date… see movies together, eat dinner, hang out. Be friends."

"But—"

"It's okay, my little Jabberwock. I won't shoot him… unless you want me too. Now if we could just find Connor a girl instead of a dinosaur…"

Sarah laughed. "Maybe when he's twenty-nine…"

"Oi, I hope not."

Father and daughter shared a smile.

Connor took Chase aside while Alice sliced a cake up for desert. His twin was in the kitchen with their father.

"If you so much as make her cry, I swear… I will kill you," Connor warned the other Wonderlander.

Chase seemed mildly amused at his threat. Except that they both knew the lengths Connor would go to protect his older sister. He'd been more than willing to torture and murder Damon for shooting Sarah. Connor could be a loose cannon.

"Connor, I really care for her—"

"I don't care. Upset her and you'll have to deal with me."

"I understand—"

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page."

Alice finished slicing the cake. "Connor, can you get your father?" she asked.

"Sure, mum."

He walked off, leaving Chase to help her put the cake on plates and pass them around the table.

"Don't let them give you such a hard time," she said softly. "They just want to protect her. They forget that Sarah doesn't need any protecting."

"That's for sure…" he snorted, remembering her take-no-prisoners attitude from their accidental meeting in the forest.

"Besides, we're all rooting for you."

"Why?"

Alice set down the knife. "Chase, you are one of the few people in the entire world she can share Wonderland with. It means a lot to her to have someone who understands it—who believes in it as much as she does."

"But—"

"Sarah's like her father. She's always been torn between here and Wonderland. She doesn't know what she wants yet. She needs someone who understands this. You understand it. You share her secret. You're a walking piece of Wonderland in New York."

Chase nodded. "So I'm essentially a friend."

Alice sighed. "It's not that simple. She cares for you… she just… she's fifteen. It's a confusing time. Give her time. Be her friend. Be there for her. Let her tell you what she wants."

"Thank you, Alice."

"Don't mention it," the older woman said with a smile. "Just take care of my daughter, okay?"

"I will."

Author's Notes:

I'm so sorry it took so long for me to get another chapter out. I'm nearing finals (I have them the whole month of May, eeek!) and I was out of town for a week. Since I've been back, I've been sick, so I can't really win.

Anyways, I hope this chapter meets everyone's expectations. There's going to be a time-jump in the next chapter to see where Sarah and Chase go from here.

Please review! Thanks for reading! You guys are amazing!