Disclaimer: God I'll be glad when I don't have to write this any more…. I don't own the original Alice in Wonderland blah blah, even thought its outta copy write.

I'm back again. I'm really tired though. I've running between home and Publix a grocery store I have applied for work at. I had an ich to do a scene with the Queen and Reflection Hatter. He's such an utter bustard but I have so much fun writing his dialogue. For some vague reason the Queen sounds like Maleficent from Kingdom Hearts in my head. Also to answer a question I got in a review, I have played Alice but only very recently do to the fact that the computer I have been and are still using to write has well, limited memory. It would lock at the part in the Fortress of Doors when you have to pull the three levers to open a series of doors. Fudge, could you beta this story? I'll send you the whole thing when its finished if you would like the job. As for the money I'm getting from work…I'm GOING TO DISNEY! Really, I live like two hours from Orlando. In another news report I've become addicted to the Sims 2. I have sims of all my characters, including Alice and Hatter. As a add on I have recently read the Looking Glass Wars, and the imagination thing that hatter says was written last year after I started writing before I read the book.

Dark Hatter's thin form laid in the Queen's throne, a crystal ball with a shadowy image of Hatter and Alice move through the dark underground tunnels that looped through both the Jabberwocky's lair and The Red Queen's palace. Fresh blood dripped off his pale fingers like water dripping from a leaky faucet staining the floors an even deeper red. A semi-amused smirk played on his lips as he sighed, "How amusing and how frustrating."

"How do you feel about this my dear?" he asked, carelessly dispelling of the ball as he surveying the red tiled floors of throne room. A corpse of a young women laid ritualistically, her face frozen in a mask of horror, her throat slashed, and what hadn't been mutilated, had been removed. The reflection smiled tenderly at her. "Well at least you put up a fight my dear, the other ones just screamed."

He stood up gracefully, and shadow like, his red eyes glowing savagely in the dark light that poured through the stained glass windows. In the distance was a low sound of footsteps approaching the hall. His body seemed to curve mechanically as the Queen stormed in to the room, her cloak sopping up the remaining blood that had gushed from Hatter's and the dead women's wounds. A tight frowned formed as she gazed at the body, "You really are a contentious creature aren't you." she said, as she regained her throne. Her once white hair was now streaked with blacks and reds. Her eyes where tinged in the same colors. Her whip hung loosely in her hand, as glared at the smirking reflection.

"What is it now?" she snarled, her hand tightening on her weapon.

"Well your wayward nephew and the girl has come to take your throne." he said, with a grin that could compete with the Cheshire cat's. He once again summoned up the images of Alice and Hatter.

"They've damaged your pet as well. Seems his tutors taught him to well." the reflection said, shrugging as the image faded in to the air.

"This time take care of them, yourself. That girl is like all the other children that tried to drive the Insanity from the Imagination, weak, a dreamer with her head in the clouds. She is easily dispatched."

"And your nephew?"

"Kill him as well. He will never lay claim to this throne, or Wonderland while I am breathing. He is a fool to even try, and I want to see his head joining the rest of his family's."

"Yes, my Queen." The reflection hissed, malice slipping in to his voice as he vanished in to the shadows. A smile split the queen's lips, as she watched the fleeting shadow of the reflection as he slithered out of the place like the serpent he was, then snapping her fingers a roar echoed through the room as the floor opened up to reveal the Jabberwocky's snapping jaws, now doubled in number.

"Follow him! Destroy him and the others if her fails!" the red queen yelled, as the beast dove in to the lava pit it lived in, leaving the throne room silent.

The tunnel that lead through the caverns was a winding one, wind whipped through it like a snake through grass chilling Alice through to the very marrow of her bones. Even though they were miles away from the boiling lava that the Jabberwock had called home, she could hear it as it boiled and frothed like the rage of the Jabberwock its self.

"Hatter, where are we going?" she asked, shivering. The wind was colder here and taken an almost human like pitch, that was accompanied by what seemed to be chain rattling.

"Truthfully, I don't know," he said, " but where I'm trying to go is the lake of tears, then we can cut through there to the Queen's castle."

Alice grew silent for a moment, then replied, "Isn't that where my aunt flooded the ground with her tears?"

"Yes, well at your normal height its little more like a small stream," Hatter answered, shrugging, "but it's a whole new meaning to cry me a river."

"That wasn't very funny." Alice answered sourly; shivering as another icy wind tore through the tunnel. The rattling chains seemed to echo through out the chamber, reverberating off every wall, now accompanied by the soft sound of water dropping the stones. The cavern seemed to grow larger the further they traveled till small glass domes protruding from the walls added more light to the tunnel.

"Where are we?" Alice asked, her voice echoing through out the tunnel. Hatter looked around the tunnel for a moment, getting his bearings.

"Judging by the water and the windows we're about ten feet under the Pool of Tears." Hatter said, then let his gaze on the windows, " and by the look of things we shouldn't linger any longer then necessary."

"How can we be underwater?" Alice asked, "that's nearly impossible."

"My dear, if the imagination can think of it here in Wonderland it can happen." he said, a bit of pride creeping in to his voice, " Wonderland is the origin of wonder and imagination."

"Are saying that every dream and hope, passes through this place?"

"In a sense, yes. People with strong imagination and those who are suffering from a mental illness are the ones who affect this place the most." Hatter said, "Imagination is the strongest factor of what this place is. What the inhabitants are."

"But something has gone wrong." Alice added, trying her best to comprehend what he had just said.

"Yes, and in response it has called you here." Hatter replied, "this has happened before, but never on this scale. It called to the strongest imagination it could find in order to find its guardian."

"Me?" Alice asked, blinking. She was slightly stunned she didn't have a strong imagination or anything of the sort. She wasn't the guardian of Wonderland; at least she had evolved in that person yet.

"Yes. You're the one who will fix this world and stop what ever evil is seeping from the queen's palace."

"Then I can go home?" she asked, struck by the realization of her task. Right a world that had been changed for the worst, restore serenity and balance back to this place. Then she could go home, to her mother and England.

"What of you?" she questioned again, staring earnestly at the mad man in front of her.

"I don't know. Perhaps I'll go home and return to my inventions. Help the pale royals rebuild their lands." Hatter said, then as an after thought, "oh look the stairs."

A soft blue mist slinked down the slick metal stairs, as Hatter opened the metal hatch that directed them to the Pool of Tears. The Water was a milky aqua color, unlike the clear blue that she had seen through the portals underground. Large lilypads floated carelessly on top of the still water.

Framing the lake was a bulrushes blocking out the forest the surrounded all sides of them. Unseen frogs croaked in the background, adding to the already loud droning of bugs, and the lazy lapping of the water against the shore. Every now and then a silvery fin the color of mercury would break the surface, then slowly slip beneath the deep again.

"How are we to get across?" Alice questioned, as Hatter navigating through the reeds till he found the right size and he snapped it off then used it to hook a large lilypad and pull it over to shore.

"Hop on my dear," Hatter said, offering his hand to Alice and pulling her on to the plant, " and hold on, the rapids are rather rough."

He pushed off against the rocky ground, sticking the reed pole to the water and guiding them towards a stream the veered off from the main pond to the dark depths of the forest. Alice looked around marveling at this part of Wonderland that still seemed pristine and unperturbed by the Red Queen's presence.

"Why has this place remained clear of her influences?" Alice asked innocently, as she clung to their make shift boat. Hatter was lying lazily on his back; his hat pulled over his eyes.

"Hmm? Well truly it is as peaceful as it looks, but as long as we don't fall off there won't be a problem." Hatter said, pointing at a fin that had just ducked back down, " of course if you were to stick any part of you in the water, well that's a different story."

Alice stared in horror as the fin appeared again and a large shark like creature surfaced, it teeth flashing in the light. "Is that a snark?" she asked, her voice quivering, as the beast passed beneath them. Even in the murky depths she could still see the glinting quicksilver scales.

"Yes, or it could be a Boojum. Boojums are wrath like shape shifters, and it's not unheard of for them to change in to Snarks."

"So the Snark could be a Boojum?" Alice inquired, continuing to stare down at the silvery beast.

"Of course, but I not willing to find out." Hatter said, standing up slowly and his voice dropping in volume as he folded up his hat and slipped it in to a hidden pocket in his vest. His eyes darting along the tree lined shore, as the water grew slightly rougher. The air around the river had grown heavy, and there was what sounded like scissors rapidly open and closing. Alice could see something stained red flickering in the low light of the forest. Hatter stance had changed as he stood near the edge of their make shift boat, " Unfortunately we may have to though, that noise are card guards shuffling in to their ranks, and I pretty sure they have more Jesters and Marionettes then we can deal with."

"So what do we now?" Alice asked, as the sound continued to echo through out the riverbed.

"We jump and run!" Hatter shrieked as he grabbed her and pulled her in the frigid and murky water. The impact knocked the wind from her lungs causing her to struggle in the surface gasping for air. Beside Hatter had surfaced as well but his eyes were shut tight. "Hatter!" Alice screeched, as she tried to swim over to him but the current was to fast and was pulling his hand away from hers.

"Hatter, wake up! Wake up!" she yelled again, once again struggling against the current to reach the inventor as he started to slip beneath the water. Suddenly a strong hand grabbed her own, as the Mad Hatter struggled to break the murky aquaplane. Air filled his lungs as he pulled the girl against him, as they fought against the pull of the current. Over head branches of ancient trees rushed pass the some of them just grazing the duo.

"Alice!" Hatter yelled over the roar of the water that just seemed to grow louder, " Grab hold of the next branch that we pass!"

Nodding the girl stuck out a tiny hand as the next gathering of tree threatened to whiz by. Alice being the lightest was easily pulled up out the water as the roots recoiled to the tree. Hatter followed suit, only letting the plant twine around his wrist, and hoisting him out of the water and on to the temporary safety of dry land. Alice was standing next to the tree that had pulled her up, looking surprisingly unshaken by the experience. Her hair clung to her face, giving her the appearance of kitten that had just been dropped into a tub. " I never want to do that again.' She hissed, as she wrung out her dress.

"Agreed." he chuckled, unfolding his hat in inspect it. The razor along the edge, which was designed to fold, was still keen, and no cracks had appeared in the metal. The tag was still intact and there was no damage to the hat its self. After making sure there was no superficial damage he placed it back on his head.

"Better now?" Alice teased, tapping the brim of his hat.

"I made this thing my self, it's one of a kind. I don't want to lose it." Hatter said, a small smirk appearing on his face, then he turned serious, " now we have to navigate through this forest, might be a problem though because it's crawling with Queen's soldiers."

'Then why don't we rest for the night." Alice suggested, propping her self up against a tree, the roots closing in around her like a blanket. Hatter nodded sleepily as the his tree did the same, the roots wrapping around him slowly like a mound of snakes, and the wind blew through the branches filling the air with what sounded like a lullaby. In distant the world around them echoed with the sound of the card guards following in to rank and ambushed laid waiting for the oblivious pair.

The smoke rose off the battlegrounds, a field littered with the bodies of suites and Wonderlanders that had reason up against the Red Queen. Those loyal to her stood up in the encampment that over looked the blood soaked ground.

"Those marionettes of yours came in use, lunatic." An Ace jeered, as Hatter sat next to the fire wiping of his own weapons with a dirty rag. His blue eyes glinted in the firelight and a viscous grin played on his lips. All the guards were fearful of their leaders pet assassin and prized inventor, knowing that anyone could find that hair trigger that could set the mad man off in to a murderous rage.

"I'm glad they met your approval." he hissed, never looking up from his work. Blood dripped off the unclean blades that lined his belt, splattering on the stone and his boots, "Not that it matters to me what meets your approval or not. I'll kill you just the same if my queen orders it."

To prove his point, Hatter flung a dagger careless at the Ace's head, only have it fly by and imbed in a near by tree. "See if I wanted to kill you I wouldn't have missed." he said, as a shadowy figure approached the soldiers.

"My dear nephew, have you found that cat yet?" the Queen asked, gazing at her long talon like nails lazily.

"I'm sorry no. The Cheshire Cat was not among them." Hatter said, hanging his head, " probably off to find another guardian child to through to our waiting jaws."

"If you find him, you can make a new hat out his coat." The Red Queen purred, " and do with the new child as you wish. I just glad Jack didn't fill your head with all that nonsense of rebellion, you assassination of him proves that."

"Yes, my queen." he said, feeling slightly dizzy as she passed.

"Hatter!"

"Yes my Queen?" he asked groggily, only to see Alice staring at him a look of terror in her eyes. Looking around him he saw the card guards fanned out, their spears pointed at the pair. Another rustling followed as a very familiar figure joined the circle. The reflection smirked calmly as he study his other half.

"So good to see you haven't forget where your loyalties lie."