I do NOT own Alice in Wonderland, only this story and my original characters.

This story is rated M, for violence, language and sexual themes.

Chapter 16

Apologies and Appearances

The first thing that Stayne was aware of when he awoke was that he hurt, a lot. It felt like every part of his body had been beaten with a blunt object. He recalled a small beautiful woman, a bat, pain, running, caging the raven haired beauty with his body and then more pain.

"What the hell did that girl do to me?" He wondered, completely unaware that he had spoken out loud, until he heard a gasp. Snapping his head the side he was met with the sight of the lovely lady occupying his thoughts.

"Oh thank the gods you're awake. I'm so sorry! I didn't realize who you were, if I had known I never would have attacked you. I'm just so glad you're finally awake!" Mei-Lin gushed. She had been worried sick since she found out just who exactly she had tasered.

Stayne didn't know what to think. The woman he had met before was confident but now she was apologizing and looked like she was about to cry. Yet what really surprised him was how much the idea of her crying bothered him.

"What did you do to me exactly? And I don't blame you for what you did. As far as I'm concerned you only did what was natural. However I'm also curious to know how you were able to summon." The knave asked curiously. He wanted her to know that it was ok and that he understood her actions.

"Well I kind of tasered you, and what do you mean? All of us from Otherworld can summon. At least that was my understanding. I'm Mei-Lin by the way. Mei-Lin Cho." The young Asian introduced with a small bow.

Stayne was gob smacked. Just how many Otherworlders did Alice bring with her? He felt his chest fill with hope. If Alice brought more like this Mei-Lin then they might just stand a chance against Iracebeth. Mei-Lin, the more he played it in his mind the more he liked it.

"Miss Cho, just how many more Otherworlders are there? Also what is a taser?" The confused man asked. He was going to be on his best behavior to make up for how he acted earlier and just maybe he would be able to get to know her better.

"Please just call me Mei. Including me there is four of us. There's Alice, Duncan, Kyle and yours truly. Although the guys weren't really meant to come." Mei-Lin explained. She watched as his eye lit up at the mention of Alice and then darkened at the mention of the boys.

"As for a taser, well it comes from Otherworld. It's a small device that releases volts of electricity rendering whatever is attacking you either in pain so you can escape or unconscious. I didn't know what to do so I tasered you. Again I'm sorry about that." She apologized. She knew Alice would never let her live it down.

"I see. And you said that all of you can summon? That just might be what we need to defeat the Red Queen once and for all. Tell me Mei, what do you do?" Stayne asked loving the way her name sounded on his lips.

"For the most part I'm a strategist. Aly is going to teach me archery though since we agreed on the no gun rule. As for your earlier question, yeah we can all summon. Why is it so surprising?" Mei asked curiously also loving the way her name rolled off his tongue.

"Well very few can actually summon. It's considered a lost art. So the fact that all of you can is simply amazing." Stayne explained while shifting into a sitting position.

Instantly she was by his side moving the pillows so that he would be more comfortable. With her being so close the knave could make out her sent. It was a soft blend of apples and wildflowers. It was a sent he could grow addicted to. As she pulled back he finally took notice of what she was wearing.

Stayne was slightly surprised to see that she had changed out of her dress and it made him wonder just how long he had been out. Now she was in a pair of tight fitting black pants and a very tight white tank top that said "I'm big in Tokyo". On her feet was a pair of red shows that went to her ankles. There was no heel so she could easily run in them and they looked very comfy. The red almost matched the coloring of her shirt lettering.

When Mei noticed him looking at her clothing she felt herself blush. She had changed after her dress became the next victim of one of the March Hares famous food fights. She wasn't expecting him to wake up and see her in it. But she was glad that he seemed pleased by her appearance. Still she saw the question in his eye.

"You've only been out for a few hours but I got caught in one of Thackery's food fights so I had to change. Luckily I had everything unpacked otherwise it would have taken a lot longer to get cleaned up." Mei explained.

Her voice made Stayne snap out of his not so pure thoughts. He made a mental note to thank the crazy hare later, for as much as he loved her dress this view was just so much better. She looked like she was ready for a good scrap and he found that incredibly sexy. Still all his mind wanted to know was what would she look like naked?

"No! Stop it Stayne. This amazing woman would never want to be with someone as broken as you!" He mentally screamed at himself. Still he felt like a love sick fool just starring at her. As he went to ask what she meant earlier about the boys the door slammed open and a young man ran in and clung to the startled girl.

"Mei! Help me! This time he really is going to kill me!" Kyle's panicked voice rang out.

"Kyle? Wait who's going to kill you?" Mei asked slightly scarred for the terrified man clinging to her.

"Kaine! That's who! I swear I didn't do anything to trigger it. He just snapped and came out!" The twin explained while trying to look innocent. Mei didn't buy it for a second.

"Really now? So you're saying that you did nothing at all to push Duncan so far that he would snap and let Kaine try to kill you?" The Asian asked disbelief clear in her voice.

Stayne didn't know what was going on but he did know that seeing this Kyle guy touching her pissed him off to no end. Yet what pissed him off even more was that he couldn't do anything because moving hurt a lot.

"Look Kyle, Duncan is the calmest one out of all of us. So just come out and say what you did or so help me I'll beat it out of you myself." She threatened. Mei didn't know where it came from but for some reason she was really mad now. Maybe it was because he interrupted her time with Stayne. Yup that could be it. Just as it looked like he was about to say something a familiar voice filled the room.

"My, my, my. You're not causing problems for my little raven now are you Kyle?" Kaine all but sang while walking over to the two. He chuckled as the older twin ran to the other side of the bed. Looking at the man sitting in it he felt his eyes dance in amusement.

"Why hello there. You must be Stayne. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kaine, keeper of birds." The man stated with a flourished bow. Righting himself he quickly latched onto Mei-Lin's small form.

"Nice to meet you Mister Kaine. I am Ilsovic Stayne. If you don't mind me asking what is the "Keeper of Birds"?" The knave all but growled. What was with men and touching his Mei?

Kaine's eyes lit up at hearing his possessive tone. If he wasn't mistaken that was the tone that Tarrant used with his little song bird. Deciding to have some fun he moved to that his body was wrapped around the young woman's almost intimately. Luckily for him she was used to his touchy feely behavior.

"Well it's exactly as it sounds. I am the keeper of birds. Not just any birds mind you. They have to be special little things. I have three right now. A playful song bird, a beautiful white dove and of course my brilliant little raven." At the last three words Kaine placed small kisses on the Asian's head.

Stayne was beyond confused. Just who was this guy to Mei? She didn't seem at all annoyed by the man's actions. In fact she looked almost bored. As the knave heard her sigh he focused his attention on her once more.

"Alright Kaine, enough games. Don't let what he said confuse you Stayne. Kaine calls Aly, Mirana and I his little birds. It's simply his way of showing affection. Hence why he is called the "keeper of birds". He looks out for us and is like a brother to Aly and I." Mei explained. She smiled softly when the knave nodded his head in understanding.

"Now Kaine, what brings you out so soon? Why are you trying to kill Kyle?" The raven asked calmly, completely used to these situations.

"Well my little raven, this fool was going on and on about our little song bird. Needless to say good old Duncan lost his cool and here I am." The man stated happily. All she did was roll her eyes. Kyle really needed to watch what he said.

"I see. I'm not surprised, however as you can see Stayne is still recovering so if you must beat some sense into your brother please do so elsewhere." Her voice was calm yet it held an air of authority.

"Wait that's not fair! You can't just hand me over to him! Besides you're the one who put this guy in here in the first place so you can't use him as a reason to not help me!" Kyle screamed in outrage. Something you should never do in front of two possessive males.

"Don't talk to her like that boy! Yes she defeated me, something you should be thankful for because it means if the enemy tried to break your scrawny neck, you would be saved. So why don't you show some respect to someone who can clearly kick your ass." Stayne's voice was cold and if looks could kill Kyle would be dead, ten times over.

"He's right little fool. You shouldn't talk to our raven that way. It just makes me want to kill you even more." Kaine's sadistic reply rang out.

Mei looked at Kaine in shock. Did he just share her with Stayne? For Kaine that was like saying you're a part of the family. She couldn't stop the smile or the laugh that escaped her. However when she saw all three of them looking at her she felt the need to explain.

"Stayne, Kaine just shared me with you. In other words he accepts you as one of us." She said happily, a radiant smile on her face the whole time.

"The little raven's right black knight. I expect you to take good of her." The younger twin sang happily.

"Black knight?" The knave muttered, ignoring the fact that Kaine had just chased Kyle out of the room.

"Kaine likes to name things that he considers interesting or precious to him. I'm raven, and you're black knight, I'm also pretty sure that Kyle is little fool. It's a term of endearment." Mei explained while sitting down on the side of his bed.

"I see but I thought you said there were only four of you, including Kaine it would be five." He mentioned confused.

"Yes but Kaine is a special case. You see Duncan and Kaine share the same body." She said softly.

"What like split personalities?" Stayne questioned wanting to know the truth.

"That's right. Both Kaine and Duncan are one person and yet they aren't. They share a body but are both different people. When Duncan loses control over his emotions Kaine takes over. It's why I knew Kyle did something. Duncan doesn't ever just let Kaine out. He always fights to stay in control of their body." The raven stated sadly.

"Why not separate them then? Wouldn't it be easier for both of them if they each had their own body?" The knave wondered out loud.

Mei looked at him in awe. He was right! If they were separated, then they wouldn't have to fight for control and Duncan wouldn't have to be so scared of losing his temper.

"Is that even possible?" She asked in curious amazement. If it was then everyone would win. Well everyone but Kyle but maybe this is what he needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

"Yes it is possible. You just need the right text. I'm sure the White Queen would have an idea as to where it has been hidden." Stayne explained.

Seeing the way she lit up with joy, Stayne felt like the luckiest man in the world. All he wanted was to hold her close and give her reasons to smile like that every day.

"Oh this is wonderful! I'm sure the guys will be so excited to hear the news!" Mei exclaimed happily. Without thinking she threw herself on the knave giving him a hug. When she realized what she did she went to move away only to be caught in his arms as he returned her hug with one of his own.

Slowly pulling back a little the young strategist looked into the eyes of the tall man before her. Slowly their faces got closer and just as their lips were about to meet the door was thrown open by none other than Alice herself. Everyone froze.

To say Alice was surprised would be an understatement. When she heard from Kaine that her friend had woken up she decided to visit but now she felt like she should've waited until tomorrow.

"Oh god. Sorry guys! I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll just leave and come back tomorrow ok Stayne? Oh and Mei? Make sure you take it easy on the guy after all he's still recovering." With a wink and a very cheeky smile the champion ran out the door calling for Mirana.

Both the knave and the raven remained still. Neither one spoke due to the embarrassment dished to them by Alice. Without really thinking Mei buried her face in Stayne's chest as if hiding would make the fierce blush on her face fade.

Stayne simply starred at the door that his devil of a best friend disappeared through. When he felt Mei move to hide herself with his chest he simply tightened his hold on her. He wanted to say something, anything to make her feel better but he didn't trust his voice.

"How is it that a mere woman can make me feel like a child caught doing something wrong?" He thought to himself. Finally not able to take the silence he spoke.

"Mei? Are you alright? You don't have to hide anymore the big mean Alice is gone now." His voice was soft but playful. He felt her shake from her laughter.

"Yeah, I'm just a little embarrassed is all. I mean I feel like my dad just walked in on us not my best friend." The Asian explained pulling back while staying in his arms, she felt safe there.

"Yes. I know what you mean. I also have a feeling that she is going to tell everyone she sees about what she interrupted." Stayne said lightly. He smiled when he heard her groan.

"I guess she's just happy to finally be the one interrupting instead of being interrupted." Mei joked causing the knave to chuckle. She had to admit she liked seeing him like this. He seemed so relaxed and she wanted nothing more than to stay there in his arms.

"You know, if it's alright with you I would very much love to give you that kiss now?" Stayne asked, even though they both knew the answer. So with a shy yet playful smile Mei gently placed her lips against his.

The once gentle kiss soon turned passionate. Mei felt as if her whole body was hit by lightning. Kissing Stayne just felt right, as if they were meant to be together. She moved her hands from his chest to his ebony locks, entangling her fingers in them.

Stayne was on a high he'd never felt before. Never in his life had he felt so much from just a kiss. He knew then and there that he was addicted. Like a moth to the flame, Mei was quickly becoming all that mattered to him. She was his light and if he had to burn to protect her he would.

All thoughts left him when he felt her nails on his scalp, lightly scrapping and massaging. He couldn't stop the moan even if he had tried. As they broke apart for air, both lightly gasping neither could stop the smiles from forming on their lips.

Slowly Stayne laid back down with his raven right beside him, curled into his side. If this is what life without Iracebeth would be like then both would fight harder than ever.

"Sweet dream Stayne." The young woman whispered.

"Sweet dreams my Mei." The knave whispered back before following her into the land of dreams themselves.

~A.N.~

Ok, I feel absolutely horrible for my serious lack of updating. I have been sick and once I recovered I had to go to the anime convention Ai-Kon. Not gonna lie, best time ever. But still that's no excuse for my lack of writing. I promise to try and up-date again soon. For those who are solid Alice/Hatter fans, don't worry the next chapter will be about them and what they are doing during the time of this chapter. SO like always please rate and review, I look forward to seeing what you have to say! *smiles and bows*