AN: Welcome to another chapter, I rather like this one. There's some major plot building and manic fun. So, please read and enjoy this chapter.

I didn't do my normal double re-read so any mistakes are mine and mine alone. I love this story lol.

Hearts

Chapter Ten

The rest of the morning passed quietly, quickly, and with a gloom over it that was thick and painful. White had gone to one of guest bedrooms and hadn't been seen since Hearts had left. Alice sat mulling over her guilt in the sitting room.

She sat on the window seat, the one that overlooked the garden, and the arrays of flowers that were still blooming. The were slumped over from the rain that had started falling earlier in the morning. It seemed thick and strange. The drops were large and pinged off the window, it sounded like a thousand people shushing a child.

She should have kept her mouth shut and not have asked about White's past, though she now knew why he wore a mask. He was the Prince of the Waste. Hearts would have known him at once had he not worn a mask to cover his face. Hatter must have had some part to play in his story, because obviously he'd known who White was all along.

'That's why he vanished a little while before I arrived,' Alice thought, 'He came to find me… but why?' she sighed and buried her face against her knees, arms folding around them, she sniffled. She felt like such a baby right now, upset with herself, upset with everything.

It seemed that everything around her lately was just going wrong, everything she tried to do right seemed to just go so horribly wrong. The trip to Isis Island, Cheshire loosing his arm, White and Hearts's relationship going completely sour, and now her own mood was going wrong.

She'd suffered through depression after her mother died, it was one of the reasons she'd been sent to see Time, though she hadn't known who he was. Time had helped her through the waves of sadness and anger, he'd whispered kind words to her, made her feel like she was loved.

Her father had taken a step back from her during that fateful year, as if she were some doll whose face had cracked, pieces had chipped away and he was suddenly afraid to handle her, afraid to break her more so than she already was. Her sister was the only one who was willing to give Alice a slap when it was needed.

Her sister had stepped up and played the role of mother to Alice, up until the day she left that is. Alice realized with a jolt that she'd never really thanked her sister for all she had done for her, never thanked her for chasing the demons out of her mind, for remembering to pack this or that for Alice when she left for boarding school.

'I'm a right idiot,' Alice thought, sighing loudly. 'I should have said thank you… instead I just snipped at her for this or that,' she closed her eyes, turned her head, and listened to the rain splashing to the ground.

shush, shush, shush, hush, hush, hush.

--

When Alice walked into Cheshire's bedroom, she watched the way he looked at her, and than quickly covered his arm with the sheet. But she'd already seen what there was to see. It was very much like Dormouse's arm, but the skin around the metal limb was angry and red, parts of his chest were stitched up, as was his shoulder and perhaps his back.

"How do you feel?" Alice asked, gingerly sitting on the edge of the bed.

Cheshire smiled wearily. "Like someone's pumped me full of beer and other things." He tried for a laugh but flinched when he managed a tiny one, "either that or poured acid down my throat and beat the crap out of me."

Alice smiled, 'at least he's the same,' she thought. "Can't be any worse than my day," she whispered.

"Did you have a bad one?" Cheshire asked, shifting a little against his pillows.

"I screwed things up again," she admitted, "I should have kept my mouth shut but I had to ask questions… why do I always ask questions?"

Cheshire fully laughed, "How am I supposed to know the answer to that?" he teased. "Alice, you are who you are, and I doubt you've ruined anything. But tell me what happened."

Alice began to recount her talk with Hearts, and than how she'd seen the rose mark on White's chest, and how she'd put it all together after that. She then told of the fight between Hearts and White, and finally she fell silent.

"I wont lie," Cheshire said, "It's quite a mess. White had his reasons for not wanting anyone to know who he was, I think in a way he feels like he choose battle over his wife, something he could never forgive himself for. I also think that his deal with the Gnomes, for them to take care of his children, also weighs heavily on his mind. He wants to forget that he was ever a prince, he wants to be someone else, and sometimes I think there are two White's…" he trailed off.

"Two of him?"

"One of them is the Prince, still hanging on to the threads of his old life," Cheshire explained, "the other is who we know, White, who wants nothing to do with the other side of his personality. They're in the same body, but sometimes, when you watch White, you can see the change. White is a tad bit more wise, and the Prince is ruthless, when they're blended it's a scary mix. I think you finally met the Prince half of him, because that quote was one that only the Prince would know, which is why it upset Hearts." Cheshire sighed and shook his head, "It's only a theory though, I have no proof that he is two people sharing the same body."

Alice nodded. It did make a lot of sense, the anger she'd seen in White, the sudden shift in his actions, the calm man had changed, and he'd struck the wall… White never did such foolish things. With White, every action was planned out to the very last movement, it's what made him so terribly dangerous on the battle field, in his hand, a sword could be used to kill in a hundred different ways.

He was like Hatter in that way, though Hatter preferred a shorter blade, and close combat. Yes. Hatter liked to look into the face of his enemy before he brought them death. He'd always been that way.

Alice closed her eyes, "Hatter and White are alike aren't they." She commented.

"They are," Hare agreed from the doorway, "Hatter was trained to fight by White, though he is a bit more twisted than our dear rabbit can boast."

"No one can boast the same mind as Hatter," Cheshire snickered.

"Don't speak ill of the person who'll be caring for you." Alice warned. She smiled as well.

Cheshire simply laughed weakly.

--

Hare walked with Alice out of the room, the feeling of something lingering on Alice's mind was enough that she stopped just out of earshot of Cheshire.

"What dwells in the darkness…?" she asked.

Hare stopped in mid step, eyes widening. He spun around and stared at her for a long while. "I'd forgotten…" he whispered, "that you came through the tunnels…" he sighed loudly. "That… thing is something we don't speak of, even on the most cheerful of days. Why ask now?"

"I keep…" Alice fell silent for a moment, would he think her mad? "I keep hearing a voice of sorts, it says for me to look into the dark for the answer." She sighed.

Hare hesitated, "A voice?"

"I'm not mad!" Alice snapped.

Hare looked taken aback, "I never said you were, Alice. But sometimes… some of us have powers over the mind, I'd hate to think that one of our enemies has enough power to will you into the dark like that." He sighed, "Go ask Hatter about the dark, if you must, he'll entertain dark thoughts that I don't enjoy."

Alice walked closer to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, "At least there's someone who is still sane, because it sure isn't me."

Hare laughed and wrapped his arms around her, "Alice, if both Hatter and I were mad nothing would get done around here." He kissed the top of her head. "Go ask Hatter,"

--

Hatter was sitting in his study, pouring over papers. He didn't so much as look up when Alice knocked on the doorframe as glanced behind him. "Yes?"

"I have a question, Hare said I should ask you because it's too dark for him to want to entertain the thought."

"You want to know the answer to the question you asked me before…" Hatter commented.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Alice told him.

"So be it." Hatter rose and opened the drapes that hung over his window. The hazy light of a cloudy day filtered into the room. He sat on the window seat, "The Jabberwocky…" the moment the words left his mouth a thick silence fell over the room.

Alice shivered, "I thought that was only a story…" she hesitated, "so… it's real than?"

"Yes." Hatter sighed, "He dwells in the caves, scared from his fight with the boy in the story. Some say he is too weak to sustain himself, I believe that he has enough strength to call people to him, he has no need to leave the darkness of his own making. He never goes hungry, that I know, and I myself have seen him." he trailed off, "It is a very dark memory."

"Why would I be hearing a voice telling me to go to him?"

"Because, for all his evils, The Jabberwocky is the only being in wonderland who does not take sides, who doesn't care about the outcome of a battle. He has always been, and will always be." Hatter shook his head, "some say that so long as the Jabberwocky survives wonderland can never fall." He looked at Alice.

Alice shivered violently, "That's a lie," she whispered, "nothing but a story."

"So it may be, so it may be. But if you gained the aid of the Jabberwocky, none, not even this false queen, would dare to stand against you." He looked at Alice.

"You think I should seek him out?" she asked.

"I never said that," Hatter snipped, "I only said it wouldn't be a bad idea. Truly though, I'd have you safe and sound, and nothing is sound after a meeting with him." he sighed, "Alice, I'd lock you away in a tiny ball and keep you from the hurts of the world if I thought you'd let me, but you'll do as you please, we both know that by now."

Alice smiled, "One of the many reasons I love you," she whispered.

"You don't love me Alice," Hatter stated.

Alice looked at him and cocked her head to the side, "What right do you have to tell me who I do or do not love? I know my own heart, inside I know that even as I love Cheshire dearly and want to spend every moment with him, I love you. It's a pain that I cannot explain, the pain of know that you will never be mine and I will never be yours. We both belong to another," she smiled at him oddly, "but alone in my thoughts I'll always wonder what could have been, might have been…"

"Should have been." Hatter added. He smiled oddly, "Love is a painful thing, a foolish thing and those who let themselves fall in love are the most foolish ones of all."

"Love should be foolish," Alice laughed, "it should hurt but the hurt should be balanced by pleasure as well."

Hatter grinned.

Alice flushed, "I didn't mean that!" she said, breaking into a fit of giggles. "Though Hare seems to balance you perfectly."

Hatter hesitated, he looked confused for a moment, and then his face split into a wide grin, "You're eviler than I am sometimes."

"You aren't evil, simply misunderstood."

--

It wasn't until later that Alice's thoughts truly started getting themselves in order. Should she go see that creature? Would it do her any good?

She'd deal with it another day. Another day she'd figure out the choices that needed making. But tonight, tomorrow, and the next day she would spend with Cheshire. She closed her eyes and willed her self to sleep.

Even if her dreams were restless and haunted.

--

Two months later and morning came with a flourish. The sunlight filtered in through the open drapes. Alice turned over, blinking her eyes in the bright light, and for a moment she just lay there, letting her mind go over all the strange things that had happened to her these past few months.

What had brought her to this point in her life? What had started this whole insane trip?

Time.

Time had triggered the whole thing, his strange comment at the dinner party, the way he'd made Alice feel weary and tired. If she hadn't gone home by herself she'd probably never have met White in the mirror, maybe she'd have had enough sense not to go with him.

But even if these events hadn't taken place, if Time hadn't played his part in getting her back here, didn't she belong here? It was beginning to feel that way.

She couldn't shake the sense of belonging that had fallen over her. The feeling of this place, this world, being home. The rich, loving home she'd wanted. Sure there were the bad things like people wanting to kill her, and some insane queen, and the fact that she could never go back to the other world… but it was home. The people in this world, at least the ones she loved, were the perfect family, Hatter was a little crazy, but there's always the black sheep in the family isn't there? Hare and Caterpillar were the ones she could talk freely to, and Cheshire… her dear Cheshire was the one she loved beyond a shadow of a doubt.

White was someone she wasn't sure of, he was more like a friend she'd known for a very long time, a friend whom she did have feelings for but the idea of risking such a wonderful friendship would never settle well in her heart. She knew that whatever feelings she had for him, well, they'd just have to stay buried in her heart until she didn't feel them anymore.

The others, Dormouse, Mock, they were question marks. The few times she'd seen them these past months, they'd been strange, different, and cold toward her. As if they blamed her for taking Cheshire from them.

And even Cheshire had changed. A bitterness was all round him.

She rolled over onto her stomach, buried her face into her pillow for a second. At home, when she'd had a bad day, she'd scream into her pillow, or listen to music until she felt better. In this world she couldn't do any of those things. Too many sharp ears, and no CD players.

She finally pushed up off the bed and started getting ready for the day.

It took a while but when she was dressed, had washed her face, pushed her short locks behind her ears, and found the lost boot under the bed, she walked once again down into the kitchen of Hatter and Hare's house.

The smell was the same as it was every morning. Not to say that Alice didn't like the smells of Hare's cooking, it was just the fact that it had been repeated so often that even her love of it had begun to fade. There was a sense in the air all around her, as if the world had suddenly decided to hold its breath, waiting. Waiting for what though? She didn't have any answer to that question.

She helped Hare with some of the more basic things that needed doing. Squeezing some of the juice from the fruits that were growing in the garden. Pouring said juice into glasses, setting the table with plates and forks, and simple things like that.

Alice had always entertained the idea that she wasn't a half bad cook, she'd changed her mind about that after staying with Hare. He could out cook anything she even remotely thought was good. Though she really didn't mind, it had just been a little hit to the ego, really she didn't mind.

She was just finishing setting the plates down on the table when she heard a soft laugh and a voice comment, "My, seems a little strange to see you doing things like that."

Alice turned and gave Mock an amused smile, "Why hello yourself, Mock, what brings you here?" she questioned, ignoring the first comment and his rudeness of not greeting her first.

Mock smiled that easy, laid back smile of his, the one that made his eyes crinkle around the edges. "I needed to speak with Cheshire, he well enough to deal with me?"

Alice's smile faded slightly, "He's well enough, though I'd like it better if he were able to rest a little longer…"

"Alice, he's had two months to recover, Dormouse jumped right into the battle plans after he returned from Hatter's tender care." Mock explained, a little annoyance flickering in his eyes. "The world doesn't stand still when people get hurt, they either step up and do their jobs or they get left behind. We don't want to leave Cheshire behind, Alice, but if we have to we will."

The threat was there. It was so strange for Alice to hear it come from Mock's mouth. Mock never was cruel to her, he was always the one she'd run to when she needed a hug. Had she truly been mistaken in thinking that he was one of the few who'd stayed the same?

It seemed so.

Alice sighed loudly, giving up on another childish dream. "He's in the back room, first door on the right." She turned away from him so he wouldn't see the anger written on her face.

She waited until she heard the sound of boots clicking away down the hall before she let her shoulders drop. She'd tried to keep them straight and firm, but she'd failed.

"He's right you know," White said from the doorway.

Alice looked at him, "How do you gather that idea?" she asked.

"The world doesn't stand still for one person, well, maybe it would for you, but that's for another day. What I mean to say is this: Cheshire has to step back into his role as a fighter, neither you or he can survive if he stops fighting." He looked at her with those rose colored eyes, gentle, kind, but hard all the same. "If you love him, Alice, let him go."

Alice looked away, "I wonder if Hearts would have let you go if she'd known the outcome." She walked away.

--

She found herself outside, shivering in the early morning light. A light breeze was blowing, but the air it carried with it was icy and cold. She'd heard rumors of snow fall in the outer lands of Wonderland. Snow.

"She's winning," Alice whispered, "She's going to win and I can't do a damn thing about it."

"What makes you say that?"

Alice turned. Dormouse was standing behind her. A look on his face that said he knew what she was talking about.

"Because," Alice answered, "Snow's already falling, if it falls in wonderland, if this land is coated in winter, she wins, I wont be able to bring life back…" she hesitated, "I don't know if I can do it even now." Tears threatened her eyes but she fought them with everything she had in her. She wouldn't allow herself to cry, it would be a waste.

Dormouse stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, his chest pressing against her back. "You can't worry about all that, Alice. You have so much to worry about with the things going on in the here and now that worrying about the future is likely to burn you at both ends. We can't have you going out Alice, you're the one thing we're holding on to as…" he trailed off.

Alice lifted her head to look up at him, she hadn't realized that he was taller than her. "What?" she asked.

"As the death toll rises," Dormouse finished. He sighed, "We've lost many, Alice. And the queen knows that Hatter isn't hers anymore, he's barely hanging onto this land, she wont take it because she's afraid of what's in the hillside."

"So am I." Alice agreed.

Dormouse smiled and smoothed her hair with his hand, "Just give yourself a break Alice, don't be to hard on yourself and don't expect too much. It never works out when you're trying to be super girl." He smiled.

Alice laughed, "Just what year did you come from?" she teased.

Dormouse kissed the top of her head and let go.

"Obviously it wont matter if I go with Mock and White," Cheshire said dryly from the doorway.

Alice and Dormouse spun around, "What are you talking about?" Alice demanded.

Cheshire shook his head, "I'm leaving by orb in a minute, thought I'd tell you goodbye, so goodbye." He turned and walked back into the house, a sour look in his eyes.

Alice stormed after him. "Cheshire!"

He didn't answer. He walked over to the two men and took Mock's hand. "Lets' go, please." He didn't look at Alice as he said this.

Alice stopped in the doorway, a hand on her shoulder. Hatter looked at her with a knowing look in his eyes.

Cheshire, Mock, and White vanished into thin air.

Alice closed her eyes tightly. "Why'd you stop me?" she questioned. Her voice thick.

"Because, Alice. He doesn't need personal problems weighing him down where he's going."

Alice cursed. She spun around and stormed out of the house again, slamming the door behind her.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" she yelled at the sky, "Give me something!" something that didn't mean going into the darkness.

The door to the entrance of the stairway swung against the rock side, smashing loudly against it.

Alice sighed. "Fine," she whispered, "Fine."

She stepped forward and marched toward the swinging doorway.

When she stepped inside, the darkness swallowed her. It loomed beside her and in front of her. She took out the small pendant that White had given her a while back. It glowed with a faint white light that was pleasant and soothing. She started up the stairs.

--

When she reached the two pathways, Alice almost backed down. She almost fled back down the stairs and gave up on this crazy, crazy idea. But she couldn't, she wouldn't allow herself to fully retreat. She turned right. The stairs here went up for a bit, and than down. And then suddenly there weren't any stairs but a straight narrow path that slopped downwards.

Her boots slipped onto the sandy rocks, sliding for a moment, almost sending her sprawling flat onto her face. she regained her balance and was more careful of where she put her feet after that.
She ended up having to dig the heels of her boots into the earth as the path began to dip steeper than before. Finally she ended up letting go of her necklace and grabbing a hold of the sides of the pathway, which were narrowing the further it went.

The path suddenly came to its narrowest point, and the ceiling of it was also so low that Alice finally ended up on her hands and knees, crawling through it. Though quite suddenly it all opened up into a wide room.

When Alice stood she realized that the air in the room was moving, in and out, hot and muggy air. And there was a smell that was unimaginably horrid. It made Alice gag and put her hand over her mouth and nose.

"You…" a voice hissed from somewhere in the dark cavern, just out of sight of the tiny light. "would have bad breath too if you only had a bone to gnaw on." The voice, like the smell, was something unimaginable, there were no words to explain it, nor the sudden terror that came into Alice's heart when she heart it speak.

Alice swallowed hard, scared, so scared. "I…" she couldn't speak any more words because the voice suddenly laughed, a booming laughter that should have shattered Alice's bones, ended her sad excuse for a life. She should drop down to her knees and crawl forward into the darkness, begging.

Alice almost dropped to her knees and crawled forward, she'd been beginning to make the move to her knees when a sudden thought hit her, 'why?' why did she think she had any need to ask this thing to forgive her? Anger shot through her, "Enough!" she yelled into the darkness, "You have no right to play with my emotions!"

"I have every right!" the creature screamed, surely it was the Jabberwocky, "You came into my home! I didn't ask you here!" each word became louder and louder until it was a deafening scream.

Alice stood there, eyes closed, teeth gritted. When the voice faded into silence she opened them again and stared into the darkness, "Are you done?" she asked. Forcing annoyance to stand higher than the fear that was eating her courage.

"Yes." The Jabberwocky answered.

Alice sighed, "Good." She stepped forward a little ways, "I'm sorry I came here without asking first, but you leave one little choice if they have need of you."

"Why, little girl, would you have need of me?" The Jabberwocky snorted.

"I am Alice. I am the rightful queen of all of wonderland." Alice explained, "I ask where you stand in the battles that go on above ground."

"I stand on no end, little queen, perhaps the end that feeds me the best, but again, no end, no end." there was a mocking tone in that voice, bordering on laughter.

Alice sighed, "I can promise you something better than an old bone," she said softly.

"Oh, what, pray tell, little queen, can you give me to eat?" The Jabberwocky sounded curious now.

"My enemies." Alice whispered, "Those who appose me, who stand with the false queen, I'll send them all to you, hundreds if not thousands."

She could hear it now, the growling sound in the darkness, than laughter, a hungry laughter. "Oh, that is a sweet, sweet deal, little Alice," the Jabberwocky whispered, "will you deal with me in blood?"

Alice cocked her head to the side, "Blood?"

"Our promise, or treaty, if you will, will be marked in blood. I drink from you and you from be. The deal can never be broken." The Jabberwocky explained, "Do you agree?"

"You will side with me, and come to my aid should I ask for it?" Alice asked.

"Even better, I'll give you the staff with my grandfather's eye, is that not enough to show our treaty?" The Jabberwocky asked, "and you will carry my mark on you, and yours will be on me." There was a note of thrill to the voice now.

Alice sighed, "Agreed." She hesitated, "how do we share blood."

Suddenly she felt like someone, or something, was standing very near to her. She could feel the hot breath against her face, softly blowing the hair around her face. A strange tentacle like thing curled around her hand, pulling her arm upwards.

Alice tensed.

"Relax,"

she breathed, "Fine,"

Two very human hands curled around her forearm and brought it higher up, from the strange angle, this… thing, this Jabberwocky was taller than a normal man, much taller. She could her a rustling sound, like wings. The sudden feeling of lips pressing against her forearm made Alice flinch and close her eyes.

"Relax," The voice whispered again, filling Alice with terror. What on earth was she thinking! She wanted to scream.

There was a tense moment, the mouth was open against her arm, something sharp pressed against the skin, but it wasn't until a moment latter that teeth sank into her skin.

Alice screamed, almost falling.

The Jabberwocky ignored her scream, it simply sucked the blood from the wound, thrill with the taste and power that the blood held.

Finally it let her arm fall away, and Alice fought to stay on her feet.

"Your turn," The Jabberwocky chuckled.

Before Alice could protest, she found two hands grabbing her shoulders and pulled her forward. She fell against a human chest, male, but just below his chest there was… there was a nest of tentacles that writhed and moved against her front, they settled on holding her against him. A longer one, closer to the top of his chest, reached up a forced her chin upwards. She could see two glowing eyes, yellow, cat like.

"Drink," he whispered. Alice flinched as she felt her face being pushed forward against his neck. It was a very human neck. Alice hesitated, she found her mouth against the smooth skin, felt his pulse under the skin, beating quickly, like a trapped rabbit.

Cheshire had always been a hunter, he'd known how to kill a wide number of things, and suddenly his urge and memories came into Alice's mind.

She sank her teeth into the neck, the strangely sweet taste of blood filled her mouth and she drank it down. Cheshire had done this once of twice when he'd been without a knife and within an inch of starving. He'd drank down the life blood of animals, tore the flesh from them-

"Only blood," The Jabberwocky gasped, his voice filled with pain as Alice's teeth sank a little deeper.

Alice flinched, she searched inside her mind, found the place where Cheshire's thoughts had begun to leak into her, and she closed it, shut it all down like flipping switches. She almost screamed when she pulled away from his neck and found herself being held by the tentacles.

The Jabberwocky let Alice fall away from him, he was breathing hard, pained. "You… you almost took a bite out of me." He gasped.

Alice gave a small whimper, "Sorry…" she mumbled.

"Don't be."

Something hot and heavy was pressed by the tentacles into Alice's hands. She grabbed it and used it to help her stand. "Thank you." She knew what it was.

"That is an insult to someone as old as I am, don't use it again." He mumbled.

Alice smiled, the old ones were odd, not even Caterpillar remembered that Thank You was an insult in the old days. She walked away, listening to the sound of someone slinking back into the darkness, a threatening whisper followed her as she crawled away.

"Don't forget our promise."

"I wont."

--

The sun was setting when Alice stumbled out of the door, the wind have given way to the air just being plain cold. Alice shivered and looked down at her arm in the fading light.

The imprint of teeth was on her forearm, but around the imprint was the oddest thing. It looked like a tattoo, but it was more real somehow. It was a black circle with tiny lines moving through it, like a dream-catcher. She studied it for a moment and sighed, another strange thing she'd deal with later.

She could still taste the blood in her mouth and it made her feel ill, but she figured it might be taken as in insult if she puked.

She looked at the staff and stared open mouthed for a moment. It was tall and made out of something that looked very much like bones. The bones moved upwards and at the top of it, framed by two bony hands, was a glowing orb like thing, it was an eye like the one she'd seen in the darkness. But bigger, clearer, and it stared blankly, but the light of life was still in it.

"What is this?" she whispered. Was it a person turned into a staff? How could that be...?

"Alice!" Dormouse sprinted across the lawn and stopped a couple feet from her, "Where have you-" his eyes locked onto the Jabberwocky staff, "Oh." He whispered.

"I… I had to meet someone," Alice said, suddenly sitting down on the cold ground, she put her head between her knees.

Dormouse knelt next to her and touched her forehead, "You don't need to say anymore, I know who you met today." He sighed loudly, "You're lucky to be alive… what did you promise that thing to get… this and that mark?"

Alice lifted her head, "I promised him that I'd feed all of my enemies to him." she smiled slightly. "Figured that'd be a good enough offer."

Dormouse's eyes widened, "That's thousands of people, Alice!" he sounded horrified, "You've condemned them all to death!"

"It's not my fault people are stupid!" Alice snapped.

"You're almost worse than Hatter," Dormouse stood and shook his head, his disgust was evident.

"Thank you," Alice said, suddenly angry, "I'm glad I'm like Hatter, at least I'm not like you, so righteous and yet so afraid!"

Dormouse's lips pursed together, "You don't know me, Alice, so don't act like you do." His voice was low and threatening.

"Go away, Dormouse." Alice whispered, "Go away and stay out of my life if you have a problem with me. But don't become an enemy…" she walked passed him.

He didn't call her back.

--