So, here we are again and Hatter returns. I skew from the series quite a bit here, so be prepared. Hope you enjoy it.

Sewing through leather by hand was hard, tedious work, not to mention painful. Alice had stuck herself three times with the needle when she got lost in her thoughts and stopped paying attention to the task at hand. Charlie had laid down in his hammock shortly after telling her his story. She figured the tale and all the emotions it stirred up had left the man feeling a bit wrung out. When she heard him start to snore and hum softly, she knew he was asleep. Good. He needed his rest. Unfortunately, that left Alice with only her inner turmoil for company. Lacking any clocks, the girl had only the sun to judge the passage of time by. She glanced at it anxiously, again and again, though had no real notion of the time. All she knew was that it felt like forever.

She finished her alterations and tried on the new clothes. The seams were a little crooked, the stitches not quite even, but all in all, she hadn't done a bad job. The pants were a bit loose, but there was no helping that. After the effort it took just to adjust the hem a few inches, she wasn't about to sit and restitch the entire inseam. She had shortened the sleeves on the tunic drastically. There was no way to just take a few inches off the cuffs, because of the beautiful embroidery. So, she had to remove the sleeve and shorten it from the other end. Now the shirt was something she was more comfortable in, almost like a gussied-up t-shirt.

Charlie didn't have a full length mirror and she wasn't about to wake him to tell her how she looked, so Alice had to twist and contort herself this way and that, checking to make sure the fit was as correct as she could manage. Not bad at all. The boots fit just wonderfully, the sole cushioned inside and the leather soft and comfortably snug at her calves. She used the thong - a strip of some strong, hide-like material - to tie her hair back in a ponytail. Alice never would have thought herself the type to go for leather pants, but the clay coloring and the laces running up the outside to the knee tickled her fancy. With the dress finally off and clothes that suited her on, she felt a bit more herself. But the sun was starting to dip low in the sky and the quiet nibble in the pit of her stomach was fast becoming an outright gnawing. Where was Hatter? All of Wonderland was out for his blood and the idiot had run off alone. Damn him. If he went and got himself caught… She didn't want to think about it. But what she wanted and what she got were two different things.

The sound of someone approaching brought her heart to her throat and she rushed to see… but, no. It wasn't Hatter. Percival and Guinevere had found their way home, just as Charlie said they would. Alice had no idea what she was doing, but managed to unsaddle them with a little trial and error. Their bridles would just have to stay put. She turned them loose in their corral and closed the gate behind.

"Where are you?" she asked the wind blowing between the trees. The same trees were blocking her view of the sun, so she couldn't see how close it was to the horizon - as though that made a difference. The girl left camp then, making her way along a path she had not traveled yet, choosing this one over the others solely because it went up. The forest opened out onto a clearing full of tall grass which had died and turned hay colored in the sun. Maybe it was hay, she didn't know. The path stopped here, but there was a steep hill rising up above her and Alice climbed it. At the top, she surveyed the area. The view was spectacular. She could see most of the Kingdom from here and with the sun setting behind, the scene would have been quite magnificent. Would have been if she weren't so worried.

What would she do if he didn't come back? Hatter had so quickly become her touchstone here in Wonderland. Nothing she did was independent of his influence in one way or another. And, besides that, she genuinely liked the man. He was outrageous and witty, ridiculous, and yet so passionate and sincere. She had been surprised to find that she admired him. Quickly after that realization, the girl decided she shouldn't have been surprised at all. Hatter really was someone special.

But would he come back as promised? That was the issue. She chewed her bottom lip, staring over the ruined city. Something cold and wet brushed her arm suddenly and Alice jumped aside. A strange … bird? Insect? Some kind of flying creature fluttered away from her. Several of the strange creatures, actually. She wiped at the place on her arm and made a yuck face. Whatever it was, it had left some kind of greasy smear on her skin. It was somehow familiar and, as she watched, one of the flying things landed on a rock not far from where she stood, opening and closing its wings slowly as it rested.

They moved like butterflies, but were much larger than any butterfly the girl had ever seen. The wings were far thicker than that of an insect. She couldn't see how the creature was even capable of flying with those bulky things. The wings glistened as well, coated with some yellowish substance, which must have been what rubbed off on her arm. Wait… She tilted her head and peered closer, brows furrowing. It looked almost like… no…

"Yes, they're breadandbutterflies," someone said from behind her, near the tree line. Alice whirled and saw, for the second time, the large, plum-colored feline. "You're quite fortunate, really. Since they are so tasty when served with tea, they are rather hard to find these days." The creature padded towards her a few steps and sat, gazing idly at her as he had that morning. "Hello Alice."

"H-hello," the girl said back, feeling a little like she might be unraveling. "Are you real?"

A stupid question maybe, but worth asking. She had been under a lot of stress recently and that could make you see things that weren't there. The cat spoke, his pleasingly rich baritone voice carrying a slightly superior tone. "How should I know what's real to you?" He asked. "If I were a figment of your imagination, do you think I'd be in on that little secret? I should think you would be the one to tell me if I were real."

Okay, that was a good point. "But I don't know."

"Then we really are in trouble, aren't we?" was his sardonic reply. His argument made sense, after a fashion, but all the same, Alice had the strong suspicion he was just toying with her. Like a cat with a mouse. How appropriate.

"Would Charlie be able to see you if he was up here?"

"Does he have eyes?"

"Yes."

"Do they work?"

"Yes," Alice confirmed.

"Then I would imagine so," the cat told her. Okay, so he was real. She wasn't hallucinating, which was great news, but she was having a conversation with a talking cat. Not so great news. Especially, when he was big enough to have her for dinner.

"Okay, so you're real," the girl said. Now that she had her first concern taken care of, she moved on to the second. "What do you want?"

The cat thought for a moment before answering. "There is an itchy spot behind my left ear that I can never reach."

Alice blinked at him, completely thrown by that answer. "You want me to scratch your head?"

"I am a cat," he pointed out. "Isn't that what all cats want?"

Fabulous, a talking cat with a sense of humor. "Why are you here?"

He narrowed his eyes curiously. "Where else would I be?"

"Anywhere." She opened her hands and gestured to the wide world. She could have sworn the animal shrugged.

"Well, if I could be anywhere, I may just as well be here."

Like pulling teeth. "Just looking for idle conversation, then?" Maybe there weren't a lot of talking animals out in the woods.

"No." Well, if he wanted to eat her, he would have done already, as this was the second time he'd found her alone and unarmed (the knife was still sitting on Charlie's bed, not that she supposed it would do much good against a four foot tall feline.).

So, not idle conversation… "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

He nodded once. "Yes."

"So tell me."

"Don't you want to ask more questions?" he asked instead of speaking his piece. "You seem to enjoy it so." She had heard once that cats are contrary creatures and, boy, was that turning out to be true. In spades.

Alice sighed, rubbing her fingers against her forehead wearily. "I don't know what to ask. I don't know what to do." That's all this place was to her, a giant list of problems she had no solutions for.

"That's the first sensible thing you've said since arriving in Wonderland," the cat commented. It almost sounded like a compliment. The girl snorted softly.

"I thought being sensible was a bad thing around here."

He nodded thoughtfully. "It can be," the animal conceded. "But only when dealing with nonsensical things."

"Like a talking cat?" Alice ask pointedly. He smiled widely, wider than should have been strictly possible. "I'm scared," she admitted. She couldn't say it to Hatter or Charlie, but somehow, she was able to tell this strange creature and not feel ashamed or weak.

"You should be." She hadn't expected him to console her, so wasn't disappointed or stung by the blunt reply. The girl sighed again and turned to face the city as the sun began to set. "I'm not the Alice of Legend."

"Neither was Alice Liddell," the cat said from behind her, his tone actually growing a touch gentler. "A legend is a story people tell themselves to feel better."

"Then how did she defeat the Queen?" The million dollar question. As far as Alice Hamilton could remember, the child Alice hadn't brought down the Queen in either the book or cartoon. She'd only escaped back to the real world. So, they were no help. What was the secret? How could anyone defeat the Queen of Hearts?

"Luck," he replied, simply. That wasn't very helpful. There was nothing Alice could do to make herself more lucky. "When a little girl stood up to the most powerful woman in all of Wonderland, unafraid, it made people take a long look at their ruler. The Queen of Hearts had never ordered a child put to death before. Her most loyal guards refused and she ordered them to death as well. They were nothing more than a pack of cards to the Queen."

"So, they turned on her."

"They did. And the Queen fled." He added in a more grave voice, "But that was then. Now, it is different."

"What do you mean?" Alice half turned back to look at him.

The cat stood, walking over to sit beside her. The expression he looked up at her with was the most serious she had ever seen on a cat. "She isn't just a woman now. She has the Vorpal Blade, the sword that slayed the Jabberwock; and the Stone of Wonderland does more than power the Looking Glass."

"What else does it do?"

"It doesn't matter." She gawked at him.

"How can it not matter?" her voice rose in confusion and disbelief.

"It won't stop you from defeating her," he simply stated, as though that were all there was to it.

"What should I do?" God, someone please tell her what to do. She was so lost.

"Do what you think is right," the cat told her firmly, but gently, his emerald eyes focused on her intensely. "There is nothing more you can do than that, Alice Hamilton."

She looked away, back towards the city, all lit brilliant orange and amber and a thousand other shades. "Thank you." He had seen her, really seen her. Called her by her real name. It was the first time someone in Wonderland had looked at the girl and accepted her for who she was.

His fur was softer than she would have guessed when he bumped his head against her hip and hand. She stroked his head and scritched that spot behind his left ear, smiling to herself when she heard his gently rumbling purr. They stood together and watched as the sun slowly burnt itself out behind the mountains that surrounded the Kingdom of the Knights.

"Alice?" Oh, thank the gods. She turned to see Hatter making his way up the hill. He looked none the worse for wear, thank you again, just a little out of breath. Alice looked down at her hip, but the cat was gone again. It wasn't a surprise, even though she hadn't heard or felt him move.

The man paused in his climb, just looking up at her for a moment. She tilted her head to the side curiously, as his expression was a bit odd as he gazed upon her. Then she remembered her new clothes. Of course. He shook whatever it was off and spoke. "It's good news." Finally, some good news. "The Resistance wants to help."

Of course, they did. They wanted the ring. Hatter finished his climb, coming to a stop just before the girl. She'd almost allowed herself to start to think something might have happened to him. He'd cut it pretty damn close to his self-imposed deadline.

"They're sending a special agent who will take us to see Caterpillar," he finished with a smile. He was breathing a little heavy and she smiled just a little in return. It was good news, but she couldn't muster much cheer over it. The Resistance wouldn't help her find her father in the casino. Their goal was to overthrow the Queen, not help little oysters like her. But the cat had told her to do what she thought was right and what she thought was right was to give the ring, her only bargaining chip, to those most in need of it. She had no right to put herself before so many people who had suffered for years under the Queen of Hearts.

"Phew," Hatter breathed with a little chuckle. "It's quite a.. steep hill." His brows drew together slightly as he took in her somber expression. "You okay?"

She nodded, supplying a partial explanation for her subdued demeanor. "I was starting to think you weren't coming back."

He took the words the wrong way, the smile leaving his face. "You still don't trust me?"

Alice shook her head. "I was worried about you."

Obviously the man had not expected that and blinked at her, mouth opening to reply, but nothing came out. His expression shifted again and he looked almost chagrinned. "Oh."

It was a little disconcerting that he was surprised she had been anxious about his safety. Did he really think her so self-centered? She wasn't sure she'd like the answer she got to that question, so didn't ask it. Instead, she chose a safer inquiry. "How soon 'til they get here?"

Hatter shrugged. "I dunno, but those guys can move pretty fast when they need to." He glanced away, at the city. The sight stopped him and she understood why. Bathed in the last of the dying sun's glow, the ruins were breathtaking. The same light lit his face and, with his expression so determined, he looked like a hero in a comic book - too heroic to be real.

"You're going to fight with them, aren't you? Against the Queen," she asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"I have to try," he responded, not looking away from the great ruin. "As Dodo said, I've lived my life playing both sides of the court. It's the only way I could stay alive." Now, he did turn to face her, that same determination hardening his voice. "I made the Hearts think I was working for them, while I fed their enemies. Those days are over."

His gaze went back to the city, which was just as well, because that way he couldn't see Alice blink rapidly to keep the unexpected moisture in her eyes at bay. She was struck by how very much he reminded her of Charlie in that moment. Both looking for a second chance to make up for past transgressions, both judging themselves far too harshly.

"Dodo was wrong." He looked to her again, confused by her declaration. "And you're wrong. Using the Hearts so you could help the people who needed it doesn't make you a coward, Hatter."

"Alice-"

"No, listen," she cut off his argument gently. "It wasn't the only way you could stay alive. You could have done nothing. You could have profited off the Tea Shop and ignored the world rotting around you like everyone else. It might have been unpopular, but you risked more by lying to the Hearts' faces than Dodo does hiding in his hole in the ground. So don't you stand there and tell me he was right about you."

She had started off her point in a soft tone, but by the end of it her voice was as hard as his. She was even scowling a little bit.

"Ali-"

"Don't, Hatter," she warned firmly. "I'm serious." He stared at her a few seconds before backing down with a nod. Good. She could only hope what she had said had gotten through to him, even if only a tiny bit. They stood silently as the sun finally disappeared behind the mountain. In the gloaming light, the two made their way back to Charlie's glade. "Do animals talk in Wonderland?"

He was so surprised by the question he laughed. "Sometimes. It depends on what kind."

"What about… big, purple cats?" His amused smile faltered just a bit.

"Did you see a big, purple talking cat?" The way he asked made Alice think that she had been right to worry about her mental faculties.

"No, no," she answered with a little wave of her hand and an incredulous chuckle. "Maybe."

Hatter stopped walking and stared at her almost slack-jawed. "You saw the Cheshire Cat?"

Was that who he was? In the cartoon, the cat was smaller, not to mention bright magenta and quite round; nothing like her cat. But the smile… that smile should have been a dead giveaway. "I think I did." He gawked. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No one has seen the Cheshire Cat in a hundred years," Hatter stated. Something in his gaze shifted and Alice took a step back.

"Don't look at me like that," she warned. Damn. She should have kept her trap shut. He opened his mouth to say something, but the girl spun away, walking quickly down the path. "And don't tell Charlie." The last thing she needed was the White Knight's near-worship of her to be vindicated just because a supernatural feline had given her some advice. The Cat had said so himself, there was no Alice of Legend.

She could feel Hatter's eyes on her as she walked, the lack of a second set of footsteps in her ears evidenced that he was just standing there, staring at her. If she could take back the thoughtless inquiry, she would, but it was too late now. She just had to hope he looked at the whole thing logically. She also conveniently forgot that in Wonderland, logic is a rare beast indeed.

The old knight had already started the fire by the time she reached the camp - Hatter not far behind - and was setting to prepare dinner - borogove, yum. With Hatter safe and sound and the Resistance back on their side, Alice's anxiety eased just enough that she thought she could manage to fall asleep if she tried. Asking the other two to wake her when the meal was ready, the girl went to take a cat nap. And, yes, she fully understood the irony.

Her second helping of borogove was just as delicious as the first. Though her nerves were displeased by being forced to eat, her stomach had final say and was soon purring with bliss. The meal began in utter silence and Alice knew that Charlie was thinking about what he had told her earlier that afternoon and Hatter was thinking about the Cheshire Cat and she, herself, was thinking about Jack and her father and the difficult choices that lay ahead for her. The girl wanted to put a stop to all three of those lines of thought, at least for the moment.

"Why is it called Wonderland?" she asked out of nowhere. Both men looked up at her, then at each other.

"It's… it's just what it's called," Hatter answered haltingly.

"So, you've never wondered why?" She hoped they would ignore her choice of words. He shrugged.

"I suppose I did when I was younger," he shrugged. "You probably got the same answer as a kid when you asked why it was called 'earth'."

Alice lifted an eyebrow. "I know why it's called 'earth'. It's derived from an ancient word for dirt. Wonderland sounds like an amusement park. There has to be a reason."

"Well, I don't know it," he shook his head, popping a bite of meat into his mouth and sucking the grease from the pad of his thumb.

"I do," Charlie chimed in. He set his plate aside and added a bit of wood to the fire. "Much was lost when the Queen destroyed the city, but I remember a bit of the tale I was told as a boy."

Alice set her plate down as well. She hoped this was a happier story than the last one he told. Hatter kept eating, but was listening intently.

"Long, long ago when Wonderland was not Wonderland, but only a wild country filled with beasts and beastly people, the knights of the old world passed through the vale and into the new. They called the land Avalon, paradise, a land of infinite wonder. With pure hearts and strong wills, they brought the scattered, leaderless peoples of this world together under a just rule of compassion and order. Everyone lived in peace and happiness. Others found their way through the vale, not always with goodness in their souls and the knights saw they had need of a way to control passage between the Earth and Avalon. So, the Stone was created and the vale was locked within the Looking Glass.

"How Avalon became Wonderland is a mystery kept within the folds of time. Perhaps as more people passed into the realm, those who were not of the same time or place as the Ancient Knights, the word Avalon lost its meaning. But one must admit, this is truly a wondrous land, so perhaps it was the knights who had it wrong after all." He smiled, which made Alice smile.

"Charlie, was one of the knights named Arthur?" she asked. For Avalon was the word King Arthur and his knights used for heaven. It also explained why Charlie's horses were named Percival and Guinevere.

"No, but the Ancient Knights did pass down a legend about a great king called Arthur. I don't recall the tale myself, I'm afraid," Charlie told her with an apologetic little shrug. "Why do you ask?"

"In my world Arthur is the most famous king who ever lived."

"Well, will wonders never cease," he chuckled. The old man took a breath and huffed it out pleasantly. "And, on that sentiment, I believe I shall retire for the evening." He stood and nodded a bow to the girl.

"Pleasant dreams, Sir Charles," she bade the man.

"G'night, Charlie," Hatter said with a little lift of his plate.

And then there were two. The younger man set his dish aside, wiping his hands on his pants in true male fashion. Hoping to keep him from bringing up the Cat again or something more upsetting - like Jack - Alice groped for a topic of conversation. She could have just gone to be herself, of course, but did not want to leave him to himself.

"What's the deal with your right hand?" she blurted. His eyebrows went up and he held up said appendage for inspection. Alice gave him a look. "You know what I mean. I saw what you did to the pillar when you swung at Dodo, what you did to that man's face on the roof. So what gives?"

He shrugged. "You saw for yourself."

"Yeah, I saw what it can do," she allowed. "What I want to know is why."

"There is no why," the man said simply. She was agawk at that statement.

"What do you mean. There has to be a reason. Were you dropped into a vat of toxic waste as a kid?"

He ignored her last question. "Alice, this is Wonderland. Not everything happens for a reason. Some things just are."

While her mind insisted everything had an explanation, she had no choice but to take him at his word. He obviously believed what he was saying. Weird. Unfortunately, that simple answer put an end to the discussion and she had to quickly come up with another topic before he found one himself.

"So much for being fast when they need to," she said lightly of the special agent supposedly on his or her way to collect them.

"There's Suits all over the city," Hatter informed her. "That's probably what's holding them up."

"You saw them?"

He nodded, then assured her with a slightly rakish smile. "But they didn't see me, so don't worry."

"I wasn't," she protested. "Did you see Mad March?"

The smile vanished. "No." She could see the muscle in his jaw tighten and wondered what had suddenly angered him. He looked at her and even in the firelight she cold tell his eyes had darkened. "Did he give you that?"

"Give me w-"

"I saw the cut on your neck, Alice." His tone was almost accusatory, like she had tried to hide it from him or something. And, yes, she hadn't mentioned it, but that wasn't the same thing. She just didn't want to upset him. After a beat, she nodded. Was it possible to bite through your own teeth somehow? Alice was worried if Hatter kept grinding his together like that, she would soon find out.

"It's not bad, really." She ignored the way that sounded like a battered woman trying to defend her abusive husband.

"He had a knife to your throat," Hatter practically growled.

"But I'm fine," she reminded him. Then, trying to lighten things up, she added. "I know it's hard to believe, but as charming as you are, he just really doesn't like you."

She knew instantly it was the wrong thing to say. Not just wrong, but very, very wrong from the look on his face. "What's that got to do with it?" he asked, voice suddenly hoarse. She didn't even entertain the notion of not answering.

"He.. He wanted to know where you were. And when I wouldn't tell him…" she trailed off, instinctively knowing that saying that he'd threatened to kill her would be a very bad idea. Hatter stared at the mark on her neck and Alice fancied she could hear his blood boiling. March had been so intent on finding this man that he risked being executed by the Queen again. She knew she didn't really have the right to ask, but did anyway. "Hatter, what happened between you and March?"

His chocolate eyes, which were just now closer to onyx than anything else, flicked up to hers. In their endless depths she could see his rage, but beyond that were pain and guilt. "I killed him."

Of all the things he could have said, this was the one she had never guessed at. She was so shocked by his admission that it took her a bit to process the information. "But you said the Queen had him put to death."

"She did. It was my fault, so I may as well have done it myself," he clarified. That was just like Hatter, she was learning. To look at it from the angle which shone him in the worst possible light.

"What happened?" the girl asked softly.

"Owl has a brother, Robin. He was working in the casino, trying to sabotage the emotion synthesis machinery. While doing that, he said he found something. The Queen was trying a new technology on the oysters, trying to drain something else from them."

"What?"

Hatter shook his head. "He was discovered before he had a chance to figure it out. He ran to my shop, of all places. What could I do? I gave him some gold and a fake name and sent him on his way. Had Dormie take him out of the city with a shipment of Frivolity a customer of mine ordered for a party. Whatever it was he saw, the Queen really wanted his head. She sent March after him and when he found his way to me asking questions… I lied." He stopped, pulling his gaze from her and throwing it into the fire. He looked haunted. "And when Robin got away, the Queen had Matthew executed. I killed my best friend."

Alice reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder, but he actually shied away from her touch. That, of course, only made her want to comfort him more. Poor man. She found her own little flame of anger inside, almost overshadowed by the sadness on his behalf. The Resistance, those bastards. He had done so much for him and what did he get in return? Treated like a traitor, like a snake.

"I can't believe Owl pointed a gun at you!" she said without meaning to.

"She doesn't know."

He hadn't looked up; the expression on his face hadn't changed. "What?"

"I never told her. I never told anyone. Only Dormie knows and I made him swear to keep quiet."

"Why?" she couldn't even fathom it. With Dodo calling him a leech, saying he did nothing for the cause, how could he remain silent on something like this? If Hatter's eyes had been haunted a moment ago, they were downright eidolic now.

"When I was in the Guard, I learned what it was to kill someone," he almost whispered. She'd been afraid something like that was true. It didn't change the way she felt about the man. He was still good, still someone she admired. "Men are dead, because of me. I can't do that again. I won't. If Dodo or the Resistance knew I was willing to let my own friend die…"

He shook his head, not saying more, but she got the idea. If they knew he was that dedicated, they'd want to use it to their advantage. They'd ask him to kill for them. And if he refused…

"Three men… I got sick every time." He shook his head. "I had to stay on the edge of the Resistance, never get too involved," he explained, though it didn't need explaining. "So, Dodo is right. I am-"

She moved fast, catching his jaw in her hand and turning his face toward her, bringing their eyes together once again. He curled his fingers around her wrist, but did not pull her hand away. "I told you not to say that to me. This doesn't change anything I said before. Since when is not wanting to kill people a bad thing?" She didn't give him a chance to answer. "Before you start thinking you should be more like them-" Dodo and his ilk "-remember this. If you hadn't stepped between us, I'd be dead right now. Just because someone is on the side of good, doesn't mean they are a good person. Dodo is a monster. He just happens to be on our team."

Our team. Because it was 'we', remember, Hatter? They just stared at each other for what felt like hours, but couldn't have been more than a minute. Finally, finally… the man swallowed and nodded within the grasp of her hand. His eyes didn't lose their ghostly cast, but at least she had put the thought into his head. She let her fingers slip from his face, the stubble on his jaw scraping lightly against her skin. He released her wrist with equal slowness and she sat again, beside him now, so close their arms almost touched.

In companionable silence, they stared into the flames.

I thought the timeline between Hatter geting word the the Resistance and Jack showing up was quite a bit off. I mean, I know it would take Hatter longer to walk back to the Kingdom than it would for Jack to ride there on a horse, but seriously. Arriving at almost the exact same time? Also, the Cheshire Cat is my favorite Wonderland character. and American McGee's Cat is my favorite incarnation, so you'll notice, my Cat is a bit more like hers than the original or the cartoon version. oh.. hope you liked the breadandbutterflies.