Thanks for all the great reviews guys, I'm glad you liked what I did with Carpenter. I'm feeling much better than I was, thanks again for all the concern :) Though I know it was all for the chapters and not so much me. ;-) Enjoy!
When Alice stepped out of the shower she felt like a new woman. Yes, the doctor had told her not to get her stitches wet, but she didn't really care. Her ankle and ribs still ached, but the pounding heat of the water had done her a world of good. She felt lighter, too, after her heart to heart with Jack; as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Alice didn't think she had ever felt so herself before. The shadowed questions that had plagued the girl all her life, like a splinter festering beneath her skin, had finally been answered, drawn into the light and burned away to ash - opening a whole new world to her.
And tomorrow she would go home. She would step through the Looking Glass and leave Wonderland behind her. Trying to retrace the steps she had taken beside Jack was easier than she expected, given she had not been paying attention at all as he led her through the palace. She made her way outside again soon enough, finding, as expected, a set of Suits waiting to escort her wherever she may need to go. There were only a handful of places she knew in the city and only one that mattered.
The sun was starting to set when she stepped back into the ruined Tea Shop, the way to Hatter's office as familiar to her now as the path to her own kitchen. He was seated at his desk, clicking away at the typewriter when she entered. She sat herself down on his couch without preamble and waited for him to finish whatever it was he was working on. Her stomach grumbled at her when she smelled whatever it was that Dormie had gone to get for lunch, but there was no food to be seen. She must have slept through the meal. That was no surprise, but she would have thought her friend would have saved her something at least.
"You're back." The words sounded oddly questioning, not pleased as they had been the last time he'd spoken them, back in the hospital that morning.
"Yeah." Alice felt she should say more, but what else was there? Hatter didn't even turn around, but continued tapping the keys with slow precision. After a few moments sitting in a silence that was suddenly, unfamiliarly uncomfortable, the girl got to her feet again, limping around the room in curiosity. The wardrobe stood open, half of the clothes hung neatly inside, the rest piled on the floor beside it, too damaged to be salvaged. Absently, she browsed through the offerings, finding no two pieces precisely alike and every one shouting Hatter. And the hats, oh, the hats! Many of them were just fine, save two or three that had been brutally stomped. She chuckled, picking a white top hat and plopping it down on top of her own dark brown locks.
"Alice," Hatter sighed from the desk, drawing her attention. "Did you need something?"
"I…" I just wanted to be here with you. "No."
"I'm a bit busy," he told her apologetically. It felt like a dismissal, like he was asking her to leave. No, it didn't feel that way, it was that way.
"Oh," she said quickly, putting the hat back on its hook on the stand. Heat rose from her shoulders to her cheeks. Of course, he had a lot to do. Stupid. "I'm sorry. Right, you've got loads to.. I'll get out of your hair."
"No, Alice." He stood and that was when she noticed he had changed his pants and now wore black slacks. His feet were bare and she suddenly really wanted to be able to curl her bare toes in what was left of the cool, green grass of his lawn. "I'm sorry. I guess it's just the adrenaline hangover."
She nodded, accepting that explanation easily because it was the easiest thing to do. There was a crumpled up bit of paper on the ground near his foot and another not far from that. This semi-trail brought her eyes to the garbage can and, indeed, there were several take out containers that looked just like the ones from her own world shoved inside.
"Guess I missed out on lunch," she said lightly, nodding towards the trash. Hatter glanced there as well, as though he hadn't known the bin existed before she mentioned it. His shoulders tensed.
"Yeah, sorry. I thought you'd be eating at the palace," he explained.
"No. Jack and I talked. I didn't even think to ask for something to eat," she shrugged. Not wanting to get into another discussion on her and Jack with Hatter, she added, "I spoke to my father, too."
"Your hair is wet." The statement came so far out of left field it took a moment for her to catch it and she wondered if he had even been listening to her. She remembered the last time she had stood in this office with wet hair. It seemed a lifetime ago.
"I took a shower. I don't know if you noticed, but I was a bit of a mess," she offered him a little teasing grin.
"You don't say?" He returned her smile, flashing pearly white teeth at her.
"Did you know my father was from Wonderland, Hatter?" The question was out of her mouth before she had fully realized the thought. The man's smile faltered and he swallowed before answering.
"Yes," he admitted. "Not at first, but once I saw him in the casino, I knew. I would have told you, Alice, really, but it didn't seem like the best time. And then he asked me not to. It wasn't my place, anyway."
"Thank you." He opened his mouth, ready to defend himself and/or apologize further, but stopped and blinked, a slightly incredulous curve lifting his lips.
"Thank you? For keeping something from you?"
Alice shook her head. "For letting him tell me. You're a good friend."
"That depends on who you ask," he chuckled, shadows chasing their way across his chocolate eyes.
"Anyone who says otherwise is wrong," she stated firmly. Her voice didn't soften as she spoke the next, but there was a deeper warmth to it. "You're my hero, Hatter. I never would have made it through without you."
"That's not any way true," he disagreed, lips twitching just a little. "All I did was take a few punches."
"And a bullet. And an indestructible blade that can slice through anything."
"So, I'm more resilient than most." His cavalier attitude about himself made the girl want to hug him and shake him at the same time. If saving the whole of Wonderland wasn't enough to get it through the man's head that he was something special, what the Hell could?
"I'm leaving in the morning." The words hung heavy in the air, freezing Hatter's expression unnaturally on his features. Neither of the two said anything for several heartbeats.
"Tomorrow morning?" The man finally asked softly.
"Yes. I guess a lot of the oysters are ready to go back." She shrugged. "They're all having their marks taken off now."
"Yours, too," he nodded, but she shook her head.
"I'm keeping mine."
Hatter's expression finally shifted, becoming one of quiet perplexity. "Why?"
"To remember," Alice told him. "I've been through so much here in Wonderland, learned so much about myself. I don't ever want to forget that."
He shook his head now, one corner of his mouth quirking upward smartly. "You'd never forget."
The girl wasn't so sure of herself as he was apparently. Her own lips curved into a mischievous little smirk. "Maybe I just kinda like it."
Hatter laughed, rolling his eyes at her statement. "I bet your mum will be just tickled pink when she sees it, too."
"I'll just wear long sleeves for the rest of my life." He laughed again and she never thought she'd get tired of that sound. But she wouldn't be hearing it again, would she? The realization that when she left Wonderland behind meant leaving Hatter behind as well hit her like a brick wall. His brows furrowed in concern and Alice knew her emotion was written all over her face. "You will come tomorrow, right, Hatter?"
"I thought you trusted me," he chided gently.
"I do, but you never said-"
"I'll be there. Just try and hold me back," he smirked, stepping towards her and curving his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him just slightly, worried she would hurt his injured ribs or jostle his fractured arm.
"I'm going to m-"
"Hey, now," he pulled back, shaking his head down at her with a look of playful admonishment. "Save the goodbyes, eh? Didn't even give me a chance to plan mine out, yet."
Alice opened her mouth to snark back at him when a tiny whirlwind came bustling into the room. Dormie, in his too large coat that had to weight as much as he did, drew to a halt, panting heavily. Hatter turned to face his little friend, his arm still resting lightly across the girl's shoulders.
"Hatter…. Hatter…. Ha…tter…" the mousy man hyperventilated causing the taller man to sigh.
"Just breathe, Dormie," he instructed with weary affection. "In and out, yeah?"
The smaller fellow nodded, drawing a few deep breaths and letting each out with a whoosh. "Hatter."
"Yes, Dormie?"
"Turtle wants to talk to you. Right away." The little guy's eyes were huge, his eyebrows threatening to disappear under his hair line they'd risen so far up his forehead.
"Turtle?" Hatter asked, sounding as though he wasn't sure he'd heard the other man correctly. Dormie nodded so fast Alice thought his head might bob clean off. "Turtle wants to talk to me?"
"Yes!"
"About what?" His disbelief had given way to suspicion and with what had transpired the last time he'd dealt with the Resistance, the little oyster wasn't surprised. His friend and partner shook his head.
"Something about Dodo," Dormie told him, blinking owlishly. Alice felt Hatter tense up and laid a reassuring hand on the small of his back, warm under the smooth silk of his shirt.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about," she told him softly, trying not to smile. She wasn't sure how he would feel about the whole situation. Obviously happy that he was no longer a target for the Resistance, but as she didn't know what Dodo's punishment had been, she couldn't judge how Hatter might react to it. His chocolate eyes found hers, dark brows lifted slightly in question.
"Caterpillar told me the Resistance was on your side on the matter," she told him, not expounding any more than that as she didn't know the full story.
"Caterpillar said that?" Brows climbing higher on his own brow in surprise. Now, she did smile.
"Yeah."
"Did you have something to do with that, then?"
"Nope." The girl lightly scritched her nails against his back. "It's one hundred percent Alice free. Promise."
His eyes fluttered slightly and if she didn't know better, Alice would have thought he squirmed just a bit. "Great griffins, do that again," he breathed. Head tilted to the side curiously over his reaction, she did as he asked, lightly scraping her nails against him. Hatter's eyes fell shut this time and there was no doubt he was squirming. "I've had an itch back there that's been driving me crazy since we left the hospital. Ooh, a little higher."
The little oyster couldn't help but giggle over his antics. It couldn't be good for his ribs to be curving his spine so, but he was enjoying himself so much, she hadn't the heart to stop.
"Hatter."
"Unh?" He didn't open his eyes, face screwed up a little as he sought relief over the tickle that had plagued him for hours. Poor man.
"Hatter."
"Yes, what, Dormie?" he snapped, cracking one eye but not ceasing his quest for reprieve.
"We have to go," the smaller man said, frowning impatiently.
"In a mo- oooh… That's the spot," he groaned dramatically drawing a laugh from the girl doing the scratching.
"Better now?" Alice asked as the man let out a huge, blissful sigh.
"Much." He grinned widely at her. "What would I do without you?"
"Be itchy, I suppose," she shrugged. What would he do without her? After tomorrow morning, she supposed he would find out. Probably go back to his life, free of all the complications and threats to his wellbeing she brought along with her.
"Hatter!"
"Yes! Dormie, I know." He started for the door, his arm still wrapped around her shoulders, but Alice stopped him as gently as she could, slipping his arm from around her shoulders and stepping back.
"I think this is a private Hatter/Resistance type meeting," she said. It wasn't that the girl didn't want to go and witness his big moment where the Resistance leaders acknowledged all he had done for Wonderland, but it would be an intrusion. The last thing she would allow was for all the Alice of Legend garbage to overshadow the man's accomplishments. Hatter deserved his moment in the sun without her big, stupid cloud getting in the way.
He opened his mouth, about to protest - she could tell - but closed it again. The man nodded, but Alice could see he wasn't happy about it.
"I'll just go back to the palace and try to find something to eat." She chuckled ruefully, trying to bring some lightness back into his gaze. "I don't suppose they have borogove as good as Charlie's, though."
"Doubtful," he agreed.
"I guess… I guess, I'll see you tomorrow, then." It would be dark by the time she got back to the palace and he really needed his rest. Again, Hatter nodded silently. He shifted forward, just slightly, one knee bending as though he might take a step. Instead, he rocked back into place and clicked between his teeth.
"Come on, Dormie. Help me get my boots back on," he told his little comrade, turning and heading for the couch Alice had been sleeping on not long before. The little oyster took that as her cue to leave, lifting a hand in a pathetic little wave as she went passed the two friends.
Just before she was completely out of earshot, she heard Dormie ask, "What happened to all the food?" only to be hushed by the other. She guessed Hatter had not given the smaller man the chance to snag any leftovers before throwing out the containers of take-out.
Outside, her own personal guard was waiting with patient professionalism by the transport. Alice turned and took one last, long look at the Tea Shop and lamented heavily the fact that cameras did not exist in Wonderland.
Alice couldn't sleep. She really wanted to, but the nervous excitement about the next morning kept her mind running in third gear while the rest of her poor body craved rest. She didn't remember much about her first trip through the Looking Glass, only that it had been terrifying. She wasn't sure it would have the same effect the second go 'round, as her definition of what was terrifying had skewed some during her time in Wonderland.
Laying in the big, luxurious bed - which was just as soft as she'd expected it to be - Alice stared up at the gilded ceiling. Gold and ivory; it reminded her vaguely of Cinderella's carriage, of the décor in the Great Library. Guiltily, the girl wondered how Hatter was sleeping. Was he sacked out on that couch? She hoped not. As comfortable as the piece of furniture was, she would have preferred him in a proper bed. Maybe he had one tucked away somewhere in that office of his. She could only hope. That wasn't exactly true; the oyster could have insisted he come back to the palace with her. Okay, perhaps Hatter and Jack under one roof, even one so large as this, wasn't a great idea, but, dammit, the man deserved more consideration than they were giving him.
Alice had tossed back her covers and was standing at the window before she had worked out the fact that she didn't know why she had gotten up at all, looking out over the grounds. The moon cast a faintly greenish luster on the massive rose garden that surrounded the palace. Painting the roses green. The little oyster was not thrown by the verdant moon; she barely noticed something was amiss with the hue. How was it possible for one to get used to Wonderland? A flash of white glinted at her from far below, out of place in the celadon landscape. As her eyes tried to find the source of the glimmer, a sinewy curve of deep plum slid passed her vision. Cat.
Sneaking around a heavily guarded fortress was becoming old hat for the girl by this point and she easily made her way out into the gardens unnoticed. Hatter's previously mentioned concern that there were still plenty of people running about in Wonderland who supported the Queen of Hearts rang in her ears, but she went unprotected into the night anyway.
"And what would you do if I were an errant knave, Miss Alice?"
If she had not been expecting to hear the deep, smooth voice, Alice might have jumped when the Cat spoke from so close beside her; the words seemed to come straight from a heavily scented rose bush just feet away.
"The same thing I've been doing since I landed here: run," she replied, turning towards the voice.
"Not on that ankle," the Cat mocked. Or, more to fact, his mouth did the mocking, for that was all there was of him at the moment. Presently his ears and tail joined the too numerous, too sharp teeth and were soon followed by cut glass, emerald green eyes.
As the Cheshire Cat sauntered towards her, the rest of his body fell in line. None of his fantastical coloring was affected by the moon's jade glow.
"Come to say goodbye?"
"To wish you well," he corrected absently. "Wonderland will miss you."
Alice tilted her head slightly at this statement. "Is that what you are?" She voiced the thought which had just now occurred to her. "The voice of Wonderland?"
"Wonderland makes itself understood quite well enough without my help," he chided in amusement. The girl shrugged.
"It was just a thought."
"A clever one, to be sure," the purple feline assented, adding with slightly narrowed eyes, "Though, even the most clever of thoughts are generally incorrect."
"Then, I don't feel bad." The girl found herself smiling. He was a giant, purple creature and talking to him was a lot like holding a conversation with Hannibal Lecter, but she found she quite liked the Cheshire Cat.
"You should be feeling quite pleased with yourself," he intoned presently. "Alice of Legend."
Had anyone else called her that she would have corrected them or ignored it, but nothing this pussycat seemed to say was truly offhand. If he was calling her by that title, there was a reason for it.
"You said there was no Alice of Legend," she pointed out. Everything she recalled about the fictionalized Cat told her he might be shifty, crafty, evasive, but he never outright lied.
"I said no such thing," he responded, but offered nothing further. The oyster searched her memory, going over their previous conversation.
"You said a legend is a story people tell themselves to feel better."
"I did," he nodded, lifting a paw to lick. "I never said that meant it was untrue."
"But if the people made it up…?"
"Just because something is made up, doesn't make it a lie," he intoned with an almost condescending air. "Assuming something is one way fairly guarantees you find yourself mistaken. The Queen assumed a legend of her own invention could not truly exist and we have all seen how that turned out."
"What?" Alice stared at the cat, certain she must have missed some part of the conversation where what he just said made sense.
"Oh, yes. Mary Elizabeth Constance, etcetera, etcetera, created the Alice legend over a century ago," the cat pronounced. "It just wouldn't do for a simple oyster girl to have questioned the mighty Queen, would it? But a great legendary being, that was something the people could sink their-" He grinned impossibly wide and Alice thought the creature might be more teeth than anything else. "-teeth into."
"But I'm not some legendary being," the girl protested. She was just a random girl from New York, with normal issues and a normal destiny.
"No?" Now, the byzantium-hued beast tilted his own head to the side. "Did you not overthrow the Queen of Hearts?"
She couldn't deny having had a part in it, but it wasn't like she was some kind of hero. "Not on my own!"
"Ah, but no one ever said the Alice of Legend had to act alone," he pointed out, switching his tail from side to side. "Perhaps you were not born as such, perhaps you were not reared as such, but in defeating the Queen and bringing freedom to the land of Avalon, you, my dear, little Alice, have become the Legend as surely as I am the Cheshire Cat."
"I don't know how to be a legend," she said, tears springing to her eyes. It was too big, too much to put on her. "I just want to go home."
"Do you really?" the Cat questioned. Not giving her a chance to answer, he stood, a little shiver running down his body like that of a normal house cat. "Of course, you do. And you will."
He padded silently over to her and rubbed against her leg, the bulk of him making her sway on her feet a little. Her fingers found their way into his soft, royal coat, the fur tickling her skin soothingly.
"Alice Hamilton will return home and life will go on as it always has," he assured her softly, setting her mind greatly at ease. "But do not forget to think on Wonderland, little oyster, for it will not forget you."
He walked beside her, running the length of his body against her leg like the world's largest kitten and was gone, leaving Alice Hamilton, now the Alice of Legend, alone in the rose garden of the Queen of Hearts herself. Wonderland would never forget. The thought was rather pleasant for a girl who had spent a good portion of her life feeling abandoned and forgotten. She would go home, back to her life and its happily mundane trials and tribulations, but somewhere the knowledge that she had once been a part of something truly meaningful would live on. That wasn't too bad at all.
I love writing the Cheshire Cat. He's such a neat character to have in my head. Hope you all liked this chapter as much as I did. We all know what the next one will be.