Ten was at the Looking Glass within the hour, and feeling much more comfortable in his black slacks, white button down shirt, vest and tie. He'd even rolled up his sleeves. His heart did a little leap as the Looking Glass hummed to life, the hard glass turning to quicksilver.

The Looking Glass attendant sensed his uncertainty and smiled encouragingly.

"Is this your first time through the Looking Glass, Sir?"

Ten nodded.

"It's fairly routine. Count down from three, step forward and most of all, remember to breathe."

He stepped onto the platform.

"Ready sir?"

"Ready."

The attendant began the countdown. Three, two, one. Ten stepped into the mirror and the world around him vanished. For a split second he was falling through nothingness and then the next he was hurled out of the Looking Glass and onto a king sized bed, its frame collapsing with a loud crash under him. The Looking Glass ceased its hum. Anyone who looked at it now would think it was only an ordinary mirror. A small black object began to ring and vibrate on the night stand next to the bed. He picked it up. This must be what they called a cell phone. During the briefing, the team assigned to monitor his progress explained that he could use this device to contact them and they him. The screen lit up under his touch, and he tapped the message alert box.

Status report.

Ten of Clubs reporting, He responded.

Excellent. We will inform his majesty that communication has been established. Headquarters out.

Ten slipped the phone into his vest pocket and looked around. He found the light switch on the wall by the bedroom door and switched it on. The electricity still worked.

The apartment was small but clean and comfortable. Jack had only spent two weeks in this world before being dragged back to Wonderland by the White Rabbit, but he had taken great care to turn this temporary residence into a home. There were a few dirty dishes left in the sink, a reminder of to the king's sudden departure.

Turning, Ten spied an envelope on the kitchen table with the words Read Me written in heavy black marker on the front.

Pulling up a chair, he emptied the envelope's contents onto the table. There was a set of keys to the apartment, a wallet with a few paper bills in it, a credit card and, much to his surprise, a very convincing fake identification card. The new king had certainly been busy. In addition to the personal items there was a map of the city and specific directions to Alice's apartment, which was only three blocks away.

Ten stuffed the wallet and keys into his back pocket, glanced at the map one last time and walked out the door.

Organized chaos hit him the moment he reached the street. "So this is New York City," he said to himself. The streets and sidewalks were filled with people frantically trying to get somewhere. Stepping into the masses, he allowed himself to be carried away by the current. Buildings of all shapes and sizes towered above him, and in contrast to Wonderland's largest city, everything was built on the ground. All manner of smells assaulted his nose, some delicious, enticing and emanating from the many food carts scattered up and down the street. Others were more offensive, more familiar. Several alleys he passed reeked of garbage and decay, reminding him of the shadier parts of Wonderland he used to call home.

It wasn't long before he identified Alice's apartment building. The doorman looked at him strangely, but one of the bills in his wallet and his most charming smile secured Ten entrance into the building.

The elevator ride to the third floor was eerily quiet and the thought of seeing Alice again triggered something in him. Suddenly, in his mind's eye Ten was transported back to gaming room at the casino. A weeping Alice was kneeling over her dying father, begging him not to leave her. He inhaled sharply and leaned against the wall of the elevator, the heavy stone in his stomach reminding him of his guilt. The walls of the elevator seemed to close in on him, and though he was alone, he couldn't help but feel that someone was watching him, judging him.

"I was just doing my job," he argued, but guilt cut through his paper-thin defense like a knife through butter. The elevator doors opened with a ding just as he thought he might be sick. Stumbling into the hallway he pressed his face into the nearest wall. Gradually his nausea faded. The weight of guilt, however, remained.

Ten stared at Alice's apartment door, lifted his fist and knocked. It was an attractive older women who answered. "Can I help you?" She asked.

Ten cleared his throat. "Does Alice Hamilton live here?"

The woman looked at him suspiciously. "Yes, she does. I'm her mother. May I ask how you know my daughter?"

"We're acquaintances of a sort. I'm a friend of Jack Hea... ah... Jack Chase. He asked me to deliver a message to her. Is she here?"

Ten thought he might wilt under Mrs. Hamilton's searching gaze, but he must have passed her inspection because she asked him to wait as she went to get Alice. The door opened again and Ten found himself face to face with the pretty, blue-eyed target of his mission, and she looked pissed.

"You!" Her voice was low and dangerous. "What are you doing here? You know, on second thought, I don't want to know." She started to close the door, but Ten stopped it with an outstretched arm.

"Alice, please. It's important."

She was about to tell him what he could do with his "important" information when Hatter appeared behind her.

"Alice, is everything okaaaa...what the..." Hatter trailed off. "Please tell me that's not who I think it is."

Alice crossed her arms. "It's exactly who you think it is."

"Never thought I'd see you on this side of the Looking Glass." Hatter growled. "You've gotta lot of nerve coming here."

Ten sighed. What was he expecting, that the welcome mat would be thrown at his feet? He'd known from the beginning that this wouldn't be easy.

"I know I'm the last person either of you would want to see, and I'm not here to apologize or beg for forgiveness. I know I don't deserve it. I'm here because Jack sent me. Not for my sake, not for his sake, but for the sake of Wonderland. Please, hear me out."

Hatter glanced at Alice. "It's your call."

Alice stared coldly at Ten, studying him. After a moment she nodded.

"You've got one minute," Hatter said. "Make it count."

"The Knights weren't wiped out like we thought. A small number of them escaped when the Queen attacked. They've been in hiding ever since and Jack needs your help to re-unite the kingdoms." The words were rushed, but they had the desired effect.

"Well," Hatter said, genuinely surprised. "I wasn't expecting that."

"He's lying." Alice quipped, determined not believe anything Ten said.

Hatter gave him a hard once over. "Actually, love, I don't think he is," he said slowly. Alice and Ten looked at him incredulously. "You're kidding! You actually believe him?"

"You believe me?!"

"I know, I know! I would've said hell would hafta freeze over before I'd ever trust the likes of him. But look at him!" Hatter gestured to Ten, his voice rising. "Look at his eyes. They've got the look of someone who's just come off Tea. You couldn't lie even if you wanted to, yeah?"

Alice studied Ten coldly before sighing, "Fine." She opened the door and stepped aside. Ten dropped his gaze as he entered the apartment. Hopefully the hard part was over.

An hour later Alice and Hatter had the whole story, and she was willing to help on one condition. Hatter had to come with her. Ten didn't see any problem with that.

"I'll take you both to the Looking Glass day after tomorrow, early morning." He said as he prepared to leave.

Hatter put his arm around Alice. "We'll be ready."

"Thank you." He replied.

Alice nodded stiffly. Turning, Ten made his way to the elevator, stopped and decided to take the stairs.

The trek back to the apartment was slow and not because of the crowded streets. Ten dreaded being alone in the apartment with nothing but his thoughts, his guilt, to keep him company. New York was a big city. Surely he could find a diversion. He didn't have to look long. There, directly across the street, was a sign that said Manny's boxing gym.

"Can I help you?" The heavily muscled trainer asked Ten as he stepped into the gym.

"What can a guy do to get a work out in?"

"I haven't seen you before. This your first time here?"

"Yeah. I'm not from around here. I'm in town on business."

"Well, technically this is a members only gym, but we do offer free access to first timers. You ever boxed before?"

Ten smiled. "I've been in the ring a few times. Been a while though." Five years to be exact. Before his promotion to Ten of Clubs, he'd been one of the best fighters in the sporting arena at the casino. The Queen loved a good fight and so had the oysters. His matches always brought in a steady stream of Tea.

"Well then, welcome to Manny's gym. The name's Mario. You?"

"Ten."

"Like the number ten?

"Yep."

"Huh, never heard that one before. Well look, Ten, you're gonna want something other than your fancy clothes to box in. We can outfit you if need be. Take a look at our gear and see if anything works for you."

In the end, Ten settled on a pair of lose fitting sweat pants, hand wraps and a sleeveless t-shirt with the gym's logo on the front. He changed quickly. A sense of warmth filled him as he wrapped his hands and limbered up.

Ten pushed everything aside and focused intently on the heavy bag in front of him. His punches were sloppy at first, but he soon found his rhythm. Round and round he worked the bag, bobbing and weaving as if he faced a real opponent, his strike combinations becoming more and more complex. He poured every ounce of anger and fear he could into the bag, but the emotions inside him and the sins of his past proved stronger than him. With an agonized cry, he slammed his fist as hard as he could into the bag one last time. He steadied the swinging bag and leaned against it, breathing heavily, struggling to keep the tears at bay. The sudden sound of applause brought his head up.

He hadn't realized it, but the intensity of his battle had drawn the attention of the entire gym.

Mario stepped forward and tossed him a towel and a bottle of water. "I've been in this business a long time, and I've never seen anything like that. Guys don't hit like that when they're only up against a bag. Who were you fightin?"

Ten took a long gulp of the lukewarm water. "Myself," he said wiping the sweat off his face.

"Did you win?" Mario asked.

Ten looked him squarely in the eye. "No."

The trainer shook his head. "Some battles can't be won in the ring. Go get showered and changed," he said, nodding toward the locker room. "You're hanging with me and the boys tonight. You look like you could use a drink."