Disclaimer: Don't own anything except original characters. All material (c) to respective owners. I write these for fun and make no profit. They're just random plot bunnies that live within my strange mind.

A/N:

Chapter 13: Who Am I Living For?

"QUEEN MIRANNA!" Bayard's call did not go amiss and it was not long before she was rushing to the dogs' side, Hatter and Alysia coming at the very loud call even though neither had run across the other all morning.

"Your sister has her army headed this way, it isn't large but they are waving the flag and the Jabberwocky one as well." Miranna if it was possible paled so much Alysia come to her side, the Tweedles made sense for the first time since she met them.

"Miranna?" Alysia tried softly, her dark eyes found hers with a sad sort of smile.

"Tarrant, ready the army and Alysia dress in the armor…Alice wore it and it will bring you luck. The vulpus sword is there, you will need that…I fear." She nodded leaving them to do as she was asked.

Hatter froze his eyes fading to such a painful look she sighed. "I did not know she would find the baby Tarrant, I had hoped he was safe from her reach." He realized he might very well repeat his farewell to Alysia, he also knew Underland came first and he would have to deal with it as history repeated.

"Hatter looked shattered." Alysia tried to silence those worries, Hatter would have to forgive her but she would not do what Alice did.

She had a plan, Absolum mentioned something left behind for Hatter and she would find it so he would have it.

While the army was gathering to go face the red queen, Alysia was gathering her own amour and focusing on her plan. She did not hear him enter while she was adjusting the metal guards around her knees nor was she aware of the multiple changes in his eyes and clothes.

"If you face the Jabberwocky, are you leaving Alysia?" she stopped what she was doing and turned seeing he was in the shadows, he left it so she couldn't decipher his actions.

"I have two homes Hatter, I can't choose unless it becomes necessary. I don't honestly know, being torn doesn't help." She did not want to answer him, but she could not just leave him hanging either.

"She will leave." He did not need the answer she had given him, he already knew she would leave and he hated to admit it but it hurt like hell. He silently left, she knew he had seen her eyes and often wondered if she was as easy to read as he was. Shaking off her issues, she started out of the castle and was greeted with the Bandersnatch. She smiled knowing why he was there and climbs on.

She held on not forgetting her first time with the animal and was swiftly joining the others, everyone ready for a fight and heading to the last place Alice had fought to save this wonderful place, this time she hoped it would all be different.

The journey to the battle that raged ahead did not seem long enough in her case, she felt horribly like she had already failed before trying. She did not have the confidence she had the last time she fought, Hatter was upset with her and she felt it. They worked well as a team when he expected her to stay, she wanted to stay but finding closure for her friend was more important than what she wanted.

"You care for the mad man." Alysia glanced down at the Bandersnatch lost in her negative thoughts, her inner voice was right but it meant nothing, Hatter's heart had already taken the woman he wanted. She was a descendent, not Alice and wouldn't be able to ease his pain if she didn't try to find whatever Alice left behind.

"Ready?" her gaze found Hatter at her side, his eyes shown mixed emotions and she knew it was her fault.

"No."

"You have to focus Alysia, otherwise you can be killed and a good start would be now." He added indicating the parting of the army ahead of them and the sight of an oddly small dragon like creature with fin like ears and hard gray eyes.

"What is that?"

"A baby Jabberwocky, much easier than the one Alice had to deal with but because it's so small it will be very aggressive…it needs to have its head removed." Hatter saw her swallow thickly, she was scared and he knew he had not made this easier. "I'm right at your side."

His words made her fear subside, he was telling her regardless of her decision he would fight with her. She was not sure, if it was a good sign or if he had already given up on her. She ignored her raging thoughts and was literally carted off by the Bandersnatch, clearly it was already decided the Jabberwocky was her enemy.

"She is going to fail you Miranna." Erazabeth cackled unaware of Stayne being the one in command and already planning her assassination during the chaos of battle. "That girl isn't Alice, she can't win!"

"I am tired of hearing that." Alysia realized with a start she was now on the checkered field laying face first in the dirt and the Bandersnatch was aiding Hatter, he clearly knew she was safe and left her shortly. She knew it was hard for the animal to protect her when he had been part of Hatter's life much longer.

She just managed to avoid an odd energy flying at her from the jabberwocky, the gray eyes hard and violent toward her. She did not know why it had to listen to the red queen, but she did know the stories and had a feeling it knew what happened to its parent.

"You're her…generation." Alysia alarmed by the fact the Jabberwocky knew she was part of Alice's lineage allowed the sword in her hands to guide her with her own training; she sliced into the side of the animal.

Roaring its tail flew at her sending her hard into a crumbling wall, she groaned painfully before muttering about her ancestor had been crazy and began to name of on how truly mad she must have been. Her battle was not faring well, she was hurting badly and bleeding, the latest attack forced her to wince noting something sticking out of her hand, she pulled the stone free and glared hard at the beast.

"Violence never solved a darn thing." She ducked in time to avoid her own head being knocked off. "She was not mad; she was out of her damn mind!"

She fled the attacking animal dodging around one stonewall, tree or forgotten stairwell after another. She only seemed to scratch the thick skin and took a swat at the tongue reaching for her ankle. She smiled at the writhering tongue at her feet before her eyes flashed, she was finding the muchness the Hatter said she had, that was part of Alice, the part that was her.

"WHOA!" She flew hard across the field and smacked into a solid form before groaning painfully and glancing up at a scarred face, his only good eye narrowing at her in hatred. "Crap." Her meek sound only brought out that ugly smile she found slimy.

Clang

Hatter was there taking out the Knave of hearts while she again dove into her failing battle with the Jabberwocky. Lost in her own fight she failed to notice Miranna was being tracked by one of Erazabeth's assassins, quickly she dodged the Jabberwocky and smacked into the attacker by mistake.

Miranna shrieked at the large snake, before it turned on Alysia and caught the Jabberwocky's energy from its mouth. "Takes care of that." Alysia apologized to Miranna before getting back into the field and fighting the creature, she was not failing her friends or her new world.

"She's going to die Hatter." Stayne managed to avoid his hat trick a second time, before noting the red in the Hatter's eyes and again dodging his attack.

Hatter was the best and he had to watch himself, he liked having a good eye and was well aware he had to win this time. He would rule Underland, not Erazabeth and it meant getting rid of the opposition.

"She won't," Hatter forced his blade nearly out of his hand. "She isn't Alice, she's her descendent and she will win." It worked, he got Stayne down but he rolled in time.

"That isn't possible!" Furious Stayne went back into his fight with his rage guiding him.

"Enough!" Alysia finally fed up swung upward in an arch, the move was unexpected and successfully caught the young and violent Jabberwocky by the neck. "He should have been trained." She watched as the head flew up in the air and landed off to the side of the red queen, her eyes widened at the sight of a card removing a blade from behind her large head.

She rushed to the woman's side, she did not understand why but knowing she was Miranna's sister and of the White queens vow, she felt it best to do what she could.

"Le-ave me." Snarled the queen her blood staining under her.

"MIRRANNA!" she hoped her voice could be heard over the battle.

Miranna nudged her horse to Alysia's panicked voice, a sinking feeling taking over her heart as she come upon her sister in a pool of crimson with Alysia trying to keep her alive. Quickly she landed to the ground and run to her sisters' side, she held Erazabeth in her arms regardless of the red staining her white and saw the woman scowl darkly at her.

"Razzie?"

Alysia left the queens to resolve their own issues, she ran back into the battle hoping that her friends were still holding their own. This battle would not stop until the Knave of hearts was taken out.

Hatter went down and Alysia took over, repeating the battle in the gardens seeing Stayne's good eye meet her with venom in his expression. "You succeeded." She sent him back hearing Hatter get to his feet.

Again, the pair fought alongside each other, slowly gaining the upper hand on Stayne and it was not long before Hatter managed his hat trick. Stayne dodged it taking the Hatter's feet with him and forcing Alysia to lose her blade.

She saw him extend her blade to her. "A fair fight for Alice's descendent." His rasped seeing Alysia glance down at her unconscious friend and then at his sword.

"I'm not Alice." She muttered before reaching for her blade, she remembered what Hatter had taught her and what he warned her of.

She caught the handle of her sword before taking her knife and stabbing his arm, grabbing both swords with Hatter's hat trick, she created the scissor move around the Knave's neck and noted his good eye widen in shock.

"I'm Alysia Bradburn." Her eyes hard she saw Hatter slowly coming around at her feet and noted him lift a brow in approval at beating Stayne. "I also had the best teachers." She did not hesitate seeing the knife in his hand before she did what she swore she could never do.

Stayne's head rolled across the ground before she dropped to her knees exhausted and discarded the swords in her hands. The battle ended in a silent blur around her, the banished fleeing their forces and retreating to the Outlands. It was clear with his demise that the war was won, she saw Miranna holding her sister and sighed seeing her friend was broken hearted but there was a glint of victory in her eyes.

"She will recover in time; Erazabeth wronged her a great deal." Hatter was at her side seeing she was trying to recover and slowly she found his gaze.

She wished she had not, he was deep in pain and she could see it within the rapid change of his eyes and clothing. He knew she was leaving Underland and he was dealing with the past colliding with his present.

"I'm not staying when I go back Hatter, I'm going to look for something and I choose to live my life here when I return." He laughed softly shaking his head.

"You won't remember here Alysia, it won't change." She noted Mallymunkin glare at her before she disappeared to the crowd gathering the red queen's body for Miranna to have closure.

"Tarrant, I'm going back because there is something there and I am coming back. Tell Absolum to beat me over the head and have Mctwisp drag me. I don't care." She left him gaping at her, it was the only time she had ever used his name.

She quickly walked to Miranna who was taking the Jabberwocky's blood into a small vile. Her dark gaze found Alysia's before her blood stained hand reached out with the offer. Alysia nodded, she had promised and would keep that promise.

She took the potion, she saw Hatter get to his feet and run to her but it had been too late to convince her to stay.