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 14: One Last Time
Alysia winced rubbing her head before pulling herself from a hole, for just a few minutes she had to think. Her jeans and shirt were muddy but overall she felt all right. Walking slowly back to the house she began to piece things together, she hadn't forgotten and in testing her theory she had only taken half the Jabberwocky's blood.
"I did it. I remember!" she twirled gleefully before faltering and staring up at the house looming ahead of her.
Running across the massive lawn, she got herself back into the kitchen and froze at her mother's dark stare. She cringed, even after the fight she had there was still the fact her mother was much scarier than what she had faced.
"Alysia Bradburn, how dare you-
"I love you mother with all my heart but I am going to live my own life." She wrapped her arms tightly around her mother, ignoring the start she received before she fled past her.
Reed was still in the room working, she ignored his inquiring look before she thundered up the stairs and into the darkest part the attic. Falling to her knees she allowed her long fingers to pry at the tiny chest hidden behind years of clutter and opened the trunk. Inside she moved all the journals, stories and Alice Kingsley's life into her lap.
She stored them all inside of a bag and stood, her fingers clasping tightly to an envelope she tucked with care inside the last pages of the final Journal Alice left.
"Where are you going?" Alysia's mother demanded, her voice more worried than angry with her daughter.
"To a place of magic…I'm going to live and be happy." She again hugged her mother tucking a letter into her hands and turning to go. "It is impossible, but grandma told me to believe in three impossible things each day and you would know nothing is impossible."
Alysia fled down the stairs once again, she waved her finally goodbye to Reed and found her feet carrying her easily back to the tree. She was lithe and well taught for all fighting needs required. She stopped short of the hole she had found thanks to Absolum and turned.
"I promised, goodbye." She slid to a crouch and glanced down the hole. "Why does it have to hurt?" she sighed disappearing into the blackness.
This time she did not scream, she just waited for the painful landing. She observed more odd things floating past her than before but felt more at home than she ever had before. "Home." She winced letting out a painful sound when she found herself planted on the familiar checkered floor of the room of doors.
"Ow." She rubbed her arms before getting to her feet and looking for the shrinking potion.
A sound off to her left inside a dark corner of the room forced her to freeze and remain on guard.
"Alysia?" Miranna to her amazement was waiting, her smile lit up the room and delicate arms wrapped around her tighter than she ever thought the woman was capable of.
"Yes." Alysia squeaked feeling the arms retract before she saw a bit of sadness among the mad gleam. "I had to come back…I-
"You care for Tarrant you went back to help him." She directed Alysia to follow her down the strange corridor, before she found herself staring around the kitchen lab area Miranna was often at work in.
"I think I dislike your sense of tests Miranna." She indicated how easy it would have been for her just be taken to the palace.
"It was also Alice's test." Alysia sighed reaching into the satchel she brought with her and handed her the stack of journals she treasured most. "What is this?"
"Alice's life, fill in what you lost during her absence. Where's-
"In the gardens." Miranna directed her to the door and she left quickly to the one place she hoped he would be waiting.
Mallymunkin furiously kicked around talking crossly about how she loathed Alysia, how she was no better than Alice was and again had broken her best friend. The March hare watched on in mild alarm before throwing something startling her out of her rant. He laughed seeing her pin her ears down glaring at him.
"He isn't at the tea party." Mctwisp rejoined them; so far, they had all searched the familiar places and come up without the Hatter.
"He isn't going to be found if Mally doesn't calm down." Alysia joined the others, seeing Cheshire poof at her side with the others eyeing her in shocked silence.
The Bandersnatch rushed to her side tackling her with a very wet kiss. She made a face before rubbing his ears and getting to her feet. She ignored the evil look Mallymunkin offered her before listening to how the Hatter had left after Miranna's grief day for Erazabeth. No one had seen him since and they had not found him.
Alysia tried to focus but Mallymunkin cursing her did not help, she did not understand what she was saying but knew it was not in her favor. She ignored the mouse, before gazing up at the sky seeing dark would be approaching soon.
"Did anyone check the battle field?"
"Why would he be there?" growled Mallymunkin before Alysia knelt eye level with the small mouse perched on the Bandersnatch's nose.
"It was the last place he saw me Mallymunkin, I promised and refused to break my word. I came back."
Reluctantly she wrinkled her nose before Alysia prompted them again; Mallymunkin reported they had not gone back since the battle. She mounted the Bandersnatch and gently put Mallymunkin on the ground before leaving them all behind and directing the animal beneath her.
"She just-
"Mally, she loves Tarrant." Miranna had arrived not long after Alysia left. "Alice may have won his heart, but Alysia is fighting to win it and keep it." Mallymunkin huffed in surrender; she still did not have to like it.
"You're here." Hatter's eyes did not focus on Absolum; he felt better living in regret and pain.
"Yes, here to tell me of Alysia's demise or hide it again?" Hatter even though he knew it had not been long enough already played out his future in his mind.
Alysia like Alice held him into this kinder form, he would revert to the wrathful mad man he was and go to the outlands, he would banish himself before hurting his friends.
"No."
Hatter looked up seeing wisely Absolum remained well out of his reach.
"She didn't drink all the potion…she may remember." Hatter laughed bitterly before attempting a failed grab at Absolum, he did not want any more interference in his life, he was empty as it was.
Alysia left the Bandersnatch a distance off before walking across the field, she saw Hatter where he had been before he tried to stop her. She winced remembering how he looked at her before she was gone, those haunted eyes never leaving her mind.
"I'm mad, it is the end."
"But only the best of the people are mad." Alysia silently stopped seeing him swing his head around before his body followed. "I promised." She saw him slowly approach, he was obviously guarded and worried she was not real.
She lifted the letter from her hand toward Hatter; slowly he touched the paper before his fingers brushed her hand determining she was real. He said nothing seeing the letter is addressed to him.
"Dearest Tarrant,
I love you very much but I cannot bear to give you grief. I regret that I cannot return, you will always be part of me and I hope one day you can forgive me. I hope you can find your 'Alice' again. I have you in my heart and will forever. I am truly sorry for the hurt you must have to bear on my behalf.
Always,
Alice Kingsley
Alysia left him to consult with Absolum, she glanced up at him watching him flutter uncertainly to her offered hand. She took a breath before tilting her head and smiling. She told him of the events of her return and how she had to come back, how this was her home and she cared for someone dearly.
"Miranna knew as did I Alysia." Absolum saw her warning look before he bowed taking off, he would always be the council that Miranna talked to with her deepest concerns.
She turned seeing no sign of Hatter, circling in place she only found herself dizzy and annoyed she had not heard him sneak away. She began to walk toward the waiting Bandersnatch, her eyes settling on the last place she saw Stayne alive.
"Choices aren't always easy." She found Hatter near the Bandersnatch tugging burs from its fur. "It seems our friend got carried away by your return." He smiled seeing the animal lick at him before his pale green gaze found hers.
"That one was easy." She directed his attention to the envelope he still held in his free hand.
"All of this just for this?" She shook her head but kept silent on her other reasons. "There's more?"
"For now just leave it with that." He saw her eyes fall to the spot again; he noted her brow furrow in thought before she made a face.
"You had no choice-
"I know that, it's just strange being here…it looks like nothing happened." Hatter walked with the animal at his side before boosting Alysia up without warning. "Hey!"
"Miranna has wondered long enough, we need to go back." She turned seeing his eyes shift again.
"She didn't wonder, she had the whole castle looking for you and…Mally despises me all over again." He chuckled warmly at her upturned nose; it would seem she was not quite happy now.
"I can talk Mally down; after all…she is also one of your tutors in battle."
"She would rather put her pin through me."
Hatter said nothing more on the subject, he knew Mallymunkin well and knew she was his friend and protector whether he gave her permission or not.
"Hatter's back." Cheshire informed the grouping in the court before each person walked quickly to the gates.
"With Alysia." Miranna smiled at Mallymunkin's disdain before walking past, her dancers grace still intact regardless of her troubling events of the final battle with her sister.
"How do you feel?"
"Better." Alysia felt relieved she had eased Hatter's long discomfort for the moment; she knew it would be a while before Mallymunkin probably forgave her.
Overwhelmed by the various words of anxiety over his disappearance, Hatter was surrounded by everyone and all of them talking at once. Alysia wisely stepped out of it walking around to the only quiet one in the bunch. She settled beside Miranna offering the story of how she found him and how it would seem the letter helped him a great deal. She explained what she felt went wrong with Alice's return and how she was pleased; Alysia had shared her own thoughts.
"I'm glad you returned." Miranna met her eyes seeing a light there that had only come during her time around Hatter. "You may be closer to his heart than you suspect Alysia, time can do wonders and down here as you well know we have plenty of it, after all it seems Hatter had the talent to chase it out of Underland." Alysia smiled, she knew well the stories from her childhood on how Hatter had killed time and he was a spiteful being.
"I like being close to his heart." Alysia did not need to be courted, she found her soul mate in a mad man and for once felt at ease. "Mallymunkin may wish to put her pin there in mine though." Miranna laughed softly before easing into the grouping still hassling Hatter.
Dispersing their friends, it finally left Alysia alone with Hatter in their training yard. He sank slowly to the grass against the Bandersnatch and sighed glancing skyward. She stifled laughter seeing he was feeling like a small child being scolded ten times over, instead she sat down beside him seeing him slowly turn to her and then deflate a bit like he expected her to continue the previous lectures.
"I don't plan on badgering you." He let out a breath before his eyes shifted to a soft yellow; clearly, he was glad of that. "Did you plan on going to the Outlands if I didn't come back?"
In her mind that was the same as giving up his life, it was also suicidal considering the ones once faithful to Stayne being out there. His eyes turned a gray color indicating he had mixed feelings on whether he should tell her or not, she elbowed him giving him a dark look.
"I did." He finally gave in.
"They would have missed you and if you did it before I got back then what?"
"I don't know." He wilted a bit before her eyes, before she sighed shaking her head.
"Miranna would have told me and I would have come looking." Alysia stated hoping for some sort of a response.
Hatter went to reply to that before both of them thumped backwards seeing the Bandersnatch walk off, clearly it felt they could argue without his presence. They both watched him walk of snorting softly his opinion before the pair slowly sat up and glanced at each other.
"Come looking for me and then dragged me back here?" She nodded seeing him hesitate before his light green eyes found hers. "Why?"
"Because I thought of four impossible things," She smiled at his confused expression. "One, I learned to fight, two I helped save Underland, three I came back and four," She felt herself blush before she tilt her head slightly. "I learned to love the best of the mad people in the world."
Hatter did not know what to say, he sat there stunned for a long time and Alysia just waited patiently for her words to sink in. It took a little longer than she expected but slowly his eyes shifted to a soft yellow and he looked at her as if he was scared he was dreaming all of this.
"You're not-" she sighed leaning forward kissing him softly, she didn't really think and felt him start before he returned the kiss, hand gently resting against her face.
"I'm not what?"
"Too small or too tall." He smiled at the laughter that lifted his spirits, she fought to stay and Alice had freed him.
It was time to be happy, at least she had fought to return to him and that meant she loved him enough to fight for it.
"Tarrant?"
"Hmm?"
"I think the Bandersnatch got tired of the argument." He laughed both of them seeing the animal behind them lift his head before tilting it to the side. "What?"
The animal snorted before trotting over to his friends and slobbering his wet kisses and well wishes on them.
Making faces the two of them glanced at each other before climbing to their feet, hand in hand they started toward the palace. Underland was safe and Hatter found his Alice again only her name was Alysia Bradburn and she had come back to stay.