Magnificently Mad

Heavens Evangel

Rated: M

Pairing: AlicexHatter/Tarrant, Mirana/OC

Disclaimer: Alice in Wonderland does not belong to me, only OC's do!

Sorry this took so long! I'm finally on break!

Now Alice was stuck in her study, her ears burning red with anger, unsure of how to explain to her mother that she was in love, but not with a pompous noble like Hamish. The very thought of being in love with such a sniveling brat caused her skin to pale to paper white and her stomach to churn in disgust. I mean really? Hamish and his stomach problems and all that talk about blockages with his mother was a real ...I wouldn't know what to call it except a rude awakening. I could never live nor love a person like that. Not when my heart belongs somewhere else... with someone else. The problem is telling her that my heart belongs in a place she thinks is make believe. She sighed and finally sat down on the desk, beginning to pick under her nails, deep in thought. There was a soft knocking at the door, but Alice had failed to hear it, or the door opening, with her mother peeking in with a wide smile on her face.

Chapter Nine: Where Blake Defends and Gains Hatter's Respect

"Look who's here to see you Alice dear!" Her mother noticed her picking on her nails and gasped, rushing to stop her. "Alice!" She hissed at her. "Do not do such disgusting things!"

She sighed. "What is it mother?"

"There's someone here to see you!" She said cheerily as she went to the door, prying it open more to reveal Hamish on the other side.

Alice had a look of annoyance on her face as Hamish entered the room.

"Alice your mother tells me you've been sighing for me all day." He said with his arrogant smile, showing off large pearl white front teeth, which oddly reminded Alice of a beaver about to gnaw on some freshly fallen wood.

"I believe mother is mistaken..." She said lowly, controlling her newly formed temper as best she could.

He ignored her words. "Well I've come to say that I will graciously take you back and make you my wife, but you must stop all this ... adventuring nonsense. That is man's work."

"Oh really? I don't happen to see any men in the room." Alice felt her ears boiling hot. How dare he say such things!

"Women should stay at home where they belong, tending to the men and the children they spawn." Hamish said, ignoring her again.

Alice felt her eye twitch in annoyance, there was a letter opener dangerously close to her hand, and if this continued, she would be wanted for murder.

He laughed a bit. "Oh Alice how happy this makes me that you've finally come to your senses!"

Blake had been standing on the other side of the door and felt angry at this pompous idiot for underestimating Alice. He couldn't take just standing out there any longer and entered the room with a smile. "Hello Alice dear. Mm? Who's this... child? Oh it's a man, many pardons sir." He went over to Alice and placed an arm around her waist. "Is this a friend of yours dear?" He asked as he turned to her with a wink.

She blinked and caught on. "You could say that... dear."

Her mother stared at them and then looked at Hamish, then back to them in confusion. "But I thought, oh Alice you've never mentioned..."

"You never give any one a chance to."

Hamish blinked in surprise. "W...Who is this man Alice? I demand an answer. I came all this way to give you a second chance! I will not be humiliated by you again."

Blake raised a brow and went to Hamish. "I'm terribly sorry but it seems you've wasted your time sir." Blake towered over him, and it did not help that Blake had been severely tanned from adventuring around the seas with Alice; he was an intimidating man none the less.

Hamish gulped and shook his head, determined to stand his ground. "Is that so?"

"Yes that is so. Alice and I are companions. And I happen to know that she would never love a dim witted cowardly nobleman."

"You...you challenge my honor sir?" He managed to stutter out.

"Hm it would sound like I am... sir." Blake said calmly.

Hamish grit his teeth, his face puffing up and his cheeks turning red with anger. "No blasted woman is worth this trouble. If you want her you can have her. Alice I am leaving! I'm sure you will regret it." With that he hmphed, turned on his heel and stormed off, but not before almost tripping on the Persian carpet that adorned the walkway. He righted himself, coughed in an attempt to regain his composure and walked off quickly from the room, followed closely by Alice's mother.

Alice waited before sighing. "Ha, thank you Blake. You've got perfect timing."

"Yes well, I wasn't about to let someone like that talk to you that way, the nerve of that man." He frowned.

Alice smiled. "I'm so lucky to have a kind friend like you Blake."

"Any time dear." He teased as he poked her tummy.

They burst out into a fit of laughter just as Alice's mother walked into the room. "Alice! Explain this."

Alice looked over to her and sighed. "Mother Blake Adler works with me, but we are in no ways intimate with one another."

Her mother sighed in relief. "Good heavens! That's a relief. Then why make all that rubbish?"

"Because you don't listen mother. I have no interest in Hamish, I never have so please leave it be."

She sighed. "But Alice you must have someone."

"I do have someone, very close to my heart but..." She sighed softly.

"Please don't tell me it's this Wonderland nonsense again. Alice really I thought you would have grown up! It pains me to think that your head is still in the clouds." Helen frowned at her and looked at Blake. "And you! You allow her to continue on this path as if it were nothing. For two years you traveled with my daughter and not once have you tried to dissuade her?" Helen was furious.

Blake rose a brow, he could now clearly see where Alice got her temper. He shook his head and said as coolly as possible. "It is not my place Lady Kingsleigh. I believe that Alice, as an adult, should be able to believe in whatever she wishes to believe in and if you do not see it that way… well then, I think you to be a terrible parent. Parents should only wish the best for their children, a parent should want their child to be happy, regardless of how insane their ideas maybe. That my dear lady is how I see it…"

Alice smiled a little. She could always count on Blake to have her back on these sorts of things, especially since Blake too, has had issues with his parents in the subject of marriage and human reproduction. As many times as he's told them that he wasn't interested in any of the women they introduced to him, they continued to try to force him into settling down, into finding a woman and having children, regardless if he loved her or not. Such thoughts infuriated her, but she went back on the matter at hand. Alice looked at her mother and noted how dumbfounded she looked, much like a child that had been reprimanded. How she longed to see her mother with that expression before.

Blake turned towards Alice. "I came to tell you that we have another job. So as soon as your affairs are done here we should get going." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, nodded to her, and then passed Helen without another thought. He then paused and turned back towards her. "I meant no disrespect to you Ma'am, but you must realize that I know what Miss Alice is going through for I too am in a similar situation, so I hope you do forgive my rude mouth and not so kind words." And then he left the room, leaving Alice and her mother quite alone.

It took a few moments for her mother to recuperate; she shook her head and damn near glared at Alice. "Alice you must stop this adventuring nonsense at once! You must! If this continues you will grow old and alone and severely past your prime! No man will want you then."

She frowned. "There will be someone who wants me, no matter what I look like and what my age is, and he has always wanted me no matter what." She fixed her jacket and shook her head. "I think I will not be coming back here for awhile mother, not until I am ready to and not until I am sure that whatever bit you on the arse has gone away." She gathered her bag from the side of the desk where she had haphazardly tossed it when she came to visit and stormed off, leaving her mother with that same dumb look on her face.

Tarrant blinked a bit at Alice's retelling of the story. "So you didn't really mention me at all that time then." He paused briefly before a chuckle came up in his throat, "I can't believe you told your mother that something bit her on the bum."

"Yes well, after I said that I felt rather disappointed in myself for acting that way." She frowned at him and the fact that he was still laughing.

He sat up and looked at her before bursting into a grand smile. "You know, at first I was a little nervous of the relationship that you and that Blake man might have had, but I find I rather respect him now since he has defended you in my absence."

She nodded, a few curls springing over her shoulders with a bounce. "If there was anything I could count on Blake for it was defending me from people's words. I remember one time at a business meeting, one of the lords got out of hand with me, went on and on about how a woman's place is in the bedroom, another Hamish if you would, and Blake as cool as he normally is on the outside came to my aid both verbally and physically. I'll tell you now, that man has never uttered another word against me."

Tarrant nodded. "It's nothing more than I would do in that situation. Alice is my Alice and my Alice deserves some respect and much needed love and all sorts of things that a man like myself can give her, that is if she wants it, if she doesn't then I don't know where to put all my feelings at except maybe in some new hats, I would rather like to make some new hats for you maybe some time Alice because I think you would look nice with a hat on, but not as nice as you look with one off…"

Alice blinked. "Tarrant, you're rambling…"

He squeaked. "I'm fine…" He scratched the back of his head. "I'll have to thank him for watching out for my Alice." He ran a thumb gingerly across her cheek and smiled at her.

She smiled as well, finding comfort in his warm touch. "It wasn't until recent that mother finally put all that behind her. She even encouraged me to go."

He watched her with bright green eyes and then pulled her into a deep soul searing kiss, his lips hot against her plush rose red lips. He damn near purred in delight at having his Alice, resting against him this way, as he reached up to tangle his fingers into her soft curly locks.

She pulled away, allowing her lips to graze his just slightly before she moved the settle closer to him, enjoying the view.

-

Thanks to jugalettePENNER for recommending Emilie Autumn. Her voice is very awe inspiring. ^_^ I'm also listening to some old school No Doubt and various other stuff, I'll probably draw something tomorrow.

Next chapter to come out soon (I hope). Thanks again to all the comments and support, it helps me stay motivated to keep writing stories for you guys.

pisses me off with how the reformat my work... it's taken out all of my line breaks and it's getting very... very annoying!

Xoxoxo, Heavens Evangel