I forgot to include this in the chapter when I originally published it. I also forgot to do this. Ahem. *clears throat* I do not own Alice, Hatter, or any other characters from the Syfy miniseries Alice. These all belong to the Syfy channel. *sighs* Unfortunately, no amount of begging has changed this. Anyway, here's the chapter!

The Confrontation

Alice tiptoed into the apartment, hoping that her mother was asleep. The lights were out and the place was quiet, so maybe her luck would hold and she could get some rest before confronting whatever her mother had planned tomorrow. She almost laughed as she thought about the way Hatter had acted in the stores. She hadn't realized it before, although the rack of jackets and shoes in his office should have tipped her off, but Hatter had a thing for clothes. She had had to restrain him more than once as they toured the various stores. Hatter explained that Jack had given him all the necessary papers, as well as willing his apartment and the money in his bank account to Hatter. That would explain why Hatter and spent several hundred dollars on clothes. He had promised Alice that he was usually very frugal, but she found that slightly hard to believe. She shook her head laughingly. She had promised Hatter to help him organize Jack's-Hatter's, she corrected herself sternly-apartment tomorrow. Hatter had been overjoyed when he learned that Alice had never been inside the apartment, and he actually whooped when she expressed her distaste for the garish walls and ridiculously heart and card themed decoration. For all Jack's proclamations of his hate for his mother, he certainly took after her in decorating. Alice and Hatter decided to redecorate as soon as possible.

A light came on in the living room, interrupting Alice's thoughts. She realized she had been standing in the doorway for some time, lost in her musings. Her mother was sitting on the couch, smiling in a way that reminded Alice uncomfortably of a shark. She gulped, and walked over to sit down, putting her purse next to her.

"It's awfully late, Alice." Carol's tone was light, conversational, but the look in her eyes was not. "Where were you that detained you from coming home until twelve thirty in the morning? That's not very responsible." This was a verbal cat-and-mouse and right now Alice felt a lot like a mouse.

"I'm sorry, Mom. Hatter and I went for pizza, and it was really busy. I know that coming back so late was irresponsible, but Hatter and I needed to talk. I'm really tired. I think I'll go to bed." Her explanation was plausible, and Alice hoped that she would be given a pass until tomorrow. She didn't think that she would be able to lie convincingly for much longer. She started towards her room, fingers crossed.

"Not so fast," Carol's hand grabbed her arm. No such luck. Alice bit back a sigh and sat back down. She tried to smile, but it was a failed attempt. "Who is he, Alice?" There was no sugary tone to guise her feelings now. Carol was angry. "Yesterday, before Jack came over, I reminded you of how the dinner seemed to be a kiss of death, and you promised me that Jack was different! Different? Since when does different mean that you toss him out on his ass, follow him to an abandoned warehouse, and wind up kissing another man the next morning? This isn't you, Alice! You're usually so responsible and calm…you've never even mentioned this David before! You say that you've been friends for a while, but if you like him as much as you seem to, how come I've never heard of him? Alice, you're acting like a giddy teenager. What happened at the warehouse?" By the end of her tirade, Carol was no longer angry. She took a deep breath. Alice looked at her warily. She decided to start with the simplest question.

"Mom, I know that my actions must seem really weird, based on what happened yesterday, but the truth is this: Jack wasn't who I thought he was. He lied to me about a lot. I wish I could say that I was suspicious, but I was totally taken in. Last night, when I talked to Jack, he told me that his mother had set him up to marry someone else. He was dating me partially to get away from her. I couldn't believe it. I realized that I had never met his family, friends…we never talked about them, and I never saw him with anyone else. David was there for me. He comforted me and talked to me. He always has. I guess I never mentioned him because our relationship was unremarkable. He was there when I was hurting, but we didn't do a lot of big stuff together or anything. I just felt like it would be a lot to explain." Oh god. Now she was making it sound like they had an affair. She buried her head in her hands. "I don't know why I didn't tell you. I'm sorry, Mom. I guess…" She grasped for a reason to explain. "Well, he had to go away a lot, and a lot of the time we talked on the phone and not in person. I just felt like if I told you, I would feel, I don't know, silly or something. I mean, Ha- David was the best thing that ever happened to me, friend-wise. He just broke down all the barriers. But I didn't want to tell you because it seemed so improbable." Alice shook her head and slumped her shoulders. She was really tired.

Her mom looked at her, disbelieving. "Oh, honey. It's okay. I just don't want him to leave you like…like…Dad did." Tears dripped down her cheeks and she sniffled. Alice moved next to her and wrapped an arm around her mother. How was she going to explain this?

"Mom, Dad didn't leave. He…he was kidnapped and forced to work for a corrupt organization. I don't know why no one found out, but he died a few years ago. The point is, he didn't leave, Mom. He loved us, loved you." Carol let out a shaky breath and looked at Alice disbelievingly.

"How did you find out about this?" Alice scrambled for an easy lie and came up with one quickly. Hatter must be rubbing off on her.

"I got an email…but I deleted it. It was from the Parent Finder site. They said that the organization was in, oh, I don't remember where, but it was brought down recently. It was developing drugs. Anyway, the identification wasn't definite, but they thought that they should let us know anyway. Mom, before you start to take any legal action or anything, just think about-" Alice's mom cut her off.

"I'm not going to take any legal action, sweetie. You always kept searching for Dad, but I knew that he wasn't coming back. I've let him go. But you don't know how much it means, knowing that he was faithful." Carol was crying again, but Alice made no move to stop her. She knew her mom just had to work through this. "Alice, listen. You're an adult now, and it's time for you to make your own decisions. If you love Hatter, be with him. If you don't love him, don't be with him. He seems like a charming man, and I must say he's a step up from Jack. Look. It's your life and I won't intervene. You know that I'm always here for you. Now let's get to bed. You look exhausted." Carol stood up and Alice followed.

"Mom? What do you mean, 'a step up from Jack'?" Alice looked at her mother questioningly.

"We'll talk about it in the morning. Now go on honey, off to bed." Alice obediently went to her room and closed the door. Lying down on the bed, she didn't even manage to take her shoes off before sleep claimed her.

Well, that's it! I wasn't going to include this chapter, but Carol never really acts sad about losing Robert, so I thought she must be hiding it. She actually likes Hater, she just doesn't want Alice to be hurt like she was. Anyway, hope it's up to snuff! Thank you so much to reviewers; they are motivating me to continue. *does happy dance* So join the club and press the pretty little button there. My muse needs feeding!