Here we are again. :) Lately I've been pretty busy, and that's what ceased my writing a few chapters back. But I am now treating this fanfiction like it's my job! This won't be my "If I have time. . . " thing anymore. It is now a "I hope I have time AFTER my fanfiction for. . . " thing. :D
Inspirational Song: "Wake Me Up When September Ends" -Green Day (Just because a song is old, doesn't mean it's not good anymore.)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything; Lewis Carroll, Disney, and Tim Burton do.
Once her laughing died down a bit, she looked back at the Hatter. His laughing had stifled a bit, too. Hatter smiled at her contently, and his expression was sweeter than the all the cake splattered all over her dress. She scooted a tad closer to him and helped him sit up. The others were still laughing and having a good time, but these two were now in their own little, serene bubble. Until-
"Alice?" a man scoffed.
Alice stood up straight immediately, leaving Hatter on the ground. She knew that irritating voice all too well.
Standing at the edge of the trees in all tattered clothing was Lord Hamish Ascot.
Alice just stood there, stunned.
"Alice." Hamish snapped his fingers at her. "What are you. . . " He looked at their scene, currently on pause, in front of him. Alice could only imagine what he must have seen. An enormous tea table fallen on its side in front of a peculiar house with windmills, a hare sleeping on the ground dressed in colorful men's clothing, a floating Cheshire cat (not grinning), a dormouse in ladies' clothing standing straight with a pin needle in her paw and a mean look on her face on a rock, and the strangest man Hamish could have ever seen sitting on the ground with a confused look on his face. Not to mention that every single one of them was covered in cake and tea.
Hamish seemed bewildered, but attempted to look calm. The effect was a scrunched up and perplexed face. "Alice, you need to. . . " He shook his head, probably trying to clear it. "Explain."
Alice couldn't believe her eyes. Hamish Ascot, one of the main reasons for her departure from his world, had followed her from the Otherworld all the way to Wonderland. Suddenly, Alice grew very angry. Was there no hope for her absence from him? This foolish, dense, cold-hearted, selfish, spoiled, piteous man would not get away with being Alice's own personal inconvenience.
She arched her eyebrows at him frustratingly. "Hamish." She made her tone hard. "What-When?" Now it was her shaking her head! "How did you get here?"
Her friends remained still as Hamish cocked his head to the side. "I saw you jump." Alice blinked. She could've sworn. . . No. Hamish doesn't reflect his emotions openly. "I was confused as to why you would tromp about on my father's land, especially in party wear, so I followed you." He shrugged stubbornly. "When I saw you leap, I jumped in after you."
Alice's anger faded. "What?" she asked.
Hamish crossed his arms and ignored her question. "So, where are we? Who are these contemptible creatures?" Hamish nodded at Hatter. "Wait, I believe that one is a man. A rather unique sort, though. . . Hmm." He looked at Alice, expressionless.
"Excuse me," Mallymkun said. She seemed to be the only one had unfrozen by this point. And despite her kinds words, her tone was as sharp as her pin. "But 'oo are you?"
Hamish walked forward and stopped in front of Mallymkun's rock. He looked unimpressed, and if anything else, slightly amused. "Oh, how cute. A talking mouse."
Mallymkun leaped up and swiped at him with her needle. Hamish leaned back and avoided Mallymkun's blade without a second to spare. "Hmph." He stood up straight. "Well, if you must know, I am Lord Hamish Ascot, son and heir to Lord and Lady Ascot, the proud owners of England's finest trade company."
He received four blank stares.
Alice spoke up. "His name is Hamish."
"What an odd name. . . " Hatter murmured. Seemingly noticing that he had spoken that thought aloud, he stood up, brushed his pants off (which was really pointless since that cake would not be coming off any time soon) and walked over to stand next to Alice, across from Hamish. He put his hand in front of him, implying an act of handshake. Hamish stared down at Hatter's marred, dirty, and calloused hands. He scowled and nodded towards him. Hatter brushed the rejection off easily. "Well, Sir Hamish, I am Tarrant Hightopp. But my friends may call me Hatter." He smiled.
Hamish raised his eyebrows at the word 'friends'. Alice knew Hamish had no intention of being Hatter's friend.
"Come! Let us sit!" Hatter indicated the table behind him, then remembered that it had been tossed on its side. In one fluent movement, he had gotten it righted, though. He sat down in his chair at the head of the table and Alice stiffly sat down beside him. This was all so baffling for her. Mallymkun quickly hopped up on the table, still on guard from the new and mysterious arrival. Thackery was still asleep, now underneath the table. The moment Hamish sat down, two spots down from the Hatter, Chessur appeared right in front of his face. Hamish screamed the most high-pitched 'eep' that could ever sprout from a man and Alice struggled with stifling her nervous giggles.
"Why, hello there," Chess purred. Hamish's eyes went wide. "My title, my dear lad, is the Cheshire Cat. And I do so wear it proudly." Chessur spun around and stood up on the table on all fours. He stretched out his legs only to float back up and soar in circles around them all. Hamish's squinting eyes never left the cat's flying form.
"So," Hatter said, claiming the boar-ish man's attention. "You and Alice know each other?" He took a sip of his tea, which hadn't been there a moment before. Alice held her breath for Hamish's answer. He wouldn't mention. . . No, he has too much pride for him to mention that day at the gazebo.
When he proposed to her.
Hamish nodded, still gaping at Chessur (hence the cat's enormously wide grin). "She's my father's apprentice. . . of the company I mentioned earlier. . . " he murmured. Alice let out a sigh of relief.
Hatter raised his eyebrows at Alice. "Yes, err. . . " she stuttered. "I took the job right after my last visit. . ."
Hamish nearly choked (on what exactly, Alice did not know). "Visits?" He gave a chortled laugh. "How can you visit a place that's in your mind, Alice?" He rolled his eyes.
Alice's brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"
Hamish leaned forward, as did the Hatter. "Well, this can't possibly be real. I mean, take a good look at all this. There's this insufferably strange man whose eyes change colors, a little mouse that can speak, and a cat that floats around and can also speak. Not to mention that there is something living and snoring underneath this table and I have no clue as to what it is, but it sure doesn't not sound human. So logically, both of us ate something rancor at that party that upset our stomachs so much that we are now ill and having a strange reverie in which we both are present." He nodded.
. . . . .
Hatter laughed incredibly loudly. "Logically!" He hooted. "What is logic?"
Hamish scowled at him as his laughter increased in volume. "Well, of course you wouldn't know about logic. If you did, you wouldn't be wearing that hat. But there that filthy thing sits, right upon your mess of a hair."
The laughter stopped. Mallymkun gasped. Chessur stopped floating and actually fell onto the table. Thackery stopped snoring. As for Alice? All she could do was sit and stare as two people from two different worlds, that she both knew, would surely rip each other's heads off.
Hatter's eyes turned to a bright amber. "Do nae. . . insult. . . the hat."
Hamish looked confused and bitter. "I can do whatever I please, Tarrant, this is only but a vision. Although, I am getting rather bored of this scene. Alice and I will be leaving now for a place more civil." Chessur and Mallymkun grimaced as Hamish stood up, straightened his ripped up jacket, and sauntered over to Alice. He yanked on her arm and Alice was forced to stand up.
"Let go of me, Hamish!" When he did no such thing and only tightened his grip on his struggling captive, Hatter stood up and before anyone could predict what he was doing, a sword's tip was underneath Hamish's chin.
Alice and Hamish both looked up to see Hatter's furious gaze and shaking form. His eyes were redder and brighter than the sun. His sword shone in the light. Mallymkun bit her lip and Chessur looked back and forth between Hamish and Hatter. "Let. Her. Go," he said between clenched teeth.
A wave of fear splashed within Hamish's eyes as he looked down at the glinting sword. Then, his knowing gaze moved from the blade to Hatter and Alice and back to Hatter again. Still with fear, Hamish said confidently, "Oh, I see," he boasted. "Seems you two aren't just a couple of abnormal friends. There's a little bit of sweetness between these two! How revolting." His eyes flashed. "Well, do I have some interesting news for you, Tarrant!"
"Please, don't," Alice whispered. Hatter's red eyes lightened a bit when they searched Alice's face, but the red remained.
"A while back, Alice and I were at a party. Oh, was it fun. Dancing, refreshments, that sort of gig. Everyone was having a blast, especially our own Alice over here. Little did Alice know that it was her own engagement party."
Hatter's angered expression dropped and his sword lowered a tad. "Please, Hamish," Alice begged.
Hamish continued. "Near the end of the party, Alice was put onto the gazebo where her Prince Charming was awaiting for her, gallantly."
Hatter's eyes dulled as his mouth curved into a frown. "Hamish, just stop!" Alice pleaded.
Hamish grinned mischievously. "Me."
Hatter's eyes widened and he withdrew his sword. Hamish's lack of concentration had loosened his grip on her and she took that time to escape his grasp. She stood in front of Hatter, panicking at the sight of his gray eyes. "Hatter, please understand that I rejected this fowl man. I would never, ever, marry him! He disgusts me and I despise him!" She looked behind her to see a slightly hurt Hamish, which shocked her so much that she just had to turn around, back to Hatter. Hatter would always win. "Don't you see that I came back to Wonderland? If I wanted to be with that man, I would. But I don't want to be with him, so I won't." Hatter looked like he still needed a bit or reassuring. "Please, Hatter. I'm done with the Otherworld. All of me is now here, In Wonderland, with all my friends." Her eyes begged for him to understand.
Hatter looked at her, a bit confused. Then he shut his eyes, let out a huge breath, and still with his eyes shut asked her, "You said no?"
"Yes, I turned down his proposal."
After a moment, he opened his eyes and they were a bright green. Hatter smiled. "Good, because that man is a giant pile of frumious JubJub bird droppings."
Alice laughed and sprang forward to give him a hug. When he returned it, she heard a not-so-discreet cough from behind them. Alice stepped back and looked at Hamish. His hands were on his hips and he was glaring at her.
"So," he said. "I take it you're not coming, then?" Alice shook her head. "Fine, then. I'll be on my way."
Alice stepped towards him. "You're going to get lost if you go all on your lonesome. We could take you to Marmoreal, if you'd like-"
"I don't need help from you. I'll manage everything perfectly fine on my own," he said stubbornly. Alice still didn't want him going off by himself. She may despise him, but she didn't want him to get himself killed.
"Are you so stupid?" Mallymkun asked Hamish, although it was pretty obvious that she knew the answer to that one. "Over 'ere in Underland, ya don't just 'get lost', you can 'get eaten'. It's dangerous out there."
Hamish snickered at her. "I think I can take care of myself, thank you." He looked at Alice. "I'm getting out of this damned reverie with or without you, Alice. Just remember that." Hatter glared at the man and put himself slightly in front of Alice.
And without any goodbye other than that, Hamish turned and walked into-
A tree.
Hatter raised his eyebrows at the man as he rubbed his forehead. "Ouch."
Then, Hamish turned around and walked into the dark forest, not knowing where he was going or who he was soon to meet.
Author/OP in me: Wow. Just wow. Why did he walk into the tree?
Rachel: Because he's stupid and senseless. For now. And I was also using a literary device known as 'comic relief'. Surely you've heard of it?
Author/OP in me: Of course I have. It's a literary device used in a story when there is a dramatic scene and there is humor used to relieve the tension.
Rachel: Good job.
Author/Op in me: Thank you.
Did you enjoy this chapter? This one was very fun to write because the plot has finally come into play!