Now this is a very interesting chapter because I was standing in the line of a super market with my mom when I had this idea. At first I was going to go with a whole different approach, but this seems more…unexpected. Oh well, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Alice in Wonderland. Sorry!

Hamish might have started off first, but Alice was faster. Maybe after all those times she'd raced Nicholas had finally paid off, but right now she had to get to Hamish before he said a word to anyone. She was getting closer to him, and now was her chance, she leapt, and grabbed onto Hamish's arm, landing slightly on her feet but stumbling back, pulling Hamish back long with her.

Hamish stopped and turned his face red and panting heavily.

He gave Alice a bewildered look and then straightened as if he was about to run away again.

"Hamish, stop!" Alice cried, pulling him back, as her feet slid across the hallway's slippery floor. "Stop, you can't tell anyone about what you just heard."

"The hell I can't!" Hamish snapped. "You're sick Alice. Truly and unbelievably sick. You want to break your aunt out of an asylum and-and-you-"

"Hamish please," Alice pleaded, desperately. "I'm begging you. You can't tell anyone."

"Why not?" Hamish asked. "What can you possibly do that will make me want to listen to you?"

"Hamish," Alice whispered, then took a deep breath. "If you tell anyone then…then I'll…"

"Then we'll tell your parents about Phillip." Another voice said and both Alice and Hamish froze.

Hatter was standing a few feet away from them, his face the picture of calm as he strode over to them without a single hurry.

"What did you say?" Hamish asked, and Alice had to turn around and face him to confirm her suspicion that she thought Hamish's voice quivered.

"If you tell anyone about what either I or Miss Kingsley were speaking about, then we'll tell your mother about Phillip." Hatter spoke calmly.

Alice felt Hamish's arm grow tense under her hand as he spoke. "I don't know what you're talking about. Mr. Bitters and I are nothing but somewhat close acquaintances."

Alice eyes widened then. Mr. Bitters? Mr. Bitters Lord Ascot's business partner? He did seem younger than the other partners and was a bit different than the rest of them, but what does that have anything to do with Hamish? I mean, Mr. Bitters was everything that Hamish wasn't. Chipper, sweet, complementing Alice's choice of dress as she walked in and then something in Alice's head just…clicked.

She whipped around to ace Hamish with new eyes. Everything made sense now. Why Hamish's mother was desperate to get him married, why he seemed so different from other men why he felt so strongly against how Alice had been offered the apprentice ship instead of him. Because picking a woman over him was bad. But it would be even worse if….if…

Alice dropped Hamish's hand and stood, and he let his eyes fall to the ground, like he was a young child.

"I won't tell anyone." He whispered, and ran swiftly into one of the rooms and shut the door, leaving Alice and Hatter alone.

There was one minute of utter complete silence before Alice turned and screamed at Hatter. "What the hell was that?"

"He won't tell anyone now." Hatter replied quietly, his eyes on the floor. "It was the only way."

"The only way for him to be quiet and keep our secret is blackmail?" Alice cried. "You just, destroyed him!"

Hatter raised his eyes to Alice's. "But-"

"Hatter," Alice cut him off, wearily. 'That just…that just wasn't right." Without another word she was walking towards the door, but she paused at it and turned around. "Hatter, I'm going to talk to him. Go get ready, alright?"

She didn't wait to see him nod, she opened he door and walked in, closing it as softly as possibly so no one would hear her. It still wasn't alright for a lady to be in a man's room at such hours even under certain…circumstances.

Hamish turned around when she walked in, and her heart broke when she saw tears in his eyes. She bit her lip and walked over to him where he sat on the bed, his and running through his hair as his pants were soaked with tears.

"Hamish," Alice whispered, but he shook his head.

"No, Alice. I don't even want you to say it." He told her.

Alice took a deep sigh. "What do you mean?"

"That you're sorry for me." He said in a bitter voice. "That you wish you could do something for me. That you promise not to tell my father or my mother."

"Hamish, I'm sorry Tarrant threatened to tell them." Alice told him, and he let his hand fall and stared at her unfathomably.

"What?" He whispered.

"I…I don't care." Alice admitted. 'I mean, it isn't like it's, I don't know something you may have control over. It isn't my right to judge you. And it isn't anybody else's right either."

Hamish still continued to stare at her skeptically. "I don't understand."

Alice's gaze fell to her hands. "When I boarded that ship, everyone thought less of me because I was a woman. It was something I could control, and it was something they had to accept. And that is something that your parents need accept too. I mean, they'll have to eventually, won't they?"

Hamish shook his head at Alice. "I...I don't know."

"Hamish, do people know that Mr. Bitters is like this?" Alice asked softly. Hamish gave her a grave nod and Alice continued. "Then why can't you?"

"Because I'm a lord!" Hamish exclaimed and Alice flinched. "It will be a scandal. Everyone will be talking about it. My father's company will be ruined and my mother….my mother…"

Alice shook her head. "Hamish, your father's partner is like you, and the entire company hasn't fallen to ruins. I think that maybe, things will be alright."

"But…" Hamish's lip quivered. "What if...what if it doesn't turn out like you say?"

"You mean between you and Philip, don't you?" Alice asked lightly.

Hamish nodded. "I mean, what if things go wrong? I don't want my family to get hurt, or him or…anything like that."

Alice nodded and bit her lip. "Hamish, I can't see into the future, but, do you think you love him?"

After a few minutes Hamish nodded.

"Then be with him." Alice told him, turning to face him with a hopeful smile. "If you love him, then nothing should get in the way of that. Because if you just keep going on like this then who knows, you'll just be kept left wondering…and it will hurt more than anything you can imagine."

Hamish looked at Alice with a dazed expression and then a small smile appeared on his lips. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Alice's brow furrowed. "Who?"

"Tarrant," Hamish replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're in love with him. It's quite obvious you know."

Warmth rushed up to Alice's cheeks and she looked away. "I…I guess so."

"Then why aren't you with him Alice?" Hamish urged. "If you love him like the way I believe you do, why aren't you with him right now?"

Alice bit her lip, desperately wanting to tell Hamish everything, but also knowing that this wasn't the time, and that she had other things to do, so all she said was. "It's more complicated then you know."

Hamish nodded, like she did tell him everything and stood, grabbing her hand and pulling her up with him and hugging her tightly in which she followed and after a few moments they pulled away and Hamish was holding a hand on her shoulder.

"Go, Alice." He told her. "Go save your aunt and….try to save him too."

Alice nodded, feeling her eyes grow wet and turned away to go but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Alice?" He asked.

"Yes, Hamish?" Alice asked softly.

"Thank you," He whispered. "For everything. I'm sure this would have been even more awkward if you'd accepted my marriage proposal."

Alice grinned from ear to ear. "I believe so," She replied, and she left, just like he'd asked her to. Still grinning so wide, she was surprised her face didn't split in too.

Surprised? I was too, but it's kind of sweet, isn't it? It might explain a little bit more about him, and makes him less of a jerk, but more of a misunderstood meanie. Lol, I know, I'm strange, but my sudden ideas make the story better, no? Please review, and no hatful comments, okay? This is the first sudden idea I've had on awhile, I needed his.