Chapter 24. Lately, I've been feeling like I've been kind of rushing this fan fiction, so I re read my original on and decided to take this one a little slower, adding more details, I guess. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in Wonderland, but I wish I do.
When Alice had finished telling her story, she stared at her mother with an apologetic expression. She'd told her everything, about falling down the rabbit hole the first time after hearing her aunt's story, to fighting the jabberwocky and then taking Nicholas down to Underland as well. And she told her mother about Stayne, and the horrible curse that he'd put on her mother.
"That…monster, did this to me?" Helen asked, after Alice had finally stopped speaking.
Alice nodded. "Yes, and he arranged it so only one of us could wake you up. Which is why we brought Imogene."
"But…." Helen whispered. "You said my finger moved when your sister said your name Shouldn't you have…."
"Helen," Aunt Imogene said, squeezing her sister's hand. "My name wasn't always Imogene, remember? Our parents named me Alice, but I changed my name when I fell down the rabbit hole because the queen wanted her name to live on. It was the only thing I could think to do."
"And Stayne thought that I would never be able to put the pieces together, realizing that my aunt's real name was Alice and that she was the only person that could wake you up." Alice added.
"Goodness." Helen whispered, raising a hand to her mouth. And frankly, Alice couldn't blame her. This was all a lot to take in, especially after being asleep for such a long period of time. "Then what do we do now?"
Alice gave her mother a sad smile. "We have to go back, mother."
. . .
On hour later, Alice found herself grabbing the few things she'd brought with her when she'd returned to London. She walked over to her closet and pulled out her dark blue cloak, draping it around her shoulders and tying it at the front of her neck.
She grabbed her book, which she'd been leafing through constantly; going over and over the pages until she'd had every picture committed to memory, and her Aunt's diary too. Then she picked up the crystal necklace and walked to her bedroom door. She looked around her aunt's room one last time and with a small smile, shut the door and left in search of everyone else.
They met in the foyer, just as they'd promised earlier and got ready to go down the rabbit hole. Alice stopped, halfway down the stairs and stared down at her aunt and her friend. Mctwisp was looking better, Imogene had given him a proper bath, and Imogene herself looked absolutely giddy, almost like a child on Christmas morning.
"Are you ready, Alice?" Hatter asked, appearing next to her as easily as Chessur was able to do. Alice wanted to grin, remembering she was about to see Chess, and Mallymkun and everyone else that she'd miss. She'd left something with them, she knew. Some part of her that only they could fill, maybe because they were part of Underland where she'd always truly belonged, or maybe because they were her family. But probably both.
"I'm ready," Alice whispered, and felt her smile grow, as she turned to face the Hatter. "Are you?"
It seemed like such a simple question to Alice, but Hatter's answer was more complex than anything. "I will be." They just stared then. Completely unaware of Imogene and Nivens who were just standing a few feet away from them in the room, and just enjoyed the moment that they'd shared.
She remembered, dimly, as if it was some other part of her remembering while another part just lavished in this present, about what she'd told Hamish a few hours before.
You're in love with him, aren't you? Hamish had asked, and Alice had known, as she'd always known that she'd never meant to live in London, or China or anywhere else, because her true home would always be her Wonderland, that she truly and unbelievably was in love with the crazy, strange, odd, unbelievably talented, absolutely and completely mad hatter.
"Alice?" Nivens asked, and Alice turned around to see both him and her aunt staring up at her curiously. No, staring at both her and the Hatter curiously.
Heat rushed into Alice's white cheeks and she gazed down at her hands. Why am I blushing? Alice thought suddenly, angry with herself. We were just talking, weren't we?
"We're ready to go." Imogene told them, and both Hatter and Alice nodded. Imogene turned away, walking towards the west wing of the manor and opening a single door that must have led to the backyard and pulling them open, sending a cold chill throughout the entire room that touched each of them. Alice pulled her cloak closer to her body, while she finished descending down the rest of the stairs and followed her aunt out the door. Just outside, she paused to see Hatter kneeling down, peaking in soft hushed tones with Nivens who was staring at him intently, and Alice didn't have the urge to ask what they were doing.
She turned away and kept walking down the cobbled walk way after her aunt, barley able to see Imogene as she faded in night's dark surroundings and the tall trees. Alice kept walking though, and soon they were stepping out of the group of trees and walking straight outside, into the open.
Alice took a deep breath and started to rush, walking faster in case someone might have spotted hem when she saw a patch of rectangular light a few feet in front of her.
With a small cry of shock she turned, and saw a dark figure standing in the window, staring down at her. The window was closed, but Alice could just make out his red locks and she froze, only able to give him a desperate pleading look.
For a moment, neither moved, then, he disappeared and Alice felt her limbs able to move again, but Hamish returned, opened the window, and held out his arm.
Alice watched, like a scared doe at the sight of a ravenous wolf, while something floated down towards her. Alice reached out and grabbed a small slip of paper that had fallen down from the sky and opened it up, using the light of Hamish's window to read the two words that had been written in the paper.
Good luck.
Alice smiled brightly and looked up a Hamish and nodded to him, and then she turned away and ran into the woods, after her Aunt Hamish's two little words giving her the strength to run faster than ever before.
And finally, she found the large dead tree that she'd learn to memorize, so that she could find it anywhere, even in the dark. She felt its rough bark while her fingers trailed over it and saw as Imogene gave her a smile as she sat down on the edge of the hole and slide herself inside.
Footsteps sounded behind Alice, and she turned to see Mctwisp running towards her with Hatter at his paws. His white fur was stark against the night, and he seemed to be just a blur as he eager jumped down into the holes blackness.
Hatter sat down on the outer edge of the hole, letting his legs dangle inside and Alice followed suit, so that the two of them were sitting there, side by side, surrounded by the night and utterly alone.
"Together?" Hatter asked, holding out his hand.
Alice nodded. "Together," She whispered, and clasped his hand tightly in hers and they both fell down the rabbit hole, hand in hand.
Aw, more Alice and Hatter moments, why did I stop writing those in there? I seriously need to work on that. Did you enjoy it? I enjoyed Hamish being awesome and not the tool he usual is. Review please!