Alice and What Came After: Between the Glass

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Alice – no rights, no claims, nada – it belongs to SyFy and Nick Willing. Rex, Sid, and Nancy belong to ITV/Impossible Pictures. Sarah, Connor, Damon, and Chase are my own creations.

Chapter Eleven: Past Problems

Helen Cutter entered the flat, her pointed boots clicking as she stepped over the unconscious form inside the door. The dark-haired woman didn't stir, even when Helen pressed her heel into her back for a moment.

A few steps back, Sarah Hatter stood with two of Helen's men. Each had a firm grip on her arms.

"Kill her and take her to the ARC," Helen ordered, staring at Jenny Lewis.

A third man scooped up the former PR manager, heading back to the van they'd arrived in.

Helen's cold gaze fell on Sarah. "Take that one with you. If any of the ARC team give you trouble, shoot her. They'll leave you alone—especially Temple. Just don't kill her. We might still need her."

The two men nodded, tightening their hold on Sarah.

Sarah felt the anger, the Madness, she'd inherited from her father building inside her. She lunged toward Helen, breaking free of the soldiers' hold. Her freedom didn't last long—not when two tasers went off at the same time, bringing her down in a heap.


Danny pulled the truck to a stop in front of a safe house. Becker shook Connor out of his stupor. The tech geek jumped in his seat.

"Abby?" he mumbled.

"No, Connor, it's Becker…"

"Where's Abby?"

"She's gone, Connor. Helen shot her," the military man explained softly. "Helen killed her and Dr. Page. She's gone…"

Connor shook his head. "No… no…"

"Connor, look at me. Abby is gone. She's not coming back. I need you to focus. Think about your daughter…"

"Sarah?"

Becker nodded. "Yes, Sarah. She's with Jenny. We're going to go get her. I just need to make sure you're okay before we leave you here."

"Leave? No… I'm coming with you."

"Conn, you need to rest. We'll bring her to you. Don't worry."

"She's my daughter…" Connor struggled to stand up. He looked rather worn down.

"I know. I know. But you need to stay here. Helen is trying to get to you. No matter what, that can't happen. You need to hide."

"She killed Abby…"

"Don't worry, she will suffer. I'll make sure of it."

"And Sarah… the one from the future… did Helen…?"

"She's gone. Helen got to her. She was taken from the truck."

Connor closed his eyes. "I'm coming with you."

"No—"

"I promised to get her home. I won't let Helen kill her. Not because of me. I'm going to get her back and we're doing to protect my daughter. It's what Abby would want."

Becker sighed. "Fine. But you don't get a gun."

" I'll kill that bitch with my bare hands if I have to."


Sarah's hands were bound behind her back. She lay face down in the back of a van beside Jenny. The other woman had not stirred since being tasered. Sarah's entire body ached from her fall and the double tasering. Her Wonderland blood gave her a faster recovery time from most anything from illness to gunshots.

She tried to stay quiet, her head pounding, and her muscles screaming.

A dreadful fate awaited them both. Helen wanted them dead. She wanted Sarah's only hope of returning home dead. Helen meant to kill Connor Temple.

She wouldn't let that happen. Not to her brother's lookalike. He didn't deserve it. He was only involved in this mess because of her. Because Helen chose her to get under his skin.

She wriggled around on the floorboard, trying to reach her father's knife. I won't let this happen. I won't lie down and die without a fight. I won't let them kill his friend—not after they killed his wife.

The knife was in her front pocket. She grunted. It was just out of reach.

Beside her, Jenny groaned. "God that hurts."

Sarah rolled over to face the older woman. "Hello..."

The other woman frowned. "Sarah?"

"Sorry about that. Helen had a gun to my back. I'm Sarah… Sarah Hatter. I'm from the future."

Jenny groaned again, trying to sit up. "The future? How… you came through an anomaly?"

"Yeah, I guess. That's what Connor tells me. All I know is that I was stepping between worlds when I landed in this strange place… where Helen and those Predators were. She dragged me here to get to Connor. And it worked…"

Sarah twisted her wrists toward her pocket again.

"Abby's going to be furious…" Jenny said. "If Helen gets to Sarah…"

"She already has. I'm sorry, Miss Lewis. She used me to confuse you and get inside the flat. I don't know what's she's planning, but it involves Connor. She's going to make him do something… something he wouldn't do unless there were lives at stake."

"Like what?"

Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. I just met her. But Connor—he's just like my brother. Same personality. I just know in my gut that it's bad."

"What is going to happen to us?"

"Nothing if you can help me."

"What do you need me to do?" Jenny asked, eying the female version of Connor—a grown-up version of the child she had been watching minutes before.


David Hatter climbed out of the truck, slowly taking his surroundings. The underground garage had a strong military presence. Another truck was parked a few spaces away. The two vehicles were identical.

Three people stood around this truck. One had sandy blond hair—most likely the leader of this rag-tag bunch—another was a female with short platinum blonde hair and a quirky style of dress and the third looked just like his son.

"Cutter…" his driver said, joining the group.

"Oh, good. Stephen, I want you to take the lead. We don't know what we're dealing with yet. Connor, I want you to figure out how long this anomaly has been open, where it opens to, and how long it's going to last. Abby, tranquilizers, if you would," the older man said, handing a gun to the driver.

The man took it gratefully.

Hatter bumped into the younger man accidentally as they all scrambled around the truck. The two men stopped—their identical eyes examining each other.

"Wicked…" the younger man said, his voice just like Connor's. "Look, Abs…"

"Connor… the anomaly…" the man called Cutter said, stepping toward them. He stopped.

Hatter swiped off his hat, tipping it to the other man. "'Ello. David Hatter. Please ta meet ya," he said. "This is my son, Connor."

"What?" blurted out the young college student.

"Connor, really. This is no time for games. Your sister is still missing and your mother is worried sick about you," Hatter said.

"I don't know you—how do you know my name?"

Cutter stepped between them. "Mr… Hatter is it?"

"Yes?"

"You know Connor?"

"Of course. He's my son." He stared at the bewildered student again. Right?

"Connor?" Cutter asked.

"I've never met 'im before. Honest, Professor."

Hatter took a step back. "Look, I swear he's my son. His name is Connor Kyle Hatter and he's a twin. He has an older sister—Sarah. He was born and raised in New York and he's got a lizard named Rex. Ask me anything."

"How did ya know about Rex?"

"Where is Rex? I thought you were talking him back?" Cutter demanded, looking at both Connor and the girl, Abby.

"He came back, remember? We're just waiting for the right time period to send him home. He's safe in the flat," the girl offered. "It's not like I sold him to the circus."

"Listen, can we argue about this later? There's an anomaly waiting and who knows what's come through it already," the driver, who Hatter assumed was Stephen, suggested.

The man in charge, Cutter, nodded. "Stephen's right. Abby, get those tranquilizers ready. Stephen, I want you leading the entry team. Connor… you know what to do. And Hatter… you're with me."

The team split up, leaving Hatter totally confused and feeling even further away from home than he had when he landed.

Author's Notes:

I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I'll let you guys decide. It's got a lot going on and I'm keeping Helen in the background for now. Would you all prefer one chapter in Wonderland, then a chapter in London, then another chapter in Wonderland? Or does it not really matter?

Thanks for reviewing! Please keep the reviews coming. You guys are amazing.