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 Sixteen: A Plan of Sorts
He held onto the phone, staring at the photograph of the brunette woman. She was a perfect copy of his own twin sister—his older sister, Jessica. His dead sister.
Damon Heart killed his sister. Kyle had no proof—just a feeling that Jessica was dead. No one had seen or heard from her in fifteen years. If Jess was alive, then Damon would already be dead. His sister wouldn't have let that bastard destroy Wonderland.
He had no choice but to trust his younger double. He had to do what Jess would want. She would want him to stand up to Damon and destroy him. She would want that.
He would save Wonderland for his sister. He'd get revenge.
Jessica raced to the window, the heavy sword at her side.
Kyle…you're alive! I can't believe it!
She threw open the window, peering out into the darkness below. A small group of men, possible with a few women, stood assembled below. At the head of the group stood a dark-haired man, the hood of his bright-colored sweatshirt thrown back. He was the leader.
His hair had grown out and a few strands were tucked behind his ears. His face looked almost as young as she remembered. He looked very young and fresh-faced despite fifteen years of exile. Perhaps he'd lived on the other side of the Looking Glass for several years, like she had.
Her brother wore a waistcoat underneath his jacket. It cut across the blue cloth of his sweatshirt. It was a comical look that only her little brother could pull off.
Jessica couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. It was him. He'd come.
What took you so bloody long?
"Rally the troops. Bring Kyle Heart to me. I'll deal with him personally. He is to be captured alive at any cost," Damon ordered from across the room. "And make sure Ana stays put in her room. I don't want her wandering around."
"Yes, your Majesty," the Club agreed, giving a short bow to the King of Wonderland.
Jessica spun around. Damon was going to kill her baby brother. He was going to take out the last known threat to his throne.
Her hand tensed on the sword. You'll have to kill me first…
"I want to help you stop him," Kyle insisted half-way across Wonderland.
"O' course. I know my sister would want it. I can't help but think Jessica would as well. Even Chase helped us stop Damon before. There's a chance he might help now," Connor said.
"Do you think she's dead?"
Connor nodded solemnly. "If she was alive, I'd know it. Wherever she is… it's not in our world or Wonderland. She has to be dead."
"And you're sure that I'm—we're not Hearts?"
"Yeah. You, me, our sisters—we're Hatters. Dark-haired like both our parents. Have you ever noticed a particular strength to one of your hands? Like magic?" Connor asked.
"How did ya know? It's my le—"
"—ft."
"Yeah."
Connor held up his left fist. "Same 'ere. Just like da. His right fist is like a sledgehammer—Sarah's too. Mine's the left."
"Yeah, Jessica had a strong right hook…"
"We're the same. You and me… we're the same person."
"Only we're not."
"But no one else knows that. No one knows but us. They think there's only one of us out 'ere. We have surprise on our side."
"What do ya mean?"
"We're going to march on the palace. I'm going to lead the charge. I want you to sneak in. I need you to get to Chase. He's going to be an important ally. He's our inside man. He'll help us stop Damon."
"Are you sure?"
Connor nodded. "I'll be the distraction. The Suits will think I'm you. It's perfect."
He snorted. "Yeah, until they decide to shoot you on sight."
"And miss a shot at a public execution? Yeah right."
"What makes you so sure this is gonna work?" Kyle asked. He wanted to trust himself, but it wasn't nearly as easy as it should be.
"I just… trust me."
Kyle sighed. "I guess. So what's your plan?"
Damon Heart swept out of the bedroom with a group of Suits on his heels. Behind him he could hear Ana of Diamonds shrieking and complaining as she was contained in her room. He couldn't help but smile at her rage.
He couldn't deny the excitement flooding his body at the very thought of wiping the rest of Alice Hamilton Heart's bloodline off the face of Wonderland. He knew that his grandmother would deal with the out of time pair of twins—it was his job to destroy this pair.
At least, that's what the woman in tan had told them. She had warned them of the second pair—a pair that wanted to change the timeline.
Duplicates of his so-called "siblings" who wanted to seize power from him. He couldn't let that happen.
He touched the knife concealed at his waist. He would execute Kyle Heart on his own, with no help from anyone else. Then, once the pretender to the crowd was dead, he would deal with Ana. There would be no blond rug rats at his court.
Damon entered his throne room and took his seat. "Bring me Kyle Heart. Now!"
Suits rushed out of the room to obey his orders. He smirked, relaxing in his cushy chair.
Jessica tossed a crystal vase at the heavy bedroom door. It shattered on impact, raining down broken glass. She screamed in frustration, feeling a bit like a wild animal forced into a tiny cage.
Damon would murder her brother. Kyle had survived for fifteen years on his own. She couldn't let Damon kill her twin. He was all she had left. Kyle was the last tie to her old life. Ana of Diamonds, her persona, didn't have any close relatives. Only Jessica did.
She stared at the Vorpal Blade, trying to wager her chances on escape with the lethal sword. Could she get away quick enough to dispatch Damon Heart, or would the Suits kill her on sight?
If they get to Kyle, it won't bloody matter, will it?
"Where are we?" Alice asked her traveling companion as they reached the top of another steep rise. She bent at the waist, panting and her brow damp with sweat.
Chase reached her side. "Umm, the Manor should be down there…" he said, pointing to the crumbled ruins. "Wait… that can't be…"
"I think you're right. I remember those pillars," Alice muttered, pointing to the front entrance. She had flown past those ivory-colored pillars in the gravel drive before the Manor. She'd been on the back of a flying flamingo with Hatter.
"Damnit, what has happened? The Manor shouldn't look like this. In the entire history of Wonderland, it's never once been abandoned. What changed?"
Alice sighed, turning to look at the young man. She'd come to regard him as a second son over the past few years. "We don't know how long it's been. It's possible that all the Hearts are gone."
"There were cousins—other distant relatives. Mother never would have let it just… rot."
"We need to keep moving, Chase. Is there anywhere else to go?"
"We could try to find the Caterpillar. He is an ally of my father. He opposed my brother's role. He would be on our side."
"What makes you think that's important?" Alice asked.
"Wonderland politics are very different than those of Oysters. For example, most Oysters don't murder their opposition or use their power to have their enemies killed. It's a rare occurrence for Oysters. In Wonderland, if you aren't killing your opposition, you aren't working hard enough. That's why I left. I had no interest in being judge, jury, and executioner."
"There have been assassinations…"
"In Wonderland, it's more like a massacre. Like that… ooh, what was that mass killing in your history again?"
"Which one?"
"The persecution one. With the famous little girl who wrote a book…" Chase tried, his forehead wrinkled in thought.
"Columbine?"
"No, no it was a whole country. Started with an 'h', I think…"
"The Holocaust?"
He snapped his fingers. "That's it! The Holocaust! That's how Wonderland politics work. You execute all of those who oppose you or might oppose you in order to secure your throne. We don't use gas chambers, but there are other ways. The preferred method has always been beheading."
"So what you're trying to say is, if another person took power, they might kill anyone with a claim to the throne?"
"Yes. That's what my brother did. He murdered our father to secure his position. If I hadn't played along, he would have easily ordered my death. I guess I got lucky that my mother sent me away. She played both sides to protect the bloodline. She knew how dangerous Damon was."
"Do you think that we have another dictator on our hands?" Alice asked.
"Given the burned out villages and this? It's very possible. They might have even disabled the Looking Glass."
A look of horror and comprehension crossed Alice's pale face. "Hatter!"
"Alice—"
"What if this was a trap? What if the mirror was broken on purpose? What if we were brought here to die?"
"You can't think like that."
"Why not?" Alice protested, staring at the blond. He'd almost become her son-in-law once. He'd been a good employee and friend to the family. "If we're the true rulers of Wonderland, than we'd be threats to whoever ruled. It's common knowledge that I had two children. Maybe this trap was meant for Sarah and Connor."
"Don't think like, Mrs. Hatter," Chase urged, grasping her arms. "Sarah is alive. She's your daughter. She's resourceful. So's Connor. They're alive somewhere. We're going to find them. Everything's going to work out, okay?"
"I hope you're right," she whispered, her blue eyes filled with pain and worry. For once, she looked older than her age instead of younger.
"What is all the commotion about?" Mary Elizabeth demanded, sweeping into the throne room. Her grandson looked up, slightly bored.
"Apparently that bastard Kyle is still alive. He's trying to march on the palace with his little group of Resistance members. It's pathetic, really."
"Not that, you imbecile! What is all that awful screeching about?"
"Oh, that? That would be my brother's guest of sorts… Ana of Diamonds. She's been confined to her rooms. She's a very unpleasant little bitch. I offered her a chance to save her neck and she attacked me. She's to be killed once I deal with Kyle once and for all."
"I told you to slit his throat fifteen years ago!"
"It's not my fault that his slag of a sister snuck him out! That whore got what she deserved in the end. All she did was delay his execution."
The former Queen of Hearts sighed loudly and with a theatrical air. "Let me deal with Miss Diamond. I will get rid of her. You finish off the last Hatter."
"It will be my pleasure, grandmother," Damon said with a genuine smile.
Jessica tore the sheets off her bed. She wouldn't stay in that room. Not when Damon wanted her brother. Screw him and his security. She was supposed to be the Queen of Wonderland—the Queen of Hearts.
She tore the sheets into strips with the sharp sword. She nicked her hands a few times, staining the already crimson sheets with her blood.
Her fingers moved quickly, knotting the sheets into a makeshift rope. It was a long drop to the ground below. It was a fall that could either kill or paralyze her if the sheet-rope failed or if she slipped.
The door to her room opened. Jessica turned, her attention now divided between her escape route and the intruder.
The intruder, a portly woman dressed in red swept into the room.
Jessica's hand gripped the sword. She knew this woman. It was her grandmother—the same evil witch who had installed her devious half-brother on the throne. There was no love lost between Mary Elizabeth Heart and her eldest grandchildren. She always resented Jessica and Kyle because of their "inferior" mother.
Jessica still bore the physical and mental scars of her hatred.
"What do you want?" she hissed at the older woman.
"You must be Ana. The King has told me much about you."
Her brown eyes narrowed. "Oh? Would that be before or after he tried to kill me?"
"I understand that you've been upset by this little incident—"
"Upset? Upset? You have no idea!" Jessica screamed.
The Madness rose within her. It was like a disease that flowed through some Wonderlanders. She had spent most of her life hiding the Madness, especially since she'd been taunted for being a half-blood her whole life. No one wanted to know that someone of royal blood, especially a princess, was Mad—dangerously unhinged. She would have been locked up in the Hospital of Dreams.
The old Queen smiled at her. "You have quite the temper, Ana of Diamonds. Tell me again how you came to be at court."
"I came to visit my family. Is that so wrong?"
"Considering that you are not related to the Diamond family, yes it is. You have been lying to this entire court. Plus the King says you threatened to kill him. Are these allegations true?"
Jessica held up the sword. "I don't know, Queenie. You tell me."
"How dare you point a sword at me? I'm the Queen of Hearts, you little imposter!"
"Actually, I am. What's wrong, Mary? Did you forget your granddaughter?" Jessica taunted. She stepped closer, aiming the point of the sharp blade at the older woman's throat. "Perhaps it should be off with your head now."
"You're delusional. I have no granddaughter."
"That's only because you made sure she disappeared, right, grandmamma?"
Mary Elizabeth looked at Jessica's face. She stared hard, seeing past the blonde dye and stylish clothes. She saw right into her eyes and the hatred lurking there. The anger and the Madness.
"You!" she snarled. "You little bastard!"
Jessica curtsied, tipping an imaginary hat to the redhead. "That's right. It's me… Jessica Hamilton Heart. The oldest child of King Jack Heart—the only daughter of Alice, the true Queen of Wonderland."
"That's absurd! You're dead!"
Jessica smirked at her. "Nice try… next time you want someone dead, don't bury them alive."
The Queen paled, her blush and garish eye shadow the only colors left on her face.
"It's not possible."
With her free hand, Jessica pulled down the neckline of her nightgown. "Recognize this? Even the best Oyster plastic surgeons couldn't fix it. It's a little reminder that I've carried for all these years."
An ugly, puckered line zigzagged down her collarbone and across her heart. The scar was close to seven inches in length.
Mary Elizabeth faltered. "It's not possible."
"What? You don't recognize the damage you did to your own flesh and blood? To a little girl who missed her mother?"
"You're no kin of mine," the Queen snarled.
"Oh? Is that so? Then why go to all the trouble to disown me? To exile Kyle?"
"All of Wonderland assumed you were the King's own children. Jack believed with every breath he had. He thought of you as his own."
"What are you saying?"
"You're not a Heart! You haven't a drop of royal blood in your veins!"
Jessica's nostrils flared. "Then who are my parents?"
"Your parents are dead."
She forgot all about the deadly sword in her possession. She grabbed the Queen by her neck and slammed her into a wall. Her right fist curled into a tight ball, ready to strike Her Majesty in the ribs. "Did you kill them?"
Mary Elizabeth snorted. "Believe me, I tried. Luckily for me, you took care of your mother. Your Oyster mother."
She punched the older woman's stomach, snapped a few ribs with her solid punch. The Queen gasped aloud.
"Don't you talk about her like that!"
She coughed, spitting up blood. "Like it or not, it's the truth. Your mother was a dirty whore. She used my son to get money and power. She used your father for access to Emotion Teas. Then she came crawling back to my son instead of that gangster without a cent to his name."
"My mother wouldn't use Tea!"
Mary Elizabeth scoffed. "How would you know? You impertinent little half-breed! I should have smothered you in your crib!"
"What? Killing my mother wasn't enough?" Jessica accused.
"There is no proof that Alice died of anything other than childbirth. She was a weak little Oyster after all…"
"Only because you covered it up! You let her die, didn't you? You drugged her senseless and let her bleed out!"
The Queen laughed.
"What did you do to my dad? Where is he?"
"Dead."
"When?"
"Before you even took a breath. No one quite knows what got him in the end. He had a lot of enemies, the Mad Hatter, did. And you… you and your brother look just like him. You little bastards!"
Jessica wiped the spit off her cheek. She swallowed her anger.
"It's true then. All those stories about my mother… Alice. The stories about her and the Hatter… about them saving Wonderland from you… it's all true."
"Yes. But my son was unable to get over his infatuation. So I allowed him to keep your mother. The Duchess was always there in the wings, ready to take her place as his queen. I knew your mother won't last long. What I couldn't risk was your father upsetting the balance."
"What did you do with his body? Bury him in a shallow grave like I was?"
"No, no, you idiotic girl. He disappeared. He's probably inside of a Jabberwock wherever he is. Good riddance."
Her anger boiled over. She could only take so many insults at a time, especially about her family.
And then to find out that her entire life—her whole history—was a fairy tale meant to placate a weak king…that was the tipping point. She had always known her mother's death could have been prevented. She never doubted it.
Now she had proof. Mary Elizabeth had admitted her role in Alice's murder. She'd also admitted her role in Jessica's own murder and her father's.
"Where is my brother?" she demanded. "Where are they taking Kyle?"
The Queen just laughed. And laughed.
Jessica shoved her down to the ground. Heart or not, she wasn't going to let Wonderland suffer another minute at the hands of either of its' tyrants.
"Mary Elizabeth Heart, you have been found guilty of the murder of Alice Heart, Queen of Wonderland. You have also admitted to playing a role in the murder of Jessica Heart. Do you have anything to say before I pass sentence?" Jessica demanded, picking up the sword.
The Queen didn't say. She just laughed. She was still laughing when Jessica sliced off her head with one clean stroke.
"Stay calm. No matter what happens," Connor Hatter instructed the small group with him. None of their weapons were particularly useful, but he had no choice. If he wanted to stop Damon, he needed extra help.
Chase would help him. Even if this world was different than this—a parallel world or whatnot—he had to believe Chase cared for Sarah—or in this case, Jessica.
Troops of Suits began to approach with lethal-looking guns. Some were handguns, but the vast majority where what he could only describe as single-barreled shotguns. They could be use with one hand and a pump mechanism.
Connor fired at the nearest Suit, a single to the others to disperse. The Resistance fighters slipped into the struggle with ease, lashing out brutally and violently at the Suits.
"Oi, do you want to keep your head?" one of the Suits berated, as he found himself cornered, his gun out of ammo and his hand crushed underneath one of the Suits' shoes. He could feel the joints stretching and popping—the bones breaking one-by-one.
Connor held in a scream.
"The King wants this one alive. Got that?"
A sharp kick to the ribs caused him to react like a garden-variety potato bug. He curled up, trying to protect his stomach and vital organs. His right hand stayed pinned to the dirt.
"Get up, you traitor!" snarled another Suit, kicking him repeatedly. "Did ya hear me?"
This is for ya, Sarah…
He was jerked off the ground, his legs dragged across the rough footing. He didn't struggle as they hauled him to the throne room. This was all part of the plan. He meant to get captured. What he didn't have was an escape plan. Kyle never inquired about one. He had a feeling that his other self knew that what he was doing was a suicide mission.
Connor didn't care. He would save his sister's world—his family's world. It was all he had left now. There was no going home.
Author's Notes:
God bless the invention of wireless blu-ray players! (And laptops… couldn't have done this without one of those…) Not to mention Netflix….
Why am I thanking technology? It goes like this—I'm bedridden with a nasty stomach bug. It's not a 24-hr bug. It's more like a weeklong bug. Lemme put it like this—my mum got it on Thursday and she's still got it.
Despite my attempts to avoid my mum, I contracted it on late Saturday while out of town. This meant I had to drive from one home to another at 1am because I knew I'd eventually be unable to move because of stomach pain.
It's been all downhill since then. Not a lot of eating, but plenty of sleeping and laying in bed. I can't sit at my desk, with my awesome computer and video files, so I'm stuck on my sluggish laptop (after about two videos, it'll stop working and my music files are kept on an external HD, which is still packed up). That's where the blu-ray player comes in. Aside from just watching DVDs (which I've done—watched episodes I thru IV (both parts) of Trial & Retribution (a show that ALP guest-starred on in episode X ("Sins of the Father") and almost all of series 1 of Big Bang Theory. Hilarious comedy. Really.
Now I've got YouTube running on my blu-ray with my headphones piped into my TV screen. Lots of Alice/Hatter vids for inspiration.
Anyways, enough about me. Lemme know what you thought about the chapter. It's long and rambles and it's probably not coherent, but I love feedback.
