Chapter six – Secrets revealed.

After the tea party the Hatter took Alice back to his house, wanting to catch up with her, they had so much time to make up for. Jane was invited but decided to go home, which she'd told everyone was 'with a friend she'd made in Underland' but failed to tell anybody who this mystery friend was. She'd never brought anybody back with her, and always avoided the subject of how she'd come across Underland. The only thing she'd say was "I walked into a mirror, and just, kind of, ended up here." Since that's what happened to Alice once, they didn't bother to ask any questions. In fact, nobody in Underland knew anything about Jane, except for the Hatter. Well, he thought he knew her.

"I'm home" Jane called out as she walked through the front door of the house she was staying in. "Good, now go and make some sweets, we're going to have a visitor soon, and I want him to be well fed!" Rolling her eyes at being ordered around Jane walked into the kitchen to start making all kinds of scones, biscuits, tarts and cakes. "Who is all this for anyway? I thought nobody knew you lived out here?" Jane called across the small house, "just an old... uh, friend of mine." Right just a friend Jane thought. She wanted to talk to her friend about the events of today but wasn't sure how to bring up all the questions, she decided to just come right out with it.

"I thought I was the only human girl to enter Underland" she told her friend, "You are! Why would you need to question such a thing? Do you see any other young girls here? Or boys for that matter?" Jane paused before breaking the news. "Actually, yes. Have you ever heard of a girl named Alice?" Her friend stopped doing what she was doing, Jane realized, and didn't talk back for a little while. "Alice... ah yes, I know her, we go quite far back. She's the reason I live out here, in the scum of Underland! I didn't tell you about her because she is not just a mere girl, she's a monster. She manipulated Underland to think that I was an evil tyrant, and turn against me, and then she killed my favourite pet! That girl ruined me." Her friend was yelling now. Jane walked out of the kitchen and sat next to her friend "It's okay Iracebeth, she's not going to get away with this" she assured her "I'll make sure of it." Right then a man walked in the front door. He was tall with dark hair, and wore a heart shaped eye patch. The man scared Jane, and she retreated back into the kitchen to make the food. "Hello Stayne" Iracebeth welcomed him.

The Red ex-Queen sat and spoke with Stayne for a long time, not allowing Jane to come into the room, claiming they needed their privacy, gross Jane thought, and gladly stayed away. "I've been informed that a certain girl we both know has made her way back to Underland" she explained to Stayne, who's form stiffened, he knew exactly who he was talking about, and he hated her, almost as much as the Queen. "What do we do?" she asked, noticing his change in posture and expression, Stayne looked up at the second floor, as if to make a suggestion, he had a chilling smile on his face and he constructed a plan in his head "The girl" he said after a while, "she will befriend Alice, and take away her dearest friend, that mad character. If Underland's champion is weakened, the rest of Underland will begin to fall. Then we make our move." They both laughed, a sadistic evil laugh.

Meanwhile, back at the Hatter's house, he and Alice were having a wonderful time. Alice told him all about her travels and all that she had achieved while she was away, and the Hatter mostly spoke of how much he missed her, often going on one of his mad rambles, which Alice loved to hear. "Underland was so boring without you, I waited and waited for such a long time, but then Jane came along and well, of course I was friendly, but I thought maybe she could replace you, until I realized that nobody can replace because, well, I love you.." He didn't mean to say that out loud, and quickly wished he would take it back. Alice looked surprised, but not scared or confused as Hatter thought she would be. She just smiled warmly at him, taking his hand in hers. "Do you have any idea how happy I am to hear that?" she asked, making his smile so big it took up most of his face.

They sat there, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes for an incredibly long time, Alice broke the silence, realizing what she hadn't said "I love you" she whispered. The mad Hatter cupped her delicate face in his hands and gently pulled her toward his, leaving the smallest gap between the two. Alice locked her fingers behind his neck and he moved his hands around her waist, Alice closed the space between them and their lips met in the most passionate, romantic kiss either of them had ever experienced. Neither of them wanted to break apart but the Hatter did slowly pull away. He laid down on the couch that they were sitting on and pulled Alice against him, falling asleep in each other's embrace.