A/N: My first Charlie chapter! ^_^ I hope you all enjoy it.

Hatter returned back at the teashop that night to what could almost be described as a homey atmosphere. Charlie was lying peacefully in his hammock, glasses precariously perched on the tip of his nose and reading out of the green book. Alice, on the other hand, sat in the rosy warmth of the fire slowly rotating her arm with a pained look on her face.

"Oi, hey!" Hatter said, a slight edge of worry to his voice. "Lemme help you!"

"I don't think it's that bad," Alice said as Hatter started unbuckling Bill's saddle. "I mean, it doesn't hurt as much to rotate it now as it did five minutes ago, even."

"How long have you been messing with it?"

"…Maybe five minutes," she admitted. "The muscle feels good, though. Sore, yeah, but no shooting pains or anything like that."

"That's a good sign." Hatter knelt down next to her and laid a steadying hand on her shoulder as she rotated her arm in small forward circles. He was no doctor by any stretch of the imagination, but it didn't feel as though there was anything obviously damaged – he felt the muscle shifting roughly over the bone, rippling beneath his fingers, but no tears, knots or twists. "You're right," he said. "It feels like everything's fine in there."

Alice breathed out a sigh of relief, and Hatter kissed her on the cheek. "Oh, thank God," she said. "I'd be sunk if I ruined my throwing arm and got fired because my boss didn't believe I'd gotten attacked by a humongous, man-eating canary-horse. That is a conversation I would like to avoid."

Hatter smirked and continued to help her rotate her shoulder, backwards this time. "Well, we'll see how you feel after sleeping on it, but I think we should be able to leave for the Wood tomorrow morning."

She turned her head to look at him, eyebrow quirked and a small smile playing over her lips. "And here I was expecting you to hold me hostage for at least another full day. Sounding so positive now? What happened to 'it can't be done'?" she asked, in a remarkably good impression of him.

Hatter rolled his eyes, but his dimple was flashing at her so Alice knew he was feeling pleased about something. "I rode out into the city while you were asleep. I might have… collected some information."

Oh, yes. That was definitely smugness she heard in his voice. "Information? From where?"

"Old Tim Toad. He's the owner and bartender at this pub I used to frequent."

Alice looked at him skeptically over her shoulder. "This isn't just another 'Carlotta St. Delaware' source, is it?"

Hatter narrowed his eyes. "Hey! Never underestimate a good, old-fashioned seedy pub for hearsay. Everything passes though Old Tim Toad's. And I was a loyal patron back in the day, broke up quite a few fights getting out of control."

"Hmm. And probably started your fair share too, didn't you?"

"That's… beside the point," he said, ignoring Alice's knowing look, "In any case, Old Tim owed me one."

"So what did he have for us?"

"Apparently there've been whispers of a fire in the Tulgey Wood about a week ago. Most people seem to think it was a beast that'd gone mad, and have been avoiding the area in case it's still about."

Alice nodded thoughtfully. "Seems like quite a coincidence."

"That's what I think, too." Hatter straightened Alice's arm to the side and slowly started to raise it over her head, whispering apologies as she hissed in pain. "Anyways," he continued, lowering her arm again and repeating the action, bringing her arm straight out to the front. "Sounds as good a place to start as anywhere."

"Is it far away?"

"Of course. On the other side of the Wood, in fact."

"Of course." Alice sighed. "Do we have enough food and water?"

"Yeah, I think so. Jack and the Duchess gave us more than enough supplies when we left -- we're not even halfway through, but then again I have no idea how long we'll be searching. I wrote them a letter, by the way, updating them on the plan and asking for more supplies if they could get them to us. I figured they'd want to know."

"That was a good idea," Alice commented, sounding surprised.

"It was Charlie's," Hatter admitted. He put Alice's arm down at her side and closed his hand over hers where it lay at her knee. "I think that's probably enough for tonight," he said. "We'll see how it is by morning."

"Thank God," Alice said, turning around to face him. "I've been waiting to do this again." She cupped his face in her hands and pulled him in for a kiss. He hummed appreciatively, their lips sliding together with the warm ease of familiarity.

"What was that for?" he asked as they parted.

"Thank you," Alice said seriously. "I know you don't like this idea."

Hatter sighed. "Kettle, you're always going to be running straight into trouble. So I'll just have to get used to the knowledge that I'll ialways/i be right behind to back you up. And plan for you, because frankly you're rubbish at it." She smacked him on the arm and he grinned, reaching forward to run a hand through her hair. "We're a team, you an' me," he said absentmindedly, watching as the strands slid through his spread fingers.

"Yeah," she said, catching his empty hand before he could reclaim it. "I know." They smiled at each other, warm feelings bubbling up in Alice's chest.

Suddenly, Hatter tapped the brim of his hat as though he'd just remembered something. He turned his head to call over his shoulder. "Charlie! Do you think you can be ready to lead us through the Wood tomorrow?"

Charlie fumbled out of his hammock and stood at salute. "It would be an honor," he told them. "I am somewhat of an expert in my neck of the woods, if you'll pardon the expression." He chuckled at his own joke, and Alice and Hatter shot weary glances at each other. "And, from the little I was able to overhear of your conversation (not being an eavesdropper, me, a gentleman and all, but nevertheless this room is rather resonant), you have obtained some information as to the Meteor's mysterious whereabouts?"

"Southwest corner," Hatter said. "Apparently there was a fire there about a week ago. Sound familiar?"

Charlie's face fell, mouth snapping shut. He looked positively frightened at this prospect. "S- Southwest corner?" he asked. Hatter's eyes narrowed at this reaction, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Alice's expression doing the same.

"Is there something wrong, Charlie?" she asked.

His voice trembled ever-so-slightly as he responded with, "There are beasts there, my lady Alice! Beasts far more dangerous and terrifying than any old Jabberwock, that's for blame sure! Beasts more dangerous than in your mind can conjure!"

Hatter sighed and rubbed a hand over his weary face. "Figures."

Alice set her chin defiantly high. "Well, we'll just have to be careful, I suppose. Do you know a safe path through it, Charlie?"

"Well…" Charlie hesitated. "Yes. But –"

"Great," Alice said. "So we'll just be careful, then. Go in, find the Meteor as quickly as possible, and get out. If the Knights in that journal could do it with only hope, then so can we." She smiled encouragingly and stepped forward to place a steady hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Good thing we've got a first-class Knight of our own."

Charlie smiled weakly and Alice turned away. "You coming up to bed, Hatter?" she asked, already heading toward the staircase.

Hatter, meanwhile, was looking at Charlie with a steady, suspicious glare. "Yeah," he said absentmindedly. "I'll be up in a minute." Alice nodded and shut the door behind her, the click echoing ominously around the quiet room. Hatter didn't move his eyes from Charlie, who stood shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that!" he complained finally, turning abruptly and shuffling back toward the fire. Hatter followed.

"Charlie," he said, voice low. "When I wake up tomorrow morning, am I still going to find you here?"

Charlie carefully avoided Hatter's eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," he sniffed. "I'm past those days."

Hatter knelt down uncomfortably close, still keeping his voice low and perceptive gaze carefully leveled at Charlie. "Really? Are you sure? Because of all people, I know exactly how hard old habits can die, and I'm thinking you might be considering a relapse, old man."

Charlie didn't say anything. Hatter sighed and settled down on the floor with the obvious intention of waiting, looking at Charlie with an expression of impatience.

"I don't know what to do," Charlie said softly after a minute, hefting the little green book Hatter now noticed was still clutched in his hand. "I'm afraid to go into that place, it's true. But I'm also afraid that if I don't, I'll shame my ancestors. But even if I go… and fail…" he sighed. "There's a lot more riding on this than just a Stone, you know. I've been reading this journal, and I can't find it anywhere… but can feel it in my bones. There's something this Knight wasn't telling us, and I'm afraid of the reason why."

Hatter didn't say anything. Charlie's face was cast downward, the fire's light reflecting in a warm glow off his face despite the darkness that burrowed into the lines of his eyes and corners of his mouth. The thin material of his pajamas draped sadly over the thin bones of his arms and shoulders; the longer Hatter studied him, the more the firelight seemed to shine straight through him, as though he was made of yellowed paper.

This man, Hatter thought, watching Charlie's thin fingers flicker over the edges of the green book, has lived a very long life.

Suddenly, Charlie's face turned upward, his expression angry and posture rigid. His fingers tightened over the book's spine and he stood, hurling it across the room. It smacked against the wall and slid face-open down onto the floor, pages bending under its weight in a way that looked almost painful. "It's not fair!" Charlie yelled at the book. "It's not fair that you all go and leave this for me to take care of!" He slumped back down next to Hatter and buried his face in his hands.

"What will I do?" he asked softly. "What will I do if I can't live up to everything they left behind?"

Hatter swallowed. "Charlie," he said, leaning forward and putting a hand on his shoulder. "The Knights are gone. Yeah, they were your family, but you are not responsible for keeping a dead civilization at peace. I mean," he shrugged. "They're already there, right? But me an' Alice –" he tightened his grip on Charlie's shoulder ever-so-slightly, "you're a part of our family, or as good as one. And, you know, we don't care." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, let's be honest, at this point we're all running into this more or less blindly. We fail or we succeed, it's as a group, and… you know, we'll take it as it comes. So don't sweat it."

Charlie looked up at him, expression indescribable. Confused and hopeful and… grateful, maybe? Hatter shifted uncomfortably, taking his hand off Charlie's shoulder. He wasn't really great with this whole touchy-feely kind of thing. "Well," he said, standing back up and brushing off his hands. "We'll all head out in the morning?"

"Yes," Charlie said. He'd directed his gaze back to the fire, hiding that indescribable expression from Hatter's further investigation. "We'll all head out in the morning."

Hatter nodded and headed over to the staircase, shutting the door behind him. Charlie started going through the motions of putting out the campfire, stopping to admire the pattern of the last glowing ashes. Family, he thought. Except they're going to leave me too, of course. They're young, they have their lives to lead, you know. Not their fault, not their fault…

The room was quiet, save for the gentle munching sounds of the horses. Charlie stood up and walked over to where the green book lay on the floor. He picked it up and flipped it open to the front page. Journal of the White Knight, it read in flowing script. He would have been in his forties at the time, Charlie thought. So young, and still a bigger man than I.

He dusted off the book jacket and laid it on Hatter's desk, among the scattered papers and forgotten tea things. Curling Percival to his chest instead, he climbed into his hammock and drifted off to sleep.

Hatter climbed into his bedroom to find Alice already in bed, casting her eyes around the room lazily. "How did you find out about dinosaurs?" she asked without preamble, gesturing to the collection of figurines lining one of his bookshelves.

"What do you mean, find out about them?" he asked with a grin. "Dinosaurs live here."

"You're joking!"

"What, are Oyster scientists still teaching you all that fiery meteor business?" he chuckled, unbuttoning his shirt (starting at the beginning, going to the end, then stopping). "The imaginations of Oysters are truly incredible, you know that? They'll accept anything as fact. 'S part of why you've always seemed so exotic to us, I think."

"Ugh, don't talk about fiery meteors," Alice groaned. "Speaking of which," she asked as Hatter climbed into bed, "you went and talked to Charlie, didn't you?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

"Is everything going to be okay?" she asked carefully. And Hatter knew then that Alice shared his concerns, but hadn't wanted Charlie to know that she'd doubted him even for a second. Alice faith was precious to Charlie. It was important that he think Alice trusted him absolutely – they both knew that.

"Oh, you know," Hatter said, wrapping his arms around her carefully. "Death and destruction, monsters and demons… but yeah, I think it'll all be fine."

"Good," she sighed. "Thank you, Hatter."

"Anytime."

She turned off the lamp.

..