Chasing White Rabbits

Summary: The Mad Hatter becomes engrossed with a strange human girl. What begins as a break in a routine and to destroy the perfect exemplar of a human, ends in the unloved to be loved. But this love soon fails, for a fallen angel could never be loved nor love.

Note: Belial is a WO-man (well, as woman as an angel can get). No question about it. She has no male parts. So, henceforth, Belial will be referred to as a "she". Thank you for your understanding.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, nor do I own Jefferson's Airplane's White Rabbit. And yes, I do believe Mr. Carroll was smoking Opium while writing Alice's Adventures.

Chapter Four

Queen of Hearts and the Mended Head

Alice thrashed in her sleep, her limbs finally coming to life as painful and as real as a genuine birth. She began to kick violently at the sheets that Asmodeus was kind enough to envelope the frozen woman in. The heat tore through her and burned everything. Finally, her eyes shot open. Alice was awake.

"Good morning, Ms. Alice."

She knew now more than ever what being awake meant to a poor fool like her. She was no longer in the comfort of her dreams and Asmodeus knew he could tug at her strings to unravel an even more unbecoming reality.

"I said: 'good morning, Ms. Alice'." He sauntered over to the futon where he had laid her after she had collapsed in his arms. She had attempted to stagger away and make an attempt to be like the lady she was raised to be, but after being locked inside a tube for nearly a century, there was nothing left of her constructed composure. That composure left her sometime ago, perhaps it left the night she took her own life, and it wasn't about to return to her anytime soon. She grunted a response and drew her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth, and swaying side to side.

"Well, you're in an awful mood—"

"Shut up. Shut the hell up, Asmodeus."

He bit his lip to hide the sheer joy that ran through him at that moment. The woman was unravelling. The young little virgin bride was tearing herself apart.

"I'm glad to see you're up and about. Honestly when Belial walked in here with you all bloody like—"

She leapt from the futon, her gown barely keeping up with her pace, and took the Satan by the collar, "Belial did this to me!"

The Satan looked into the woman's eyes and no longer saw Alice. It was impossible they were the same woman. "What did she do to you?" He exclaimed more than questioned. The transformation was something to fear. Belial created a monster in the stead of her virgin sacrifice.

"You tell me!" She let go of his collar to clasp at her face. She began to cry as her nails scratched away at her face. What a sight, Asmodeus thought to himself, what a beautiful sight.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently caressing it, "oh, my dearest Alice. Belial is to... blame for all of your woes... Look at you! Crying! In the name of some deranged Satan? Oh, Alice... it is time to get your revenge."

She looked up at him, eyes dry yet red from crying. There wasn't any liquid left in her body. "To kill your beloved Belial?" A sickly smile came to her lips, "I'd be honoured."

What had he done? The woman was in a crazed state. He couldn't play puppeteer with a puppet holding scissors. This was a woman who was in love. This was a woman who had been betrayed and blindly so. This was a woman whom had taken her life in her own hands, defiled her chance to return to Heaven all in the name of her love. This was a woman whom was betrayed twice. This was a woman who was no longer a woman at all.

"I can teach you how to kill the Mad Hatter." He was just as mad as the rest of them. Even more so now as he tried to direct the berserk woman to his object of unrequited desires. To kill the Satan? To kill his beloved Belial? It was in his nature. Just like it was in this woman turned rabid monster. "I know how you can exact your revenge, my dearest Alice."

"Revenge? No, no! You see Asmodeus, Alice would have craved revenge. She would crave it and crave it until her body turned itself inside out. But you see Asmodeus, Alice is no longer. The Queen of Hearts, it is she who reigns over this shabby body. The Queen of Hearts wishing nothing more than to cut off some heads."

Asmodeus laughed. Nervously. He knew he was in the wrong this time. He was no Belial. He was way in over his head. This woman... she was a walking time bomb and he was well in her line of fire. Perhaps if he tossed her far enough in the pit...she wouldn't direct her rage towards him? Maybe if he threw her far enough, she could...get herself to the King of Hell. It was in his nature to think up tricks, after all.

"Well then, in the words of Alice herself: 'we are all mad down here'!"

Bitterness could almost be palpable in the room. One could almost fell it in One's bones. Alice seemed to lament over the same cup of tea she served herself hours ago, swirling the dark liquid around with expertise. Francis failed to get any better. She was still stranded away from civilization. She was lost without her work to preoccupying herself. She attempted to foreign a relationship with her cousin but her cousin called her upon her lie pointing out the fact that they had nothing in common. Eriqua was married, she crocheted doilies, she was going to be a mother, and she enjoyed the frivolous company of her fake rich friends from Caen. Alice was a working woman, she hated Eriqua's friends, she didn't quite understand her husband either and was rather frightened of children and the soft spot on their head.

One hadn't told Alice of One's secret surgeries. Humans are terribly brutal creatures and would cut up each other to cure their ales. Angels (Fallen or not) perform the task beneath the skin; our powers seemingly to be to their benefit. Slowly, Francis will heal. In the mean time, One will stay near this virgin bride prospect, healing her own fresh wounds. She felt terribly responsible and alone.

One extended One's hand, reaching for hers, touching them lightly. Her eyes flashed upward, a fresh pink tinge to the apples of her cheeks. "Are you alright, ma chère?"

"Oh yes. Sorry. I'm not such great company today." She let One's touch linger, locking her glare with One's. She smiled, letting her hands slip away from mine and looked out the window. It begun to rain sometime ago. Splatters formed into droplets again and slowly trickled their way done the pane of glass. "He doesn't seem to be getting any better."

"This... worries you?"

She looked up at One, a faint look of disgust on her face."Of course." Francis became her last hope over the years; the last hope of having a family, of not being alone. If Francis were to die, she would be alone in the world; nothing left to live for.

Silence seemed to creep into the conversation again and One could almost hear the rats upstairs conspire. Francis was beside himself. Why was the eccentric performer in their presence again? Why could Alice rid herself of such a terrible influence? Why couldn't she care about what the others had to say of her? Her fake little friends back in Rouen refused to send letters as long as Alice continued to be the bane of their feminine existence. But One knew that they were just jealous that Alice could live out such a fantasy while they had to make do with their inattentive husbands.

"Care to escape with Moi?" Her head nearly snapped with the sudden movement. One pointed to the floor above. She knew that Francis was up in his room, listening through the vents. Although she placed her entire meaning of existence on him, she couldn't help but feel like she was suffocating. One would offer her a way to escape.

"Where would we go?"

"Caen."

"It's a ways walk." She smirked.

"You think Moi can't own a carriage? Moi is very hurt."

One led her out of the stingy old home out into the open fields surrounding it. A carriage was laying in wait. Like it appeared out of no where... The look of surprise on her face was nearly priceless. One awaited her to aide her onto the carriage step. She looked rather confused, looking at One as if questioning. She took One's hand attentively and eventually caught on. She smiled, "what a gentleman."

"Moi tries."

The carriage carried along as soon as One entered. The ride was silent, it was only when the carriage slowed to a halt did the young Alice speak up, "where have you take me now, Hatter?"

One laughed, seeing the playful smirk on her lips. "Au pays des merveilles, where else?" She took One's hand, this time with little hesitation. Whatever lay outside, she was certain she was bound for a treat.

"Is this the theatre?" She said, rather incapable of holding back her awe.

"Not quite yet... You see, Moi purchased this but days ago. I was hoping to get your approval." One looked over to Alice to see her completely marvelled. She was surprised to see One as an entrepreneur but she was certain that One's tricks was a treat.

"This is so wonderful, Hatter!" She smiled at One.

"Care to enter?"

One was elated. Truly. The woman was a marvel. She was so deeply tangled in One's web. She laughed and giggled her way in, sat on the stage and watch as One pulled blue rose after blue rose out of One's hat.

"Oh Hatter! I can't believe this!" She took back her words and searched in her pockets, "I suppose you would like my ticket then?"

"You keep Moi's ticket in your pocket?" She blushed and stopped looking for the thing. "Moi is honoured..."

"Oh hush!" She murmured.

"This is a free showing, ma chère."

There was a moment of silence before she spoke in a most grave tone, "I should return home."

One needed to think quickly, "did Moi insult you?"

She shook her head while avoiding eye contact, "this isn't proper." One was about to contest, "you have to understand, Hatter. I feel it inside of me that you wouldn't dishonour me, "again, about to contest, silently so, "but I cannot shame my brother... I cannot throw away my name in vain."

"You care so much for him..."

She smiled, looking at One finally, "yes. He is all that remains of me."

"That is much to place on him." Sorrow took hold of her face. One was so ashamed of Oneself... One could do better than drive her away by spewing self-righteous bullshit!

"I know..."

One took her home in silence. One led her to her quarters in silence.

One passed by the young master's room, peering in to find him posted by the fire in his velvet chair, glaring at the entrance, "evening."

"Evening."

"My sister gone to her room?"

"Yes, Moi escorted her."

"I'm certain you did."

"Moi hasn't spoiled the lady." One assured. No, you have gotten in the way!

He sighed, not of relief. "You misunderstand me, Clown. Her friends... they have lost contact with her."

"And..."

"I do believe it is your doing." One was about to speak and say something snippy, but young master Francis beat One to it, "I'm not blaming you in any way. Alice... she has finally gotten rid of whatever baggage that has been tying her down to Rouen... Perhaps she will stay here in Caen, away from those frivolous maids... Women these days have become so fake. None can stand in the light of great maidens like Queen Victoria, Jeanne D'Arc, Sappho... Real women! They laugh that she writes and can read and can do complicated arithmetic... that she has surpassed them. When father died... she had to give up school but refused to become like the rest of them. All in secret. She began to write again... after meeting you."

"Francis... Moi can't be your only hope--"

"Please, just don't give her a reason to give up." His eyes slowly drooped close, "I've been dreaming of a time machine, to take both of us both to a time far away from here, where we are both free... strange , isn't it?"

"You are tired..."

"Yes. Very much so. I think I am dying, Clown..."

"No you are not. Moi cannot allow this." One took One's hand to his forehead, feeling for the swelling in his brain. It died down since One's secret treatments and now it would be the last. "Good night, monsieur Francis."

"Good night, Clown, good night."

One knew why One chased the dear Alice... it was all so amusing. Entrapping, weaving... One has upped One's game. A game One wasn't quite sure One would win, which made it all the more enthralling. Dearest Alice, if only you knew, if only you had an idea... the spell I've put on you.

A/N: Wasn't feeling this chappie... Will probably review at a later date.