Ladies and gentlemen, if you're still out there, I'm alive. Why was I absent for so long? I was abducted by aliens. Yes, abducted.

I managed to escape, only to realize that I'd left my pin drive with this story on their ship! I went back to get it, just for you, dear readers. It involved some tedium and a few close shaves, but fortunately I'm still in one piece. :)

Vanilla212 has once again stepped in with her awesome beta skills. Huge kudos to her!

Alice was at her wit's end. Since Hatter had left the previous morning, she had tended her flowers, sorted everything behind the tea counter and checked the catalog, worked for several hours on her reading and writing (which was not easy to do without Hatter around), and cleaned every room she had access to. She had even cleaned all of the mysterious stains and blobs of grease off of the stove while Dormie was out.

That feat had occupied all of yesterday. This morning, desperate for some way to keep busy, she had forced herself to organize the Sensibility cabinet. The task had not taken nearly as long as she'd hoped, and it was just now past lunch (leftover borogrove again, because Dormie lacked the stomach and imagination for variety). She was bored out of her mind.

The problem was that Hatter had closed the shop until he got back. He had left Dormie in charge of making deliveries to a few select regular customers, but all other business was suspended while he was away. When she had asked him why, he had said something about trying to make his trip look like legitimate business if the Suits came around while he was gone. He might have been telling the truth, but Alice suspected that wasn't his only reason. He was probably hesitant to leave his shop in the hands of herself and Dormie — something that would have offended her if it weren't so obviously the sensible choice. She'd seen her co-worker helping himself to the tea often enough to know that he was not to be trusted. It baffled her that Hatter even kept him on the payroll.

As for herself…well, she really wasn't up to dealing with tea-heads without Hatter around. Not yet, anyway.

However, that meant "keeping her head down," as he had put it, for five days. Five long, agonizing days.

With all the cleaning done, she had nothing to do but stare at the plants, her books, or the view out the shop windows. Well, that and brood over the visit with Jack, not that it helped anything.

Alice sighed. Damn Hatter for leaving her with nothing but her thoughts! He was so…was it frustrating? Yes frustrating. Maybe something worse than that, she corrected, but she couldn't come up with a better word for the anxious, restless feeling she had.

There was so much to take in, and she simply didn't feel like she understood it all.

Wonderland's economy might topple. She might be sent back to her world.

Jack had no real interest in her. He was interested in taking over the throne.

Hatter had once been some sort of assassin. She'd heard rumors that oysters sometimes escaped from the casino, only to be hunted down by the Suits and never heard from again. Could Hatter have been one of those Suits?

Despite what he might have done in the past, Alice didn't believe he would ever harm her. But what would happen to her if all the oysters were sent back home? Would he send her back with them? Did she even want to go back to her world? She had always thought about going back, dreamed about it even, but she couldn't seem to get past the wall of conflicting emotions that sprang up whenever she did.

She wasn't sure what to make of Jack's comments to Hatter about her. Had he been giving a helpful warning to a potential ally, or threatening to expose her if Hatter didn't cooperate? It could be either...or maybe both.

For the first time since Hatter had rescued her from Ricky, she felt cold and empty. She was acutely aware of the burnt smell of her Glow. It never really went away, and usually she didn't even notice it. Right now, though, the lingering odor of charred skin was overpowering. It also made her feel a little queasy, especially after having that slimy reheated borogrove.

What would become of her? What could she do?

In her mind, Alice assessed the limited resources she had at her disposal. She couldn't use any of Hatter's contacts for anything without him eventually finding out about it. She certainly knew better than to trust Dormie. She couldn't turn to Jack, and there was no way in hell she would go back to Ricky. She could try to find the Caterpillar, but she had no idea where to start.

Who else did she know? Nobody.

What about her wages? She had a modest amount tucked away in her room since she never needed to spend any of it. She could easily pilfer a few teas and sell them. After pausing to consider it, this last idea was summarily rejected. Desperation had driven her to steal things in the past, but she couldn't rob Hatter, even if did end up throwing her out or sending her back through the Looking Glass.

She went to her room to assess her wardrobe.

All the clothes she owned would easily fit into one bag, which would be a good thing if she needed to leave in a hurry and travel light. They were serviceable enough, but she wouldn't get much if she tried to sell them. That was not so good.

Where could she go? Just being on the streets alone and unprotected would be dangerous. She mentally went over all the places she'd been with Hatter and ruled them out one by one. The places she had been before she met Hatter were also out of the question. Even if she remembered how to get to those dark, seedy areas of the lower city, she would never willingly go back to any of them. Maybe she could make her way down to the docks and try to steal a boat, but where would she go from there?

A boat….

Chezerin.

She didn't know all the ins and outs of interacting with a Cheshire Cat, but she thought she might know enough to at least approach it. Perhaps if she helped it in some way, gave it some incentive, it would be willing to help her? She wasn't sure what that would involve, but surely trying to befriend it would be better than sitting in the shop waiting for things to happen. It hadn't seemed to like Hatter very much when they'd visited, so maybe it wouldn't say anything to him.

Of course, it hadn't seemed to like her very much either.

She agonized over her options for another hour, and finally decided to give this one a try.

As usual, the streets were nearly empty. The people Alice did see were like ghosts, hurrying silently from building to building and always keeping a careful distance from each other. There was a chill in the air from the fog rolling off the lake, and Alice was thankful she had worn her coat — the burgundy one Hatter had given her all those weeks ago. It was oddly comforting.

The farther downcity she went, the harder it was to fight the urge to turn around and go back to the shop. The fog distorted her senses and frayed her nerves. She heard noises she couldn't place, and the smell of stagnant water from the lower canal was almost unbearable. This might not be the stupidest thing she'd ever done, but it was pretty high on the list.

She made it to the docks just as it was getting dark.

Now to remember where Chezerin kept its boat. She began retracing their steps from the previous trip. It was hard to find landmarks in the fog, and she felt like she was stumbling through a maze. But she couldn't get lost, not now. She had nowhere else to go if this didn't work.

She'd been at it for a full half-hour before it occurred to her that Chezerin might have moved its boat. She wasn't sure how a cat could pilot a boat, but this was Wonderland so it was bound to be possible.

She shoved that thought aside and kept looking. Hatter had known exactly where to find Chez, so that meant it didn't move around much. Hopefully.

The cawing of the crows overhead sounded eerie and just a little bit frightening. The weathered planking creaked under her feet, as if it might break as soon as she took a wrong step.

Then she passed a garish orange rowboat that looked suspiciously familiar. She had seen that boat already, possibly more than once.

She was going in circles.

Alice suppressed a sob. What now? She didn't know where she was, and she hadn't the faintest idea how to get back to the shop in the dark and fog. It wasn't like she would get far even if she tried. This was exactly the sort of night the gangs and canal rats would use to conduct their business, one where the Suits were limited in the surveillance they could use.

She was beginning to seriously regret coming down here.

If something happened to her, how long would it be before Hatter found out about it? At least a week, probably more.

Alice sat down heavily and leaned against a post. There was nothing to do but wait out the rest of the night here, in the cold. She didn't dare try to find help or shelter on one of the boats. If someone came by here she could slip into the water. She didn't know how to swim, but at least it would be something.

She sat against the post and shivered, wondering how long she had before there was enough light to see again. Then her thoughts meandered back to Hatter and Jack, picking apart everything she knew about them. Trying to make sense of it all.

Suddenly, she heard a polite cough. Then, "Isn't it a little late for a stroll?"

Alice gave a yelp, then a gasp of profound relief as she recognized Chezerin's cultured tenor voice.

"I'm not out for a stroll, I'm resting." Remembering what it was she was talking to, she added, "You look very handsome this evening."

A soft hiss came from somewhere up above her. "You made that up, I daresay. You cannot even see me." Its voice had a slight edge.

Alice came to her feet and looked up towards what she could see of the platforms. "No I didn't. You always look handsome."

"And you know this after only one meeting with me? Hatter must have taken considerable time to extol my virtues to you."

"He didn't have to," Alice contended. "You make quite an impression."

"Do I, indeed?" There was a soft sound, which might have been a purr.

"Yeah, you do. And your fur makes Hatter jealous."

She heard a gentle chuckle, this time from over on her left. "Stop, stop. My jaw is stretched enough for one day."

Without warning, Chezerin was underfoot and rubbing against her ankles like any typical housecat, except it was wearing a wide grin that Alice found disturbing.

She stepped back. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Chezerin regarded her with mild, humorous contempt. "Why not?"

"It makes me uncomfortable."

"Does it? And what do you think makes me uncomfortable?"

Alice unconsciously moved away from it and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "The water? You probably wouldn't enjoy it very much."

The cat sniffed. "You are so narrow in your thinking, my dear. Would I live in a boat if I were discomfited by water? No, of course not. I am referring to my ever-present grin." It dropped softly into a crouch, flexing its claws and sharpening them against the planking.

Alice took another step back. So it could swim. That was going to be a problem if she had to run for it. "Why are you telling me this?"

The cat peered up at her. "Because I would prefer it if you did not aggravate the condition."

"Um, all right. I'll try not to."

The cat moved from its crouch into a leisurely stretch. "You really are quite dense, aren't you? But tell me, where is your knight errant this evening?"

Alice wondered if she should say that Hatter was nearby. But no, she didn't know how long the cat had been watching her. It could easily know she was lying. Better to be honest, for now. "He's out of town."

"Is he? And he left you alone, to wander the docks? How very, very negligent of him, don't you think?" Its eyes were glittering.

Alice felt a brief flash of anger at the cat's words, though she wasn't really sure why. She bristled. "He didn't leave me alone here. I came by myself."

"No need to get touchy. I asked as a matter of polite inquiry. I couldn't give a fig's wit either way." The cat yawned. "I will say, though, that it is probably not in your best interests to be alone out here tonight."

Alice was started to get tired of its patronizing tone, but she continued to play along. "And why is that?"

"Because this city is not kind to oysters, and this is most certainly not a night where you can expect help."

In spite of her annoyance, Alice was too surprised to come up with an answer. How had it known she was an oyster?

"Still," the cat continued, "you are such a bedraggled thing, that I suppose you can stop in for a few minutes."

There was a soft blur of motion, and it was on top of the post nearest Alice before she realized it had started moving. "Follow me, little oyster." It jumped to the next post, again jumping so quickly that Alice could not follow it.

She didn't move. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Chezerin hissed a little, but Alice couldn't tell if it was from laughter or annoyance. "My dear, I am a cat. Trusting me is entirely out of the question."

"Then I'm not going anywhere."

"Then why did you come down here in the first place, if not to see me? Was it to listen to the crows? To get yourself abducted? You're being entirely ridiculous now. Come along."

Alice shook her head. "Not until you promise not to hurt me, and not to hand me over to anyone who will."

Chezerin jumped back to Alice's post, then leaned down until its face was a mere hairsbreadth away from hers. Its grin was truly terrifying up close, Alice thought. "I do not make promises, my dear. Now come."

It took all of Alice's bravery to stare back at it, but she did. "No."

The cat looked taken aback. "No?" It sat back up on the post and licked a paw, still watching her. "Tell me, is this clumsy stubbornness a trait common to all oysters, or is it unique to you?"

Alice forced herself to keep meeting its eyes. "I wouldn't know."

"Hmm. Well, then. You are safe for tonight. Now do come, you silly thing." The cat began to move away again, and Alice hurried to keep up with it.