Note:  I was reading my old notes on the chapters that I posted for Fanfiction.  This one only gets one since I found out that this chapter was a BAD one.  It kept crashing my computer multiple times to the point that moving this here is the only reason why this is being done.  And now on with the chapter that made me weep blood.

The song I listened to for this chapter: The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars.  Ok, I started off with this song, and it named the chapter.  But when I lost everything, it bugged me.  So I switched to All That I Am from Parachute.  And watched a video on YouTube by Reely called Lights Will Guide You Home.  It gave me the inspiration to finish this. I saved it on my favorites on YouTube and will repost to my account on Facebook. 

The stranger gasps as he walks into the Kingdom of the Knight’s capital, Caissa. He thought it had been razed and is amazed by the city in front of him. He can see people moving on the streets and in the buildings around him. He remembers seeing pictures of the city before the Hearts attacked and it looked nothing like this.

The city back then was more like a citadel and carried the motif of chess pieces everywhere. This city still has the ornamentation, but it is absolutely beautiful and is a blend of nature, chess pieces and there is still a presence of it having the strength of the citadel it had been, mostly in the center building, and the defenses he could see. There are trees everywhere, and some of the buildings are built in the trees or around them. The buildings themselves are either chess pieces that draw your eyes to them, or they blend with the background.

The stranger just stands there for a couple of minutes in awe and shock. Then he remembers why he is here. He needs to warn the new King and Queen of Wonderland. He is also hoping against everything that the Queen of Chess will show pity on him and take him under her protection. Dodo is not someone to cross easily.

The tall man moves with purpose through the streets of the city. Crossing the bridge that leads to the palace, he continues to be moved by the beauty and grace around him. The palace is Caissa personified. He walks up to the gate and waits for someone to acknowledge him. Then he is completely shocked when a knight piece comes to him and asks, “May I help you?”

The stranger nervously clears his throat and asks, “May I please speak with the king and queen? I have some urgent information that pertains to someone they know who may be planning to hurt them.” He fidgets as he notices that the knight piece face is not just a horse head, but seems to be between a horse head and a human head. The horse head is still predominately there, but there was a definite move towards a human head. The stranger wonders which it is turning in to.

The knight thinks for a second and decides to let the duke handle this issue. He orders the stranger to follow him and nods to a card soldier to follow behind them. They take no chances with their beloved king and queen.  Especially not with their queen, they love Alice and will not allow anything to harm her.

Hatter wakes again with Alice in his arms. He gazes down at her lovingly. After a while of watching her, he wonders what time it is since it does not seem that much later than when he had awoken earlier.  Nevertheless, as Alice stirs in his arms, he turns his attention back to his mate.

Stretching, Alice opens her eyes to meet the brown ones of her love. She smiles and tenderly caresses his face, asking him, “Morning again, love?”

Hatter laughs at how fast she is catching on to the nuances of living here and admits to her, “I suspect Wonderland and Time, my luv. Told you, Time was an actual being here in Wonderland. While time may pass, Time is the official keeper of the Clocks of Wonderland. If he decides to give us extra time, none can gainsay him but Wonderland herself.”

Alice shakes her head. It will take her a while to get used to Wonderland. However, it will never be boring, not with Hatter by her side and with Wonderland being what it is. She loves both of them so much. Alice then feels the euphoria of Wonderland itself as she admits her love for her new world.

Hatter gasps as the feelings from Wonderland and Alice envelope him. He asks Alice, “What happened?” He pulls her tighter to him, needing the contact still.

Turning her sapphire colored eyes to him, she tells him, “I admitted how much I love you and Wonderland. Then she sent all this.” She smiles, then tells him, “I really do love it here.  I was so bored back in my world.  I had no idea this world was even an option. Now… now I would never leave, not Wonderland and never, ever you, I can’t. You mean so much to me, and Wonderland and our kingdom is meaning a lot to me. I can’t even picture my life without any of you now.” Nor would she, as she learned when she was back in her world. While there, she wanted nothing more than to be back here.

Then Alice is hit with the feelings of pure joy from the Kingdom and Hatter. Hatter’s are much stronger, but the Kingdom is just as overjoyed.

Smiling as big as Chess, Hatter tells her, “I love you, Alice. And while I have always hoped that you will love our world as much as yours, I was content in you accepting it. This… this is so much more.”  Then Hatter hugs and kisses her, his lips moving lovingly on hers.

Before anything more can happen, there is a knock on the door. Hatter reluctantly releases Alice and asks, “Who is it?”

The stone Knight brightens as it answers him. “It is the Duke of Clubs and the White Knight.  They request Alice’s and your presence.”

Hatter swears softly. Then he laughs as his eyes meet Alice’s and they both say, “Damn his timing!” They trade looks, remembering all the times he had interrupted in their oasis back before the Kingdom had cleaned itself back up.

Alice wonders briefly if their oasis is still here and the Kingdom lets her know it is, and will always be a protected part of the Kingdom for her and Hatter to escape to if they need to. Alice smiles and sends her gratitude to the Kingdom. Hatter, having been a witness to the exchange, smiles back to her and says gently, “If you ever need it, we’ll go, luv.”

Hatter then jumps from the bed and grabs them both robes. As his eyes travel to Alice and he goes over to the bed, he asks the Knight, “Ask them if they can give us some time to get ready?”

The Knight darkens then brightens as it replies, “They will be back in a half an hour. The White Knight pleads that you do not open the door to anyone else, nor leave these rooms.”

Alice and Hatter glance at each other and Alice replies, “Tell Charlie we will remain here.”

Hatter asks her softly as they move quickly to their bathroom, “What the hell is going on?”

Shaking her head as she walks beside him, Alice answers him, “I have no idea.” Alice’s feelings of unease increase, which bothers her and keeps her preoccupied with trying to figure out why as they walk towards the bathroom.

Alice then stops in her tracks, unable to even think as she looks into their bathroom. Looking around at the beauty that is around her, she breathes out, “Hatter, is this really ours?”

She can feel the Kingdom’s enjoyment of her surprise for Alice.

Hatter chuckles at her reaction then pull her to him. He softly tells her, “Yes, luv. There is even a shower here.” Showers are common in the Red Kingdom, with the Queen of Hearts wanting her world to be as different from the White Kingdom as she could make it. She went to great lengths to incorporate anything she liked from the world Above as she could get away with. Hatter had been particularly fond of the showers.

Looking around, Alice is shocked. This bathroom belongs in a magazine from her world.  It is done in cool blues with cream accents everywhere.  She chuckles that their colors are even in here, but it is not that huge of a shock, not anymore. The corner that holds the stone bathtub is done in cream marble, with a blue-tinted window above it, clearly big enough for both of them as is everything in the room.   And the shower; the shower is amazing. It has an arch on it, and you turn a corner, no door is there for it. Therefore, even if someone barged into the bathroom, there is nothing they can see of the people in the shower. The merging of the wood floor to the stone for the bathtub area is a work of art in itself, the wood bleaching into the color of the marble. The candelabra is intricate with the iron and leafs in it, with skylights throughout to let in the natural sunlight.

Hatter tugs her gently towards the shower and they rush through it, knowing Charlie will have no issue coming into their rooms thinking they’re in danger and not in an embarrassing position if they do not answer his knocks.

Even with that thought in mind, there are some touches and promises to follow up on them later. Hatter washes Alice’s hair, thinking of all he can do to protect his mate, the woman more precious to him than his life. He closes his eyes when Alice leans on him, pulling her closer after he rinses her hair. They just stand there, holding each other, Hatter feeling her desire to have him close to her. Alice is obviously still upset by their experience. He rests his head on hers, vowing to protect his love. Hatter had not missed the feelings of unease from his mate earlier.

As they finish the shower, Hatter grabs towels and helps Alice dry off then wraps his around his waist.  He holds her robe open for her to slide into, kissing her shoulders before they are hidden under the cloth. He ties the sash together and holds her close to him as their eyes meet in the mirror. This woman is his.

Alice meets his eyes in the mirror and can see them go dark. Not dark as when he is angry but still dark. Her brows furrow and she sends the question through the bond, why? The love and possessiveness that he sends back, rocks her. She knows he loves her and God only knows they are both overprotective of each other. But this, this reaction from him, completely floors her. The scare he had yesterday must have shaken him to his core. His feelings are more possessive and just plain…needing than even when Jack looked at her. Alice can’t hide her return feelings, she loves and needs it.  She has never had someone feel towards her in this way.

Pulling her tighter to him, he drops a kiss to her neck and then tells her huskily, “Alice, I love you.  I will do anything to keep you safe, luv. I was not kidding when I said I will not be letting you away from me anytime soon. I can’t. The bond is something I never will regret, but there be times that it rules our feelings, and this is one of them. I need you so much, Alice.” He is not excusing how he is; he is just stating his feelings. It is tearing him up inside feeling her emotions through the bond. This is not his Alice who left a day ago. No, this is an Alice who has been scared and almost died because of him.  She had felt as he had, that their very souls were dying and they could do nothing to stop it.

He stares at her, and the emotions pouring through the bond tell her his feelings – lust, protectiveness, love, possessiveness, anger, and worry.

She meets his eyes and softly tells him, “Hatter, I love you. I understand, I really do. I felt all of that and more. I wanted to hurt, maim…kill the person who hurt you. I scared my mom with my feelings.  Tarrant understood, he felt a lot of it himself, but Hatter…I didn’t recognize me at that moment, but I would do the same again if the circumstances warrant it. I will do what you did for me, I will kill for you. Without hesitation.” As she speaks, the feelings come rushing back to her and Hatter can feel them through the bond. Alice takes a deep breath and then continues. “Then, for the whole trip back, all I could feel was you dying. The feelings that racked me…” Alice gasps and breaks in his arms. She cannot take the feelings, even the memory of them hurt. Moreover, like before, she can always break in this man’s arms because he will protect and love her with everything he is.

Through the bond, Hatter can feel her despair, her pain and feelings of inadequacy in not being able to get back to him as he turns her around and pulls her to him. He holds her to him as she sobs and, through their bond, his hands, and his body, he sends her his calm and love. All the while, his eyes steadily darken. Someone hurt her, his Alice. More than him, they hurt his Alice so much. She has been strong, and now with the Bonding, he knows a lot of the strength she shows is her.  Nevertheless, she is also fragile. Alice has been handling so much, the Bonding itself and all the things she has been thrown, that she hasn’t had time to think.  Alice always handles things better when she can think.

Alice breaks. The Kingdom grows dark as it, Wonderland, Time and Light itself, all feel her sorrow.  Even sounds muffle as she sobs in Hatter’s arms, the whole world sorrowing as it watches over its Alice. No one in all of Wonderland can understand what is happening, but they all feel her while not understanding why they are feeling it. All of Wonderland holds it breathe, hoping she is not broken entirely. This is not something that should be happening to one of Wonderland’s Champions, especially to Alice.

Alice lets loose her pain and everything she has been feeling. She feels Hatter’s strong arms around her, cradling her, supporting her, and even more importantly, loving her. Hatter loves her so much. She loves him just as much, so badly it sometimes hurts. Right now, she needs him, and he is giving her the support and whatever else she needs to get over this. All he is is hers to do with as she needs to.

The two of them stand there, Hatter holding Alice as she releases the pain and confusion. They take the time to be themselves before they have to deal with whatever is being thrown at them. Moreover, Time himself, with the help and encouragement of Wonderland, gives them all the time they need. What is happening right now is more important than anything else.

Eventually, Alice calms down and Hatter kisses her hair. She looks up at him and softly says, “Thank you.”

Hatter gazes down at her and just as softly tells her, “Anytime, but there is never a reason to thank me, Alice. I am here for you, from now until the end of time. Never hide anything from me, luv. If you need to release your emotions, need to do anything, don’t hesitate in coming to me.”

Alice stares into his eyes, and unable to help herself, she smiles and tells him, “Like this bond won’t tell you, anyways.”  She accepts the Bond, but there are times she wishes it didn’t tell Hatter everything.  But, the advantages, the pure love she gets from the Bond more than makes up for it.

Tightening his arms around her, Hatter tells her, “Alice, I don’t want to have to find out through our bond, luv.  I want you to be able to tell me, to trust me with this information, knowing that I will always be here to love and support you. Yes, we are Bonded, but first and foremost, we fell in love. Moreover, that love is what will always support us, be the backbone of the Bond. Alice, I love you so much and consider the Bond a plus to that. However, even without the Bond, I would be here, at your side supporting you, loving you. Alice, I am yours in so many ways, there is no time in all of Wonderland to tell you.” He pours his love and all he is in his words, his eyes, body, and soul.

Speechless, Alice looks up to her love. She is amazed as always by this man in front of her. He is perfect for her. She reaches up and draws his head down to hers to meet his lips, to caress them with her own.  He moves his cupid bow of a mouth against hers and she surrenders herself to him, opening her mouth for their tongues to caress each other. She pours her love, amazement, and complete trust through the kiss and the bond. She is his.

The royal couple kisses until Hatter reluctantly breaks it and murmurs his love as he caresses her face with his feather kisses. He finally opens his eyes and softly says, “If we don’t want to have Charlie in here, we need to get moving. You finish getting ready in here, I’ll get our clothes. And for the Gods’ sake, please don’t come out until I come for you. Please, Alice?” He beseeches her with his eyes, promising to let her in on the reasoning behind his request after they are dressed.

She nods, accepting the request and watches as he leaves the bathroom, the towel low on his hips. She feels her lust for him mount and he laughs. “You know the Bond does let me feel your lust, Alice?”  Then he laughs even more as her embarrassment flows through. He grabs clothes for both of them, choosing carefully since he has a bad feeling this may be a Court thing. He moves back into the bathroom, then stops as he observes his Alice. He loves being able to watch her like this, and as always, amazed that this woman is his, his love, his mate, his soon to be wife; in other words, his in every way he can make her, as he had promised her in their oasis.

Alice quickly gets ready, the feeling of unease creeping up on her again. By the time she is ready to do her hair, it feels like something is in her skin, itching to break loose. Not knowing the source, she tries to ignore it.

As normal, Alice leaves her hair until the end. She is never sure about her hair, not sure what she could be doing that day to decide what she should do with it. She stands in front of the mirror in her midnight blue short silk robe, holding her hair to the side, debating what to do with it. She is only a little bit surprised with her level of frustration with something that is a daily chore for her. When her frustration level is this high, all she can do is grit her teeth and bear with it. Until she can think it through, which she plans to do with Hatter as soon as possible.

Feeling her frustration, Hatter walks up, dressed in a pair of pants that match her robe, his cream button-up shirt unbuttoned, and he gently takes her hair out of her hands. Hatter reverently runs his hands through it and murmurs, “I love your hair, Alice. It feels so good against my skin, and it looks spectacular on our pillows.” He leans down and kisses her neck.

Sighing, Alice relaxes back into her mate, trying to let go of the need to clench her hands, watching him running his hands through it and asks, “Do you know what’s going to happen?” She watches his face, smiling at the look. Times like this are precious to her, more precious since the events of yesterday.

Mesmerized by watching her hair as he runs his hands through it, he responds “I have no idea, nor does Wonderland or the Kingdom know what is going to happen, luv. Why?” He looks up into the mirror, into her beautiful blue eyes he gets lost in, trying to relieve whatever is bothering her.

She returns his gaze, seeing the peacefulness in them that is so rare to see in her hyperactive mate as he answers her. She smiles gently at him, as she answers, “I just never know what to do with my hair.  Sounds stupid, but if I know we need to move, it is easier with my hair up.” She stops, listening to herself and growing even more frustrated, she tells him and herself, “You know, never mind.  It’s really stupid.”  She turns to get dressed but Hatter stops her.

Hatter frowns at the feelings from the bond. Something is bothering Alice, and based on what he is receiving, she is not sure what it is. Her inability to pinpoint the issue is causing her to become even more aggravated and his talents are trying to meet the problem she is sensing. He lifts her chin with his finger so that he can see her eyes. “Whatever it is, we will meet it together, Alice. Now let your talent work and we’ll see what Charlie and Santi need to tell us.” His body is tense, trying to protect her, even though neither she nor Hatter can pinpoint where the danger is. But, his feelings are calm, trusting her talents to tell him what is wrong.

Feeling his calm rush through her, she shakes her head as she smiles. “How do you do that?” She can feel the tenseness of his body, but his feelings are calm, accepting. The fact he can just accept the opposite reaction amazes her.

Seeing her smile, he relaxes grinning back at his other half. “I have no idea. It’s probably my talent working with yours. It happens with Bonded couples, our talents mesh to help. Get dressed, luv, and we’ll deal with whatever the issue is, together.” He hands her the clothes he brought for her.

Alice quickly dresses in dove grey pants with a matching cream shirt.  The sash is their dark blue.  It also has compartments built into it for her knives and throwing stars.  Hatter has already put them in and she makes sure she can still draw them. The threat to his life is making him edgy, and the feeling of being safe here is now a fond memory. That is why he was so insistent that she stay in the bathroom; there are no windows that anyone could look through to see them arm themselves.

Hatter finishes dressing and the two of them move out of the bathroom just as the stone knight lightens to announce that Charlie, Santi, and their parents are outside their rooms.

Alice glances quickly at Hatter, her sense of anxiety increases to the point she feels like she is about to explode. Hatter pulls her close to him and wraps his arms around her. Feeling her anxiousness, he can tell he will need to support her. “Together,” he whispers in her ear. Nodding, Alice tells the knight to let them in. They need to get this done so that she can deal with whatever is bothering her. Right now, she needs to concentrate; anything can set her temper off. It often happens when she is this on edge.

ALICE — Syfy Photo: James Dittiger

Charlie is the first in the room; he visibly relaxes as he sees the royal couple standing there. His eyes rake over the two of them, noticing that while they may look relaxed, he can see the telltale signs that both of them are ready to fight. He approves, especially with the attack on the two of them and the news that the stranger had just brought.

Santi follows Charlie and he also looks relieved to see them standing together. He nods to both of them as he moves to the chairs beside them. Being one of the few that were aware that she had been gone and that Hatter had been hurt, he is very relieved to see Alice back along with Hatter and that the two of them look well.

Robert and Carol come into the room, hand in hand. Carol is looking around eagerly at their rooms, thinking of how everything here looks like a fairytale coming to life. She looks at her daughter and grins, indicating how happy she is to be back with her husband. They stayed up late last night chatting.  Robert has yet to break the news that he needs to head back to the Red Kingdom. He is hoping Carol will come with him; he has missed her since he woke up and is extremely grateful to his daughter for bringing her home to him. Moreover, her part in convincing Carol to come to Wonderland to live.

Last, but not least, is Tarrant and Alice K. Alice looks over her father-in-law, happy to see him looking so much better than the last time she remembered seeing him. She smiles but does not move from Hatter, needing his arms and strength to get through this meeting.

Tarrant looks over at Alice, nodding and smiling. He is happy; he is back with his mate and the rest of his family. He is curious as to why Charlie and Santi are so upset and that alone brought himself and Alice out of their rooms. Besides, they need to get back to Mirana and make sure Angela and Aurora are fine.

Hatter stands there with Alice, holding her tightly to him. He does not miss the fact that when the door to their rooms shut, she relaxes minutely. He sends his love through their bond, hoping she misses the anger that he feels that she should be worried about anything, especially in their own home.

He is slightly aware he is being a hypocrite, but this is Alice. It is his job to be protective and slightly wary of anything that may harm them. Her job is to bring his paranoia under control, to be the one whose compassion tempers him. They are both the other halves of the coin, complementing each other’s strength and turning their weaknesses into assets. Bonded couples are the opposites of the other in some fashion or form.

Alice looks up at Hatter, noting the anger behind the love he sends. However, seeing his face, and not seeing the darkening around his eyes, she relaxes as much as she can. Sighing, she asks, “What is going on?  Why are you all here and what is so important?” She wants to get this over with. Her emotions are excessively close to the surface, especially her temper. It happens when she gets this uneasy, when everything is close to making her angry. She needs to be able to think and reason her way through all that has happened. She doesn’t want to tell Hatter that she needs to be taken away from everything when they need her so badly.

Charlie looks away then, taking a deep breath, he tells them, “We had a visitor this morning. He walked up to the gate of the palace and asked to speak with one of you. The knight in charge of the gate this morning escorted him to Santi and I. We questioned him, and he…well he thinks that you two are going to be attacked soon. We didn’t indicate you had already been attacked, in case this is another one coming. And he is also here to beg amnesty of Alice.”

Hatter’s eyes blacken immediately. He takes a deep breath, but still the black remains. The black lines around his eyes that are permanently there, darken, but do not spread. He is containing his anger, the madness as some call it, but he needs some answers soon. No one will put Alice through any more pain by hurting him or hurting her directly. No one. Hatter will do whatever is needed to protect his Alice. Alice will not be broken again!

Alice can feel Hatter fighting to keep calm and quickly asks, “Who is this person and why would he be asking for my protection?” She needs to help him get information; his anger is not making it any easier for her to keep from losing her own control. Alice hopes that with more information, one of them may be able to calm down. She is fighting so much to remain calm that it is making her even more irritated.

Santi looks at the two of them, seeing Hatter’s arms around Alice, noticing they are very protective. He realizes that if Alice is still hurt in some way, Hatter is going to be even more protective of her than normal. He has spent some time with as many people and as many resources he can get his hands on to understand the Bonding between his lieges. He has a feeling that the bond between the two of them may be used by someone to hurt them and will do all he can to protect them. He can do no less for the lieges he has bound himself to willingly, for Alice, whom he admires, and more importantly, for the two who are becoming friends.

Santi meets Hatter’s eyes and he answers softly, “He said his name is Haigha.” He has heard rumors of this Haigha, one of them being that Hatter and he do not get along.

Hatter’s arms tighten even more around Alice and he growls out, “Alice, you are not to meet with this man unless I’m with you.” There is no chance she can deny him; he will not allow Alice to meet Haigha without him!

Alice’s temper rises as she snaps, “I will do what I want, David!” His demands and his rage are the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back. She can’t handle his fury as well as her irritation level from the sense of unease that is building in her; the two were feeding into her annoyance.  Her pride in being able to take care of herself; her temper, that which Winston was so worried about her losing in the Throne Room of the Queen of Hearts to the point of isolating her, was in full control of Alice.  Gone was the person that everyone in here was used to. No one has ever seen Alice lose control.  Ever.  And even Alice herself cannot stop herself from what she is feeling.

Her eyes snap with her anger and surprises everyone in the room. The two have never disagreed that they know of. Alice is normally the one that calms Hatter. Even her parents are shocked and unable to do anything to help her.

Charlie is more shocked than the rest and he rushes to reassure them, “Alice will never be left alone with anyone other than the people we know are trustworthy.” He stares at the two of them, hoping that this will settle them both.

Alice’s temper is up and is completely full blown; she can feel Hatter’s temper as he fights with it. Not being able to take any more of it, Alice grabs what little control she has and realizes she needs to be alone before she does or says something she will regret. “Release me,” she demands.

Hatter was first shocked that she called him by his formal name, then by her demand. He can no more release her than he can stop his beating heart.  Alice is his, and she has no idea about Haigha and what he can do. He tightens his grip and starts to tell her, “Alice-”

Before he can say another word, Alice loses control. Hatter will not her be. She needs him to not be controlling, not make demands of her right now! I need him, but he can’t treat me like a child! While she has no problem with his overprotectiveness, right now she felt as if she was being prevented from making her own decisions.

All this rushes through her head before her emotions take control and she cannot think clearly anymore. She moves quicker than anyone can track and throws Hatter across her body, calling for Chess. She only means for him to land in front of her, forgetting her body is strengthening. Instead, he hits the wall across the room and falls. Before he can move or anyone else can do anything, Chess appears. Alice demands of him, “Take me away from all of it, Chess.  PLEASE!”

Chess hears the need in Alice’s voice and without thinking of anything else, he touches her and they disappear.

Hatter jumps up and screams, “NO!” He tries to make it to her, but the two of them are gone. He falls to his knees and calls out, “Why?” He can still feel Alice, the bond letting him know she is in Wonderland and spitting mad. But she is not here with him, and that is unacceptable. The shock of it is enough to start to bring him to his senses. Alice left me!  Alice!!!

Absolem is summoned by Wonderland after she is unable to get through to either Alice or Chess. He arrives, takes in the situation and then demands of David, “What have you done, you stupid, stupid BOY!”  He flies in front of the enraged yet broken man. “Do you know what you did?  You drove Alice away. You could not contain your anger, your possessiveness, long enough to feel what she was feeling. Now, she can be anywhere. Chessur is refusing contact with Wonderland itself to protect her!” Absolem is shocked by the sense of anger he is feeling towards his friend, but he should have known better! David can feel what she does, how could he ignore her feelings?

Hatter is crouched on the floor, battling his anger, trying to control himself. Alice left him. What have I done? Alice left me!! This thought is going around and around his head. He tries to gain control, then he feels someone’s hands on him. He looked up into his fa’s eyes, seeing them orangey red and says, “She left. What have I done, Fa? I need her so much!” He stares at his fa, hoping he can tell him. His heart is breaking and he can’t understand what is happening.  ‘Alice left!! Why???’

Tarrant looks down at his son and tells him, “Ye pushed yer mate. Ye forsaked te Bond and wha’ it telling ye, me bairn. Et was ‘elling ye t’at she was et her limit. Weren’t et? But ye ‘ad to demand somet’ing t’at she couldn’t take!” Tarrant is fighting himself. The look on his daughter’s face tore at his heart. He wants nothing more than to tear into whatever put that pain in her. However, the one who caused it is his own son. ‘Oh David, what have you done?’ Moreover, the look on his son’s face is of pure pain mixed with despair and self-loathing that calls to what Tarrant as a father to fix.  What can he do?

Hatter stares at his father. He then processes what he is being told, drops his head and says, “She wanted this. She wanted this meeting, Fa! What was I supposed tae do?” Hatter’s voice starts to drop into his childhood speech patterns.

Alice K. kneels next to her son and tells him, “It is not always about what she wants, David. Sometimes we need to judge our mate’s feelings and see if they are able to make that decision. I admire you for letting her make her own decisions and in most cases, this is the right thing to do. But, there are times you need to make sure she is up to executing her decisions.” She smooths away his hair from his forehead, trying to help calm her son’s problems and her own mate’s internal debate.

Absolem lands on his shoulder and softly tells him, “She can handle herself, and Chess won’t let anything hurt her. Get your feelings under control, then we can find them.” He feels bad for unleashing his rage on David, but David needs to learn to control his emotions, to not make Alice the one responsible for reigning him in. If David’s own father can do this, David can.

Hatter nods and works to control himself. He needs his Alice with him; she is essential to his very being, more than air itself. Hatter then feels her pain and sorrow rip through him and he drops completely to the ground, sobbing with her and for what he himself has done to his love.

Alice gasps and falls to her knees as she lands. Chess wraps his tail around her as he lands on her shoulders.

Chess rubs his head on her, ignoring Wonderland in favor of finding out what is wrong with Alice.  Besides, Wonderland deserves it for not giving in to his demands to satisfy his curiosity. How dare she try to ignore him! Feeling her shoulders shake brings his attention back to Alice. He purrs, trying to help, but he can feel the gut-wrenching sobs exploding out of her. He continues rubbing his head on hers, trying to calm her.

Chess tries everything he can think of to calm Alice down, but nothing is working. He gets more and more worried as he can tell she is driving herself to be sick with her inability to calm herself. Finally, he gives in to Wonderland’s incessant demands, choosing Alice’s wellbeing over his pride.

He answers, “What?”

Wonderland sighs in relief and asks, “Alice?”

Staggering under the knowledge he receives from her simple answer and from what he now knows about himself and Alice, Chess sighs. “Crying, what is going on? Why did she call me and why is she so upset?” He processes all the information from the revelation of their bond. However, the need to protect Alice, to make her better is more essential at this time. Chess needs to know what happened to drive her to this state.

Wonderland tells him what has been happening. Chess listens as he continues to try to calm Alice. Seeing this is not helping, he asks for the only person who may be able to calm her down, “David?”

Wonderland tells him that he is just as upset.

Chess closes his eyes; the person who is responsible is as broken as she is. It is up to him to fix this and he hopes he is up to this monumental task. Chess tells Wonderland, “Watch her,” then he disappears. Alice is crying too hard to even notice.

Wonderland watches her Champion and hopes this will be solved before any of her other denizens realize what is going on. Alice being upset earlier darkened all of Wonderland. What will an Alice this upset do to their World?

Wonderland hopes never to find out and works to make sure everyone is otherwise distracted as she tries to comfort her Alice.

Hatter is by himself, has asked everyone to leave, once he could control himself.  He is searching for Alice in their bond; he can feel her crying, her breaking in their bond and it is tearing him apart.  He needs to go to her, to apologize, to make it all right.

Hatter jumps as Chess appears in front of him and demands, “David, what have you done to her? Alice is my charge! She is my Alice. Not your mother, not any other Alice, this one is MINE!!! I trusted her with you, knowing you love her and that you Hatters belong with Alices. But you have hurt her with you. Not. THINKING!” Chess is glaring at Hatter.

Hatter starts and then stares at Chess. Gone is the childhood friend that was willing to get into whatever trouble they could come up with. No, this is a Chess he suspects few, if any, have ever seen. But Chess’ words trigger something and somehow, some way, many things click into place and he asks, “How many Cheshire Cats are there?”

Chess floats backward in shock, his anger momentarily forgotten with his surprise and he answers, “Many, but I am the Keeper of Wonderland. I only allow those who are right for this world to enter.  Right now, there is one other, but she won’t take up her duties. She likes to flit between this world and Above. She is your mother’s Cheshire Cat, but since she wouldn’t acknowledge your mother here, I have tried to help.  But this Alice, she is my charge.”

Chess floats closer to Hatter and asks him, “Are you ready David? Are you ready to take whatever Alice gives to you? Because the Gods help us, you are her other half. She needs you, and you, you have failed her already.” He needs to make David understand that he needs to protect Alice. He needs to think of her.

Hatter closes his eyes and then answers Chess, “I’m ready. I need her, Chess.” He looks up into Chess’ eyes and begs him, “Please take me to her, let me help her…” Hatter is more than ready to do anything for the woman that has captured his heart. As he told her before, the bond is great, but they fell in love first. And that love is what is making him beg for her forgiveness, her touch, for anything that she will deign to give him.

Chess stares into the eyes of the man that he is bound to, only because his charge is bound to him. He hadn’t been aware of why he had been drawn to her, not until she called to him. When he finally allowed Wonderland to speak with him, he became aware of their connection. This is why Wonderland has tried to deny him answers. She wanted this bond between Chess and Alice to be a choice of his. This guardianship of Alice is all on him, he is to be her companion, her friend, her confidant in Wonderland. He is to protect her from all that could damage her. To help her become all she can.

This is something he wants to do. Alices affect Wonderland more than any have ever imagined and this Alice is already changing Wonderland. Wonderland is no longer forcing anyone into what she wants; she is truly giving them a choice. By answering her, he chose Alice and her compassion.

Realizing that everyone can make a mistake and that David is truly the one for Alice, Chess forgives his childhood friend. Alice’s compassion makes this possible, she will forgive him. She will allow him to try to help her.  His decision made, Chess floats over and touches Hatter, taking him to Alice.

Fairfarren