Story: A random thought… sound off for a new story? Who knows?
Song: You’re Beautiful by James Blunt
Written by: Kittyinaz
Summary: Hatter visits New York City. He catches a ride on a subway and shared a moment with a stranger.
Author Notes: I heard this and this story flowed. Helps with my aggravation, can’t find songs for stories, or can’t find a freaking name for a character to post one that is written. It is short. I am sorry for that, but it wouldn’t leave me alone. It’s got as bad as some of the other fics.
Hatter had not wanted to come through the Looking Glass, but it was either that, or spend time in the prisons under the lake. And was it no wonder he had accepted banishment instead? His hat would have been ruined in the dank dungeons.
Truly, it was a small thing that caused his banishment, but what isn’t a cause for punishment in the time of the Red Queen? Though, he still wondered what was so bad about mentioning that he liked the color blue. It wasn’t even to the Queen; it was just in passing to Mad March. And now, he had to come here to the world of the Oysters until she had gotten over her rage.
He had a job here, he hadn’t fallen that much from grace, but then when you outsell the other entire group of Tea Shoppe owner’s by a factor of fifteen, no matter how mad the Queen was, she wouldn’t kill you. Well, at least not for something so small. If he had insulted her to her face, well, that would have been a death sentence.
Hatter sighed, flipped his hat onto his head and made his way to the front door. He reminded himself that in only two more days, he will be back in Wonderland.
He shrugged on his jacket and locked the door behind him. He drew down the gate and moved quickly off to the entrance of the subway system. He kept his eyes open, not that many messed with him after the first week he had been here, when you smash in someone’s head as easily as he had, the thugs in the neighborhood kept a wide berth from him. They knew danger when they saw it.
Moving fluidly down the stairs, Hatter moved quickly through the gate. He heard the subway coming and didn’t want to wait for the next one. He made his way to the edge, careful to make sure he was out of the way of the rush of people who were going to exit when the train stopped.
Hatter stood there, his head angled slightly down. His jacket was pushed back by the hands in his pockets, the perfect pose of not caring what was going on around him. But that was all it was, a pose. He had learned his lessons the hard way in Wonderland. It had come a long way from the charming children’s story it was in this world.
When the train arrived and emptied of the people who were rushing home, he moved with a practiced ease into the train. He looked around for a seat, then noticed that even with the flow of people who had just exited, there still were no more seats available.
Hatter leaned against one of the poles, then actively looked around at his fellow riders. This was one of the few perks of living here. He could people watch to his heart’s content during this time; most of his fellow riders either did the same or blocked the world out in their own pastimes.
He saw the almost mandatory old unwashed man sitting in the corner, asleep in a safe area for the price of a subway ticket. Even with the cramped car, there was an open area left around the man.
His eyes traveled and saw a business man who worked on his tablet and spoke on his phone as he hurried to finish some work that should have been left at the office. Hatter noted the wedding ring and wondered if the man had learned to at least leave his work behind when he walked into the door to his wife.
The next person to catch his attention was a short haired blonde woman, who read a book. She caught his attention when a butterfly fluttered around her head and she looked up at it, her face full of wonder. When the train stopped and the doors opened, the butterfly moved off the train. She watched it leave with a smile and looked around to see if anyone else had seen it. Hatter smiled lightly, as he allowed her to see that yes, it really had happened.
With the smile on his face, he looked over at the next people and had a shock. There sat a man who was a dead ringer for Jack Heart. His hair was dark and styled carelessly, and nothing like the dandy he had seen in his multiple court appearances. But what convinced him that the man couldn’t be the next King of Wonderland, was the devotion in his eyes for the woman beside him. No Heart would have that look for another human being.
Then Hatter took a closer look at the woman, and what a woman she was! Her long brown hair was loose, falling around her face as she laughed at something her companion told her. Her blue eyes sparkled with mirth, her beautiful mouth letting loose some of most appealing laughter he had ever heard.
The train slowed, coming up to another stop. The two got up, the man helped her as she tried to keep her balance as the train swayed. She looked up to get her bearings and at that second, her eyes moved and met his. An electric shock went down his spine, and he was sure she had felt the same thing when her eyes widened. But then, miracle of miracles, she smiled at him.
Hatter thought of what his future could be with her beside him. It would be full of love and laughter. He could see them sitting at a table, laughing over dinner, enjoying the fact of them just being together. He thought of them sitting in the park, his head on her lap as she read a book, her hand absently playing with his hair as he watched her.
Their future continued to flash in front of him, one of the most poignant was of them hiding under an awning from the sudden downpour that had caught them out on a date. The two of them laughing at silliness of it all, then he watched as their mirth fell to the side, love and devotion taking it over as the moment caught up to them. Her in his arms, held close to him. The look that passed their face as their faces edged closer to each other. The merging of their lips as they lightly caressed each other’s, the hesitant look on each other’s face as their lips separated for a second, then the meeting of their lips into a full kiss. His hand creeping up to caress her neck, holding her to him as her arms wrapped around his neck.
The train lurched and made Hatter’s eyes jerk away for a second. That second was all it took for him to lose sight of his Angel. When he looked back, he realized that during the time their eyes had matched, the lurch was of the train as it came to a stop. And in that second, she had exited the train. Before he could move to go after her, the doors slammed shut and the train started again.
Hatter relaxed against the pole as he sighed. He shook his head slightly, he had never believed in love in first sight, but the reality of it rocked him to his core, it had changed everything for him.
Then, as he became conscious of his reality, none of it could ever happen. He was a Tea Shoppe owner, a con man. He was in this world for only two more days before he had to report home on if this city was suitable for more Oysters to be taken from. Once he was back, he would resume his position and continue to sell the Tea’s made from Oyster’s feelings.
But, at the same time, the truth of it all made his stomach turn. He thought of what he was going back to do, and with the truth of the fact being that he had fallen for one of the Oysters, he could not just sit back and let them be harvested. Even the thought of his Angel being in Wonderland sent shivers down his spine. No, he couldn’t condone the way of life in Wonderland anymore.
The train slowed and he looked up to see it was his stop. He glanced back at the last spot he had seen his Angel, knowing that he would never be with her.
Hatter moved off the train, his mind churned with the new truth he had come to see in that moment. A truth that will last for the rest of his lifetime.
Well, hmm. That turned out a lot different than it was in my head. Again, another time that my characters took my story and made it their own. And no, I didn’t change the beginning, because, well I wanted you to see how odd things work out. So I guess this was a precursor to Alice? Let me know what you think.
Also, there is a scene from another movie in here, can anyone guess the movie? It is one of my favorites and I wrote the whole thing from memory. But it could have happened!
Thanks for reading. ~Wendy
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