Almost Alice

They tell you where you need to goThey tell you when you'll need to leaveThey tell you what you need to knowThey tell you who you need to beBut everything inside you knowsThere's more than what you've heardThere's so much more than empty conversationsFilled with empty wordsAnd you're on fireWhen He's near youYou're on fireWhen He speaksYou're on fireBurning at these mysteriesGive me one more time aroundGive me one more chance to seeGive me everything You areGive me one more chance to be... (near You)Cause everything inside me looks likeEverything I hateYou are the hope I have for changeYou are the only chance I'll takeWhen I'm on fireWhen You're near meI'm on fireWhen You speakAnd I'm on fireBurning at these mysteriesThese mysteries...I'm standing on the edge of me [x3]I'm standing on the edge of everything I've never been i've been standing on the edge of meStanding on the edgeAnd I'm on fireWhen You're near meI'm on fireWhen You speak(Yea) I'm on fireBurning at these mysteries... these mysteries... these mysteriesAh you're the mysteryYou're the mystery On fire - Switchfoot

Alice woke to warmth, slowly becoming aware of the scent of tea, the spice of man. She shifted and went very still as she felt the unmistakable stroke of a hand down her back. That hand settled possessively on the curve of her bottom, which, to Alice's horror was bare.

She opened her eyes fully, finding brilliant orange hair before her. Lifting her head slightly she found herself nose to nose with one sleeping hatter.

His face was gentle in repose, his breathing deep and even. She felt his fingers caress again and glanced down to find that she was indeed nude and she had kicked the covers off sometime in the night. Her arm was resting against the hatter's bare chest and her thigh was draped over his hip.

Her position on him positively indecent as he was nestled rather intimately against her. He shifted and pressed closer. His trousers brushing her sex. She slowly slid her leg down not wanting to wake him. Not sure what would happen if he did. He groaned, his grip tightening and his other arm slid down to grasp her behind her knee, locking her to him.

Truth, he didn't seem inclined to let her go anytime soon. She sighed, she would be most content to lay there, surrounded by his strength and warmth. Her bladder however, had other ideas and began to protest. The killjoy.

She tried to ease away again but the hatter rolled, half pinning her beneath him. His face nuzzling against her ear. She went red at the brushing pressure that rubbed against her sex.

"Mm. Alice" he murmured to her.

"Tarrant?" she asked in a whisper to him, "Are you awake?"

One of his hands was now rhythmically squeezing her hip, thumb circling over a very tender bit of flesh. Her stomach fluttered and her breath caught. With morbid delight she felt her nipples harden and pebble against the firm expanse of his chest.

"Tarrant" she tried again, wanting nothing more than to get to that bathroom, "You'll be late for tea."

"Tea! What?" he jolted upright in the bed. Alice tumbled free and rolled away, taking the sheet as she went. She got to her feet slowly, her legs felt terribly weak and shaky, there was a tight pulling pinch on her thigh and she glanced down to see the stitched wound. She felt hot and sticky and downright gross at the moment.

She looked up to find greener than green eyes locked on her. "I didn't mean to wake you." she said softly, turning her gaze to the floor. Now that he was awake, his anger would return, she had no doubt of it.

"Are ye alright lass?" he asked.

She dared a peek at him through her lashes, blushing softly and then she hurried as best she could on pained feet to the bathroom.

When she had taken care of that pressing matter, she washed her face and cupped water into her hands, drinking deeply. Glancing in the looking glass, she grimaced. She looked a mess, hair lank and sticking out in all directions.

She set the tub to filling with lukewarm water, feeling hot and achy, then she tightened her grip on the sheet and left the bathroom. She found Tarrant pulling his shirt on. She eyed him carefully uncertain how to proceed with him now that he was awake. Hurt lay like a vast ocean between them.

Tarrant turned, taking in the tension of her form, the worry in her eyes and sighed, "We need to talk lass."

Those simple words, spoken in a resigned tone filled her with dread. For surely now, he would tell her to leave Underland and that he never wanted to look on her again. Alice shook and made her way to the chair, sitting stiffly. "I'm ready" she said, twisting her fingers in her lap.

Tarrant heard the catch in her voice and frowned. Whatever could she be thinking now?

There was a knock at the door, which caused him to swear and Tarrant barked at the offender, "Wha is it?"

McTwisp opened the door cautiously and nodded to Alice, "You are needed lord hatter" he said then.

Perfect damned timing. "Why now?" he demanded. Didn't they know he had much more important things to do at the moment? He had to make tea and make Alice understand, and make her feel better, then maybe make a lovely hat to make amends, so much making to do.

"The roses are in snit because the daffodil are moving into their plot in the garden. The daffodils are frightened you see, they worry that the knave" he cast an apologetic look at Alice here, "Will lop off their pretty little heads."

Tarrant swore violently in outlandish, then he turned and pinned Alice in his golden gaze, "Wait fer me lass. Doona leave this room. I'll return by the by."

Then he was gone in a flurry of growls and spitting curses.

Alice stared at McTwisp for a long moment before he too was gone and she was left to clutch the sheet and stare about the empty room.

Chess came an hour later with tea and breakfast. He called for the maid to bundle her in a thick coat against the cold and they ate in the snowy morning on the balcony. "I thought you might enjoy some fresh air." he told her as he sipped from his cup.

Alice peered out from the soft, gray cloth and nodded. "I was feeling a bit gross before my bath" she confessed, "As though I hadn't had a proper one for days."

"And so you hadn't" he informed her, "You've been terribly ill Alice with the fever for days now."

She lifted her hair and sniffed gingerly, wondering how bad it had been before she'd scrubbed it so viciously with sweet smelling shampoo.

Chess laughed, that warm deep rumbling chuckle of his, "You don't stink Alice, you didn't. I daresay the hatter wouldn't have cuddled so close if you had."

Alice nearly choked on her tea, recalling just how close that closeness had been this morning. "Chess!"

Chess smiled in his wide way and winked a luminous eye at her. "No need to get in a snit Alice. The whole castle knows where the hatter sleeps."

"But we haven't, erm, we don't" she stammered.

"This isn't like your world Alice. No one is judging either of you. You calm the hatter, he calms you. Heaven knows in these dark times we could all use a bit of calm. Especially the hatter. Why, do you know he grabbed hold of me and hugged me in the hall?"

Alice blinked. "What was that about?"

The cat shrugged, "Not certain. Something about fuzzy warm or some such."

She sighed sadly and the cat leaned forward. "What troubles you my dear?"

She shook her head, setting her sup aside, watching the little flakes of snow vanish when they hit the warmer surface. Much like she was sure to vanish from this place. "It over I'm afraid."

"What is?"

She gestured to the table, Chess and the castle. "All of this, my time here. I think he is going to command me to return to my own world Chess."

"Leave?"

"Yes leave."

"What?"

"You, this place, him."

He blinked owlishly at her, "That's a very annoying habit you have Alice" he griped, "Ever since you were small." He set his now empty cup down and floated past her.

"What habit Chess? I don't understand."

He flicked the end of her nose with the tip of his tail, "That borrowing trouble, terribly rude. Let someone else have some once in a while won't you?"

Then he was gone and Alice was left to ponder his words.

She sat before the fire reading a book from the castle library when a maid came and stripped the fever marred linens and replaced them with new. Alice bit her lip as the maid left with a wave and a smile and a "So lovely that you feel yourself again."

Now there was nothing to spark the pristine room. No scent of tea, Tarrant. It was sterile again. Alice really hated that. She fought the urge to go and rumple the neatly made bed but to break the monotony of white perfection.

She stared at her healing feet, propped on a tufted ottoman and settled for picking at the lovely lavender in the soft nightgown Tarrant had made. He was very clever she told herself as she touched the small rosebuds he'd fashioned out of thread and ribbon. She turned to stare out the balcony doors. Nothing to do but wait now. And wasn't that just always the worst?

Tarrant was just disgusted with the roses. He had scolded them harshly for being so unkind to the daffodils. This was a dark time, he had said, war was baying at the gate. They were to be kind to each other and help one another.

My, how the roses had argued. The daffodils were much too daffy to be in the same bed with regal roses. Why, anyone could see that. And then the argument had begun all over again.

Tarrant, at his wit's end and finally lost his temper and threatened to rip them all up by the roots and toss them all out on their buds if they didn't stop bickering like ninnies. The Daffodils got very quite and the roses said no more though there was much indignant sniffing.

It was the shy violets that spoke up next, brave in the face of his anger. "They can stay with us. We violets don't have much to say and we don't take up too much room. They can stay here with us until their own bed is safe again."

Bless the violets Tarrant through and he ushered the weary daffodils to the violet bed. Then he turned a furious gaze on the stuffy roses, "If I hear one word of ye misbehaving, or bein unkind and I shall come here and personally throw the lot o ye out."

They wilted slightly under his mean glare and Tarrant nodded and strode to where his horse was waiting.

"Damn flowers" he grumbled as he pulled himself into the saddle.

"They are so stuck up" the horse agreed, "Best be back to the castle eh?"

Tarrant nodded and the horse lunged forward.

Tarrant opened the chamber door still grumbling about uppity roses when Alice put her book down. He pulled a pair of gloves off and strode to place them on the table before her. His face set in dreadfully serious lines.

"Hello Tarrant" she said bravely, "I suppose we'll have that talk now?"

He nodded and moved to stand over her, "Aye lass, that we will."

Alice steeled herself for the hurt she was certain was coming.

"First things first though." he said in that rich burr and he leaned down, and fused his lips to her own. Making her gasp and his tongue plundered her mouth thoroughly. Lapping her own, her palate, her teeth. He drank her in like a man parched for her. And he was.

When Alice whimpered against his mouth, he reached down and hauled her up against him, wrapping his arms around her and cradling the back of her head to keep her locked in his hungry kiss.

Her hands fisted in the material of his shirt, overcome with emotion and sensation and barely able to breath when he set her back in her seat as through nothing had happened. She opened her eyes to see him lick his lips and then he sat opposite her.

"What was that all about?"

"Fulfilling the request of a beautiful lass" he replied and poured himself and her a bit of tea from the still steaming pot before them.

He sat back and stared at her. Her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen and rosy. Ah, yes that was how Alice should always look he mused.

"I understand why you went to Dormer's Cross. I wasn't angry with you Alice, only with the knave. What happened that day was not your fault. It was his and mine, I should have left more knights to protect you."

She shook her head but he lifted his hand for silence. "We…examined you" he admitted, "After. You are pure Alice. The knave didn't take that, but he did touch you, hurt you and I imagine you have a lot of fears regarding that now. I won't let him have you again. I will kill him. I don't hate you, I hate myself a little for not seeing through his ruse. I'm not unhappy with you and I don't want you to go."

She blinked as he finished speaking.

"No?" she asked very quietly.

He shook his head, "I told ye once afore Alice, that yer mah Alice. And in being mine I wouldn't have you anywhere but here with me. Though I do wish here was a bit safer."

She blushed prettily. "What exactly do you mean… yours?"

She had a fairly good idea but she wanted to hear anyway.

The hatter's eyes went gold and he smiled a sensual smile, "Mine to touch, to kiss, to heal, to pleasure. Mine Alice. And I am yers. If ye want tha. I am a hatter after all, a mad one at tha."

She nodded slowly and then she rose to her feet, wincing lightly at the hurt it caused. Tarrant saw at once and lifted her into his arms to lay her on the bed.

"Wha is it lass?"

She swallowed hard, "Can.. .you, make me….not afraid?" she asked in a whisper.

Tarrant knew what she needed, "I can lass, if thas wha ye want, what ye need."

"I think I might" she admitted, "Not today but soon."

"I will erase it Alice." he promised.

Two weeks later, the hare deemed Alice healed enough to travel, since she had hounded him non-stop to go after the Oraculum. They sat down and made preparations and charted their trip. It would just be Alice and Tarrant.

Though the hatter objected to her going, she insisted. If they were partners she had to do this too. He could find no logical argument to that. Only illogical ones and Alice would have none of them.

The night before they were to leave, they cuddled warmly together beneath the coverlet. "Tarrant?"

"Yes Alice?"

"Do you think things will be better once we find the oracle?"

"I should think so, at least it will reveal those things we have need of knowing."

She nodded, pressed a kiss to his chin and let his wrap her tightly in his arms before drifting to sleep.