Reflections Chap 19: Finale

In the reflection…

It was a dark room with only a hint of soft light coming from a few scattered scented candles. It was rather difficult to tell if the colors were really back to their original places after the Naaxia's defeat or not. The Mad Hatter was now laying a large comfortable bed. He had been asleep for a long time. Or had he? He wasn’t sure if he was still snoozing at his tea table waiting for Alice to return, or someplace else.

It was alright... She loved to watch him sleep. Running a gentle hand into the dark blond mess of his hair. She smiled almost coldly and remained beside him, pecking a kiss on his large nose. Her skin was looking even paler with the soft light in the room.

The Hatter slept as his clock gear clicked away in the darkness with a faint tick tock sound, like a distant heartbeat. His clothes were like new again and his damage repaired. His usual long checkered hat was sitting beside him. He grunted a little as his yellow eyes opened partially. The room around him seemed unfamiliar and he was laying on something soft. Was this perchance the afterlife? He was dead after all…wasn’t he? He remembered coming to the Pale Realm, facing the Naaxia. Come to think of it the very last image he saw was... was...wait....Alice....Alice...."ALICE?!" He sat up quickly but the room spun around him in a blurry haze.

The pale skinned woman pressed a hand on his chest, pushing him back into pillows. Her lips quirked upwards a bit, then she hushed him. "Welcome back to me, love." She purred, leaning down on him to breath against his lips. "I missed you." She pecked another kiss on his cheek this time.

Richard fell back against the pillow and rubbed his eyes. "Wh-where am I?" He tilted his head up and felt someone kiss his cheek and smiled a little. "...Alice...?" He sat up on his elbow. "It is you isn’t it?" The Hatter squinted his eyes trying to make out her face. His vision was still a little blurry from his ordeal with the Naaxia. But a soft hand on his face reassured him.

The woman smirked and pulled back to light a few more candles on the nightstand. Now the Hatter could see the room he was in more clearly. It was a large bedroom with stone walls and dark red sheets and curtains. A very ornate heart was engraved above the doorway arch. In fact every item in the room had a heart motif. All...except for a dark corner on the far side of the bed. The young woman did indeed look just like Alice, but she was wearing an all-black strapless dress. Her skin was pale as ivory and her lips a glistening cherry color. She just gave a cold smile and lay beside him. "You can call me anything you like." She winked and touched a red ruby pendant hanging from a frilly choker around her neck. The Hatters attention was drawn to it and he was surprised at what he saw. It was round, with a cross extending from the bottom of the circle and two small horn like protrusions on the top. The symbol for Mercury and the very same element which caused the Hatter to lose his sanity. He tilted his head and reached over taking it between his fingers as his thumb moved over its surface as it sparkled. The Mad Hatter looked around him now.  The room was defiantly not hers. He knotted his eyebrows and looked over at her to ask where they were but all he ended up doing was staring at her…and her dress.

After a moment he managed to compose himself and stammer. "Alice?..Y-You look..different.." He said noticing her pale skin and rather plunging neckline. Not at all something Alice would wear. And if he dared ask, she would most likely yell at him or threaten with that irritating Vorpal blade of hers. The Hatter could feel his mouth turn up into a smile all on its own. "Not that I’m complaining mind you..."

The dark haired woman smiled back at him and abruptly sat on his stomach so quick it made him jump a little. She ran her fingers up his arms and gripped him by the wrists so she could pin him down. Her hands were gentle and soft. "Nothing bad happened. The dragon-lady is gone and we are alone in my bedroom." She purred against his lips, almost touching them softly. "You are mine now." The girl smiled in a rather peculiar way, very unlike Alice. "Doesn't this make you happy?"

Richard stared up at her in mind shock. This was very odd. But perhaps it was to be expected? He did after all confess how he felt, as did she. He smiled slowly at the news of the dragon."she’s gone? You defeated the Naaxia?" He let his head fall back in relief. "I knew you could do it Alice!...Just like before." Slipping an arm out of her rather tight grip he reached up a hand and gently stroked her cheek. "And I must say your new look is very. Appealing." He purred. "But, we are not in your room?" His eyes widened as he sat up again. "Does this mean you decided to stay in Wonderland!?....With me?" He asked with a glimmer of hope on his face.

A perverted smirk crossed from her face as her hands started to unbutton his vest. "Oh yes. This is where I belong." She leant to her night-stand and reached for a certain item. "And no, you're wrong. This is my room. This is my castle." She smirked even weirder now as she placed her crown on the Hatter's head. "And you are mine... Like the rest of Wonderland." She suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why don't you give a kiss to your eternal love?"

The Hatter smiled wide and leaned in to kiss her, but paused just before their lips met. "..Your..castle?" He reached up and felt the thing sitting on his head. It was not his hat, but sharp and metal with a shining heart symbol in the center. He looked back up at her and suddenly had a sinking feeling in what used to be his stomach. "..Alice?"

But the girl silenced him with a passionate kiss as her arms tightened around his body. Richard was pressed against the pillow as he let out a small muffled yelp. Normally this would be a good thing. How he often dreamed of them being alone like this. But somehow the pair of hands that were still unbuttoning his shirt, while her arms were wrapped around his neck was slightly bothering him. He then felt something harassing him on his behind. It didn’t take much for him to realize...they weren't hands! When it pinched his bum it was enough to make him break the kiss and hold her away at arm’s length. Her crown rolled off of his head as a tentacle snatched it up, returning it to its proper owner.

The pale woman chuckled a bit, looking at him with red irises. "Did you like it?" She couldn't help but smile wide. "I hope you did, because I have many other plans for you and your body." She purred as a tentacle slid over his shoulder and patted his cheek sweetly. "I will never let you set foot out of QueensLand! I’ll make you my King of Hearts! I’ll even give you your own realm if you want!" She paused tapping her lip with a finger. "Hmm and maybe I should lock you in my bedroom." She laughed. "Or I should tie you down on my bed!" She laughed even more as her voice became shrill and manic. "Because I don't plan to share you with anyone!" She continued laughing madly.

The Hatter stared up at her as all the green drained from his face. His dilated yellow eyes then looked down at the tentacles crawling all over his chest and swallowed hard. She was indeed Alice..yet..not Alice. In fact she was starting to sound a lot like. "...The Queen?...." The Hatter said in inaudible whimper and suddenly slipped out of her grasp, rolling off the bed only to peek up over the edge. "I uh...c-changed my mind. Perhaps it would be best if we return to the real world now?"

The Queen of Hearts sat back up on her knees and stared at him. How cute, he was playing hard to get. Amusing...for now. She quickly grabbed his wrist with a tentacle, not letting him go. "But why? I thought you were enjoying this." She kissed his wrist and sharply pulled the man closer and leaned over the bed into his face. "Do not you want me anymore?" For some reason she was quite obsessed with the Mad Hatter just like Alice.

The Hatter was pulled closer as he stared into her red eyes. She was the Queen, but also Alice. What had she done while he was unconscious? "Oh I-indeed I do. B-but you are not yourself my l-little turtledove." He smiled a little. "If we could just go back through the mirror...."

The pale girl frowned as a tentacle ran over his neck. "If you love your head where it is now? I recommend you doing what I order, and what I want!" She then smiled almost sweetly, letting him go. "Now be a gentleman and take off your clothes." She sat on the edge of the bed casually. Crossing one leg over the other she took out a small heart shaped compact and opened it powdering her nose, giving him a seductive look over its edge. "Well?...Get to it! I haven’t all day you know. At least, not all day waiting for that." She giggled madly.

Richard stood up and started to sweat a little. What was he to do now? Alice, merged with the Queen? He could only assume the battle between her and the Naaxia became so desperate that she had no choice. Had she done this for him? No one had ever made such a gesture like this before. And now....was she lost forever? He backed up to the dark corner of the room as his gear hit something hidden in the shadows.  He turned and there in the dim light of the candles he saw a large dresser with an oval mirror. So out of place in the large ornate room it couldn’t have belonged to the Queen. But then he recognized it. It was Alice’s dresser! But how did it get here? As he stared at it he caught a glimpse of the woman in the reflection as she sat on the bed. But he didn’t see the queen...he saw Alice! Sitting on her white frilly four poster bed in her own room. She was still in there..somewhere. The Hatter looked over his shoulder slightly before turning back to the image in the mirror. He gasped a little as the Alice reflection was fading, superimposed now over the image of the Queen sitting behind him. He had to do something to bring her back…to remind her!

As the Queen was busy for the moment he tried to think. It was then a small crystal box appeared on the surface of the dresser out of thin air. His gloved hand reached over slowly and opened the lid and stared into it. Picking up a long thin glistening strand, there hung a silver horseshoe like pendant. The omega...like his own symbol this also meant a great deal to her. Omega meant the end. But why would this appear to him now? Did it mean this was the end of Alice? Or the end of her ordeal perhaps?

The Queen finished powdering her nose, as was growing bored with his stalling. Foreplay is one thing, but this was starting to make her impatient! She reached up removing the sharp jagged crown from her head and placed it on the pillow. "Come here, love. I know you are obsessed over me like I am over you." A tentacle patted her ruby mercury pendant as it shifted back into the form of a gentle hand. She was getting used to her new body and its powers. Soon there would be nothing left but the Queen herself.

Richard kept his back to her and smiled a little. It seems his old boss had returned. But not completely..yet. Her hatred was mixed with Alice’s emotions, most likely the only thing keeping him from losing his head. So, she was saving him yet again was she? The least he could do was return the favor. "Oh indeed I am. But I am curious. Is that why my likeness was littered all over Wonderland during your rule? Or was it because "Alice" was obsessed with me?" He glanced over at her and grinned slyly. "As I recall, she was the one who always fancied me....not you. Your Highness..."

The Queen huffed and flicked the hair back from her face, making the heart shaped tattoo visible on her forehead once again. "Why do you keep talking about that Alice girl? I think you forget your place! I am who you love!" With a slow but gentle movement she lifted her dress skirt over her knees, to take his attention to something else. "Curiosity is not your job. All you have to do is let go." She smirked and raised a brow. "Now let’s forget this Alice business and get on with things shall we?..I can be everything you want and more..."  She gave a large smile, but was clearly uncomfortable.

The Hatter glanced down at her nice silky pale legs as his already short attention span started to drift him away. But he shook it off quickly and covered his eyes with his hand for a moment. "Oh, but curiosity is your job isn’t it?" He peeked at her through his fingers. "It is after all what brought you to Wonderland to begin with. What brought you to me. Don’t you remember?" He held up the long necklace with the silver pendant. "Alice..." He smiled. "You used to hate it when I made up riddles with no answer. At least you pretended to. And you always wanted my tea, though I never let you have a drop to drink."

The pale skinned woman frowned and jumped off the bed, walking to him with angry steps. "Stop it!" Two tentacles slammed into his shoulders making him fall against the dresser. "I'll order the guards to bring me your precious Alice's head!" She yelled and snatched the pendant from his hand. "I'm not her! I'm not her!" She shook her head very nervously unable to control her growing anger.

"Alice!" The Hatter said sternly. "You let the Queen out to fight the Naaxia didn’t you!?" He said walking closer to her.  "Well now it’s time for her to go back!"

"Stop it! Your beloved friend was weak and she was useless! There is no need for her in Wonderland!" Tentacles wrapped tightly around his arms holding him back against the wooden dresser as she approached. She then suddenly smirked madly at him. "Can't you see? I can protect you from anything. I can lock you in my closet away from the threats!" Then she started to laugh madly again as a tentacle wrapped around his neck in a vice.

"No..Alice was not weak and not useless.."  The Hatter growled as he wrapped his fingers around the fleshy limb covering his throat prying it off. "She was strong and brave enough to call you forth!" He pulled the tentacle making her jerk closer to him and quickly slid his arms around the Queen’s thin waist; staring down into dark red eyes.

But the red irises never gave any clues of what was going on in her mind. "But... I need my King of Hearts." She sighed in a dreamy way, and then placed her tentacles, which were transforming into soft hands up on his shoulders. She leaned up close to him as her lips trembled pleading to be kissed by the very embodiment of madness. "I could paint the white roses red just for you." She whispered softly, her eyes wavered as the red was fading away slowly.

Richard smiled gently as he pulled one of his gloves off and placed a clockwork metal hand under her chin. "I know you could. But its checkmate my dear. And it’s time to end the game.." He tilted her head up and leaned closer and kissed her.

The young and twisted woman closed her eyes, returning the kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him tight. The sweet and gentle kiss was able to awake her missing emotions and memories back to reality. When she opened her eyes once more, they were green. And her cheeks were certainly pink. And was that butterflies fluttering around in her stomach?

The Hatters yellow eyes opened and stared finally into deep emerald ones as he smiled. His mechanical hand ran through the dark brown hair as he sighed. "Nice to see you again...Miss me?" He could feel her weight in his arms, she was so exhausted.

Alice panted softly behind her still cherry colored lips as she blushed even more. Placing a hand to her head she looked up seeing Richards face and smiled. "Richard...It’s you. And...wh...where..What am I wearing?" She looked down and was now busy staring at her dress and the rather large amount of exposed area above the bust line. As a reflex she quickly covered her arms over her shoulders. She had no idea why she was wearing such a dress. It was quite improper and not her style at all! Then she did the weirdest thing: Alice quickly pulled Richard's shirt up to get inside it with him, then wrapped her arms around his waist. "I think I need to find my blue dress." She had many questions running in her head, but they could wait now. Even her curiosity was tired after such a battle.

Richard grinned wide as she pulled his shirt around her.  "Oh I don’t know. I think you look quite stunning." He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead as the heart mark also had vanished. "I love you Alice.." He sighed and leaned his chin against her.

The gears of Richard's clockwork body ticked against her and tickled slightly. She giggled a bit as he kissed her forehead. "I think... I do love you too. But it was supposed to be my little secret." A secret that all of Wonderland already knew about long before either of them had any inkling. But at least she admitted it... once. It would be a long time before that annoying, green skinned, perverted hat maker would hear such things from her again! Yes very long indeed!

"Then it will be your little secret.." Richard leaned down picking Alice up in his arms.

Pressing her body closer to his in his poor shirt, Alice smiled tiredly and ran a hand over his bare shoulder blade. "I need to rest now." She whispered to him softly.

"...Lets go home.." He looked over at the mirror above the large dresser and paused. Images of Wonderland flashed across the glass of the inhabitants. His friends. Restored to their rightful place. Even his old comrades the March Hare and Dormouse. Even though still partially clockwork, were back home. He smiled and looked down at her and held her close before vanishing into the swirling vortex of the looking glass.


End