HatterXReader(SyFy Alice):Part 10

"Where is the Casino?" you pestered Hatter as you both jettied along in the stolen speed boat across the expansive fresh water lake. You had seemingly lost the suits a while back now and it was time you got back to the task at hand which was finding Alice. "I've already told you, you can't negotiate with The Queen, but the White Rabbit is a different can of onions. Perhaps he'll do a deal. It's a long shot, but it's the only one we've got." You turned surprised towards Hatter. The cool wind was busy whipping your faces and his rakishly handsome one was devoid of any mischieviousness or deception. "We?" you asked. Hatter kept his gaze focused on the empty lake water ahead. He was stoic and silent for a short pause before he spoke. "I don't know if you've noticed this, but my shop was ransacked. I'm...homeless. I'm a target now, not only for the suits, but for the Resistance as well and there's only so many places in Wonderland that I can hide." His face was controlled, but he looked almost vulnerable to you in that moment. "The way I see it, I've only got one option."

"Which is?" you asked. "Go back with you," he replied immediately, "to your world." He turned his head towards you, but when he saw that you were looking at him he promptly swiveled his head to face the front again, avoiding any eye contact. You opened your mouth to say something, but a loud humming sounded off from a distance behind you. You both turned to look and saw a scarab airship slowly lumbering it's way towards you. "Before we do anything we've got to shake that royal flush," Hatter proclaimed. He cranked the engine of the speed boat and soon you were bouncing across the small waves of the lake towards land. It wasn't long before you had put a safe amount of distance between yourselves and the scarab. Hatter steered the boat into a small channel that was encased above by the branches of looming trees. He picked a spot halfway inwards before parking the boat. Hatter got out and tied the docking rope around a tree to keep the little boat from floating away. After you were safely on land he took some fallen tree branches and placed them on top of the boat to camoflauge it from the scarab. The airship was still too far away to be able to spot you. They weren't made for speed that was for sure.

The place where you had come to land was a dense thick forest. Trees stood several stories high and their numerously woven together tree branches created a thick canopy over your heads. You both would be able to move about freely here without fear of the scarab scouting you out from the sky. Fallen away and half rotted logs littered the ground as moss grew over them. Vines hung off of trees like thick ropes here and there. You had to watch your step every where you turned or else you would trip on something or get tangled in another thing. Once Hatter had completed his coverage of the boat he walked a little ways uphill to where you had been standing saying, "I don't know who that weirdo is leading the posse, but whoever he is he's got one heck of a nose for blood." Hatter came to stand beside you and you both took a moment to stare at the forbidding woods before you. "And this is the place to find it," he remarked dismally as a loud animal wail resounded from somewhere far away. "What was that?" you whispered softly while taking an instinctive step closer towards Hatter. You both peered out at the vivid green vegetation that grew all around you, but no movement could be seen and no other sound could be heard except for the constant hum of the birds and bugs. Hatter was standing just behind your shoulder now and he leaned in and cautioned, "There are things in these woods that defy imagination." After that lovely remark he abruptly started to march forward through the dense brush clucking back at you, "Come on, we haven't got much time." Taken aback and more than a little scared you stood there stupidly watching him as he reached the top of another small hill in front of you in no time. He turned to look back at you and his nice sienna leather jacket and dark maroon pinstriped pants seemed so at odds with the surrounding scenery. Hatter's expression softened as he gazed down on you from above. His cockneyed voice was frank as he tried to reason with you. "Look, we can't shake the posse. We can't fight em either. There's only one thing left to try." You stared up at him and asked timidly, "What's that?" His face was open and honest when he answered resignedly, "Lead em into a trap." Then he turned and began to plow forward once more.

You ran to catch up to him, and after you had you traipsed behind him through what felt like miles of nothing but endless woods. You were both silent for the most part, but every now and then Hatter would turn back to make sure you were still close. After a while the cries of birds like vultures or crows bellowed out from somewhere above the canopy of the trees. Hatter began to slow down. "Keep your breathing shallow," he instructed as you both forged ahead. The loud sinister animal wail reverberated throughout the entire forest. It sounded like it was a mixture of a lion's roar, a wale's loud keen, and a gorilla's screech. The cry startled you and you reflexively grabbed onto one of Hatter's arms. "You hear that?" you inquired stupidly. Of course he heard it, what didn't hear that thing! Hatter stopped and without turning around he said, "Yeah, you should find a tree that you can climb." Instantly alarmed you stuttered, "What? Why?" Hatter's face showed his wariness as you clung onto his arm even tighter. He suddenly spun around to face you head on, forcing you to let go of his arm. "The trap we talked about?" he intoned, "This is it." He turned bacl to look out at the forest floor once more before continuing, "I'm the bait."  

"Go!" he commanded as he began running towards the direction where the animal sound had came from. "Wait! What is it?" you cried from behind, "Tell me!" You chased after him, not liking the idea of being alone or of him being bait. Hatter had stopped while taking a quick survey of the woods. You ran up from behind him and gently pulled on his arm to try and get his attention. He looked down at you and explained, "It's a Jabberwock." He was breathing hard and he pleaded with you seriously, "Less of the questions just get going!" Then he placed his hands on your shoulders and spun you around the opposite direction before pushing you to leave. You started to dart off, but then several questions about his plan instantly had you turning back to him. "Wait, you're gonna lead this thing back to the posse?" you asked. Hatter lifted his head up towards the sky in exasperation as he beseeched you, "Yes! After it gets a good look at me. Now could you just please go!" You stared him dead in the eye and asked incredulously, "That's your plan?" More than a little put out himself Hatter started, "If you don't," but he never got to finish that sentence because the loud animal wail sounded out again only this time it was accompanied by loud footsteps. They shook the earth beneath your feet and Hatter's eyes widened as it dawned on you both that the Jabberwock was now only about 50 yards away. You saw it's hulking form appear from out of the corner of your eye as it stomped it's way into the woods towards your right. The thing was built like a dinosaur with grayish blue reptilian like skin. It had thick bent upright legs with four long clawed toes. It's arms were small and folded into it's massive frame like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. On the top of it's back sharp pointed ivory spikes jutted out like a porcupine. It had a long thin neck with a round smaller head. It's eyes bugged out of it's head like softballs and an obvious under bite caused it's front squared teeth to protrude outwards. It opened it's jaw and let out another echoing screech and you could see it's tongue was forked like a serpent's. The creature spotted you and began to lumber towards you both shrieking.

"Run," Hatter stated calmly before taking off in one direction. In a blind panic you bounded off in the opposite direction. The monstrous creature decided to chase you instead of Hatter. As you sprinted you couldn't help, but to look back to see how much it was gaining on you. You got a quick glimpse of it's lengthy whip like tail as the thing turned the corner to follow you. From somewhere even farther behind the monster you heard Hatter cry out your name. You scurried across the forest floor, trying hard not to trip over the scattered rocks and bumps in your way. The Jabberwock howled another dinosaur scream as it's girth shook the ground in it's pursuit. You ran zig-zagging here and there, you remembered somewhere that when predators chased you never to run in a straight line. You twisted and turned through the trees, hoping they would slow the terrible beast down. The giant thing moved deftly through the forest however and stayed nipping at your heels. It stretched out it's great neck and tried to take a bite at you. Luckily you were just fast enough to dance out of reach of it's jaws. You gave a terrified cry as your death seemed almost imminent.

In your frantic struggle to get away you had taken your eyes off the forest floor and your boot got caught untimely in one of the sprawling tree roots. You went crashing towards the ground, but your adrenaline kept you from feeling too much of the impact. You scuddled your way onto your backside as the imposing creature leaned it's long neck down again to try and bite you once more. You scuddled backwards like an awkward crab until your back was pressed up against a tree and just as it's mouth was about to encompass you it stopped suddenly. It shrieked in anger as it pulled it's neck towards you but couldn't move any closer. You laid back and pushed even further just out of it's reach. The thing's thin long head and neck had fit through an opening between two close together trees but it's massive body was stuck. It was then that you realized the monster had small tattered wings on it's back and it flapped them futily. The wings were too thin and too torn up to be able to lift such a hefty creature.  In frustration the Jabberwock reached it's head to try and snap at you but it was still just short. It screeched at you and the force blew you're hair back like a wind tunnel. In horrified shock you watched helplessly as the awful beast snarled and snapped towards you over and over again.

"Hey!" you heard Hatter's voice ring out from somewhere to your left. Within a few second he was sliding down on his knees and skidding towards your side. The dinosaur like creature let out another fearsome howl and the force of it almost sent Hatter careening backwards. Somehow Hatter managed to get back up on his feet and as the Jabberwock reached out its neck again towards you both he punched it viciously in the eye with his right hand. Had it have been a jab from a normal person it might not have hurt the thing too much, but this was a punch from Hatter who had a famed "sledgehammer" hand that you had seen was able to punch through marble. The hideous beast bellowed out in obvious pain and it instinctively drew it's neck back in towards itself. It gave you just enough of an opening to run away. "Come on!" Hatter shouted as he grabbed your arm to help you up. "You okay?" he yelled over the wails of the now thrashing creature. You nodded and that was enough, "Go!" he hollered as he took your hand in his and began running away once more. You both ran for your lives and then suddenly the ground beneath you gave way and you were both sent dropping several feet downwards. You landed on your backsides, but thankfully you both miraculously had missed landing on one of several wooden spikes that were jutting upwards out of the ground. A dull aching pain began to spread outwards from your back to the tips of each of your limbs. "Ow," Hatter announced flatly. A twist of your head found his body sprawled out just above and to a slight angle from your head.  His right arm was only a few mere inches from you. You both lifted your heads to see each other and Hatter asked, "You okay?" When you had fallen it had knocked the air right out of your chest so all you could do was nod that you were while breathing heavily. "Just about," you managed to choke out as the sweet cool air filled your lungs.

Hatter tried to sit up, but fell back with a pained groan. You were about to ask if he was alright when suddenly the vibration of heavy footsteps got closer and the monster's shrill cry sounded out from somewhere close above you. You both froze in terror, your eyes fixed to the opening several feet above. "Stay still!" Hatter whispered right before the Jabberwock's ugly head peered over the mouth of the hole. The poor creature, having it's softball sized eyes glued on both sides of it's head made close up vision for the thing impossible. It could only see to the side of it and to the front at a distance. Still determined to get you guys despite not being able to spot you exactly it lunged it's head towards you, but unfortunately for him it ended up spearing it's jaw on one of the sharpened wooden spikes that jutted up from out of the ground. It cried out in agony as it struggled to free it's head. It was stuck like an olive on a toothpick. The Jabberwock thrashed around a bit before it was finally able to dislodge itself. After one last shout of pain the wounded creature decided to give up on you both rather than risk another stab and so it retreated somewhere deeper into the woods.

You both waited for a few moments until you could no longer feel the vibrations of the Jabberwock's footsteps before you dared to try and move again. Hatter lifted his head up with a hollow cough and a grunt of pain. You managed to prop yourself up on your elbows as you looked towards the opening of the hole. You heard a slight clanking sound and then an older man with a white beard and dressed in armor appeared at the rim. "Vermin!" he hollered down at you, "Saboteurs!" Hatter was now sitting up and you both looked up questioningly at the odd man. "Anarchists!" he hissed while bringing up his hands one a couple inches raised above the other. Then he whined, "I was this close! I was this close to catching him! This close!" Then he suddenly placed his arms by his sides as he stood up straight and dramatically sneered down at you, "Degenerate bag heads!"


To be continued…

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Author’s Notes: Oh my goodness so much stuff going down in this chapter where do I even begin? Let's begin with Hatter because I mean come on there were a lot of wonderful moments from him in this scene. Which was your favorite Hatter moment I'm curious? My favorite part I gotta say is when he punches the Jabberwock in the eye because he seemed so cautious and tense around Dodo, but when it comes to giant monsters he's just like "Okay I'll be bait no big deal. Now I'll punch a monster in the face because yolo!" Seriously every time I watch this show you guys I pick up on so many things about Hatter that I had never thought about before. He is just such a treasure. A little dose of Hatter is just what I needed this Valentine's Day and I hope he is just what you guys needed too. Anyways be sure to check back soon for the next chapter for more Wonderland goodness. If you are interested you can find the full DVD on Barnes & Noble’s website.
Until next time guys!