Klaus' Trip To Wonderland

Back To Underland

"You'll never have to worry about me daggering you all again...I was a burden to you all our lives and you've all come to hate me I believe, Elijah, you were willing to kill me...in all reality this is probably the best thing that could happen to you. I never really felt like family to you, not once we found out Mikael isn't my father...I love you all but you know you'll be much happier without me." It broke my heart to say it, truly it did, I love all my siblings more than anything else, besides Chess, but they haven't felt the same about me in a long time... "Maybe you can finally be a happy family again." I jumped up, hopping through the mirror behind Chess, pulling her back into my arms as we landed in a garden. "I have missed you so much my precious kitten."

"As have I Niklaus, I was beginning to lose hope in ever seeing you again...thought maybe you would have forgotten about me..." I grabbed ahold of her chin and made her look up at me before connecting our lips.

"I love you Cheshire, nothing will ever change that, do you understand?"

"I understand. I'm so happy you're finally back-"

"As are we." She was cut off and we turned to see our friends all sitting on benches around a tree.

"Hello my Queen." I greeted and she stood to hug me gently.

"It is wonderful to see you again Niklaus, but under such horrid circumstances."

"Oh, yes, what's wrong with the hatter?" I asked, patting the tweedles heads.

"We should wait for Alice." She insisted and I nodded, greeting the others before sitting with Chess in my lap when not a moment later a blonde girl fell straight into the flowers around the tree.

"Alice! Thank goodness you're finally here!" McTwisp hugged her arm slightly before the bandersnatch roared, throwing him into the march hare.

"Don't be nice to her, she's late. So is he!" Mallyumkin pointed at Alice and I and Alice hopped over to hug me and Chess.

"Yes...Yes...that's enough." Chess demanded and I released her, scratching behind my mates ears lightly and eliciting a calming purr, allowing her to relax.

"Have we come at a bad time?"

"On the contrary, we were afraid you weren't coming at all."

"What's the matter?"

"The hatter...he's mad." The tweedles spoke and I snorted.

"You're just figuring that out?"

"Yes, that's his muchness. It's what makes him...him."

"But he's grown darker, less dafter, denies himself laughter."

"And no scheme of ours can raise any sort of smile." Chess explained, holding me slightly tighter. "We rather hoped you might help us save him."

"What happened?"

"There was a great storm." Bayard spoke. "We ventured out into the Tulgey woods to investigate...the hatter was perfectly hatterish until...that blue paper hat somehow put him in mind of his families tragedy. Slain by the jabberwocky on Horunvendush day many years ago." I immediately felt for my friend having to watch his entire family die, I found for centuries to keep that from happening to me and here he was with the same problem.

"He's just not himself anymore."

"But if anything could bring the hatter back it would be seeing you 2 again." They all pointed at a house shaped like a giant hat and I don't know what else I could have possibly expected from the man. Chess pulled away as I followed Alice.

"He doesn't want to see us now, just go talk to him." I nodded, not liking being away from her when I just got her back.

"Hatter! It's me Alice! And Niklaus!" She called through the door and what I saw on the other side stunned me, my friend wearing a grey suit, his hair looked dull as did his entire face, just nowhere near himself.

"You are you aren't you?" He asked, spinning us around and I nodded, hugging my old friend. "Good...you're the only ones." We were taken into a parlor where he pulled out a small blue paper hat. "It's impossible for it to be here...if it survived...my family must have also. Very serious man my father...we had a terrible fight. I never said I was sorry while I had the chance. Now I have another chance. My Alice could bring them back." I honestly thought I felt my heart shatter as I heard the pain in my friend's voice. Life was so much easier when I didn't have anyone I had to care about.

"Hatter...your family died...long ago, you told us yourself." I tried to explain and he looked up at me. "No one can bring them back."

"No one but you two..."