A/n

Here you go the last chapter of this story. I know everyone has their own ideas as to what is happening with Alice and hopefully I don't disappoint any of you. Enjoy!

Hatter was shaking her awake again. She'd been trying so hard to stay awake for him but it was impossible. Pendragon kept asking her question but she had no idea how many she'd actually answered.

"Alice, listen to me." Pendragon was speaking to her and it was hard but she managed to open her eyes. "We're going to leave you in this room and I'm going to start the program. I'm going to put you back into the session you were having with Dee and Dum."

"No!" Panic seized her and the adrenaline rush she felt kept her awake. "You can't put me back in there. Please!"

Hatter was next to her, sitting on the cot holding her hand. "We don't have another choice. This is the only way to fix things."

She clung to his hand and looked at him imploringly. "Don't leave me, stay, please."

"He can't," said Pendragon. "That is not how this therapy works. If you want, he can come with me to the control room. He can watch you there and even speak to you if you need him too."

Hatter got off the cot and knelt at the edge of the bed. "Lay down, luv. Just go to sleep and we'll get through this. I won't be far away. If anything goes wrong, I'll come get you."

"Promise?" Realistically, she knew there wasn't anything he would be able to do to save her but just hearing the words made her feel better.

"I promise," he said, brushing his hand over her hair.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on Hatter and not think about what was going to happen when she fell asleep.

Hatter followed Pendragon into the control room. He watched as the older man switched on monitors and started up computers.

"We don't use this type of therapy." Pendragon told him as he typed commands into the computer. "Caterpillar saw the danger in it and banned its use."

Hatter sat down behind him, not wanting to get in his way. He wished there was something he could do to help just so he wouldn't feel so useless. "You're sure you can help her? This will work, right?"

Pendragon hesitated a second too long before answering, which made Hatter think this was way more risky then he was letting on. "Dee and Dum were the original creators of this program. In the time I worked with them I learned how to run and use this therapy. I should be able to erase the suggestions they placed in her, and put in my own."

"Should?"

"It's been years since I worked for the doctors. They've had time to… perfect their art, so to speak. The fact that she's being hurt in the physical world is a testament to how powerful they are."

The monitors flashed and for the first time, Hatter was able to see Alice's nightmare world. He recognized the room he and Charlie had saved her from but the rest was unfamiliar to him. It looked normal enough, just a house, nothing scary. Each monitor had a different view of the house.

"The original intent of this type of therapy was to empower the patient to face and overcome their fears. Instead the doctors used it to make people helpless and attack them with their fears. This thing that keeps hurting Alice is a manifestation of her deepest fear. It's been loose in her mind for days now, running about unchecked. There's no telling how strong her fear has become. If I can reverse the suggestions and make her strong enough, she should be able fight it."

Pendragon slipped on a set of headphones and listened for a moment before taking them off and typing in more commands into the computer. "Once Alice feels she has control of this world, all she has to do is face her fears and the session can end."

Hatter watched on the monitor as a little girl appeared on the couch. She looked young, maybe ten or just a little older. "Is that Alice?"

"Yes," said Pendragon. "The doctors reverted her to a child to make her helpless."

Alice was strong-willed as an adult and an even stronger fighter. Seeing her like this, he finally understood why she kept saying she wasn't strong enough to fight in her dreams. "Can't you change that? I thought you were going to make her feel stronger?"

Pendragon looked at the monitors. "I did when I entered in my suggestions. She should be more in control now."

Young Alice sat up on the couch, peeking over the back then quickly flinching away and ducking down into the cushions.

Hatter walked over to the monitors so he could see better. "Then why isn't she? Why is she still a child?"

Pendragon quickly typed more commands into the computer but nothing on the monitors changed. "I'm not sure. I've removed the doctors' voices but she's not responding to my suggestions." He grabbed a microphone and plugged it into the system. "Alice? Can you hear me?"

Young Alice looked up at the monitor but didn't say anything.

When Pendragon spoke, his tone was gentle and light, much the way one would talk to an actual child. "Alice, you need to go upstairs and close that door."

"I can't," Alice said, already sounding upset. "If I go up there, she'll hurt me."

Pendragon was about to speak to Alice again, but she screamed and ran from the room. Hatter watched as she ran into the kitchen followed closely by a swift moving black mass. In the kitchen, Alice hid under the table, curling on the floor and drawing her knees up close to her chest.

Hatter looked over the monitors trying to find what was chasing Alice. "What is that thing that's chasing her?"

Pendragon changed the camera angle on several of the monitors. "Her fear, it knows we're watching. Whatever it is, it's hiding from us."

Movement erupted from the kitchen monitor as the table was flipped over and chairs were thrown aside. Alice crawled on hands and knees away from something they couldn't see. Invisible forces yanked her leg back and dragged her across the floor. She was screaming and clawing at the tile trying to keep away from whatever had hold of her. Then, almost faster than the camera could capture, Alice was pulled out the room and up the stairs.

Hatter grabbed the microphone from Pendragon's hand. "Alice! Alice, answer me!"

He couldn't see her but he heard Alice scream. Then, suddenly, the speakers gave a high pitch wine before cutting off completely. One by one each monitor gave a hiss and a pop before showing nothing but snowy static.

Pendragon typed franticly on the keyboard trying to regain control over the system. "This shouldn't be happening. There's no way her mind could take control like this."

"That's enough; I'm getting her out of there."

He went to leave but Pendragon stopped him. "You can't go in there. Her mind will suck you in, there's no way to know how it will affect you. Even if you do manage to get to her, you might not be able to get back out."

"I did before. I saved her last time. I pulled her out of there."

Pendragon slumped down in his chair and again started working with the computer. "You got lucky before. The doctors were controlling things last time. This time it's her fear that's running this session. There's nothing controlling this now other than her fear's own desire to destroy itself."

It didn't matter how dangerous it was, he wasn't going to sit back and let Alice die. "I'm not going to leave her alone in there. I promised her I'd save her if I had to and I will."

It was a short distance from the control room to the Truth room. Hatter approached the door, the quiet humming of the room's generators filling the hallway. He rested his hand on the doorknob but hesitated to move any further. He didn't know what was going to happen to him in there but he had to try and save Alice.

He twisted the doorknob and…

Stepped through the door and into the hallway of the home. He remembered doing this before with Charlie, it hadn't seemed quite as menacing then. In a way it still didn't. Photos of Alice and her family lined the walls and the house was still and quit.

There was a large, gold framed mirror at the end of the foyer and he didn't quite believe the reflection that stared back at him.

His thirteen year old self stared unblinkingly back at him, dressed in his favorite shirt and the jacket his brother had given him. He raised a hand to feel the smooth skin of his cheek and watched his reflection as he ran his hand over his much shorter hair.

Then the idea accrued to him that he shouldn't be in this stranger's house. He needed to leave or he'd be late meeting March. He looked around at the house he was in and stared at the photo of a smiling dark haired girl. Did he know her? Was she who he was here to see?

No, he didn't know her. He'd remember a pretty girl like her. He turned and started walking away when he heard a scream from the other room.

"Help me! Someone, please!"

He ran from the foyer and into the living room. He looked around but didn't see anyone. The scream came again, drawing his attention to the stairs behind him.

There were three steps leading up to a small landing and then empty space where stairs used to be. Only the top three steps were left hanging down over a deep pit of black nothingness. The girl sitting on the steps, clinging to the crumbling railing, was the same one from the photos. She had a deep bruise on her cheek and her lip was bleeding.

She was looking away from the broken stairs and up at someone he couldn't see. "Please, please don't let me fall. I'll be good, I promise. I'll keep quiet and I won't bother you, I promise."

"Bull shit! You're not good for anything. I'm not going to keep useless trash like you. Get your ass in the pit!"

When the shrill voice from the top of the stairs stopped yelling, a tremor ran through the house and more of the stairs crumbled into the deep pit of nothing. The girl screamed again and tightened her hold on the railing.

"Hey!" he called out to her. "Jump and I'll catch you."

She kept her eyes shut tight and shook her head. "No, I can't! I'll fall!"

Hatter stepped as close as he could to the edge of the platform. "It's not that big of a gap, you can make it if you try."

"She won't!" yelled the voice. "She's afraid of everything. She needs to die!"

Another tremor ripped through the house and the stair under the girls feet started to crumble.

"Jump, now! If you don't, you'll never make it." He held his arms out. "Look at me!"

The girl opened her blue eyes and stared down at him.

"You have to jump." he said, stretching his arms out just a little further. "I'll catch you."

The voice mumbled something he couldn't hear. The girl looked up for a moment before looking back down at him. "Why? Why would you help me?"

Why was he helping her? He didn't know her and whatever was going on here was none of his business. He was risking his life for a complete stranger which was the exact opposite of what his brother had taught him. There was a chance she'd fall and take him with her. Or maybe he'd catch her and lose his balance, making them both fall into the pit.

The girl was staring at him, her blue eyes shining with unleashed tears. Even with the bruising and the blood on her lip and chin, she was still really pretty.

'Why would you help me?'

She'd asked him that question before, hadn't she? He'd helped her, before all this and she'd asked him the same question. She was waiting for him to answer and she wouldn't jump until he did. "Do I need a reason to help a pretty girl?"

Another tremor came and more of the stairs fell. The stairs above her shook loose and fell away, leaving the only stair left the one she was standing on.

The girl let go of the railing and stood. "You promise me you'll catch me?"

He answered without even thinking. "I promise."

She jumped and he reached out, catching her around the waist. They fell backwards and onto the landing.

He was surprised when she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head against his chest.

"Thank you, Hatter, for saving me."

He smiled and returned her hug. "I'll always save you, Alice."

Alice?

Suddenly he remembered everything. He was back to normal now, young Alice still curled against him. He didn't know what made him forget who he was but now that he remembered, he needed Alice to do the same."Alice, you're an adult. You're not weak or powerless and you are certainly not alone. I need you to believe that so we can get out of here."

"You really shouldn't lie to her, she's sensitive, you know."

At the sound of that voice, Alice whimpered and stiffened in his arms. Standing there before them was Alice. Not his Alice, but a teenage version of her. She was dressed in black, black dress and tights, black chocker around her neck. Her hair was short, falling just below her ears, and dyed black. Her skin was pale making the black makeup around her eyes stand out. Her eyes weren't blue like Alice's, they were completely black. Her piercing gaze was fixed on the little girl cowering in his arms.

He stood and pushed young Alice behind him. He could feel her trembling as she leaned against him and clutched the edges of his coat.

"What are you?" He knew this was Alice's fear but he wanted to know what this thing thought of itself.

"I'm the truth." She said simply.

"No, you're Alice's fear. Are you the thing that's been hurting her?"

She rolled her eyes and spoke through gritted teeth. "No! I'm the truth. I'm all the things this little twerp knows but turns a blind eye too. Isn't that right, baby?"

Behind him, Alice whimpered but didn't answer the other version of her.

He had no idea how to handle this… thing, but he needed to keep it busy until he figured out what its game was. "Why are you trying to hurt her?"

"Because!" She said stomping her foot. "She's the problem! She doesn't want to grow up and face reality. She clings to the past and won't let things die. She hopes, she dreams. She doesn't learn from her mistakes. She's broken, and broken things are trash."She huffed and crossed her arms. "Why do you want to help her?"

He reached back and covered Alice's hands with his own, "Because I love her."

"Liar!" Her eyes flashed with anger before she calmed herself and laughed. "Silly boy, there's no such thing as love. There are just different levels of feels good. You only think you love her because she's convenient for you. Once you find something better, you're going to leave her just like just like all the others."

From behind him Alice spoke, sounding slightly stronger. "No, I trust him. He's not going to leave me."

She moved faster than he could react. Young Alice was yanked away from him and older Alice was holding her by the wrists, yelling down at her.

"They're all going to leave you!" Older Alice turned young Alice so they were both facing him. "He's just using you the same way he's used every other woman he could get his filthy hands on. How many men are you going to waste your time on before you realize none of them want a broken piece of trash like you?"

Older Alice shoved young Alice to the ground, pulling her fist back and getting ready to strike. Young Alice just closed her eyes and held her hands up in defense, waiting for the blow.

Hatter didn't wait. He lunged at the two of them, knocking older Alice into the back of the couch. She fought back and was a lot stronger then he thought she'd be. He tried to pin her to the ground but she pulled out of his grasp and pushed him backwards, knocking him into the wall.

"Please don't hurt him." begged young Alice.

Older Alice smiled down at her counterpart. "What are you gonna do, Stop me?"

She grabbed his wrist and pinned them back against the wall. "Do you like playing hero? Is that why you like her so much? She gave you the chance to redeem yourself, to prove that you're something more than a liar and a drug dealer. But you're not, are you?"

He tried to break free of her hold but couldn't, she was far stronger then she should be. She seemed pleased at his attempts at freedom. "Do you know what's going to happen when I finally get rid of her? I'm going to be in charge. The first thing I'm going to do when I get control is leave your sorry ass. That Jack Heart, he asked Alice to marry him. She didn't tell you that did she? I'm going to take him up on that offer and then guess who's going to be the new Queen of Hearts?"

Behind them, young Alice got to her feet. "No, I don't love Jack."

"Did I ask what you want?" older Alice yelled. "I'm gonna be Queen you idiot. You're so pathetic. I already told you love's not real."

While older Alice was distracted, Hatter drew his legs up and kicked her hard, making contact with her knee. She screamed and let go of his wrists as she stumbled backwards. Quickly, he got to his feet and went to attack her. She knocked back his right hand while grabbing his left and twisting it behind his back. He screamed in pain as she forced him to his knees.

"Let him go!"

Hatter looked over at Alice. She wasn't a child anymore. She was now back to her true age and size. The girl behind him tightened her hold and pulled his arm back further. "You think it makes any difference how old you are? I'm still stronger than you. You can't stop me."

Alice stepped closer. "You're not stronger than me. You're not even real."

Hatter felt the hold on his arm loosen and he started struggling harder to get free.

"I'm real." The girl argued.

Alice stepped closer. When she spoke, she didn't sound angry or scared. She was completely calm. "No. All you are is hurt and anger and doubt. You're just something I let build up. I didn't want to believe that any part of me could feel the way you do."

Hatter pulled his arm free and stumbled forward. The girl didn't try to go after him and he stood back and watched while they stood staring at each other.

The girl shook her head and backed away from Alice. "I've been right more times then you. Dad never did come back."

For every step backward the girl took, Alice took a step forward. "It wasn't his choice to leave. He would have come back if he could have and he did love me. You were wrong about all of that."

The girl started to fade a little "What about all those men you dated. None of them cared about you. I was right about all of them. None of them wanted you."

Alice stayed calm as she continued to advance on the girl. "That's not true either. I pushed them away, it wasn't their fault. I think a lot of that was your fault."

The girl was becoming transparent now and looked truly panicked. "I kept you from getting too close to them. They weren't going to stay. If you cared about them, if I let you get your hopes up, it would have only hurt when they left you. I saved you from them! You need me!"

The girl was backed against the wall now, trapped between it and Alice. She was almost transparent now and Hatter could barely make out her silhouette.

"You may have kept me from being hurt but you also kept me from living my life. You made me scared of taking any kind of chance with people. I may not have been hurt because of you but I wasn't happy either. All you ever did was tell me how things can go wrong, you never let me see how things could go right."

The girl tried to speak but no sound came out.

Alice shook her head. "You know what? I don't care if I get hurt, I want to be happy." Alice turned her back to the girl. "I don't need you."

Those words seemed to be what finished the girl off. She faded into nothing and was gone.

Alice rushed to him and threw her arms around him. "Hatter, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, luv." He returned her embrace and buried his face in her hair. He was tired, his shoulder hurt, and his back was sore, but none of that mattered.

He leaned back and brushed the hair away from her face, studying the bruise and cut there. "Are you ok?"

She leaned into his touch and nuzzled the palm of his hand. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The house around them disappeared leaving them back in the empty Truth room.

Alice leaned heavily against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Hatter… I'm really, really tired."

The door to the truth room opened and Pendragon entered, followed closely by an older man with glasses and a green suit.

"I see you both made it out alive. Not the outcome I was expecting." said the man in the green suit. "Ask her if she's feeling normal again."

Alice didn't bother looking up to see who was speaking to her. "I'm right here Caterpillar, you can ask me yourself."

Hatter had heard rumors that Caterpillar was dead. To see the man alive, to even be in his presence, was a shock.

Pendragon stood next to Caterpillar. "After Hatter joined you in the Truth room, I was never able to reconnect the system to your session. I assume from the fact that the room let you out, that your session must be over."

"Alice?" said Caterpillar. "Can you explain to us what happened during your session?"

Alice groaned against him. "Hatter, please. I'm tired."

Hatter didn't care if it was the leader of the Resistance asking for an explanation, if Alice was tired then she didn't have to talk to him. "This can wait until morning. We're both tired."

Caterpillar nodded to Pendragon who hurried out of the room. "You'll both need to stay here tonight and be monitored."

Pendragon set them up in a private room on a higher floor of the hospital. Alice had fallen asleep as soon as he laid her down in bed but Hatter stayed up watching her. An hour had passed and she hadn't so much as twitched. Hatter curled up behind her, resting his hand over her chest. Her breathing was regular and her heartbeat was steady. He stayed curled around her as he fell asleep, just in case she needed him to wake her up.

She didn't. The next morning, Alice woke up, smiling and happy.

A/n

This is the official end of this story. I will write an epilog if my muse gives me a good idea for one. For now, I'm calling this done. Thank you everyone who read and reviewed this, you all make me so happy.

I hope I did a good job explaining my idea here and wrapping things up. If not, just let me know and I'll clear things up for you.

The next chapter of Unexpected Delays will be up next week. And maybe a Lesson in Love after that.