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rachel1987 · 4 years ago

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GWCFT Part 7

This is it everyone! With the Talent Show over, Hare must face his greatest fear: his mother’s opinion! In the final installment we get June Hare’s word on her son’s relationship, whether Hatter or Hare want to hear about it. What will she say?

xposted on ao3 and FF.net

A little while later, after the excitement of the goof up of the final performance, everyone was sitting around eating pretzels and having tea. They had moved a group of chairs up to the stage and were using it as a makeshift table for the time being. Most of their friends had already gone home for the night, but the Queen, Rabbit, Alice and June congregated at the foot of the stage while Hatter and Hare tried to figure out why the magic box had malfunctioned toward the back of it.

"Why didn't you perform in the talent show, your Highness?" June asked curiously, trying to make casual conversation. She had Hare's cape draped over her shoulders to keep her warm and was sipping at a cup of hot tea. "You must be very accomplished, I'm sure you could have shown us quite a show. I hear you're a wild animal trainer! My son told me that you keep a wild woebear as a pet."

"I am not a show pony," the Queen replied, taking a sip from her cup of tea. She had been drinking wine coolers all night but Rabbit suggested she switch to tea a few drinks ago. She wasn't drunk or even tipsy really, just a little more loose lipped than usual. Which could be pretty dangerous when you're already as loudmouthed as the Queen. "I came to be entertained, not to be the entertainment. It was enough that I convinced Rabbit to perform, I shouldn't have to do a song and dance as well."

"She did do a song and dance to order me to perform," Rabbit whispered to Alice, the sweatbands from his act still wrapped around his wrists. "She should have saved it for the show. It would have been much more appreciated with a larger audience."

"And I had no idea you could move like that, mr Rabbit," Alice said politely. "You're a very good dancer."

"Why, thank you, Alice," he grinned, face going a little pink. "My Mumsie did always say I was light on my feet, you know."

"Yes, I couldn't keep my eyes off you," June added, making his face turn a little green. He gave her a friendly smile and scooted his chair away a little.

"Well, heh…" Rabbit chuckled, looking at his watch. "Oh, look at the time. Your highness, I believe it is time that we make our leave. You have a busy schedule to keep tomorrow."

"Yes, and I still have my bubble bath to take tonight…" the Queen said with a grin.

"Well, in that case, it was an honor meeting you, your majesty," June said as the group joined the Queen in getting to her feet.

"I should probably be heading home too," Alice said with a smile beside the Queen and the Rabbit. "It's getting late and I don't want my parents to notice that I'm gone."

"It was lovely meeting you too, Alice. I hope to see you again soon."

Alice nodded in agreement. "Yes, that would be nice mrs Hare. Good night mr Hatter and mr Hare!"

Hatter and Hare turned their attention from the trunk and joined everyone else at the base of the stage.

"Going home so early?" Hatter asked. "I thought we'd maybe squeeze in a game of charades before the night was through."

"Oh, heh, no…" the girl shook her head. "I'm far too tired for something like that. I can come by tomorrow and help you clean up if you want."

"Oh, well that's very kind of you, Alice," he replied, hopping down from the stage and taking a seat. Hare followed suit, although he walked up beside his mother and turned to the Queen.

"Thank you for making the time to see the show, your Majesty," he said appreciatively.

"Yes, well…" the Queen smirked. "It's always a pleasure to be among my subjects. And also to meet new ones." Turning to June, she bestowed upon her the first friendly royal smile that had been offered her entire trip. "Mrs Hare, it was lovely finally meeting you. Maybe the next time you come to Wonderland we'll play a couple rounds of croquet at the Palace?"

Hare made eye contact with his mother and they silently screamed at each other out of pure joy. June took a second to compose herself before nodding her head, ears bouncing. "That would be marvelous, your Majesty. I will eagerly await your invitation to the Palace and will be there with bells on."

The Queen immediately regretted the invitation, but hid it behind her gleaming smile and nodded. "I'm looking forward to it. Come, Rabbit!"

And, with that, she took her leave with Rabbit and Alice trailing behind, each of them carrying an overflowing bag of pretzels in their hands.

All that was left was Hatter, Hare and June, standing at the foot of the stage in the empty courtyard.

"Shall we head inside for a nightcap?" Hatter offered, turning to his bunny compatriots.

"What do you think, Mom?" Hare asked her.

"Yes, that sounds nice," she said happily.

The party moved inside and settled in the living room. Hatter brewed a fresh pot of chamomile and vanilla tea, adding a splash of lemon and spiking it with brandy.

"The perfect hot toddy to end a long day," Hatter said, setting the tea tray down on his coffee table. He pulled a chair across from the Hare's, who were both sitting on the sofa.

"What did you think of the show, Mom?" Hare asked as he added some honey to his tea.

"It was just wonderful!" she exclaimed, leaning back into the plush sofa, cape still draped over her shoulders. "I had no idea all of your friends were so very talented! I was very impressed."

"Anybody stand out to you?" Hatter asked, adding an extra splash of brandy to his cup. "Other than Hare, I mean."

"Well, I actually thought your song was just delightful," June crooned. "It was very sweet and you sang it beautifully. Did you write it yourself?"

"Aww shucks, June..." Hatter's cheeks flushed and he waved her praise away, trying to make light of it. "That's awfully kind of you to say. Yes, I write all my own songs. I had been working on that one for a while and I decided now was the perfect time to perform it."

"It really was very good, Hatter," Hare praised him, taking a sip from his tea. "It was one of your best so far. You should send a recording of it to your mother, I think she'd like to hear it."

"Oh, you do?" It seemed the idea had never come to his mind to send it to her, but he was interested in the prospect. "You don't say…"

"And you're right, Hatter, I was also impressed with my son here. Even with that little goof up, you did a fantastic job with your magic act." June gave her son a pat on the knee, making him grin.

"Thanks, Mom," he blushed, enjoying the acclaim. "If I'm being honest, I was pretty nervous about it. It would have been perfect if the door on that trunk hadn't gotten stuck."

"Well, it wasn't the first time you'd locked yourself in one of those," June said, hiding her smirk behind her cup of tea.

Hare rolled his eyes and looked to the Hatter with an embarrassed expression.

"You really swooped in to the rescue though, June," Hatter added. "I had no idea you were so talented with a hairpin. In a way, you did your own talent act for all of us."

"Oh!" June put a gloved hand to her mouth and chuckled, face turning red. "I guess I did, didn't I?"

"We were all mesmerized," Hatter nodded, really lathering on the charm again.

They enjoyed the company of one another until they drank their way through the pot of tea. The dishes were moved to the kitchen, cleaned and put away and they returned to their places by the sofa to relax a little. The back door to the Hat house was open, letting a fresh breeze in, making the area comfortable.

"What are the plans for the morning?" Hatter asked, tuning his radio in to some music while they lounged.

"I don't think we really spoke about it…" Hare said, glancing at his mother, who shrugged.

"My train to the Hinterlands leaves at noon tomorrow, so that doesn't leave much time to do anything."

"Maybe I'll come by for breakfast in the morning," Hatter offered. "I'll bring some pastries and we'll all go to the station together?"

Hatter was, in a sense, inviting himself on the trip but they didn't seem to mind very much. The three of them felt very comfortable together, which was a little bit of a surprise to the Hare. He had anticipated his mother finding Hatter too outlandish and wild for her son, but she seemed to have accepted him rather well in the short amount of time they had spent together.

"I think that would be very nice," June smiled, her eyelids dropping a little. "Maybe I'll make some biscuits and gravy for breakfast. I know I saw the ingredients in your kitchen, son."

"Ooh, that would be lovely!" Hatter exclaimed, never being one to turn down a homemade meal.

"That's very sweet of you, Mom, but you don't have to…" Hare started, only for his mother to shake her head at him.

"It's no trouble at all. After everything you two have done for me all weekend, it's the least I could do." She smiled at the both of them and Hare could tell that she was getting very sleepy. They'd have to leave soon if they were going to make it all the way to his place before it got too late.

"It's settled then," Hatter said with a smile. "I'll drop by at 9, how is that?"

"Great idea, Hatter," Hare smiled. "We should probably get going, Ma. It's getting late."

June nodded and got to her feet, adjusting the cape on her shoulders again. "I think I'll powder my nose before we go."

She left the boys alone again and Hatter shifted around and took a seat next to Hare on the sofa.

"The magic act was terrible, wasn't it?" Hare asked, taking the Hatter's hand in his own.

"Terrible? No… you were fine," he tried to reassure him, wrapping an arm around the Hare's shoulders. "It made for a more exciting show, with you getting stuck like that. Nobody will forget it."

"The Cat won't let me forget it," Hare said as he rolled his eyes. "I could hear him laughing at me all the way inside the box."

"I'm sure we'll mess something else up in the next few days to make him forget about it," Hatter said with a shrug. "We are pretty good at that."

"We are," he agreed. They sat silently for a little while, listening to the radio play before Hare spoke up again . "Hey, Hatter, I didn't thank you for everything you did for me this week. You really stepped up more than I could have asked for."

"Oh, it was nothing," Hatter said, flashing that charming smile of his. "You would have done the same for me if it were my mother coming to visit. And probably more, come to think of it."

"Yeah, well," Hare laced his fingers with Hatter's and leaned against him a little. "I'd like to repay you, when Ma goes home and things go back to normal."

"I'm sure I can think of something you can do to make it up to me," Hatter said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, elbowing Hare in the ribs. The two giggled to themselves as June returned from the bathroom, trying to suddenly compose themselves in her presence. She grinned at them happily as Hare got to his feet, tugging on his lapels to better his appearance.

"You ready, Ma?"

She nodded and they made their way to the door, Hatter's hand on Hare's shoulder.

"You two travel safe and I'll see you in the morning."

"That sounds good," June replied. "Have a good night."

The pair exited through the IN door and Hatter stood at the doorway until he saw them swing the gate shut behind them and disappear into the distance. With a sigh, he looked at his courtyard. The lack of tea table made the area look strange, he'd have to fix that tomorrow before the afternoon tea party. He walked to the table the pretzel machine was on and picked up the Dormouse's teapot, carrying it inside with him to watch some late night HTV.

Hare and June made good time getting home. They had arrived by half past ten and were all settled for bed by eleven. Walking down the hall in his newly purchased sleepwear, he knocked on his mother's door before entering.

"Come in," came the reply and he pushed his head in through the crack in the door.

"You comfortable, Mom?"

She grinned seeing that he was in the pajamas she had bought him earlier that day. They were covered in little orange carrots and had a blue trim around the edges. It made him look five years old.

"Oh, yes, this is very nice," she replied from her spot, patting the quilt that was covered in embroidered vegetables. She was in a sleeping gown covered in small flowers and her hair was wrapped in curlers, with a handkerchief over them. "Thank you. Very comfortable. And everything is so spick and span. Nothing out of place."

Hare would have relished in his mother's compliments if his mind wasn't on something else. He spoke as he entered the bedroom and took a seat beside her on the bed. "Mom, what do you think of the Hatter?"

"I must be honest, son, he wasn't quite what I expected," June admitted after some thought. "I always imagined you'd settle down with someone a little more like me. A more domestic type."

What would be exciting about that? Hare thought to himself, though he didn't dare say it aloud. "We work well together, Mom. We're very compatible."

June smiled and nodded, patting her son on the arm. "I know, son, I can see that. You both really care for each other, don't you?"

Hare couldn't form words but his face said everything.

She nodded knowingly, choosing her next words very carefully. "That's all well and good, but I do have one concern." She paused and took her glasses off, looking at her son with her dark eyes that looked so much like his own. Reaching a hand out, she placed it on her sons and looked at him seriously. "Does he make you happy?"

The Hare's heart stopped beating and he almost forgot to breathe. His mother had never spoken to him like this before. "Yes, Mom. He makes me very happy."

June rubbed her thumb over her son's knuckles and smiled at him. "Then that's most important to me."

"Really, Mom? You mean it?"

June put a hand on her son's cheek and rubbed it with her thumb. "You're my son, my pride and joy, and I only want you to be happy. You've done so well here. So many friends and this lovely little house and garden. You make me very proud. However, I do want to ask for one favor."

"What's that?" Hare asked, unsure if he would want to know the answer.

"If the Hatter is going to walk on the table, can you make sure he removes his shoes first? They left marks on his table cloth and it looked very untidy."

Hare giggled and shook his head, ears flopping around a little. "It was really something, wasn't it? I had quite a time convincing him not to do it all week."

June laughed along with him, putting her glasses back on as she gazed across at her son. "Oh, how I've missed moments like this. Why don't we have some warm milk before bed? Like when you were just a little boy."

"I don't think it would hurt," Hare agreed, getting to his feet and leading his mother to the kitchen. He went to the fridge and grabbed the carton of milk as June went to the cupboard to get a couple mugs.

"We used to do this all the time, do you remember?" June asked, gazing at all the cups and mugs in the cupboard. She picked two she rather liked and set them on the table, watching Hare pour the milk into a deep pot over the stove. "Whenever you couldn't sleep I'd make you some warm milk with cinnamon and we'd read books out loud until you couldn't keep your eyes open anymore."

"I remember one night I had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep," Hare said, remembering like it was yesterday, stirring the milk with a wooden spoon. "We sat up reading James and the Giant Carrot and drank through a whole quart of milk. I think we probably read more than half of it before we called it a night."

"That was when you had chicken pox, wasn't it?"

Hare stopped and furrowed his brow, thinking to himself. "No… no, I don't think so."

June rested her elbow on the table and thought for a moment. "Something similar must have happened then. You got really sick one night when you had chicken pox and it was touch and go for a little while there. And I remember you were very offended that you thought an actual chicken had gotten you sick. You had me put away all your chicken toys and were too afraid to touch them for months."

Hare laughed at that. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that. What was the name of my favorite chicken again? The orange one. Do you remember?"

"You had so many, I don't think I could remember. You had Cluck Rogers for a long time. And one you named Burrito... Frittata lasted a while."

Hare smiled, thinking of all the chicken toys he'd had over the years. He continued to stir the milk on the stove until it was nice and hot, carrying the pot to the table and pouring it into the two mugs. After replacing the pot on the stove to cool, he took a seat next to his mother and lifted his mug of milk up, only to realize it had a picture of a dancing hot dog on it.

"Mom where'd you get these cups?" Hare asked, looking at the image on the side of the mug and then across to his mothers. Her's had a cow in a unitard with the words "Let's Moooove" on it.

"They were in the cupboard. Why?" June didn't seem to see any problem as she sipped at her mug of milk, deciding that it might need a touch of cinnamon and going directly to the correct pantry to find some.

"Why didn't you use one of the nice ones on the counter?" he asked, gesturing to the full rack of delicately painted mugs and cups sitting in view.

"Oh… well, because I like these ones. They're cute."

Hare was going to say something but stopped, mouth hanging open a little as he processed what she said. He blinked and furrowed his brow, pointing a finger at his cup as he spoke. "You like these?"

"Well, yes. They're very kitschy, aren't they?" she said as she returned to her seat, sprinkling a little cinnamon into her cup and stirring it with a spoon. "They remind me of a set of bowls I had for you when you were a baby. You'd only eat your mashed carrots out of this bowl that had a clown printed on the bottom and you'd eat and eat until you could see his entire face."

He was completely unmoved by her little story, surprised that she actually liked his little tacky things in his pantry. "I thought you'd think they were too… childish."

"Not at all! I mean, they may be a little garish, but they are very fun," June smiled as she looked at her cup, laughing a little before taking another sip from it. "I saw the plates in your cupboard too of the dancing foods. Those are pretty silly too."

How could he have been so wrong about his mother? Leaning back into his chair, he rested his elbow over the back of the seat, gazing at his Mom across the table. "You don't think they're tacky at all?"

"No, I don't," she replied, brow furrowing a little at how her son was reacting to this news. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"I just…" Hare shrugged, gesturing toward the cups. "I didn't think you'd like them. I had them hidden away because I thought you'd want to use something else."

"Oh…" June looked down at her cup again and chuckled. "You didn't have to go through all the trouble. The pretty ones are very nice, but I like these ones just fine. If they're what you'd rather use then that's what we should use."

Hare scratched his head and reached out, picking up his mug and taking a sip from it. It had cooled a little and he also decided that it needed some cinnamon in it.

"You don't have to change things around for me, son. You know that."

"Well, I know now…" he mumbled behind his mug.

"What other things did you put away? Was there more?" June seemed reinvigorated by this realization that her son had changed things in the house to suit her better. She no longer looked like she was in need of sleep, the milk seemed to have given her a boost of energy.

"Oh, well, not much…" Hare shrugged. "Just some blankets and things. And I hid a lot of my practical joke stuff."

"Why did you think you had to hide all of that from me?" She was starting to look like he had hurt her feelings somehow. Her brows were knitting in the center of her forehead and her shoulders were drooping a little.

"Well, I didn't want to disappoint you, I guess," he replied

"Oh, no, son…" June shook her head, reaching across the table and pushing Hare's bangs away from his eyes in a doting way, like she'd done a million times in his youth. "I'm proud of every little thing you have and do, even when you do mess up."

"Really?" Hare couldn't believe what she was saying. He'd always felt this huge pressure from her, wanting to impress her and make her proud, but he always assumed that meant that he had to be perfect all the time. In both the things he did and what he owned.

"Yes, really. You're my son, the best thing that ever came into my life. And I know I have been harsh and pushed you too hard, but that's because I wanted you to succeed and be happy. And if that means you want to be with a crazy tall man in a big hat and have ridiculous designs on your tableware, that's alright with me."

Hare thought back to all the work he'd done over the past week, worrying about what she'd think about his house and everything contained within it and felt like he had been stressing for nothing. Just like both the Hatter and Caterpillar told him all along.

"Thanks, Mom…" was all Hare could manage, hiding sheepishly behind his mug of now lukewarm milk.

"Now, why don't you show me some of the other things you managed to hide away from me?" June teased.

It was 9 o'clock on the dot when Hatter arrived on the Hare's doorstep holding a pink box of hot cross buns he'd picked up from the Wonderland Bakery. He dusted himself off and straightened his cap before knocking on the door.

"It's open!" came a voice from inside.

Hatter pushed the door inward and entered the house, the smell of freshly baked biscuits and sausage hitting him in the face.

"Yum! Smells scrummy in here!" he announced as he walked through the entryway and to the kitchen. He found them by the stove, both wearing aprons and looking bright and cheery. Hare had flour on his face and down his right side, while June looked spotless.

"Thanks!" Hare said, flashing Hatter the first carefree smile he'd seen on his face the whole weekend. "What's in the box?"

"Hot cross buns," Hatter said, placing the pink carton on the table next to the bouquet of pansies Hare had picked from his garden for his mother two days before and joining the pair by the stove.

"They're his favorite," Hare told his mother, who nodded.

Hatter stood over them with his hands clasped behind his back, craning his neck to see what was going on over the stove. He saw a large skillet with sausage crumbles and gravy cooking in it, bubbling away deliciously. "How's everything going over here?"

"You should ask him," June said, giving her son a gentle nudge. "He'll give an honest answer."

"Okay, okay. Here, Hatter, give this a taste…" Hare said, offering a spoonful of the off-white gravy to the Hatter, who smacked his lips at it.

"Mmmm!" His expression brightened and he nodded. "Not bad! Maybe a little more pepper and I think you're good to go."

"That's what I said! Isn't that what I said?" June exclaimed, reaching for the pepper grinder and adding a few generous turns of the knob.

"Yes, Mom, that's what you said…" Hare rolled his eyes and shrugged at his partner.

"How long have you both been up? You have an awful lot of energy for so early in the morning."

"Only about an hour," Hare shrugged, wiping his hands off on his apron.

"We did start the morning off with coffee, that helps!" June added, giving the gravy one final stir before turning the heat off and letting it rest for a few moments, taking the fresh biscuits out of the oven.

"What tea would you like?" Hare whispered to the Hatter after sneaking in a smooch on the cheek.

"Anything you have will do, I'm not picky," Hatter replied with a smile, before Hare rushed to get a kettle on the boil.

The energy in the kitchen was really fantastic and Hatter eventually just had to step back and let the Hare's have the run of it. He took a seat at the table and watched them zoom around like a well oiled machine, never getting in the other's way and always being in the right place at the right time. Even though they hadn't worked together in a kitchen for years, they still knew how to do it.

Looking around, Hatter noticed that all of the fancy dishware had been put away and the settings were all the Kitchen Kabaret set. All the punny mugs were also set out and on display. Hatter caught the Hare's glance for a moment and raised his eyebrows in confusion and surprise, holding up a mug that had a picture of a crustacean on it with the words "Don't Be Crabby, Just Have Coffee" on it. Hare gave him a smile and a wink and that was all he needed to know. He had been right after all.

It didn't take long before the table was set, Earl Grey was poured and everyone had a full plate of biscuits and gravy in front of them. They also had some fresh fruit salad and the hot cross buns to round out the meal.

Hatter really enjoyed the food, going back for seconds as soon as he cleaned his plate. "June this really is delicious," he commended halfway through his second plate. "Hare, why don't you cook meals like this?"

Hare rolled his eyes a little as June smiled at the Hatter. "Thank you, Hatter. I'm glad that you like it. It's one of my best recipes, if I do say so myself."

"Hare, you should ask for this recipe. It's good."

"I have it in the orange books we used the other day, Hatter," Hare replied, munching on some strawberries.

"Oh…" Hatter paused and tore off a piece of a hot cross bun and plopped it into his mouth. "Well, maybe we should keep those books at my place then. Maybe we'll use them more often if they live there now."

"Oh, uh…" Hare looked at his mother nervously. He knew that if the books stayed at the Hatter's they'd get lost in a matter of days. "I think maybe I'll have copies made for you."

"Righty roo!" he exclaimed, taking a sip from his tea.

"Do you stay at the Hatter's house mostly?" June asked curiously.

"Oh, yes," Hare nodded. "There's always a lot going on at the Hat house, so we spend most of our time there. We're always entertaining guests or making things… we don't come to my house very much at all, to be honest."

Hatter flattened his lips and nodded. "I think this is the most time I've spent here in the past two months. We might need to change that though, if it means more home cooked meals like this."

"Hatter, I can cook you more meals at your house," Hare replied, exasperated. "You just need to let me take charge in the kitchen."

"But it's my kitchen!" Hatter shouted, not the least bit angry but actually excited. "My house, my rules."

June hid her mouth behind her hands and chuckled, watching them bicker a little. She found it charming and couldn't help but enjoy the interaction.

"I'm not going to argue over this," Hare said, shaking his head as he started packing up the dishes and moving them to the sink. "You want me to cook for you, you'll have to let me take charge."

Hatter pouted playfully and pointed at him with a gloved finger. "Has he always been like this?"

"March has always been a little on the stubborn side, when he knows what he wants," she said with a wink. "I think sometimes it's best to just give in."

He considered this, so many thoughts running through his mind but none he would say out loud with June in the room.

"I guess I'll have to think about it," he replied.

The rest of the morning went by quickly and before they knew it, it was 11:30 and time to leave for the train station. Hatter and Hare carried all of June's luggage on the short walk, leaving June's arms free to carry her purse and the pansies the Hare had picked for her. He gave her a fresh bouquet to take and enjoy on the train ride, wrapping the stems in a wet rag and a plastic bag to keep them fresh until she arrived at her destination tomorrow.

The train had just pulled up to the platform by the time they got to the station. For once it was running early, so they had a little bit of time before she'd have to board and be on her way.

"Well, this has been one of the funnest weekends I've had in a very long while," June said, trying to hide the fact that she had started to cry a little on the walk over. The thought of leaving them broke her heart and, while she was excited to see her sister again, she could also do with staying the rest of the week with her son and his friends. She had her handkerchief in her hand and kept dabbing at her eyes and nose.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Hatter beamed, feeling mostly responsible for the good time she'd had. This probably wasn't true, but it was the honest truth to him. "We'll have to do this again soon, June. Before too much time has passed."

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed excitedly, clasping her hands together. "We'll spend more time with just the three of us. Maybe we'll have a spa day."

"Ooh, a spa day!?" Hatter boomed, looking at Hare happily. Hare obviously wasn't thrilled with the idea, but forced a smile and nodded.

"Yes, that would be… fun," he managed with a lighthearted chuckle.

"Oh, and son, one more thing before I go," she put a finger to her cheek and she spoke nervously. "I wanted to know if you could possibly give me the Rabbit's number. I think I'd like to call upon him sometime."

Both Hare and Hatter's jaws gaped a little, Hare's face going green. "Oh, no… Mom, I will not do that."

June could only keep the ruse up for so long, before she waved a hand at the two of them and laughed. "I'm only kidding dear. He's much too old for me. I don't know if he knows how to have a little fun."

Hatter and Hare exchanged a glance, not daring to say a word to one another. For a second, Hare thought he was going to faint. Hatter thought he'd be able to tease Hare by calling Rabbit "Papa Rabbit" from now on.

The train whistle blew, making the three of them jump, signaling that the train was ready to begin boarding. It was time to say their goodbyes.

"Now, you take care of my boy, you hear me?" June said as she turned and looked up at Hatter. She had a serious expression on her face but there was a tenderness in her eyes as she shook a finger at him.

Hatter smiled widely and nodded, putting a hand on Hare's shoulder as he spoke. "You don't have a thing to worry about, June. You're leaving him in very capable hands. Why, I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to the Hare."

June's expression broke and she smiled widely, reaching up with her hands and cupping the Hatter's face. She pulled him down closer to him and kissed either side of his mug, giving him a pat before letting him go. His face was pink as he stood upright, chest puffing with pride. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Hare wipe a tear from beneath his glasses.

"I will be keeping tabs on you, so don't you get into too much trouble," June added to the Hatter, straightening his jacket a little and giving him an approving smile. "Don't make me come back here and have to mother you."

Hatter beamed and looked up to the sky, cheeks rosy. "Oh, June… you're such a card!"

The whistle blew again and the three exchanged a glance, knowing it was time for her to board the train. Smiling, she reached out and embraced the Hatter, giving him a warm hug. Hatter returned the hug sweetly, patting her back. "It was lovely meeting you June," he said in an oddly serious tone. "I'll take good care of him for you."

She smiled and nodded, a tear running down her cheek which she brushed away hurriedly. "Thank you, Hatter," she managed to mutter, giving him another peck on the cheek and tap on the shoulder before turning to her son.

"I'll help you stow your luggage inside," Hare offered, following his mother onto the train carriage. Hatter stuck behind on the platform and took a seat on the bench, waiting for his friend to return, wanting to give them some privacy in their last moments together.

They made their way to June's compartment and he helped his mother put her luggage away, a short man with a paper hat walking up and asking for her ticket. She gave it to him and he looked it over, nodding at it after a few moments before returning it to her. Once the luggage was put away, the pair stood in the compartment awkwardly, not entirely sure what to say.

"Now, you give me a call when you're settled at Aunt May's, okay Ma?" Hare told her, a touch of concern in his voice.

"I will, son, don't worry," she said, reaching out and straightening his bow-tie one last time. She also pushed his bangs away from his eyes again. "The Hinterlands isn't so far away, I should get there by tomorrow morning."

"Well, still… I'd like to know that you got there safe."

"I promise that I'll call you the moment I get settled there," she reassured him. "Now give your old Ma one last hug for the road, hmm?" She held her arms open to him a little, welcoming his embrace.

Hare nodded and engulfed his mother in one last, long, warm hug. She held onto him and smiled, burrowing her nose in his neck as they held one another. She felt another tear come to her eye and she wiped it away before her son could see. He had been missing from her arms for so long, the thought that she didn't know when they would be in the same room again made her heart hurt. She felt his hand rub her back as she held onto him for longer than she'd probably meant to, pulling away and looking at her son with all the love in the world in her eyes. "I love you, sonny. And I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Mom," Hare cooed, reaching out and wiping some smeared mascara from her cheek with his thumb. "But we'll see each other soon. We won't let this much time pass again, okay?"

She sniffled in spite of herself and nodded, clearing her throat and shaking her head, forcing a strong smile. "Look at me, I'm acting like a child…" she muttered, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief one final time before composing herself. They looked at each other once more, before the final train whistle blew. "Okay, you'd better go if you don't want to go all the way to the Hinterlands with me."

Hare paused at the compartment door and looked at his mother, a loving smile on his face. "I love you, Mom. Have a safe trip."

"Thank you, son," she said with a short wave.

And, with that, Hare turned away from his mother and made for the exit of the train. He was feeling an odd mixture of emotions. Relief and sadness all rolled up into one. Seeing his mother so emotional was difficult for him, but not something he didn't expect to happen. He was more surprised to find that after the lovely morning they'd had together, he was actually really going to miss his Mom. Composing himself at the train door for a moment, he exited to find Hatter on the bench eating a cupcake.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked, pointing at it.

"Oh, this?" Hatter asked, before taking another bite from it. "Someone gave it to me. Said I had a sweet face that needed to get sweeter."

Hare furrowed his brow and looked around the platform, seeing that the Hatter was completely alone, and yet still decided not to question it further. The tall man devoured the rest of the sweet snicky snack and tossed the paper trash in the bin, before leaving the train station.

"That wasn't so bad…" The Hatter said as they walked back to the Hat house from the train station. He had his arm draped over the Hare's shoulder, who had his arm around the Hatter's waist as they walked. "We should invite your mother over more often."

Hare rolled his eyes a little, his knees going weak for a moment. "I love my mother, but I don't think I could have taken another day with her. She's just too much work."

"I don't think it was as bad as all that…" Hatter shrugged. "I think maybe you blew things out of proportion a little. She didn't seem nearly as bad as you'd made her out to be."

"Perhaps…" Hare nodded. He knew he was inclined to make a big deal out of nothing when dealing with both good and bad situations. And, in all honesty, she wasn't as bad as he remembered. "I think maybe she's mellowed with her age."

"Why'd you have the sudden change of heart with your stuff? I noticed your cups and plates were back out, so were your pastel blankets."

"She said they were kitschy?" Hare shrugged. "I guess she found a charm in them."

"I suppose you'll enjoy the quiet now that she's gone?" Hatter tilting his head a little, looking down at the Hare with a grin.

"I'm just excited to get things back to normal," Hare said with a wave of his free hand.

"So… wanna go prank call the palace?"

"Do I?" the Hare giggled, ears perking as he raced the Hatter home.

#gwcft #guess who's coming for tea #hatter and hare #mad hatter #march hare #june hare #hattrem #hare #adventures in wonderland #aiw #disney #fanfiction #fanfic

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rachel1987 · 4 years ago

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GWCFT Part 6

It’s the night of the big show! All our favorite Wonderlandians gather to show off their skills to June Hare. What acts has everyone chosen to perform? Will Hare be able to pull off his big show stopper? And what is Rabbit’s talent, anyway?

x posted on ao3 and FF.net

Hare stood backstage, his chin tilted up, Hatter's hands tying his cape around his collar. "You need to relax…" Hatter mumbled under his breath. "Everything is going to be just fine."

"How did I let you talk me into this?" he heaved, fingers twitching nervously at his chest. He had been alright all day with his mother, the shopping and monotony of it all making him forget about his nerves. But now that he was here and everyone was bustling around getting ready, a wave of nausea washed over him. He had become so nervous and preoccupied he kept knotting his cape ties and Hatter had to step in to help.

"You're last on the set list, don't worry!" Hatter said, brushing off Hare's shoulders and smoothing out the satin fabric. "Your mother is excited to watch you and you're going to be great. Besides you've never gotten nervous like this before a show before. Don't start this now."

Hare furrowed his brow and huffed a little, making him look like a child who was pouting because his mother wouldn't let him have cookies before dinner. Hatter chuckled and gave his bunny a quick smooch. "Why don't you go check on your mom, show her the pretzel machine? I have a few more things I need to do before the show starts."

"Alright," he grumped, giving the Hatter's hand a squeeze before going to his Mother's side. She was sitting in the front row by the Queen, chatting about something that probably didn't matter.

"Look at my boy!" June exclaimed, cutting the Queen off on whatever she was saying, causing her to "harumph" to herself. "You look just darling in that cape. Oh, I knew I should have brought my camera!"

Hare blushed and bounced his head around a little, rolling his eyes. "Thanks, Mom. Hello, your Majesty. Thank you for coming to our talent show."

"Yes, well," the Queen shook her hand in the air as she spoke. "I had a gap in my schedule today and thought it would be a good idea to spend some time with my subjects. After all, one needs to have a little fun from time to time."

"How true that is, your Majesty," Hare said, clasping his hands together by his chest as he spoke. "Would either of you, perhaps, like a pretzel or a drink before the show begins?"

"Yes, I would, thank you," the Queen cut in quickly, not even waiting for Hare to finish his offer before speaking. "Who knows where that Rabbit ran off to? He was supposed to bring me a drink twenty minutes ago and seems to have disappeared."

"Right away, your Majesty," Hare nodded.

"I'll go with you, son," June said as she got to her feet. "Please excuse me, your Highness."

The Queen dismissed them with a wave of her hand and turned her attention to other matters. She was watching the Tweedles spin around, practicing their routine on the other side of the courtyard and found them more interesting than anything else going on.

The pair walked to the pretzel machine that hadn't been turned on yet and Hare ran through it with his mom. "You put the dough in here, there's a salt meter and a unit that shapes, bakes and cools them so they'll be ready to eat when they come out. And a little bell you can ring when it's done."

"What are the lights for?" June asked, enchanted.

"Those are for fun," Hare smiled. "When you push them, they change colors." He then demonstrated them.

"And how do you turn it on?" she asked, brows raised in intrigue. She held her finger under her lip in a familiar pose as she listened, nodding as she took it all in.

"This knob here," Hare pointed. "But once it's on, you can't turn it off. Somehow we never figured out how to fix that. It'll just keep baking till it runs through the dough and then it'll shut down."

"Do you think…" June paused, feeling a little sheepish and her cheeks going pink. "Do you think I can turn it on?"

Hare smiled widely and guffawed. "Of course!" he hopped excitedly. "You just crank it to the left two turns."

June bit her lip and did as she was told and the machine came to life, mechanisms beeping and lights flashing. It didn't take long for the pretzels to start popping out of the contraption and Hare started piling them into bowls that were spread around the table. She seemed very impressed as she picked up one of the first pretzels, giving it a sniff and then a test nibble.

"This is delicious, son," she commended. "Not too salty, not bland. Excellent flavor. All we need is a fondue pot and this would be perfect."

"Why hadn't I thought of that…" Hare muttered to himself, thinking of his full fondue set sitting at home that hadn't been used in ages.

Suddenly, Alice was next to them, a little bit of a flustered expression on her face.

"What's the matter, Alice?" June asked, her motherly intuition rearing its head.

"Her majesty wants to know what's taking so long to get her some refreshments," she shrugged.

The three looked over at the Queen, who was shooting daggers in their direction, arms crossed over her bosom in frustration. Hare panicked a little, fingers flexing as he rushed to get her Majesty a pretzel and a wine cooler, cape whipping behind him as he ran. June and Alice followed behind, each taking some snacks and tea from the refreshment table, going to their seats casually.

The seats were filling as more of the talent and audience arrived. Caterpillar sat himself to the right of the stage, giving himself perhaps the best view out of everyone and Rabbit appeared with a gym bag which he stored behind the curtain for later. The Cat hovered over the crowd, probably already thinking of some sick burns to throw during the show to entertain himself.

Six o'clock rolled around and the Hatter took center stage, a wide smile across his face as he greeted everyone. He was looking extra spiffed up, his usual purple coat and tails speckled with glittering embellishments that sparkled as he moved.

"Ladies and gentleman, cats and Majestys! Welcome to the talent show!" There was a smattering of applause as people settled into their seats, the chatter dying down. "We have a wide array of acts lined up for you tonight. You'll laugh! You'll cry! You might not even believe your eyes! So sit back and enjoy the show." Another round of applause followed and Hatter waited for the noise to settle before introducing the first act.

"Our first act is the upbeat dance stylings of the Tweedles!" He casually stepped to the side, arm outstretched as the Tweedles came through the part in the curtain.

Dum set their oversized boombox to the side of the stage (volume set to 11) and pressed the play button, racing to center to hit his mark before the music began. They stood back to back, arms crossed over their chests, sunglasses covering their eyes for that cool hip-hop look.

The bass boomed from the speakers and they hopped into action, poppin' and lockin', ducking and weaving around each other. They synchronized their movements to each other and the music perfectly, hitting every beat with a gesture or pose that yelled nothing but hip-hop attitude. At one point they did a little rap battle, bouncing verses back and forth off each other with ease. The audience was mesmerized and feeding into their energy, getting hyped up and sucked into the show. Soon people were clapping to the beat and the Hatter couldn't stop himself from doing some dance moves from his seat just off stage. The Tweedles did some flips and jumps, landing just as the music ended, applause filling the area. They got to their feet and bowed, waving at the cheers as Hatter ushered them offstage.

"Thank you, lads. What a great first act, am I right?" Hatter said as he applauded, a bounce still in his step from the energy he gained from the show. "Really marvelous. Such a hard act to follow. But, someone has to do it! And our next act is a dramatic reading of a new story from none other than our resident storyteller, the Caterpillar."

The Caterpillar scooted his way closer to the stage, setting just off to the right of it. There was no way he was even going to attempt to get up on that tiny stage and nobody expected him to.

"Thank you, thank you…" he said to light applause that preceded him to the stage. His lowest set of hands applauded for himself, his middle hands were holding a book tightly and his top hands were moving in a downward motion, as if to settle a crowd of unruly children. "How am I meant to follow an act like that? Well, I would say, with a story." His middle hands passed the book up to his top ones and he flipped through the pages, going to one marked with a red ribbon. This was apparently his journal that his second pair of hands worked in (his best writing hands, if you'd asked him) and it was filled with all of the stories that he was working through.

"This is a story about a boy named Carl who thought it would be a good idea to go into the haunted house alone…" He read the story aloud, bringing the energy of the room down a spell from the last act. His second and third pair of hands worked with him, pulling items from a bag that was slung over one of his shoulders to act as props or sound effects as he read aloud. He droned out the story but somehow brought it to life and everyone felt like they could almost see the tale run through in their mind's eye. The story had twists and turns and one surprise after another. There was a jump scare almost ¾ of the way through that got a lot of them, Rabbit most of all. He almost hopped into the Queen's lap, causing her to make a little bit of a scene. But the Caterpillar reeled them back in to finish the story with a grim message.

"And, in the end, Carl learned that sometimes you must heed the warnings of others. Because, if you don't, the only friends you'll have are the worms in the ground who will feast upon that's left of your corpse."

The audience didn't know how to react to the story the Caterpillar chose to read to them. It was an enthralling tale, but one that probably would have been better saved for their Halloween Campfire session.

The Cat, however, loved it and howled with laughter as he applauded enthusiastically. "The little sucker got what he deserved, haha!" he boomed, tail swishing around with excitement. Everyone looked at him with confused expressions on their faces as the Caterpillar moved his way back to his original spot, Hatter taking the stage again.

"Ooh, spooky story, right folks?" he said with a nervous laugh. He was thinking that perhaps he should have screened the talent before allowing them to perform, but it was too late for that now. "I especially liked the part where the…" he paused and cleared his throat. "Anyway, thank you Caterpillar. We will keep our eyes open for when your next book is published and I'm sure we'll all be sure to grab ourselves a copy."

"I will be selling autographed anthologies after the show," he said as he settled. "Come and see me if you're interested. Oh, and no personal checks, please," he added with the wave of a finger.

"Righty roo," Hatter said with a chuckle. "Now, on to the next act. This little guy has traveled a long way from my tea table to perform his acts of daredevilry for all of you tonight! So please direct your attention to the center of the stage as I present to you: Danger Dormouse!"

Hatter pulled on a yellow cord that was to the left of the stage and the curtain went up, revealing a miniature driving obstacle course set up on a table. It was just below eye level, so even those in the back row had some sort of view of it. The stage, however, was empty of the small mouse with a motorcycle.

From off in the distance, the put-put-put of his motor could be heard and he zoomed in from under the gate door, coming up the center aisle and up a ramp and onto the stage. He was making great speed but was still visible to everyone as he hopped another ramp onto the table, doing a wheelie as his tires screeched. That earned him a surprised round of applause, most of the audience being quite shocked that the Dormouse had this sort of act in him.

About halfway through the routine, Rabbit got a tap on his shoulder and he jumped to see the Hatter there, tilting his head to the side to indicate that he was up next. Rabbit twiddled his fingers and nodded, getting to his feet and sneaking away to prepare himself without anyone noticing.

They watched the Dormouse weave through traffic cones, do a crossing on a narrow beam from one table to another and he even did a handstand on his little cycle while driving it. Every stunt he managed to land received more applause from the audience. And when he pulled off his final trick, jumping over 8 of the Hatter's tophats side-by-side, you'd have thought he had jumped the entirety of the grand canyon by the way the audience reacted. Dee and Dum were so impressed they gave him a standing ovation, thrusting their fists into the air and hooting as the little mouse stood on the stage beside his bike, bowing to everyone.

"Alright, little guy," Hatter said as he entered the stage, applauding his small friend and housemate. The curtain had been dropped behind him and there was a scuffling sound from behind it, if anyone had paid attention to hear it. "Everyone should watch themselves with this guy on the road, am I right?" That received a little bit of a laugh and the Dormouse climbed back into his bike, kicking the stand up before looking up at Hatter. "You be careful on your drive home, alright? I know you have quite a journey to make." The Dormouse chuckled and turned the motor on, zooming away and around the side of the hat house.

"Now, this next act was a last minute addition to the lineup, so even I'll be surprised by what we're about to experience," Hatter introduced as the put-put-put of the motor died away. "Let's give a round of applause for the Queen's right hand bunny, and one of my favorite furry friends, The White Rabbit."

Rabbit took the stage from behind the curtain in a black unitard, leg warmers on his fuzzy legs, sweatbands on his wrists and no roller blades. He carried a small boombox and placed a cassette tape into it, standing upright as he addressed the audience. "I will now go through a day in the life of Rabbit… through interpretive dance." He bent down and pushed the button marked "play", waiting till an early morning music started before he started bounding around the stage, waving his arms.

Everyone in the audience was completely aghast by what they had to sit through for the next few minutes. They followed Rabbit through his day, watching him mime cleaning and cooking and the various frustrations of his life, all through dance and bunny feet shuffling across the stage. Hare couldn't help but notice that his mother's eyes never left Rabbit once. It made him feel uncomfortable and he felt badly for teasing Rabbit about it at the Market the other day.

After what felt like the longest and most agonizing two minutes of their lives, everyone in the audience applauded weakly as Rabbit stood in the center of the stage, one leg lifted up behind him, his arms above his head, the music coming to an end. Rabbit later said the dance was rather invigorating. Dee said he'd rather poke his eyes out with a pencil than sit through it again. The Cheshire Cat couldn't stop cackling to himself over it, wishing he had recorded it for later viewing.

"Well, that was something, Rabbit…" Hatter said, applauding as he entered from stage right, his guitar hanging from his shoulder. He was dragging a stool behind him as he made his way to center stage. "Thank you for sharing that with us…" Rabbit gave one final bow, his ears brushing the ground, before picking up his boombox and exiting the stage.

"After that last exciting little display of talent," Hatter started as he took a seat on the stool, flipping the guitar around to his front and resting it on his knee. "We're going to slow things down a little with a song that I wrote for the occasion." There was still a buzz in the audience about the strangeness they had just experienced and they were having a little bit of a hard time focusing on the Hatter, but his calm demeanor was drawing them in slightly. Hatter strummed the strings on his guitar lazily as he spoke, warming up his fingers to play his new song.

"As everyone here knows, we have a special guest in the audience tonight: Hare's mother June. Give us a wave there, Junie. Righty roo… righty roo… She was in the paper this morning, I hope you all saw that. And so was Hare, but that's a whole other matter…" he cleared his throat, licking his lips as he plucked the cords. "And, in seeing her with Hare over the past day or two, it's gotten me thinking about my own mother: Mother Hatter. So I decided to write a song to her and I hope you'll all be patient with me as I sing it." He paused and his foot started to tap on the floor gently as he began his song with a slow and loving melody.

This was quite a departure from the wild and crazy Hatter that everyone was used to seeing. He was calm and collected, fingers moving away over the neck of the guitar, singing a sweet song about the love of a son for his mother. Hare gasped a little at the tenderness of it, his breath getting caught in his throat as he listened. This was a song directly from the heart and it was beautiful. Even the Queen had to wipe a tear from her eye because it touched her so. His sweet song filled the dimming evening with a tranquility that was surprising to everyone in the vicinity. Every act up until this point was full of energy and excitement (except perhaps for Rabbit's strange display) and this was just plain different.

The Hatter played his song through, hitting the final cords with perfect rhythm, earning him applause from everyone. Hare saw June dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief she had taken from her purse, her makeup smearing a little under her glasses. He returned his gaze to the Hatter, who looked at him and gave him a wink. God, he loved this man.

Hatter relished in the praise for perhaps a little longer than he should have, before he tugged the stool off stage. "Thank you, thank you, you're all too kind," he said with a wide grin, moving his hands in a downward motion to get them all to settle. "Still two more acts to go, folks. Does anyone need a refill on refreshments? More pretzels, we have plenty? No? Ah, righty ho. Well, you're all taking home the extras because I never want to see another pretzel again as long as I live."

Returning to the center of the stage, he maneuvered his guitar onto his back again, clearing his throat to catch everyone's attention. "Now, for a little something by our very own Alice."

Alice took the stage with a bright smile and flashing green eyes, her hands held behind her back as she addressed the crowd. "I'm afraid that I don't have a big flashy act or anything to share with you all tonight," she said with a little bit of a shrug. "But what I did bring to share are a few of my favorite poems from my world that I would like to share with all of you!"

The audience "oohed" as Alice cleared her throat and began reciting a number of poems she had taken the time to memorize over the past couple days. The poems she had chosen were by Robert Frost, TS Eliot, Emily Dickenson and Shel Silverstein, who were not completely unknown to the Wonderlandians. She never fumbled her words or paused to try to remember the next line she had to say, saying every word calmly as if she were making them up as she went along. The Queen shone with pride at the girl's display, nudging June next to her to say that she had helped her learn the words and practice them the day before. The Caterpillar made a mental note to talk to Alice about the talent who was TS Elliot sometime.

After finishing the last of her memorized works, she gave everyone a bow and stood center stage as Hatter came to join her. "Very nice, Alice! Wonderful job," he said, applauding her happily. "Everyone give her a hand!"

The audience clapped for her as she gave them one last bow, rushing to her seat beside the Tweedles in the back row. She passed Hare as she made her way, taking the time to whisper a "Good luck, mr Hare" and give him a reassuring thumbs up before taking her seat.

Hare smiled and nodded, adjusting his collar on his cape before turning his back to the audience. Normally he wasn't one to get stage fright. But this was a whole different set of circumstances. He was performing for his mother and he lacked confidence in his big finale. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a moment as Hatter wound everyone up.

"Righty roo, everybody!" the Hatter said, a wide grin on his face as he introduced the final act of the night. "Everyone, hold onto your hats! This is the act we've all been waiting for! Well, I know June has, anyway," he said, giving her a playful wink, causing her to giggle from her seat. "I give you, the man of mystery, the illustrious illusionist, the Amazing Hair-raising Hare!"

Hare forced a smile on his face and turned around on his heels, holding his arms out so his cape draped over his form just right. There was a light bit of applause, a boost of it coming from where June was seated.

"Thank you, thank you!" Hare said aloud, trying to make his voice sound as confident as possible. He kept his eyes off of his mother, focusing on the other faces in the audience to put himself at ease. He found he kept eyeing Rabbit, which was obviously making the elderly bunny uncomfortable.

"For my first trick of the evening, I will show you one that may ring a bell!" He chuckled to himself, pulling from behind his back three sets of golden rings. He showed them to the audience, running his hand along the golden bands to prove that it was a continuous piece. After some fancy handwork, the three rings were linked perfectly, Hare tugging on them to show that the rings were still solid. He displayed them to the audience, walking down to the Queen and having her inspect them.

"I know gold rings and, yes, these are solid!" she said with a laugh, clearly impressed. Maybe it was the sparkle of the gold, but her eyes glittered a little.

"But what good are three rings stuck together, am I right?" Hare asked, licking his lips a little before taking two of the rings and rubbing them between his gloved fingers. Pressing hard with his fingertips, he felt the metal slip and pulled them apart with ease. He handed the free one to the Queen, before unlinking the second pair as well. Everyone applauded and Hare felt a boost in confidence as he took the three rings from the Queen, tossing them in his magic box behind the curtain and retrieving his next magical item and tucking it away in his jacket.

"For my next trick, I'll need a volunteer from the audience! And who better than my own Mother, June Hare!"

June's eyes widened as her son came down from the stage, taking her gloved hand and leading her up onto the platform with him. She stood there nervously, hands balled up and fingers laced in front of her as she watched him closely.

Everyone in the audience grew nervous when they saw Hare take the handcuffs out from his jacket pocket.

"Don't think about it, Hare!" the Queen pouted, making everyone laugh a little, causing the Hare's happy demeanor flicker a little. His eyes looked at his mother, who was beaming so wide you could see all her teeth. He put on a brave face for her.

"Worry not, your Majesty! This trick is foolproof!" Hare gestured his arm out, holding the handcuff aloft in his other hand. "I'm so confident in it, I would risk handcuffing myself to my own mother to prove that it can be done!"

It probably didn't come out the way it had sounded in his head, but his mother didn't seem offended by the statement and everyone in the audience took it as a sign that he was serious. In fact, his mother seemed a little overwhelmed by being pulled on stage. Quickly, he decided he needed to distract her and give her something to do to settle her nerves.

"But first, I will demonstrate that I can remove them from myself. Ma, if you would be so kind…" He gave her the handcuffs and she snapped them around his wrists nervously, fingers shaking a little as she did it. He took hold of her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze before continuing. "Thank you…"

Holding his hands out in front of him, he tried to tug at the cuffs, showing that they were indeed locked onto his person. "The cuffs are securely fastened… but not for long?"

With the flip of his wrists, he twisted and turned, causing the cuffs to fall right off. Of course, all the Wonderlandians who went through the great handcuff ordeal knew how the trick worked, but Hare's mother was delighted by the trick and clapped her hands enthusiastically. Her hands reached out to inspect the cuffs for herself, eyes wide with wonder.

"As you can see, there's really nothing to it!" Hare said aloud, turning to his mother. "Now, the real test."

Hatter came on stage and assisted Hare in getting the cuffs around his and June's wrists, stepping aside to allow the act to continue.

"As you can see, the handcuffs are on tight," he raised his arm out and tugged against his mother, showing everyone that they were indeed locked and not going to move. "Now, on the count of three, the cuffs will come off as easily as they had been put on."

June watched as her son guided her in her actions without really realizing it, raising and dropping their connected arm as he counted aloud. She lifted her right arm as he counted, and on the count of three he moved his wrist, causing the cuff to rotate around hers, making them fall off easily. The audience applauded as the cuffs fell to the ground with a clatter. It seemed they were impressed that he'd actually managed to get the trick to work this time around.

Again, June clapped enthusiastically, examining her wrist as if it had been removed from her body and reattached again.

Hare ushered her off stage and back to her seat, Hatter standing on stage with a box and some more magic items when he returned.

"And now, some slight of hand!" he reached into the box and took out three small multicolored balls. With nimble hands, Hare tossed the balls up in the air, not missing a beat as the orbs did their dance. He tossed them high and low, over his shoulder and under his leg, adding a fourth ball with ease as the act went along. The audience was impressed by his skill. He was a clumsy hare and people often forgot that he was a master juggler.

"He sure knows how to handle his balls," the Cat said aloud, causing Dee to laugh out boisterously.

He continued to juggle, tossing the balls to audience members and instructing them to toss them back to him when he gave them the signal. Dum might have thrown the ball a little too hard, because Hare had to stumble back in order to get it, almost causing him to trip over his own feet. But he caught himself, adding to the suspense of the trick, a smattering of applause coming from the audience. After a little more of this, getting 5 balls in the air, he caught them all in a box and gave a short bow, mentally preparing himself for the final trick. Everything had gone well up until this point, he was feeling comfortable on stage, his nerves had gone to the back of his mind. It was now or never.

"My final trick for the evening will shock and amaze you!" Hare said, tossing the box of balls backstage and into a crate with the rest of his magic items. "Hatter, bring in… the box!"

The curtains parted behind Hare and Hatter appeared, dragging a large trunk behind himself. Hare moved around to help at the other end, positioning it in the center of the stage. Hatter gave Hare a reassuring pat on the back, before stepping aside.

"What you see before you is a plain, ordinary box!" Hare said, gesturing a hand toward the trunk in a flamboyant fashion. "This trick requires a volunteer. Alice, if you will, please come look at the box to make sure that it is, in fact, ordinary."

She looked at him and nodded, going to the trunk and investigating it. She opened it with the help of the Hatter and looked inside, tapping on the sides and the lid.

"Looks like a plain box to me." She announced.

"Wonderful, wonderful," Hare said, fluttering his fingers mysteriously for effect. "One more, thing. Did you happen to find something -in- the box?"

Alice took a peek in and pulled out a large velvet bag.

Hare's mother applauded joyously, causing Dum to lean over and say to her "I don't think that was the trick…" causing her to stop.

Hare forced a smile and took the bag from Alice, showing it to the crowd. "Now, Alice, inspect the bag for any holes or imperfections, if you please."

Alice came over and glanced over the bag, turning it this way and that and checking the inside before agreeing that the bag hadn't been tampered with.

"Thank you, Alice," Hare said aloud, taking the bag from her and placing it in the bottom of the box. "Now, Alice, stand in the bag!"

She looked at him, shoulders dropped, her jaw slack. "What?"

Hare's eyes widened and he smiled at the audience, hearing them laugh nervously, before turning to Alice. "Get in the box."

She blinked and shook her head a little, before the Hare put a hand out and guided her into the box, positioning her so she was standing in the bag.

"Now, Alice, I'm going to close you in the bag and lay you down in the box. Do not be frightened! You will come out of this, completely unharmed!" He accentuated the last bit by looking at the audience, gesturing an outstretched hand at them as if he were reeling them in, causing them to Ooh and Aah. Dee might have muttered something along the lines of "I hope Alice has health insurance" before being jammed in the ribs by his brother.

Hare helped Alice pull the bag up around her, seeing her give him a wink to signal him that she was okay, before tying the bag shut above her head. Then, with the Hatter's help, they helped her get in a lying position in the box before closing the lid.

"Now, Hatter, the lock please!"

The audience was on the edge of their seats as Hare put a comedicaly large lock on the front of the lid, jangling it around to show that it was, in fact, sealed.

Hatter came from the left side of the stage with a portable curtain on a rod. He switched it around, making it flutter in the wind, before handing one end to the hare. They walked around the box, before Hare stepped atop it.

"Now, don't look away!" he shouted, wiggling his fingers at the audience a little before lifting the curtain in front of him. Hatter stepped aside as the curtain shook and shimmered in the light, obscuring the view of the trunk from the audience. It continued to shake from side to side for a few moments, before falling to the ground, revealing…

Alice standing atop the box, arms outstretched and wearing Hare's cape.

The entire audience gasped as she was revealed, not missing a beat before they erupted into applause. Everyone jumped to their feet and roared, even the Queen had gotten swept up in the moment. They were all so impressed that they forgot to ask where the Hare went.

With Hatter's help, Alice hopped off of the box and took a bow, before taking a step aside and gesturing toward the trunk.

And nothing happened.

Alice had a strained smile on her face and Hatter was starting to look nervous. She gestured back to the box and still, nothing happened.

"Uh… mr Hare?" Alice asked, going to the box and tugging on the large lock, finding that it was still stuck shut. "Uh oh…"

There was a thumping and banging from inside the trunk as the noise died down and people started to get the feeling something had gone wrong. The box shook a little and scooted around as Hatter bowed down next to it.

"Hare? Are you in there?"

"I can't get out!" Hare shouted from inside. "I can't get the thing open."

"Oh dear…" Alice gasped, hand going to her mouth as she bent down beside the Hatter.

Hatter hit against the back of the trunk, finding that the secret door was stuck. He reached for the lock with his giant hands and gave it a yank, straining to pull it off. After struggling for a few moments, the crowd had gathered at the foot of the stage to get a better look at what was going on.

"Where is the key?" Rabbit asked, pointing at the lock. It was the most obvious solution, why hadn't they thought of it already?

Hatter patted his sides down, but he didn't have it, so he bent down and shouted at the box. "Where's the key, Hare?" he asked, holding his ear against the lid of the trunk to listen for an answer.

"It's in my pocket…" came the response.

June looked like she was about ready to either faint or pull the lid off the trunk with her bare hands. To say she was getting frantic was an understatement. "Did he just say they're in his pocket?"

Hatter laughed and shook his head. "No, he couldn't have!"

"He did, Mr Hatter…" Alice said, biting her lip.

"Oh… well, this is quite a pickle here, isn't it?" Hatter said, scrunching up his face and putting a hand to his hip. "Well, only one thing to do." He got to his feet, everyone having their eyes trained on him as he walked in through the IN door and immediately through the OUT door, holding an ax in his gloved hands. The group parted as he stood at the front of the box, lifting the ax above his head and was about to swing down, when…

"I don't think so!" June exclaimed, putting her arm out.

"But, June! How else are we going to get him out of there?" Hatter asked, still holding the axe above his head.

"A mother has her ways…" she said, raising her hands to her head and pulling two hairpins from her updo. Kneeling down at the lock, she straightened the pins and shoved them into the lock, moving them around with expert fingers. They sat for a few minutes, Hare tapping on the lid of the box every minute or so to let him know he hadn't passed out. Eventually he started making casual conversation with those outside the box, asking what the outside world was like and if the price of gasoline had dropped because it was much too high. He also asked if it would be appropriate for him to sing a song when he got out of the box (they told him no) so he started singing a song about being stuck inside it instead.

A few minutes and broken hairpins later, the lock clicked open and fell to the floor.

"She got it!" Dum exclaimed, jumping to his feet in excitement.

"I'll be damned…" Dee added under his breath as June wrenched the lid open.

She found her son scrunched up inside the box, trap door knocked off its hinges on one side, tied up in the sack.

"He did it!" Hatter rejoiced, giving Alice a hug. "He finally got inside the bag this time."

Desperately, Hare clawed at the mouth of the bag, pulling it down over his sheepish face. The view from inside the box was one he didn't think he'd ever forget. All his friends were looking down at him, expressions varied from surprise to anger to trying to hide laughter.

"Ta-da!" he shouted, with a little bit of a nervous laugh. He wanted to climb back into the box and die right at that very moment. Instead, he allowed Hatter and the Tweedles to help him get out of the box and to his feet, dusting himself off as Alice gave him back the red cape. June fussed over him, giving him a once over to make sure he was alright. If you had looked at her while she was picking the lock, you'd have thought she was keeping very calm, but on the inside she was frantic with worry. Now that her son was sitting on the lid of the box, sipping a calming cup of tea, she was starting to relax.

"Where did you learn to do that, mrs Hare?" Alice asked, very impressed with how well she dealt with the situation. And her skill with a pair of hairpins was very intriguing.

"I'm sorry, dear," June said with a friendly smile, once she realized Alice was talking to her. She was watching Hare from a distance now, just making sure he was okay. "What did you say?"

"I was curious about how you knew to pick the lock, mrs Hare," Alice said, taking a seat beside the elder bunny.

June couldn't keep the shy smile from her face. Her cheeks turned a little pink as she bent toward Alice.

"Let me tell you," June whispered to her, patting the child on the knee. "When you have a son who would accidentally lock himself in rooms as often as Hare did, you had to get good at picking locks," adding a playful wink at the end, she held a finger to her lips to tell Alice it was a secret. The girl nodded and returned with a wink of her own.

#gwcft #guess who's coming for tea #adventures in wonderland #aiw #hatter and hare #fanfic

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