curiouser and curiouser;

Newsies! the Musical

cursetheflame — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 23:54:08 GMT

September 24, 2011 at the Papermill Playhouse--

Newsies! the Musical

(from l-r: Kathryn, me, Teree, Mommy)

So, last night we took the 20 minute drive from Edison to Millburn, NJ to catch the new performance of Newsies! the Musical being shown at the Papermill Playhouse. Though I'd never been before, the drive was quick and pleasant and, since we arrived 45 minutes prior to the curtain going up, there was still ample parking (parking on weekends and nights: $8.00). We took our picture outside (see: the first image) and decided to check out what souvenirs were available for purchase since there was still plenty of time before the show. I was pleasantly surprised at the offering: t-shirts, newsboy caps, a messenger bag, replica's of old newspapers (including the infamous: Trolley Strike Drags on for Third Week that is a prop for the show). There was also a mug, the movie DVD and soundtrack, a poster and typewriter style jewelry. The prices ran from reasonable to a little pricey, and the three souvenirs I bought totaled $70:

Now, onto the show itself...

* the following is a transcript of the playbill given out:

the scenes and musical numbers of NEWSIES
TIME AND PLACE: New York City, 1899

ACT ONE

PROLOGUE: A Rooftop, Night
Santa Fe.......................Jack and Crutchie

SCENE 1: Newsie Square, Morning
Carrying the Banner.......................Jack, Newsies, Ensemble

SCENE 2: Pulitzer's Office
The News is Getting Better....................Pulitzer, Seitz, Bunsen, and Hannah

SCENE 3: Street and Stage Door, Later That Day

SCENE 4: Medda's Theater
Don't Come a-Knocking.........................Medda, Medda's Girls, Jack, and Katherine

SCENE 5: Newsie Square, New Morning
The World Will Know...........................Jack, Davey, Les and the Newsies

SCENE 6: Jacobi's Deli and Street
The World Will Know (Reprise).................Jack, Davey, Les and the Newsies

SCENE 7: Katherine's Desk, Moments Later
Watch What Happens........................Katherine

SCENE 8: Newsie Square
Seize the Day.............................Jack, Davey, Les and the Newsies
Santa Fe..................................Jack

ACT TWO

SCENE 1: Jacobi's Deli, Next Day
King of New York..........................Davey, Les, Katherine, and the Newsies

SCENE 2: Medda's Theater
Watch What Happens (Reprise)..................Jack, Davey, Les and Katherine

SCENE 3: Pulitzer's Office
The News is Getting Better (Reprise)..........Pulitzer, Snyder, Seitz, Bunsen, Mayor, and the Delancey Brothers

SCENE 4: Brooklyn Bridge, That Night, and Medda's Theater
Brooklyn's Here...........................Spot Conlon, York, and the Newsies

SCENE 5: Rooftop, Night
Then I See You Again......................Katherine and Jack

SCENE 6: Pulitzer's Cellar, Late at Night
Seize the Day (Reprise).......................The Newsies
Once and For All..............................Jack, Davey, Les, Darcy, Bill and the Newsies

SCENE 7: Pulitzer's Office and Newsie Square, Morning
Finale....................................Jack and Company

-- First off, I have to say I really liked it. There were things that I didn't like -- any Newsies fan would be a little taken aback by all the lyric changes, I think -- but, for the most part, they worked. The set was wonderful, considering they had a small stage to stand for New York. The fire escape sets were inventive and one of my favorite parts was the "rooftop chase" between Jack, David and Snyder. The music... ah, the music. Just the opening chords, playing throughout the theater, music I've heard countless times for close to a decade now... it was magical. As for the lyrics changes, while I didn't agree with all of them, I just think of it as another version/interpretation of songs that I love. These versions aren't replacing the originals, I know -- they're just more of Newsies to love! Just like their new take on Jack...

-- Jack. Ah... see, now I'm definitely a self-proclaimed Jack "Cowboy" Kelly fangirl. Jeremy Jordan's version of the character was very interesting. I felt he nailed the gist of the character, the dreamer, the "blowhard", the face of the strike. He takes Pulitzer's money for the right reasons, even if they seem like the wrong reasons, and he saves the day in the end. Of course I missed the red bandana, the cowboy hat... but I still saw the merit in the performance. Then again, since Jeremy Jordan was charismatic, handsome and extremely talented, I think I would've liked him if they turned Jack into a third Delancey brother ;)

-- Katherine. Here, I'm not so sure what I think. Mainly, considering all of the research I've done in this era, I just couldn't get past how "spunky" she was. It seemed a little forced to me, almost as if they were trying to make up for Sarah and have a female character that the audience could relate to. That's not to say that Kara Lindsay (Katherine) couldn't sing -- she could. I really liked Watch What Happens. It' just... I don't know. I still felt like the love story was tacked on.

-- One thing I really thought was done well was the story of the film being adapted the way it was. Being a film purist, I knew there would be plenty of changes to make it flow better in a stage performance, but I was still glad to see that the scenes they couldn't show -- Jack visiting Crutchy in the Refuge, Jack and Davey going to Brooklyn to see Spot -- were mentioned in a way that I could still visualize it. It worked for me.

-- The Brooklyn song :) I wasn't sure that I could watch that with a straight face, especially after all the boys made Spot Conlon out to be such a baddie, but it surprised me by being good. I got that West Side Story vibe from it, almost like they were singing a war chant as they marched down the Brooklyn Bridge. The image of the Bridge behind them was a nice touch.

-- The dancing was simply phenomenal. Just watching the dancing, it was like I'd fallen into the film itself. Honestly, the leads could've been off-key, the acting flat -- it wasn't; the one-liners made the audience crack up more than once -- and I would've been happy just for the dancing. Especially during Carrying the Banner and the tap number(!) that was King of New York.

So, yeah... I'm really psyched about going back next Sunday for Fan Day. I hope to have more pictures then!

we're all mad here: an Alice picspam

cursetheflame — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:39:44 GMT

+ for the quarterly challenge 01 at new_wonderland; picspam is very image heavy.

Fic: Lost in Translation

cursetheflame — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:09:32 GMT

title: Lost in Translation
fandom: SyFy's Alice
character: Hatter
rating: K+
summary: written for the new_wonderland quarterly challenge; What if Hatter recognized the ring Alice wore—and what if visiting Dodo at the Great Library wasn’t his plan at all? When you play both sides of the court, you have an in with either. It just depends on which side you choose to take.
disclaimer: the characters in this story are the property of SyFy and Nick Willing and are only used for fan related purposes.

He stopped right on the ledge, pausing at the top of the ladder that would lead to what was considered the ground of Wonderland (but wasn’t). The door to his back office had barely been shut when Hatter turned around and reached for the handle again. He told the girl—that Alice—to stay put; he noticed the fearful way she looked over and was satisfied that she wouldn’t go on ahead. She didn’t flinch, he was surprised, and she didn’t say a word. But she followed his lead and simply paused.

Good.

He offered some lame excuse that he’d forgotten something in the room and, too wary to believe him but desperate enough for his help not to question him, Alice nodded so he left her alone. Slipping back into the sanctuary of his Tea House, Hatter dropped his smarmy grin, his confident and well-meaning air as easily as he assumed it when Ratty dragged her in. Suddenly he was careful again, determined, composed. He dropped the act because, with the appearance of an admittedly pretty girl in a very wet dress, everything had changed.

Well, not everything.

Knowing he had precious little time before her fear gave way to a stubbornness he all too easily detected, Hatter headed straight to the white table kept to the side of his glass desk. There was a drawer, one drawer in the center, and he yanked it out. Papers, old hat bands, profit reports, IOU’s for a particularly fine vintage of Desire… it was cluttered, it was cramped but Hatter kept looking. He rifled through the messy contents, grinning sneakily when his hands closed on the cool, sleek cylindrical object he’d been searching for.

It looked like a pen but it beeped when he turned it on; you wouldn’t find any ink inside but a mixture of magic and wires and all sorts of something called science that Hatter couldn’t be bothered to understand. But you didn’t need to understand the communicator to use it—you just needed to be one of the queen’s associates in order to have one in the first place.

And Hatter, for the amount the Queen of Hearts paid him to keep an eye on the Resistance, was certain to means to communicate with the ruler of Wonderland. How else could he make his reports… or tell her when an oyster freshly escaped from Scarab came stumbling into his tea shop?

“I have a message for her majesty,” he said curtly, barely waiting for the usual responses from some nameless Suit on the other end when his call was answered. “For my usual cut,” he continued, his greedy eyes already lit up with prospect of the Queen of Hearts’ idea of gratitude, “I’ll return the Stone of Wonderland to her.”

There was some squawking and denial and cries that it couldn’t be so, Agent White had brought the ring back himself, but Hatter didn’t have time for explanations. Every second he spent with the handheld was a second he wasn’t keeping a close eye on the Stone of Wonderland and the unlucky oyster that wore it so brazenly on her finger. A touch impatiently, Hatter cut him off with a quick, “That fool doesn’t have it, some oyster does. Yes, it’s safe.” He listened again before adding, “I’ll bring the girl now. For a fair price,” he added again, just so that point wouldn’t get lost in translation.

The threats were all the same, the threat of what the queen would do if Hatter was lying—Off with his head! hung ominously in the air—but the rogue Hatter batted them aside with a flippant wave of his hand. “Tell her majesty I will personally see to it that the Stone is powering the Looking Glass before anyone notices it’s even been turned off.”

He made a point not to tell the Suit on the other end how he knew that the Looking Glass was shut down. He had his spies, and what good would they be if the Queen of Hearts knew all about them? In Wonderland, no one knew better than Hatter that it always served to keep an ace or two up your sleeve.

Besides, so long as the Looking Glass was working, that was all that mattered to him. The way he saw it, more oysters meant more emotions being, well, drained which, in turn, meant more tea. More tea meant more business in the Tea House which, quite nicely, meant more money in Hatter’s pocket.

Maybe he was being a bit of a cad, lying to the girl the way he did and promising her help when all he wanted was the ring, but that was Wonderland for you. Like he told that Alice, it wasn’t the place the children’s stories made it out to be anymore.

Lost in Wonderland: an Alice fanmix

cursetheflame — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:42:50 GMT

*click to see full-size
(textures credit)

01. Alice
Stevie Nicks

Better run for your life, cried the Mad Hatter / Alright, said Alice, I'm going back / To the other side of the mirror I'm going back

02. From the Inside
Linkin Park

All I ever think about is this / All the tiring time between / And how / Trying to put my trust in you / Just takes so much out of me

03. Runaway Train
Collective Soul

It seems no one can help me now / I'm in too deep / There's no way out / This time I have really led myself astray

04. If Looks Could Kill
Heart

I was a fool to believe in you / a sucker for every line / I'm a little less blind than I was before / I can see right through your disguise

05. We Are Broken
Paramore

I am outside / And I've been waiting for the sun / With my wide eyes / I've seen worlds that don't belong

06. End of the Innocence
Don Henley

O beautiful, for spacious skies / But now those skies are threatening / They're beating plowshares into swords / For this tired old man that we elected king / Armchair warriors often fail / And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales / The lawyers clean up all details / Since daddy had to lie

07. And So it Goes
Billy Joel

And every time I've held a rose / It seems I only felt the thorns / And so it goes, and so it goes / And so will you soon I suppose

08. Be My Escape
Relient K

I fought you for so long / I should have let you in / Oh how we regret those things we do / And all I was trying to do was save my own skin / But so were you

09. We're all mad
Natasha Bedingfield

We're all mad in our own way / Fill the sky with different shades / Read the story on each page / Each reveals the meaning

10. Letters from the Sky
Civil Twilight

One of these days letters are gonna fall from the sky telling us all to go free / But until that day I'll find a way to let everybody know that you're coming back, you're coming back for me / 'Cause even though you left me here I have nothing left to fear / These are only walls that hold me here / Hold me here, hold me here / The only walls to hold me here

+ Find the LOST IN WONDERLAND: an Alice fanmix collection here.

Enjoy!

Drabble: honesty (is such a lonely word)

cursetheflame — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:38:24 GMT

title: honesty (is such a lonely word)
fandom: SyFy's Alice
characters: Duchess
rating: K
summary: written for the new_wonderland quarterly challenge; Duchess wasn't just a blind servant to the queen. She had feelings and emotions -- and not just the sort that came in a bottle.
disclaimer: the characters in this story are the property of SyFy and Nick Willing and are only used for fan related purposes; any dialogue used is from the actual mini-series and is only used to further the story.

Duchess was a creature of duty, made to be the queen’s maid. Born to listen, raised to obey, she did what she was told. No questions asked, no answers given.

But in a land where emotions were prohibited—except for the sort in a bottle—a complacent servant was engaged to the prince… and then, against all sense, she fell in love.

The queen wanted to use her to ask Jack questions. As she reached for the bottle of Honesty and headed towards his quarters, she decided there were answers she desired more.

She wanted to know about this Alice.

Drabble: A Cup of Tea

cursetheflame — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:04:00 GMT

title: A Cup of Tea
fandom: SyFy's Alice
characters: Hatter/Alice
rating: K
summary: written for the new_wonderland quarterly challenge; Hatter was always asking Alice to share a cup of tea. Let's just say that the third time was the charm.
disclaimer: the characters in this story are the property of SyFy and Nick Willing and are only used for fan related purposes; any dialogue used is from the actual mini-series and is only used to further the story.

“Would you like a cup of tea?”

The first time he asked her, she said no.

The second time he asked her, he was sitting at her kitchen table, waiting. It had been a rough day, cold and snowy and wet. She joined him but said flatly she was a coffee person. Hatter just smiled and sipped.

The third time he asked her, much later, something told her she should. She reached for the cup but noticed something glittering at the bottom before she ever drank.

It wasn’t as valuable as the Stone of Wonderland -- to Alice, it was even moreso.

New Wonderland: Quarterly Challenge

cursetheflame — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:09:45 GMT

title: A Cup of Tea
prompt: small
characters: Hatter/Alice
rating: K
status: complete
summary: Hatter was always asking Alice the share a cup of tea. Let's just say that the third time was the charm.

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

title: Gumshoe
prompt: AU
characters: Hatter, Alice, Dormie, Charlie, Dodo, Jack, etc.
rating: T
status: ongoing; chapters 4/?
summary: In the seedy but colorful district of Wonderland, there’s no better detective around than Hatter. And his newest client? Alice Hamilton, an outsider whose boyfriend has just gone missing.

See, it wasn’t that he was some kind of cop or even a detective (though, for name on the door purposes, that’s what Hatter called himself). It was just that he had an uncanny knack to know what was going on and, if he didn’t, how to find out.

title: honesty (is such a lonely word)
prompt: deleted scene
characters: Duchess
rating: K
status: completed
summary: Duchess wasn't just a blind servant to the queen. She had feelings and emotions -- and not just the sort that came in a bottle.

Have another sip of honesty.

title: Lost in Translation
prompt: what if
characters: Hatter
rating: K+
status: completed
summary: What if Hatter recognized the ring Alice wore—and what if visiting Dodo at the Great Library wasn’t his plan at all? When you play both sides of the court, you have an in with either. It just depends on which side you choose to take.

I have a message for her majesty.

Fic: out of the frying pan (and into the fire)

cursetheflame — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:44:00 GMT

title: out of the frying pan (and into the fire)
fandom: SyFy's Alice
characters: Hatter, Alice, Charlie
rating: K+
summary: set during the beginning of part II; Trapped in an elevator with Charlie and Alice, trying to outrun a posse of Suits after discovering the identity of Alice's boyfriend, Hatter can’t help but think that, sometimes, it just doesn’t pay to leave the Tea House.
disclaimer: the characters in this story are the property of SyFy and Nick Willing and are only used for fan related purposes; any dialogue used is from the actual mini-series and is only used to further the story.

Luck was certainly on their side. The elevator door ping-ed open just as the three of them arrived; without another thought—and without another exit in sight—Hatter, Alice and Charlie piled inside the empty elevator like three sardines jumping into the can.

Charlie had led the way and was now standing in the back of the elevator, a look of wonder on his face, his mustache curled up above a curious grin; ever since he followed Hatter to the casino—because nothing Hatter had done could shake the old Knight—to try to rescue Alice, Charlie had been acting as if this was the most fun he’d had in decades. Alice, though, she was less pleased. A bit miffed, actually, Hatter thought, and would it have killed her to say thank you?

Alice watched him suspiciously as he ran into the elevator last, one hand out and pushing against Charlie’s armor before they collided, the other lunging for the control panel once he turned around and righted himself. “Up?” she demanded, harsher than Hatter felt was necessary, “Why up?”

“Do we have a choice?” Hatter countered, a slight hint of panic sneaking into his voice. He swallowed, trying to keep it cool, but that was far easier said than done. He was in the Hearts Casino, he had some of the queen’s men running after them, and just because that rabbit-headed menace wasn’t there yet, it didn’t mean he wasn’t coming.

So, no, they didn’t have one, of course. A choice, that is.

Goin’ up…

Hatter pressed the up button on the elevator because, of all the children’s stories he’d heard of, he wasn’t in the sort with a glass elevator that went this way or that way or up through the roof and across the sky. Hatter had to settle on a good old-fashioned elevator making it to the rooftop, goodness knows how many Suits following close behind them.

For the moment, though, locked in the sanctuary the small, cramped elevator allowed, Hatter couldn’t help but let his frantic mind settle on one thing: getting out of the Hearts Casino with Alice in one piece (and her head intact, preferably) and, well, with Charlie too, he supposed.

He had to come up with a plan, that much was clear—but what could they do? Alice was good at running and Charlie liked to talk a lot… Hatter knew Wonderland like the back of his hand—except for the parts of it hidden, of course—but, as far as he was concerned, the Hearts Casino wasn’t really even part of his Wonderland, his home. Hatter avoided going there if he could help it, usually doing his dealing with the queen’s Suits in his back office of the Tea House; he’d certainly never been to the casino’s rooftop before.

Add that to Alice’s inconvenient fear of heights—quite inconvenient since she’d found herself in a land built far up above the ground—and Hatter had a feeling she wasn’t going to be much help when they got to the top unless oysters had the ability to sprout wings and fly, but he didn’t think that was so likely. Besides, she would ruin his coat if she uncased a set of wings all of a sudden.

Hatter almost let out a queer laugh between glancing up and looking back at the lights on the control panel. He knew madness ran in the family, but he’d never thought of himself as one of the Mad Hatters until just now. Look at him. He was in an elevator with an old knight that, by all rights shouldn’t even exist anymore, and a renegade oyster, the Queen of Hearts’ men chasing them and he was worrying about an oyster growing wings. He should be more considered with a hatter losing his head (and, with the queen involved, not just figuratively).

He gave himself a small jerk but he couldn’t help but think: Ah, hell. We’re doomed.
It didn’t help matters either that Charlie seemed absolutely oblivious to the amount of trouble they were all in; or, if he did, he wasn’t so concerned. He was prattling on and on in that way of his, making some sense and no sense, something about pledging himself and his allegiance to the Alice of Legend.

“Please, Charlie, it’s just plain Alice.”

Even Alice sounded bothered when she answered him but Charlie didn’t care.

“Just plain Alice,” he continued unperturbed, “I will stand at your side, shoulder to shoulder, knee to—”

Hatter tried not to pay attention to what was going on behind him, but that was almost impossible. Another quick glance at the panel revealed that the casino floors were passing by like a blur and they were nearly halfway to the top already. He needed to think but he couldn’t think and, damn it, Charlie wasn’t helping at all!

“Charlie?” he interrupted, his eyes closed and his lips pulling into a panicked sort of frown. Why wasn’t the old knight shutting up? “Now’s not such a good time.”

“You guys shouldn’t have come,” Alice said, directing her words at Hatter. “You could get yourselves killed.”

Hatter didn’t know what he expected for all his heroics. A thank you would have been nice, a hug quite enjoyable and, well, a small kiss was certainly not out of the question. But being told that his actions had been in vain? Not even a sympathy smile? That was gratitude for you.

Trying not to let her less-than-welcoming reaction bother him, he changed the subject by asking, “Did you give the ring up, Alice?”

“Look, I had things under control.”

Even she didn’t look like she believed herself. And how could she? When Charlie’s interesting directions led Hatter to her, he found her in a room with no floor in a place that Charlie said was inside her head. How in the world could that be considered ‘under control’?

And then Hatter knew. “You tried to cut a deal with the queen, didn’t ya?”

“I was getting close.”

At least she had the decency to look a little ashamed. And after all the times he made sure to warn her that the queen was dangerous and not to be trifled with. He knew she was from the other world and all but it seemed like they spoke the same language. Was her stubbornness really that bad that she heard “don’t go to the Hearts Casino” and interpreted it as “the Hearts Casino gives all oysters free tea and biscuits”?

Or, Hatter wondered, maybe it was still this Jack fellow of hers…

“Gettin’ close?” Hatter shot back, the thought of Alice risking her head for her Jack making him antsier than what would happen when that elevator door finally opened again. “Maybe I’m wrong but negotiations didn’t seem to be goin’ so well.”

“Well, I need more time.”

Honestly, it was like talking to a brick wall. “For what? You really think the queen’s just gonna send you and your boyfriend home?”

“No.” She wasn’t meeting his eyes but Hatter was too relieved that she was actually agreeing with him for once to notice her sudden hesitance at first.

“No, of course not!” he agreed. Immediately he turned his thoughts back to the ring, to keeping Alice safe, maybe even help her get home—if, of course, she didn’t want to stay—and searching out the Resistance… anything but Alice and her Jack. More than ever, Hatter just wanted to get as far away from the casino as he possibly could. He’d always been considered a friend to the Hearts but he was fooling himself if he thought that either the royalty or the Resistance wanted to be friends after all this.

Still, it would work all out in the end. He was Hatter, after all. Things always seemed to work out for him. His thoughts about just how that could possibly happen this time, however, were cut short when Alice spoke next:

“Because he’s her son,” she admitted in a tumbled out rush of words, turning her head and dropping her gaze to the floor when she finished so that there was no denying where her eyes fell.

Hatter was still out of breath, from running or from his quick, frantic discussion with Alice. Maybe both—or maybe because his breath hitched in the back of his throat the second Alice’s hurried words met his ears. Stumped by her admission, he heard himself recover, but still breathing heavily, trying to understand what she had said, trying to make sense out of something so entirely senseless.

“The prince?” he asked at last, “Jack Heart? Jack Heart is your boyfriend?”

It’s not that he wanted to sound so disbelieving or that it was his intent to offend her but… Jack Heart? The Queen of Hearts’ son? He was the oyster Alice chased after into Wonderland to save?

Well, at least that explained what he was doing with the stone of Wonderland…

Hatter was done with having questions asked but not getting any answers in return. Choosing to forget just how many questions of hers he’d conveniently side-stepped since they first met, Hatter waited on bated breath—or, it would’ve been if he’d gotten back under control after their mad dash across the front lobby—for her reply.

It never came. Not yet anyway.

There was nothing like perfect timing, Hatter cursed. The elevator door opened before Alice could answer him and, wouldn’t you know, there was already a pair of Suits waiting to greet them on the rooftop. It was easy to tell that they weren’t part of the posse chasing them up from the ground floor but they were still the Queen of Hearts’ men. As soon as they saw the trio emerge from the elevator, they were more than prepared to stop them.

Hatter didn’t have time for this. He was still trying to get over the last ambush; a fight with a couple of Suits was the last thing he wanted to deal with after Alice’s bombshell.

Jack Heart and Alice…

See, he didn’t really know Jack Heart, but what he did know he didn’t like. He was the king and queen’s only son, heir to the throne and Wonderland’s most eligible bachelor—at least, he had been Wonderland’s most eligible bachelor until he announced his engagement to that blonde tart, Duchess. Jack Heart with his perfect hair, each platinum strand in its place; that stupid suit the prince wore, so plain and boring and without a single paisley print in sight; that snooty expression Hatter considered all royalty born with that told the entire world they were better than you.

He was Alice’s boyfriend?

Hatter took a split second to be curious over whether Alice knew about the prince’s engagement or not. From the expression he caught on her profile when she told him about Jack in the elevator to the strange way she’d been acting ever since Hatter and Charlie risked life and limb to rescue her, something told Hatter that Alice knew plenty more things than when she left the two men behind at Charlie’s fortress. Unless he was imagining that distant spark in her eyes, Alice had the look of one who’d followed a Cheshire Cat.

He wanted to kick himself for not noticing it when he saved her from that room without a floor; at the same time, part of him wanted to know what the Cat had shown her. Cheshire Cats only appeared when they had something show, and then they only appeared to those they wanted to show it to. More often than not an encounter with a grim, grinning feline could leave a person mad, either from the sight itself or the Cat’s wicked grin. He’d never heard of a Cheshire Cat showing itself to an oyster—then again, when ever had an oyster been loose in Wonderland? And, really, what was it that one of the foul beasts would’ve shown Alice?

He would have to make sure he asked her, if they actually made it out of this mess that is. First, though, he had to deal with the pair of Suits hurrying towards them.

Hatter rushed out to meet the one who seemed like the bigger threat, the one rushing out to meet them, leaving his partner to Charlie and Alice. He had to give the guy credit: he was quicker than Hatter expected; that, or Hatter’s blows were simply wild. His timing was off, his mind unable to shake the image of the snooty prince even standing alongside Alice, and he missed two punches before a lucky blow from the Suit caught him on the side of his head.

It didn’t knock any sense in his head, but the hit did knock Hatter’s trusty hat to the ground—which, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was still dealing with the punches the Suit was throwing at him, would’ve made Hatter really mad. He took the blows willingly, waiting for the moment to get his own back.

It wasn’t coming as fast as he would’ve liked.

The Suit had his hand against Hatter’s throat which didn’t seem quite fair; even worse, the big brute backed him against the edge of the rooftop, laying his head against the cement siding. Without the brim of his hat to obscure his vision, Hatter glanced behind him, got a good eyeful of the Wonderland he was trying his damndest to protect and decided that he’d had enough.

Using his powerful right hand to reverse their positions, Hatter had the bastard by the throat. A quick blow to his gut made him weak, and then another to the back of the Suit’s head and their fight was over. With the man doubled over, Hatter wiped his hand against his lip, checking for blood, before bending over and retrieving his fallen hat. Turning to check on his opponent, he saw that the man was staggering towards him again. Hatter used a hat trick that came easily to him, transferring his poor hat to his left hand in order to free up his right.

His right fist took pleasure in delivering the last blow in the name of Hatter’s hat. He waited for the Suit to fall before returning his porkpie back where it belonged.

Alright, he conceded, now it was over.

During his own tussle, he’d managed to catch a glimpse of what was going on in the background. As he adjusted his hat, he watched as Charlie, with a well aimed bop on the head and some choice words—“Bow to the Hand of Diocles!”—finished off the second Suit. But he knew better than to assume that Charlie had any hand (except for that bop) in his defeat. That was all Alice.

First Dodo, now a Suit. That flip had been amazing and she was barely out of breath herself. Hatter had been wrong about thinking that Alice wouldn’t be any help when she got to the roof. He’d forgotten about her habit of taking on men twice her size, but the Suit sprawled out on the rooftop was an indicator that she wasn’t the sort of damsel in distress in any of the children’s books he knew of.

Hatter was beginning to feel as if everything he’d ever read was a lie. Then again, he was descended from characters himself, so there was that…

Bowing his head, both agreeing with his own assessments and also showing just how impressed he was with Alice, Hatter rushed forward to join her and Charlie. Sure, they’d beaten two Suits but there were ten times that still coming after them. He was surprised they hadn’t made it to the roof already but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be there shortly.
Alice was obviously thinking along the same lines as him. “What now?” she asked, turning towards Hatter.

Of course. He was always the one with the plan, wasn’t he?

He had one then, too. Not that he was expecting a little compassion for the hits he’d taken but come on already. A little something, eh?

Keeping that thought to himself, Hatter turned and pointed at his plan. “We get on one of those.” As if someone had expected them, there were three Flamingo Fliers parked right at the edge of the roof. Charlie rushed toward them, amazed, and Hatter followed. He noticed Alice lingering as far away as she could but simply said, “Get on.”

Nobody did at first. Charlie was jabbering on again, stroking the front of the Flamingo, Hatter was checking out the backend of his Flamingo while Alice… well, it wasn’t so difficult to see that she was leery at best (and terrified at worse).

“These things fly?” she asked in amazement. Her very tone indicated that she thought the idea crazy and wanted Hatter to tell her no.

“We don’t have time to think, Alice, just get on,” Hatter retorted, climbing on one himself. Charlie was already positioning his body comfortably on the middle Flamingo but Alice, after one quick glance down, was already backing away.

“I am not getting on that.”

Ah, so that was it. He knew her fear of heights was going to bite them in the bum in the end. For a moment he thought about being sympathetic before remembering the Suits that had to be arriving soon. As it was, it was pretty damn amazing that it had taken the men this long already to climb up the stairs. He doubted their luck would hold out any longer and he told her such in a few succinct words:

“You don’t have another choice.”

“You don’t understand,” she argued, the panic in her voice evident this time, “I’m not getting on that.”

“It’s perfectly safe,” Hatter shot back before realizing that he couldn’t really be sure. He’d never actually flown a Flamingo before, but if a Suit could do it, so could he. Still, being around Alice taught him that he should be as honest as he could and he amended his words by adding, “Safe-ish.”

“No,” Alice cried, the panic rising. “I have a thing about flying.”

And then, as if on cue, the Suits that were chasing them finally decided to arrive. With guns.

Wonderful.

Hatter had to work hard to keep his voice even. “Yes, I’ve gotta a thing about bullets. Look,” he said, trying to compromise before Alice’s fear got them all killed, “I’ll do the flying, all you have to do is hold on.” She was still hesitating, still looking like being shot was a better option than climbing onto a Flamingo with Hatter. If it wasn’t for the seriousness of the situation, he might’ve been offended by that. Instead, he decided to try that honesty thing again. “Look at me. I wouldn’t let you do it if I didn’t think you’d be okay.”

Amazingly enough, she actually seemed to believe him. At any rate, she climbed on right behind him.

All the while, Charlie had spent their exchange closely examining his Flamingo, still seemingly oblivious to the gunshots and the group of men emerging from the exit at the far end of the rooftop. Murmuring more to himself than to his companions, he mused out loud, “How do you get it to fly?”

There was a red button on the back of the Flamingo’s head. With one small push, Charlie was off, screaming at the fast pace of the ride.

“Like that, I suppose,” Hatter quipped, watching the stream of smoke that emitted from the back of Charlie’s Flamingo.

“That’s fast,” Alice observed, the fear in her voice even more noticeable. Hatter didn’t need to turn around to know that her mouth would be dropped open or that her eyes would be staring wide.

Which was a good thing, of course, since his eyes were glued to Charlie’s track ahead of them. “Oh, yeah,” he agreed, his finger poised above the red button on their Flamingo. “Hold on.” And then he jabbed it, quickly, before he lost his nerve too. They left in a storm of gunfire as the Suits finally made it to the edge, the Flamingo thankfully outstripping the bullets.

It was nice to feel her arms around his waist, her front pressed up against his back as she fearfully clung to him. He would never admit he was a little scared himself, but having her on the Flamingo with him did wonders for his bravado. Switching from the swashbuckling hero to a cheeky bastard came easily to him, especially now that they’d had a head start and he only had to worry about a couple of Suits instead of twenty.

Though, looking back on it, it probably wasn’t the best idea to leave that one Flamingo still there...

But they were free for the moment, streaking away from the Hearts Casino, from the dangerous queen—and from Jack Heart. Hatter felt a small surge of jealousy run through him at the name. Feeling safer now, and knowing that she couldn’t dodge this question while she was sitting behind him hundreds of feet above the water, he couldn’t help but mutter, “I suppose it’s his lofty airs and graces, huh?”

He didn’t call the prince by name but they both knew exactly who he was talking about.

“He doesn’t have airs and graces,” Alice replied. She loosened her grip around his waist, pulling slightly away from him as if his question offended her, but she didn’t completely let go. Maybe it was wrong of him to use her fear against her, but Hatter was used to doing what he had to to get answers. He’d made a life out of playing both sides of the court, out of smuggling and trading for information… this, as far as he was concerned, wasn’t anything different.

Except that Alice was different from any person he’d ever known.

“What then?” he asked, unwilling to give up.

But Hatter was wrong about that, too: Alice, it seemed, could dodge the question.

“Look, just shut up and drive,” she ordered. But she did lean back into him again, holding on tightly in a way that made him drop the subject. For now, at least.

He didn’t know what lay before him, what he was going to do and, hell, if he was even going to survive Alice’s adventure in Wonderland, but one thing was for sure: he wasn’t going to give up on this. On her. On… on everything. And he certainly was going to find out what it was that attracted Alice to Jack Heart.

Besides his title…

His money…

His looks…

And his power—

—but, Hatter thought, just in time for a set of Flamingo-riding Suits to appear behind them, at least he was the one with the dashing hat.

Fic: Jack's Heart

cursetheflame — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:13:07 GMT

title: Jack's Heart
fandom: SyFy's Alice
characters: Jack, Alice, Hatter
rating: K/G
summary: set at the end of part II; As Jack Heart stands in the room with the Looking Glass, watching as Alice says her goodbyes and leaves for her world, he wonders about his love for her and what it really meant.
disclaimer: the characters in this story are the property of SyFy and Nick Willing and are only used for fan related purposes.

Jack remembers the first time he ever saw her.

It was shortly after he crossed over to the other side of the Looking Glass. Another Resistance insider, one a little lower in the hierarchy, had been sent over to search for the one key to bringing down the Queen of Hearts and her reign of instant gratification: Carpenter’s daughter from his old life in the other world. When the insider found her, a young dark-haired woman called Alice, he sent for Jack. Jack came immediately when called, in disguise and ready to act; dealing with this particularly oyster was what he’d been chosen by Caterpillar for. A daughter’s aid for a son’s rebellion.

She was sitting alone in a coffee shop, when he first saw her, sipping a coffee—black—and leafing absently through a textbook. Her eyes were alert, ever present of her surroundings, and Jack had to slip sideways twice to make sure she didn’t catch him staring. She was, almost unexpectedly, quite beautiful. Her wide blue eyes, unblinking, the thick dark hair, the enigmatic smile… beautiful.

He followed her over the next few days, learning everything about her that he could. She was a student, a bit high strung in his opinion but confident. Independent. She worked part-time teaching karate, went to school for too much of the morning and spent many of her evenings with her mother in the apartment they shared. Jack waited until he thought he knew enough about the girl before orchestrating an “accidental” meeting.

Their first date was three days later. Jack remembers being more nervous than he had been in years.

Like a puzzle with all the proper pieces, everything seemed to fall into place after that. Each date was a perfect fit, each day they spent together another step closer to him accomplishing his aims. He took far too many karate classes—he wondered if his back would ever recover—and he drank far too many cups of coffee, but in the end Jack was successful. He gained her favor, offering his own back in return, and, for the first time in a long while, Jack was happy. So happy, in fact, that when Alice invited him over to have dinner with her mother, he barely remembered a motive other than impressing Mrs. Hamilton.

But everything changed that last night. The feeling he was being followed, the sunglasses-covered man who watched as he bought roses, the forewarning in a text message from another Resistance member working in this world… it was all over, his act and his charade. He tried to convince Alice to come with him, even going so far as to offer the ring in a thinly veiled bribe—or maybe it was a proposal at the time… Jack, himself, isn’t even sure. He wasn’t supposed to actually give her the stone of Wonderland but it seemed like the perfect thing—the only thing—to do just then.

He wasn’t surprised when she declined, only disappointed. It wasn’t in her nature to be so impetuous; he should’ve known that, adventure or no, he never could’ve whisked Alice away to Wonderland at a moment’s notice. The ring spooked her, that much was clear, and it was back in his hand before he had blinked. She all but pushed him out of her front door, but Jack was ready for her commitment issues to turn her against him. Acting a bit impetuously himself, he slipped the ring into the pocket of her blue dress while giving her a goodbye hug.

When he left her apartment and was ambushed by a White Rabbit agent and a couple of Suits shortly after, Jack knew it really was a goodbye hug. He was caught and going home again. He didn’t know hurt worse: the punch to his gut, the realization that he had failed in his mission to bring Carpenter’s daughter to Wonderland or that he would never see Alice again. In that instant it was easy for him to forget that Carpenter’s long lost daughter and Alice were one in the same.

Then he was back in Wonderland and back to being Jack Heart again. After a quick stop inside the White Rabbit’s headquarters, it was into a Scarab and then off to his family’s blasted casino. His mother laughed and squawked and ordered him to cut that ridiculous mop of hair, to rinse out that terrible dark color that wasn’t the platinum blond she preferred her son to sport. The comfortable clothes from the other side of the Looking Glass were burned, his old familiar suit laid out for him in its place. Playtime was over, the gesture said. Time to grow up.

Ah, he had sneered inwardly, it was good to be home.

Ignoring his mother’s comments and questions, and ignoring Duchess as best he could in such close quarters, Jack was finally left locked in his room. This, of course, left him plenty of time to think. He didn’t understand what went wrong. Meeting Alice Hamilton in her world was only one part of the Resistance’s plan, of Caterpillar’s far-reaching ideas. When he fled to the other side, stealing the ring from his overbearing tyrant of a mother and queen, it was supposed to trigger a coup that would lead with her being removed from the throne.

It had been planned for weeks after his recruitment into the Resistance. The perfect opportunity to steal the ring, using his upcoming farce of a wedding to Duchess to disappear on a bachelor’s jaunt in the other world, training and learning how to fit in and convince Carpenter’s daughter that he was trustworthy… everything was planned, but nothing, it seemed, had gone according to plan.

His flight into the other world was supposed to trigger a coup—but it didn’t. The moment Agent White caught him outside Alice’s apartment, Jack knew something had gone wrong.
Dragged back through the Looking Glass, dragged back into his old life, Jack Chase became Jack Heart became the rebellious son trying his best to disguise himself behind a stoic expression and very little emotion.

In Wonderland, being emotional could be very dangerous. Whether real or simply manufactured by the Hearts Casino for instant gratification, Jack had spent enough time with Caterpillar at the Hospital of Dreams to think it wise to show any true feeling at all.
Which, he decides while standing apart from her in the Looking Glass room, was probably what sent Alice running into another man’s arms…

Jack Heart, prince and heir to the throne of Wonderland, was cold, aloof, royal. It wasn’t so much that he wanted to be that way—it was both expected and extremely necessary for him to hide his true thoughts and intentions. Blood may be thicker than water but Jack knew better than anyone what was at stake if his mother remained queen much longer. So he did what he had to, finding Alice and convincing her to fall for him using a charm he was free to wield in her world but never his own.

What he never expected was that he would fall for her in turn.

But, he wonders now, did he really love her? He has feelings for her, goodness yes, and just the memory of the near kiss between Alice and Hatter he witnessed in the Kingdom of the Knights is enough to make the pit of his stomach burn with jealousy, but did he truly love her?

Oh, he told her many times. Robotic recitations, he realizes now, flat words that did nothing to show her how much he cared. Yes, he said he loved her, but did he show her? Did he once, since she demonstrated her loyalty to him by chasing after him into Wonderland, did he once show her that he felt as strongly about her in return?

He thought he was protecting her when he lied about their relationship, lied about how she stole the ring rather than admitting the truth: that he gave her the ring before he was captured. He lied about who he was, who she was to him, and his intents when he was with her in her world. He used her to get to Carpenter, he used her for the greater good of Wonderland, but he used her all the same.

How in any way could she have taken those actions to mean he loved her?

Maybe, he muses, the sting of her rejection of his proposal still ringing in his ears, maybe it’s not that he loved Alice, but that he loved the idea of loving Alice. It was poetic, wasn’t it, to be a Resistance insider, one who went on a mission to return with a girl who could help dethrone the Queen of Hearts, to dethrone his mother, only to fall in love with her during his reconnaissance in her world. She was an oyster, she was an Alice, and wouldn’t it be wonderful for Wonderland to have her as a new queen?

Or maybe, he tells himself honestly, maybe he really does love her because, as he watches slyly at the awkward way Hatter and Alice say their goodbyes, he feels that terrible jealous burn again. Jack wishes he was in Hatter’s place—without, perhaps, the hat—wishes that Alice had invited him to follow her back into her world… that he could even follow her if given the chance. It’s easy to see that neither Alice nor Hatter wants to leave the other but they don’t actually say so; the words just aren’t there.

So they run around the subject, saying nothing really at all until Alice, with the dejected look he knows too well—he’ll never forget the way her face fell when Duchess walked into the room—heads straight to the Looking Glass. She’s the first of many oysters who’ll return, back from the land that vanished them, back to the world they belong now. It’s with a push and a shove and reminder to breathe and Alice… Alice is gone.

He must love her, Jack decides at last, because why else would he want her to be happy when she’s left him feeling so desolate? She’s gone through, she’s left him alone, but he has a kingdom to run, a world to save, and he’ll get over her in time. He’ll certainly be busy enough, even if he’ll never actually forget him. But Alice should be happy, she’s helped him and she’s lost her father in the process. She deserves happiness. She’s a hero in Wonderland, and he wants to do something to show his appreciation.

Because, even if she doubts his affection for her, Jack knows she went back through the Looking Glass with his heart in her possession…

He clears his throat as he approaches Alice’s Hatter. Alice should be happy, he knows, and this… this man is the one who will take care of her in a way that Jack was never able to.

Ignoring the startled and instantly distrustful expression as it snakes across Hatter’s face, Jack tells Hatter three distinct things: he tells Hatter where to find Alice; he tells Hatter where his apartment in Alice’s world is and makes sure to mention that he should take advantage of the clothes in the closet; and he tells Hatter that, more than anything, Alice loves red roses.

And then Jack Heart nods curtly at Hatter, knowing that he’d just helped the rogue make up his mind about following Alice through, and leaves, his entourage following in his wake. He’s the King of Hearts now and there’s plenty for him to do. But, as he leaves, he allows himself one fleeting sad smile. For now he knows that he did love Alice Hamilton.

He loved her enough to let her go.

Contrariwise

cursetheflame — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:57:31 GMT

title: Contrariwise
fandom: SyFy's Alice
characters: Alice, Doctor Dee, Doctor Dum
rating: K+
summary: set during the end of part I, the beginning of part II; Alice’s thoughts and experiences inside the Truth Room. If Dr. Dee and Dr. Dum wanted a battle, well, she was going to give them one.
disclaimer: the characters in this story are the property of SyFy and Nick Willing and are only used for fan related purposes; any dialogue used is from the actual mini-series and is only used to further the story.

Relax… let your mind go. Allow yourself to fall into a deep sleep…

But Alice wasn’t sleeping. At least, she didn’t think she was.

The voices of Dr. Dee and his brother, Dr. Dum, oily and hypnotic twin voices, they washed over her, her head spinning, falling… falling until her eyes opened wide, a vain attempt to prove she was awake. She felt twenty, then, she felt ten. She was afraid to go into her father’s study, she was afraid to put too much faith in the familiar old watch Jack Chase—no, she corrected almost subconsciously, not Chase, Heart—slipped her inside the casino.

How many times had she seen the watch on his wrist? How many times had she looked for it on every man she suspected might be her father? R.H… Robert Hamilton. Dad left, but where did he go? Dad was here...

But where was here?

Ten year old Alice—no, twenty year old Alice thought she was in her father’s old study in the little yellow house of her memories. She was, but then she wasn’t. She didn’t remember a crib standing in the center of the old study. She peered inside, not knowing what to expect, not surprised by what she found. There was a pig, a baby pig in the baby’s crib…

Okay, she allowed. Maybe she was asleep. This had to be a dream.

… all the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again…

Their voices lost their harmony, they went out of sync and Alice barely had time to notice their hurry when the door slammed shut behind her. She jumped, spun around, gasped out loud and stared at the entrance that was no longer an exit. The light flickered, dark and back again, so quickly she thought she blinked.

The crib was gone, and the pig inside, and the doctors were speaking again, slow, and careful and finishing each other’s sentences now:

Now it’s time for a battle…

… let’s see if we can find a little lever…

… and prise the tasty oyster open.

Alice Hamilton, the real Alice in the real world, was always a no-nonsense, independent sort
of girl. A black belt in karate, as defensive and as guarded in her personal life as well as her professional one, there wasn’t much she feared—but she did have fears. Of course she did. She was human, after all.

She had two distinct fears, different though they stemmed from the same trauma. One was a little silly, and very common: she was terrified of heights, flying and anything that had to do with her feet leaving the hard ground where they belonged; the other was less so: Alice feared abandonment, being left alone by everyone she loved.

It had happened once before…

The planks started falling, one after another after another. Alice watched in horror as they dropped, revealing a pit so far down below that all she saw was an inky blackness that made her stomach twist and her head spin.

Then one was left, just one, and Alice clung to it like it was a life-preserver. It was a life-preserver. The one wooden board was the only thing keeping her up as she dropped down to her knees and clung to the side with her fingers. The rough edges of the plank bit into her palms but she ignored it. She was too busy trying to convince herself that she was brave, that she was safe, that this was all apart of her imagination.

“This isn’t happening,” she argued, the real Alice coming to, yelling as she was to the (nonexistent, she hoped) giants hovering just outside, “it’s all in my head! It’s just a dream!”

Shaky, desperate to prove it to herself, she climbed to her feet, her arms at her side for balance. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of the all encompassing black swimming beneath her, but she stood up straight, gasping and panting, determined all the same.

“I just have to wake up,” she said to no one in particular. One step, one small step to convince herself that it was simply a dream—

—but one step was all it took. The plank wobbled, she overbalanced and then she fell. Alice may not have wanted to think that she was conscious but she was and her reflexes were as quick as ever. Wrapping her arms around the edge of the board, she hung on for dear life, her legs swinging to and fro like the pendulum of her old grandfather’s clock.

“It’s real,” she gasped, struggling to hold herself up, afraid to let the empty hole swallow her up.

Of course it’s real…

Alice was awake, she was herself, she was thinking. If everything was real, and she had to admit it was, she would die if she fell. Her brain whirring, her arms straining, she asked them about the ring. It was her bargaining chip—it always has been—but the doctors, each equally insane, they didn’t seem to care.

They would relish her death, rejoicing in the screams she made as she fell. They were crazy, they were mad, and they didn’t even bother to deny it when she all but accused them of being so. It was fun, they thought, and she felt nothing but anger and disgust at their delight.

She quivered and trembled, her fear momentarily forgotten. Stubborn to a fault, Alice wasn’t about to let them see her give in so easily. She was made of stronger stuff than that. She was a city girl, a black belt, for goodness sake! Swinging her legs up, using the momentum to wrap her legs around the plank, Alice relied on every last bit of her upper arm strength to pull herself back up on the plank. Only then, when she was safely straddling the board overlooking the darkness, did Alice’s fear return.

Her heart was beating, her palms were slippery with sweat, but she refused to let the twisted doctors see anything but her anger. She called back on the ring because it was the only thing she had; this side up, Dr. Dee and Dr. Dum were more interesting in hearing what she had to say.

More importantly, they wanted to know where it was—as if Alice would tell them that. They could promise her her freedom and she still wouldn’t tell them anything.

The doctors didn’t offer Alice her freedom…

If you don’t tell us…

… we may as well kill you…

… and then we’ll just have to tell the queen it was an accident…

… it happens all the time.

It was more threats, but they were more than capable of acting on them. At once, the board, the single piece of wood that was keeping her from freefalling down, it began to disappear. Disintegrating, crumbling to splinters and wooden shards and mere dust right before her very eyes, she climbed back to her knees. Her bravado had crumbled just as quickly.

Or had it?

They were talking, oily, nasty words that she couldn’t hear over the out and out pounding of her panicked heart. Four feet left, two feet left, maybe twelve inches… Alice was backed up against the wall, open fear splayed across her face.

You learn a lot hanging over an abyss, using only the strength of yours arms to keep you from falling; you learn even more when you’re only a foot away from plummeting to your death.

Alice’s mind was still whirring, the anger keeping her sharp, keeping her sane; the fear was there, all too present, but she used it to her advantage. A battle the twisted doctors had called for… well, it was a battle they were going to get. Her toes hanging over the remnants of the board, the wood threatening to finish crumbling to nothing, Alice finally gave in.

At least, she pretended to…

“Wait,” she said weakly, knowing it was her only chance. “I’ll tell you where it is.”

You better be quick! yelled one doctor.

It has a mind of its own! yelled the other.

“I have to write it down,” she invented, the terror in her voice all too real. “It’s complicated. I have to draw a map.”

Ho, hum… very well, if you must…

A desk appeared suddenly, a desk with a pen, some paper, and, strangely enough, a fan and a pair of kid gloves. Aware that the wood was still splintering slowly beneath her boot-covered feet, she lunged for the pen. She gripped it tightly and shakily, determinedly put the nib to a blank piece of paper she pulled toward her. She decidedly felt slightly more confident than she looked as she began to write quickly:

Locker 208, Central Station…

It was time to let the servants and their wretched queen think that the cursed ring was back in her world; it would serve them right for doing this to her, to her father, to all the oysters stolen here. Alice knew enough about the Queen of Hearts by now that the woman would never think to look for the ring where it was—where it belonged.

NaNo '09

cursetheflame — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:41:54 GMT

^^ oh yeah.

Of Sleeping Beauty and Fairytale Endings

cursetheflame — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:10:47 GMT

+ written for crickets impromptu (im)promptathon.

title: Of Sleeping Beauty and Fairytale Endings
fandom: Harper's Island
prompt: breakfast
words: 1,000
spoilers: set during episode 01x13; spoilers up through and including "Sigh".

Of Sleeping Beauty and Fairytale Endings

--

Abby had been sleeping for three days already. Henry didn’t blame her, either. After he lit the old Church up like the 4th of July, burning the evidence of his treachery, he’d been desperate for a good night’s sleep himself.

There was so much to do. First he had to carry Abby’s unconscious body across the threshold bridal-style into their new home. The dirty, wet clothes that smelt like she’d been in them for a week—well, close enough—had been the first to go; ever prepared, he had a spare set waiting for her when she woke up.

Jimmy, worse off on his fight with Wakefield but stubbornly still alive, had to go. Henry didn’t kill him yet—he could still be useful, he figured—and he methodically bound and gagged the interfering fisherman before tying him securely to a post in the garage.

Only then, when the doors were locked and he could drink in his victory and the promise of a lifetime with Abby that lay before him, did Henry finally allow himself to drop his guard and drop his mask and finally fall asleep.

He was up and awake and antsy to be with Abby after only a handful of hours in his adopted bed. Hyped up on adrenaline and a desire to touch her, to hold her, to forget the secrets and just make her understand, Henry was refreshed and ready to go.

But Abby still wouldn’t wake.

He spent that whole first day sitting outside of her designated room; wanting to take things slowly, he gave them each their own. After settling her on the bed, Henry refused to step foot back inside—he’d had to take so much from her already for their sacrifice that he didn’t find it right to take her privacy, too. Contenting himself with waiting for her to wake, he sat with his back up against the closed door, listening to the sound of her jagged breath (and pointedly ignoring the muffled moans and soft cries he didn’t understand).

That was two days and one night ago and Henry was beginning to think she would never wake up. He didn’t want to deny her her rest—the dark circles under her eyes made her no less of a Sleeping Beauty but she did look less than her best—but he was desperate to hear her voice, to hear her laugh, to finally, after a lifetime of waiting, have her all to himself.

Henry wasn’t a cruel man, even if he was admittedly single-minded. Once he was sure the coast was clear—neither the police nor the FBI even ventured to this side of the island—he visited Jimmy. He offered him food but Jimmy refused and Henry didn’t push it. It was only a courtesy, anyway.

His patience was wearing thin. He had to stop himself from actually spending the last night in her room, watching her as she slept. In the end, he did return to his room, though he only slept for a handful of hours. There was no use in dreaming, he figured, when all of his dreams had already come true (and were just down the hall, if out of reach for the moment).

On that third day, Henry woke up with the sun. Taunting Jimmy had lost its appeal since he refused to do anything but stare hatefully back up at his captor. Henry tried to entice him to eat—some niceties had to be observed—but, when Jimmy just closed his eyes, he slipped back out of the garage.

Sometimes it was hard for him to face a person he was just about to kill. It had been with J.D., he remembered, and Trish. Sully, he grinned, had had it coming and Jimmy… he was going to enjoy himself with that one.

Just like his father had wanted him to do, he had saved the best for last.

With a spring in his step that a beautiful day on Harper’s Island could bring (and a beautiful woman in his house could give), Henry returned to his chosen headquarters for the beginning of the rest of their lives. Things would be different now, different once Abby was awake, and he could feel himself on the cusp of forever as he felt the knob turn under his hand. Careful as always, he locked it behind him.

He never would have gotten where he was today if it wasn’t for his being so prepared.

The house was quiet and still and ever so cozy when he let himself back in. There was still a strange smell to the air, of emptiness, that Henry hoped to change in time. They would get used to it, it would be theirs and Henry Dunn would finally get his happily-ever-after.

He couldn’t see how much longer his Sleeping Beauty could avoid him by keeping her eyes closed. Growing used to waiting for her—as if he hadn’t waited for her and the moment they would finally be together all his life—Henry chose to take a seat at the clear table.

And, as he’d done for three days, he sat down and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long. Henry was halfway through putting the finishing touches on his plan regarding Jimmy Mance’s usefulness when he could’ve sworn he heard the sound of hesitant, delicate footsteps on the floor above him.

Ah, he grinned, already trying to ignore the frantic flapping of nervous butterflies that sprang to life with the sounds of Abby stirring. His guest of honor was finally waking up, he realized with a dimpled smile and an eager desire to please her.

He jumped up from his seat, smoothing his hair down as he hurried into the middle of the near empty kitchen. She had to be hungry, and a good meal could go a long way with helping her swallow the truth.

Now, what would Abby like for breakfast?

Writer's Block: Top of the Charts

cursetheflame — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:37:00 GMT

"Take Me Home Tonight" by Hinder. I loved the original -- long live the '80's -- and Hinder's remake is just great ;)

My Never: A Henry/Abby Fanmix

cursetheflame — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:16:47 GMT

*click to see full-size
(textures credit)

01. I Know What You Are
Carter Burwell, the Twilight Score

Abby to Henry

02. In Your Eyes
Jeffrey Gaines

Henry to Abby

love, I don't like to see so much pain
so much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away
I get so tired of working so hard for our survival
I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive…

03. Over and Over
Three Days Grace

Henry to Abby

so many thoughts that I can't get out of my head
I try to live without you, every time I do I feel dead
I know what's best for me
but I want you instead…

04. Cry Little Sister
Sisters of Mercy

Henry to Abby

cry, little sister - thou shall not fall
come to your brother - thou shall not die
unchain me, sister - thou shall not fear
love is with your brother - thou shall not kill…

05. Always
Saliva

Abby to Henry

I see, the blood all over your hands
Does it make you feel, more like a man?
Was it all, just a part of your plan?

06. Obsession
Animotion

Henry to Abby

my fantasy has turned to madness
all my goodness has turned to badness
my need to possess you has consumed my soul
my life is trembling, I have no control…

07. Dangerous Game
Linda Eder & Robert Cuccioli from Jekyll & Hyde

all I know is I'm lost
and I'm counting the cost
my emotions are in a spin
I don't know who to blame...

08. Possession
Sarah McLachlan

Henry to Abby

through this world I stumble
so many times betrayed
trying to find an honest word
to find the truth enslaved

oh, you speak to me in riddles
and you speak to me in rhymes
my body aches to breathe your breath
your words keep me alive…

09. Demons
Brian McFadden

Henry to Abby

I can feel a sense of danger
you stare at me like I’m a stranger
paralyzed and you don’t seem to care
the demons in my dreams…

10. Because of You
Kelly Clarkson

Abby to Henry

you never thought of anyone else
you just saw your pain
and now I cry
in the middle of the night
for the same damn thing…

11. My Never
Blue October

Henry to Abby

will you think of me in time?
it's never my luck, so never mind.
I wanna say your name, but the pain starts again…

12. You'll See
Madonna

Abby to Henry

all by myself
I don’t need anyone at all
I know I’ll survive
I know I’ll stay alive…

13. I'm Alive
Aaron Tveit from Next to Normal

Henry to Abby

I'm alive
I'm right behind you.
you say forget but I'll remind you.
you can try to hide but you know that I will find you.
'cause if you won't grieve me, you won't leave me behind…

+ Find the MY NEVER: a Henry/Abby fanmix collection here.

Enjoy!

Gasp: a Trish Wellington picspam

cursetheflame — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:53:59 GMT

I present a companion picspam to my Harper's Island fic, Once Upon a Time:

+ contains spoilers for Harper's Island, 1x12, "Gasp"; picspam is very image heavy.

BANNERS

cursetheflame — Sun, 17 Apr 2005 18:22:54 GMT

total; 256

65 first place.
75 second place.
70 third place.
46 other.

newsiesicontest

+ 2nd place @ newsiesicontest

+ 1st place @ newsiesicontest

actor_icontest

+ 3rd place @ actor_icontest

hp_icontest

+ 1st place, week 12 @ hp_icontest

cultfilm_icons

t10k_icontest

+ 1st place, week 10 @ t10k_icontest

+ 2nd place, week 11 @ t10k_icontest

+ 3rd place, week 11 @ t10k_icontest

+ 1st place, week 12 @ t10k_icontest

+ 2nd place, week 12 @ t10k_icontest

+ 2nd place, week 13 @ t10k_icontest

+ 1st place, week 14 @ t10k_icontest

+ 3rd place, week 14 @ t10k_icontest

emmy_stillness

+ 2nd place, week 09 @ emmy_stillness

+ 3rd place, week 09 @ emmy_stillness

+ 2nd place, week 10 @ emmy_stillness

+ 2nd place, week 12 @ emmy_stillness

+ 1st place, week 13 @ emmy_stillness

+ 2nd place, week 14 @ emmy_stillness

poto_icontest

phantom_men

+ 2nd place, week 04 @ phantom_men

+ 3rd place, week 04 @ phantom_men

phantom_icontes

c_stillness

erik_stillness

+ 1st place, week 15 @ erik_stillness

+ 2nd place, week 15 @ erik_stillness

+ 1st place, week 18 @ erik_stillness

otp_icontest

+ 1st place, week 16 @ otp_icontest

+ 3rd place, week 16 @ otp_icontest

phantom_hush

+ 2nd place, week 11 @ phantom_hush

+ 2nd place, week 14 @ phantom_hush

poto_stillness

phantom_chorus

g_stillness

gerryicontest

+ 3rd place, week 23 @ gerryicontest

gerry_hush

masque_icons

potoicontest

tpoto_stillness

bale_stillness

orli_stillness

+ mod's choice, week 38 @ orli_stillness

+ 2nd place, week 38 @ orli_stillness

gerrychallenge

house_challenge

1st place, week 9 @ house_challenge

house_hush

newsies_hush

mr_potoicontest

gerry_chorus

emmy_hush

emmychallenge

gerem_stillness

+ 2nd place, week 4 @ gerem_stillness

viggo_hush

jackman_stills

greg_stillness

+ 3rd place, week 3 @ greg_stillness

ewanstillness

inukag_icontest

inu_stillness

+ 3rd place, week 32 @ inu_stillness

inu_sess_stills

+ 2nd place, week 2 @ inu_sess_stills

+ mod's choice, week 2 @ inu_sess_stills

+ 1st place, week 5 @ inu_sess_stills

poto_graphics

phantomiconidol

phantom_awards

+ round 18

+ round 20

disney_hush

+ requests?

cursetheflame — Sun, 05 Dec 2004 17:13:17 GMT

MUCH OF THIS JOURNAL IS FRIEND LOCKED. YOU WANT IN? LEAVE A MESSAGE AFTER THE BEEP.

BEEP--