Mad was beginning to stumble when he finally saw the lights blazing in the home of Maris Hare. Maris was an Aunimalis, of a species called Sungura, which were nothing like the Usagi as Maris had made quite clear the first time Mad had asked.

He tripped over nothing and suddenly found himself on his knees, vision sparkling. He looked down stupidly at his shoulder to find that the plug had worked itself loose as he walked and a slow pulse of blood was leaking from the neat hole in the front of his shoulder. Mad hadn't been able to even attempt to staunch the exit wound in his back which was most likely larger and more messy due to the flattening of the bullet as it passed through him.

Mad smiled a bit drunkenly and supposed that he should be glad that Rakta favored ball ammunition rather than the hollow point rounds that the Heart's Ace used. As his vision started to dim, he whispered, "Chesh."

After that, Mad remembered very little other than a sudden rush of jerky movement, the pain that accompanied it and then bright lights and a single calm voice amid a plethora of worried ones. Then there was a soft bed and rough fingers probing at the hole through his shoulder.

Mad decided that now was an acceptable time to give up on consciousness and he slipped into a blissfully still darkness.

When he woke up, he was a little surprised to find Alice sitting by his bed instead of Cheshire. He shifted, trying to remember exactly where he was and she shouted, "He's awake! Maris! Chesh! He's up!"

Her hands fluttered uselessly over the top of Mad and she said in a great rush, "Oh! I'm so glad you're finally awake. Cheshire and Maris found you in the gardens positively soaked in blood. All you said was 'Rakta' which I didn't understand but Cheshire and Maris seemed to and they carried you in here. Maris bandaged you up, although how I'll never know. It was absolutely ghastly! Cheshire's furious at you for going by yourself. Why did you take such a risk?! How are you feeling?"

Alice handed him a glass of water, which Mad took gratefully, feeling a little bewildered. He was still trying to catch up with everything Alice had said and and was about to answer when Cheshire burst into the room, followed by Maris.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" Chesh yelled, flailing his arms at Mad. "How could you?! You knew! Didn't you? You knew that this was going to happen so you went by yourself cause you're a goddamn war hero. Well you know what? I could care less! You ever do something so fucking stupid again I'll kill you myself!" Chesh heaved in a great breath and knelt at the side of the bed, burrowing his face into the covers at Mad's side, kneading the fabric with his claws.

Mad placed a hand on Chesh's head, who growled but relaxed a fraction at Mad's touch. He looked at Maris and said, "Are you going to yell at me too?"

Maris cast an amused look at Cheshire, but shook his head. His hair and long ears were tied back in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck and were colored a grey-brown that was speckled liberally with white now that winter was ending. Maris looked at Mad with odd tan eyes and said, "No. But you're repaying me for the sheets you ruined and cleaning up the blood stains."

"Maris!" Alice said, horrified.

"Don't worry, dear, I know who I'm talking to. If Mad was that easily offended, he wouldn't have come here." Maris chuckled, then made his way over to Mad, who he poked with a delicately clawed finger. "If you can sit up, do so and I'll take a look at that shoulder."

Mad groaned but sat up and watched at Maris prodded at the mass of white bandages now enshrouding Mad's shoulder. "Alice, be a dear and fetch some clean wraps, along with that salve I used. I think it's in one of the cupboards." Maris said, beginning to unwrap Mad's shoulder.

"Sure Maris," Alice said, then left, casting another worried look at Mad, who had begun to sweat from the effort of sitting up. He gave her a small smile that might have been more of a grimace because she frowned at him before leaving.

"You said this was Rakta?" Maris asked quietly.

"Yeah. Said he was delivering a message for the Queen, but the bullet wasn't the only message." Mad jerked as Maris finished unwrapping his shoulder and his claws scraped against the tender flesh there.

"Oh?" Maris looked up at Mad curiously.

Mad glanced at the door to make sure Alice wasn't near. "Rakta said the Queen knows about Alice and Dinah. He said they've been marked Illegal Persons." Chesh hissed softly at this news and Mad looked at Maris. "I'm sorry, Mar. If I'd known that, I wouldn't have sent them here."

Maris only shook his head. "If you hadn't, your head, and theirs would be adorning the castle walls by now."

"Still," Mad shifted, wincing a little. "This isn't your trouble. We'll leave before tonight."

"Mad," began Maris, but then Alice entered the room, her hands full of bandages. She also brought with her a salve that smelled strongly of something like witch hazel. Maris glanced at Mad in a way that said they would finish this conversation later and Mad tried not to curse when Maris applied the salve because Alice was sitting right there, staring at him with those big blue eyes.

That night, when the others were asleep, Mad found Maris in the gardens, watching the trees that ran along the perimeter like guardian sentinels. The flowers had long since grown tired of their own songs and were silent in their beds.

 "You shouldn't be up, Mad," Maris said, without looking at him.

"I'm shot, not dead." Mad sat on a bench, joining Maris in his late night vigil. They were silent for a while. Maris tapped his foot and Mad prodded unconsciously at his shoulder, waiting.

"I think she's it, Madison," Maris finally said softly.

"For what?" Mad asked, his heart sinking. He already knew what Maris was going to say and he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"She'll lead us. Help get rid of the Heart Queen. You know the prophecy, Mad. You know it's a Real Worlder who will do it and you're adamant that it isn't you." Mad was shaking his head as Maris said this.

"It's not me. And it's not her either. Mar, it's just a fairytale," Mad said, weariness coloring his words. They'd had this argument before. 

"There have been rumors, Mad." Maris said this so quietly that Mad almost missed it.

When he understood, he blinked. "What rumors, Maris?"

Maris hesitated.

"What rumors?" Mad's lips pressed into a thin line. He wasn't going to like this. He could feel it in his bones.

Maris sighed. "Rumors that the Heart's Ace missed a Spade. That the Spade Crown Prince escaped and has been living with the Black Decks in the desert. Or... what's left of them."

It was common knowledge that when Mavros Heart had made her bid for supremacy over Wonderland, her forces and those of the Diamonds had all but obliterated the Black Decks before Mavros betrayed the Diamonds and killed their royal family. Her hostile takeover had happened swiftly, spilled much blood and had become rapidly etched into the hearts and minds of every living thing in Wonderland.

"As much as I hate to say it, Mar," Mad said, grimacing, "the Ace of Hearts doesn't miss people. He just kills them."

The ache in Mad's shoulder was joined by a sympathetic throb in Mad's chest, just below his heart. The phantom pain seemed to be contradicting his words and he frowned. Then he shook his head. No, the Ace of Hearts didn't miss.

Maris was already shaking his head. "No, Mad. I think this is the real deal here. They're saying he wants his crown back. Could you imagine Wonderland under a Spade instead of a Heart?"

"No," Mad said with more than a hint of exasperation. "Because there's no point in imagining it, Maris. Wonderland is like war. As soon as you have a hope of getting out, it kills you. The only way to survive is to know you're already dead. That there is no hope, because hope is for the living." 

Mad tipped his head back as he spoke to look at the strange constellations that marked the Wonderlandian sky. He knew what he was saying was true because he had been living that way for a lot longer than he had been in Wonderland.

"What killed you, Madison?" Maris asked softly. There was sadness there and sympathy in his words. Mad struggled for a moment to keep from snapping at him, reminding himself that it wasn't Maris' fault that he'd decided to go to war.

Mad closed his eyes briefly, trying to keep his memories of the war at bay. "Many things," he said just as softly as Maris. "She's not it, Mar. She can't be."

"Can't be what?" Both Mad and Maris jumped as Alice's voice floated through the night air. 

They exchanged glances and Mad shook his head, but Maris said, "I think you're here to save Wonderland."

Mad gave a soft snarl, then got up and placed a hand on Maris' shoulder. "I hope," Mad said the word with a hint of sarcasm, "that you don't get yourself or that girl killed, Mar. Thanks for the help. In the morning Chesh and I are leaving."

Mad walked toward the back door, pausing as he drew near Alice. Tipping his hat back slighlty, he offered, "You can come with me if you'd like to, Miss Alice." 

But he knew it was a lost cause as he said it. Alice was staring at Maris and Mad could practically see the echo of Maris' words in her eyes. Mad shut his eyes for a moment, then went inside, almost running right into Chesh.

"Did you know?" Mad asked him. Chesh shifted his eyes away, lowering his head slightly. Mad sighed. "Yeah. You knew. Couldn't give me a little warning that Mar was interested in a suicide mission?"

Chesh bit at his lip. Mad rubbed at his eyes wearily. "You didn't say anything because you believe him. Don't you? About Alice, the Spade... all of it?"

When Chesh nodded, Mad choked out a laugh. "Welll," he drew the word out, the syllable laced with something close to contempt. "What are we going to do about this?"

"You could come with us. Help us. I know Alice is going to say yes. Come with us." Chesh placed a tentative hand on Mad's arm. Mad pulled away lightly, his lips parting in surprise as he realized what Chesh was saying.

 "You're going with them?" Mad was stunned. He hadn't even considered the possibility that Cheshire wouldn't be coming with him. Cheshire had almost always been with him. He was one of the reasons Mad had survived Wonderland for so long. And Mad had taken for granted that Chesh would stay with him.

"Mad?" Chesh stretched a hand toward his shoulder, concern on his face. Mad stepped just out of reach, hardening his heart against the hurt in Cheshire's eyes, trying to ignore the betrayal he felt.

"I've spent enough of my life losing friends, Cheshire. Watching them die. I'm not going to do it again. So you can either leave with me in the morning or go with them." Mad and Chesh stood looking at each other for a moment, Mad's words heavy in the air between them.

Then, Chesh lowered his eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Mad. But I've got to."

Mad felt his lips twitch to the side. "Well, color me surprised, Cheshire. And here I thought you didn't like war heroes."

"War heroes?" Cheshire echoed.

"Mm-hm. 'Cause that's what you're heading into. The beginning of a war. I'd wish you luck, but there's no such thing so..." Mad breathed sharply through his nose. "Bye Chesh."

Mad went into the house, back into the room he'd woken up in and slammed the door, anger and worry coursing through him hotter than blood.

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Maris is Arabic for March

Sungura is Swahili for Hare