**Disclaimer** I do not own AIW.

Chapter 1

"Just give me the sword."

Alice's heart raced as she gazed around the circle of cards surrounding her, tightly gripping the vorpal sword. She swallowed hard, trying to think of a way to escape. Stayne was standing at the only opening in the circle, an amused smirk on his lips. His arm was outstretched towards Alice as he once again commanded that she hand over the vorpal sword.

"Just give me the sword, Alice." he spoke her name in a sort of mocking tone, his one good eye fixed on her in a hypnotic gaze. Alice blinked, shaking her head. He knew she would eventually give in to him, it was only a matter of minutes.

"Stay away." Alice swung the sword towards two approaching cards, who stepped back slightly.

"Alice…" Stayne called softly. She shut her eyes, trying to drown him out. Her grip on the sword slackened and she felt her knees begin to buckle. The sound of his boots grew closer to her and she bit her lip, eyes tightly shut.

"Nothing can hurt me." she whispered to herself. "It's only a dream."

A shiver went down Alice's spine as she felt Stayne's hand come into contact with her shoulder. The Knave smiled and leant his face down towards her ear.

"Alice…just give me the sword and I promise I'll make things easier for you." he purred gently into her ear. Alice gasped and her eyes shot wide open as she felt the sword slip from her hands and fall to the ground with a loud clang. Stayne reached down and grabbed the sword as the cards swarmed in and seized Alice by the arms. "Take her to the dungeon."

It was an hour later and Alice sat against the cold wall of the dungeon, her arms and legs shackled. Several tears ran down her face as she thought of the Hatter and everyone else she was going to let down.

The door opened suddenly and Alice's attention snapped to the figure in the doorway.

"Stayne…" she whispered, her eyes widening as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Hello Alice." he said with a malicious glare in his eye. "Or would you prefer Uum?"

Alice shifted and moved away from him quickly. She swallowed nervously, feeling a lump in her throat.

Stayne walked over and knelt down beside her, reaching a hand out to play with one of her curls. Alice watched him with a mix of fear and something else she couldn't quite identify. He smirked at her expression and moved his hand down to her neck, gently tracing his gloved hand along her skin. She shivered at his touch, which only drove his enjoyment further. He leaned in and breathed in the scent of her hair, a slight moan escaping his lips.

"I don't care if you're Alice or anybody else for that matter, I knew I wanted you since I first saw you in the queen's throne room. You are so beautiful and tall…"

"I thought your heart belonged to her majesty."

"Never. She has nothing compared to your beauty. She only believes my heart is hers. I must admit I am quite more infatuated with you, Alice."

"I think you made that quite clear in the hallway that night."

"Tell me Alice," he whispered in her ear. "How badly do you want to get out of those chains?"

"Very much." she replied wearily, slightly swooning from the contact he was currently making with her.

"What if I told you I could get you out of here?" he breathed. "One one condition."

"And what is that?"

Stayne's lips curved into a smile against her neck.

"You have to be entirely mine." he whispered even more gently, placing a soft kiss on her neck. "Not that you actually have a choice in the matter. You became mine since the day you first came here. But I want you to be at my beck and call and devote yourself completely to me…in exchange for your freedom."

Alice turned her head and met his gaze.

"And what of the Hatter? Will you let him go as well?"

Stayne removed his right glove, his focus still on her.

"I can make no promises, but I will do what I can." he traced his finger along her jaw and up to her lips. "This offer only stands now though. Reject me and you will remain in here until the queen is ready to take off your head."

Alice watched him with a certain fascination until he withdrew his hand.

"It's a deal." she barely whispered, intoxicated by his touch.

Stayne placed another kiss on her neck, smirking darkly.

"Good."

Reviews please! I haven't written a lot of fanfic in a while so please tell me if you liked it so far. Thank you!