Jervis Tetch sat in his workshop inside the Baxter Building plotting his next move. It was morning and he thought back to how he had to break off his time with the troublesome Susan yesterday. Reed had called for her and he had reluctantly released her from the hypnosis projector, but not before he made sure the Sue portion of her mind was none the wiser at what had just occurred. Jervis had wanted so desperately to continue to probe the depths of Susan’s mind.
A small smile spread across his thin face as he thought about the restraint he had used ever since coming to this new dimension. Had his trip down the Rabbit Hole changed him in some way? Centered his chaotic brain? Perhaps, he thought.
“Curiouser and curiouser,” Hatter whispered to himself at the possibility.
Tetch had only just realized that he may have been a tad bit reckless in his villainous pursuits in Gotham City, and here he was, a stranger in a strange land, given a new opportunity to finally get things right. Now all he had to do was to steal the wife of the supposed ‘Smartest Man on the Planet’ out from under his nose. Thinking things over, Jervis Tetch shook his head in frustration and scoffed at the world-famous Mr. Fantastic. Susan Storm-Richards, his Alice, was so beautiful and loved Reed so much, but he was always so interested in his scientist pursuits instead of her.
‘Smartest Man on the Planet, my ass,’ Jervis thought bitterly.
Ever since he had woken that morning, his mind had been locked on that moment the day before when the fool had called for Susan over the Baxter Building speaker system. It had been right after he had told Alice that “...it can’t just be Alice and the Mad Hatter, we need to have all of our friends.” Up until that point whenever the Hatter had put Susan under his influence she had stared straight ahead. Her beautiful blue eyes looked completely dazed and her mouth was perpetually slack-jawed. However, at the news that she and Jervis were going to bring their friends to their very own Wonderland, his Alice’s gorgeous face had lit up in a joyous smile. He had wanted more than anything to kiss her, but Reed had ruined everything by interrupting their perfect moment together. It had taken all of his new-found self-restraint not to break every single thing in his lab. He gnashed his teeth together spitefully at the thought of Reed stealing his Alice away.
Tetch mulled things over for a few minutes after, but realized that he had been brooding for far too long and he needed to begin his day. He rose up off his chair at his desk and stretched his arms out wide and breathed in sharply before finally exhaling deeply. Whatever Susan and Reed had done to help him recover from Batman’s pummelling had also purged years and years of drug abuse from his system. When he looked in the mirror he barely recognized himself now.
Gone were the tell-tale signs of hard drug use. His complexion had cleared up, the bags under his eyes had begun to disappear and even his teeth were not as yellowed as they had been in the past. As it turned out, bursting through a dimensional vortex being beaten to a pulp by your nemesis did have its rewards afterall. Had he fallen through the Rabbit Hole without the heavily-bruised face, who knows what they would have thought of him. Instead, as his bruises had healed by the Fantastic Four’s highly-advanced medicines and patient care, so did his entire well-being.
Yes, Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, had played the role of the helpless victim and had played it well. Still, breathing in and out so deeply had reminded him of his time in Gotham City, specifically whenever he had free time. Before he had made hats that would create the same effect, the Mad Hatter would smoke opium from a hookah, much like the caterpillar did in his favorite novel. It’s mind-altering effects would always bring him to a world of his own. He would breathe deeply and exhale a huge plume of smoke. Breathe deeply and exhale. It had been simply wonderful.
His thin lips curled in a smile and wondered why the memory had sparked in his mind. He was just about to head off to the Baxter Building’s common room to further build the trust of his hosts, when he suddenly froze in place. His eyes grew wide and he felt goosebumps form and tingle throughout his body. Was that it? His solution for bending the will of Reed Richards to fit his own villainous scheme? Could his solution be so simple? Reed Richards would no doubt catch him somehow or at the very least scan any ‘gift’ he would ever give him for impurities.
But if Susan would give it to him. There was a chance…
A few minutes later, Jervis Tetch strode out of the Baxter Building’s elevator that had taken him to the main common area. To his surprise, Johnny Storm was there laying on the couch with his eyes locked on the TV. He noticed Tetch walk in and he turned his head and nodded.
“What’s up, Hat-man,” Johnny called, while Jervis bristled at being called something that was so similar to the despised Dark Knight, “It was a late night last night. I think everyone’s still sleeping. I’d tell you where the Fantastic Four were called off to last night but I’d have to call ya.”
“Oh, um, yes,” Tetch smiled and nodded his head at the joke.
Johnny turned back to the TV with a smile on his tired face. He was flipping through the channels when he stopped on the local news. There was a story about how a priceless diamond was stolen from The Met. Johnny chuckled to himself and shook his head.
“She finally did it,” he mumbled.
The news story drew the attention of Jervis, and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He walked tentatively closer and closer to the TV. The news anchors continued to talk about how the police were all baffled at how the thief had managed to get through the building’s security. Then, one of the anchors, a blonde with a dark tan, golden blonde hair and shiny white teeth, questione if this was the work of the infamous Black Cat?
“So you have one too,” Tetch said, his voice filled with wonder, before he added in a short whisper, “Amazing.”
“What are you talking about?” Johnny asked, “And get out of the way of the TV.”
“In my dimension she goes by Catwoman,” Tetch continued, before turning around and looking at Johnny with his big eyes, “And you know her?”
“First of all, what are you talking about?” Johnny huffed, “Second of all, step away from the TV. I’m watching that.”
“You only want to watch that because of her,” came a voice from Jervis’ left. Susan Storm-Richards was standing in the hallway that led to her and Reed’s room. She looked at the TV and laughed, “Better get to her quick, Johnny. With looks like that, she’ll be on one of the 24-hour news channels before you know it. And with that blonde hair I know just one. Wonder how much her sexual harassment settlement will eventually come out to?”
“With jokes like that, you should be on Weekend Update,” Johnny said, rolling his eyes. He finally sat up.
“I thought it was quite funny,” Reed said, making his way down the hall.
“Like you’re an expert in the funny,” Johnny shook his head, before he looked around annoyed, “And what is that ticking?”
Jervis quickly closed the cover on his pocket watch and shoved it into his coat pocket. He then looked over to Susan and Reed with an embarrassed look on his face. Luckily for him, they didn’t look at him suspiciously in the slightest. Susan, for her part, smiled back at him and walked forward.
Just then, the elevator pinged and out stepped the large Ben Grimm and his blind girlfriend, Alicia Masters. Jervis looked nervously over to Ben, who just huffed.
“Oh, Jervis, I’ll explain what we’ve been talking about later,” Susan said and took him by the arm, “I’m so happy that you came up for breakfast and that you’re finally taking a break from your projects. I keep telling Reed it’s bad enough we have one workaholic in the Baxter Building.”
“Then it’s just perfect that party-boy here drops in every once in a while ta balance that dynamic out, ain’t dat right, Susie?” Ben grumbled.
“Dynamic?” Johnny asked, raising his eyebrows, “How are you still functioning with that peanut-sized brain of yours after using such a big word?”
“Behave, boys,” Alicia smiled, as Ben held a seat out for her to sit down.
This family dynamic was so foreign to Jervis, and it made him sick inside. He watched as Susan and Reed began to make breakfast. The rush of his eureka moment down in his workshop still tingled on his skin, and he began to imagine both Susan and Reed as they would soon be if everything went to plan. The he wouldn’t have to deal with things as absurd as abrupt interruptions or friendly family squabbles, or even morning breakfast. This stupid morning breakfast would be replaced by mad tea parties and it would always be someone’s unbirthday.
Yes, soon, things would be so much different. So much better. The world would soon change. It would not be the same as it were before.
Thanks to him and his Alice, the world would be become much...muchier.