I'll Stay

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own Alice in Wonderland or any of the characters in it, though I wish I did .

"You could always stay here... In Underland, with me.." Said the Hatter, looking at Alice, his emerald green eyes glimmering with hope. Alice stared at him for a second, her mouth open slightly in surprise, as the hand holding the Jabberwocky blood dropped to her side.

"I-I... What an idea. What a mad, crazy, wonderful idea!" she exclaimed, smiling brilliantly. "I-I... I suppose I will!" She smiled even wider, looking down at the phial of blood, and turning to hand it back to the White Queen, who took it, surprised. "I don't suppose I'll be needing this anymore." Alice said to her, before turning back to a shocked Hatter.

"Y-you mean it?!" He whispered, feeling as if he were in a dream, and any loud noises or quick movements may wake him up. "You'll stay?" He asked, his eyes wide as he stared at Alice.

"Of course, my silly Hatter. I wouldn't say I'd leave if I wanted to." She smiled again, slowly stepping forward and taking his scarred, gloved hands in her own cautiously. "You all have been so good to me, and this feels more like home than the above world does." She said, looking around at everyone, smiling kindly.

"Oh, Alice!" The Hatter threw his arms around Alice, hugging her tightly, a huge gap-toothed smile appearing on his face. Alice laughed and hugged him back, wondering to herself about the strange feeling that was currently causing her heart to pick up speed. She shook the thoughts out of her head and hugged the Hatter more, relaxing in the comforting feeling of being in his arms. "Alice, you've made me-I-I mean us, so happy!" The Hatter stepped back, flinging his arms out to gesture at everyone, looking strangely flushed, his normally pale white cheeks turning a curious shade of pink.

"I'm glad." Alice said, smiling once more at everyone as they all started walking back to the White Queen's palace for the Frabjous Day celebration.

~The Next Morning~

"Oh my... My head..." Alice groaned as she woke up, in a small comfortable bed, pulling the mismatched patchwork comforter over her head as she noticed the morning sunlight pouring through the window. She groaned again and closed her eyes, trying to fall back asleep, until she heard a knock on the door.

"Alice, are you awake?" A familiar voice called, and she searched through the foggy feeling in her brain to put a face and name to the voice, thinking hard.

"Oh. OH. Yes, Hatter! I'm awake. Just barely, though." She yawned and slowly adjusted herself so she was sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing her eyes and groaning again as she felt a sharp throbbing in her temple as she stretched.

"Are you alright, Alice? You drank a fair amount of my special tea last night!" The Hatter called through the door, sounding slightly worried. Alice frowned and tried to remember what he was talking about, shrugging it off and attempting to stand up, only to be overcome by a wave of dizziness, causing her to fall back onto the bed. The Hatter, hearing this, opened the door and peeked inside, coming to sit beside her. "Come now, Alice! Have you never been hungover before?" He asked her curiously, a hand going up to feel her forehead.

"N-no... I-I've never even drank before..." She murmured, looking up at him with an embarrassed smile. He laughed and smoothed back her hair affectionately.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" He asked, slowly pulling her into a sitting position, watching her face carefully, his trademark gap-toothed smile adorning his own face. Alice looked up at him for a moment, staring at his smile, feeling his eyes on her as her cheeks felt heated and flushed.

"I-I um… Well, I figured because of the celebration, it'd be fine for me to drink. I never realized how strong that strange tea of yours was." She mumbled, feeling rather embarrassed. The Hatter chuckled, watching her face, noticing the slight redness to her usually pale cheeks. Those soft, beautiful cheeks… "Hatter?" Alice asked, after a few moments of silence went by, her cheeks getting redder and redder as the Hatter stared at her.

"Hmmm? Oh, yes, uh, sorry. Got lost in thought." He cleared his throat, shaking his head at the strange fluttery feeling he felt in his stomach. "Must have had too much tea last night.." He mumbled to himself. He looked back up at her, smiling again, and stood up. "Alice, how would you like some breakfast?" He asked politely, the beginnings of his usual mad grin on his face as he bowed, offering his hand to a flustered Alice, who stared at him for a few seconds before taking his hand and smiling, using him for balance as she slowly stood, noticing for the first time that morning that she had been changed from her gleaming silver armour into a simple pale blue nightie, made of a thin cotton, a pattern of darker blue swirls making their way around the fabric.

"Hatter, who changed me?" She asked, a bit nervous. He hadn't changed her himself, had he? 'Oh how embarrassing that would be!' She thought to herself.

"Oh, the White Queen did. She so generously helped carry you back here, and then insisted I leave the room after I finished throwing together this nightgown for you." He smiled, looking a tad nervous himself. "Do... Do you like it?" He asked, gesturing to the nightie.

"Why wouldn't I?" Alice broke into a wide smile as she looked up at him, her green eyes shining happily. "It's so simple, yet so... Beautiful!" She exclaimed joyfully. The Hatter smiled such a smile that it rivaled that of the Cheshire Cat, as he looked her up and down, his eyes glimmering purple for a moment.

"Aye, lassie! It looks stunnin' on ya!" He said, his thick Scottish brogue becoming more and more pronounced with each word said. Alice's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed a bright red.

"H-Hatter?" She said, putting a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head and looked at her, his eyes returning to their normal emerald green and a sheepish smile on his face.

"Maybe you should put some real clothes on, Alice. I'll get breakfast ready." He said, his voice sounding strained as he quickly turned to head out the door, closing it behind him, leaving a rather flustered and confused Alice, who sat back on the bed, unsure of what had just happened. She shrugged off the light, fluttery feeling she felt in her stomach, and got up to open a small wardrobe beside the bed she slept in. There she found a pretty blue dress, the shade of a robin's egg, with some soft white underskirts, and a corset, which she promptly ignored. She put the dress on and looked in another drawer, finding some underwear and some knee high white stockings, which she admired and put on, slipping her feet into some black flats. She turned to look at herself in a mirror behind the door, and decided on brushing her hair and leaving it as it was, loose and carefree.

"Hatter, where are you?" She called, wandering down the hallway as she came to the realization that not only was she in his house, but she had never been there before, and had of course, no idea where to go.

"In the kitchen, Alice!" He called back, and Alice looked around, not being able to tell which direction his voice came from.

"And where's the kitchen?" She called back once more, looking around her at the several halls and doors around her.

"This way!" The Hatter popped out of a large bright orange door, with a shiny crystal knob, and what appeared to be a peep hole, far too high up for anybody normal to look through. Alice giggled and shook her head, going through the door and following after the Hatter, who appeared to be running. She ran after him coming to a stop as they entered a rather large, rather whimsical looking kitchen. The floors were a bright black and white checker pattern, and the ceiling was bright yellow. Each wall was a different colour, and Alice wasn't sure, but they seemed to move around, switching places. She shook her head again and turned her attention to the Hatter, who was attempting to hurriedly pull something out of a large brown oven and dropped it onto the counter, which seemed to be made of bright red bricks. "OW!" He cried, holding his hands close to his body.

"Hatter! Are you alright?!" Alice exclaimed, moving close to him and taking his hands, his palms were shiny red, small lines of white running here and there from previous scars.

"J-just a little burn, Alice dear." He grunted through clenched teeth. Alice looked at his pained expression and took him over to the sink, running cooled water over is hands and instructing him sternly to keep them there as she rummaged through the cupboard. "There's a clear jar of ointment on the top shelf." He mumbled, sighing as the cool water relieved a bit of pain from his hands. Alice grabbed the ointment and walked back over to him, gently drying his hands with a towel before applying the ointment generously. "Ahhh…" He sighed happily, the ointment instantly cooling and soothing his burned hands as it worked it's magic, starting to grow a new layer of skin on his hands. He looked up at Alice and smiled, embarrassed.

"What are you smiling about, Hatter? You've just hurt yourself! You should've used something to protect your hands!" Alice scolded, though her face looked quite relieved.

"I-I... I didn't want it to burn, I wanted to make a proper breakfast for you!" He murmured sheepishly. Alice's face softened and she smiled warmly.

"Oh, Hatter. Thank you, that's so sweet!" She said, kissing his forehead. "Still, take more caution with such things, I'd rather you not hurt yourself." She scolded, though the smile was evident in her voice. The Hatter blushed deep crimson as she kissed his forehead, his heart beating wildly as he felt how close she was. 'Alice. Close. All that muchness...' He thought to himself, unable to even form a full thought as he stared into her bright green eyes. She looked back at him, her cheeks tinged pink once more. She cleared her throat and he snapped out of it, nodding and still blushing madly.

"Yes, yes of course, Alice. I'm very sorry, and I won't do it again." He said, smiling goofily. Alice couldn't help but smile back. The Hatter looked thoughtful for a second, his green eyes misting over as he got lost in his thoughts. "You know, Alice… You could call me by my proper name." He spoke, startling her.

"Your proper name?" She asked curiously.

"Yes. My proper name. Tarrant. Tarrant Hightopp at your service." He grinned goofily once more, bowing to her. She smiled and giggled at him, sitting down at a small glass table.

"Tar-rant." She said, testing the word. "Tarrant Hightopp. I rather like it, Ha-oh, Tarrant." She said again, correcting herself. He smiled even wider, his gap-toothed grin making her smile again. He then turned, remembering the food. He went over to the counter and began piling a plate for each of them, balancing them both in his hands, and balancing the drinks on his hat as he slowly made his way back to the table, arranging everything until he was satisfied with it, then returning to the counter to bring the condiments over, sitting across from Alice, smiling nervously now.

"I hope you like the food as much as you like my name!" He joked, watching her as she took a curious bite. She looked up at him and smiled brightly.

"It's delicious!" She exclaimed, digging into it enthusiastically. Tarrant breathed a sigh of relief and dug into his own plate, his enthusiasm matching Alice's. They made some pleasant conversation as they ate, planning what to do for the day. "Is there anywhere to swim?" Alice asked, taking a sip of orange juice.

"Yes, of course. And it does look to be a rather hot day as well, what a wonderful idea, Alice my dear!" Tarrant replied smiling excitedly. "There's a river not too far from here, and I could make you a swim-suit." He said, looking as if he had already started planning everything in his head. Alice smiled, watching him happily. 'He is rather cute when he's excited…' She thought, her cheeks flushing light pink. He paused and looked up at her, noticing the pink tinge to her cheeks. "Are you well, my dear? You aren't feverish or anything, are you?" His excited look changed to one of worry.

"Not at all." She said, shooing the strange thoughts from her mind. She smiled at him again and finished what was on her plate, waiting patiently for him to finish as well. He looked relieved and finished his as well, picking up the plates as Alice grabbed their cups, bringing the dirty dishes to the sink.

"I'll get started on your swim-suit now, if you'd like." Tarrant said, smiling again.

"Oh, that would be lovely." She said, smiling back. "While you do that, is it alright if I pack us a picnic lunch?" She asked, looking around the kitchen.

"That would be lovely, Alice! We'll go swimming, and have a picnic, and maybe we'll have a tea party tonight! We'll invite Mallymkun, and Nivens, and…" He scoffed. "I suppose Chessur as well, also Thackery, and of course Bayard and his wife and pups." He said, looking thoughtful.

"Oh, it sounds lovely!" Alice said happily. "I can't wait to see everyone again." She said, then suddenly covered her mouth and blushed crimson. "O-Oh… I didn't do anything embarrassing at the celebration last night, did I?" She asked, looking slightly mortified. Tarrant laughed, and shook his head.

"Not at all, Alice dear. You were a delight! You danced all night and told funny stories and fell asleep near midnight, in a chair." He laughed again. "Everybody was delighted to see you so happy." Alice smiled, feeling better.

"Oh, good." She said, the mortified look gone from her face. "I couldn't stand to think I had done something to embarrass myself, like aunt Imogen at Christmas last year." She giggled at the thought.

"Your smile is beautiful you know, Alice." Tarrant said suddenly, having only been half listening to her as he was lost in thought, looking at her face. Alice looked up at him, her cheeks turning pink again.

"W-why thank you." She stuttered, surprised. "I have never thought so but… Still, thank you." She smiled again. Tarrant smiled back, feeling quite pleased as she accepted the compliment, that strange fluttery feeling growing in his stomach again.

"Well, I suppose we should start our preparations?" He said, smiling once more. Alice nodded and turned to look around the kitchen, grabbing an apron off a small brass hook and tying it on, pulling back her hair and heading to the sink to wash her hands. Tarrant turned and disappeared through a small purple door with a large red handle. "Call if you need anything, Alice dear!" He said over his shoulder before closing the door and hurrying to his work room. Alice smiled and began to hum a cheery tune as she began looking through the strange cupboards, many filled with things she had never even heard of before. She looked around until she found some familiar ingredients and began to busy herself with making a perfect lunch for her and Tarrant.

They got to the river at around noon. All their friends were waiting, having already set up a blanket and eating area. "Alice! Hatter!" Mallyumkin yelled happily, running towards them, waving her pin in the air.

"Mally!" Alice smiled, and picked her up, spinning her and kissing her head gently. "I've missed you!" Mally smiled and put her pin in her belt.

"It hasn't been that long, Alice! I saw you just last night!" Mally giggled at the thought of the rather intoxicated Alice. Alice's cheeks turned pink at the thought, and she cleared her throat.

"O-oh, of course. Yes, well, good to see you all the same." She smiled, embarrassed. Mally snorted and turned to jump from Alice's hands to the Hatter's.

"And you, Hatter! You better not have tried anything with her last night, because if you did, I have some stabbing to do!" Mally joked to him, making him turn bright red. Mally stopped and eyed him suspiciously. "You didn't, did you?" She asked, shock in her voice. The Hatter's eyes widened and he rushed to defend himself.

"No, no, dear Mallyumkin!" He said loudly. "Of course not! I made sure she was situated in her room then was shooed away by the Queen, of course! She made sure Alice got into her nightclothes, which I made her, very beautiful fabric, took a while to get, and it's a bit difficult to work with, but I do love it, and it goes perfectly with her eyes.." He continued babbling for a bit, his eyes starting to turn a light shade of lavender, until a very red-faced Alice reached over to hold his face in her hands.

"Hatter?" She said gently, leaning in close to him. Almost immediately, he snapped out of it, his eyes quickly turning bright emerald green again. He smiled sheepishly, his cheeks warming as they started to get a rosy glow to them.

"I-I'm fine!" He choked out, stepping back from Alice and putting Mally in the grass gently. He straightened up, brushing off his jacket and adjusting his hat. He looked around at their little mis-matched group of friends and cleared his throat, smiling once more. "So glad you could all make it, I'm sorry we're a bit late, I got caught up in designing something." He said, his friends laughing at this, murmuring things to each other about 'how like him' that was.

"Dear Alice, what have you made? It smells… Exquisite." A smooth, disinterested voice asked, turning everyone's heads. The Hatter reached up to fiddle with his hat, annoyed, only to find it gone, and above Alice's head, a familiar grey and blue feline hovering under it, fiddling with the long ribbon hanging from it. A slow smile appeared on his face, stretching across his face and revealing a row of bright white razor sharp teeth. "Yes?" He said, almost bored, as he noticed everyone looking at him.

"Give meh mah bloody hat back, cat!" The Hatter snarled, his eyes turning a burnt orange as he stalked over to Alice, trying to grab his hat from Chessur as he floated lazily and teasingly just out of reach.

"Now, now, Hatter, what's the magic word?" The cat said, examining his claws, looking bored as he floated a bit higher.

"AH SAID, GIVE MEH MAH BLOODY HAT BACK YOU FILTHY MANGY-" The Hatter was cut off abruptly by the hat sailing through the air and hitting him square in the face. Alice covered her mouth and tried not to laugh as the Hatter got up, glaring at Chessur, who was smiling innocently from his new perch atop Alice's head. "Filthy, mangy cat…" He muttered as he wiped the dirt from his clothes, putting his hat back on and straightening it to his satisfaction.

"A-are you alright, Hatter?" Alice asked, stifling a giggle. Hatter looked at her, his eyes returning to their normal emerald green hue. He smiled at her giggle, starting to laugh a bit.

"Yes, I do believe I am, Alice dear." He chuckled, stooping to pick up the bundle he had dropped in his haste to retrieve his beloved hat from the mischievous cat.