It had been years about 5-6 to be exact since she was last in Underland and promised the mad hatter to return again, many a thing happened since she returned to England. She canceled her engagement since she realized that she loved another, no matter how mad he was. She then did the impossible for her father's company and started trade in Asia. However her mother grew Ill and it shattered Alice. Every night she called into the moonlight for Hatter, she searched for rabbit holes, but none led her to Underland and Hatter. A few months after her mother had passed away, she lay in bed crying, she wore black, her sheets black, she just couldn't find the love she once had to be happy. She fell asleep holding an album with pictures of her, her mother, and her father. When she woke the next morning, she found herself in the grass. She looked around hearing singing. She sighed and got up and saw the flowers and somehow managed to find herself at a table with three rather mad characters. She walked in, knowing she was always invited and she didn't have so much as a smile on her face when Hatter spotted her and ran over and hugged her.

"Oh Alice! Its so good to see you again my dear!"

Dormouse noticed something was off
"Hatter, look at her..."
Hatter blinked and did as told before those bright eyes saddened and that goofy smile fell.

"Alice? What in white's name happened? Why aren't you smiling?"

Alice sighed sadly and didn't say a word,she hadn't spoken much since she lost the only other person in her life in England, all she had now was Underland, but even at that it wasn't like she had someone to love. Hatter managed to get her to sit down and she clutched the book to her chest. Hatter was heartbroken to see the woman he had loved since he met her to be so broken. For once the march hare seemed rather sane and poured Alice a cup of tea and handed her a cookie. Alice silently took the cookie, and slowly ate it, looking at her, no one would notice that she was malnourished, she barely ate, and if she did it was only a little. She drank the tea, slightly relaxing at the familiar taste. Suddenly her plain look turned to anger after she finished the cup and she angrily threw the cup at Hatter who ducked just in time, but then she spoke, or rather yelled at him.

"I called for you every night! I tried to go through every rabbit hole! I needed a friend, someone and you weren't there!"

She screamed as tears ran down her face and threw another cup at him while he walked to her and he tilted to the left as it flew over his shoulder.

"Alice, Alice calm down, if I had known I would have seen if the white queen could have done something to get me to you"

he said softly and gently before kneeling by her and taking her hands.

"My dear Alice...I'm so sorry, what happened that you are so broken?"

Alice let him take her hands and after a moment she leaped from the chair and into hatters arms and cries

"m...mother is...mother..is..."

Hatter's eyes widened and quickly understood as he wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair

"shhhhh think not of that, you're among friends now"

he told her and held her as her face buried into his chest. Dormouse jumped from the table to the two in the grass and hugged alice while standing on her shoulder, her small arms wrapped around her neck, but not hurting her. Hatter didn't let go of the crying alice and just held her close.

"Why me?"

He asked softly. Alice looked at him with red cheeks and red eyes from crying

"why?"

She asked not understanding his question

"out of everyone, your husband who proposed last time you were here, the friends you have in your world...why did you want me?"