ALICE IN WONDERLAND

!CHAPTER ONE!

[AN: PLEASE READ AND REVIEW.]

The battle was over, the Jabberwocky dead and the White Queen was once again wearing the crown, everyone in Underland was in high spirits. Everyone that is except the two people who had made everything possible, Tarrent Hightop, better known as the Mad Hatter, and Alice, the girl who had defeated the Jabberwocky and saved Underland. The Mad Hatter watched with dread as the White Queen gave Alice a vile filled with the Jabberwocky's putrid purple blood and told Alice that drinking the blood would take her back to the Overland. However the White Queen requested that Alice stay another day for a party that the White Queen was throwing in Alice's favor, Alice agreed and for a moment the Hatter's heart stopped in happiness.

What a party it was the whole of Underland was invited and just about everyone showed up, Molly the mouse was there as was the March Hare and the dog and his mate and their pups, basically everyone Alice had met and lots more. Everyone in Underland was so happy to be rid of the Blood Red Queen and the evil Jabberwocky, there was laughter and smiles all around as the White Queen's castle continued to fill up with animals and people of all shapes and sizes. The twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum were there as well and they told their version of how they met Alice, of course there was a lot of confused people since the twins never got more than two words into the story before they begin to argue.

Alice had a great time her lips ached from smiling so much at the jokes and stories that were told to her; however Alice wasn't as happy as she tried to project. Alice hadn't seen the Mad Hatter or Terrance as she thought of him, and this saddened her a great deal. Finally after at least two hours of dancing and eating and laughing Alice decided to get some fresh air so she snuck outside, she had promised to dance with one of the twins and the other one felt left out so he had grabbed Alice and begun to dance and the first one refused to be beaten so Alice had been forced to dance with both of them several times.

Alice was surprised when she saw that no-one else was in the Queen's garden but at the same time she was relieved to have some time to herself. Alice pulled the vile that contained the Jabberwocky's blood out from the neckline of the sapphire blue dress the Queen had commissioned the Mad Hatter to make for Alice. "What should I do?" Alice wondered to herself she knew that her mother would be able to take care of herself and that her sister would comfort their mother but why should she stay in Underland? What was the reason she didn't want to return to her life above and forget about Underland? Tarrent. One name, one person, her one person, the one she loved with all her heart. She wasn't sure when she had fully accepted the fact but she knew that she had started to fall in love with Tarrent the moment she met him thirteen years ago.

She loved everything about him, how his voice would change going Scottish when he grew agitated and returning to a soft normal when he grew calm, how his eye's changed colors, how he would lay down his life to do what was right, how his flaming orange hair stuck out in all directions from the green and gold floral top hat with the pink ribbon and pins sticking out of it that he always wore. How he listened completely to everything you said, how he kept his friends close to his heart, on and on and on, Alice could name dozen's of things that she loved about him… but he didn't love her. Alice knew that because his eye's never changed color his voice never wavered or deepened when he said her name and talked to her. Also he was already at the very least thirty and he had been the same age since they had met when she was a very little girl of six, the memories had come back to her as she fought the Jabberwocky and listed the impossible things. Alice sighed what should she do? Should she return to her world above and to Hamish and the boring life that surely awaited her and that would forever keep her away from the man she loved, or should she stay in Underland knowing that Tarrent would never love her the way she loved him and that one day he would fall in love with a woman from Underland and leaving her mother and sister and the rest of her family and friends to wonder where she had gone and if she was ever going to come back.

Alice bit her bottom lip hard as she studied the bottle of purple blood, well she didn't have to go through with the marriage to Hamish if she went up top again, she was quite sure that her mother wouldn't force her to do it. Alice put the vile back around her neck and sighed again then she started in surprise as she heard a male voice singing from somewhere close by. [PLEASE NOTE THAT I CREATED THIS SONG SO IM NOT STEALING IT!]

"On a dark cloudless night,

When the moon is full and bright

Everything will become clear under the full moonlight,

I will tell my love to my one and only

I will sing my love to keep from being lonely,'

Alice quietly followed the sound of the voice until she reached the end of the garden, there stood the Mad Hatter with his back towards her his head thrown back as he sang to the moon.

I will shout my love to the sky so great

I will scream my love till my throat aches

And then I will whisper my love in her ear

Never shall I wait

To tell her of my love

Never shall I pause

In giving her my heart

For no-one I know will take better care

Then my sweet Alice with the long blonde hair.

At this Alice couldn't help but gasp in surprise, the moment broke and the Hatter whirled around in surprise and dismay as he realized he had and audience the look on his face changed to horror and embarrassment as he realized who his audience was. "Oh." Was all the Hatter could say for the first time in his life not being able to think of a single sentence, he stared at the ground biting his lip trying to think of something, anything that would fix this. Alice took a step towards the Hatter a look of amazement on her face as she realized, "Tarrent loves me. He loves me!"

Alice had to be sure she heard right, " You..you love me?" Tarrent sputtered trying to find the right answer, "Yes, I mean no, I mean ….' Tarrent sighed and gave up trying to hide it as he looked directly at Alice, 'Yes. I love you. I know that you probably don't …" Whatever else he was going to say was lost forever as Alice ran to him and throwing her arms around him promptly kissed him deeply. When they parted for air Tarrent gave a grin, "I guess this means that you love me to?." He said. Alice smiled up at him, "You guessed right."

Tarrent promptly pouted, "Are you going to say it?" He all but begged. Alice smiled lovingly and stepped back then she put both hands on his face and made him look her in the eye, "Tarrent Hightop I love you and I have loved you ever since we met thirteen years ago." Tarrent smiled and leaned down kissing her gently. After they once again parted Tarrent asked Alice to marry him and she answered with another kiss and a very decisive YES!

When Alice and Tarrent finally walked back to the party the sun was coming up and only the White Queen was still awake. Alice and Tarrent didn't have to tell the Queen about their new found love their face's told the story and the fact that the Hatter couldn't stop touching Alice's told the whole story. Alice talked to Tarrent and the White Queen and they all figured out a way for Alice to go up top and tell her mother everything, however after Tarrent found out that Alice had been proposed to by someone up top he refused to let her go alone so the Queen made the Hatter a potion that would take up top with Alice. They decided that Alice and Tarrent would stay up top for seven day's just long enough for Alice to get everything she needed from her home and to tell her mother everything before going back down to Underland for their wedding.