A hot cup of tea to flood the senses. A warm the fire to protect from the cold chill. A big comfy couch that seemed to be fit for a queen or in some cases a princess.

When these three very particular moments comes together on such rare occasions in the hatter tea shoppe for even Wonderlandians nothing can be better. For a topsy-turvy home filled with wonderland magic even something as simple as this can feel like order, even if the furniture might fly off at any minute.

Lizzie Hearts, daughter of the Queen of Hearts, sat there on her own little corner of the dancing couch. She let the warmth and wonderlicious taste flood her taste buds. It was a normal scene for the young princess, but there is nothing wrong with being "normal" once in a while of mad.

"…"

Lizzie took another sip. The special blend of tea set off memories for the young princess, she remembered past days back in her home world. She remembered the wonderlandiful unbirthday tea parties with her friends. She remembered the happy times back when she was by her mother's side.

"…"

And she took another si-

"Stop!"

-Winning the battle, Lizzie placed the now empty cup of tea on the saucer in her hand and then proceeded to gently place the said set on a passing flying table. Lizzie then turned her gaze upon an empty spot in front of the fire place.

"I'm not apologizing…" the empty space in front of the fire place answered as if there was already a question placed.

"I didn't say anything, Kitty," Lizzie noted at the empty spot, "but I would like continue not say anything to someone."

"…" Kitty stayed quiet; "fine…" she complied. One moment there was nothing and the next was the Cheshire's daughter sitting in front of the fire. But unlike her usual self of chaos she was seated in front of the flames with her knees squeezed to her chest, it was clear from first glance that she had receded much into herself.

"…" Lizzie said nothing but threw her leg one over the other and watched her fellow wonderlandian as the shadows of the warm flames danced across her pale skin. Kitty sucked at her teeth as she felt, and heard the narrator's voice, the eyes beaming down at her. The two just sat in silence.

"You know…" she started, "nothing you ever do will get Hatter to get mad at you, no matter how much you try to upset him." She pointed out as matter-of-factly.

"…" Kitty said nothing. She just tightened her hug around her knees for comfort as she just stared deeply into the burning flame.

"I know…" Kitty spat out in a sigh of defeat. "But it just makes me even madder at him!" she said shouting under her breath.

It had been years since both Kitty Cheshire and Lizzie Hearts came to live under the same roof as their fellow Wonderlandian, Maddie Hatter. It had been years since the girls and the Mad Hatter had been forced out of their home world and to live in this one. It had been years since the two girls were taken in by their friend's father. And it hasn't always been good.

"I can't believe you threw the tea in the Hatter's face." Lizzie recalled the situation that happened just hours ago.

Kitty just sat there in silence. She couldn't help but think that she and Maddie's father would ever really get along with one another. She felt she was the one to always lash out at the world. Sometimes it was just a simple prank here and there, those were the fun lashes. But often times it was when she hated the world that she struck out towards those that she loved.

"…" I really hate you sometimes, Narrator, Kitty sucked the air with a loud annoyance. She hated it especially when she knew that others could read her as a book and couldn't hide her feelings. Kitty hissed under her breath.

Lizzie just watched as Kitty made her unspoken death threats to the imaginary figure that she and Maddie would speak often with. She reached out her hand for her tea cup as it came passing by as she said nothing else to her friend.

Ding. She stirred the warm tea that was in her hand. Ding. She tried to play aloof to the noise despite her clear intention on continuing to do so. Ding. The spoon bounced around the rim of her tea cup as she added some more sugar. Ding. She stirred some more to triple check that the tea was perfect. Ding. Ding. Ding. Di-

"STOP THAT!" Kitty barked out, she was now facing the Queen of Heart's daughter as she reactively twisted her body towards her.

"…" Lizzie stopped stirring and just looked at her friend squarely in the eye. "Are you done pouting?"

"…" Silence. The two of them just stared at one another. The only thing Kitty could hear was the beating of her own heart echoing in her ears. She could feel her heart rate rise and fall at different intervals as if all the emotions she was bottling up was competing for dominance. Then her shoulders slouched, and her face grew sullen.

"I don't get it," Kitty said in a defeated tone, "I don't get how you can do this. I don't get how you can just sit there like everything is all right." It was ironic to the Cheshire's daughter that the wonderlandian that seemed to be the most level headed of their group was the daughter of Queen of Heart.

Lizzie stared at friend with a sympathetic gaze. She sighed in defeat as well as she spoke, "Everything isn't all right." Kitty raised her head to face her friend as she placed her tea cup on another passing by table. "I think about my mother and all of our friends every day." Kitty took notice of the sadness that was in her friend's eyes.

"Then why?" Kitty asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Because," Lizzie answered, "I still have hope, that we will see them again."

"…" Kitty's ears drooped as her heart sank. She felt even more pathetic than she was just mere moments ago.

Lizzie looked over her defeated friend. Then she let out a low sigh.

Pat. Pat. Kitty's ears perked to attention. She raised her head to see her friend patting the cushion seat next to her.

"Come," Lizzie patted again, "sit right next to me."

Kitty looked away. "I…I don't think I'm in the mood right now-"

"AS YOUR FUTURE QUEEN I DEMAND YOU TO TAKE THE SEAT!?"

The bellowing voice shook Kitty down to her core. She wasn't a stranger to everyone's thoughts and needs because of her connection to the Narrator's voice. She just stared at her friend in shock.

"Please." Lizzie added on with a much sweeter, contrasting tone. Kitty just sat there staring up at her friend. To her hearing Lizzie use the Queen's voice, whom she knew didn't like to use said voice, told her just how serious this was.

"Yes," Kitty sighed in defeated, "your majesty." She bowed her head. And with that, not even using her magic as she normally would have done, she got herself off of the cold floor and made her way over to the couch next to her friend. She took her seat to the right side of her future queen.

Kitty just sat there in silence. With her hands folded into her lap she sat there closed off to the rest of the world. Watching the flames dance she couldn't help but think about, even wishing, that everything should just burn.

Pat. Pat.

Kitty turned her head to see what her friend was patting now. Her cheeks grew a sudden red.

"Come, rest your head." Lizzie said patting her thighs once again.

The Cheshire cat quickly averted her eyes by turning her head. "No, no, no." She barely managed to sputter out of her mouth. "I'm g-good just sitting here."

"Kitty!" Lizzie spat out.

Kitty didn't turn her head, but she did look over to her friend. "Are you giving me a demand?"

Lizzie just looked at her friend straight in the eye. "No, not a demand, but a request."

"…" Kitty just stared at Lizzie, but after a moment decided to give into the request of her friend. Diligently she placed her head in her friend's lap.

"There," Lizzie said as she placed her hand on top of her friend's head, "how does it feel?"

"…" Kitty said nothing. It wasn't that she was against the idea of her's, in fact her thighs, in Kitty's mind, were pretty comfy, it was just she wasn't really in the mood for this. All she could do was watch the flames before them dance in their most unpredictable ways. In fact it reminded her –

I love my little Kitty, Her heart and hair so warm

And if I don't hurt her, she'll do me no harm.

So I'll not pull her tail, nor drive her away,

But pussy and I, Very gently will play.

I'll sit by the fire, and give her some food

And Kitty will love me, because I am good.

It reminded her too much of her mother. It reminded her of the cold winter nights in Wonderland of where it was just her and the woman that created her existence. It reminded her of the family that she had lost. It was the reason she would lash out against the Mad Hatter. It was, partially, the reason for her chaotic nature in this world.

Kitty wanted to return to the child hoof of when her mother would brush her hair in front of a warm fire.

Brush. Kitty's body was jerked suddenly away from her thoughts. She turned her head upward to see the person that started to pull her nails through her chaotic hair.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Lizzie asked pulling back her hand.

Kitty was taken back, but she shook her head. "Then can I continue?" Lizzie asked again. And once more Kitty was taken back again, but after a moment simply nodded.

Brush. Brush. Brush. Being careful not to slice her friend with her razor sharp claws Lizzie continued with her gentle brushing. And Kitty just let her do as she pleased.

"You got some tangles here, Kitty." Lizzie said she shredded up a tangled not.

"You've got some tangles here, Kitten." A voice from Kitty's memories seemed to echo. Kitty knew that only she and their friend Maddie could hear the voice of the Narrator, but she wondered if Lizzie could, subconsciously, hear their voices and, in return, hear her thoughts.

"You know," Kitty turned her attention upward to look up at her friend, "I used to do this for my mother all the time." Lizzie said as she still ran her finger tips through the chaotic hair in her lap. "Whenever she would go too far with her yelling she would often get some pretty bad headaches and migraines. So at the end of every day we would do this. She would lay her head down on my lap every night and I would help her feel better." Kitty could feel a small wetness hit her cheek.

"I miss my mama so, so much."

Kitty felt shame in the fact that she was having the girl that was crying comforting her. "I-I'm sorry." Kitty muttered as she rolled her head back over and away from her friend's face. "I didn't mean to make you cry, you can stop brushing my hair." But fingers that ran through her ends never stopped.

"Don't be sorry, Kitty." Lizzie spoke through her tears. "I'm not crying because I'm sad." Kitty turned her attention back to her friend with a cocked eye-brow. "I'm crying because I get to share this with you. I get to do the thing I loved doing with my mother, with you." Lizzie brushed.

Kitty just stared up at Lizzie in the face. The young Princess' eyes were welled up with tears, but the smiled behind those tear drops were as true as the redness. It isn't like Kitty didn't understand what she meant. She actually enjoyed sharing this moment with the other girl, to share the memory of her and her mother.

Kiss. Kitty's eyes went wide from the sudden, from very few times like these, surprise. Lizzie now hunched over the Cheshire's body. Blood rushed to kitty's face at the sudden realization that both of their lips were connected.

A moment passes. Then two. And finally a third.

Kitty couldn't speak a single word as Lizzie pulled back from her lips. But she did feel a sense of loneliness as if she never wanted their lips to part. Kitty's eyes just stayed glued on Lizzie's face as she pulled a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. Kitty was breath taken by the visual of the shadows of flames that presented her queenly beauty.

Lizzie smiled softly, "Perhaps you should apologies to the Hatter?"

Kitty's face became flustered by the realization dawning on her from her own thoughts. She turned her head back away from Lizzie's diamond blue eyes.

"Maybe…" Kitty reluctantly answered.

"That's a good girl." Lizzie spoke as if she was talking to a child.

Kitty laid there, head still in Lizzie's lap, for a moment before she finally spoke again. "Could you do that again? Pet me a little more?"

"Of course," as both your queen and as your friend, Lizzie wanted to add as she started to stroke Kitty's hair once more.

Kitty didn't know when it had happened. But the next thing she had noticed it was already day time in the land of Ever After. Sometime between then and now she had fallen fast asleep in Lizzie Heart's lap.