"What happened exactly, Hatter?" She asked, leaning on the cold stone railing under the warm glow of moonlight.

Hatter stood next to her, "Chess depicted myself, an' fooled everyone." He smiled, "I popped behind the blood-thirsty big head, and revealed her close court. She commanded her typicalness."

"Of with their head?" She smiled.

"Indeed." He smiled, also, gazing at her illuminated face.

The loud silence lasted for long moments, their eyes never became odd within each other. The short breeze caused her to close her eyes against it, feeling the air caress her face so gently. Something added to her skin, something just as light. Opening her eyes, she found his hand against her cheek. Her eyes locked on his face once more, overlooking every feature.

"Hatter?" She whispered very slightly.

It took a moment to respond, but his nose dropped moving his gaze to the ground and pulling his hand away gently. "I-I'm sorry, Alice." He turned to the white stone overlooking the garden, drawing a deep breath. "I don't have any idea of what I was thinking."

She took a deep breath, also, stepping closer. "There wasn't any complaint from me, Tarrant." She caught his name sliding from her vocals, and realized he had heard it the same. More silence flooded, and he stepped closer so as to standing only few inches away.

A small smile spread across his lips, making the nervousness appear more in her eyes. "Alice, do you have any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulder to cover her face quickly. Attempting to turn to lean upon the stone once more, she felt a hand stop her to stay. "L-let me think about it." He felt her arms shake.

"Alice," he caught her eyes again, "are you afraid?"

She continued to stare with her chocolate brown eyes, not able to say a word right away. Finally, "I cannot say that I'm afraid... nervous, I guess."

"What are you nervous about, dear Alice?"

She dropped her gaze, "I suppose tomorrow." Her response seeming to be a question, also.

"I don't think that's true." His finger found the bottom of her chin, warming with his touch and her embarrassment. "I think you are afraid of something else."

She looked at him, her cheeks flooding more with redness. She could feel her heart speeding, higher and higher, making her vision blur and causing her to become dizzy. And when her body caused her to barely pass out from losing her balance, the Hatter caught her with his arms, sitting on the ground with her body laying across his legs breathing heavily.

"I think you are afraid this is real, and scared that you might have feelings. So you don't want to believe them." He watched her eyes, staring into the starry sky, filling with tears that slid down her reddened cheeks. Her breath raced, and she covered her face with her hands. "Alice." He pulled her into his chest, holding her as she shook. "Alice," he repeated in a whisper. "Was I guessing what was true?" He asked her, just as quiet.

It took some time to answer, but he felt her head nod into his chest. She pushed herself very little away, her breath very little being calmer. "Yes... true." She whispered, not able to look at his face.

"Where are your feelings?" He asked, scanning her face with his vision.

Still not able to look at his face, it took her all of her might to respond. "My feelings?" She gathered herself more to look at him again, "my feelings are for someone I met thirteen years ago." She smiled so slightly, "they sung 'twinkle twinkle' and played something like musical chairs around the tea table, but I could never find out why-"

"Alice..." he sighed, closing his eyes and tilting his chin up as he leaned against the rail.

She gazed at him, putting her hands on each sides of his face causing him to return his sight to her's. Her insides began to warm more and more.

"Time has stopped for me, Alice. Time saved my life long ago, the Red Queen sentenced me to death because of my voice," he smiled. "So, time is always 6 o'clock tea time for me." He drew his watch out of a pocket, staring at the second hand trying to turn to the next second.

She ran her finger over the glass, looking back up at his face.

"I cannot age. I am considered mad because my days are always the same."

"Tarrant-" she attempted to interrupt.

"I used to be engaged you know. It was after your last visit it was ruined. But after I met you," he swallowed, "after I met you, so many things crossed my mind. Some such as she wasn't the right woman for me, and-" he watched her eyes, "how I was too old for you." He smiled, "I loved you from the first time I saw you, Alice." His smile melted away, watching her eyes release more tears. He felt her heart beating now - racing so quickly it seemed like a horseflies wing-speed.

His face drew closer, her eyes closing with the slow approach. "I love you, Tarrant." And with those simple words known to the world, his lips met hers. A moan escaped from her throat and into his, and after what seemed like hours that passed, he raised to his feet with her in his arms. Walking into her bedroom, he brought her into her blankets and walked back to close the glass door. He sat next to her legs under the layers of blanket. She smiled and pushed herself over, silently asking him to join.

The Hatter laid atop of the blankets on his side, able to look upon her. "Do you still think this is a dream?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," she responded. "I'm beginning to think it's real." She felt him pull her into his grasp. "Who was going to be your wife, Hatter?"

"Her name was Emilienne, she was part of my tribe. Our parents had written our marriage the moment she was born."

"What happened?" She yawned into his jacket.

Pushing back a strand of hair from her face, "after you left, the Red Queen overtook Underland and set the Jabberwocky on many areas to show how she was the rightful superior."

"So-"

"I'm the only one of them left, Alice."

The rest of the night was nearly complete silence. Alice had fallen asleep in his arms not too long before him. But as he kept his eyes open for the last time that night, he whispered in her ear, "my Alice."

Hey everybody! I hope you liked the first chapter. The second was posted as well, so, keep reading and keep giving me more ambition to write - AKA read and review, pretty please! :)