Chapter 1

A/N: Hatta is actually the Mad Hatter. Also, I read Alice in Wonderland when I was in 2nd grade and I have never read Through the Looking Glass. So, please correct any mistakes. I know that the Hatter is supposed to be ugly but I have made him good looking and Alice's best friend in this fic. Thank you.

Alice squinted through the mist, wishing it would clear up already. When it did, she saw him, waiting as he always did. She walked up to him and stood before him. His expression did not change; his face remained solid and indifferent. His lips were pursed and his enchanting orange eyes stared straight ahead. His neck length brown hair peeked out from under his top hat, framing his pale face that was soft-featured. He stood with his hands behind his back, as always.

"Hey Hatta," she said softly.

"Hi," his lips quirked into a half grin. He took her hand and pulled her behind him, away from the clearing and through the dense woods. When he was sure she was following her let her hand go. "What are we doing today?" Alice asked.

"How about a tea-party?" Hatta said. "I hope for your sake that you are kidding. I will have another tea-party with you and your crazy friends after hell freezes over," Alice said only slightly joking.

"Of course I am. What is hell?" Hatta asked. Alice sighed. People of Wonderland were very unaware of the words of the outside world. She patiently explained to him what hell was and he replied by saying that he didn't believe in it.

"You never did answer my question. What are we doing today?" Alice asked.

"We're going to the anti-ball."

"What are you talking about?" Alice was confused.

"Well you see that the Queen of Hearts is having another ball at her palace, the third one since you came last month. So the Cheshire Cat suggested that since we all hate her, why not have an anti-ball as a way of rebelling. Everyone is coming. It is the biggest event after the Queen's ball where only the nobility is allowed."

"That is actually a great idea and an excellent way of rebelling! But what am I going to wear?" Alice said. She was wearing black leggings and a lime-green shirt. After her first visits to Wonderland, she had been able to go there in her sleep. It took energy to transport, however, and she slept till afternoon the next day because of hanging out with Hatta the entire night.

"Don't worry, I made us matching costumes."

"You made clothes? For me? Wow I didn't know you could do that."

"And hats, obviously."

"What's with you and hats?" Alice grumbled.

"I'm called the Mad Hatter. I've got to live up to the name." Alice laughed at that and said, "So, it's the first day of my freshman year tomorrow."

"Yeah? How are you going to get up in time for school tomorrow if you're here?"

"I'll leave early today. I will make new friends and… I might not be able to come as often. I'll miss you. You're my best friend, even though you aren't real."

Alice still believed that Wonderland was a figment of her imagination and everyone had long given up trying to convince her otherwise. She was extremely stubborn. Hatta smiled, "That's okay. You won't stop coming though, right?" Alice shook her head and said, "Of course not." Hatta smiled again, but inside, he felt like his heart was bleeding through the cracks her words unknowingly put there.

They finally emerged from the woods into the clearing where Hatta's house and the long tea-table stood. The Doormouse and the March Hare were having a tea-party, as always, except that now the Hatter never joined them, and he never told anyone the reason why.

Alice quickly ducked when a ginormous cupcake came flying towards her. Hatta took her hand in his and they sprinted to the door, barely managing to close it behind them before a dozen pieces of cutlery and various food items hit it. "Sorry they're excited today because of the anti-ball."

"It's fine," Alice said. "Though, and I feel bad for not asking this before, when did you stop hanging out with them?"

Since you, Hatta thought, but what he said to her was, "There are only so many tea-parties one can attend. It became boring after hundred years of doing it." He led her up the short staircase to his room. His room had a light brown wooden floor, a king sized bed and a mahogany desk with a raven carved on the top as Hatta's idea of a joke. Alice was never sure what was so funny about it but the other Wonderlander's burst into laughter whenever they saw it. There was huge window opposite the door and beside it was a walk-in closet where Hatta stored his clothes and his many hats. There was also a door leading to the bathroom with a small dressing room attached.

Hatta picked the covered dress and handed it to Alice, ushering her into his dressing room. Alice shut the door and carefully uncovered her dress, smiling when she saw it. She quickly changed into it, eager to see how she looked in it.

The dress fit perfectly. It was tight till her waist and then it flared out. The top was silver and there was a metallic blue belt at the waist that was tied up into a cute bow at her lower back. The lower half was unsymmetrical had a silk black knee-length underskirt and had overlapping strips of blue, silver and black of varying lengths, the shortest ended a few inches above her knee and the longest one at her ankles. There was even a pair of white ankle boots that had a path of black and silver sequence on the side. Alice opened her braid and finger-combed through her long silky blonde hair, smiling at her reflection in the full length mirror.

She opened the door and her jaw dropped in surprise. Hatta was wearing black jeans with a white dress shirt that had a loose black tie at the collar. He was just putting on a grey dinner jacket with impressive silver buttons that had tiny carvings covering them. His feet were clad in shiny black shoes and a black fedora was placed casually atop his head. He looked at her and he looked as impressed as she felt. He placed a similar white fedora with a metal rose at the side on her head.

Hatta offered her his arm and said dramatically, "Shall we?"

"Wait, we're going together?" Alice said.

"Yes, of course we're going together."

"You didn't ask me to go with you," she said sheepishly.

Hatta sighed and went down on his knee, clasping her hand in his and went in a dramatic voice, "Will you go to the anti-ball and dance to all good songs with me and with no one but me?"

Alice thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, of course."

He stood. "Thank you, Alice, I was so worried you'd say no," he said sarcastically. "If you're done can we go?"

"Sure," Alice said placing her hand on his arm and they walked out of his house.

SPOILER: Alice gets drunk.