Chapter 1, in The Prince, the Battle and, The Poem (I did end up changing the name, go figure!) Please enjoy and love it even though I have no idea where I'm going with this!

"Move out of the way!" Someone yelled, as Alice narrowly dodged out of the way of a busy driver, dark horses stomping their way down the cobbled stone streets, with many to follow. "You'll loose your head if you keep being careless like that!"

Already lost it. Alice thought, pulling her blue hood off her head and shook out her blonde curls. She'd nearly forgotten how cruel the London drivers could be, and how dangerous the streets could be.

She smiled at the thought, it was much easier then fighting a jabberwocky, that was true, although some of her fellow townsfolk had the same cruelness inside them.

"Alice!" Someone called, and Alice looked up, as a man with dark coppery hair appeared by her side, tugging at the ends of his new jacket. "Well, do I look like an average London man?"

"Perfectly ordinary." Alice told him, a small smile on her face. "I believe you fit into this town more then I do."

"'ay," Hatter replied with a wink of his green eyes. "But looks can be deceiving."

It was so hard to believe that only an hour ago, her friend had agreed to go with her to London and help her find Stayne and help her mother. Though, Alice didn't tell him much about the Aunt Imogene part, that was much to confusing, even for her. But she would tell him, eventually.

"Although," hatter said, ruffling his hair, dully. "I feel absolutely bare. Are you sure I can't wear my hat?"

"Positive," Alice told him, for the fifth or sixth time. Imagining hatter wearing his hat in the middle of town….it was a strange thing. Almost as strange as all the looks he would be getting if he wore it. "Unless you want to get sent to the-"

Alice stopped and bit her lip, while Hatter gazed at her curiously. "Um…" She looked down at her hands and then around her city. "Would you like to get something to eat?" She hadn't eaten anything since the party and she was starving, and was especially craving one of Mr. Gray's breakfast cakes.

Hatter smiled a grin that would have been his gapped tooth smile if he didn't have a new mouth. "I thought you'd never ask."

She led them down to Mr. Gray's tea Shoppe, a place where she and Margret used to get breakfast every Sunday morning when they were growing up, at least until their father had died. This would always be his place, and now it was Alice's. Ad they walked through the door, Alice was over swept with the smell of Chamomile, instantly pulling her back to the last day she'd been here, with Chess and Nicholas.

Before Stayne came back to her, pretending to be Hatter.

"What is that?" Hatter asked, inhaling deeply the sent of chamomile and other baking goods.

"That is Mr. Gray's Tea shopper." Alice told him, leading him towards the exact table she and Chess had shared, overlooking the window. "It's the best place to get breakfast in London."

A short girl with dark brown hair and lots of freckles came to take their order, wearing a green dress with short sleeves and a white apron tied around her waist.

"Good Moring, everyone." She said in a pure London accent. "Might I recommend the Earl Gray tea, our specialty, with some delicious blueberry scones?" She grinned and Alice saw that her teeth were slightly crooked.

"Two chamomile teas please, and four breakfast cakes." Alice said, giving the girl her menu without looking at it while the Hatter did the same a little more hesitantly.

Once the girl left, the Hatter leaned in and whispered to Alice. "What's chamomile?"

"It's one of my favorite teas," Alice admitted, at least not counting all the better ones in Underland.

"Ah," Hatter replied, and leaned back, letting his eyes drift around the room. While he did so, Alice studied him for the first time. He looked much different then he did before, even though he had similar hair and eyes. His skin wasn't as pale and he had a healthy dose of freckles much like their waitress scattered over his nose. His dark coppery curls fell into his eyes endearingly and his smile was crooked.

It was true; he could be mistaken for an average gentleman except he was the maddest man she'd met in her entire life.

"Alice?" Hatter asked, and Alice blinked, shaking her head and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Why was she being so flustered? He'd just called her by her name?

"Yes?" Alice asked, and Hater grinned at her.

"You realize that this is one of the longest times we've had a conversation without fighting in….well weeks actually." Hatter smiled, playfully at Alice who blushed even though hr mind was dead set against it.

"That's right." Alice realized, and cocked her head at her friend. "Do you ever wonder why we fought so much?"

Hatter shrugged. "I've never really thought about it."

Alice nodded in agreement, but she really had. She was still haunted by all the things he'd said to h rover the course of the past few weeks. Ever insult, every yell every bad word against her was like a fresh burn or a wound that would never close. That's why we gotten to forget the last.

"Here you go!" The waitress said, pulling Alice back to the present as the younger girl placed two plates down in front of them and two cups of steaming chamomile tea. "Call me if you need anything 'alright?"

"Of course," Hatter said and he truly meant it, maybe he didn't know that every waiter or waitress said that to the customers.

Alice picked up one of the cakes and inhaled deeply. The smell of freshly baked bread and sweet jam from inside ticked her nostrils and she took a deep sigh of happiness. She's missed these most of all, when she left for Underland and took an eager bite.

Hatter followed suit and his eyes lit up as he took a deep bite of the pastry and Alice started to laugh when he got the jam all over his mouth.

"Next time," Alice said, passing him a napkin from across the table. "Take a smaller bite."

Hatter nodded eagerly and blanked, seeing something behind them.

Alice was about to turn when she heard a familiar voice call out her name. "Well, Alice there you are!"

Cliff hanger, we are obviously getting off to a good start? Who's calling her name? Why is hatter pale? Where the hell are Margret and Lowell? All good questions with no answers. Review!