Given my fascination with the Alice in Wonderland movie(which, I'll admit is 100% fueled by my obsession with the Mad Hatter) I decided to rise from the dead and make a fic for it. It's a whim.

Disclaimer: Obviously don't own anything. Are these really necessary? Commence:

One more thing: Eventual Alice/Hatter. Subtle, but it will happen.

Chapter One: Alice Crumples

The tension and anticipation that built up inside of her nearly exploded then she finally saw him again. Hatter. The Hatter. A smile grazed her features as the Alice stood at the opposite head of the tea table, greeting the Hatter.

"I told you I would come back," she pronounced, hoping her voice didn't manifest the pride she felt at keeping her word; she only wanted to exude happiness for being back in the land that happily recieved her.

The man across from her smiled back, graciously.

"Oh dear, are you lost?" he asked. Her grin faded a little and she cocked her head to the side. Even the other guests at this "tea party" turned their heads towards the Hatter, confused.

"What do you mean... " Alice said slowly. "I'm not lost. I've returned to Wonder-I mean, Underland. I told you I wouldn't forget you." She noticed that the vibrant green the coloured the Hatter's eyes(oh how it contrasted with his stark red-orange hair) were not yellow. That is, they were exactly as they were. Green. So, he was not mad at this exact moment, so what could he possibly be insinuating by asking her if she was lost?

"I fear that I don't remember you, have we met?" the Hatted replied, giving fleeting looks to his companions. Then, he raised a cup in the air. "Tea?"

The smile slipped off of Alice's featured, much of the same way that she slipped to the ground. Maybe "slip" was too soft of a word, because Alice was certain she felt a solid crunch on impact. Crumpled, was the word. Alice crumpled to the ground.

Numerous tea cups and bits of China clattered on the table as Tarrant Hightopp scrambled across it's surface. Mallymkun the doormouse and the March Hare cringed to avoid the glassware that flew away from the Hatter's thin, mismatched legs. His exclamation of dismay rose in the air once he spotted Alice's faint form lying on the around.

"Oh, no!"

She had come back for him, and this was how he expressed his utmost joy! His unbounded relief! Mally bounded towards the two (The Hatter knelt by the girl-turned young woman's side).

"Hatta!" she cried. "Is it possible you forgotten Alice? You've only talked about her a dozen-million times since she's left!" There was almost an annoyed edge in the little mouse's tone, something the Hatter was far too preoccupied to notice. "You've been waiting for the day of her return and now you go and forget!"

"No!" He objected quite violently. For a moment his eyes were pools of yellow, but they faded to the original color rapidly. "I didn't forget! How could I forget? I simply thought it to be an amusing trick to play as if I did, seeing as she forgot the first time! Oh, how could I?"

Of course Tarrant had never anticipated this. The moment he set eyes on his Alice he had wanted to run up the table and envelope the poor girl in a hug! Though he would never, that wouldn't be proper. In the Overland he knew there were rules-rules that Alice held very important. No, he would have resisted but at least he could pour her a cup of tea and chat with her. Maybe even futterwacked from pure joy. Now she was on the ground, fainted. How would they talk now?

Now, both the March Hare and Mallymkun joined his side to stare and the horridly pale Alice. Tarrant reached out an bandaged finger to feel the temperature on her head. The feel of her skin was lovely, except that it was very cool to the touch.

"Well?" demanded Mally. He could see that she had already drawn her minature rapier, ready to stick the girl. As if that would rouse her into conciousness. What answered her was not the usual, soft and playful voice, but instead a rogue accent."Aye, she's very warm, lass. Wha' we need her is a... Where is that bloody feline?"

A wide, wide smile appeared in the air. Two ears, two eyes, a face, and now a body joined in. A blue-hued cat hovered in the air, taking in the scene before him.

"Oh, dear, what has happened to Alice? I led her here and now she's..."

"I'm ashamed to admit it twas something I said!" the Hatter confessed, shame coloring his pale cheeks(but not changing his accent). The Chesire Cat floated closer, where the victim was sprawled on the grass.

"Tarrant I highly doubt she has fainted as a result of something you said, unless whatever you revealed was so shocking that it stops blood from circulating in the human body... " Considering this, the cat paused and cocked a furry eyebrow at the supposed offender. The Hatter appeared even more upset.

"I pretended to forget her! As if I could," he said, sincerely believing that that was enough to cause the girl to lose conciousness. Or maybe he was putting himself into false high regards? If it wasn't him, the what could it be? Tarrant shuddered to think that anything else could ail poor Alice, and slightly wished he were the feeble cause.

"I think it's best we get her to the White Queen. She might have a cure, this isn't a normal thing," suggested Chessur. "The business of carrying her may be too slow."

Especially for those lacking evaporating skills, he scoffed inwardly. Chessur watched as his friend the Hatter carefully pushed a small vial to her lips, forcing the shrinking liquid to dribble down her throat. It resulted in Alice's rapid decrease in size- a proper size for travelling by hat. However, the Hatter was too cautious to lay her on the brim for fear she might roll off, so he kept her again his palm.

With a doormouse and crazy hare by his side the Hatter marched towards the White Queen's castle with the air of one carrying an egg in a spoon.

What do you think? Please please please review.