She was looking in his golden-green eyes from across the many tables shoved together during tea time. Everyone else seemed to have disappeared and slowly she rose, pushing herself up and bracing herself with her hands on the tea-stained tablecloth. She stood on the embroidered seat of the chair and stepped onto the table. She slowly started to progress towards him, seemingly miles from where she now was. He giggled as he watched her kick over plates of scones and tea cups. She disregarded the clangs of breaking porcelain and clatters of stirring spoons hitting the compact dirt of the color-stained forest. She slowed down and stopped. The white-laced bottom of her light blue dress floated inches away from his puzzled face. His widened eyes followed up her long legs to her abdomen, up her lovely neck to her red lips, and from her rosy cheeks to her dancing blue eyes. Locking in his gaze, she gracefully lowered herself down, legs dangling off the side of the table and torso turned to face him.
"My Alice," He lisped in wonder, barely audible.
Trembling, he reached out towards her and she let out an audible sigh as she anticipated his touch. Her lids fluttered shut as his pale bandaged fingers slid up her neck, stopping below her ear and pulling her body into his. He quietly stood like this and with a swift motion, he cleared pots and cups from the area of the table behind her with his arm, letting them roll off the table and glide to the ground, shattering. He angled her back more and she inhaled sharply as he nervously smiled into the nook of her neck. She propped herself up more with her elbow as he leaned into her body, slowly lowering himself onto her. One of his hands was brushing her soft golden curls from her face, the other pushing himself up, as to not crush her dainty figure. He gently parted his lips and kissed down her jaw line. As her ventured closer to her lovely mouth, her frantic hands entangled themselves in his bright orange hair, knocking his hat off. He glanced only once to his beloved hat lying in the fluorescing grass. She reacted to his tender touches with involuntary shivers and her hair stood on end as his lips gently grazed hers. He softly pressed his mouth down on her moist red lips. With her free hand she traced her fingers down his chest, feeling each chiseled muscle on his perfect body through his shirt. She stopped the kiss, pushing him back with her hand and looked into his darkening, now emerald eyes. She closed her eyes to blink, and in that moment she felt herself being scooped into his warm, strong arms, bridal style.
"You are quite full of muchness today!" She whispered playfully after she had yelped, surprised. Her arms snaked around to the back of his neck, clasping each other.
"Not ever as much muchness as you, my dear Champion." He answered, grinning down at her.
He proceeded to turn, swinging her feet around knocking a full teapot over that had survived his earlier "table clearing". The contents flowed from the spout. Alice closed her eyes and enjoyed the floating feeling of swinging in his arms. Back and forth. Back and forth. The sound of the tea's splashes oddly grew louder and she soon felt liquid splash on her hands behind her Hatter's neck. She felt his grip slowly disappear leaving tingling where his hands held her.
"No!" she cried, "Please, no!"
She buried her face into his fading chest and the swinging that had soothed her became violent rocking. She felt nauseated. She started to sob, her chest heaving up and down, as more water splashed on her shaking body. He was almost gone, now and she looked up to see his entrancing face all at sea, confused, and misty. He pressed his transparent lips on hers and disappeared completely, leaving a cold mist to surround her.
"TARRANT!" she now screamed. She shot up and with red, puffy eyes and nose running, she found herself engulfed in stained sheets of a bed on a flooding ship. She bitterly remembered her destiny: China. She collapsed back down on the sheets, soaking her pillow with her hot, salty tears.
