Chapter Two: Breakfast and Questions Or Questions and Breakfast, if you Prefer.

Her bedsheets were rumpled and half thrown off the mattress. Sunlight streamed in through a window and Alice felt under her pillow for the button. Feeling cool metal at her fingertips, Alice withdrew it and peered closely at it. Not much had changed, but there were now three button holes instead of four. Alice looked again, certain there had been four holes, not three yesterday. No, there really were three there, it was if the fourth had never existed.

"But that's impossible." she whispered to herself.

There was room for a fourth hole, it just wasn't there. She was still entranced by the button when the maid came to help her dress. While the maid's back was turned, Alice got up and hid the button in her jewelry box. After the maid was gone, she took it out, along with a long thin silver chain and threaded the button, making an impromptu necklace. Alice fastened it on and went downstairs.

"Good Morning Alice."

"Good Morning Mother." Alice sat down at the table while a maid moved to fill her plate. Scrambled eggs and toast with apple jelly. The taste of the jelly reminded Alice of the scones and she smiled.

"Lady Ascot sent a message this morning. She wants to know the real reason you refused to marry her son."

Alice stopped mid chew and swallowed, putting down her fork. "It is just as I told you yesterday, Mother. We are not right for each other. A "proper" match or not, we wouldn't be happy together."

"Alice, Hamish is a Lord and comes from a very well to do family, given time after the wedding you would have gotten along with him just fine."

"Mother," Alice sighed "the answer is no. I don't want to marry Hamish and I'm not going to." At that, Alice picked up her list slice of toast, and walked from the room.

Alice's mother sighed to herself, and picking up her teacup, wondered what she was going to do about her daughter.

Meanwhile, said daughter was in one of the gardens the family had, walking amongst the trees and plants. Her favorite place to come and think (or hide from her mother) was the patch of apple trees. Before the house was were it stood, the land had been an orchard, and the family had gotten some of the trees as their land. The garden from Alice's room was mainly functional and used by the kitchen staff. It was mostly herbs and Alice did like to open her windows sometimes to let the scent in. The bigger one in the back, had apple trees, one or two lavender, honeysuckle bushes and some strawberry patches. For now she was meandering her way through the trees, one hand playing with her necklace, while she thought.

"Tarrant, I know I saw you. I know this button has something to do with it and I know you know something about it."

She continued to pace, the chain twisting in her fingers. She pulled the button up to her face.

"What are you? You're not just a normal button. Tarrant said he had heard of you..." Alice dropped the chain and continued to pace. The metal warm against her skin remained silent.

Meanwhile in Wonderland, Tarrant was sitting at the table, a fresh cup of tea in hand, but he didn't drink it.

"She was here Mally. The button works and she was here! I saw her, we talked and she was here, right next to me."

He continued in this vein for a time before Mally threw a sugar cube at him. It hit him on the nose and plunked down into his cup.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Mally nodded. "Slipping her the button was easy, but why give it to her?"

"That is a conversation for another time with Alice." Tarrant replied, finally sipping his tea.

Mally huffed in response and threw a tart at him, which Tarrant hastily ducked, spilling some of his tea.

"Mally... the Earl Grey? Really?" He wiped off his hand and blotted the table cloth. "Wasting perfectly good tea." he muttered to himself.

"You're the one who had me put the button in her glove when she wasn't paying attention, I want to know why."

"So she can come back, my dear mouse."

"I know that! Why?"

Tarrant at a loss for words, just stared at her.

"The buttons are rare, Tarrant, you told me that but why did you give it to her? I thought that they weren't given out unless-" At this point Mally stopped, realization dawning on her. "You can't be serious." she said softly.

Tarrant nodded. "I am." He put the tea cup down, his taste for tea dulled at the moment.

"I very much am."

"I hate to be the voice of reason, but you do know that this is forever, right? That once the button is given and the dreams start, that you can't stop it. To do so would be insanity and break the both of you."

Another nod and this time, a smile. "I'm sure Mally, she is it and I want forever with her." His voice was resolute, there would be no going back or changing of minds; for once the Hatter's mind was crystal clear on something, and god help whoever tried to get in his way.

Mally stood up then, walking to edge of the table cloth. "Alright then, I'll start preparing the next tea." And at this, she descended the table, muttering to herself about half mad hatters and the wild schemes they came up with. But even while she was doing so, she couldn't help but wish it all worked out, and if it didn't there would be hell to pay.

Tarrant, while able to hear her mutterings, wisely ignored them and picked up his now rapidly cooling cup of tea, taking a sip. Too cold for his tastes. "Clean cup, clean cup. Move down, move down." He giggled and sat in another chair.