Guys, I am SO INCREDIBLY SORRY BEYOND WORDS that this took so long, I have LITERALLY no excuse, and I'm kind of beating myself up over it, if I'm being completely honest. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I will do my absolute best to get the next one up ASAP.

The next morning while Alice was eating breakfast, there was a knock on the front door. Violet went to answer it, then returned a moment later.

"Your sister and her husband are here, Miss Kingsleigh," she said. "They say it's urgent that they speak to you right away."

"Oh," Alice said, blinking in surprise. "Um...Alright then, bring them in."

Violet turned and left, then came back with Margaret and Lowell in tow. He had his arm around her, and she had tears in her eyes. When Alice saw this, she immediately stood up and went over to her sister.

"Margaret," she said, "what's wrong?"
"It's Abby," Margaret replied. "She's gone!"

"Gone? What on earth do you mean, gone?"

"Her governess went to wake her up and get her dressed, and she wasn't in her bed! All Miss Hadaway found was a note on the bedside table, but it wasn't addressed to us, it was addressed to you."

"To me? Why would it be addressed to me?"
"That's what we don't understand. We brought it for you to read."

At this, Lowell reached into his pocket and produced a folded sheet of paper, which he handed to his sister-in-law. Written across the front of it were the words, To be given to Miss Alice Kingsleigh. Frowning in confusion, Alice unfolded it and began reading what was written on the inside.

Miss Kingsleigh:

Now that I have your attention, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Atax Malov, and I have a request to make of you. You see, there is a priceless artifact known as the Shadow Star. It is a pendant that holds significant power, and I have need of it. However, no one has seen it in centuries, nor are its current whereabouts known to anyone. You, though, are the famed Alice Kingsleigh herself. The very girl that stood as Queen Mirana's Champion on the Frabjous Day and slew the Jabberwocky. If you can do that, then I firmly believe that if there is anyone who stands a chance of locating the Shadow Star, it is you.

Come back to Underland. Find the Shadow Star. Bring it to me. Then, and only then, shall your niece be returned to you. If you need more information about the Star, I would suggest asking Queen Mirana. Employ the assistance of your friends if you like, it makes no difference to me whatsoever, just as long as you deliver the Star to me once you've found it.

I wish you the best of luck, Champion.

Yours truly,
Atax Malov.

"Oh, good Lord," Alice cried, one hand flying over her mouth as her eyes widened.

"What is it?" Margaret asked. "What does it say?"
"Abby was kidnapped because of me! He only did this to get my attention!"

"Who? Who did this?"
"I—I have to find a looking-glass!"

Without giving Margaret or Lowell time to react, Alice went rushing past them and ran upstairs. She hurried into a sitting room with her sister and her brother-in-law following, demanding to know what was going on. She ignored them, however, and shoved a chair up to the fireplace, climbing onto it and crawling through the mirror that hung above the mantle. Margaret and Lowell stopped short, gasping in shock when they saw this, then they looked at each other, and before Lowell knew what was happening, his wife had gone through the mirror, as well, leaving him no choice but to follow.

So that's exactly what he did.

When Lowell came out on the other side, he found himself in what appeared to be a study. Margaret was standing by and watching in confusion as Alice spoke excitedly to a very pale woman with wavy white hair wearing a white dress and a crown, whose expression kept shifting from one thing to another as she listened to the blonde. Finally, Alice stopped talking and held out the note, which she was still clutching in her hand. The pale woman frowned and took the paper, smoothing it out and scanning over it.

"Oh dear," she said. "This is most certainly not good. I regret to tell you, Alice, that your niece may be in very grave danger if we do not act soon."

"I know, that's why I came! We have to do something, we have to save Abby before it's too late!"
"However," the pale woman continued, "letting Atax Malov come into possession of the Shadow Star would be a very serious mistake."

"But if we don't give it to him, he may do something terrible to Abby and we won't get her back!"
"Alice, dear, I am not going to let anything happen. We will come up with an alternative. I promise."

"Oh, thank you, Mirana, you're an absolute lifesaver. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Well, to begin with, you might not turn around and look at who's in the doorway behind you."

At this, Alice, Lowell, and Margaret all turned to look. When Alice saw the orange-haired man standing in the doorway with a look of shocked disbelief on his face, she broke into an enormous grin.

"Hatta!" she cried joyfully.

In as much time as it took to blink, the blonde had lifted her skirts and gone running across the space separating her from the man, throwing herself at him and embracing him. He blinked as he returned the hug, obviously very surprised to see her.

"Alice," he said, "you're back again."
"Yes, I am. Oh, Hatta, it's so good to see you!"

"Your hair. It's...It's not...What in the world happened to it?"
"I cut it, just like you said it wanted when we first met. Remember?"

It seemed to take him a moment, but his face lit up in understanding.

"Oh! Oh, yes, now I recall! Oh, Alice, you simply have no idea how terribly dull things have been without you around. I could hardly bear it, and you know, I don't think anyone's quite gotten used to Iracebeth being around now that she's returned from her banishment since she and Mirana reconciled their differences, but my family is back, and that's good, it's wonderful, and my nephew is old enough to start learning the trade now, so I'm going to begin teaching him soon, and my father and I have been making all sorts of hats together, and—"

"Hatta!"
"...Thank you...I'm fine."

"Alice," Margaret said, "what...I don't understand, what's going on? Where are we, who are these people?"

Alice turned to face her sister and brother-in-law, blinking in surprise as if only just realizing that they had followed her.

"Oh, Margaret," she said, "I...I didn't...I was so caught up in the moment, I hadn't even noticed that you were there. This place is called Underland. I've been here several times before, twice as a child, once when I was nineteen, and once last year after returning from my first voyage to China. These people are my friends. This is the White Queen, Mirana of Marmoreal, and this is Tarrant Hightopp, otherwise known as the Mad Hatter, or just Hatta. Mirana, Hatta, this is my older sister Margaret Manchester and her husband Lowell."

"Underland," Margaret echoed. Her face lit up suddenly. "Why, that sounds almost like the name of that imaginary land you invented as a little girl! Wonderland, wasn't it?"
"Underland is Wonderland, Margaret. The first time I came here as a child, I heard someone say the name, but I didn't hear it correctly and thought they said Wonderland, so that was what I called it. And as you can see, it's quite real, thank you."

"I take it that it was their daughter who was taken, yes?" Mirana said to Alice.
"Yes, Abigail is theirs. It's the only way for her to be my niece, because Margaret is my only sibling."

"A child was taken?" Tarrant asked.

"My niece," Alice told him. "By someone named Atax Malov."
"Atax Malov!" he exclaimed. "Oh, Alice, that's simply awful!"

"I know, and I have to get Abby back before it's too late."
"But why would Atax Malov take your niece?"

"He wants me to find something for him. Some pendant called the Shadow Star. He won't give her back unless and until he gets it."

"The Shadow Star? But it can't be found by anyone, it's only a myth."

"That is not entirely true, Tarrant," Mirana interjected. "It exists primarily in legend, yes, but only in today's society. In olden times, it was very much real, and in the possession of one branch of my ancestors. Specifically, of the Black Monarchy that existed at the time."

"Black Monarchy?" Alice echoed. "You mean there are more queens than just you and Iracebeth?"
"Only two. Our cousins, the Black Queen Delilah of Snud, and her sister, the Blue Queen Amaryllis of Queast."

"If the Black Monarchy was once in possession of this Shadow Star thing you're all on about," Lowell said, "do you think your cousin could help locate it?"
"Possible, but doubtful," the Queen replied. "The Star disappeared many generations ago, and nobody knows where it went or what became of it. Finding it will be a challenge."
"If anyone can do it, it's Alice," Tarrant said. "She's saved the whole of Underland not once, but twice now. There is absolutely nothing she cannot do once she puts her mind to it, of that, I am quite certain."

"I quite agree with you, Tarrant, although this is one task that I fear may be nigh on impossible, even for someone like Alice."
"I don't believe in such a thing," Alice cut in. "The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe that it is possible. Anything can be done with determination."

"Well, either way, you won't be doing it alone," Tarrant said. "I'm going to help you."

Alice smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, Hatta," she said. "That means more to me than you could imagine."

"There are several things we'll have to figure out before we can proceed properly," Mirana said. "But in the meantime, since we don't know how long you all will be here, I'll have rooms set aside for you and accommodations made for your stay. Mr. and Mrs. Manchester, please try not to fret too much. I promise you, we will do everything within our power to ensure your daughter is safely returned to you. In the meantime, I'm afraid I must take my leave of you for now, as it is nearly time for me to hold the court's morning session. Alice, dear, since you and Tarrant both know the palace quite well, why don't you give your sister and her husband a tour? Who knows? Perhaps you'll even get to meet some of Tarrant's family along the way. I know he would very much like to introduce you to them since he didn't get to before you left last time."

"Margaret, Lowell?" Alice said. "Do you think you're up for it?"
"I don't know," Margaret said. "I'm just so worried about Abby..."

"I think it would be a good idea, darling," Lowell said to his wife. "It might help take our mind off things, if only for a little while."

Margaret hesitated for a moment, then gave a nod of consent.

"Alright," she said, "lead the way, then."

Lowell put an arm around her waist, and they followed Alice and Tarrant out of the room with Mirana trailing behind. The Queen shut the door on her way out, then bade them all goodbye for the time being and went off down the hall, seeming to glide rather than walk, just as she always did.

"Well," Alice said, "let's get started, then, shall we?"

She and Tarrant led Margaret and Lowell through the halls of the White Palace, pointing things out to them along the way, going in and out of different rooms, and generally just trying to distract them from their fears and worries. Every now and then, Tarrant would start to ramble, and Alice would have to cut him off and bring him back to his senses. As they went along, Margaret couldn't help but notice how relaxed and happy Alice seemed with the Hatter, how easily he was able to make her laugh or bring a smile to her face. She had never seen her younger sister act like this with anyone else before, and seeing it now amazed her. The pair teased and joked as if they had known each other for their entire lives, and their level of comfort with one another was at the same degree. There were absolutely no walls between them, as if everything in their relationship with one another was laid completely bare and in the open and neither of them was keeping any secrets at all from the other. It was an even greater level of ease and comfort than was present between Alice and her best friend back in London, Ada Boyce. In fact, it was almost on the same level as what had been between Alice and the girls' father.

It sort of made Margaret wonder about a few things.

That evening, Alice was standing out on the balcony of the room Mirana had set aside for her. She was wearing an outfit rather similar to the one she had worn the night before the Frabjous Day what now felt like nearly a lifetime ago, and a million things were racing through her mind as she stood there gazing out at the horizon.

"Alice?" a voice said, breaking her from her thoughts.

She turned, smiling at her sister. Margaret returned it half-heartedly, then came out to stand at the railing beside Alice.

"I'm so worried about Abby..."
"I know. I am, too. But we'll save her."

"But what if we don't or can't? There are so many things that could happen or not happen or go wrong, and...and who would even go and find her?"

"I would. And Hatta would come with me."
"Oh, Alice, don't be absurd. You and I aren't cut out for—"

"Think that of yourself if you like," Alice interrupted, "but don't think it of me. I'll have you know, Margaret, that I slew the Jabberwocky, and that was when I was nineteen. If I could do something like that when I was barely on the verge of turning twenty, I'm sure I can find Abby at twenty-three. And besides, I won't be doing it alone. Like I said before, Hatta will come with me and help."

"But how will you find her?"

"We found Hatta's family. We'll find Abby, too. We'll worry about details later."

There was a pause for a few moments. Then, Margaret turned to her younger sister with a slight frown.

"Alice, may I ask you something?"
"Of course. What is it?"

"You and Mr. Hightopp...You seem very close with one another."

The corners of Alice's mouth twitched upwards a bit.

"We are," she said. "He's my Very Best and Dearest Friend in all the world, Above or Below. I likely wouldn't even be alive if not for him."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember the day Hamish proposed to me, how I ran off and came back an absolute mess hours later?"

"What of it?"

"I was gone so long because I had fallen down one of McTwisp's holes and come here to Underland. It was during that visit that I slew the Jabberwocky. Everyone believed I was the Wrong Alice, but not Hatta. The very moment he laid eyes on me, when Mally told him that I was the Wrong Alice, he immediately said to her, 'It's absolutely Alice.' He said that he'd know me anywhere. He protected me from the Knave and the Red Knights, more than once, I might add, and he let himself be captured so that I could escape. He nearly had his head removed for the things he did to help me, he only barely escaped from Salazen Grum with his life. As I said, I would likely be dead or worse several times over if not for him. And not only that, but he...he was the first person to really, truly believe in me since Father died. He never doubted for even a second that I was the Right Alice, even when everyone else kept insisting that I wasn't. I told him when I left that I'd be back before he knew it, but...I don't really think that I kept that promise very well. I feel like too much time passed between then and my next visit. He probably knew it many times over by the time I got back, and when I did, he was...not entirely himself. He nearly died, Margaret. I thought for a few moments that he had, and it absolutely terrified me and broke my heart, because after everything he had done on my last visit, how could I not have saved him like he saved me? How was that fair for either of us? But then he managed to pull through, and...and after we had rescued his family, I left again. A huge part of me wanted to stay, but I knew that I couldn't, so even though it killed me to leave him again, I did. And I've somewhat hated myself for it ever since, because how could I possibly do that to him again?"

"You care for him a great deal, don't you?"
"Of course I do. How couldn't I, after everything we've been through?"

"Do you love him?"

Alice didn't answer right away. She furrowed her brow and bit her lip, seeming to carefully consider her words before speaking.

"It's something I've thought about before," she said finally. "And...I think I very well might. He helped me get my muchness back, believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. He's always been so kind and caring towards me, and...I feel like he's proof of what Father used to say, about how all the best people are mad. Hatta is quite mad, but he is by far one of the absolute best people I have ever known in all my life. And I wouldn't trade my friendship with him for all the world."

"Alice, if you love him, then he deserves to know as much."
"Don't tease me like that, I know you wouldn't approve of it at all."

"Alice..." Margaret sighed.

"Your sister is right, dear," Mirana chimed in as she came gliding out to join them.

"He won't feel the same," Alice argued, "so I see no point in it."
"I think you'll find the truth to be quite different," Mirana said.

Alice frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Alice, darling, if you saw what I see when Tarrant looks at you, you would know precisely what I'm talking about."

"And what do you see when he looks at me?"

"I see him looking at you in a way he has never looked at anyone else before. With his eyes full of stars and all but completely blind to everything else around him. He looks at you as if you are his entire world, and as if he would do absolutely anything it at all to put a smile on your face when there isn't one already, as if you are the moon, the stars, and everything else in the sky. If you only could have seen how heartbroken he looked when you left after slaying the Jabberwocky, and again after saving his family...Tarrant thinks the absolute world of you, Alice. There is practically nothing he would not do for you, and he would doubtlessly put you above himself in any situation. What else could that be but love?"

Alice was silent as she absorbed everything Mirana had said, her expression thoughtful.

"I think," she said finally, "that I should go and talk to him. Do you know where he is?"

"In his workshop, I believe."
"Alright, thank you. I'll...I'll be back in a bit."

Without waiting for a response from either of the other two women, she pushed off the balcony railing and went inside. She made her way through the halls of the Palace, trying to plan out in her head what she might say to Tarrant, and soon enough, she found herself at the door to his workshop. After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she raised her fist and knocked, opening it when she heard Tarrant call for her to come in.

"Oh, Alice!" he said brightly.

The young boy that was sitting perched on one of the tables turned to look at the Champion.

"That's Alice?" he said. "The Champion, the one you're always talking about?"

"It is indeed. Alice, this is Bim, he's my oldest brother's son."

Alice smiled at the boy.

"It's nice to meet you," she said.
"Same here. Uncle Tarrant is always talking about you."

"Well, I don't know if always would be entirely accurate," Tarrant said.

"Yes it is," Bim retorted. "Ask anyone, they'll all say the same."

The Hatter frowned slightly, and Bim flashed a lopsided grin.

"Hatta," Alice said. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something...preferably in private."

"Yes, of course."

"I'll just go, then," Bim said, hopping down from the table. He nodded at Alice on his way out of the room, then shut the door behind himself.

Alice tried to collect her thoughts and process them into words, and Tarrant waited patiently for her to speak.

"Mirana said some things," she said finally. "About...well...about you and I."

Tarrant blinked once or twice, furrowning his brow.

"What precisely did she say?" he asked.

"She said...Well, simply put, she seems to think that you might be in love with me."

He blinked again, then turned his head to the side and cast his gaze elsewhere.

"Well, I...I certainly do care for you a great deal," he said. "You are my absolute dearest friend in all the world."
"And you're mine. But...it is also possible to be in love with one's best friend, so...I just...I need to know if what she said is true."

There was a hesitation for several moments.

"Alice," he said finally, "you are the kindest, most clever, muchiest person I have ever met in my life, and I am honored just to say that I know you at all. You possess such great beauty, both on the inside and the outside, and...and I would not trade my friendship with you for anything in the world. Having you around makes me happier than I have ever been before, and you...do things to me...things that I can't explain, things that are both wonderful and frightening all at the same time. The very thought of you is enough to make me feel things I have never before felt. I've been afraid to admit this out loud, especially to you, because I was terrified that it could ruin our friendship, which was the absolute last thing I wanted to do, but...I...I simply cannot lie to you anymore. You deserve better than that. You deserve the truth. And the truth is, dear Alice, that I...I have fallen completely and utterly in love with you. I know it's foolish, but—"

"It's not foolish at all. The heart wants what the heart wants, there's nothing we can do to change or control it. But since you've been honest with me, I'm now going to do you the same courtesy. You see, Tarrant, my truth to tell is that...well, believe it or not...I've fallen in love with you, too."

"You...You have?"
"Yes. Entirely and irreversibly."

She blushed lightly and looked away, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear as she bit her lip.

"I've known ever since before Mother and I got back from our overseas journey together," she said. "I tried to find a looking-glass so I could come back, but I never could, so I decided to wait until a few weeks after we got back to London. But then Abby was kidnapped last night, and so I ended up coming back this morning when I found out about it, and...and now here we are, and I just..."

She trailed off into a sigh and shook her head slightly, only looking up when he appeared in front of her.

"It very nearly broke my heart when you left," he said quietly.
"Oh, Tarrant...Breaking your heart is the absolute last thing I would ever want to do."

As she spoke, she placed her hand on his chest, directly above his heart. He placed his own hand over hers, keeping it in place, and for the next few moments, they just stood there like that, gazing at each other while Alice memorized the steady rhythm of Tarrant's heartbeat. She searched his eyes—for what, she wasn't entirely certain, but she knew in her heart when she found it, and as soon as she did, she rose up on her toes, placing her other hand on his shoulder and kissing him. It was everything either of them could have ever hoped for it to be and more. Tarrant tasted just like he smelled; of orange marmalade, tea, and treacle tarts, just without the fresh leather that was also part of his scent. And Alice, Tarrant found, tasted just as wonderful; of cherries and vanilla and the way he imagined sunshine might taste if it were a tangible thing that could be put in one's mouth and eaten. And not only that, but their lips molded together so well.

When it ended, Tarrant wrapped his arms around Alice, holding her close.

"I'm not sure I would be able to bear it if you left again," he said, "but I know that you likely will after we get your niece back."
"I...I don't know if I'll be able to. Not now, not after this. I suppose we'll have to see when this all said and done. I'm not sure yet."

In the adjacent room, which was connected to Tarrant's workshop by a door that was open a bit, a clock struck the hour, and when it had finished, Tarrant gently placed his hand beneath Alice's chin and lifted her face so she was looking up at him.

"It's late," he said. "Go and get some rest. We can talk more about this in the morning."

She nodded, then gave him another kiss before telling him goodnight and heading out the door to go back to her room. But as she got under the covers of her bed, Alice felt happier than she had in quite a long time, and she fell asleep with thoughts of the Hatter filling not only her mind, but also her heart.

Okay, so I just wanted to make a quick note of something here. Originally, I wasn't going to have Alice and Tarrant confess their feelings to each other until the very end of the story, but then when I was writing this chapter, things just kind of took an unexpected turn, and then it ended up happening WAY earlier than I had planned, and...yeah. So anyway, I'll go work on the next chapter and HOPEFULLY have it up within the next few days, or at least, that's the plan, but who knows if that'll actually be how it happens.

ANYWAY, THANKS FOR THE GREAT REVIEWS ON THE FIRST CHAPTER, I'M GLAD YOU LIKED IT SO MUCH!