DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN/HAVE CREATED THE ALICE IN WONDERLAND CHARACTERS.

For the moment, everything seemed fine. Alice and the Mad Hatter danced calmly, and awkwardly, around, and McTwisp was relieved. The Cheshire cat, who had been absent for quite some time, appeared suddenly next to the March Hare.

"So, what have I missed?" He asked them smoothly. Mallymkun rolled his eyes,

"Everything." He told him sarcastically. The cat raised an eyebrow,

"Well, you don't need to be so huffy about it. Where's the hatter?" The White Queen merely pointed down the hill. He saw the Mad Hatter and Alice twirling about, dancing properly.

"Why is he dancing with Alice?" He questioned them again. McTwisp sighed,

"I wish I knew as well, Chesh." He tapped his pocket watch, looked down at the two dancers, and then tapped it again.

"This better not take all day…" The White Rabbit groaned.

"All you do is whine, McTwisp! Just shut up for a second!" The Dormouse threatened to poke at the rabbit again. He quickly switched places with the March Hare and stuck out a tongue at the mouse. The White Queen hit them all upon the top of the head.

"Now, now." She told them sternly. The Cheshire cat stretched himself out,

"That's all I came to ask about; I'll be going now." He was about to disappear, but Absolem warned him,

"Cheshire cat, you cannot just keep appearing and disappearing in this world. It may catch the attention of some of the normal folk." He fixed his spectacle, as he spoke. The cat rolled his large eyes,

"Fine…" He trotted off briskly, annoyed. Down below, Alice and the Mad Hatter began switching partners in time with the music. The hatter, who was not expecting this, accidentally hit into a man's back. The man fell over in reaction, knocking down his partner. Another couple tripped over them, crashing into a few more people. Alice gaped in disbelief, as the domino effect managed to knock everyone to their feet. The Mad Hatter covered his mouth with a hand and slid behind Alice to make it seem as if it were not his fault. People began yelling at others, hitting each other, and falling over one another once again. Alice ducked to avoid a shoe that had been thrown from a far. She glared at the hatter, and he bit his lower lip in response. The Red Queen screamed loudly suddenly,

"It is my party, and I shall not have this ruckus!!!" Her face turned a light purplish-red. Everyone held their ears in pain. Lillian's mother meekly patted her on the arm,

"N-now calm down dear…we can arrange the lunch now!" She desperately tried to bring down her temper. Her eyes were filled with terror, as she sharply told the servants,

"Prepare the outside tables for my darling Lillian…now." They all nodded their heads quickly and began scurrying about in a tizzy. The Mad Hatter relaxed behind Alice. Alice whipped her head around and gave him a look,

"What in the world was that for!?" She whispered angrily at him. He put his hands up in defense,

"I didn't know that we were supposed to switch partners!" He retorted. Alice sighed,

"Well, what did I expect? There's always something that's going to happen with you." She told him. He smiled widely, hoping it was a good thing. Alice, unable to keep her straight face, smiled back at him and fixed his hat. Everyone began to gather at the table areas. The tablecloths were a sparkling white, clean and pulled taut over the round tables. Everyone took a seat at their designated area. Alice panicked for the Wonderland creatures. They had not been invited and would be easily noticed if they didn't sit down right away. She bit her lip, but the hatter patted her on the shoulder reassuringly,

"Not to worry, Alice. I meant it when I said that Absolem and McTwisp thought of everything." He smiled a little oddly seeing her awe of how he had read her mind. He led her to a fairly large table, and there were nametags with their names printed in golden cursive letters in front of some of the seats. The hatter pulled out the chair for Alice and bowed deeply. She giggled a little and stood him upright,

"I'm not the White Queen or anything." She told him, still smiling. He flashed a small smile, and then everyone began pouring in. The March Hare bounded onto the hatter's lap, nose twitching. The Mad Hatter gave him a split-second death glare, eyes darkening just a little, before he was calmed down by Alice's light touch. McTwisp, more politely, questioned Alice,

"Is it alright if I sit on your lap for now, dear? Unfortunately, we really couldn't have animals sitting a table…" He muttered.

"It's actually quite discriminatory!" Mallymkun remarked near the White Queen's plate. The White Queen gently pushed him behind the butter,

"Careful now, you may cause a ruckus if someone sees a mouse on the table." She told him cautiously. The Dormouse sighed and frowned.

"See what I mean?" He whispered to Absolem who was hidden well among the flowers in the vase in the middle of the table. The caterpillar exhaled slowly,

"Yes, but we're just going to have to bear with it for now." He told him. Tweedledee and Tweedledum jostled each other back and forth,

"This is my seat!"

"No, it's my seat! See, it says Tweedledee right here!"
"Yes, but that must be a mistake because McTwisp told me I could sit next to Alice!"

"No he didn't you liar!"

"You're the one who's stealing my seat!"

"Fine! Here!" Tweedledum switched the name card with his own and grinned triumphantly.

"Now you're sitting there!" He pointed out the other seat.

"But you can't do that! My card was here…!" The Mad Hatter finally lost it and yelled at them, slamming his hands down on the table,

"Alright! Both of you sit on the opposite end of where Alice is sitting!" He fumed silently, as he watched the two boys scuttle into their new seats. The White Queen drifted over and took the other seat next to Alice and whispered to her,

"The boys do seem to like you quite a bit." Alice sighed at this,

"That seems to be the problem…" Both women made faces, as the Tweedles shoved and kicked each other underneath the table. The Cheshire cat suddenly appeared in White Queen's lap,

"May I?" He asked her. She stroked the cat,

"Yes, of course, Chesh." The cat purred in response, and his large eyes closed themselves. Suddenly, uniform waiters dispersed themselves among the tables and placed down plates of food that were apparently chosen beforehand. The White Queen grimaced when a fish was placed in front of her. She pulled a waiter aside,

"Excuse me; may I have the salad instead?" She earnestly questioned. The waiter told her,

"I'm afraid not, madam. We only have the foods prepared for the certain people who ordered them." He then walked off after being flagged down by another person. The queen sighed, as she watched the cat nibble on the fish. Alice offered her salad,

"Here you are. You can have it. I'm not that hungry." She pushed the plate closer to the White Queen.

"Are you sure, Alice?" She asked her carefully.

"Yes." Alice smiled. The queen anxiously glanced at Alice once more before taking her fork in hand and finally eating the salad daintily. The Tweedles looked like they were about to argue about their food choices, but the Mad Hatter gave them one look, and they were silenced. Alice reached over the table and switched the twins' plates with each other. They both beamed in satisfaction.

"Once again, you are a wonderful peacekeeper, Alice!" Tweedledum commented joyously.

"Yes, and once again you have proven that kindness is the method of non-violence." Tweedledee added in. Both Tweedles gave a not-so-subtle look at the Mad Hatter. He gave a darkening return glare and raised himself from his chair slowly. Alice deftly pushed him down and shook her head.

"Leave them alone please, hatter…" She sighed with fatigue evident. The Mad Hatter obeyed out of sympathy for the poor girl and forced a smile onto his face for her. Alice smiled back tiredly. Everyone finally calmed down enough to enjoy the meal as much as they could. The White Queen offered the rest of her salad to the blue-dressed girl. Alice politely accepted the salad and let McTwisp try some of the greens. The queen sighed at Alice's kind demeanor. The Mad Hatter had given all of the vegetables to the March Hare himself and instead ate the rest of what was left on the plate. The twins enjoyed their "new" dishes along with Mallymkun and Absolem. Alice was able to relax, and she breathed, relieved. The Red Queen, seated in a very lavish location, tasted different dishes. She stubbornly would request new dishes to try and easily was bored of a food after a while. Lillian's mother fanned herself in stress and breathed heavily. Alice made a face before feeling a tug on her sleeve.

"Alice, is there going to be tea now?" The March Hare asked her excitedly, shaking his cup up and down vigorously. She shrugged,

"I don't really know, March Hare. Let's ask another waiter." She tapped a chubbier waiter,

"Excuse me, sir? Is there any tea available?"

"Yes, ma'am. Would you like a cup?"

"Oh, thank you. We would all like a cup…including the animals…" Alice added at the end. The waiter raised an eyebrow but said nothing. In a split-second, he brought over cups of tea and placed it in front of all the members around the table. The Mad Hatter and the hare both shared broad grins, as they indulged in their tea. The smaller creatures sipped from a spoon, while the Cheshire cat and the White Rabbit drank from their own cups. The queen drank a small bit of tea, before telling Alice,

"Just be careful with tea and those two." She pointed over at the hatter and the March Hare who seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly. Alice gave a small laugh,

"I'll remember that for next time." They both smiled at one another. To Alice's surprise, the Wonderland creatures behaved themselves the best they could. After the hatter's outburst, the Tweedles were relatively quiet. The animals hid themselves from view the very best they could, and the Mad Hatter seemed livelier after having his tea. He leaned closer to Alice.

"Alice? Is today your unbirthday?" He revealed his smile, and Alice stopped him right there.

"Hatter, I can't have you all sing that song here." She warned him. He shook his head,

"Oh no, no, of course not. I have a gift for you though, Alice." The mad man took out a small, beautifully wrapped box. He handed it to her. She inspected it carefully. The hatter assured her,

"Don't worry, Alice. I made it appropriate for this occasion. No fireworks or anything." She smiled at this and gingerly unwrapped the gift. Everyone bent in closer to see what the Mad Hatter had thought up for her this time. She pulled out a small hat that fit perfectly onto her head. Her face broke out into a large, "Cheshire-cat" grin.

"You weren't kidding when you said you would make me a hat?" She asked him. The hatter waved a hand,

"Nonsense, I made this before I came."

"But then how did you know…?" She didn't finish her sentence and dropped the subject, taking for granted that she may never know the motives of the Mad Hatter. Alice proudly fitted it on top of her head.

"It does look very nice, hatter. Good job." Absolem commented approvingly. The Mad Hatter gave a pretend bow of the head,

"I always do my best." He smiled confidently. The Red Queen's voice screamed over all once more,

"I want to start the dancing once again!!" Mallymkun growled at this,

"Why can't that bloody big head just shut her trap? We should've left her there, Mirana." He addressed the White Queen. She sighed and clasped her hands together,

"It was necessary, Dormouse." She told him softly.

"I thought you said they didn't deserve a bit of kindness!" Mallymkun retorted her.

"Hush hush, Mallymkun. What skin is it off your nose if she attends or not?" Aboslem quieted the talkative mouse.

"I just don't feel it's right…that's all…" The Dormouse muttered to himself. People noisily were arising from their seats to begin to dance once more after the hearty meal.

"Are you in the mood to dance once more, Alice?" The Mad Hatter asked her. Alice hesitated,

"Well…"A certain feeling swelled within her, and there was a calming, sedative look in the Mad Hatter's eyes. She sighed before standing up.

"Alright then..."

AN: It's been a long time, eh? =.=" Sorry that I've had you all wait so long. I've been busy. :/ I also have a few questions. Someone wrote to me that Mallymkun is supposedly a female...and that'd be a terrible mistake as a writer to mix up genders...XP So is it true? The next is whether or not you all are comfortable with a few Hatter/Alice hints and subtle notes. If most of you would rather prefer it not be written then I won't. ;) AGAIN, I'M SO SORRY THIS HAS TAKEN SUCH A LONG TIME. I'll try to get the next one up ASAP. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW/COMMENT. :DDD For all of you that have listed me as a favorite author/story please comment as well!!! Gives me motivation. ;D lol.