Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, etc.

Author's Note: Once more, thank you all for the amazing response I am getting to this story! All the reviews, favorites, and story alerts are simply blowing my mind. I'm having such an incredibly good time writing this story, it makes me happy that you readers, as well, are having a good time reading it! One thing I'd like to address quickly before we move on to the chapter is that there seems to be a confusion about Alice's eye color. During my viewings of the movie and in pictures I've seen, it looks like Alice has brown eyes instead of blue, so that's what I was basing it on. But if you all would like me to change it, just let me know and I'll run back and change all instances of brown eye color in this story. Once more, thank you all for reading, and for the reviews/faves/alerts, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter! ~fyd

------------

-Chapter 3-

A Strange and Curious Thing

------------

It seemed absolutely impossible. Three years had passed since she'd left Underland. Three years during which she'd nearly torn herself apart, half of her arguing that it was only a dream, the other half desperately clinging to the hope that it -- and, more importantly, its inhabitants -- were absolutely real. And just as her confidence had started to fade, as it had when she was a child, here was the Hatter, in all his wildly colorful glory, to reaffirm her sanity.

For one terrifying moment she froze, almost afraid to approach him. If her deepest hopes had manifested themselves into a hallucination, when she approached him he surely would vanish. And she was not ready for that to happen. Not again. (Even if, a distant part of her mind whispered, she had been the one who vanished last time.)

"Hatter…" This time it was a whisper. A plea for him to reply, to move, to do something to assure her that he was real.

His inhumanly bright eyes almost glowed, and his smile widened. "Alice," he replied softly, almost dreamily. "Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?"

That broke the spell. Alice was not one for outwardly showing her affection, but she flew across the room and threw herself at the Hatter like she was a drowning person and he was her rock. "It is you! You are real!" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and clung, inhaling his unique smell of tea, exotic fabric, and just a hint of wood smoke.

Alice felt his bandaged hand gently pat her back as his other cautiously wound around her waist in a return of her embrace. "I seem to remember us debating that subject before," he whispered. "You had a much different answer, then. And it was so long ago…"

Those words reminded her of where she was, and more so what she was doing. A blush rose up her neck and into her cheeks as she backed off, clasping her hands together behind her back so they wouldn't act of their own accord again. Her mother would have been scandalized if she had witnessed her daughter literally throwing herself at a man. "It is so good to see you again, Hatter," she said, suddenly feeling shy. She started to say something about it being too long, but for some reason the words felt trite, albeit truthful. He obviously knew it had been too long -- that had to have been why he had come to Otherland. Either that, or there was trouble brewing in Underland…

Hatter grinned at her again, his bowtie (which had seemed a little droopy when she'd first entered the room) fluffing out at the motion. "It is good to see you too, Alice," he replied. "Here you are, your right proper Alice-size, you yourself again. Of course, you've always been you yourself, I don't mean to imply otherwise. But oh have I missed you, Alice, and you said you'd come back, but the days have been long and many since I last saw you, and--" He sped up the longer he kept talking, once more falling into the habit of rambling that he had when he was nervous, scared, or angry.

"Hatter," she said, unable to keep the warm fondness from her tone.

"I'm fine," he immediately apologized, sounding a little choked as he came back to himself. "So sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Alice said. She had to restrain herself from hugging him again -- goodness, what was the matter with her?

For a moment they stood in mutual silence, just staring at each other for a while. He hadn't changed a bit, really. He still wore the same wildly colored clothes, and the same top hat with the pins, the sash, and the ten-sixths card. His hair was still adorably frizzy, and the orangey-purple stains still lingered under his bright eyes. The fingers on his work-roughened hands that weren't bandaged had a permanent orange stain from working on hats for all those years.

Alice wondered what he saw when he looked at her. Did he see her as too changed, too different? Or did he still see her as Underland's champion, the girl who had slain the Jabberwocky and regained her muchness? She longed to ask him, but refrained. If he so wished to tell her, he would do so in his own time.

At last Alice could no longer take the silence or the tension. "How are things in Underland?" she asked.

Hatter seemed relieved to have a subject to expound on. "Very well, very well," he said immediately. "The White Queen is still ruling, and she took McTwisp on as an advisor. Things haven't really changed for Thackery -- he's still fixated on tea time, can't get his mind off it. The White Queen lets him cook in the kitchen, though, so I guess that makes him happy. Mally and I always make sure we're on time -- for tea, I mean. She helps me with the hats sometimes -- Mallymkun, I mean. She does some of the finer detailing, the smaller stitches. Chessur's the same as always, popping in and out and trying to get at my Hat. Haven't seen Absolem in a while, but he's around. The Tweedles are still up to their old tricks, always making jokes." He rocked back on his heels slightly, twisting his fingers together in front of him.

"What about the Red Queen and the Knave?" she asked. She didn't really care about their wellbeing -- she just wanted to make sure that they weren't still causing trouble in Underland.

"They have not been spotted since their banishment," Hatter said proudly. "Though the White Queen is still wary, just in case they decide to try something nasty."

Alice most fervently hoped they wouldn't, and said so. "And -- you, Hatter?" she asked hesitantly. "How have you been?"

Tarrant's reaction was almost as bad as she'd feared. His tie drooped a little, and his eyes faded a bit as he turned to look back out the window. "Time and I resolved our argument," he said faintly. "I've made a few hats. They aren't my best, though. I was--" He stopped abruptly, eyes cutting sideways to hers before nervously darting away again.

…And there it was. The look on his face, in his eyes, was the same that had been there upon her last glimpse of him before she faded out of Underland and returned to the world above (reality, as some would call it, though Alice had had her doubts). She had no words to describe it, because the depth of the sadness (which was not a strong enough word for that look) there was overwhelming.

Swallowing hard, Alice reached out and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I can't imagine you making a hat that is not marvelous," she said honestly, hoping to snap him out of his sudden melancholy.

His lips twitched upwards at that, giving her at least part of her desired reaction from him. "Thank you, Alice," he said. "I shall show you some sometime. Perhaps soon?"

Like one puzzle piece falling into place after another, there was the other thing she had been expecting since her shock of seeing Hatter in the Ascots' drawing room had worn off. She had not deluded herself into believing he was there for any other reason than to take her back to Underland. And it wasn't like she didn't want to go back, for she did. Her desire to go back that colorful world and its equally colorful inhabitants was an almost physical ache inside her chest. But… There were still so many things left to do before she returned. Because she also knew with absolute certainty that the third time she returned to Underland would be her final, because she could not bear to part with that amazing world a third time.

Hatter had turned to face her, his unblinking eyes narrowed in on her expression, as if trying to read her very thoughts. Whatever he read there he either didn't like or wasn't sure of, because he turned back to the window silently. She noted absently that he was looking off in the direction of the rabbit hole that led to Underland.

"I am coming back to Underland," she whispered. "I meant it when I said I was. I just have some things left up here in London to do first."

Hope flickered in his face as he looked at her again. "Will you stay this time?" he asked.

Alice realized then that she'd never really thought about it. Returning to Underland was her biggest goal, of course, now that her other business in Otherland was wrapping up. But she had never really given consideration to staying. The idea was not repulsive, however -- in fact, she rather fancied it. "Yes."

Hatter smiled, making him look happy again. "Splendid."

She could almost hear the question he wasn't asking. "How long?" she said for him.

Smiling apologetically, he nodded.

"I still have several things to do. I need to make sure everything is well with the company, and ease Lord Ascot into the sole proprietorship. And I need to approach Mother and Margaret about leaving -- for good." She smiled at him, noticing the spark of happiness that lit his eyes when she spoke of returning to Underland to stay. "Now that you are here, I daresay it will be easier. Perhaps meeting an Underlanian will help -- ah -- ease their minds." And keep me from being committed, she thought wryly.

Tarrant was twisting his fingers again, very much looking like he wanted something to do. "I met your mother earlier," he said. "She was here when I came."

Alice very much wished she could have seen the look on Helen Kingsley's face when she had first caught sight of the colorful Hatter. "I believe she and my sister, Margaret, will like you. I know my father would have." Even now, all these years later, a deep, pervasive sadness built in her chest when she thought of him. But like she'd told Hatter, she knew for sure he would have approved of the hat-maker. He probably would have accepted no less than a half-mad man for his half-mad daughter. In fact, some had said that Charles Kingsley was half-mad himself -- that was what made him the great man he was.

Seeing the sad expression on her face, Hatter reached out and touched her arm in a gesture of comfort, his eyes dimming slightly as he picked up on her mood. Alice smiled at him, reassuring him that she was fine as she touched his hand in return. "I would like to ask you a question, Alice," he said, shy again.

"Of course." She wondered if she would ever figure out how his mind worked, for it seemed he could change subjects and moods at a snap of the fingers. She wouldn't have it any other way, though. That was part of what mad Hatter the man he was.

"Would you happen to have tea here in Londonland?"

Alice laughed softly at his twist on the city's name. It made it seem more interesting, anyway. "Every day," she assured him.

Tarrant looked relieved that there was something, at last, that was familiar. "This is a strange and curious place," he said. "I was beginning to wonder if there were any two things alike here and there." He motioned over his shoulder toward the rabbit hole with a vague wave of his hand.

"A few. I shall explain some of the stranger things we do as we get to them."

Hatter grinned. "I was wondering what it was like here in Otherland," he said. "For instance, this drawing room. A strange and curious thing, indeed. I see nothing with which to draw!"

"I cannot tell you that, for I do not understand it myself!" Oh, how good it felt to laugh with Hatter again. "But it does seem rather silly, does it not?"

"Just so," Hatter agreed. Then he took a step closer to her, making her heart flutter in strange but not unpleasant ways. "I have missed you so, Alice." He hesitated a moment, then reached out and gathered her cool, smooth hands into his warm, rougher ones. Nervously he looked at her from beneath his brows, as if afraid of her reaction.

The contact warmed her inside and out. Smiling, she shuffled her feet forward so she was a little closer to him, as well, once more having to shove down the urge to hug him and never let go. There was something about this man that made her inhibitions and propriety vanish… "I have missed you, too, Hatter."

"Alice!"

She and Hatter jumped apart from each other, surprised at the sound of her mother's scandalized voice from the doorway. Alice felt the redness of embarrassment scorch her pale cheeks as she turned to face Helen, who was standing with one hand pressed to her bosom in shock. "Mother," she greeted, her voice rather shaky.

Her narrowed eyes shifted from Alice to Tarrant, then back again. "I came to get you for tea," she said stiffly. "Is your -- friend staying?"

"Yes," Alice said firmly.

Tarrant smiled bashfully, his stained, bandaged fingers once more twisting together in front of him. "I love tea," he said softly. "My favorite thing, besides Hats."

Helen eyed him warily, then smiled awkwardly. "Lady Ascot is awaiting us in the sitting room. Shall we go?" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and swished off.

Doffing his Hat with a flourish, Hatter bowed slightly and offered her his arm. Alice smiled as she slid her hand around his elbow. "Off to tea, then," he said as they started off. "Are tea-things thrown here, as well, when one is late?"

"No. That is actually considered quite rude here." She smiled as she remembered Thackery's habit of throwing teacups, saucers, scones, and anything else he could get his paws on at guests that were late for tea. "But tea parties here are dreadfully boring, I am afraid. There is no joyfulness or frivolity. We all sit around discussing unimportant and uninteresting things and sipping our tea genteelly." How many teas had she taken as a proper English woman, all the while inwardly longing for the delightfully mad tea parties Hatter, Thackery, and Mally had? More than she could count, certainly. Sometimes she very nearly threw something, just to bring a few of those wonderful memories to life again.

The others were already in the sitting room by the time Alice and Hatter arrived. Helen was eyeing her daughter meaningfully, hinting for her to introduce her "friend" to everyone.

Alice cleared her throat. "Tarrant Hightopp, this is my mother, Helen Kingsley; my sister, Margaret Manchester; her husband, Lowell Manchester; our host and hostess, Lord and Lady Ascot; and their son, Hamish Ascot." She curtsied slightly at each in turn. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is my dear friend, Tarrant Hightopp."

Once more the Hatter took off his Hat, offering a low bow to the room in general. "A p-pleasure," he said, his stutter returning with his nerves. Standing straight again, he held his Hat before him, eyes anxiously moving from face to face. Her mother, Margaret, and Lord Ascot, Alice was relieved to note, were all smiling politely and a little curiously at him. Lowell, Hamish and Lady Ascot, however, where eyeing him with extreme distaste. If ever Alice had been tempted to throwing a teacup at someone, it would have to be those three.

Securing his arm, Alice led him to one of the settees, offering her mother a look that dared her to protest. Helen avoided her daughter's gaze as everyone sat and the tea things were passed around.

Lord Ascot was the first to speak. "Mr. Hightopp, what is it you do for a living?"

Alice deliberately allowed her arm to brush Tarrant's as she reached for the teacup her mother handed her, hoping it would serve both as a bolster for his courage and a slight warning about what he should and should not say.

Her signal seemed to work. "I make Hats," Hatter said. He tapped his own, which was sitting on his lap, with the hand not holding his own teacup and saucer. If anyone noticed the inflection on the word, they didn't say anything about it.

"For royalty," Alice added, watching her mother's face. Sure enough, her face brightened with interest.

"Interesting," Helen murmured. "And where did you meet Alice?"

Hatter looked at her out of the corner of his eye, the irises fading to a nervous yellowish-green as he begged her to take over. He had never much cared for talking to people he wasn't familiar with, she knew, and besides, they hadn't had a chance to discuss the particulars before they'd come for tea. He must have known she wanted to introduce Underland later, after everyone got used to him.

"On my trip," Alice said smoothly. It wasn't entirely a lie, because she had met him on a trip -- to Underland. She just chose not to be specific about which trip exactly she was referring. "Obviously, he made it back to England before I." She laughed softly, relieved when her mother smiled. She noted the curious expression on Lord Ascot's face and determined to speak to him later, privately. He had been on the trip to China, and hadn't met the Hatter. She needed to head him off before he brought that little detail up.

Fortunately, before she had to, Lady Ascot spoke. "Do you have a place to stay, Mr. Hightopp?"

Hatter very carefully set his teacup down in its saucer as he shook his head. "No," he replied. "I just got to London--" a quick poke in his side from Alice reminded him not to add land to the end "--and have not yet had time to arrange anything." He smiled winsomely.

Before Lady Ascot or her sneering son could say anything (Lowell seemed to be very interested in his tea, and concentrating very hard on not looking at Hatter), Lord Ascot spoke up. "There are several guest rooms in the house," he declared. "A friend of Miss Alice's is a friend of ours. You can stay here for the night, Mr. Hightopp, if you so desire."

Alice felt some of the tension drain out of her shoulders. She had been a bit concerned about where Hatter would stay, for she knew for certain he wouldn't go back to Underland without her. For tonight, he could stay at the Ascot's manor, thanks to her business partner's generosity. And sometime between now and in the morning, she would have to talk to her mother and arrange for him to stay with them when they went back home.

That was going to be a very fun conversation, indeed…

~To Be Continued~

--------------

No Hatter POV in this chapter, but the next one will be from his POV. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!