Updating an hour early today because I'm off to do important TFP things. Mostly errands. =3= So enjoy!

Alice trotted after the tiny blue speck, fascinated as it dipped and weaved before her in an almost hypnotically enticing way. The path it took made no sense, but it rarely deviated from the center of the path, almost always at her eye-level, and always just far enough ahead of her to keep her from catching it, but hopeful she could.

She didn't seem to realize just how deep into the maze she was being taken, her attentions focused solely on her elusive new friend.

She reached out, her hand just a breath away from the creature-

"Alice!"

Alice yelped as a hand wrapped around her wrist, jerking her to a halt and forcing her around. The death glare Hamish had her fixed in actually made Alice cringe briefly in fear. "What?"

"What are you doing out of your rooms? You were ordered to stay there-"

"My apologies, dear!" Alice snapped. "I don't take lightly to being locked up like some sort of criminal, and I don't believe I really care for your tone."

Hamish's eyes went huge, stunned into silence as he was by the sudden outburst. Within seconds though, he was over it and gripped her wrist even tighter, jerking her body towards him even as he lifted his hand to bring it harshly across her cheek. Alice's head jerked and his grip tightened all the more. "I am your husband, and as such-"

Alice jerked her hand away, stomping as hard as she could on his foot. "Husband-to-be and not if I can help it!" She ripped her hand away and sprinted in the opposite direction, gathering her skirts up in one hand. She made every which way turn, trying desperately to lose Hamish as he followed after her.

She had to get away from here. She couldn't be married to this man! She couldn't-

She felt the wind knocked from her lungs as something collided with her, lifting her into the air and dragging her into the shadows as Hamish's thundering footsteps grew closer.

The body surrounding her, pressing her into the hedges radiated a comforting warmth and smelled like dirt and berries and fire and tea and the scent that was simple Man. The hand pressed against her mouth was covered in a tattered old glove, and the thumb was wrapped in a thick bandage. Her eyes flickered up to the darkened face above her, but the man seemed to be staring intently down the path. "Ah'll kill tha' bastard…" The man was snarling in a thick Scottish brogue.

"No you won't. I think you're suffocating her." Another, invisible, voice drawled.

The man shoving her into the hedges suddenly jumped away as though he'd been burned, his already huge eyes even wider, hiding a hint of fear that Alice didn't understand. She stood there, exactly where he'd left her, frowning up at the strange, painted face.

He looked like a circus performer, and she would have assumed he was had it not been for the pins in his hat and the pincushion rings and thimbles that graced his hand. She peered at the strange, colorful sash against his chest and realized it was made entirely of different spools of thread, a realization that for some reason brought her a sense of amused comfort.

Under her careful study, the man seemed to shift nervously before straightening. "Er… Alice? Ah dinnae hurt ye, did Ah laddie?"

Alice blinked. "Laddie? I'm a woman, thank you sir. But yes, I'm alright. Who are you?"

The man seemed to crumble in on himself, and Alice watched in amazement as his brilliant green eyes turned to a deep blue. "Ye dinnae remember me?" He asked, his voice so wounded it actually hurt Alice.

She shook her head sadly. "I don't remember anyone. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to forget you, whoever you are."

The man hung his head, glaring hard at his feet. "It figures…" Alice thought she heard him mumble.

Alice stared down the path, listening hard for Hamish. "I think he's gone…" She sighed heavily and turned to smile at this depressed stranger. "I must thank you, kind sir. That man claims to be my fiancé… but I'm rather positive he's not."

The stranger jumped again, staring at her with his mouth half-open in shock. "Fiancé?"

Alice nodded grimly. "Apparently we were to be married. But he's so… so vile!" Alice huffed, crossing her arms against her chest and glaring down the path. "I may not remember much, but I can't believe I would ever have agreed to such an unholy union."

These words seemed to cheer the stranger up, but only a little. "The Alice I know would never have agreed to marry a man like that."

Alice turned to frown at the man. "Say… how do you know my name?" She asked.

Hatter smiled sadly. "I've known you since you were a little one. No older than six you were when you first sat at my tea-table in Underland."

Alice's head tilted slightly to the side as her expression turned curious, and such a cute, innocent little Alice she was it caused Hatter to smile. "Underland?" She asked. "I can't recall ever hearing of such a place."

"You used to call it Wonderland. It's a place like no place on Earth, full of magic and wonder and danger. You have to be mad as a hatter to survive it." He grinned even wider. "You once were. Not nearly as mad as I, I must admit. But then again, no one is. You were quite mad though, to be sure, but a good kind of mad!" His voice slowly picked up speed, the words lisping and slipping together as he went on. "A good, right Alice kind of mad full of Muchness an-"

"Sir-?"

The stranger cringed, and his voice turned weak and raspy as he offered her an apologetic glance. "Size, mad…." He shook his head. "I'm fine."

Alice giggled, smiling up at the strange colorful man. "A good kind of mad, huh? I didn't know that was possible."

The man cringed, folding in on himself again. "Once… you once told me that I was mad, but all the best of people were."

Alice frowned thoughtfully. "I said that? Hmm…" But as she looked this colorful man over her frown melted away to a warm smile. "Well it must be true then. If you're as mad as you say, there must be a good kind of mad, and you must be it."

"That is very kind of you." He replied. His face crumbled again and his eyes turned a deeper shade of blue. "Are you certain you don't remember me?"

Alice smiled sadly and shook her head. "I feel as though I know you, but the memory is hard to grasp… Could you tell me your name? Perhaps that would spark something?"

The man brightened and stood as straight and tall as he could, sweeping the magnificent (if not a little singed) top hat off his head and across his chest, bowing deeply. "Tarrant Hightopp, otherwise called the Mad Hatter, at your service milady."

Alice chuckled. "Hmm…" She pursed her lips and frowned thoughtfully again. "Tarrant the Hatter…" She was silent for a long moment before she shook her head. "I don't remember… I'm sorry."

Tarrant groaned, covering his face with his hands to hide his misery. "I knew you were lying! I knew you would never remember me! Even if you hadn't hit your head!"

Alice frowned, this time in confusion. "I never said I'd hit my head…"

Tarrant took one hand at his face to wave through the air. "I know that. I was told by Absolem. Oh Alice!" He dropped his other hand to glare at her, the hurt in his now fiery orange eyes palpable. "You promised you wouldn't forget! You gave me this-" His hand lifted to his breast pocket and pulled a pendant on a gold chain free. "-And I gave you the feather from my hat! I begged you not to forget!"

Alice floundered. "I don't mean to!" There was a tone, faint but noticeable, of pleading in her voice.

Tarrant's face fell and he straightened once more, tucking the necklace safely back into his pocket where it'd sat for three long, and apparently wasted, years. "I know… I'm sorry, I've no right to be angry with you." He sighed, and his eyes slowly faded back to green. "Do you at least remember Underland or Wonderland or whatever it is you want to call it?"

Alice shook her head. "No-"

"ALICE! Where are you? I can hear you!"

Alice swore, spinning to stare with wide eyes at the opening to the path. "Oh... bugger!" She reached across the space separating her and the Hatter and grabbed his hand, pulling him along behind her as she tore off in the opposite direction of Hamish's voice. She didn't know why she was, but she put it down to it being intrigued and guilty and it simply being wrong to leave the man behind. "Come on!" She hissed.

The beautiful blue butterfly from earlier suddenly appeared in her vision, shocking her into a stumbling halt. If it hadn't been for the Hatter's hand quickly stopping her fall, she would have tumbled to the ground. As it was, he righted her and stared hard at the little creature. "Which way?"

Alice gasped as the butterfly responded. "Follow me." He ordered. The butterfly took off and as they followed, Tarrant took the lead. They sprinted down the leafy hallways, always vaguely aware of the sound of furious footsteps not far behind until they came to a stop in the clearing Alice and Margaret had been eating in. Margaret was nowhere to be seen, but the picnic basket and blanket were still there.

"McTwisp! How-?"

Alice turned at the sound of Hatter's voice and the rustling of leaves, and gasped at the thing standing before her. It was a large white rabbit in a blue waistcoat, nervously checking a pocket watch. "Mally found me at the castle when I returned a few hours ago, said Alice was in trouble and that you two came to find her. What's going on?"

"I'd like to know the same thing." Alice interrupted faintly.

Hatter spun to face her, his hands flying to her shoulders. "Alice… I know you don't remember me, or any of us… or Underland. But I want you to trust me. What if I could take you to a place where you could rest and remember in safety from that man?"

Alice frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Underland. A week there could be little more than a few minutes here. If you just gave me a week, I could make you remember, and I could have you back here before anyone missed you... If that's what you want."

Alice smirked up at him. "That's not possible."

The Hatter smiled. "It is. Let me show you. Let me take you to Underland. For just a week. I could bring you back at any time, but I promise if you just give me a week…"

"Alice! ALICE KINGSLEIGH WHERE ARE YOU?"

Alice grimaced, staring up at the Hatter with a hard look before giving him a short nod. "Anything to get away from that idiot for a while."

Pride and frustration battled inside him over her almost casual regard for the little shukum slurper. Tarrant pulled Alice towards the hedge as the rabbit and the butterfly disappeared beneath it and pulled her flush against him before the ground suddenly opened up beneath their feet, swallowing them whole.

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Four down. =)

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