A/N: About the flashback scene, I had just finished watching the scene where hatter is being tortured by Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee (Or as I like to call them Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber), so basically that is where I got some of the lines from. I just thought that maybe Hatter could have been repeating them to Mad March in order to snap him out of things.

Also I have used a few quotes from the original Alice in Wonderland, and the answer to the riddle was actually given by Lewis Carroll himself in the preface of the 1986 editions of the book.

Chapter 4: Breakout Is Never Easy

Alice couldn't help feeling slightly glad that Hatter hadn't mentioned that kiss. She wasn't exactly sure she wanted to have to talk about it right now. At least not until she had worked out why on Earth she had done it in the first place. A soft smile came to her face as Hatter held up the keys.

She looked at the lock, examining it for a few mere moments before looking back at the keys. Great! They all looked the same, this was just going to be pure luck.

"Mind if I?" Alice said to him reaching her hand forwards towards the cells bars and Hatter's hand, which was still holding the keys. Hatter simply handed them to her, they easily slipped through the bars of the cell, as they must have done before when he had grabbed them.

Her fingers brushed against his hand as the keys reached her. She was sure she had felt her cheeks blush slightly. Although thankfully the dim lighting surrounding them would almost defiantly hide that. In an attempt to simply try and keep him from mentioning that exact thing, should he have happened to notice it, Alice simply finished off the question she had been about to ask before the Red Queen had walked inside and interrupted their reunion.

"What happened? Between you and Mad March?" as she spoke she fumbled with the keys. Her legs were shaking as well as her hands. Now was that due to the cold? She couldn't tell, although it was best to convince herself of that for the time being.

At her question Hatter felt lump in his throat. He could remember that day so well. It had started out like any normal, mad and probably rather weird morning.

"Well... erm.... not exactly sure...I think it was my fault, never really found that out" he sighed softly and looked at Alice once again. It seemed somehow right to tell her about it. Plus it would pass the time whilst she fumbled around trying to find the right key to go into that stupid lock.

That particular day, where everything changed, had started out like normal. Hatter was sitting outside the house belonging to The March Hare simply drinking tea and having, well having a tea party. It was sort of a tradition, for the two friends, to have such a party at exactly six O'clock on March 4th, since that was the day time had stopped for their ancestors. Somehow The March Hare had managed to be late, which had slightly confused the Hatter, as the party was at his house. Finally he walked outside and into the sunshine. He wore a rather confused look on his face.

"How come you are already here, Hatter? Its only just turned six O'clock, normally you are never here so early"

Hatter rolled his eyes, every year he was asked the same question and every year he gave the same reply. "It hasn't just turned six your clock is two days slow, you really need to get that sorted out"

The March Hare just nodded slightly and simply sat down at the table, just opposite his best friend. He rested his elbows on the table and simply placed his pocket watch onto the table. His head rested into his hands. "Just one question for you! What on earth is the answer to that flaming riddle you asked me the other week? Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Hatter just smirked, course working out the answer was ever so hard, yet the moment you knew it was simply obvious. Well to Hatter it had been anyway."Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat: and it is never put with the wrong end in front. Of course never is spelt N-E-V-A-R, which if you read it backwards, or say it backwards for that matter is spells raven"

The March Hare didn't look convinced. He had spent days pondering over what the answer could possibly have been to that riddle, now that he knew it he was even more confused about it than he was before he knew the answer. He wished he had never said anything in the first place and just left it unanswered.

"I have an excellent idea" he said after a few seconds "Lets change the subject" that seemed like the best option to The March Hare, at least then it would certainly avoid more confusion on his behalf. Right?

Hatter nodded his head a little "Would you like a cup of tea?"he asked his friend.

Tea. That seemed like a good idea, after all this was supposed to be a tea party and what was a tea party without tea?!

"Just half a cup if you don't mind" The March Hare replied and held out his cup to the Hatter, who poured out the tea, from the teapot and into the cup.

The pair silently drank their tea; none of them seemed to find the need to actually talk, the tea was certainly enough to keep the pair of them happy for a few moments. The March Hare's eyes glanced over at his pocket watch, without him even needing to say a single word Hatter knew exactly what he was trying to work out. How was he supposed to get that watch fixed?

Since he had now finished the cup of tea that was previously occupying the cup in front of him. "Give it here" Hatter said, holding his hand out, in which The March Hare handed the pocket watch to him.

"What are you going to do with it? You are not going to break it are you?"

"It's already broken. I am merely going to fix it. Since you seem to be incapable of doing it yourself"

"Yes, the clockwork isn't working properly. Don't think it ever has, not a few weeks or years anyway" The March Hare simply mumbled to himself, not even sure whether Hatter had even heard him.

Hatter's fingers fumbled around with the watch in front of him, he opened it up and pulled off the clock face. "Ah ha! I see the problem here. All this thing needs is a bit of butter." He said after a few moments.

"Butter? What will butter do?" March Hare questioned. It seemed to him that Hatter had become rather like his grandfather, Mad!

"Never you mind just pass that tub of butter over. Trust me this will work. I know how to fix a flimsy pocket watch" Hatter said as he looked up.

The March Hare sighed softly. He only hoped that Hatter knew exactly what he was doing, after all it was better to have a watch that was two days slow than have one that didn't work at all. "I just hope you know what you are doing"

Hatter just nodded and picked up the bred knife, which was covered in crumbs from previously having cut up the bread.

March Hare's eyes widened. "Don't do that! You'll get crumbs in the butter, you idiot" with those words he reached out and snatched the knife from his friends hand, cutting Hatter's hand in the process.

"Ow, you didn't have do slice my hand in a half!" Hatter said glaring at his best friend as the blood dripped from his hand and onto the tablecloth. "Now you going to complain that I have got blood on your precious tablecloth." Hatter hissed. He wasn't meant to sound so rude, it was just that March Hare sometimes annoyed the hell out of him, with the way he went on and on about the most stupidest of things.

"Now you are just being ridiculous, Hatter. Can you or can you not fix that watch?"

"Yes, just wait a minute" Hatter said as she spread a thick layer of butter on the watch, which started making a buzzing noise. "Now that certainly wasn't meant to happen," Hatter admitted as he took a step backwards from the table. The stop watch started spinning around on the table and jumping up and down. Sparks were flying everywhere.

"What have you done to my watch!" March Hare yelled at him.

"Let me handle it" Hatter said as he held out his hand and pulled out his mallet, crashing it down upon it, smashing it into a million pieces. "Ah! Sorry about that, appears I can't fix it"

The March Hare was certainly not impressed. "You idiot. That watch belonged to my great great great great grandfather. Its been in my family for generations and now you have gone and destroyed it. I promise I will never forgive you for this. You will be sorry you ever broke that watch, Hatter!"

With those words the March Hare stormed off into the trees.

Hatter sighed softly as he stepped out of the cell. It seemed Alice had finally managed to get it opened, using one of the million keys.

"I never saw him again after that, not for a long time. I thought something must have happened to him. Now, well you know Mad March"

Alice swallowed. Not wasting another second she wrapped her arms around Hatter's neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry!"