Hello again everyone! So very sorry for this short chapter! I already have the next chapter written out and it was supposed to be part of this one, but it got waaaay too long so I had to divide it into two. Nevertheless I figured that the story would be longer now than I expected. (I thought to end it at 5 chapter but thats not going to happen LOL) So once again sorry for the short chapter, I promise to have the next chapter by tomorrow. Thanks again to every one who reads, reviews, faves, and alerts!

Summary: The Hatter muses about Alice while he takes a break by a pond and finally comes to a decision.

In which Hatter works on a "Special Project"

Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in Wonderland.

"247…248…249…250…251! Two hundred and fifty one hats!" The Hatter exclaimed while wiping his forehead with a handkerchief, "I think I must have been too involved in making these! I might have made too much" he laughed to himself. "Well then, I think I deserve some rest today! Let's see…what should I do…" he asked himself pacing his workroom. "Of course I shall have tea this afternoon with Thack and Mally… Maybe I shall have a walk in the gardens right now! What a wonderful idea!" he said to himself as he headed out the door.

Tarrant Hightop has been keeping himself fairly busy since the last he saw Alice. He had been employed at court once again and since been cooped up in his workroom creating hat after hat of all sorts of design and color. Once in a while, he would allow himself time to walk along a path in The Queen's garden that lead to a small pond. During these walks, he found himself thinking about Alice more and more. In the beginning, he found that he was angry and jealous at this Ron that Alice spent her time with, but the longer his little "breaks" became, the more frustrated he got at the thought of this Ron. He finally decided one day to just think of Alice, and ONLY Alice. He hated the idea that he had "Angry thoughts" and "Alice thoughts" going on in his head at the same time! Since then he tried hard not to get angry or jealous and just think of Alice. His time at the pond thinking his "Only Alice" thoughts were the best part of his day. During these times, he realized full well that he does like her. He doesn't know if he felt anymore than "like" because he's never felt "the other thing" before. Sometimes during these "Alice Only" breaks, he would find himself picking the blue flowers scattered around the pond and letting them float gently on the water. Sometimes, he would lie on his back thinking about the times they had together, and their escapades while she was still with him.

The Hatter found his favorite spot by the pond; a small patch of grass under a tree surrounded by tiny blue flowers. He sat down and let out a sigh of relief. "Alice…" he said under his breath, which made him giggle because he liked the feeling of saying her name now that he had discovered his feelings for her. "I do believe I quite fancy you so!" he yelled before putting his hands over his mouth and scanning the pond to make sure no one heard his confession. "Ah I should like to give you one of these flowers My Alice!" he gasped "Ooops!" he looked around once again "I mean just Alice, not My Alice. She isn't my Alice, although it would feel quite nice to be able to say she was My Alice, but I doubt she would ever let me, seeing as I am quite mad, and only a Hatter. Why would she let me! She lets this Ron call her "My Silly Girl" even though she is NOT HIS but maybe that's because he's a Lord and not a lowly HATTER like me!" he continued on in Outlandish, getting louder and louder as the tiny blue flowers began shivering and descending back into the ground. "Oh!" he said as he caught himself "Not good Hatter! No Angry Thoughts during "Only Alice" time!" he scolded himself. He let out another long sigh as he rubbed his temples.

"I like you Alice. And I know you will probably never like me as anything other than a friend. And if you choose a Lord over a Hatter, I understand but I still hold on to hope that you will one day soon, come back to me" he caught himself once again "I mean…come back to us" he corrected. Another deep sigh escapes his lips as he led out his hand on the grass and some blue flowers sprouted back out. "It doesn't hurt to hope does it?" he said as he plucked one of the blue flowers off the patch. "Here's to wishful thinking" he said. "Will My Alice return my feelings?" he whispered to the flower. Butterflies were flying around in his stomach at the thought that he did not correct himself that time. Almost instantly, a petal dropped on its own, "Yes," he recited, his eyes lighting up with hope. "No" he frowned as another petal fell to his lap. "Yes…No…Yes…No…" this continued on until there were only a few petals left. He held the flower tightly with both hands, his voice shaking as he recited each word. The Hatter could barely look as the last of the petal fell from the flower. "Yes!" he whooped! He jumped up from his spot as he held the flower tightly to his chest. "Thank you dear Flower!" he said as a new set of petals emerged from the bald one. He slowly set the flower back on the ground and merrily galumphed back to his workspace. "I sure do enjoy these "Alice Only" breaks! He said to himself with a content smile on his lips.

The smile never left his face even as he was walking through the practice ring where two Knights were sparring. His smile never faded as he dodged swords and ignored angry remarks from the sparring Knights. He finally reached his workspace and quickly made his way to the piles of fabric towering over a corner of the room. He started pulling different shades of blue from the pile and gathered them all in his arms. He dropped the fabrics on the desk and started working immediately.

"Alice, I miss you terribly!" he said as he cut out swatches from each of the fabrics. "I feel so very happy now that I finally know what is truly in my heart Alice! It hurts to see you with him, but on the other hand I know that I am so very fond of you, that I would rather see you happy with someone else than not see you at all. I miss you Alice, so much so that it hurts! Do you miss me too?" he rambled as he chose the most perfect shades of azure and gathered his tools. He worked meticulously scribbling design after design on sheets of paper, tossing it to the floor if it did not please him. He then opened up a drawer on his work desk and pulled out a box of different colored chalk and pastels. He poured the contents of the box on to the desk and started coloring his design "I hope you miss me Alice, as I miss you more than I can imagine. I doubt you feel as strongly about me, but I can still hope that you at least miss me as a friend." He stopped moving his hands finally and lifted the sheet of paper up to admire his work. "This is perfect! An absolutely perfect gift for my absolutely perfect Alice!" he said as he sat down on the chair and swung his legs over the desk. "My… m… My? My Alice? She isn't mine…but would it really be so terrible of me to refer to her as My Alice even if it is only in my own head? No one ever has to know! It won't hurt anyone, will it?" He set the paper down on the table and grabbed a dark blue silk swatch off the pile on the desk. "I've decided Alice… You may choose a Lord over a Hatter, you may not ever see me as more than a friend, and you might never be mine to hold… But know that.. I… will forever be yours, Alice." He said as his eyes turned a light pink. He heard a knock on the door and quickly covered the paper with his feet and laid the fabric on his knee.

"Tarrant? Are you in here?" called a small voice at the door.

"Yes come in!" The Hatter chimed.

"Making more hats?" Asked McTwisp, as he poked his head through the door. The Hatter waved for him to enter and McTwisp happily bound up a chair to see what The Hatter was working on. "That is a beautiful shade of blue My Friend!" he said gesturing to a dark satin blue fabric on The Hatter's knee.

"Oh this, Yes it is quite lovely isn't it" The Hatter said taking the fabric.

"What kind of hat are you working on Tarrant?" The rabbit asked.

"Oh I'm not working on a hat right now Nivens, this is a…" he lowered his voice and looked around, "Special Project" he said finally. He looked proudly at the blue fabric and started to snip with his scissors.

"Oh… well if it isn't a hat, then… what is it?" Nivens inquired not being able to hide his curiosity.

"It's for My…" he cleared his throat quickly. "It is for our Dear champion, Nivens! Which reminds me, I would like to ask you in advance for your assistance in this matter," he continued. "Once I'm done with this… would you be so kind as to deliver it to Alice for me?"

"Ohhh well… that is to say… um…" Nivens nervously twitched his nose. "You see Tarrant, Alice is… no longer in London" The Hatter's eyes went wide. He had forgotten that Alice was going on a journey to another land. "I'm sorry Tarrant, she left a fortnight ago, which is the reason why I came here today… The Queen has requested your presence for tea today… It's been thirty days since the last time" He said gently patting The Hatter's knee for support.

"Ah… that's quite alright Nivens" The Hatter said while staring blankly at the fabric in his hand. His eyes suddenly turned a light pink as he realized what Nivens had said. "Thank you My Friend, I shall be down for tea shortly" He said with a wide smile.

"I'm sorry for being such a wet blanket Tarrant, Are you alright?" The rabbit asked as he hopped off the chair.

"Oh don't worry about this Nivens! I shall give it to her when she gets back! I know she will, she promised!" He said, genuinely cheerful. He stashed the fabrics for his "Special Project" in a small box labeled "Only Alice" that was hidden under his table. He took a deep breath and placed his hat upon his head and hurried out to the garden.

As he was rushing in to the garden, he noticed that the group had somehow been crouching around an area under a large tree. Curious, he approached the circle of friends only to hear "ooh's and ahh's" and to see a cloud of smoke hovering above them. He peered over the little circle to see Absolem who was perched upon a flower with blue wings fluttering gently.

"Ah Tarrant… finally! It's good of you to keep us waiting" Absolem said in his usual tone.

"Oh you're here!"Mirana said as she clapped her hands together. "Absolem has just been telling us of Alice's voyage to China, he's been watching over her, you know?" she explained. She motioned for everyone to take their usual seats while she pulled off the curtain covering her beloved looking glass. "Absolem will be joining us today Tarrant, so if you have any questions…" she turned slightly to give The Hatter a knowing look. "You can ask him after tea" she smiled as she continued her ritual. She gracefully retreated back to her chair at the table and giggled excitedly. "Oh I wonder what our Champion has been up to recently? I have to admit I have been quite excited for today" she said before turning to her mirror. "Our Champion, please" she requested.

Soon enough they were quickly descending from the depths and were hurtling through dark waters. The sun was blinding for a second before they were racing through the water once more. A small ship can be seen in the horizon and it grew larger as they got closer. Finally they were face to face with a giant sea vessel, larger than any boat they have ever seen on Underland.

"Whoo!" The Hare exclaimed as he tugged on his ears. "Ship" he squeaked.

The side of the boat dissolved to show an area where they held the cargo; men were barking orders and huffing loudly as they moved the cargo about. Soon they were in another part of the ship with narrow hallways and doors. They followed the hallway and they were being led to the right where two huge doors dissolved ahead of them to show a large dining area and ballroom. As they pull out of the ballroom, they suddenly see the sun once more as they realize they were once again outside of the ship. Music can be heard and men's voices were heard singing a jolly tune before they finally catch a glimpse of who they were there to see.

"Alice" The Hatter whispered, a smile gracing his lips. She was standing at the bow of the ship leaning slightly as she watched dolphins jump out of the water. She had a smile of contentment on her face and she looked lovelier than ever. "My Alice" The Hatter whispered ever so softly to himself hoping no one heard.