Chapter VI: And So It Ends

The Mad Hatter looked at his watch, frowning. He looked up at the March Hare, who sat across from him.

"Well?" March asked, moving towards Dormy, who had run down and lay face-first on the table, drooling dreadfully as he snored.

Hatter sighed.

"I guess she isn't coming…not that I really expected her to, but I thought I might have shaken her yesterday. Not literally, of course."

March scoffed.

"Shake Alice? I highly doubt it, Hatter."

Hatter sighed again.

"Ah, well. If she won't be here, we might as well start without her."

"Indeed!" the Dormouse squeaked, snapping awake. "I'll get the silverware and crockery!"

"I'll fetch the bread, butter, wine and milk!" Marchy offered, and he and the Dormouse hustled away.

Hatter chuckled, and tapped the silver teapot on the table with his cane. Spidery metal legs sprouted from the pot's base, and a small, red, humanoid eye appeared on its side. It turned to face its master with this eye.

"Hallo, teapot! Fetch the hot water, and be quick about it!"

The pot blinked, and leapt off the table, scuttling over to a water heater and dispenser by the door.

Hatter headed for a shelf, where he kept all of his tea bags.

Hmm…Earl Gray? No, not quite what I want… Pomegranate? Nay, not that at all. Chocolate and Peppermint? …Why not?"

"Why not?" he then said to himself, and giggled madly. "Why not, indeed!"

Grabbing two bags of the Chocolate and Peppermint mix, he brought it over to the tea table, where the teapot had just settled back into a dormant state, filled nearly to the brim of its spout with scalding water. Hatter carefully placed the bags into the water (his fingers could not feel burns, but he hated the thought of spoiling his gloves), and then replaced the teapot's lid.

He then sat back in his chair, patiently.

"Such a pity, actually," he muttered. "I had hoped that she'd come again…"

"Who said I wouldn't?"

"You did, Alice, of course."

Hatter opened his eyes, doing a double-take.

"Wait a moment…Alice?"

It was Alice, dressed in her fabulous, sky-blue dress, omega necklace, striped stockings, high-heeled boots, and white, numbered apron. She smiled a warm, gentle smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement…it was a face the Mad Hatter had not seen in who-knows-how-many years.

He stared, surprised.

"Well, bless my synthetic soul…" he murmered. "Alice, is it really you, or did I put too much mercury in my wine last night?"

Alice giggled.

"No. It's really me, Hatter. It's Alice."

There was a moment of silence.

"I…I've come to the party," she said timidly. "If you'll have me…?"

There was a short pause. A giddy, bucktoothed grin stretched across Hatter's face. He rose, approaching Alice and stooping down to her level, holding her hands in his.

"HAVE you?" he said, as if appalled that she'd consider he'd turn her out. "Why, of course, we'll have you! Come, now, Alice! Sit, sit, sit!"

Alice laughed as Hatter led her to a chair and practically forced her down into it.

A crash of broken china echoed through the room.

Alice and the Hatter turned, to see March and Dormouse standing there, wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and utterly flabbergasted. The March Hare held on tightly to his fetched wares with a quivering gloved paw. As for the Dormouse, he had dropped all of the things he was carrying. All of the silverware was undamaged, and, miraculously, so were most of the bowls, plates, and other such things. However, several very nice pieces of eating necessities had been hopelessly smashed, chipped, or cracked.

Hatter glared at the Dormouse half-heartedly.

"Now, there was no call for that Dormy," he said, pouting. "You'll simply have to pay for those, you know!"

Dormy nodded, too stunned to speak. Hatter chuckled as Alice waved childishly at them in greeting.

The pair eyed each other, and then, cautiously, waved back.

Within a matter of minutes, the table was set. Hatter had a few Automaton Guards – rendered neuter, their cannons removed – clean up the broken chinaware, and, after this, the party commenced. Games of Yes-and-No and Blind Man's Bluff were played, riddles were riddled off, and teacups and saucers flew and spun at random moments.

The party was well underway, when the March Hare turned to Alice, who sat near him.

"I must ask you something, Alice: why did you come by? We were all so sure you'd stay away!"

"Indeed," Hatter said. "I felt you made it quite clear to me yesterday that you had no desire to return to my Domain."

"Our Domain, Hatter!" Dormy scolded. "It may have your name, but all three of us run it!"

"How true that is. My apologies."

Alice chuckled, and stared into her teacup, thoughtfully, smiling faintly.

"Well…after all, this Christmas thing is meant to be a Holiday about love and forgiveness, isn't it?"

The three Mad Tea Partygoers shrugged, agreeing.

"Besides," Alice said. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that this is a truly Wonderful life, and you shouldn't waste it in loneliness and grief. You never know the consequences. Christmas is a time of friendship, and peace, and tolerance…and I hope to feel those things for many years to come."

There was a short, warm pause.

"Well spoken!" congratulated the March Hare.

"Oh, it's so true!" the Dormouse cried.

The Hatter only laughed.

"A toast!" Alice proposed. "To Christmas!"

"To Christmas!" chorused the Hatter, Hare, and Dormouse.

"God Bless Us!" Alice proclaimed. "God Bless Us, Everyone!"