A/N: This is the chapter where we're going to see a lot more drama going on. Please let me know what you think.

Thank everyone for the reviews. You all just make me so warm and fluffy inside!

Aras

The ball was a whirl of colors and sounds, laughter and life. It was nothing like any ball Alice had ever attended. At balls in England, everyone danced the exact same dance at the exact same pace. In Underland, there was all sorts of different dancing at all sorts of different paces. Alice could recognize the different dances that the Hatter had taught her, but she also saw some people dancing by randomly jumping around the floor. The March Hare couldn't help but be his normal self and throw whatever object he could find at the dance floor, and when this would happen, the person about to get hit would duck quickly, making the dancing even more crazy.

Alice felt like she was dancing with everyone. The Tweedles argued about who would dance with her first, so she settled it by dancing with the both of them at once. Then she danced with McTwist, the White Rabbit (she found it very difficult to dance with a rabbit). And, of course, she danced with the Hatter often.

She was slowly finding it more and more difficult to concentrate on anything but the Hatter and her nerves. She was tripping over her own feet, running into others while dancing, and completely ignoring people when they tried to speak to her (on accident, of course). When she was around the Hatter, she could do nothing but stare at his intriguing eyes. When she wasn't around him, she could do nothing but think of how she would tell him how she felt.

It certainly didn't help the matter that Queen Mirana kept sending her meaningful glances.

Everyone in Underland seemed completely ecstatic that Alice was back. People she didn't even know were coming up to her to shake her hands. Many people referred to her as "the Underland champion." She didn't exactly appreciate it. She much preferred to be addressed as a normal person rather than held up on such a pedestal. They made her sound so important, but she didn't want to be important, she just wanted to be Alice.

Finally, after a rather tedious conversation with yet another person Alice did not know, she excused herself and went out onto the lawn to get some air.

The Hatter watched Alice leave the ballroom. He looked curiously out at her and wondered if she was alright. He hoped that she hadn't had any bad tea. He knew that bad tea could ruin his night on any occasion.

"Perhaps you should go check on her," suggested the Queen. Funny, as far as he remembered, she didn't know how to read minds.

"Perhaps she wants a bit of time alone," replied Hatter. He knew he, for one, would rather nobody disturbed him on his trips into the depths of his mind.

"Oh, no," replied the Queen. "Trust me. You should go check on her."

"But-" protested the Hatter.

"Go!" said the Queen, pushing him lightly.

Queens, thought the Hatter. Certainly they weren't all so bossy, right?

Alice stood in the middle of the lawn staring up at the stars. The Hatter stopped before approaching her. What was he supposed to say? What was a good opening conversation line? Something interesting and quirky, surely…

"Enjoying the ball?" he asked, then silently cursed. Not interesting and quirky at all.

Alice smiled at him. "Shall we take a walk?" she asked, answering his question with a different one.

"I think I'd like that," replied the Hatter. She took his hand and his heart fluttered as usual.

The two walked in silence for a bit. It was a comfortable silence, and through it, Hatter could hear Alice's quite breathing. It made him feel peaceful, her steady breaths in and out. He briefly thought of how much he would like to make a hat that looked like her breath… how could he accomplish that? He was pondering this when he heard Alice say something quietly. She was saying his name trying to get his attention.

"Sorry, I was thinking," replied the Hattter. She smiled. He knew that smile. It was the one she gave him when he would babble or randomly get lost in his thoughts.

"May I ask you something?" asked Alice, stopping to once again stare up at the sky.

"That depends on what the something is," replied the Hatter, staring up at the stars as well. "If the something is a question, then yes, I suppose you will be asking. However, the something can't be a statement, because one can't ask a statement."

Hatter looked out of the corner of his eyes. Alice was smiling at this logic.

There was another quiet moment in which Alice scooted closer to the Hatter. Then, so quietly he could barely hear her, Alice whispered, "have you ever thought about… love?"

"Love?" asked the Hatter, his eyebrows puckered.

Then, suddenly, it all seemed so clear. The bread-and-butterflies in his stomach. The way he always wanted to smile when Alice held his hand. The way that he desperately wanted to take her face in his hands and gently kiss her perfect lips…

Love.

It could only be love. This feeling that made his heart sing. It could only be love.

A smile spread across his face, then he turned to Alice and took her other hand. "Alice I…"

A scream came loudly across the lawn from the castle. Alice broke away from the Hatter and looked quickly back to the castle.

"What's going on?" muttered Alice.

The Hatter's shoulders fell. Why must they always be interrupted?

Another scream came, and suddenly a great boom. Alice lifted up her skirt and began to run for the castle, the Hatter close on her heels, silently cursing the rotten timing of it all. He could tell that he was exceedingly upset with the interruption and was sure that his eyes would be a livid orange.

The two reached the castle to see it in chaos. Red playing card knights were swarming from every side. The Hatter could see several court members lying on the floor, blood surrounding them. He searched with his eyes for the Queen. She was not anywhere, so he couldn't be sure if she was safe or dead.

"There!" cried Alice, and she pointed up above to a balcony where a familiar figure was standing watching over the chaos. He was tall and robust with a red heart eye patch over his eye.

"Stayne," muttered the Hatter under his breath in his thick Scottish accent.

"We have to help, come on," said Alice grabbing his hand. But it was no use. He was no longer aware of his surroundings. All he knew was an intense anger. So it was Stayne who had ruined his night.

The Hatter was slightly aware that Alice was calling "Hatter," trying to bring him back, trying to make him move. Then suddenly he heard "Tarrant!"

Alice had never called him that before. It broke him out of his rampaging mind. He looked at her in surprise. "Sorry, I'm fine."

"We won't be if we just stand here!" cried Alice, tugging his hand insistently.

Alice and the Hatter ran to the balcony, grabbing swords off the walls that were generally used as decoration. Alice could hardly keep from crying. She hadn't seen any of her close friends lying on the floor dead, but still, all those people… she couldn't bear to think of it.

They arrived in front of Stayne who turned to them and smiled. "Ah," he said in his low, slimy voice. "It's about time you arrived."

The Hatter immediately charged at Stayne, but Stayne just rolled his eye and gestured. Two guards came forward and grabbed the Hatter's arms.

"Come fight me yourself you nasty, scurvy, no good, rotten…" the Hatter's list of insults continued in his thick Scottish accent.

"All right, I get the point," said Stayne. "But you see, I don't want to fight you yet, or you Alice," he said looking past the Hatter. "So nice of you to join us for the downfall of your great Queen."

"What are you planning, Knave," asked Alice, her sword posed threateningly.

"Oh nothing important," said Stayne, smiling evilly. "Just weakening Underland brick by brick. Starting," he looked at Hatter, "With your closest friends."

He nodded at the guards. They dropped the Hatter. "Don't worry, you'll understand soon enough," he chuckled before he disappeared down the steps and out the door.

"What is he talking about?" asked Alice, looking over the balcony.

"We have to find the Queen," said the Hatter, his voice still a rough Scottish brogue.

The red knights had disappeared with the Knave and Underlandians were all coming out of their hiding spots. There were tears everywhere as the injured were tended to.

"There," said Alice, pointing to the Queen. She was standing, looking unhurt, but shook up none the less. Around he was a group of people including the Tweedles, McTwist, and Chessur, floating beside her.

The two of them rushed to the Queen, and she gave a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness, you two are accounted for."

"Who isn't accounted for?" asked the Hatter urgently. His eyes, Alice noticed, were back to normal as was his voice, but it was obvious he was still stressed.

"We haven't yet found Thackery and Mallymkun," replied the Queen.

The Hatter gave a roar of rage.

"Oh dear," said the Chesire Cat, disappearing quickly to avoid the terrifying display.

"What on earth is the matter?" said the Queen in upset tones. Alice rushed to the Hatter and quickly took his face in her hands. She knew the gesture made him calmer.

"Hatter," she whispered, looking into his orange eyes. "Calm down. We can do nothing for them if you act like this."

The Hatter blinked rapidly. His eyes slowly returned to their natural green. "Of course. You're right Alice. As you so often are."

"What is wrong?" asked the Queen again, clearly not realizing what had happened.

"We think Stayne may have taken Mallymkun and Thackery, Your Majesty" said Alice, turning back to the Queen. "He said something about weakening Underland brick by brick."

The Queen looked surprised. "Oh dear. We must do something of course."

"I will go find them immediately," said Alice quickly.

"N-no," said the Hattter quickly. Alice looked at him in surprise. "I would rather you were not put into danger. I will, of course, immediately seek out my friends."

Alice looked back at the Queen. "We go together," she said firmly, still speaking to the Hatter.

The Queen nodded. "Fine then," said the Queen. "You must leave as soon as possible. Alice, get the Vorpel sword from your room. And Hatter…" she paused. "Well do whatever you need to be ready."

They both bowed quickly and turned to leave, however their attention was caught by a white knight rushing toward the Queen.

"You majesty," said the knight, bowing quickly. "We've found someone you might be interested in seeing."

"Thackery? Mally?" asked the Hatter hopefully.

"No," said the knight, glancing at the Hatter. "It's the Red Queen."