The Last Letter

"Alice, you have to return to London soon."

It was the Hatter. The silence between them was broken as they let go of each other, only to find themselves holding hands. The night was still young, and both had forgotten that above that night sky was London in the glory of its late afternoon.

"I must be taking awhile," Alice sighed, looking up at the Hatter. She tilted her head up and pressed her lips quickly against his, then pulled away.

"Everyone has gone for a walk," Hatter replied, "To pass the time because Hamish and the lady have begun to wonder what has happened to you. Lord Ascot began a walk to take everyone's mind off your absence."

Alice hesitated for a moment. It was the moment she had to make her decision… And she knew the answer before knowing the question. The girl looked up at the man she loved, a confident look on her face. "I'm going to stay with you, here in Wonderland," she declared.

"But your family…"

"I know what to do about it." Alice smiled, beginning to walk back to the Tugley Wood. "Come with me, and wait for me at the door."

And so, it was done.

It was already morning when Alice returned to Wonderland. She had taken quite awhile up in London, and it certainly took too long for the Hatter to stay awake to wait. He merely napped beside the door, his mind cautious for any danger nearby. The crisp morning air was the scent of cotton candy, which brought a delightfully sweet aroma that was enough to wake everybody up in Wonderland.

"Hatter," Alice whispered as she tugged on his shoulder. The material of his blazer was so soft between her fingers; it reminded her of when she would tug on her father's sleeve. Goodness, he seemed so big and grown up back then. As time passed, one would learn that a father was nothing more than another human being who loved you. Though, 8 years later, Alice would be able to tell her father that she would be leaving her mother and sister to be with the man she loved. The girl smiled, looking up to the sky for a second. 'Please watch over Mother and Margaret,' was all she thought before looking down at the Hatter, tugging on his blazer again.

"I felt it the first time," the Hatter mumbled as he lifted the brim of his hat away from his eyes. He looked up to the girl before him and smiled as he stood on his own two feet. As quickly as he looked up at Alice, he looked down at her, chuckling. "Ready to go to the White Queen's castle?"

"Ready."

The Hatter began to walk a little, then stopped, feeling Alice tug on his arm as she did not notice the stop.

The girl turned around, confused. She looked at the man behind him, taking note of the huge grin on his face. "What is it?"

"You can stay here on one condition."

"And what is that?" Alice walked back over to the man, feeling herself yanked towards him.

Tarrant Hightopp had her right in his arms. He looked down at her, remembering her when she was 7, then growing up all the way to how old she was now. He smiled and leaned in to quickly kiss her. With a peck, he straightened himself back up.

"Marry me, Alice?"

There was no panic. There was no heavy breathing, no shock. Nothing. There was a simple smile that came from her lips.

"What a crazy, mad wonderful idea!"

The Hatter waited a moment. The last time she had said those words, she left Wonderland.

"Definitely."

The Hatter laughed heartily as he spent a minute doing the Futterwacken. He danced and danced until he could dance no more, then returned to Alice quickly, happy he had made her laugh with his dancing.

"Shall we go?" It was Alice.

"Yes, we shall."

They began to walk in the direction of the Queen's castle, happily holding hands.

"By the way, what did you do up in Wonderland?"

Lord Ascot entered his study, smiling to himself. He was avoiding the talk of motherhood that Margaret and his Lady were having. The stillness of the room seemed odd, for there was something out of place. Inspecting his desk, he found a note. It was in a piece of paper from his notepad, and the ink was certainly of his pen's, but the writing was in Alice's style. He knew exactly what it was, and brought it outside to the porch.

"Margaret, come here please!"

Margaret heard the call from not too far away and answered immediately, accompanied by Lady Ascot and Hamish. She hurried herself up the steps, eyeing the note in the man's hand. "What is that?" she asked.

"Come and read it."

With that, Margaret took the piece of paper and unfolded it. She read it alone and smiled, quickly returning it to Lord Ascot. The Lady and Hamish pestered for the note and were given permission to read it as well. All were surprised, but Lord Ascot and Margaret asked no questions, agreeing to keep it to themselves, with the exception of Helen Kingsley, who would soon have to find out.

It was a simple note from Alice Kingsley.

"I shall not come back. I have gone to marry Terrance Topper."

Author Comments:

Oh... Finally! I've finished this story! I want to thank everyone who has supported this Fanfiction, and I apologize but hope you enjoy this quick ending, as I got really excited as I came to the end. though, I ended up getting depressed because I didn't want to stop writing :P In the end, I will be starting a new fanfiction in the very near future. Thank you everyone again 3