Sorry it's been so long between updates! I've been really sick for a few weeks, and then catching up with classes kicked my butt. Here's a little something to tide you over until the weekend! Thank you, all my lovely readers.

Hatter lies in the grass, enjoying the warm sunshine for the first time since winter. Spring has finally come to New York, and it seems like half of the city is out celebrating in Central Park. Still, he and Alice have managed to find a quiet patch of grass. It's a testament to how busy they've both been lately that almost as soon as they sat down they fell asleep. Now Hatter is awake, but he's content to enjoy the moment with the sleeping Alice. She's curled against his side in such an innocent, still way that he doesn't dare move. For once everything is peaceful.

The afternoon is perfect.

But perfect things have a tendency to not last. Half an hour later, two kids stumble into Hatter's piece of nature. Hatter sits up suddenly, almost disturbing Alice.

"What's happening?" she mumbles sleepily. Hatter silences her with a kiss pressed into her hair.

"Nothing, love," he murmurs. "Go back to sleep." She does, laying her head in Hatter's lap.

Content that Alice is resting, Hatter turns his attention back to the children. There are two of them, obviously a brother and sister. The boy is a few years older, his brown hair flying in all directions as he chases after his sister. The girl, who can't be older than seven, is a curly-haired moppet. Delighted giggles ripple from her when her brother catches her and swings her up in the air, around and around in circles. This scene is repeated over and over again, even though the boy is clearly tiring. Finally, his sister decides she's quite exhausted herself and throws herself on the ground. She spreads out everywhere, completely in love with everything around her. Her brother settles himself a few feet away from her but stays alert. Nothing and no one will get near that little girl while he's there to stop them.

Hatter's breath catches in his throat. Memories flood his mind, transporting him far away from New York. Some of them are painful, some of them are wonderful. But they all bring a bittersweet ache to Hatter's heart. He closes his eyes, trying to shut out the images.

Alice wakes up when something wet hits her cheek. She sits up, glancing at the sky. There's not a cloud to be seen. Confused, she looks to Hatter. Alice gasps slightly when she sees the tears falling from his eyes.

"Hatter, hon, what's the matter?"

His eyes, red from crying, fly open. He shakes his head, wiping his face with frenzied fingers.

"Nothing, love, it's nothing." Hatter keeps his gaze averted away from the kids. "We should probably go."

Alice doesn't buy it for a second. "Yeah, right. We're not budging until you talk."

Staring at his wife, Hatter knows he's already lost this one. He begins with a deep sigh. "See those two tykes over there?" Alice glances around then nods her head. "It was seeing them."

"I'm confused…"

Hatter shakes his head. "You don't know a lot about my past because I don't exactly volunteer the information, but I had a sister. Just a few years younger than me. If you asked me what she was like, I'd just point at the girl over there. In fact, we probably played out that scene over there more times than I can count. They just reminded me of…. well, a lot of things. That's all."

Alice tries to understand, but she feels like she's missing some piece, a very important piece. "Hatter, you've lost me here. Why would thinking about your sister be a bad thing?" His eyes shut again. Alice waits, taking one of his hands between hers and stroking it, trying to bring Hatter some comfort.

A few minutes pass before he speaks. He doesn't look at Alice as he talks. "There was a fire, before my parents died. It was the fire that destroyed our family home. When I got outside, I found my mother. She was hysterical because she could find her… couldn't find Illiana. She begged me to go inside and save my sister. And I did go back. I looked for almost twenty minutes before I passed out from the smoke. My da' found me and carried me back out, but… we never found her." Hatter finally turns back to Alice, his expression that of a young, terrified, guilty boy. "It was my fault. If I'd just been able to find her, I could have… she would be alive, Alice."

Her heart braking for the tortured man in her arms, Alice pulls him closer. He buries his face in her neck, seeking comfort. She strokes the back of his head, her fingers trailing through his hair.

"Hatter, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have saved her. You did your best. It wasn't your fault…" Alice continues whispering reassurances to her husband. Slowly the tears stop. After a while, Hatter pulls back.

He gives Alice a half-smile. "I really don't deserve you sometimes, you know that?" When Alice opens her mouth to argue, he covers it with a hand. "No, I know what you're going to say. You're wonderful though, really. I know… I know there was nothing I could have done. But I still miss her. I wish, I just wish I could have still had some of my family left, I guess." Hatter turns to look where the children were, who have by now run off back to their parents. Alice reaches up to try and smooth his hair.

He turns and places a quick kiss on her wrist before she can move away. "Sorry if I spoiled our afternoon out, love."

"Not at all."

They sit for a few more minutes before standing to leave. Hatter folds the blanket back up, while Alice searches for her flip flops she kicked off earlier. Finally they're ready to leave.

Hatter pulls Alice close to him as they walk away, but Alice takes a step back first.

"You know, for whatever it's worth, you've still got me as family." The words are out almost before she thinks.

Hatter smiles, a true melt-your-toes smile this time. "Love, trust me, that's worth more than you know."

If you have any ideas you'd like to see as a one-shot, let me know!