A / N once again, guys - you really are just awesome, you know that? I'm honestly, so so glad you're enjoying this so far, because it's been so much fun to write. And I'm so happy you loved the fairy tale theme!

Now about chapter 3 ... I promised you a mad tea party and indeed, you shall have one! A various batch of different things here, I do hope you like them. And yes, Thackery is, insane in this. In my mind, he just is anyway. I love his madness, I hope that I managed to capture it somewhat in this =/ He is a fun character, and after all - the mad characters are the best yes? Yes. Good. I am glad we cleared that up x]

So yes, I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you do, don't be afraid to leave a review :) It makes me very happy to read them!

A Mad Tea Party

The two of them made it to the tea party in hardly no time at all, the Hatter still merged in his deep conversation about dresses and fairy tales as they went about their journey. Alice couldn't help but hold the content smile that was written on her face, often chipping in at times to the conversation whenever her friend asked her a question. Who would have thought that his wonder over stories would spark such a reaction? On the other hand, Alice knew that he was creative – so she honestly should not have been surprised that he'd gain inspiration in such a way.

When they reached the tea party, Alice noticed that all the regular attendees to such an event had already arrived, and – to no surprise – were already enjoying what was probably their third cup of tea. She saw the March Hare look up, twitching as he noticed the two of them appear. He grabbed a nearby cup, which was already very much a wreck – and decided to throw it in their direction.

"You're late for tea!!" He shouted as he did so.

The cup missed Alice, and the Hatter dodged before it managed to hit him. Seemingly unaffected by the whole situation, he continued to walk over to his regular seat, whilst at the same time replying to his friends actions.

"A Hatter is never late, Thackery. Nor is he early. He in fact, arrives precisely whenever he means to."

The March Hare – or Thackery as Alice had learnt his real name to be – laughed manically then, bouncing up and down in his seat as both she and the Hatter took their places at the table. Alice turned to look around the table, and smiled at Chessur and Mallymkun, earning a rather large grin from Chessur, and a disapproving look from Mally in return.

"Late late, you're late again!" Thackery continued to chant whilst laughing and looking around the table in search of something.

Alice noticed the Hatter pull out the basket he was packing from earlier, and he removed the lid that was on top of it. There, inside, she noticed that there were a great many number of variations in cake. She looked in awe at the rainbow of colours that she was now face to face with. Of course, she had seen how much the group usually had laid about the table from the previous tea parties she had attended, but there was something about viewing them in the basket that fascinated her.

Noticing her awed expression, the Hatter took out a pink cake, and passed it to Alice, a smile on his face as he did so.

"Thank you," Alice replied, taking the cake from his hands and smiling herself. It was only then that she realised just how hungry she really was.

"Hurry up and share some of those cakes with the rest of us, Tarrant. Some of us are rather hungry you know." Came the voice of Chessur from the other end of the table.

"Yes yes, you'll get your cake. Just be patient." The Hatter replied, already placing some on the table as he spoke.

"We've already been patient for long enough. Do you know how long we waited for the two of you to show up?"

Alice noticed the Hatter glare at Chessur for a moment, but then proceeded to remove the rest of the cakes from the basket. Surely they hadn't been waiting outside in the rain for the two of them, had they? Well, knowing them for who they were – Alice wouldn't have been surprised if they had done that very thing.

"There!" Came the Hatters voice once all the cake had been laid on the table. Alice looked at the various selection, still in awe about the amount of colour there was. She then took a bite into her own cake, and was pleasantly surprised about how good it tasted.

"Cake, cake! Tea and cake!" Thackery celebrated, scanning the various selection for a second and then choosing the two that looked most appealing to him. Obviously, he had been more concerned of the lack of food on the table, then the fact that Alice and Hatter were apparently 'late' to the event at all.

"Calm down Thackery! The cake isn't going anywhere!" Mally said as she was walking across the table in search of her own cake.

"The rate that he's eating it right now, the cake won't last long anyway," Chessur replied as he looked into his cup at the remaining tea leaves.

The Hatter picked up the nearest teapot to them, and began pouring some tea for both he and Alice. She smiled yet again, and began looking around the table for wherever the sugar was buried underneath the various cutlery and cups.

"Alice told me the most fascinating thing earlier," The Hatter said, whilst continuing to pour the tea. "You wouldn't believe the sorts of things the stories in her world tell!"

"Sugar!" Thackery shouted randomly, noticing what Alice was in search for around the table.

"Why, thank you Thackery."

Instead of passing it to her however, Thackery had a better idea. He took two sugar cubes out of the sugar pot that was closest to him, and decided to once again, throw them across the table to Alice. Alice was however, very much prepared for such an action from him and managed to catch them before they hit the ground. Thanking him again, she put the cubes in her tea, picked up a nearby spoon and began to stir her tea.

Thackery remained bouncing and laughing in his chair, probably celebrating the fact that Alice had managed to catch them most magnificently. He then picked up another cake and quickly ate it.

"Well anyway –" Hatter began after watching the whole scenario between Alice and Thackery unfold. "Alice mentioned that in one of the stories from the otherworld, there was a house that was made completely out of cake!"

"Cake ye say?!" Thackery replied, pulling his long ears down over his head as he did so. "A whole house made of cake?!"

Alice wanted to laugh then. She thought the Hatters reactions to fairy tales was funny, she never expected or even thought about the Hare's when given the prospect of a house made of cake. Of course, Alice wasn't sure if she wanted to know what Thackery was thinking about the whole thing at that moment in time – he was probably trying to get his mind around the whole idea – but it was still an amusing site to see him get even more energetic about.

"Why yes!" Alice replied, sensing that the Hatter was urging her to continue her story from earlier. "A house that's made of cake, and gingerbread, and other various sweet foods."

Thackery pulled his ears even more at the description, the whole idea of a house made of sweet foods obviously making his mind spin in a hundred different ways.

"What an interesting thing you two bring up there! Although, now I wouldn't be at all shocked if Thackery decides he wants to somehow build his own house out of such materials." Chessur commented, grin still very much prominent on his face.

At Chessur's reply, Mally quickly grabbed another cake from off the table and began eating it before Thackery was given an opportunity to make even more of a mess of the place.

"House out of cake indeed! If he is indeed considering such a prospect, then I will eat my cake before he gets a chance to add them to his 'house'."

Alice watched as Mally tried to save her cake from Thackery, and she took a sip of her own tea then. She wasn't surprised. In actual fact knowing Alice's luck she'd turn up at a tea party one day and find that the Hare had made a small home for himself out of their food. Just thinking of the idea gave Alice reason enough to believe that perhaps, it was probably a good idea that the Hatter was left in charge with sorting out the food and that it was not Thackery's job.

"Oh you two don't be silly! He'd have much more fun eating the cake then crafting out of it." Hatter replied, also sipping his own tea then.

"Perhaps we should change the topic before we inadvertently give him such an idea." Chessur paused, turning to look at Alice then. "Which reminds me. Nivens was searching for you Alice. He said that if we were to see you, we should inform you that the Queen wishes to speak to you when you return to the castle."

"Wishes to speak to me? Do you know what she wishes to speak to me about by any chance?" Alice replied, confusion written on her brow as she put her teacup down on the table.

"No. He didn't say much more than that. Nivens scurried off to look for you himself afterwards."

"How strange."

Alice watched Chessur as he fiddled with a spoon on the table, wondering in her mind about what possible things the Queen could want to speak to her about. Noticing her expression, the Hatter put his hand on top of where Alice's lay on the table, hoping to reassure her in some way.

"It's probably nothing to worry about, Alice. If anything, she probably just wants to have a conversation with you. After all, it is of no surprise to anyone that you are her favourite person within her court."

Alice thought about what the Hatter said then, knowing that he was more than likely right. She sighed and smiled slightly, turning to look at him then.

"Yes, you're right."

"Good," he replied, smiling himself then. "If it'll make you feel any better, I will escort you back to the castle later. I've be meaning to talk to her myself anyway about something."

Her smile grew then, knowing that if her friend did escort her to the palace, she'd be a lot happier than if she were going by herself. But also, Alice knew that the Hatter probably wouldn't let her leave without him, seeing as how he'd escorted her back many a times when he'd been showing her around various places within Underland.

"Yes, I'd like that."

The tea party continued on then, still full of the same madness that had begun previously as the small group of friends chatted and shared their laughter with one another as they usually did. At one point, the March Hare broke out into song of 'a very happy un-birthday', to which the Hatter replied ecstatically to, commenting on how it had been a long time since they had ever sang it at a tea party. As they all broke into song, Alice remembered back to the time of her first visit, and how they had sung the same song joyfully back then as well. Another memory that convinced Alice that the place she was in now was most defiantly not a dream world.

When they were out of both tea and cake, Alice and the Hatter decided to call the tea party to an end, the Hatter promising that they would continue the festivities once again the next time, a promise that they all knew he was very good at keeping. When Alice was standing up on her feet, he offered his free arm to her (his other carrying the basket he had brought with them) –of which she happily took. Then, the both of them continued to walk away, bidding their friends a fairfarren and leaving them to their manic behaviour once again.

Alice enjoyed the walk back to the castle, listening to her friend's tales and stories once again. Quite often he would comment on the dress he was planning in his mind to make for her. He hardly told her anything definite about it, other than repeating time and time again that she would be free to pick both the fabric and the colours, but that the style itself would remain a surprise till the right moment. Alice didn't mind of course, even if curiosity often did get the better of her. But, she had absolute faith that whatever her talented friend would make for her, she would surely end up loving it.

As they continued to walk, a question fell in Alice's mind – one of which she had often thought of, but never got around to asking. She stopped walking for a second, the Hatter stopping also, giving her a questioning look as he did so.

"Hatter, I – I wonder if you could answer something for me."

"Well, the past has proven that I most likely can. What is it you wish to know Alice?"

Alice turned around so that she was facing her friend then, noticing his expression as she did so.

"Well, I noticed it a while ago to be honest but – it's only now that I remember to ask about it." She paused then, as if trying to work the best way to ask the question that was currently swimming in her mind. "Hatter; why does Chessur call you Tarrant?"

A moment's silence and Alice watched his expression change to one of slight surprise. He looked around for a second, and then replied to her answer as if it had the simplest answer in the whole entire world.

"Why, because it is my name."

Alice blinked, then furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Your name? You, never told me it was your name before."

"Well, I didn't think it was that important, to be truthful. And, you never really asked either. Not many people call me it; even Chessur only uses it some of the time. Being called 'Hatter' was just much more ... natural, I suppose. No one's really called me Tarrant since my family were alive."

Alice thought for a moment then. True, in all her time since being in Underland she could not recall a moment in which she had asked him for his real name, and had in fact taken to assume that 'Hatter' was his name. Or his preferred title at least. But as she thought about it then, Alice considered that of course that wouldn't be his name. She felt slightly foolish for believing it was, and part of her wished she would have asked what his name was much sooner.

"O-oh," She replied, not knowing much what to say to his answer. What could she say, really? She wasn't even sure if Hatter preferred to be called by his real name, or if he had grown so accustomed to his title, that he'd much rather forget the name 'Tarrant' completely. Judging from that, Alice felt it would be much better to simply ask him himself.

"So, another question. Would you mind if I called you Tarrant, or would you prefer me to stick with what I usually call you?"

She watched a smile appear on his face then, and knew instantly that she had asked the right question.

"From you, dear Alice? Both sound just as lovely. It is, entirely up to you what you call me, for I do not mind in the slightest."

And at that, Alice felt a smile creep its way onto her face as well. For once again – and for what felt like a million times since she had decided to stay in Underland - Alice felt that she slowly; but surely, learning more and more about the man.

I - I can't get over how adorable Alice x Hatter are. Honestly, I just can't. And so here, Alice learns a little more about her Hatter :)

Next chapter we should be meeting the White Queen - incase you missed that part in this chapter. Once again, thank you to those that have taken an interest in this story - and please, don't be afraid to leave a review! As I said before, I love reading what you guys think :D