I'm going to speed things up from now on because my stories can easily become 20 chapters long, but I'm going to keep this one to about 10.

Happy reading :)

I floated back into reality after having a verypleasant dream involving Tarrant, myself and a big, comfy bed.

I replayed the events of last night and the happiest moment of my life in my mind.

After we had made love, we collapsed on the bed, both panting, both the happiest we'd ever been. He had reached behind him, picked up the ring off the bedside table, and held it in front of me. My eyes ran over his marvellous face. He was much less paler than when we had first met and his hair had toned down a shade, but it was still a bold colour, which I admired graciously. It had grown too and was no longer the mess it used to be. I imagined it was like that before he had truly been driven mad. He could've looked almost…normal, but there were featured that made him anything but normal and for those things I was entirely grateful. His eyes, his eyebrows and the playful colours that decorated his eyes and lips.

His vivid green eyes flickered and I could tell he was nervous, but he spoke before I had time to ask him what was wrong.

"Alice, I…I love you so much and I, I know I'm just a…well, a mad hatter," He smirked, "but I love you more than anyone else could even dream of, and you mean so much to me and I couldn't bear to part with you ever again, not even for a day." He sighed. "What I'm trying to say…no, what I'm trying to ask is." He looked down and frowned. I heard him mutter something under his breath, but I caught a snippet of it.

"Cowardly, can't even…just do it…" he sighed again and his face looked distraught.

"Will you…will, you…Alice, will…" He looked away angrily.

"Will I marry you?"

I felt tears well in my eyes and a smile grown on my lips. I had been waiting for this moment for months. I knew I was committed to Tarrant for the rest of my life from the moment our lips first met, I just wanted to wait to see if he felt the same too and obviously, he did. However, by his nervousness, it seemed he was unsure if I returned his feeling.

His head shot up, eyes wide and tense. He didn't speak for a few seconds, only gently nodding his head.

"Yes. Will…will you marry me?"

I laughed and jumped on him, smothering him in kisses. When I pulled back for air he chuckled and beamed up at me.

"I take it that's a yes then."

"Of course it's a yes you silly, mad man! I have waited so long for you to ask that."

I hugged his body and he stroked my hair, I felt tears drop gently onto my head.

"As I have waited too long to just hear you say yes."

My eyes remained closed as I moved my arms around to locate the body that was surely lying near to me, but my hands just ran over a rough material. A sharp object came into contact with my hand and I felt it rip my skin. Warm blood ran from my palm and I felt myself begin to panic.

My eyed shot open and I was quickly wide awake and alert. The room was definitely not mine and Tarrant's bedroom. In fact, I had never seen it before in my life. It was dull, the only light coming from a flame somewhere beyond the bars that blocked my exit. There were no windows, no tables, and no chairs. Nothing except an old mattress. I looked down at it and found the sharp object that had cut me. A spring had burst through the rough cover and was sticking out at an odd angle, covered in my blood. I looked back down at my hand and became aware of the pain.

I got up and walked over to the bars.

"Hello?" I shouted. "Is anyone out there? Please, just let me go!"

I gripped the rusted bars a little too hardly and a bolt of pain shot into my palm.

"Ah!" I grimaced at the pain and bent over, clutching my bloody hand.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the flame move as if it had been blown by the wind. Low voices mumbled through the apparent deserted hall, but they were too hushed for me to work out what they were saying.

I felt tears begin to well up. What were they going to do to me? Where was Tarrant? Had they locked him up too? I would die if they had killed him. Why did this have to happen when we had just found a perfect moment?

Footstep echoed and grew louder and I knew whoever it was, they were coming for me. Just as I thought, the footsteps stopped outside my cell, but I was still bent over and daren't look up to see my captor.

"Ah, good, you're awake. I was beginning to think the worst had happened to you. I couldn't bear if anything had, my love."

I straightened up and looked at the man. He had a bulky figure and I knew he was too stong for me to overpower him. He looked like he was a good fighter and had an injury on his right arm, which was wrapped in a bandage, blood seeped through it and Iwas sure the person who did that to him must have been very courageous or just plain mad. He was much taller than an average person, his face a good few feet abouve mine, it was shadowed on one half. I glared at the illuminated half of his face.

"I am notyour love!" I hissed at him. "Where is he? Where's Tarrant, what have you done to him!"

The man's face dropped. His eye twitched.

"What," he breathed, "did you just say?"

I didn't answer. And I saw anger rise intensely on his face. His hands balled up into fists.

"Did you say Tarrant?" I could tell it was hard for him to keep his anger under control and I took a precautious step backwards, even though he couldn't reach me through the bars, I was growing scared of this man.

"Tarrant Hightopp?" He spat out the name. "That measly, pathetic, mad waste of space!"

He laughed a crazed, sickening laugh. What did this man have against Tarrant so much? He had never hurt anybody. He was a good man.

"After so many others have lusted after you, you still choose him!"

"What are you talking about? There's only ever been me and Tarrant. No-one else." I found my voice.

What was this man talking about? Tarrant and I lived together, alone. No-one else ever came our way. I knew no-one but Tarrant.

I was saddened by this thought, it felt wrong. Like there was something missing, but I knew of nothing of life away from my home and my love.

"I…I don't even know anyone else." I whispered. "All I know is my love for him."

The mans face became less hard, instead twisting into a smile that had so many things wrong with it.

"You don't know of anyone else? No rabbits or cats or knights? No queens."

I looked into his eyes and shook my head sadly. I only realised how empty my life really was. Tarrant was my world, don't get me wrong, but he was all I had and if he were to disappear, I would have no-one.

I touched the band on my ring finger and relaxed a little. Tarrant loved me. He would come and save me. I smiled slightly, but the man didn't seem to notice. He was staring blankly at the ring.

"You only remember him." He laughed madly again.

He pushed a key into the lock and broke open the bars. He stormed towards me and grabbed my hand. I screamed in pain as his fingers pressed into the wound, still open on my palm.

He looked in disgust at my ring before ripping it off my finger.

"No!" I made an attempt to get the ring back, but to no avail. He held it up to his face, which was a good seven feet up. His whole body was shadowed now. I jumped for the ring, I accidentally scrapped my fingers against his face. I froze as blood began to bead on his already damaged face. I quickly wiped my fingers on the rag I had been dressed with, not wanting to have such evil blood on my hands.

I prepared myself for a slap or something that would hurt, but as I screwed my eyes up, all I felt was a vial being pressed to my lips and forced into my mouth. I coughed and spluttered as the vial tasting liquid ran down my throat.

A memory flashed before me and I realised the tight feeling in my throat was familiar. Whatever had just been forced into my system had been put in before.

"No." I cried weakly as I collapsed onto the bed. "Please. I don't want to forget."

The man just stared down at me.

"It seems his hold on you is much stronger than I thought. But you won't be able to withstand that much poison this time."

I shook my head and sobbed.

"And he will have nothing on you to keep his memory alive."

He cocked his head to the side and admired the emerald ring, one eye shining.

"You will forget them all, Alice. Every last one of your friends, and your precious Hatter. And then, you will love me. Well, why wouldn't you? I will be your only friend in the world."

He scoffed and turned his back on me.

"Don't leave me." I tried to say, but even if he stayed or left, it would make no difference. My memory was already fading, my vision blurring.

He turned and flashed me a devilish smile.

"Sweet dreams Alice."

His whole scarred face and heart eye patch were lit up by the distant flames. I gasped. My blood running cold as his face triggered something inside of me.

They say before you die, your life flashed before your eyes and mine seemed to. I remembered everything. Wonderland, painting rose's red, slaying the Jabberwocky, my home in England, returning again to my true love, my queen, and my friends. But what was most evident in my mind was the sight of the Red Queen and Ilosovic Stayne being dragged to the outlands on the Frabjous Day. And it was the disfigured face of the Knave that lingered in my mind before even that was dissolved into nothing.

Was it too quick? Everything will be explained later on in the story.

The next chapter will be up soon, so keep tuned.

xxx