Disclaimer: I own no rights to Alice in Wonderland.

Author's notes: I hope you like the chapter.

Lost In The Storm Of Madness

Chapter 16

Alice nodded in response, and allowed Tarrant to lead them to an empty and abandoned tea store…

He exhaled a deep breath as he deposited the book, which had long since been in his family's tradition, on to the rusty old table. Dust blew up into the air as the book hit the table top. Alice's hands moved to cover her mouth as the dust tickled her nose, and she sneezed.

"Bless you." Tarrant whispered softly as he gently turned the pages of the brown book.

As she wiped her nose with the back of her hand, Alice replied softly "Thank you."

He nodded, and stopped on a page as his eyes caught something that appealed him. "I think I found something." he advised her, and he looked up at her from the book.

"What?" she asked in a soft whisper as she edged closer towards him, and attempted to see the page as she stood on her toes, and glanced from behind over his shoulder.

He moved slightly, and allowed her to squeeze in closer next to him around the open book.

Her eyes skimmed the page, and then she glanced up into his eyes; her eyes held many questions. She opened her mouth to speak, but then one of Tarrant's hands rose up into the air, and she remained silent.

"Before you begin to speak of those questions in your eyes" he murmured gently, and he then began to fall into a madden ramble. "I merely hope and want you to know that I know that this has to be it."

"There seems to be no other way after all, and I know that it could very well be just a long shot, but a long shot seems better than having no shot at all. Is it not?" He asked as he rambled nonstop.

"And I think I should be able to sense if this was not the case nor the right one. I mean, it be in my blood after all. Just it-"

Her blue eyes sparkled in amusement. "Hatter" she whispered, and she swallowed down a giggle.

He shook his head, and he did not seem to have heard her speak. "It has to be the one she used. It must. It just must be!" Tarrant exclaimed in his crazed rant. "How could it not be? Am I wrong to believe that she used this same one. This same one that I look upon now at this moment. I mean…I have been wrong before…but-"

"Hatter!" she interrupted him, and her voice was just a tad bit louder and her tone slightly stricter than it had been before.

His eyes widened in realization that he had done it all once again, and he glanced up into her blue orbs. "Uh…Well" He blew a breath out, and he bit down softly against the inside of his cheek. "Sorry. I am fine." He whispered softy and his voice slightly squeaked as he spoke. He cleared his throat, and repeated his words "I am fine."

She nodded, and she absentmindedly pushed a stray lock of blonde hair, which had fallen from her ponytail during the mad scene, away from her gentle face, and tucked it behind her ear. "Can I?" she asked him gently as her hands went for the book.

He opened his mouth to object to her appeal. He wanted to tell her once again that no one but himself should ever touch this book, but then he realized he had to begin to let go of his past at some point, and soon was always better than later or never at all. He moved to the side, and leaned against the wallpaper covered wall, which had begun to peal. He crossed his arms, and simply nodded at her request.

As she moved her hand forward to touch the page, she glanced up into his eyes. She searched for any resistance or hesitance he may or may not have. When she could not find any lingering in his eyes, she allowed her fingers to lightly skim against the page.

As he watched her fingers skim along the engraved words on the page of the ancient book, his breath hitched up slightly and his heart begun to race a faster beat than usual. He had to try and steer his mind away from this current event in order to prevent himself from acting out in the irrational rage he currently felt. His eyes were fogged as they changed from their usual color to a maddening gray, and he had become distant in those few short seconds he had allowed himself to leave the safety of his mind.

"What does this all mean, Hatter?" Alice asked him softly, and her eyes had never wavered away from the page as she read the verse that confused her. "Hark in thy sooth," she paused as she pronounced the next words inside her mind. "for thou who brought such puissant torment," Her eyes still remained on the page as she whispered "shall erelong enow pay thy price…"

Her words and voice filled with warmth had not reached the darkness where he lurked. Nothing could find itself in the place where he was now.

As she heard merely silence, she slowly glanced up. Her eyes widened at the expression on his face. "Hatter?" she questioned in a soft whisper, concerned for his wellbeing. She stood, and walked towards him.

"Hatter" she whispered, "if you can hear me, please say something."

Tarrant blinked, but he said nothing in response. Nothing at all. He stared merely at the open space, and his eyes held a faraway distant gaze.

"Hatter, please." she begged softly as she placed a warm hand against his cheek.

At the gentle contact, the gears inside his distant mind seemed to run again, and he gasped softly as a reaction. His hand went towards his face, where her hand lingered, and he intertwined his fingers with hers, and with his thumb, he softly caressed the back of her palm.

As she felt his returned touch, her eyes went up to study his. She could feel the warm tears that prickled at the corners of her eyes, but that did not matter to her at the present moment.

"Hatter" she whispered as she tested the waters among them. "Are you….you?"

The man's lips curved upward into a smile, and he too had fresh tears, which edged the corners of his eyes and threatened to leak out onto his face. "I believe so, Alice."

She smiled, and before any more words could be shared, she had wrapped her arms around his neck as she embraced him in a warm, tight hug.

"I thought…" she paused as she collected her thoughts, "I thought I lost you there." she softly murmured against his orange hair.

He inhaled a deep breath of air, and then he slowly released it as he wrapped his own arms around her waist, and brought her close.

"But, you did not. I am here, and I am not leaving, At least, not any time soon, my dear Alice." he reminded her gently as he tightened his hold on her waist.

She pulled away then as she remembered the mere reason they were both inside this abandoned tea store.

"What does that line mean?" she asked him, and she pointed to the same line that she had recited earlier.

His eyes went to the page, and he studied the words which she herself had read only moments ago.

"Well the first part means: Listen to your truth." he explained, pointing to the line which read Hark in thy sooth.

He then began to explain the line which read for thou who brought such puissant torment. "Because you who have brought such mighty pain"

Shall erelong enow pay the price. "Will soon enough feel the pain" he whispered as he explained the last part.

Alice bit down on her bottom lip. "Are you certain this is the one she used?" she asked him, unsure.

He nodded, slowly. "Yes. I am sure of it. It has to be." he assured her, and he had been so sure of it.

She released a gentle breath, and whispered softly "Okay, okay."

Author's notes:

Well there is chapter sixteen! I hope you liked it. Tell me what your favorite part was when you review please. Let me know what you liked, and what could have been better. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed.