Disclaimer: I own no rights to Alice in Wonderland.

Author's notes: Be warn, I believe this might be the last chapter to this story.

Lost In The Storm Of Madness

Chapter 17

The brown book was held tightly in his hands, and a long colorful sewing string marked the page in which they would soon chant out in perfect harmony. The man, who wore his hat over his messy orange hair ran outside into the stormy and broken forest, followed closely by the blonde haired woman. A tree, with its branches and all, had fallen over during the heat of the storm, and blocked their only path out of the forest. Alice and Tarrant stood almost next to each other, but with the storm's loud orchestra, they could hardly hear themselves think, let alone hear the other speak.

"There is no time to waste! We have to say it now!" Tarrant yelled over the loud drumming of the pouring rains.

Rain harshly hit her face, and she could barely hear him. "What?" She called out, loudly.

"I said, we have to say it now!" Tarrant yelled back, louder this time.

His words reaching her ears this time, Alice nodded, and put her hands on either sides of her mouth, and she used them like megaphones as she screamed back at him. "Okay!"

With gentle care, Tarrant set the book down on top of the fallen tree. Then he opened the book to the bookmarked page. He looked into Alice's eyes as he grabbed her hands in his.

She nodded at him, and tightened her hold on his hands. "On three" she said, and begun to count the seconds until they would recite the spell that would save Underland.

"One…"

"Two…"

"…Three!"

Together as one, Tarrant and Alice spoke out in harmony, never out of sync with each other. "Hark in thy sooth, for thou who brought such puissant torment, shall erelong enow pay the price!"

The storm above them seemed to be slowly fading away, and so they repeated these words, over and over again until it all seemed to be doing some good.

"Hark in thy sooth" Tarrant whispered softly, and his voice was in sync with Alice's. "For thou who brought such puissant torment, shall erelong enow pay the price!"

As the sun begun to appear and skies begun to clear, Tarrant and Alice read off the last and final phrase that would once and for all finish the awful storm that had appeared before them. "Be gone, and once you are be gone, you shall not return!"

The gray storm clouds had at last cleared away, and the sun peaked out, almost as if it were to ask them both if the dreaded nightmare was finally over.

Alice smiled, her hands still held onto Tarrant's as she whispered softly "We did it. We really did it, Hatter!"

He nodded. "That we did, my sweet dear Alice." He whispered, and allowed himself to drop hold of her hands.

Alice's hands slid down to her sides, and she was unsure of what would happen now that they had done all they could. She glanced around, and noticed that the storm had done a mighty job at destroying the beauty that had always been a massive part of Underland.

Her hands went up to her mouth in shock, and she gasped softly. "Oh…my" she whispered as she took in the scene: Trees had separated from their roots, fallen and crushed the crops and flowers under their heavy weight; the little lakes that surrounded Underland had flooded, and drowned almost all of the good soil; the whole forest itself looked quite deserted.

He, too, glanced all around him, and took in the heartbreaking scene before them all. He sighed, and bent down before a crushed flower.

"Poor thing…never had the chance to bloom." he muttered to himself, and Alice stood there before him, memorized as he gently touched the flower's drooping petals, and something short of a miracle seemed to occur.

Tarrant's eyes grew large as the flower he had touched begun to have life once again. Had he caused that to happen?

"Hatter?" Alice asked, softly.

"Hm?" he hummed, and glanced up at her.

"Look" was all she whispered to him as she pointed with both of her hands at the forest.

He took in the scene; the crops and flowers, one by one, returned to life, and the fallen trees, almost as if the storm had never separated them from their roots, righted up in their position. The water inside the lakes, slowly returned to the right amount of water.

"How?" Tarrant whispered, pleasantly shocked. He glanced down at his hands, and tried to see how this miracle could have took place. Yet, only one of the possible solutions seemed plausible.

Alice shrugged her shoulders, but she had long since learned not to look a gift horse in its mouth. "I…" she mumbled as tried to come up with a response. She shook her head, and whispered softly, "I don't know how…All I know is you did it."

His lips curved up into a small smile, and this time he replied with a small chuckle. "Nah. It was not me."

She arched up a blonde eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I saw you-"

"Could not have been me who caused such phenomenon, Alice." he murmured in response, "I do not behold such a power."

Now the girl was confused. "What do you mean you do not have the power? Hatter, I saw you! You touched that flower, and caused all this" she exclaimed as she motioned with her hands at the now fixed up forest around them, "To happen!"

He shook his head, and argued with the girl. "One person alone can not have that kind of power, Alice."

Alice sighed, and she had finally decided to hear the madman out. "Who did this then, Hatter? Hmm?"

He smiled, and stared right into her blue orbs as he spoke. "The whole generation of Hightopps have come before us today, of course" he replied with a huge smile.

He pointed to the bright beaming skies. "You can not see them, but they are all there in sky and in the clouds, and someday I will be lucky enough to join them there."

Alice smiled, and she rested a hand on his shoulder, and whispered in reply "They will be lucky to have you join them."

Tarrant smiled, tears falling down his face; these were tears of joy. He nodded. "But before I join them, I need to leave this world with a new generation of Hightopps" he whispered, and he glanced around the forest.

As Alice opened her mouth to utter a response to Tarrant's comment, someone saying her name startled her, and caused her to forget what she had been about to tell the madman.

"Alice." the voice behind her was sweet and caring.

Tarrant smiled up at the person, who stood behind Alice, and he nudged her lightly. Alice turned around, and gasped at the person, who stood in front of her.

"Father?" she asked in a soft and uncertain whisper as she was unsure of herself.

The man, who wore a brown suit and had his hair combed neatly back, replied with a soft smile. "In the flesh…" he paused, "So to speak."

"What are you doing here, father? I mean, I am glad to see you…but you…are-" she begun to say, yet she had trouble putting her thoughts into words.

His eyes sparkled, and he suggested "Dead?" She nodded. "I am."

"Then? How are you…standing here before me?" She asked, and decided to test something out. She poked him lightly, and gasped when her finger did not seep through him.

Her father chuckled, and took his daughter in his arms, and embraced her in a hug.

As she wrapped her arms around her father, she mumbled to him "It is impossible, but you are here…so-"

Her father whispered softly in her ear, "Do not worry about the impossible things."

Tarrant felt like he was intruding on a special moment between a father and a daughter, but he could not bring himself to look away. He felt the tears prickle his eyes as he thought about the moments that he would no longer spend with his family.

"Tarrant?" a gentle and feminine voice whispered behind him, and he released a gasp as he recognized that voice instantly.

He swiftly turned around, his feet grazing the dirt under him. "Mom?"

The woman smiled and nodded at him. "It is me, son."

He shook his head. He was going mad again. He was sure of it. His mother was dead, as was Alice's father. He was just imagining all these things. He was probably asleep in Alice's bedroom, where he had probably also dreamed all this craziness up. None of this could be real. This was all a wonderful nightmare that he would soon be awakened from.

"Tarrant…" She spoke, causing Tarrant to leave his madden thoughts. "Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to give your own mother a hug?" the woman asked him, her voice gentle and caring.

Tarrant released a breath that he had been unaware of holding in. Ah well, he thought to himself with a shrug of his shoulders. He might as well take it as it came. He casually walked towards the woman, who claimed to be his mother, and she sure appeared to be playing the part correctly.

As he wrapped his arms around the woman's figure, he felt a jolt hit him. He gasped, and his tears fell freely down his face.

"I have missed you. So much." he whispered softly as he tightened his hold on his mother.

She smiled, and wrapped her arms around her son's torso. "I have missed you too, my dear little boy."

"Hatter?" this voice was distant as Tarrant hugged his mother with all his might as if she would once again disappear from the world.

"Hatter?" it was louder this time, and his mother pulled away, and looked around, and then a large smile appeared on her face.

"It seems a young lady is calling for you, son." his mother whispered, gently.

"I do not want to leave you." he admitted as he pulled her in for another hug.

"Ah, but you will not be leaving me, Tarrant. I will be with you every step you take in your journey." She assured him softly.

Tarrant nodded at her, knowing that what she spoke of was true. Yet, he sighed as she begun to fade out of his sight. "Goodbye, mother" he whispered, and closed his eyes as he fought off the threatening tears.

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing that entered his line of vision was the blonde haired girl, Alice. As he saw her, he was sure that all he had experienced had been a figment of his imagination; his mother and Alice's father had all been something his mad mind whipped up. He had probably gotten lost in his thoughts again, and Alice had been there, probably trying to shake those mad thoughts away. He hated to worry her.

"Sorry." he murmured softly, and looked down at his feet.

Alice smiled at him, and she gently whispered. "For what?"

He shrugged. He had no idea what he was sorry for. He only knew that he was sorry for something.

When he said nothing in reply, she grabbed his hand in hers. "There is someone that I would very like you to meet, Tarrant." she told him as she pulled him along with her.

He wondered who she could have to introduce him to. They were in Underland after all, and he knew most of the people in Underland. The people that he had no idea of, Alice would not have a clue of either. Unless she had gone adventuring on her own without him, which he saw was very unlikely, there was no way the person she had to introduce him to was unfamiliar with him. He realized as she stop in front of the person, that had been where he had been wrong.

"Hatter…" whispered Alice, and she nodded at the man as she spoke "This is my father, Charles."

Tarrant's eyes were wide in shock. The father was actually there. He took a quick glance around him, and yet his mother was not anywhere to be seen.

"Father…this is Tarrant Hightopp, or as I like to call him, Hatter." she told her father with a smile on her face.

Charles smiled at Tarrant, and extended a hand his way.

Tarrant stared at the hand for a few seconds, before he took it in his own, and shook it. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Charles chuckled, and replied softly "Likewise." He turned back to face his daughter, and took her in for one last embrace.

He murmured softly near her ear. "If he makes you happy, then by all means, you have my blessing."

Alice smiled, and tears fell down her soft cheeks. "Thank you, father"

He left a gentle kiss on her forehead, and mumbled softly "Promise never to stop thinking of the impossible things after I leave."

She nodded, and replied "I promise. I will think of six impossible things every sunrise."

Charles smiled, and chuckled lightly. "That's my girl." Then he faded away, leaving a smiling Alice in his departure.

Alice stood there, a smile adorned her face as she waved. "Bye, father."

Tarrant rested a hand on her shoulder, and Alice glanced up at him. She smiled. Tears had fallen freely down her face.

He sighed, and with his thumb he lightly wiped away her tears. He murmured softly as he embraced her into his arms "I do not like it when you cry."

Alice's arms slowly wrapped around his neck, and she glanced up into his green eyes. She gasped at what she witnessed in his eyes.

His eyes sparkled with warmth and love, and he beamed a smile at her.

"Hatter…" she murmured gently, and felt herself being drawn to the madman, who made hats for a living.

He, too, felt himself drawn closer to the woman in his arms.

Behind hooded eyes, she heard herself whisper softly "Kiss me, Hatter."

"It would be my pleasure, my dear Alice." he replied, and pulled her even closer, and then his lips were on hers.

Her hooded eyes fell close, and her arms tightened their hold on the man's neck.

Up in the clouds, which were puffy yet white, a man in a brown suit and a woman wearing a hat sat next to each other, yet unaware of the other's presence as they looked down upon the pair.

The woman smiled; her smile caused the sun that was shining overhead Alice and Tarrant to beam brighter.

Tarrant pulled away from Alice's lips, yet his hands remained around her as he spoke. "Alice" he spoke softly, "I love you."

In the clouds, Charles stood and cheered silently for his daughter's victory in love. He crossed his fingers, and prayed that all would end well.

Alice beamed up at Tarrant, and replied in a soft whisper. "Love you, too."

Tarrant grinned, and said as he went into a ramble. "Good. It would be horrible if I loved you and you did not return such feelings. It would be a horrible end to a wonderful beginning."

"So I am glad that you share these feelings that I so very much feel" he rambled still, and Alice could only chuckle happily. "These feelings I feel are so very much true, you know? Yes, yes."

Before he could ramble further, Alice chuckled softly. "Hatter! You are rambling again."

He snapped out of it, and smiled down at her. "Oops?" he whispered, and shrugged his shoulders.

Alice smiled at him, and shook her head in amusement. Oh, this man amazed her so.

"How about some tea before we go?" Tarrant suggested after a few seconds of no words being said between them.

Alice nodded, and intertwined her fingers with his. "Tea would be wonderful."

Tarrant smiled at the girl.

Together the pair walked off to the long, brown table, where the tea pot, tea cups, and everything else related to the tea would be waiting for them.

In the clouds, the woman faded away, her job being complete, and then the man followed suit, but not before he left his mark in the skies.

Author's notes:

There is chapter 17! Did anything surprise you? And for me…it seems like that could be the last chapter. Tell me…does that sound like the end? If not, and if you want more, you have to tell me where you want the story to go from here, cause if you don't, then story is basically over.