Magnificently Mad

Heavens Evangel

Rated: Maybe M...

Pairing: AlicexHatter/Tarrant, Mirana/OC

"On this day, the fourth anniversary of Frabjous day, we welcome the return of our champion, who has slain the Jabberwocky, and brought everlasting peace to all of Underland, with warm arms and the deepest of gratitude." Queen Mirana said once Alice was in the room.

Alice's face paled at the cheers, then looked around the room and the both familiar and unfamiliar faces, but one important face was missing. "Where's Hatter?"

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Chapter Four: "Naughty, you're late for tea"

Mirana smiled softly to Alice and glided to her. "I'm so glad you could make it." She smiled to her and grabbed her hands. "Come, sit, eat, relax yourself, I'm sure you're quite tired."

Alice nodded a bit, still looking around the room for any sign of orange. She inwardly sighed. The only reason she came back was for him and he wasn't even there!

"Mally told me you enjoy strawberry tarts to I had them make some especially for you Alice." Mirana told her as she sat her in a chair. She looked around briefly and spotted Nivens. "Now enjoy yourself dear, I will be right back." She patted Alice's shoulder and glided off to where Nivens stood making a checklist of all the people that had been there. "Nivens."

He looked up, becoming jittery in her presence. "Y...Yes Your Highness?"

"Where is he?"

"Everyone is accounted for, I checked twice."

"But the Hatter isn't here!" She whispered disappointment across her features.

"Ah... he's not? But I gave him the invitation myself!" He looked around nervously.

"Oh dear, now what will we do...?" She thought on it, crossing her arms and bringing a hand to her chin when a thought occurred to her. "Did he say anything?"

"Well, I vaguely remember him saying 'I'll just have to make my own feast... she'll come to me.' before I went off to deliver more invitations on your orders."

"I see... well we'll just have to make it so now won't we." She smiled softly then leaned down towards him. "Nivens, find the bandersnatch, give him Hatter's sent and release him once Alice is in the gardens."

Nivens looked at her nervously. "Y...Yes Your Highness." He hopped away.

Mirana made her way back to Alice. "Alice dear, I'd like you to go out and see the gardens. There's a wonderful display there in your honor that I'd like you to see."

Alice looked up to her, mid-chew of a strawberry tart. She blushed and swallowed it down. "Ah... alright." She stood and Mirana pointed the way. She nodded and went off in the direction. First they want me here and next they want me outside, what in the world is going on? I doubt I'll ever understand Underlandians. She walked about the gardens in the crisp cool air. I was sure that Mally and Nivens told me that Hatter lived in the Palace now. Why wasn't he there? Does he not want to see me? She frowned as she reached a clearing and stared at the flowers. While lost in thought, she hadn't noticed the sound of galloping coming her way, not until it had gotten too close. Her ear twitched and she turned around to see the Bandersnatch coming her way full on. She didn't have time to react as the bandersnatch bounded for her with open mouth and snatched her up, tossing her into the air and flipping her onto his back. She gave a shriek of surprise and latched on in fear of falling. "Where are you taking me?" But he didn't stop to listen to her, he was a creature on a mission. Alice noticed the Hatter's tie around his neck and looked at it in curiosity. "Curiouser and Curiouser..." She held on to his fur, watching as they went further and further away from the castle, heading into the woods. Last she was here they were sparse and showed remains of the terror that was the Iracebeth, the Red Queen. She shivered remembering when she went there with Hatter and how he reacted to the memories. She never wanted to see him like that again. Alice stared about her, noticing the trees become sparser; they appeared so dead, as if the wonder of Mamoreal could never touch this place. In the distance she saw a familiar broken windmill. Her heart began to pound in her chest, like a prisoner demanding for freedom. Her brown eyes filled with hope that he would be there. The bandersnatch jumped over the gates and skidded to a halt at the end of mismatched row of tables. She slid off and gave him a pat before beginning to walk to the other end, seeing a figure sitting there in that big green chair caused her heart of start pounding in her ears. She shook her head a few times in an attempt to calm it. Once at the other end she let her eyes trail over the top hat, the head bent into it's body, the tuffs of orange hair sticking out from under the hat, the arms crossed over the chest in sleep. She breathed heavily, afraid to disturb his sleep. She bit her bottom lip and reached out, placing a hand over his.

He stirred at first, but did not wake.

She sighed softly and moved just a tad closer. "Hatter...?" She reached under his chin and felt how cool it was to her warm touch. She frowned and began to lift his head up so she could look at him. He looked beyond tired, as if he had not slept in days. His hair had gotten much longer, she noted, much to her delight. She deeply wanted hair she could play with beside her own. She reached up to it and felt the texture with her finger tips, gently so as not to wake him. She breathed deeply, trying to calm her still pounding heart, seeming to have gone back to demanding freedom at touching what was... hers. She smiled at herself, at the thought of him being hers, and only hers and touched his face once more, caressing the pale skin, tracing it with her fingers in a rather unlady like manner. She shook her head and looked at him. "Hatter?"

Still he did not wake from his deep sleep, only a small shift to get comfortable in the green plush seat.

Alice's mouth set into a deeper frown at him, then and idea came to mind. "Hatter, you're late for tea."

At that he instantly awakened. "Tea! Oh no I can't be late! Alice would be so disappointed!"

She giggled and shook her head. "Hatter."

He got lost in the thought of being late that he hadn't even noticed her. He had stood and started getting the tea cups straightened for her arrival and checked on the pot of tea in front of him. "Tea... tea....TEA IS COLD! I've slept too long!" He moaned in distress.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Hatter I'm over here..."

Still he paid no mind, much to her displeasure. "I hope I can heat this in time for her to arrive, I'd hate to disappoint her."

Alice picked up a tart that sat on a plate upon the table and tossed it at him.

He jumped up and looked in the direction it came. "Who what...?" He blinked and noticed it was her. "Alice!" He lifted her up in a quick motion, practically over his shoulder and spun around, causing her to yelp in surprise before he set her down. "Alice! You're back! It's about time, you're late for tea, Naughty."

"Well actually... wouldn't you be the one who's late since you were asleep?" she countered.

He opened his mouth about to counter her counter but stopped. "Ah.... but you're four years late."

She made a face. "And I do apologize for that Hatter, I tried my best to get everything done."

"And you promised that you'd be back before I knew it, and you didn't come back before I knew it, you left me waiting, and Alice that made me feel terrible, I felt as though you didn't want me any more, not that you wanted me before because then that would be utterly ridiculous, you had Hamish and your family of course you wanted them more and I..."

"Hatter"

"I'm fine..."

She shook her head and reached over to him, placing her hands on his face. "That wasn't it at all. Hatter, I came back to Underland for one thing alone."

"The Bandersnatch?"

She made a face. "No silly, for you."

His eyes turned a bright green and widened at her words. "For me?"

"Yes for you. True, I have my family, but, my ..." She stopped herself she didn't quite know how to tell him how she felt, and here she had promised herself that she would. Now she was breaking that promise, "my home is here."

"In Underland? But I thought you lived up there."

She rolled her eyes. "Hatter, stay with me will you?"

"Ah.. yes, sorry." His heart was fluttering, he could hardly keep up with it, or with what she was telling him, he was just so glad that she was there with him. "I knew you'd come back here..."

"Actually I went to the palace first."

He frowned. "Why would you go there first?"

"Mally and Nivens told me you lived in the Palace now the last time I saw them."

"They did..." He thought back a bit, on how weird Mally was acting, like she wanted to tell him something but couldn't, how fidgety she was, and things suddenly clicked into place. "They knew you were coming?"

She nodded. "I saw them earlier this week and told them that as soon as I was finished tying up some loose ends I would return."

He paled. "That's why Mally was acting strange and why the castle was busier than normal. Queen Mirana normally does not put that much effort into the feast, not since that first year..." His eyes began to turn yellow. "Oh dear... I was invited and didn't go, I must seem rude to the Queen now that she went through all that trouble to make a great feast for you and now I'm holding you up, this won't do this won't do at all, and your welcome back tea is cold, this little party is entirely ruined... entirely."

"Hatter." She sighed. "I don't like big parties you know, and please don't fuss over the tea. We can make more. But you look like you're going to pass out." She frowned at him.

"I'm fine."

"No you aren't. Come I'm taking you back to the palace where you can sleep in your own room."

"My.... alright..." He sighed.

Alice took his hands and led him back to the bandersnatch, helping him on.

Tarrant felt hot at that, feeling Alice help him onto this beast, that should be him not her doing such a thing. He reached out and grabbed Alice's hand, tugging her up in front.

She nodded to him. "Alright, hold on." She leaned to the bandersnatch. "Back to Mamoreal alright?" It huffed and galloped off. She could feel him wrap his arms around her in an attempt to hold on. Her face colored.

He leaned closer, taking advantage of this moment to take in her sweet scent. She smelled oddly of vanilla and fresh dirt. He giggled to himself and felt his eyes droop. He hugged her closer and snuggled into her back. He was beginning to fall asleep.

Alice tried to ignore how being this close made her feel, it warmed her deep in her core, what an awkward feeling that only he could produce in her.

In his sleep, he ran a hand up her side and mumbled close to her ear. "Tea... you're delicious..." He purred.

Her face went red. She didn't know whether to be embarrassed or upset that he was dreaming about tea, much less purring about it. She frowned as they reached the palace again.

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Meanwhile in London...

"I know I saw that girl come around here. I wanted to ask her a question before she left." A young man wearing a black traditional nine piece suit walked around the gardens and stopped by a tree. He looked no more than in his late twenties, but traveling and stress from working a business had definitely had it's affect on him. He pushed back his unnatural gray hair away from his face; it was long with a streak of white in the bangs that remained loose from the rest that was tied back neatly. His green eyes looked around. "Oh dear. I was more than sure that I saw her." He placed his hands on his hips and looked around. "I guess I missed her. What a shame..." He leaned against the tree he stopped by, unaware of the hole nearby. He looked up at the stars and stood abruptly, his foot fell first into the hole.

He felt as though he was being pulled in. He looked back, panic spread over his features as he tried to pull himself up, but the ground gave way under his weight and he fell through. He screamed as he fell for what felt like forever, getting hit by random floating objects. He got clipped by the piano on his way down and felt his cheek sting as he slammed down on the floor... or was it the ceiling? He slowly sat up and rubbed at his face, his hair had come loose in the process and was standing on end. He looked around and saw the chandelier hanging.... right side up? He looked at it in confusion. "What is this madness?"

That was when the room righted itself and he slammed head first into the ground below. He yelped at the splitting pain in his head as he slowly sat up, rubbing the back of it, his hair now over his face. "This place is so strange!" He rubbed away the soreness, tears at the edges of his eyes. He looked around and saw all the doors. "Stranger and stranger..." He slowly stood and tried opening the doors to no avail. None would open. He heaved a heavy sigh and looked around.

He saw a key and went to it. He examined it and tried using it on all the doors, only to find that it worked in the smallest one. He gave a grunt of displeasure. "How in the world am I going to get through there..." He looked around the room and saw a small vial. He lifted it to see a tag upon it with the words Drink Me written on it. "Well... I guess it couldn't hurt no more than getting slammed into things..." He drank a bit and gagged at the taste. "Tastes like cod liver oil! Such a nasty thing!" He set the vial down and wondered if anything was going to happen, when suddenly the things in the room started getting bigger! Or... was he getting smaller.

His eyes widened as he realized that he was now tiny, and sans appropriate clothes. His face went red with embarrassment. He sighed. "No sense in... being embarrassed... no one is here... I hope..." He grimaced and looked down at his pale skin, at the muscles he had developed from doing hard labor. He went to the door that he had smartly left the key in. If I go through it might lock, and I'll loose my clothes. He scowled, then stomped over to his clothes, he reached and grabbed at least his pants, knowing the other articles, much less his shoes would be able to go through.

He opened the door and looked out to see the brightness of the strange place. He was taken a back by the beauty of it. He shook his head and pushed his pants through before falling on them afterwards, the door slamming shut after him. "Oof! I just keep getting hurt now don't I...." He made a face and sat up, looking out towards the forest, and the further out he looked, the more beautiful it was, he was falling instantly in love with the place already. It was so bright and lush with life, much different then gloomy rainy old London.

He stood, despite himself and walked a bit, before remembering his pants. He paled further. "How am I going to drag this around, I need to find a way to get bigger..." (no pun intended I SWEAR!) He sighed and sat down on his pants, pondering what to do now when a large smile began to form nearby.

"And who... are you?" Came a voice with a slight purr in it's words.

He jumped and looked around; he noticed the floating smile and paled more as if he'd seen a ghost. I'm going to die out here.

The smile soon formed a body and Chess only smiled brightly at the young man. "I asked you a question."

"B...Blake... Adler." He gulped and added in his mind, nice kitty please don't eat me...

"Interesting. You seem to be from her world... did you fall from a hole?"

He nodded slowly. "Ye...Yes I did."

"I can take you to where you'd be safe, but you have to trust and follow me." He poofed away.

Blake raised a brow and looked around. "Where did you go?"

A smile appeared quite a way aways. "Well are you coming? You can ditch the pants, I'm sure they'll get you new clothes once you're there."

Blake paled at the thought of losing his pants too. Although by some miracle his underwear had shrunk with him so he wasn't exposing himself indecently, even if he felt like he was. He got up and walked towards the smile, hoping it wasn't leading him into a trap.

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AN: Bwahaha, more Alice/Tarrant in next chapter. And who may this Blake person be... I'm sure we'll find out more soon.