Together in the Enchanted Forest.

Jefferson had been lounging in a tall backed seat for the past hour, sipping at his cooled tea even though it didn't taste all that good now. He was watching the woman walking around his room, her body arched as she tried her hardest to get her rag to reach the top of the grandfather clock for a quick wipe. Her one hand braced her against the wall, one foot supporting her weight on her toes and her back arched in the most seductive of ways beneath her pale blue dress. She normally did the cleaning and the cooking for Jefferson though he didn't know why she felt the need. He'd been taking care of himself long before she'd fallen into his life and he would have been much more happy with her sitting next to him. However, he understood that sometimes she felt the need to make up for him taking her in though she needn't have. He cared for her. He would have done anything to make her happy.

And it was in this moment that a few things fell into place for him. They were silly thoughts that should have come to him earlier than a year after he first met her in Wonderland. Watching her move around his home as if she owned the place, how she somehow knew when something was bothering him, how she knew the tricks and rules of his hat better than he did, how she knew just the right place to touch him that would make all his muscles relax.

People just assumed they were married now. They lived together, she accompanied him on most of his jumps, the way he spoke to her, the way she laughed at him, the way they touched each other in public, the way they argued. Everything about them together made others think that they'd long since been married and simply hadn't been invited to the wedding.

"Congratulations," the Cheshire Cat grinned at the two of them as they stepped into Wonderland nearly a month ago.

"Cheshire," Alice greeted before she frowned at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I should be insulted to have not been the one to perform the ceremony but you could have at least invited me," the cat frowned as it floated towards them on its back. "I do love weddings,"

Alice and Jefferson looked between each other and then down at their hands. It was true that their hands were intertwined, it was even true that Alice's attire had begun to mirror the hatter's unique garb but that didn't point towards marriage. The two frowned at each other, letting go of the other's hand to turn and look at the crazy cat.

"And what makes you say that, Cheshire?"

"You've changed," the cat answered, flipping back over onto its paws, lying on the air as if it were a comfortable pillow. "Dear Alice has become half the mad that you've lost, Hatter, while you on the other hand have become half the sane that she's lost,"

Alice snorted at him. "He's right, Jefferson,"

"Both of you are insane," Jefferson then looked over at the crazy cat and frowned. "We aren't married,"

"Then you really are the Mad Hatter," the cat grinned, the rest of the feline slowly disappearing in midair. "Make sure she doesn't remain Just Alice,"

Maybe he'd been right.

After all, the thought of tying himself down to one person wasn't so restricting as he might have thought it to have been a year prior. Alice never truly tied him down, if anything he felt tethered to her instead. She was the thing he'd be tying himself to and she had told him many a time that she would be willing to go anywhere he was.

And oh did he love her for that.

"Tea's cold," Alice frowned.

Jefferson looked up from his revelry to find her standing across the table, sipping at a cup of tea she'd poured herself. She had her hands wrapped around the teacup as if in the hopes that her hands wood warm up the drink before she took another drink. Her next sip made her nose crinkle, barely visible over the lip of the teacup before it disappeared and she set the cup down again.

"Would you like me to take it?"

"No. Come, Alice. Sit with me,"

Alice's head tilted as if that would give her the sight to understand why he wanted her to sit with him. She shouldn't have been so confused by the request considering that they would sometimes spend days in bed talking to each other about nothing but painted flowers and un-birthdays. Maybe it was his expression that made her cautious as she sat down in the chair next to his, the chair that she'd claimed as her own long ago.

"Marry me,"

She'd been fixing her shirts, flattening them against her legs when her hands suddenly froze against the fabric. He watched her shoulders twitch, her back straighten and then an almost slowness as she looked up into his face. She looked at him with her eyes slightly wider than usually with a mix of surprise and wonder. Maybe she was just as curious as he was at the thought of marriage and had known just how strange it was for him to come to such a decision.

But it didn't change anything for him.

Whatever she was thinking, she didn't say it aloud. So in the silence he waited for her, taking another sip of his cold tea as if they were both waiting for something as trivial as the grandfather clock to strike one.

"What did you just ask me?"

"I didn't ask you anything," he told her, setting down the teacup and saucer. "I told you to marry me. I'm just waiting for you to agree with me,"

"Why?"

"Because I don't think you can marry someone who isn't consenting,"

"No," Alice sighed, waving him off. "I mean… why do you want to marry me?"

He frowned at her, leaning forward in his seat. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Rarely does anything make sense, Jefferson," she told him, moving to stand up. "Shall I start dinner?"

He was on his feet in a second, grabbing her wrist to pull her around to face him. "Marry me, Alice. You owe me this… You've made me realize how truly alone I've been… You've made me mad,"

Alice smiled up at him, placing a light kiss on his chin. "Is that your way of saying you love me?"

"Maybe,"

"Because then I'd have to tell you…" She turned into him, gripping his lapel to pull him into her, grinning up into his face. "… We're all mad here,"

He couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face before he leaned down to capture her lips with his. He could feel her smiling into his mouth, her hands moving over his shoulders to wrap around him, knocking the hat of his head with a well place pat. He didn't mind, not when he had her in his arms.

When she pulled away- because she was the one to do it- she tossed her head as she headed for the kitchen. "I'll marry you, Hatter," she called back without turning. "Oh. And I'm also having your child,"