A/N: Personal Thanks to sarahbluerose for that awesome review. Thanks to her, I've decided to post the next chapter early!! Yeah!

BEEEEPPP BEEEEEEEEEPPPPP BBEEEEEEPPPPP!!!!

"Gah!" Hatter jolted up in surprise, finding himself on the couch. "What in the name of tea is...!!" He pulled the earbuds out of his ears. "Nivens," he said as he spotted the note left on the table:

Urgent Notice To Hatter,

Do NOT let March touch the tea in the fridge. I don't want YOU touching it either! It is for March, but at a certain time. I have the plan in place. We will execute it this evening. But, I need a word with you before we take off. So don't leave to go anywhere before we leave, if you know what I'm saying. Much appreciated. ~Nivens

"Okay then," Hatter was talking to himself as he set the note down. he figured he should clean up the kitchen, since March wasn't awake...yet. He would make a larger mess, and that was the last thing Hatter wanted to come home to after they saved Alice. If they saved Alice. There were so many broken dishes, and Hatter salvaged what he could, throwing out most of them. he realized he was cleaning, which was beyond him. I guess boredom and anxiety lead to strange things, he thought as he put some dishes away. March came stomping down the stairs, and sat at the table.

"Any tea?" he asked. That was his only question? thought Hatter. This is going to be a long day.

"Not now, March. Go outside or have a decent meal for once," Hatter said. March got up, pulling cereal out of the cupboard along with the milk and silverware from other places.

"What's with you now?" he asked. "We always had tea in the morning. Always," he said, sitting down and pouring the milk.

"It's nothing," he lied, but March didn't notice. He was half alive at the moment. March was no morning person. "I'm just concerned."

"You're not concerned, Hatter," March said. "You're protective, day dreaming, and silent lately. Are you sure there's nothing I should know?" Hatter sighed, sitting down across from him.

"It's Alice," he said. "I don't know what I'd do if she were hurt or even worse, gone," he confessed. This time, March listened. "She is my only friend at that school. If it weren't for her, I'd be lost. On top of that I-" he stopped abruptly. March knew what it was that made him stop.

"It's obvious," March said. "You like her." he said the last part almost mockingly. He was Hatter's friend and he found that a reasonable excuse to tease him. Hatter gave an annoying sigh.

"Yes, I like her," he said. This wasn't what he wanted to talk about this morning. "End of discussion."

"Ohhkaayy," March said, still mocking him. "You must really like her."

"End of discussion," Hatter said again.

"So, Nivens must have been up late last night," March finally said after eating some cereal.

"Yeah, I found he even put those ear buds attached to that i-pod with the most irritating sound," Hatter responded.

"Well, it is called an alarm clock. It's supposed to be annoying...cup," March said, staring at his empty glass on the table. Hatter knew to get the orange juice. No tea and he had to get March out of that trance. After pouring that out and eating, he and March spent the morning outside. March was randomly searching the yard as if he had lost something. Hatter tried asking him what he was looking for, but he got no answer. Well, he got phrases like, "gotta find it, must find it," and "can't be late. Oh, were's the gift?" and his personal favorite, "Help me find it! Maybe I left it in Nowhere." He lay down on the grass, thinking of Alice. There was nothing March could do to get him to stop thinking about her. She didn't do anything wrong. She didn't deserve this. He wished he could be talking with her at that moment. If he knew this was going to happen, he'd have told her how much he liked her. Nivens woke up in the afternoon. He ran outside to see Hatter and March.

"Good," he said, breaking Hatter's thoughts. "I see you got my note."

"Huh?" Hatter said, then coming back into the conversation. "Oh, yeah."

"I'll get everything ready," Nivens said, going back into the house. Nivens put everything into backpacks and sadly, he needed a bag to hold all the tea. He went out into the garage, examining the bikes they owned. Hatter's was fine, but March's had a flat tire. Nivens pumped up everyone's tires, giving them fresh air and less likely to have an incident. He was done by three o'clock. both of his friends were still outside.

"We are good to go," Nivens said finally. "The only thing now is to put the plan in place. March is the distraction, I dispel the cameras, Hatter goes in. This should be smooth, but just in case it's not..." he pulled out pepper spray, sparklers, and small containers of gasoline.

"Whoa, this plan is absolutely mad," Hatter said.

"Mad!" March said loudly, but then more calmly added, "We're familiar with mad."

"He's got that right," said Nivens. "But, before we go, I must speak with you."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Come with me," Nivens said, bringing him and March inside. He took Hatter into his own room. March didn't need to hear this.

"Look at me," Nivens commanded. Hatter obeyed, hearing the seriousness in his friend's voice. "I know you like Alice, but if the time should arise, and I would have to get her out of there, you need to stay focused. I can't have your mind wandering during this operation. Our point is to save Alice, not to make the situation worse. If you two get separated, promise me you won't go nuts."

"I will try my best, but that moment shouldn't come, I hope it won't," he said. Nivens sighed.

"Okay, just want it all to be clear to you. I know it will be hard. I can see you like her very much, so I will look forward to meeting her. Though, I'm sure this will be the best way to do that," Nivens said. Hatter understood Nivens well, and this would be a difficult task for him. He would have to resist the urge to hold her once he found her.

"Are we ready?" Nivens asked when he and Hatter stepped out. March jumped up. "Yes!"

"Alright, come on. Let's go save Alice," Nivens said, thrusting the backpacks over his and Hatter's backs. They got on their bikes, locking the house of course, and rode to The Devil's Pit.

The next chapter is more interesting, I promise. BUT, I need a total of FIVE reviews before I post it. I know it's a lot to ask, but they can be from any chapter. The next one will be worth it!!! ~White Shade