I've said before and I'll say it again I don't own anything...so sad.

~Chapter 8~

Outside the house, the surrounding hillsides and forests looked dead and haunted. Sophie was so frightened by her surroundings that she clung to her mothers dress as if her life depended on it.

"Hatter, where are we exactly?" Alice asked, looking about with a frown.

"We're at the edge of the Tulgey Wood."

Alice could not see any new growth nor any sign to tell her that her visit ten years ago had improved things in Underland at all.

"Why have things not improved?"

"They did improve." The Hatter started to walk along the weed-covered path leading the way into the foreboding countryside. Alice followed, a reluctant Sophie right behind her.

"Sophie, darling, not so close, for I may trip." Alice chided. Sophie shadowed her mother slightly less than she had previously, but still held the hem of Alice's dress firmly in her clenched fist.

"Things around this part of the forest didn't improve because," continued the Hatter "Of the Jabberwocky's body. It poisoned the land and killed the trees. Thackery did not mind so much since he has lived at the tea table for years, mad as he is. Oh, but if you could see what the rest of Underland looked like…" The Hatter's voice trailed off as his mind wandered to a time not that long ago. After that, he did not speak, and Alice thought it best to leave him alone with his thoughts.

The further they walked, the more alive the land became around them. The trees were alive with every color of the rainbow. Not just normal Overland colors such as greens, reds, and yellows, but blues, pinks and violets as well. The path also became much clearer and all kinds of strange and twisted plant life grew along its edge. Sophie, no longer cowering behind her mother, went boldly ahead of the two adults, though not too far, for she knew how much her mother would worry. She wished she had more eyes to look at all the oddities of her surroundings. There was a bird that had only one eye but six different colored wings, a flying bluebottle, which indeed was literally, a blue glass bottle with wings. She went wild when she saw her first flower, much to Alice's vexation, however the Hatter merely grinned. They stopped their slow march so that Sophie could chat with it a few moments. After bidding the flower goodbye, Sophie went up to the Hatter.

"That flower seemed very nice. It didn't even mind that I had no stems." She said.

"That's because that was a wildflower. They have a better tolerance of the world than the domestic flowers." he replied.

"Oh." With that, she went on ahead again.

"Don't step on the Mome Raths." He called after her.

"Where are we going exactly?" Alice asked. At first, she had not cared so much, but she was hoping that they would arrive at their destination before too long or at least a place to rest. Even though she was holding up well, Alice was feeling very fatigued. Tarrant was also beginning to show signs of his own exhaustion. She had to wonder how long he had been searching for her.

"I don't want to say exactly were we are going, since some of the trees have ears." He pointed off to their left where, to Alice's amazement, there was a green tree with leaves shaped like ears.

"How extraordinary! Can it really hear us?" She said softly. Almost as if she were sunlight, the tree started to strained its branches in her direction so as to pick up everything she might say.

"What do you think?" Was Tarrant's only response.

Once they were further away from the ear tree (or the Auricle Acacia, as Tarrant had explained) Alice broached the subject of their destination again.

"We'll be meeting up with Chess and Mallymkun."

"Oh." She said with a disappointed note. Alice had no problems with the Cheshire cat, but the Dormouse appeared to dislike Alice since the first time they'd met and the woman could not understand why. The troupe continued on in silence a little longer, though after twenty minutes, even the energy of the six-year-old Sophie gave out and the Hatter found himself once more carrying her, the little girl's head resting on his shoulder.

"That's a good look for you, Tarrant. Very paternal." A smooth voice from behind Alice and Tarrant's heads made the two of them turn around to face their addressor. "I didn't expect you to bring back two girls." The voice continued. A head and body materialized in the air in front of them.

"There you are! Do you know how long we've been waiting for you to bring Alice? A waste of time if you ask me." Said another voice as Mallymkun ran up the path towards the small group. She eyed Alice suspiciously as she approached, giving her a good once over. She had to admit that Alice had been an attractive human when she was on the cusp of adulthood, but now in full bloom, so to speak, she had become quite beautiful. Mally turned her attention to the two bags Alice was carrying with her. She'll be staying a while, then, thought the Dormouse. It was then that Mally noticed that there was an extra person.

"Who is that?" She demanded. "We're going to be at war and you bring a baby along?"

"Mallymkun. This is my daughter, Sophie." Alice went over to the child and roused her from her sleep. The little girl yawned, looking about before her gaze settled upon the newcomers. She slid down from the Hatter's grasp and ran over to them.

"Can you talk too?" She asked excitedly of the cat.

"Yes, but only when there is something to talk about." Sophie automatically reached out and started to stroke the cat's forehead, causing Chess to purr. She then turned her attentions to the dormouse and went to pick her up.

"Sophie, I wouldn't…" cautioned Alice, but Sophie, being a little girl and having a love of small furry animals, ignored her mothers warning and continued to reach for the dormouse.

Mally pulled out her little hatpin sword in defense and stuck the intruding hand on the finger with the sharp end.

Sophie squealed in pain, sticking her sore finger in her mouth.

"Really, Mally. She's just a child." Protested Alice.

"I can tell that! And I can also tell she gets her manners and personality from you!" Mally retorted, her whiskers twitching angrily. "Or were they, per chance, courtesy of your husband?" She asked accusingly. Alice turned red.

"That's enough, Mallymkun!" Tarrant snarled, his voice taking on an angry Scottish brogue. His tone brought Mally up short. The Hatter never spoke to her like that! The Dormouse turned accusing eyes on Alice. This is all her fault!

Alice ignored Mally's accusatory glare and was attending to her daughter's tiny injury with the best possible cure at her disposal. She took Sophie's hand in both her own and kissed the tip of the injured finger, quieting her daughter's pained sobs. Tarrant watched, an unreadable expression on his face. Chess materialized next to his shoulder.

"My, but she has become a real mother, hasn't she?" Purred the cat. "He must be a lucky fellow indeed." A second later Chessur felt the burning eyes of the Mad Hatter boring into the side of his head.

"He's nothing but a slurking, slackush, slurvish, gallymogger fool!" Tarrant said hotly, trying desperately to control his temper in front of Alice and Sophie.

"Oh my, such language!" Chess mused. "Have I hit upon a sore spot with you? Well then, let's forget I mentioned it, shall we?" He raised his voice from its quiet, conversational tone so that Alice could hear him. "There is a boat waiting on the Canal. "

Mallymkun lead the way off the path and into the thickest cluster of trees she could find. Alice noticed this but chose not to comment. She and the Hatter followed along as best they could, while Sophie and Chess had no trouble, the former being small enough to duck under the branches and the latter being able to pass right through them. After a short walk, they reached the canal and found a wide blue boat waiting for them. Clamoring into the boat, Alice and the Hatter sat in the stern as there was enough room for them to sit side by side. Before getting comfortable, Sophie opened her bag and pulled from it her traveling blanket. Setting it overtop of the feet and knees of the two adults, she reclined back so that she was situated between both sets of knees.

"I think the child has the right idea." Chessur mused. "Why don't you rest. I know where we're going." As if guided by some kind of force, the boat started to move down river as Chess finished speaking. Alice leaned back upon her bag for support and the Hatter put his arm around her shoulders so she may lean into him. Alice jerked away for a moment, startled by Tarrant's gesture. It had been such a very long time since a man had been this close to her. After Sophie was born, Henry had taken a separate bedroom to sleep in.

Slowly, Alice leaned into the warm, welcoming embrace. For the Hatter, this was the most wonderful moment of his life. He felt Alice's tense body slowly relax against him, and within a few moments, mother and daughter were sleeping quite peacefully.

For a moment, Tarrant let his mind wander. Though a common occurrence, this momentary lapse in thought guided him to a place of What Ifs? He let his eyes wander over the sleeping form of Alice, the worries of her life seeming to have slipped away, leaving her face looking peaceful and serene. At his feet was a child that by some right could have been his. What if this was my family? He thought as he closed his eyes and began to dream about it, passing from the conscience to the unconscious.

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