~~~~~~~~~~~Tarrant – Hightopps' village!

I stood with Alice, my beloved angel, my savior, the only one who could save me from my madness and myself. We stood in the clearing, the dust had settled again, but the images of buildings that were once the homes of my family and I stood as haunting images before us. The memory of that day was fighting in my head to show through in a fit of madness. But my angel was with me. She would chase away my inner darkness and pull me out of the deepest hole of self-pity and rage toward the light.

Alice held onto my hand tightly as we gazed at the stars, the one thing we had shared when she left, as the moon was not always visible. We were in danger, but we were together now, that's all that mattered and better yet, my sister was asleep by now. So no interruption from her, I just hoped no one else would ruin our Moment.

"Hatter," she said taking me out of my daze.

"Mmm?" I looked at her.

She smiled an Alice-y smile that she only gave me, "I'm sure no one will disturb us. We're all very tired."

I flushed, had I been thinking out loud again? Oh dear. Alice wrapped her arms around my neck still smiling, "Yes you were Hatter."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her waist in an embrace I hoped would never be broken. Alice began to lean in eyes closing; I began to close the space. Our lips connected for only a moment before a woman cleared her throat, interrupting us. For a moment I believed it was Greer and I considered ignoring her. But the sound wasn't the same. When Greer cleared her throat it was more throaty and less vocal. But it wasn't the queen; she never cleared her throat, she just spoke. Was that a rhyme? And Alice was with me.

Mrs. Kingsleigh. The thought of her catching us was down right embarrassing. I flushed; I did my best to keep my eyes from turning a dark salmon color, the color that often shows when I'm embarrassed. I released Alice and she stepped away blushing brighter than ever.

"Uh… Good evening Mrs. Kingsleigh. Nice weather we're having." Stupid! Stupid! STUPID! It was night! How the figglefag was she supposed to be able to see the weather in the dark! I was such an idiot!

She nodded her head, "Indeed Mr. Hightopp. Alice, go inside with Mirana please?" Alice looked reluctant but went inside with a great flurry. "Mr. Hightopp-"

"Tarrant. Just call me Tarrant," I interjected.

"Tarrant," she said my name very carefully as if trying a new foreign delicacy for the first time. "I wish to discuss something with you." I swallowed hard.

"Yes ma'm?"

She smiled, "How much do you love my daughter?"

My eyes became large and my mouth hung open stupidly. I scrambled in my brain for words. "I love her more than anything!" I managed to get out, "If anythin' were to 'appen to 'er, I couldn' be able to live with mhyself! She- she's the only one who fully understands me and I her! If you 'ere to take 'er away from meh, I'd die! I'd 'ave no reason to live!" She smiled, "please let this be a good sign," I prayed, "please!"

"I have waited fifteen years to find someone who would be so greatly toward my daughter. I have finally found him. I give you my blessing on one condition." I looked at her confused before she continued, "That you love my daughter and cherish her for all your lives together."

I nodded, "I'll love her long after that Mrs. Kingsleigh! I promise you that!"

"Then you have my blessings. Now, I believe the others are waiting for us." We began to enter our simple shelter of wood, leaves, and fabric when she stopped. "And one more thing Tarrant. You must now call me Mother. No more Mrs. Kingsleigh."

I gave a gallant bow, "Of that my dear future-mother-in-law, you have yourself yet another promise."

~~~~~~~~~~~~Margaret – Salazen Grum~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Men pushed me in back away from Lowell. We were about to be killed, all of us! And yet this was Alice's dream world, no one ever dies here! And yet here I was standing next a woman with a screaming infant and three toddlers about to be killed. She tried desperately to calm them, "Momma! We're scarred! Where's daddy?" they cried.

"He'll be fine loves! Shh!"

Screaming came from a distance, a male scream. But a fight had not broken out. "White knights! White knights loyal to the White Queen! Armies of them have come!"

All shouted joyous things such as, "We're free!" and "Praise Underland! Praise the White Queen!" And some rather vulgar things like, "Downl wyth the bloody behg head!" and "Get ou' o' 'ere you slackish scrum!" The knave and his red knights ran, and could they run! The White knight that to my surprise were shaped oddly like chess pieces, like the ones my father, sister and I would play with. They went about checking all the people and tending to wounds and also gathering food. I began to search for Lowell, "Where could he be? I hope he isn't hurt!" I stopped my mental worrying long enough to ask one of the men.

"Excuse me, have you seen my husband? Lowell Manchester. Black hair, brown eyes, about this tall," I made the measurement with my hand. The man shook his head sadly.

"Only one was killed, and he matches the description of your husband." I gasped and my legs buckled as I fell to the earth. Lowell was dead! My husband was dead! I was a widow! And before I could even tell him the wonderful news! I was expecting! I cried out all my emotions and felt both mentally and physically drained. A guard with blond hair and blue eyes and a more human form than the others came and picked me up and placed me with some other women who were huddled together. I glanced up the clouds that reflected my mood as they spilled tears of their own. Heart-broken, in pain, gray, nothing left, and empty