Author's note: So, I have a lot of motivation to update sooner (my social life crumbling and killing off my friends one at a time and what not.), but it's slightly odd to write and be getting a rate of like 2 comments, so please don't be afraid to leave comments! I need some feedback on this. On with the story!

Alice awoke and yawned. She groaned. The entire night the hatter kept putting his knee in her back. She would make it a personal note to request him to spend his nights somewhere else and away from her. She stretched carefully and looked around. In the chair she saw a blue blur and a little orange paper. She slowly crawled over to it and sat on her feet, reaching for the paper.

She unfolded it and examined it. Her eyes skimmed but she did not entirely absorb the message. All she really registered was "new dress with proper garments". She groaned once again. Proper? Since when had she every thought of propriety? Certainly not in Underland. Rolling her eyes, she looked up the stairs. He wasn't there. She didn't hear him.

She figured he'd gone off to do something or another. The note said she was welcome to bathe and dress upstairs in the bathroom. She took up the dress to discover it was on the shorter side, going just down to her knees probably, and it was the perfect shade of blue. It would contrast her skin tone miraculously. She took all the garments the man had left her and quickly flitted up the stairs, opening the door at the top. She ran her fingers through her hair as she pushed open the door to the other room...

...and dropped her clothes as well as her jaw.

There, dripping wet with tiny beads of water was The Mad hatter, Tarrant Hightopp, in all his pride and glory. His orange curls clung to his face, down around him. His chest was just as pale as his face. Alice engulfed the entire sight of him. Magnificent as he was. He gasped at sight of her and while grabbing at his drying cloth, slipped back and fell into the tub once more where more water droplets could caress his lean, attractive body.

Alice felt her face glowing more red than the Red Queen's lips. She jumped out of the room, "I'm sorry!" She shouted.

The man groaned, as if in a slight bit of pain. "That's or'rite lass. whun Am covered could yous come ellp me addy this? ay fear me barnet is sore and ay need ter kun if it bleeds." (That's alright, lass. When I'm covered, could you come help me aid this? I fear my head is sore and I need to know if it bleeds.)

Alice nodded, "Tell me when." She almost whispered. "You'll 'uv ter speak up lass, ay can't 'ear yous."(You'll have to speak up lass) He said, once more in his Scottish brogue.

"I said, just tell me when!" She shouted.

She heard the sound of sloshing water and a few other minor sounds, until she heard him call, "Come in!" In his usual manner. Alice opened the door and ventured in, only to have her face brighten once again at the sight of him. All he did was throw on his trousers. Her voice failed her at first, but she finally managed to say, "Where?"

He pointed to the back of his head. She nodded and went around to see about his injury. His hair was now tangled from having run the drying cloth through it so many times in the past few minutes. She poked at the darkened orange mane and tried to move it, but was simply too short to get a good view. She came around to face him, "Hatter, you're too tall! You have to lean down a little."

He nodded and slowly dropped to his knees with his head bowed. "There we are." She whispered. She prodded his thick hair, looking for any sign of damage. "Where does it hurt?" She asked. "Here?" Poking a place in his scalp gently.

"No." He whispered lightly.

She pushed down again a little further back and got the same response. She suddenly grazed a large knot and she heard his jaw clamp tight. "OW." He said.

She apologized and examined it further, "Well, I see no blood, but you're going to have a very tender bump there for a little while. You'll have to be careful, Hatter."

She offered him her hand to help him stand. He looked up slowly, seeing barely more than her perky breasts in his eye line. He bowed his head again and took her hand. He stood and looked down at her with eyes that she couldn't read. It was like he was reading her soul through her chocolate colored eyes. She suddenly sensed a deep inner longing in those eyes. She couldn't bear to look at them any longer, so she closed her own.

"I missed you, Alice." He whispered, his breath close enough to stroke her lush lips. She inhaled deeply, waiting for what would come next. His hand squeezed hers before releasing it. She opened her eyes to see him knelt down. He lifted the dress, corset, skirts, stockings, etc. and handed them to her. "I'm going to the shop to get something to repair my hat. It has a hole in the top from that blasted cat trying to take it."

She nodded and hummed, watching him leave. He grabbed a shirt on his way out of the bedroom and she heard his footsteps disappear on the stairs soon after.

She undressed slowly, savoring his essence in the room with her. She had missed him as well and was now even a little despaired that he had not kissed her. Did he not find her attractive? She sniffed her wrist. She smelt fine. Was it her breath? She tested it. No. It smelt fine! Then what was it?

She took a ribbon from around her wrist and tied up her hair as she stepped out of her clothes. She settled into the bath water and let her thoughts digress from topic to topic before she felt relaxed enough to get out.

After dressing and getting down stairs, she found herself remembering the day Hamish Ascot had intended to ask her hand. She had fallen down the rabbit hole. That was how she met him... Wasn't it?

No, she had met him as a little girl. She had dreamed of Underland, calling it Wonderland, right? Yes, then the Hatter had been around the age of seventeen. The only differences between that Hatter and her Hatter now were that his hair was now a little different and he always seems to be remembering the death of Hightopp clan. She could see that inner sadness of his memories. Alice sighed. If she had been there... She could have saved them... Couldn't she?

No. She was not the champion of Underland back then. She probably would've been killed as well. Alice sat in the chair where her clothes had been sitting and leaned her cheek against her hand. "Hatter? What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing."

She jumped. "Oh! Hatter you gave me a fright." She said, holding her hand over her heart. He pulled a hat from behind him. "Here we are." She grinned and took it, placing it on her head.

He dusted off the top of his hat and replied, "You addressed me when you asked, so I answered. Shall we be off then? Mustn't keep the queen waiting, you know."

Alice took his arm as he offered it and he gave her his adorable grin that showed off the gap in his teeth. Bayard was outside as the two approached. There was a horse with him. The Hatter offered his hand to help the lady onto the horse and climbed up after her. And soon they were off.

Bayard ran fast along the trail then the horse. Tarrant had urged him before leaving to take it slow. Alice had pondered why for several minutes, but soon gave up on figuring out why. Tarrant kept his arms around her, his hands on the reigns. He was very quiet. If he wanted to say anything secretly, his lips were close enough to her ear for him to inhale lightly and she would hear it, he could have.

She assumed he was lost in thought.

The ride was long and tiring. Alice watched the sun move from the sky above her head to the horizon line. Her eyes became heavy. She slowly leaned back and closed her weary eyes. Slowly, she felt something snake its way around her waist. The Hatter's strong arm pulled her closer to him and her back pressed against his chest. She leaned her head back and rested against his shoulder, whispering a quick "Thanks" before dozing off.

In her dream, Alice was in at the table with Mallyumpkin, Thackery, and Tarrant. "Oh and it was a lovely day, it was! That is until Thackery here-" Tarrant was saying when a loud crash of thunder sounded off loudly.

Alice looked around, standing from her seat beside the mad man. Dark clouds began to tumble into the sky like smoke filling a chimney. Alice coughed and watched as crimson red lightening electrified the clouds and shot down from the sky, onto the table. Fire was quickly set and there was a large scramble as the trio of lunatics fled the table.

Alice was knocked over landed on her bottom. The burning table snapped and fell, smashing against her ankle. She felt the bones shattering as agony seized her body. "Tarrant! Help me!" She shouted.

The hatter looked at her, his eyes a deep color red with black surrounding them. His sword was drawn and he pointed it at her. "Sorry 'bout dat. yous deserted me. de only ay tinnie graft yous would be ter put yous outi yer misery."(Sorry. You deserted me. The only I can give you would be to put you out of your misery.) His sword swung down and Alice took her last breath...

Alice awoke in a cold sweat. "Alice, its ok. I'm here to protect you." Tarrant whispered in her ear, clutching her tight.

"Well that's all very well, but you can't protect me when you're choking the breath out of me!" She mumbled. Tarrant loosened his grip and looked at her, smiling adorably. "Heh... Sorry. Any which, it's a good thing you finally woke up. We're about to the castle. The queen would have my head if she thought I kept you awake all night and day."

"But... isn't that against her vows?"

"Well of course, imagination!" He smiled. He put both hands on the horse's reigns and pulled them back. "Whoa!"

The hatter jumped off the horse and smiled to Alice without stretched arms. She turned and he grabbed her waist. She was set on the ground lightly. "You're such a frail little dreamer, naughty boy." He winked and released her.

Alice blushed, taking Tarrant's offered arm. "Mustn't keep the queen waiting."

Chapter's end! Aww... I love fluff ^_^. Tell me what you think. I'm at a crossroads for this next chapter, but we'll see how it goes. If you have any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear 'em! Until next time -Shippo(insert numbered here.)