Chapter 3- Just Friends

Walking on the way to the gardens, the Hatter remained silent. Alice kept looking at him, but he seemed to be somewhere else, not paying attention to her. The one time he did look up was to leap over a large tree limb that had fallen in their path. It was too wide for Alice to jump, so he had offered her his hand. This was when Alice noticed another change in his eyes, for they had changed to a dreary bluish-gray color.

The Hatter then had avoided her eyes, and kept walking, mumbling to himself every one and a while.

Alice didn't know what to do. She wanted to comfort him, to make his eyes turn back to their normal happy, green color. But something about the way he was acting made Alice decide not to bother him. It seemed like he wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

As they were nearing the rose garden, Alice caught a few of the Hatter's mumblings. She heard the words "going back", "Fool," "Mad", and her own name repeated several times.

Finally they reached the rose garden, and Alice lead him over to a little nook in the corner where she had hung a swing from one of the nearby oak trees.

"I used to come here all of the time when I wanted to think, especially after my father died. It was like my own little escape from reality. My own little wonderland…" Alice said sentimentally, brushing the swing lightly with hr fingertips. She then turned to find the Hatter staring at her intently.

Alice noticed something different then; in the way he was looking at her. She could tell a difference, but didn't understand why there was one.

"Alice, can I ask you something…" He began, walking consciously towards her, as if afraid she would disappear into thin air.

"Yes, what is it Hatter?" Alice asked curiously, sitting down on the swing.

"I….I…I want to know…what was your father like?" The hatter asked, changing his mind mid sentence

"Well I told you, don't remember? A lot like you! What was you father like Hatter?" Alice said swinging back and forth slightly.

The Hatter suddenly became very emotional and stepped away from Alice, memories floating back into his brain about a destroyed village, a woman' scream, and then a abandoned bagpipe left the remains of a burnt house.

"No!" The Hatter shouted, trying to get the memories out of his head.

"Hatter!" Alice shouted, rushing over to him once she stopped swinging.

He brought a hand up to his face in distress, covering his eyes. Alice wrapped her arms around him and brought him into a big hug. After a few seconds, the Hatter relaxed and brought his arms around her as well, pulling her tightly against him.

"Hatter, I'm sorry I brought up your family, I didn't know you would get upset. I'm so sorry. It's really hard to loose somebody you love." Alice said leaning her head against his chest to look up at him.

Alice's words stung. She didn't know.

"Fairfarren Alice…"

"Alice, I missed you once you left…" The Hatter whispered vulnerably, leaning his head on hers.

Alice looked up at him in surprise. Noticing this the Hatter let go of her, stepping back from her once more, reluctantly. Little did he know, that for some strange reason, she didn't want him to let go of her.

"So how do you like my world?" Alice asked changing the subject.

"It's fine I guess. But these flowers! Are they mute of something? They don't seem to talk much. Is there something wrong with them?"

Alice laughed. "Well of course not. It's normal here from them not to talk. The animals can't talk either you see, so why should the plants be able to?"

The Hatter scratched his head with a look of confusion on his face. "They can't talk! That's awful!" He cried, horrified.

"Yes I'm afraid so. I would very much like to hear what my cat Dina would say if she had the ability to speak!" Alice smiled sitting back down on the swing.

"You have a cat? What kind? I hope it's not one like Chessur…. May I meet him?" He asked excitedly.

"Why of course you can met her!" She corrected him, "But remember she cannot talk so she might not be very social like Chessur."

"That's alright. Splendid, actually, for that cat does talk too much." Alice noticed the Hatter staring at the swing she was upon.

"Would you like to swing?" She asked politely, standing up, offering him the chair.

"Oh yes please… But I'm not sure I know how…" He gave the object a suspicious look, wondering if he could trust it.

"Don't worry, I'll help you. Just sit down, and I'll push." Alice said, pulling him over then pushing the swing, so he flew high in the air.

"WEEEEEE!" The Hatter yelled at the strange new sensation.

Alice just laughed heartily at him, and shoved him harder this time, causing his hat to fly off his head.

"Opps!" Alice apologized, running over to when the hat had fallen to get it, only for the hatter to jump of the swing to get it himself.

"No I've got it!" He yelled as he ran over as well.

"Here." Alice said picking it up, and placing it on his head. "Perfect." She said, adjusting it.

He smiled toothily at her once more. "Alice…Will you ever come back to Underland?"

Alice was taken off guard by one of his questions again. "I…. I'm not sure… I guess eventually…it depends…if there was something really important…. If I'm needed there…I suppose so…" Alice said, mulling over her thoughts, only then to notice how close they were standing.

"Alice, I…"

"Alice!!! Come inside, it' getting chilly out!" Her mother called from inside.

"What were you going to say?" Alice asked the man in front of her.

"Never mind. You mother wants you inside. Come." He said, offering his arm to her as the began to walk back indoors to visit with Alice's sister.

"Alice! Dearest! It's so good to see you! Lowell and I just got back from our trip so I sorry this is our first time coming to visit you!" Margaret exclaimed, giving Alice a large hug when she and the Hatter entered the house.

It wasn't until she had finished giving Alice a hug that Margaret noticed the red headed man standing next to her sister looking rather awkward. "Alice, who is your gentleman friend? Her sister asked, intrigued.

"Oh," Alice said, glanced back at him. "This is Tarrant."

"Pleasure to meet you." The Hatter said politely, bowing.

"No. It's a pleasure to meet you." Margaret said slyly, giving her sister a meaningful look. Alice just glared at her sister in return.

The Hatter smiled at this, his eyes finally turning back to their normal green color.

"So how were your travels in Asia, Alice?" Her sister asked as they all walked in and sat in the sitting room.

"Fine. You know…lots of trading and such…" Alice said uncomfortably, not really wanting to talk much about it.

"Well that's good…" Margaret said with a smile, now turning her attention to the man that had once had her sister on his arm. "So how did you two meet, Tarrant?"

"Umm…" The hatter gave Alice a nervous look, messing with his hat in his hands. "I was having a tea party and she came with someone I invited."

Alice gave him reassuring look. It wasn't a half bad lie, for it was pretty much the truth.

"Oh really? Was it a large gathering then? With dancing?" Margaret asked, interested.

The Hatter opened his mouth to respond before Alice interjected "Yes!"

"Oh! Then I assume you like balls! You must come tonight! I doubt mother will disapprove, after all you are a guest of the family!" Margaret said excitedly, playing matchmaker.

"Margaret, I'm not so sure about that…" Alice said standing up like her sister

"No, I don't se why there would be any problem. Unless… Do you have any more clothes to wear, Tarrant?" Margaret said, glancing down at Tarrant's unusual attire.

"Margaret, I really don't have to… I mean I couldn't…" Tarrant tried to speak, noticing how much Alice didn't seem to want him to go.

"Nonsense. I shall talk to my mother about this, and you can borrow some of Lowell's clothes. I'm sure he won't mind." Margaret said with a smile, looking between the two people in front of her.

" I wouldn't imagine, I couldn't possibly… " He interjected once more.

"Shh, Tarrant. I insist. Any good friend of Alice's in a good friend of mine." And with that Margaret rushed out of the sitting room to talk to her mother.

"Sorry…My sister can be sort of insistent…." Alice sat back down on a couch, before Tarrant sat next to her.

"Oh that's alright…Insistent about what?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Well, you are the first man I've ever brought home, so to speak. She's ecstatic…" Alice turned to look at him. The Hatter wrinkled his brow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that she's excited that I have you here. She's excited at the prospect of us…. you know…" Alice tried to explain, awkwardly.

"Oh…" The Hatter replied, equally as awkward.

"It seems like everyone is getting the wrong impression. I mean we're just friends…. right?" Alice looked at him, when a sense of login suddenly took over her. She looked into the Hatter's eyes, and seemed to see the same thing. Slowly, his face began to inch towards hers. Then he turned away.

"Yes. We are just friends…." The Hatter said, cursing himself inside for letting his emotions get carried away, for after all, s they had both just admitted, they were just friends.