Chapter 5- A nightmare, a kiss…
"So Tarrant, where are you from?" Lowell asked, making small talk on their way to Kingsley manor.
The Hatter opened his mouth but no sound came out. Thankfully, Margaret stepped in.
"Alice met him in China dear."
"China, eh? Did you like it there? Bet there's a bunch of beautiful women there, huh Tarrant?" Lowell said crudely
Tarrant crinkled his forehead at this remake.
"Not really…" Tarrant finally responded, thinking back to Underland.
"What was that you said?"
"I said not really. There aren't a lot of women at all…. where I come from…that is…." The Hatter tried to explain, getting nervous at the end. He began to play with his hat in his hands as the carriage continued to bum along in silence.
Finally they arrived at Kingsley manor, and Tarrant quickly hopped out and gave them a short goodbye. He then made him way indoors.
As soon as he walked in, a mass of blond curls attached him.
"Are you ok? I'm so sorry! My mother made me leave!" Alice said hugging him tightly, her arms around his neck.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine…."
"Are you sure?" Alice placed both of her hands on his cheeks, locking their eyes, only to notice that they were a lilac color again, just like the day before.
"Yes, Alice, I'm sure." He said gently, placing his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. Slowly, he leaned his face forward, coming closer and closer, his eyes darting to her slightly opened lips.
And then noticing the surprise in Alice's eyes, he quickly changed his mind, and instead, simply kissed her on the forehead.
"Good night, Alice. Pleasant dreams…." He murmured in her ear as he gave her one more hug, before he quickly darted up stairs, afraid of what her possible reaction could be.
"Good night Hatter…" Alice said, lost in her thoughts, though he had already left.
Could it be or was she just imagining it, that the Hatter had just almost kissed her….
Once he reached his room, the Hatter quickly went over to the desk in the corner on which he had place his hat on top of all the piles of papers. Inside his hat was the mirror Queen Mirana had given him. Taking it in his hands, Tarrant closed his eyes tightly, hoping that if he wished hard enough, the mirror would work.
"Tarrant? What is it? Is something wrong? Are you and Alice alright?" Mirana asked from inside the glace.
"Yes your majesty, we are both perfectly fine it's just…. I need to speak to you about something…." Tarrant said anxiously.
"Yes, if you wish it. I am at you disposal my dear friend…" Mirana said sweetly.
"Well, it's about Alice…. I'm not sure if I was the right one to be sent on this mission…I 'm not sure if I will be able to convince her to come back…." The Hatter said desperately, now, knowing if he could handle this any longer, or if he would be able to control his emotions.
"Of course you can Tarrant. If you can't, no one can…" Mirana said, thinking of the prophecy.
"What is that suppose to mean?" the Hatter questioned
The queen just gave him a sly, meaningful smile, before disappearing, so that the mirror now held only Tarrant's refection.
"What am I going to do?" the Hatter asked him self, staring at his refection, "What will Alice think of me tomorrow, what with my behavior at the ball, and then, when I came back here I..." He trailed off, dreading that tomorrow Alice would want nothing to do with him.
In distress, the Hatter laid down on the bed and stared up at the canopy above him, imagining that it was clouds, and that the light green sheets he laid upon were grass. Then that Alice was lying next to him on the grass, staring at the clouds as well, both of them trying to make out shapes in them.
"I see a pink elephant!" He exclaimed joyously.
"Hatter! They are white clouds! How is it that is a pink elephant?" She smiled at him.
"I'm not sure, my dear, but there surely was one!" He replied, reaching out to grab her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb.
"Platypus!! An orange one over there!" She said pointing at the west side of the sky.
"Now that's just impossible Alice! How on earth do you make up all these impossible things?" He teased.
Alice laughed merrily in response, turning on her side to face him. He did the same thing.
"Love…" the Hatter murmured close to her face, wrapping his arms around her.
"Now, that, Hatter is something that is impossible." And with that Alice turned her head away from his and wriggled out of his grasp.
The Hatter woke up with a gasp as memories of what had just happened in his dream flooded into him mind.
"Hatter?" He heard someone's voice call from out side of the door. The room was pitch dark and it seemed to be very late.
"Hatter?" The same voice called again, worried.
Finally realizing that it was Alice, he quickly threw off his covers and went to let her in.
He opened the door to reveal Alice standing there in her nightgown, holding a candle, with a look of extreme worry on her face.
"Did you have a bad dream? I heard you tossing around in the room next door, and I wanted to make sure you were all right… Is this about the ball? Because I'm really sorry we left, I tried to make her wait but…." Alice rambled on.
"Come in Alice." The Hatter said, moving out of the doorway to let her inside. "Sit down." He said motioning towards his bed, and he sat next to her, careful not to sit too close.
"Is something wrong?" Alice asked worried.
"No, no…" The Hatter reassured, patting her knee softly.
"Then what is it?"
"I just want to know…do you like it here? Is this what you want? Living in an uptight society, going to balls every night with your stuck up husband?" the Hatter spat out in disgust.
"Where is this coming from?"
"Is it what you want, really?" He asked again, ignoring her question, trying to say it more nicely this time. "Do you want to stay here?"
"It's not like I have much of a choice!" Alice said, frustrating the Hatter, who stood up and began to pace, his eyes turning.
"Of course you have a choice! It's your life Alice!" He said angrily, using his hands for emphasis. "Maybe you have lost your muchiness after all…" He mumbled under his breath and sat back down on the bed causing her to get upset.
"How can you say that? Why are you so upset about this? It's none of your business what I do with my life anyway?" Alice defended, now standing up to look down at him just as he had done with her.
"You right. I'm sorry its just I…" Hatter lisped, rubbing his forehead.
"Why do you care?" Alice continued, sitting back down next to him.
"I care…" The Hatter said, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Why?" She asked again.
"I don't want you to…" He barely uttered.
"Why?" Alice said softly, reaching out to tap her hand on his knee just like he had done before.
"Because Alice…Because I…. I don't want you to marry someone like that. I don't want you to stay here." The Hatter confessed, giving her a longing glance.
"Oh, Hatter…" Alice sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"I want you to come back to Underland with me…" Tarrant took her hand in his.
Alice looked up into his eyes, and saw that he was very serious about what he had just said.
"I don't know…. My mother…my family…."
"We could drink tea all day, visited the White queen, play hide and go peek, tease Chessur, startle March, I'll even make you your very own hat!" The Hatter rambled
"Hatter," She said softly, still resting her head on his shoulder, "…they need me…"
"I need you…" The Hatter whispered, brushing his fingertips across her cheek, before leaning forward to close the gap between them.
He kissed her softly at first; afraid she would disappear from beneath his fingertips, that it would all end up being a dream or that she would again disappear into the mist like she had on Frabjous Day.
But then she started to kiss him back, responding to the way his lips moved against hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist bringing her closer, and he was surprised when she in turn put her arms around his neck, brushing the hairs on his neck lightly with her fingertips.
The kiss surprised Alice; the way the Hatter was touching her, the ways she wanted him too.
Alice broke the kiss, finally coming back to reality. The Hatter looked away. Noticing her reaction.
"You should go it's late…" He said, turning away from her.
"Hatter, I…" She said, recovering from her shock. She had after all just kissed the Mad Hatter.
"Just go Alice…"He said sadly.
"Tarrant…"
The name surprised him and caused him to finally face her. She smiled then hurried over to him and planted a quick kiss on his lips, running her hands down his arms.
"Sweet dreams…." Alice said before leaving a stunned hatter to mull over his thoughts….