A/N: Hello, readers! I'm sorry for the delay (again!), but real life has seriously kicked my butt! Not to mention, the muse has apparently taken a vacation (I do hope she hasn't moved…) Regardless, I want to thank all of those who have stuck with me through this.

This chapter takes place not long after the first chapter. (If you can remember that far back) :-) And is in Tarrant's POV.

Also, it's been mentioned before, but after a recent review, I feel it needs repeated. I absolutely know there are many inconsistencies in this story. Comes with the territory of writing it like I have been. I've never written a story that bounces all over before, so I wasn't really prepared for this. One day, maybe soon since the muse won't let me write much, I hope to go back and fix those. I've got a corrected time line now that will hopefully work.

Again, thanks for reading and a super huge THANKS for anyone who reviewed!

Daddy-daughter day was upon us again. I had been looking forward to it all week and I was wrapping up my last hat on the list.

Just then, I heard the unmistakable footfalls of Alice and our little girl. I was about to head to the door to greet them, when an envelope shot out from under the door. I then heard my girls giggling uncontrollably and their footfalls quickly retreating.

I bent and picked up the envelope, recognizing Alice's beautiful handwriting immediately. I opened it and found a note inside:

Daddy,

Please join me in our garden for a tea party today!

Love,

Lottie

My sweet daughter's name was signed in her messy beginner's writing. It was, in short, adorable.

"Well, Tarrant, get yourself together!" I said aloud. "You've a tea party with a lovely girl to attend!"

I hurried around the workshop, putting the last few touches on the hat and giving the room a (very) quick clean up.

My thoughts wandered to those two lovely girls who had delivered the letter to me. I never in a lifetime would have imagined having either of them in my life. For most of my life, I have been the Mad Hatter. Sure, ladies loved the creations for their heads, but it wasn't as though my social life was full. Only Mirana would really show any affection to me and that was strictly in a sisterly/royal manner. And then I saw my Alice when she returned and I felt it all change. My heart actually felt a change the second I saw her. (As did my tie.) And then we were wed and my life was complete … so I thought. And then we were blessed with Charlotte, and my life was turned upside down. Everything I knew about love was altered. My thoughts on beauty, on life, on safety and on my own sanity have been changed since my Alice and my Charlotte came into my world.

Suddenly, I realized that my musings were going to make me late, and I took off for the garden.

When I got there, Lottie almost knocked me over.

"Hi, Daddy! I mean, hello, Lord Hightopp. Welcome to our tea party!"

I smiled. I could tell that Auntie Mirana was teaching her formality for tea.

"Well, greetings, Lady Hightopp. Thank you for having me today."

I saw Alice sitting against a tree reading, a bit away. She was just far enough to be out of Lottie's way, but close enough to supervise. And then I found a little table set up with the most precious tiny tea set. There was a stuffed rabbit, a stuffed mouse and a little blond doll with a blue dress sitting at the table as well.

"I know you like having tea with Mummy, Thackery and Mally, too, Daddy," Charlotte explained. "But I also wanted it to be just us."

"Lottie, I love that it is just us. I certainly love having tea with Mummy and the others as well, but this time between the two of us is just so special and I wouldn't trade it for anything in all of Underland since you are of course my favorite little Lottie and –"

"Daddy!" she giggled.

"Yes, sorry. I'm fine."

Charlotte always laughed when I was able to croak out "I'm fine." Whatever made my little girl happy was something I would be glad to do.

"I love your tea set," I commented.

"Thank you, Daddy. Auntie Mirana got it for me. Would you like some tea?"

"That would be delightful, Lottie."

As she poured the "tea" (water) from her tea pot, I noticed her expression changing. It worried me to see her like that.

"Charlotte?" I asked. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Well …" she began. "There is something I've been thinking about."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember a few nights ago, when I asked Mummy about you being mad?"

"Aye."

She paused, obviously contemplating her next thought. "Did I hurt your feelings when I asked that?"

"Hurt my feelings? Dear child, no. Why would you ask that?"

"Well, it's not very nice to call someone mad, is it?"

I looked over to Alice, who was still engrossed in her book. I wasn't naïve enough to think she didn't know what we were talking about, though.

"Lottie, your mum used to tell me that all the best people are mad. Your grandfather used to tell her that. And your granddad Charles and your mummy are two of the most saganistute people I know."

"Then why is it a bad thing to call someone that?" Charlotte asked, clearly confused by the entire conversation. Truth be told, so was I.

"Well, I suppose it isn't always a complimentary term. It depends on the person. You see, if someone like your mum, or me, I suppose is called mad, it's not usually in the same connotation. Your grandfather was called mad because he had amazing vision. Sometimes, when people don't understand someone, they just label them as mad."

"Why don't people understand you?"

This child was every bit of her stubborn, curious mother.

"In my case, it's very complicated. Sometimes, if a hatter isn't careful, the chemicals we use can affect you."

"Has it done it to you? Were you not careful? Because you always tell me to be careful and when I'm not, you and Mummy get very cross with me since –"

"Buttercup, slow down!" I said with a smile. "Yes, I'm afraid I wasn't very careful. But unfortunately, that was before I had you and your mummy. I wasn't very careful because I didn't have you to live for."

"But you had Thackery, and Mally, and Auntie Mirana, right?"

Miniature Alice with orange hair.

"Yes, I suppose I did. But we were all very busy with other things then. And I was sad because my mummy and daddy were gone, and well, there were just many, many complications back then."

Charlotte looked at me and stared. It was almost unnerving to have her stare so critically at me.

"So, you and Mummy and Grandfather Charles are all mad, but it's not in the bad way, right?"

"That's one way to put it, yes."

"So, when people call you the Mad Hatter, they're not being mean?"

How to answer that one? I'm sure not everyone sees me as a saganistute, as opposed to the hat making lunatic.

"It's a name that I have been going by for some time now, Lottie. It doesn't make me feel bad. It's my occupation and a term that your mummy loves, so I wear it with pride. Does that help?"

Her blue eyes sparkled with as much understanding as she was going to have with this at that moment.

"Yes, Daddy, it does! Now, would you like a scone?"

I laughed as she passed me a plate with tiny baked goods on it, no doubt from Thackery himself, who was probably laughing with Mally at this version of a tea party. But, truth be told, this was my favorite kind.

As I looked at my precious daughter, I wondered many things. And before I could pull it back in, a question escaped my lips.

"Lottie, do you enjoy having me as your daddy?"

She stopped suddenly and gasped, giving me a look of horror. I didn't know how to react to such a face.

"Daddy! I love having you as my daddy! You're so much fun and you make such lovely hats and you make Mummy laugh and your eyes change into different colors!"

I had to laugh at her childish list of qualities, but I loved that list nonetheless.

"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that! Because I am over the moon that you are my little girl. I couldn't ask for a better daughter."

"Thank you, Daddy!"

"No, thank you, Lottie."

"No, thank you!" she added with a giggle.

I couldn't help but wonder just what I did to deserve such a blessing.

Our tea party continued on without so many difficult questions after that. We laughed and carried on exactly like a mad hatter and his daughter should.

Once we climbed into bed that night, Alice smirked at me and said, "Glad to hear that Father and I are saganistute in your eyes."

"I knew you must have been listening! You weren't that far away. And yet, you let me have that conversation with no help whatsoever." I feigned a pout. "I'm hurt, Alice. How could you let me do that alone?"

"Because I knew you would have the right answers for her. And besides, I already handled the first part of that conversation the other night. Alone, I might add."

"How could you be sure I wouldn't mess it up? I could have very easily said something terribly wrong and cause irrevocable damage."

"You're being dramatic. I don't think you would have caused any permanent mental scarring."

"You don't know that."

"But I know the both of you. Everyone would have been fine. But, as it is, you said everything wonderfully, and there is nothing to worry about."

I tried desperately to keep from making a face at her … and apparently failed.

"You're never going to get past it, are you?" she asked.

"Past what?" I replied.

"That fear that you are going to be a terrible father, or that you'll mess her up somehow, or that the madness is going to swallow the family whole. Have I forgotten anything?"

"Just that one day you'll both leave because of those things," I said, only half-joking.

"Ah yes, how could I miss that one?" She paused. "Tarrant, you are an amazing father. You are an amazing husband. You would do anything for this family and it shows. Does that help at all?"

I thought back to when I asked Lottie that same question.

"Yes, cricket, it does!"

"Good. Now, since we both have early mornings ahead of us, I think we should get to sleep."

"Nae, poppet. Ah think we shoul' 'ave a diff'rent plan," I murmured as I leaned over to kiss her.

My plan was so much better!