Chapter 3! Will post one chapter for every one i finish!

"T-they said they wouldn't come until tomorrow!" The assault on the door continued.

"IN THE NAME OF THE WHITE QUEEN, WE DEMAND ENTRY."

"Alice." He looks at me briefly and looked back to Bunny. "They must know she's he-"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, IN THE NAME OF THE WHITE QUEEN, WE DEMAND ENTRY."

"One moment please!" He shouted toward the door. In a hushed voice, he spoke to Bunny. "Take her to your room and keep her there." He stood up and pulled me up with him. "Alice, I need you to listen to Bunny and stay in her room." He looked at me worriedly and then gave me over to Bunny.

"Come along Alice." She pulled me along down a short hallway into her room. From here both Bunny and I could hear a loud conversation between Hatta and the members of the White Army.

"Please do come in gentleman! So sorry about the…wait." Bunny looked towards her closed bedroom door.

"Oh no…"

"Oh no, what?" Bunny looked towards me and then pushed me into a small closet on the far side of her room.

"Alice, please, stay here. And no matter what you hear, do not come out."

"But-" I heard a lock and from the slammed door I assumed she left the room. From there, I could catch bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Why Sir Blanc!...Very kind of you!"

Sir Blanc?

"Oh no!...Couldn't possibly!" She sounded a bit nervous.

"No she could not!" Rightfully so. Hatta sounded as if he was restraining himself.

"Oh I do disagree with that, Hatter!" A crash.

"Hatta!" I pressed my ear up against the wall to see if I could hear anything clearer.

"Worry not about him my dear." Thankfully, the walls were thin. "I suppose he's come out of worse. Haven't you?"

"I suppose I have." Hatta's voice was forced and breathy.

"But now that we have gotten past the pleasantries. Now we should get down to business."

"Now really Sir Blanc, any business needing to be taken care of can be discussed without him being here. He needs to be put to bed-"

"Now really my dear, I've said before, no need to call me Sir Blanc. Richard if you please. And I agree…The best thing for our red friend here would be to put him to sleep."

What a cruel man…He must be the one Hatta was battling in the town.

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" A forced chuckle and a cough.

"Quite. But that isn't the reason for my little visit…"

"Oh? Then why?"

"…A little birdy told me that a very important person might be in this house."

"Oh? And what person might that be?"

"Why, Alice of course!"

Oh no…me? What does he want with me?

"Alice?" Another chuckle. "What makes you think that she's here?"

"That little bird I spoke of earlier…He told me that he'd seen her escorting you out of town, and into the forest. Naturally I assumed the girl he said was escorting you was the same that had…prematurely ended our battle…And temporarily suspended your fate at the end of my sword, was the same girl. Therefore, I come to the conclusion that she is here…and I want her."

"Why?" Bunny asked worriedly. "What good is she to you?"

What good am I? Perhaps if I were in a different situation, I might be insulted.

"My dear lady, to bring Alice to the White queen would be a triumph in a seemingly never ending war!"

"But-"

"Now I'll have no more interference my love, simply take me to the girl and-"

"Keep your hands off of her you-ack!" His sentence was cut short.

"Is this any better Red Hatter?!"

"Sir Blanc! Stop!" Hatta's strangled breaths could be heard through the wall. "He can't breath!"

He's choking him!

"Oh really my-?"

"Richard, stop!" The sounds of fist hitting armor could be heard through the wall.

"Achk-!" There was a thump on the wall and the floor shook.

"Hatta!" A groan was all she received in response. "Look what you've done!"

"My dear, I hadn't meant to upset you."

"Get out! She isn't here!" She was crying now. "Get out, I'll have your head for this!"

"As you wish madam…Until our next meeting…Hatter." The clanking of armor war followed by the slamming of a door.

"Oh Hatta…" She sounded as if she was still crying.

"Now, now…" He coughed. "No tears Bunny…" His voice was horse and tired. "You ought to get Alice out of you room now…It's safe enough." He tried to clear his throat.

"Safe…with that Sir Blanc still walking around, no one is safe." Her voice became soft and soon I heard footsteps in the room and the closet door opened. "Alice…are you alright?" With her eyes red and shaky voice, it seemed that I was in better shape than she was.

"Yes, I'm alright Bunny." I slowly moved out of the closet. "Are you?" She sniffed and shrugged.

"I'm alright. Hatta is in worse shape than me." With that she darted out of the room and went to Hatta's side. And he was still currently on the floor. "Hatta are you alright?"

"I..I'm alright. I've been both worse and better." He tried to give off a chuckle, but dissolved into a fit of coughing.

"Oh!" She began to cry again. "Hatta, this is ridiculous! This is the second time today!"

"I know, calm down." He said tiredly. "Look, It'll all be alright. A cup of tea and I'll be right as rain." He coughed again and slid up the wall into a standing position. "Come on now, no tears…help me to the bed." He put a hand around her shoulder and he leaned on her for support.

"Alice, be a dear and give us a hand?" She sniffled and nodded towards his other arm. Silently, I slipped my arm around his waist and put his arm around my neck. "Thank you. Back to the room we go." Slowly we made our way past the room I had occupied minutes before and we made our way to his room. Upon entry, we laid him down on the bed and covered him up with a blanket. As Bunny got him settled, I took a look at the room of the man I called "mad" as a child. The room itself was simply laid. A bed, chest and mirror stood on opposite sides of the wall and the closet was hidden on the other. On top of the simple furniture, however, was an assortment of buttons, threads, fabrics, thimbles and other various hat making tools.

I suppose when he wasn't drinking tea, he was making hats…

"Where does your mind wonder Alice?" His voice was still horse, but he seemed a bit better for conversation.

"Nowhere in particular. Just looking about your room." He nodded and let his arm fall over his eyes.

"I'll have to go get your tonic now…" Bunny lifted his arm so she could look at his face. "Don't move too much…alright?"

"Alright…" He said quietly. She gently put his arm back, and turned to me.

"Alice," She whispered. "Do me a favor and keep him awake for me?" I nod and watch as she leaves. I looked at the man lying on the bed. He was bruised, broken, and most of all, tired.

"Poor thing." I said mostly to myself.

"Poor thing?" A weak chuckle came from the man on the bed. "Well now I hope you aren't talking about me Alice."

"And what if I am?" I smiled kindly at him. He moved his arm from his eyes and looked back at me with a familiar brightness.

"Are you?"

"Maybe." He smirked and squinted at me.

"You know…Your hair still needs cutting." And I in turn wagged a finger at him, just as I had done so many years ago.

"And you still need to learn not to make personal remarks." He snickered and waved me off, grimacing slightly at the movement of his arm. I could feel my smile fall slightly at his discomfort and it was enough to make him sigh in return.

"Alice I…" He tried to sit up in the bed but fell back with a groan. I rushed over to him.

"Hatta, Bunny said that you shouldn't move." I sat on the bed next to him.

"I know, but you can hardly stop a spinning top from spinning, can you?" He smiled up at me coyly and quirked a brow.

"You can, if you knock it over." I shook my head at him good naturedly. "And you, my dear spinning top, have been knocked over." He sighed through his nose and looked up at me.

"You're no better than Bunny you know." He was about to put his arm back over his eyes when she walked back into the room.

"What was that about me Hatta?" She was carrying a tray with a tea pot, tea cup, and a clear green bottle.

"Oh nothing at all Bunny." He tried to sit up again put was pushed back to the bed.

"Mm-hmm. Didn't I tell you not to move?" She shook her head at him smiling. "You're only going to make more trouble for yourself you know."

"As I have been told by our young friend here." He gestured towards me with an open hand.

"Then she is a wise young woman then. Whose advice should be taken to heart." She winked at me and moved to sit on the other side of the bed with the green bottle and a cup. "Alright now… Alice, would you help him lean up against the head board, please?"

"Of course." He started to push himself up and I slipped my hands around his arms to assist him.

"Thank you Alice dear." He grunted as he leaned back against the headboard. Bunny looked at him sadly as he grunted, displeased with his pain.

"H-hatta I…" She stuttered as she poured the strong smelling liquid into the cup. "I-I don't know how much th-this will…will hurt I-"

"Hurt?" I interjected, confused. "What do you mean hurt?" She looked at me timidly and then down to the bed. Sighing, he slowly moved his hand to cover her shaking ones.

"It's the tonic Alice. It heals bone faster than setting the bone does. A-and Bunny thinks what with the difficulty I have breathing…She thinks that I might have received a broken rib-" The end of his sentence was strangled as he took too deep a breath. "Or maybe two."

"H-hatta, s-stop-"

"Hush now…" He shut his eyes for a moment and breathed slowly. "The pain will go away faster…If I drink it quick enough" He looked at Bunny through one eye. "Isn't that right love?" Slightly teary eyes, she gave him the cup. "Thank you love." Slowly he sipped on the cup till it was empty and then handed it back to Bunny. "Help me back down, Alice?" I took him by the elbow and helped to lay him back down. All of a sudden he gasped and grabbed onto my wrist.

"Hatta?!" His grip tightened on my arm and he groaned, grabbing a fistful blanket.

"S-sorry." His voice was strained and it sounded like he was trying hard to keep himself composed. He slowly eased up on my wrist and I eventually was able to pry it loose, leaving him to latch onto the blanket again.

"Hatta, here…" She removed one of his hands from the bed and wrapped her own around it. "Hold onto me Hatta…Come on…" Sweating and shaking he moved both hands to hers and grunted, the muscles in his arms and neck tensed, his brow furrowed and his breathing became harsh and shallow. I took it upon myself to take one his hands from Bunny.

"Go on Hatta…It's alright…" I could hear a whimper escape his lips as his grip tightened onto our hands.

"A-ah…" He groaned and pressed back into the bed. "S-sorry…" Bunny wiped away his hair, now soaked with sweat, away from his forehead.

"D-don't be sorry dear." She grimaced at the grip on her hand. "I-it isn't your fault."

"It is!" He growled and beat his head against the bed. "It is my fault!"

"What is he talking about?!" I couldn't take it any longer. I had to know what had been going on since I had been gone.

"Why we're on two different sides!" Her eyes were teary again. "B-but it wasn't his-!"

"Stop saying that!" His eyes opened wide and were bloodshot. "If I hadn't tried to-Ahh!" He shouted and dug his heels into the bed.

"Hadn't tried to what?" I asked hurriedly.

"Alice please!" Tears were falling down her face.

"If I hadn't gone to time!" He screamed in pain and then passed out, his grip on Bunny's hand and mine loosening instantly. Bunny stood up from the bed with a hand over her mouth, sobbing.

"Bunny?" I stood up and draped the blanket back over him. "Bunny?" I walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "What did he mean when he said that he hadn't gone in time?"

"N-not in time, Alice." She sniffled. "To Time. Surely he told you about his relationship with Time when you were last here."

"I, I don't remember…" She turned to look at me, red eyed and sniffling.

"Well…come on." She looked back to Hatta, resting peacefully. "He'll be alright now…I'm going to going to make some lunch…" She looked back towards me. "W-would you like to help me?"

"Yes." I said softly. She looked like a small child, so sweet and innocent. I was almost afraid to answer her, for fear that she might start crying again.

"Then lets…" She took a step around and began to move out of the room, but not before she took one more look at him.

"He'll be alright?...Won't he?" I asked carefully, not wanting to upset her.

"Yes…" She nods and sighed tiredly. "He will…" Then she looks back at me, smiling a bit. "Let's make lunch." As I followed her into the kitchen, I couldn't help but wonder where she came from, and how she played into all this.

And especially how she came to fall in love with the Mad Hatter.