Spiced Tea

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Author's Note: I have no idea how to spell that caterpillar's name. So I'm guessing. Let me know what the real spelling is and I'll try to fix it. As usual, please read and review!

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I walked out the tiny door into the Underland wilderness, my senses heightened it seemed. Every leaf, every breath of air, was exquisitely and painfully real. I thought perhaps that was why everyone seemed a little mad here, because they were overwhelmed by the intensity of the place.

Now to find the Hatter.

I weaved and ducked through the underbrush, my body thrumming with anticipation. It had been so long; nearly three years since I left. Would Tarrant Hightopp even remember me? Would he be pleased to see me again? I remembered him with agonizing clarity, his ethereal visage haunting me both day and night. I had attempted to allow other suitors into my heart, but I couldn't find it within me to let the Hatter go. Every man was held up to him for comparison, and inevitably all were found lacking.

I finally saw the tea table from below, and remembered I had never eaten any cake. Unable to wait, I called out, 'Hello? Tarrant?" before hastily taking a small bite of cake. I felt myself zooming upward, my hair catching on several branches.

I heard his voice as I grew. "Hello? Alice, darling?"

I turned and saw him coming towards me, elation written on his face. I hoped against hope that I wasn't too late. "Yes! I'm here!"

I thought I was the right size; it was hard to tell when I'd been so many sizes in Underland. When he came to me, he embraced me warmly, then removed his hat and bowed. "Alice, it's so nice to see you," he stammered. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I thought back to my dreams. This silence was quickly becoming awkward, but I was overwhelmed by the scent of tea and herbs wafting to to me from some source. Did he smell like that? I leaned into his shoulder and sniffed; yes, it was him, sweet and bitter at the same time Like love, I thought, giggling as I nestled against his chest.

"A-Alice? Are you quite sure you're feeling all right?" he asked, his hand resting on my hair lightly.

"Better than ever. Hatter, I-"

I cut off my sentence as the door to his windmill opened and the White Queen came out. She swept mystically towards us, her gorgeous white hair flowing behind her like a gossamer ribbon. I looked from the Queen to Tarrant several times. It was only six in the morning... Had she ...slept over?

"I'm sorry if I've interrupted," I muttered, turning around. "I'll go."

"Alice! So good to see you!" gushed the Queen, running forward to greet her, ignoring her statement..

"I must away, my Queen," I said, running back to the woods, face flushed and misery crushing my heart.

"Wait, Alice," said Tarrant, his voice becoming laced with Sottish Brogue. "Dinnae leave! Alice! It's no' what it looks like!"

I ran as fast as I could, feeling embarrassed and presumptuous. Of course. I'd been gone for years, and I had expected him to wait for me? Even if he did have feelings for me, which was still up for debate, how could I have been so blind as to expect him to wait for me? He would have had no idea if I was ever coming back, despite my promise three years ago.

Tears streamed down my face, chilling my cheeks in the cool forest air. At first I could hear someone pursuing me, but I was the quicker and the sounds became fainter and fainter. I would lose him and find a way to live here without him. At least being in the same world as him would be preferable to never seeing him again.

I took a quick sip of the bottle I'd secreted in my pocket and shrank, thinking to hide myself well, but as I ran into a small clearing, I was confronted with a bright blue butterfly. He was perched on a toadstool again, still smoking his hookah.

"Absolem, leave me alone..." I groaned.

"You've changed." He stated, ignoring my words. "Who are you?"

"If you know I've changed, you know who I am," I answered, frustrated.

"Must we go through this song and dance every time, you stupid girl?" He shook his head. "You know who I am, but I am not as I was."

"I haven't changed like that," I protested.

"Haven't you? You feel something, don't you? Something new that you are unprepared for, and it makes you feel that you're shining and happy one moment, then miserable the next." He paused to puff on his pipe and blow the smoke in my face. "Who does this to you?"

I blushed, remaining silent. How did he know this?

"Who are you?" he said again, kindly.

"I'm Alice Kingsleigh," I said, defeatedly. "I'm from London. I have a mother and sister back in Overland. I am the Champion of the White Queen..." I looked up to see him smiling enccouragingly. Why did he even care? "And...I'm in love with Tarrant Hightopp."

The back of my neck prickled and I slowly turned around. Towering over me was the Mad Hatter himself, eyes dark gold. He'd heard me, and my life was over.

He silently handed me the cake I had dropped, and I took another tiny bite, returning to my natural size. "I'm sorry," I said, looking down.

"Ah, lass," he said darkly, his heavy accent kicking in. "Did yeh mean it?"

I nodded, staring down at his boots. "I see now that you're...spoken for, so I wasn't going to say anything. I mean, the White Queen! I can't compete with her..."

"There'll be no competin' with her."

I took a deep breath, willing myself not to cry. Suddenly, crazily, I found that I was being kissed. That heady scent of spice and tea surrounded me again, and I felt my mouth opening willingly as the hatter's tongue licked my lips softly. Oh, his tongue! He tasted like wet sugar, all heat invading me, and I swooned into his arms. Trying to pull away, I protested, though he continued to kiss my jaw, my neck, my shoulders. "Wait, I don't... What are you doing? You're with..."

"What Ah meant to say, my sweet, was that Ah'm not wi' her, so no need to compete, eh?" he said huskily in my ear. His hands were starting to undo the laces on my back, and I was lost in his ardent kisses.

"Wait, wait, Absolem, he's-" But when I looked to find him, he had gone.

My words still brought him out of his lustful stupor. His eyes died down to green again, and he smiled nervously. "My goodness, I'm so sorry. Please, come with me to the windmill. She did want to greet you, and I... I..." His eyes started to darken again. "Ah, mah Alice, yeh're so beautiful..."

"Hatter!"

"Right, right. I'm fine... Come then."

I walked behind him, pleasantly flushed, feeling flattered. Even those few precious moments were more than I could ever have experienced with anyone else. I wondered if Tarrant had...but I found I didn't want to ponder that too much.

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After the Queen had left, I found myself picked up and carried over the threshold of the Windmill door. "What is this? We aren't married yet, are we?"

"Tha' will be corrected shortly, mah sweet," he said. He nearly ran with me to the bedroom, setting me down on the bed while he removed his top hat, jacket, waistcoat, and the various accoutrement on his fingers.

"I don't..." I exclaimed as he began to untie my laces again. "Please, wait!"

"What, what?" he said, sitting beside me. "I don't want to rush you, I thought you wanted it too."

"I do," I said miserably. "I've never...with anyone...it isn't allowed in London for a girl of stature to be...promiscuous..."

"Oh!" She could see excitement and worry warring on his face. "I'll go slow. We can just touch tonight, with no pressure on... on..." His eyes flecked with gold and his voice dropped. "Ah jus' mean...Ah wan' ta touch you. Badly. Do yeh think you can do that?"

I nodded, flushing as I thought of what he would look like with nothing on, wishing I had the courage to make love right now. He pulled me into his lap and and kissed my neck, loosening my laces again. Soon he had my dress pulled down, and I felt my small breasts emerge into the cool air of the room.

Tarrant turned me so I was facing him, rubbing his face on my chest. Just the feel of his skin moving over my sensitive nubs was intoxicating. I moaned as he licked and nibbled every bit of skin, instinctively holding his head in my hands and grinding down onto him. "Yes!" I moaned, then felt embarrassed. A proper lady didn't act this way!

"Aye, lassie," he agreed. He reached down and pulled his manhood free, then asked, "Can yeh do that a bit harder?"

I nodded and did, feeling the wetness seeping through my underthings. I was chagrined but assumed he would say something if it wasn't normal. As it was, he groaned louder than ever, breathing in and out through his nose as he drew my nipple into his mouth and suckled. His penis was rubbing deliciously against my sex, and suddenly I cried out. Sensations I'd never felt before were wracking my body, and I shuddered and clung to his shoulders, white light shining behind my lids. I felt something shooting out of me, wetting my clothes and his shaft even more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I said frantically, horrified.

"Was tha'... yeh're first?" he asked breathily.

"Yes, yes, I didn't know-"

Without answering, he gripped my hips and forced my groin to move over him faster and faster and then he did the same thing I had, sort of. He buried his face in my neck and my thighs grew even wetter.

I watched as he calmed down to his normal self again. "Was that all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Of course, it felt...I've never felt anything like it... but I've ruined our clothes," I said miserably.

He laughed. "Who cares about clothes? Off with them anyway."

Soon we were both naked and laying bed, and I was drifting to sleep. Let this not be a dream, please, I prayed fervently, burying myself in his embrace. I stroked his pale ivory flesh until I faded into a dreamscape filled with his kisses.