Hatter woke from the realization Alice was no longer in bed. He looked at the clock on his nightstand and saw it was 2am. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark, he slowly crept out of bed and into the living room. There, sitting on the couch while looking out the window with a cup of tea in her hands, was Alice. With a small smile on his face, Hatter took a seat next to Alice, startling her. Neither of them said anything as he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"You okay," Hatter asks with concern. Alice looks up into his warm chocolate eyes.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep so I'm just thinking about things," Alice replied as she set her cup down on the table. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and breathed in the familiar scent of him: spices and musk.

"What kinds of things," Hatter inquires, softly.

"I'm just reflecting on everything that's happened since that night I fell through the looking glass. I never thought I'd be where I am now. I found my father and still miss him dearly. I fell in love with the mad hatter," Alice giggles, "and I couldn't be happier."

"Oi! I'll have you know I prefer the term 'eccentric'," Hatter exclaims with a laugh. Alice smiles at him and before she knows it, Hatter is tickling her sides. Alice squirms and laughs uncontrollably begging him to stop.

"Okay, Hatter, please," Alice gets out before she's out of breath again.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," said Hatter as he finally ceased the tickling. He gets up and takes her hand. "Why don't you come back to bed, love," he suggests with a calm voice. Alice allows him to pull her up and lead her into their bedroom. Alice lays her head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat. It always calms her into a good sleep.

"Goodnight, my love," Hatter whispers softly.

"Goodnight, Hatter," Alice returns.