"Dammit! Dammitdammitdammit!" the Hatter yelled. He reached up, grabbing handfuls of his hair and yanking furiously. It was then that he noticed his hat was missing. It was still sitting on the floor in the throne room.

"DAMMIT!" he screamed. Slumping down in the dirt, he slapped himself. "Idiot! Why did you go?!" No amount of beating was ever going to make him forgive himself for that. He knew what the Queen had wanted from the very beginning. And the Queen always got what she wanted. Ever since they had met the first time, she had made it clear that she wanted him, and he wanted nothing to do with her. It had gotten even worse when Alice had come the first time. And only got worse the second.

And the name? How had she known that name? It shouldn't have been any surprise. The Queen always got her way. If she really wanted to know his name, she would have figured it out. He shivered, thinking about what she must have done to get it. And no until then had he even remembered it. He felt so ashamed of himself. His mind wandered back to the day Alice had given it to him.

"It comes from someone very dear to me. Never forget it."

He yanked at his hair once more, leaning forward into the dirt. He let himself forget the greatest gift anyone had given him. He almost cried. Almost.

"I'm assuming it didn't go well...?"

The Hatter looked up above him to see Nemo sitting in a tree. Her eyes were drooping with pity, as were her ears. He stared at her, his mouth hanging open as if to speak, but nothing came out. Only a pathetic gurgle, which quickly turned into a scream. Nemo was quickly at his side, a small hand on his back.

"I think you need to see someone..." she ordered. The Hatter didn't say anything, but allowed the small girl to pull him up and lead him home.

"She doesn't want to see me..." he argued as he was pulled into the small house.

"Shut up! Just open the damn gate." Nemo hissed. The Hatter did as he was told. He didn't feel like getting tossed around like a rag doll today. Flicking a small silver lighter, he started a fire in the fireplace. Once it was burning, he gave Nemo a nod and stepped through, disappearing into the flames.

Once on the other side, it took his eyes a moment to adjust. Everything was dark. And quiet. He was in a small room. Plain, but liveable. A bed in the center, a chair, a desk. There was someone in the bed. He could hear them breathing. Alice. His heart jumped into his throat.

'She doesn't want to see me...' he muttered in his mind. He forced himself around the foot of the bed, and to the side which the girl had rolled to. All he could do was stare at her. Her blonde hair was spread out around her, curling around her face. She was so beautiful. It was all he could think about. Slowly, he reached for her, making to push some of her hair away from her face, but stopped. A noise startled him.

"Are you asleep?" came an old woman's voice. No answer. She poked her head in to inspect the room. She saw the sleeping figure of Alice in the bed, and shrugged, closing the door behind her. The noise woke Alice. Her eyes fluttered open. Her dream had been interrupted.

"Noah?"

He froze in his portal, and turned slowly to look back into the room. She wasn't looking at him. She didn't even know he was there. He took one last longing glance, before stepping back through the portal.

"Come back to me..." Alice whimpered, reaching for her night stand. Laying there was a tiny purple flower, starting to wilt. She pulled it under the covers with her, clutching it to her chest as she dozed off again.