Disclaimer: This world doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Tim Burton. There I said it. .

Author's Note: Characters might not be completely in character, sorry, I have a problem with that sometimes. There are new creatures here and there and as the chapters pop up with the new creatures and characters I will put it in the author's not along the way. With that said, Ta Da! Another Hatter x Alice fanfic!

Rain poured heavily outside the house that Lord Ascot had gratefully provided his apprentice after their trip to China. This lovely apprentice sat in her study reading a story-book. She let out a soft sigh as she looked out the window. She thought about that dream she had before rejecting Lord Ascot's son in her hand in marriage. It had seemed all too real but going back over it there was no possible way it could be real.

"If only it were real," She murmured to herself as she absently fingered the pages of her book. She got up and straightened up around the house. Her mother had tried time and time again to find suitable suitor's for her daughter only to have those plans foiled over and over again. No matter whom it was Alice couldn't get over her dream. She knew in her heart that though he might not exist her heart belonged to Tarrant Hightopp the Hatter.

Her days since that dream though were mindless ones, like an outer body experience. Though she seemed happy, though she went through normal people emotions there was always something missing and gnawing at her heart. She acted normally but she always saw it as herself doing these things to please others and if someone else was controlling her body. It was only when she was alone and away from anyone that she was actually in her body.

This was when she knew she could show her true emotions and actually be inside her body. She did the chores around her house in a routinely matter as her mind wandered over the possibilities of that dream. If it was real and she had decided to stay in Underland would she be better off then she was now or would it be worse off for her? What if it was a dream and she decided to stay? She'd be awake now doing what she was doing now.

She let her mind wander still as she headed to her study to sit down. She stared absent-mindedly out the window figuring anything she'd see if it was from that lovely world Underland that it was just her day-dream. So when she saw him walking up her sidewalk she just grinned a stupid grin to herself thinking that she was utterly mad.

"Oh Alice, you're truly at it again. Don't you know it was just a dream?" She asked herself before there was a knock on the door. She got up and opened the door expecting it to be one of her mother's suitors for her. She was darn sure that it wouldn't be the Hatter standing there but there he was his glorious colorful face, his yellow lime colored eyes, the messy wavy red orange hair with that oddball green and gold hat along with his colorful outfit. She rubbed her eyes, convinced she was hallucinating before giving herself a pinch then winced.

"Oh my, I think I might be dreaming," Alice murmured. The man before her tilted his head curiously.

"Why is that you say?" The man before her asked.

"Because you're here and I so horribly miss you… So my mind must have given me what I wanted but I fear that you aren't real," She replied. The hatter smiled then shook his head.

"But what if it isn't a dream, what if I'm real?" The hatter asked.

"And that is what my mind would want me to think… That this is all real," She stated before sighing.

"I might as well enjoy it while it lasts though," She said before opening the door to let him in. He walked in, taking off his hat as he entered. He looked over to her after she closed the door.

"Alice, I'm afraid I come to you in my own selfish desires," He said solemnly. She tilted her head with a confused look on her face. In all her time knowing the Hatter he hadn't done anything in selfishness and now he was saying he had come in his own selfish desires. She was now thoroughly convinced she was either going mad or dreaming.

"What do you mean selfish desires? I think I can ask that since this is my dream."

"Well, I came searching for you to ask you if you would be willing to come back to Underland or if you don't plan on going back if I can stay here to keep you company and have you keep me company."

She pinched herself again trying to wake up but only to fail. She still wasn't waking up from a pinch.

"Well, I do have some business here… If you wish to stay I do have a guest bedroom you can stay in but how about your clothes? Here you need to change your clothes and clean them and bathe regularly… Do you think you can do that? I could possibly take you out shopping for some better suited clothes that are here," She replied still thinking that this was just a dream. A smile crossed his face before nodding.

" I would be willing to do anything to spend time with you Alice and if it's shopping we need to do then shopping it is," He replied then looked hesitantly to the door. A look of worry crossed his face.

"… Tarrant, what is bothering you?" Alice asked now concern crossing her face.

"Well… I heard stories of your world in Underland… From my father, he had said he wasn't born in Underland but happened to cross from here to Underland," He stated.

"Alright and what does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

"You know what, never mind that, why don't we head out and get me some better clothes shall we?" He asked. Alice frowned a bit then pointed to his face.

"One question please… Is that make-up on your face or is your face naturally like that? I'm not one about opinions but if I'm taking you out I'm afraid others might think, though it's true, that you're utterly mad and for me being around you that I'm utterly mad."

He blinked then let out a soft chuckle.

"Well its make-up, I can wash it off if you like… but I really like how it looks on me."

She shrugged the walked to her kitchen to soak a towel with water and soap it up. She walked up to him and gently rubbed the make-up off. His face looked paler, less clown-like and some how his skin looked more like pearl then she had expected. She looked at the towel containing the rubbed of make-up then set it on a table-top before nodding.

"Well then let's go shopping… We'll need to get you a new hat and a whole new outfit and I have a feeling you'll look good in purple," She said softly. He shrugged then looked at his outfit before looking at her.

"I think my outfit lo-"

"Tarrant, I want you to look your best here, especially if this isn't a dream and you really do plan on staying! How many outfits did I have to change while I was in Underland? You should get used to it here," She stated then grabbed his hand and dragged him off to get him some clothes that suited her world much better. Of course people saw the two with Alice dragging him along by the wrist and stared with shock, disgust, or surprise. She drug him to store after store getting him fitted and buying some pre-made clothes as well as finding him a suiting hat which was harder then it had seemed to be in the first place. The hat had seemed similar to his original hat only it was in much better condition and in a purple felt.

She then took him back to her house and made a quick dinner for the both of them before setting the food in front of him along with a tea pot and a tea cup. She set her dinner and tea cup down before taking a bite of her food.

He stared at her then looked down at her food with an apprehensive look upon his face. He then picked up his fork and started to eat staring at the cake that was set on the table. Once he was finished eating he looked to her then to the cake.

"Is it true that in this world cake won't grow you?" He asked, curiosity in his voice. She looked up at him with furrowed brows. That was the key to her question. He would know in her dream whether or not what certain things can and can't do in her world if it was a dream. He would know about bathing and everything else that was appropriate in her world if this was a dream. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened before she regained herself.

"It really is you isn't it?" She asked, shock having now crossed her face. He blinked then smiled softly to her.

"Yes, why do you ask? Do you still think this is a dream?" Tarrant asked. She shook her head, not knowing how to talk at this point.

"Well that's good, now aren't you going to answer my question?"

"Oh… You mean about the cake?"

"Yes, it won't make me grow will it?" He asked.

"W-Well of course not, not in this world at least," She replied before shoving a piece of cake to him. He hesitantly took a bite of cake and waited a while before taking another bite and altogether decided to finish his cake slowly and delicately.

"Why are you here? What's your selfish reason for being here? Why now? Why didn't you come earlier? How did you know where to find me?" She asked.

"I'm here because I wanted to be here and I managed to salvage some Jabberwocky blood after you left for myself. My selfish reason is because I wanted to be near you, even if you just considered me your friend. Now instead of earlier because I thought you might decide to return but then I couldn't stand it without you around… And the last one is a very long story," Tarrant replied. Alice tilted her head.

"Please tell me Tarrant, I would like to know how you found me." The hatter shrugged then smiled at her.

"Well alright but this is a really long story. It started after you had left. I collected the Jabberwocky blood and everything had gone back to the way things were with one exception. I couldn't stop thinking about you and how you were. It was a gnawing pain to think that things might not go good for you.

I told the queen I needed time to be alone and she asked for an explanation. I explained to her that I couldn't stop thinking about you and your well-being and how things were for you and she suggested that I leave for this world. I decided to wander about in Underland until I ran across someone who recognized me somehow yet I didn't recognize them. They told me who they were thinking I would know but I didn't then that person came down to an odd conclusion.

He concluded that I was his nephew and he asked about my father. I explained to him what happened to my father and then explained to him about you. He recognized you name Alice, as Alice Kingsleigh and that he knew exactly where you live because his other nephew had tried to propose to you for you to turn him down like many suitors before him.

I asked him if we could return to his world and if he would house me while I searched for you and he replied that I could and that he would show me exactly where you lived. He also asked if he could ward me seeing as how I would need to be taught a few things once here and he had lost his only son. I figured I'd give it a shot but on the condition that I kept me clothes and make-up so that you would better recognize me once I found you. He agreed and taught me many of things once we got here. I shared me Jabberwocky blood with him for us to show up here in this world.

And that's the story of how I knew how to find you."
Alice stared at him trying to comprehend his story.

"So you have an uncle in this world that has a nephew who tried to court me?" Alice asked a bit of shock upon her face. Tarrant nodded then looked towards the window.

"So you found me... now what?" Alice asked her voice a bit shaky. Tarrant bit his lower lip then looked to her before grabbing something out of his pocket. It was a little white box with purple trimming. He cleared his throat then looked to Alice before opening the box.

"Well I was hoping you'd accept my proposal in letting me have your hand in marriage," Tarrant replied. Alice looked at the ring in the box then at him before pinching herself thinking it might be a dream.

"I-I don't know what to say, this is all so fast," She stammered. She got up before running outside then collapsed to her knees near the side of her house trying to think things through.

"This has got to be a dream! Why would I be so lucky as to have him walk right up my sidewalk ask me to come to Underland with him or him ask me to live here with me… Then ask me to marry him?" She asked herself as her mind muddled up in confusion. The hatter sat at the table trying to figure out what he had done wrong before getting up. He paced the dining room for a while before walking outside to find Alice just sitting on the ground staring at it as she rocked back and forth.

"How do I deserve you? I left Underland and didn't come back and here you are… asking me to marry you… and I just don't understand why," Alice murmured with a blank look on her face.

The hatter looked at her with a baffled expression before he knelt down next to her. He shushed her before smiling softly.

"Alice, I have questions for you, and maybe you can answer them. Why would I deserve to ever meet The Alice? I'm just a crazy hatter who loves tea parties… I am far less important then for The Alice to meet the queens and the knaves, and all the others directly under the queens. Why did I get treated nicely like everyone else when I was not worthy of it? Why did The Alice get closer to me then she did with anyone else?"

Alice stared at him flabbergasted.

"Do you really have to ask those questions? " Alice asked.

"Do you really have to ask how you deserve me? We can both agree that we don't think we deserve each other. Now, you didn't answer my earlier question and let me make it simpler," The hatter stated.

"Alice, will you marry me?" He asked. She looked up at him biting her lower lip before shifting her eyes back to the ground then back to him.

"I will… On one condition."

"And that is?"

"Promise me you'll wear the hat I got for you at the wedding," She replied. He nodded a bright smile skimming across his face.

"I promise I'll wear the purple hat that is on my head right now at our wedding."

She nodded then got up off her feet before puffing her chest then letting out a sigh.

"Okay so, I don't think I want to live here in this world anymore… I might have business I'd have to attend to but I think I can easily disappear without anyone really caring."

The hatter nodded to her conclusion.

"I know how to get us back there if it helps any. I did bring some more Jabberwocky blood with me and you know how the queen said it will do whatever you want it to? Well if we both want to go back to Underland we can both drink it to take us back," He replied before handing her a small vial of the purple blood. She looked at it then looked to him before nodding. She quickly gulped the drink thinking of Underland and that lovely tea-party table. She looked at him as things started to go grey.

"See you at your tea-party," She murmured before things went black before the world became colorful again in a new setting.

The tea party table all clustered with cups with the hare and the mouse arguing over something. Alice looked around waiting for him to appear. She got up then sat down in her seat and waited for him.

"Come on," She murmured waiting for him to appear out of nowhere like she supposed she did. She waited for him and decided to sip on a cup of tea while he was taking his time to come and he wasn't going to appear but she wasn't going to give up, not this close to having him back.