Author's Note - This story is for mattsloved1 who brought the idea to me of Alice and Tarrant doing the Tango. This probably isn't as good as you hoped for, mattsloved1, but I tried my best and I hope you enjoy it at least a little.

I must honestly say, I don't know enough of the dance moves to effortlessly describe the dance, but I do know of the symbolism of the Tango (or tango criollo as it most likely would have been called during Alice's time period - if it even existed yet, lol). While many see a passionate (or even lustful) dance, it is so much more than that. The Tango is about the man taking the lead in a way that respects the woman and gives her a sense of strength and security. The lead can only invite -not demand- the partner to mirror his moves. Thus, the passion of the dance is meant to be born out of mutual feeling and desire. It's so much more than the man asking for a dance and the woman feeling obligated to accept - which would make the tango a stark contrast to, say, the quadrille Alice dreads so greatly.

Two to Tango

"We shall have a wonderful celebration!" Mirana abruptly declared as she and Alice shared a private luncheon in Marmoreal's gardens.

Alice had only been back in Underland for a few weeks and already three celebrations had been thrown. There had been a celebration of her return, another celebration when she had later told them she intended to stay for a very long time and had no plans of leaving again any time in the near future, and then a third celebration simply because Queen Mirana had felt the day called for one. The White Queen reminded Alice of the society women of London in the sense that she never needed a real reason to throw a marvelous party. Of course, no party in London could ever compare to a party in Underland. And in Alice's opinion, the only party which could ever surpass one given by Mirana was a mad tea party. Yes, Alice was convinced that she would never dread another party so long as she was in Underland.

"And I believe it should be a grand ball this time," the White Queen added decidedly.

"A ball?" Perhaps Alice had been wrong. If there was one thing she had hated more than any other party in London it was a ball. At other parties, she could sometimes get away with not dancing. However, at balls it was expected everyone dance at least once. Horrible memories of the quadrille surfaced in her mind. If ever there was a second reason to stay in Underland, the first being because Tarrant was there (although she had yet to accept this reason entirely), it would be so she would never have to dance the quadrille again.

"Do they not have balls in Upland?" Queen Mirana waited patiently for an answer as Alice tried to forget how mad the idea of a quadrille made her.

"Actually, yes, they do," Alice finally answered. "They are dreadful."

"Oh," Mirana was slightly taken aback by this. Did Alice mean to insinuate she would not want to attend a ball? Mirana didn't want Underland's Champion to be unhappy. Or did Alice mean to insinuate her ball would be dreadful too. "What is it that makes Upland balls so dreadful?" Mirana chose to press for further explanation so as to make a more diplomatic decision on how to process Alice's answer. After all, it was her royal duty to not make a rash judgment.

Alice thought about the question. She noted the forced smile on the White Queen's face and realized she must have hurt her feelings a little. "Well, in London, where I come from, the balls themselves probably wouldn't be so bad, except for the dances are so horribly dull. Balls in London are occasions for stuffy men to dance with equally stuffy ladies in a stifling ballroom in a very boring, very proper fashion."

As Alice finished her slight rant, the White Queen's face returned to its genuinely happy self. "Then, my dear, it's only the atmosphere you detest and not the dancing?" There was a sparkle of hope in Mirana's eyes.

Once again, the White Queen had proven her natural insight. It was true Alice did not have anything against dancing. At least, she hadn't since returning to London from her previous adventure in Underland. After having seen Tarrant's delightful Futterwacken and then having improvised it a bit herself in front of the Ascots' shocked guests, Alice had gotten a taste for the thrill of dancing.

After that, she was convinced that dancing could only be considered dancing if it was done with an unbridled joy as it had seemed when the Hatter had danced. Urged on by her deep longing to see the Futterwacken again, Alice began observing the dances of other countries as she traveled here and there with her father's company. She had been surprised to find so many different expressions of dance and not a single one as horrible as the quadrille. In fact, she had even come across a dance very similar to the quadrille referred to as a square dance. It still hadn't been her favorite, but it had seemed much more amusing.

However none of the dances she'd discovered in her journeys ever dared to compare to the Futterwacken. Not the waltz (or more accurately the peasant waltz), not the polka, not any of the beautiful dances of the Orient. Then again, there had been one dance. It was the only one she had truly wanted to try for herself. There had been something so entrancing about it. She was certain it was the only dance in that world with a passion close to the passion she'd seen in the Futterwacken.

Suddenly, a wide smile spread across Alice's face as an idea entered her mind. "A ball would be wonderful!"

Queen Mirana now shared in the smile. She had hoped Alice's momentary silence would lead to a favorable result. "I promise you, Alice, dances here can be as delightful as you desire them to be. They can be graceful or wild. They can have two steps or two hundred. Balls will never be dreadful in Underland so long as I am Queen."

Alice believed her. She had no reason not to. She even felt guilty for ever having assumed otherwise. "There's a particular dance I would like to learn," Alice said matter-of-factly.

Without even giving Alice a chance to say another word, Mirana clasped her hands together joyously. "And there is no one better to teach you the Futterwacken than our dear Hatter." Alice looked at her curiously, wondering if it had been obvious what she was thinking. "Here is an idea. I will set to work preparations for the ball and in the meantime you and Tarrant may have the ballroom for however long you need. And I will see to it you aren't disturbed while you are practicing. It isn't an easy dance to learn after all," Mirana politely insinuated that Alice might be embarrassed if she was practicing the dance and anyone besides Tarrant happened to see her.

Alice was grateful to her suggestion, especially the thought of no one barging in on her. She wasn't exactly the most graceful when it came to dancing…or maybe that was just the quadrille. "Thank you, your majesty."

"Think nothing of it! You just go on to the ballroom when you're finished eating and I'll send word for Tarrant to join you. I'm certain I don't have him working on anything that is more important than teaching you to Futterwacken." Mirana tried to hide a contented sigh at the thought of seeing Alice and Hatter dancing together.

-oOo-

Alice breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the doors of the ballroom open behind her. It had felt like he would never arrive. She turned to see Tarrant entering the room, as two white guards closed the doors behind him. He was clearly happy to see her (for the joy of her being back had yet to wear off, and Tarrant was certain it never would), but he seemed confused as well. "Her majesty said you wanted to see me?"

Alice took a deep breath, suddenly even more nervous than before. Now was not the time to lose her muchness! "The White Queen is throwing a celebration. A ball," she paused. "I know it's short notice, but could you possibly, at least try to, teach me to…Futterwacken?"

The joy that spread through Tarrant's body was evident, as he literally wore his emotions on his sleeves, or at least on his bow tie. "Oh, Alice, you will love it. I've wanted to teach you the Futterwacken for so long. But then you left and I didn't Futterwacken at all because I wanted to dance it with you and now you've returned, but none of the other celebrations were dances but now here you are wanting to learn and I think I can teach…"

"Tarrant," Alice smiled warmly, snapping him from his ramble.

"…you…I'm fine. Thank you." Tarrant shook his head slightly before returning the smile and coming closer to her. "You'll be a natural. I just know it."

"I hope so," Alice wasn't quite as convinced, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from giving it her best.

Tarrant wasted no time in demonstrating the dance in its entirety. Then, he carefully broke down the movements for her step by step. He was patient with her as she started slowly, but just as he had expected, she was dancing the most intricate steps in no time. Alice's self-assessment of not being a graceful dancer seemed unjustified as they danced the Futterwacken together a few times over, laughing and enjoying themselves greatly all the while. Towards the end, however, Alice stopped altogether just so she could admire the way Tarrant danced. The many rapid movements of his feet brought back a memory of her travels. Once again, her mind wandered to that other dance she had witnessed.

"I never thought I could dance like that," Alice admitted after he had finished. "I was always dreadfully clumsy when dancing the quadrille." The mention of the horrid dance actually brought a smile to her face instead of a grimace this time.

"Quadrille?" Tarrant tilted his head in curiosity.

"Yes. It is a dance," Alice nodded. "Or at least it thinks it is a dance," she added jokingly. "But now when I think of dances, I can only think of the Futterwacken…or the tango criollo."

An even more curious expression appeared on Tarrant's face as he tried to imitate the name of the dance. "Tango…criollo?" He whispered it a few more times, musing over how fun it was to say. "That must be a wonderful dance. Can you teach me?"

Alice's eyes widened a little. She had only watched others dancing it. It was, as she had noticed, a dance for two. She couldn't teach him a dance she hadn't even been taught herself. Then again, the most prominent movements were still clear in her mind. They could at least have a little fun trying it. "I can't say I've actually ever danced it," she first admitted. "But I remember some of the steps I think. Maybe we can learn together?"

Tarrant was open to trying anything she suggested. "Just lead the way," he said with a smile.

"Alright," Alice put on a brave smile and grabbed his hands. "I believe it starts out like a waltz. First you place your hand here around my waist like so while I place my hand on your shoulder. And then we hold each other's hands out here like this," she guided him to the starting position.

"Alice," there was a strange intonation in Tarrant's voice. "Are we supposed to be this close?"

She flushed a little as his question struck her. Now that she thought about it, the tango criollo had seemed like an intimate dance. Maybe that was the passion she had sensed. Alice tried to shake the notion from her mind. It was just a dance after all, she tried to reason. You learn the steps and then you perform them. There was no need making more of it than need be.

"Yes, I believe so," she answered as calmly as possible. She didn't want him to lose confidence or his madness might resurface. "Now, I'm not quite sure how to get started," Alice ransacked her memory for what seemed appropriate. "Let's see, put your foot here first and then I put mine there. No wait, I think maybe you move me in a circle first as I drag one foot. Or is that second? Let's just try what I said first. Put your foot here, mine there. Okay, now move a little and place your other foot here and then I think I put my foot there." After a few minutes of trying steps here and there, the pair fell like a jumbled mess. Alice remembered her clumsy quadrille days and pulled away from Tarrant in frustration. Upland dances would just never suit her, she decided. "I'm sorry," she felt the need to apologize as he helped her back to her feet.

There was silence for a moment as they stood there and Alice wondered what Tarrant must be thinking. "D-d-do you think maybe we could try again?" He looked at her questioningly. His inquisition shocked her, but before she had a chance to declare all the reasons why that would be a very bad idea, he grabbed her hands and they were once again in the starting position.

It was as if a different mood had befallen the ballroom and Alice couldn't find her voice to protest as he took the lead. Somehow, in the very sane part of his brain, Tarrant had managed to puzzle together all of the steps she had been trying to show him in a manner that seemed to make the most sense. More than just brilliant at the Futterwacken, Tarrant was proving himself to be an excellent dancer period. It would figure he would be perfect at dancing where she was not, Alice briefly thought – though not the least bit begrudgingly – as she followed his movements.

As he began to, as it seemed to Alice, literally invite her to recreate each move, they found a rhythm and Alice recalled with even more clarity the dance she had seen while on her travels. And this, she was certain, was the same dance. Each step together was more fluid than the one before it as they performed each complex movement around the ballroom. Each step together also seemed more passionate than the one before it as Tarrant would move and Alice would mirror.

At first, they had naturally moved their heads from left to right, as it felt the most appropriate and comfortable depending on what move they had made, barely looking at one another. But suddenly, they were staring intently into one another's eyes and Alice mentally noted the look on her partner's face. It seemed as though madness, but his eyes were not changed. She then recalled how when he danced the Futterwacken, he also seemed to have a look of madness. It was like he lost himself completely to the dance without even realizing it.

Tarrant's strong gaze intensified and before Alice had a chance to realize what she was doing, her leg had hooked about his waist and they were closer than she had ever expected them to be, although, in her memory she could recall a similar movement from when she'd seen the dance performed. They stood there for several moments, unable to move and their eyes never wavering from one another. The temperature in the room had risen to a degree that rivaled the warmest day outside and their breathing had grown heavy.

"Alice…" Tarrant barely whispered before blinking several times. Alice followed suit as she realized how awkward she must look. She quickly unhooked her leg and took a few steps backwards, but Tarrant hadn't let go of her one hand. "I'm sorry," he suddenly looked ashamed, causing Alice to wonder what ever for. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have…but I couldn't help…and I…"

Was he blaming himself for the position she had been in? "Tarrant, no, it's not," Alice shook her head reassuringly. "It's only a dance. I shouldn't have ever mentioned it." Then again, Alice was almost embarrassed to admit she had no regret in mentioning it. The dance had felt so right. Every step had made her feel strong and independent, yet safe and secure when Tarrant had led. Thoughts of the dance caused her face to flush again.

"It was more than a dance," Tarrant's face returned to that same look of madness Alice had thought she'd detected a few moments before. "It was…" he didn't finish as he was having a hard time finding the words to express how the dance had felt.

"I know." Alice surprised herself as she inched closer to him again. "It was perfect," she said looking into his eyes. And it had been perfect. For somehow the dance had magically invoked the feelings she had not allowed to ever surface long enough to give proper thought to. Now, there was no denying how right she felt with Tarrant, close to him, following his lead. Even as he tried to apologize for what had seemed like impropriety, it made her realize how deeply he respected and cared for her.

"A-a-alice?" She was dangerously close again and Tarrant, still reeling from the dance, struggled to control the one very predominant thought that existed at the forefront of his crowded mind.

But Alice didn't care anymore. If life could ever be called a dance, she knew she could ask for no better partner. "It's okay." She smiled before deciding to retake the lead.

Alice kissed Tarrant with more passion than the tango criollo could ever match and Tarrant's madness melted into an equal return of that passion. It takes two to tango and there would never be a more perfect pair.

The End

Sorry if it lacked the heat anyone might have expected, but I really couldn't help but steer away from a completely lust-filled climax. I wanted to show how the dance was a manifestation of the passion already existent. I just had to focus on the Tarrant leading, Alice mirroring aspect because I think it really parallels the beauty of their relationship. So, I hope nobody is too greatly disappointed that the dance didn't immediately end with a kiss. Although, while writing this, I couldn't help but think of how Tarrant was going to kiss Alice passionately at the end of the Futterwacken in the draft script. So, that's why I did at least have Tarrant struggling with holding himself back after the dance. Because, while he respects Alice, I also really think dancing is a type of GOOD madness for Tarrant (I mean, does anyone else notice how he seems to come back to himself at the end of the Futterwacken?) and that madness could definitely drive him towards aforementioned lust-filled kiss, lol.