"Hatter!" Alice couldn't believe her eyes. All that time in the hospital since she had woken up, she had thought Wonderland had been all a dream, that none of it had happened. And then she remembered what he said to her. "Oysters" didn't want to believe so they told themselves wonderland existed. She threw her arms around Hatter; her emotions boiling inside her she could barely contain them. She was overjoyed that he that he did exist and he hadn't been a figment of her imagination.

Her excitement probably matched even with Hatter's.

"Finally." He said as he returned the embrace. And then they kissed.

She pulled away from his and looked into his eyes for what seemed like the longest time. She could stare into those endless chocolate brown depths forever. She looked up at his hair and had the urge to mess it up. He didn't look good with kept hair.

Carol started on, confused. "Alice, do you know David?"

"I'm…..one of Jack's mates." Hatter tried to explain.

"Uh….Ha….David. Why don't we go and get some Pizza like we talked about. I'll explain later." Alice said over her shoulder as she practically pushed Hatter out the door.

Alice couldn't take her eyes of him again, as he took his first bite of Pizza, his reaction.

"It's like….I can't explain it." He leaned back in the vinyl booth, crossing his arms and legs. Despite his joyful mood Alice could tell there was something he was hiding from her. She knew Hatter all too well. But that hair was driving her crazy.

As if he read her mind, he uncrossed his arms and legs, and said, "Ah, let me do it." He ran his fingers through his hair, making stick out in all directions. "It was buggin the hell out of me."

Alice laughed as he leaned back against the seat again. Her smile vanished once something was still not right. She got an unsettling feeling. And suddenly it hit her. She knew what it was. There it was the silence again. Hatter was never silent unless there was some sort of threat or danger in their wake.

He went to take a bite of pizza but he noticed Alice was eyeing him carefully, concern on her face. He dropped the slice back on the plate and shoved his plate away.

"Hatter…." Before she could get the words out, ask him, what was going on, he answered.

"You have to come back." Hatter said. He always known there would be a sacrifice, that they couldn't live in peace without paying a price. Two weeks had passed in wonderland and it was already in danger again. Dodo and the resistance were attacking what was left of the Hart's Kingdom.

"Where?" Alice knew where he meant.

"Wonderland." He said. His tone had some confusion in it.

Alice stood up, her chair scraping. "I can't go back."

"Two weeks Alice, two weeks pasted and Wonderland is already being threatened."

"You didn't follow right after me then. I should have known you wouldn't." She grabbed her coat and she headed for the door.

"Alice, wait." He followed her out.

They left the restaurant through the back door that led into the alley. It was raining, heavily. They were immediately drenched.

"You didn't have to lie to me." She shouted. Hatter backed up. She suddenly stopped. "That's the reason you came back for me?"

"What? No." How could she think that?

Did he even really love her? "Do you even…" She chocked on her words. "Care about me?" After all that they've been through.

"Course I do….right now wonderland needs help."

"Why did you wait two weeks to find me again?" Alice asked him, but like all men he avoided answering.

"If you don't want to go I won't make you." He told her. He didn't want to make her. "But let me tell you something, if we don't put an end to this, they're going to keep coming after us. We're going to be running the rest of your lives from them, if we're going to have a future together."

"That's the price of love isn't it? Whatever we do, we're in this together." Alice looked at him sadly. It might have been weeks for him but it had only been a few days for her. She wasn't ready. "But I'm not ready to go back."

Hatter nodded. A part of him wanted to go back. To him Alice's world wasn't as colorful; it was sort of dull and grey, almost colorless. His home was wonderland. It was the home he only knew. His heart was tied to it and now tied to this girl. He was torn between two worlds and a girl. He never imagined him in this situation. He'd always imagined living out the rest of his days in his tea shop…alone. No one should be alone. He couldn't shake wonderland away from his mind, it was like he had one foot in wonderland and one foot in this place. If they wanted to be happy they needed to get involved weather they liked it or not. It was their future at stake, but whatever Alice's decision he decided that all he wanted to be was with her. Sacrifices would have to be made. He'd have to give up wonderland for her.

Afterward they went back to Alice's place. If Alice was going to have a future with Hatter, she had to tell her mother the truth, well half of it. At least let her get to know Hatter, so their future meetings wouldn't be awkward.

They all sat at the kitchen table. Coral offered them tea.

"No tea for me, thanks." Hatter said. He had had enough tea in wonderland to last a lifetime.

"How long have you been in the States, have any family back home?" Carol asked

"Mom." Alice tired to warn her, to keep her from bombarding Hatter with questions.

"My parents are dead." Hatter said bleakly but as quickly brushed it off. Alice sensed a lot of pain there.

Alice herself was shocked. She never heard of Hatter's family whilst she had been in wonderland nor had he spoken of them. Then again they didn't really have the time to.

"They died fif…..five years ago." Fifty years ago, he had barely been out of his teens then. He was nearing two hundred, middle aged. People aged slower in wonderland. People in wonderland could live forever, avoiding accidents. He didn't know how aging worked in Alice's world, or how old he would be here.

"Any siblings, brothers or sisters?"

"I had….a brother, gone now just me."

"I'm so sorry." Carol said sympathetically. "I didn't mean to pry….."

"You were just protecting your daughter." Hatter finished.

Carol was surprised at the young man who seemed to have so much knowledge, wise beyond his years.

Hatter continued, "I do 'ave an Uncle though. He and I are on the outs but…."

"You should try to fix it." Carol said rather suddenly. "

"I don't think I can. There's too much of a dent in that relationship." It was a really big dent. His own Uncle wanted him dead.

"Sorry, if I'm prying again."

"No, it's ok." A second or two passed and Hatter got up, deciding it was time for him to leave. "I think I should be going."

Alice followed him to the door. She really didn't want him wondering off alone if there happened to be suits out looking for him. There was an exchange between them on where he was staying.

"He can stay here mom can't he? He'll sleep on the couch of course."

"I don't want to be an inconvenience to you." Hatter said.

"No, not at all." Carol protested. He wouldn't be a problem at all. Mother's intuition told her he had been through a lot like Alice had.

As it turned out neither Hatter nor Alice could sleep. She wondered into the living room a little past midnight. She sat down on the end of the couch. He laid there thinking, taking in her features.

"How old are you Alice?" He asked her. He had been pondering this for quite some time.

"That's not a polite thing to ask."

"We've known each other long enough."

"Thirty-One." Alice said. "How old are you Hatter?"

"That's a rather personal question."

"You asked first. How old are you?"

"I don't know." He honesly didn't know how old he was here.

"You don't know?"

"Aging is different in wonderland."

"Well I guess we're going to take a shot in the dark then and take a guess." She looked him over. "You look about my age, a few years older maybe? I'm guessing thirty-three."

"You're making me older than you?" He paused. "Then again I am way older than you."

"You said you didn't know you're age."

"Can you just…." His voice went all squeaky again. It got that way when he tried to wriggle out of something and couldn't find a way. "Drop it Alice?"

"You brought it up."

"Since when is age an issue?" Hatter implored, trying to avoid the subject. He regretted bringing it up. He admitted to himself that he was hiding from her, hiding his past. He didn't want to feel the pain of the memories of his family. What would it be like when she asked him about his past?

"Oh, don't pull that card. I'm going to ask one more time if you don't answer me so help me….." Alice didn't get scared. But she found herself starting to. She was afraid that he wasn't going to let her in. If he didn't let her in he could run away. Did he not like her and was just using her to help with wonderland? She wondered what his true attentions were.That's ridiculous.Alice scolded herslef. Who was the one that stuck by me in wonderland through the good and all the bad times. He had done everything to keep her safe. She wanted to trust him. But how could you trust someone you hardly knew at all. A person you thought you knew?

He held up a hand. "Shh, let me think." He paused for a second. "I was a teenager when the original Alice brought down the house of cards."

"So you're saying…" She tried to calculate the information he had given.

"I'm middle aged."

"You're middle a…." He put his hand over her mouth before she could finish the end of her sentence. He removed his hand, once she was calm. She brought down her voice, "You're middle aged?"

"Two hundred." There was a slight pause before he added, "almost, almost middle aged."

"Wow." Alice exclaimed. She hadn't been expecting that. If her mother found out she would flip. She had no intention on telling her. She wouldn't believe her anyway, yet alone Hatter was middle aged."That's one hell of an age gap."

"mmm hmm." Hatter all but beamed.

"How does that work? Here do you age like a normal person?"

"I suppose so, nobody knows. Wonderland slows down oyster's aging so I think it should be the reverse here."

People in wonderland were children until they reached a hundred and thirty years or so and they weren't adults till a hundred and fifty, middle age didn't come until you were about two hundred. Hatter was reaching that point. He was a hundred and ninety. Fifty years ago his parents had died. His father had gone mad, like his brother March had. After their father's death, he and his mother lived with their Uncle and started planning a resistance against the queen. Shortly after his mother became ill and died after food had been scarce plus she had been dependant on emotions, which she refused to take.

Hatter's Uncle allowed him to stay, but he had to get his own job at the tea shop. One day he started staying there all day. It would one day become his home, him only home. He felt abandoned and shunned by the only family member, well sane family member he had left. He was no longer welcome unless it had to do with the resistance. Why had his Uncle thrown him out, looked at him with so much hatred?

They bot did their best to get back to sleep. Alice walked back to her bedroom. Just when she had finally fell asleep she was awoken by the sound of the front door opening.

A sound distracted him. He stopped in the middle of the alley. He looked toward the sound a garbage can lid had fallen off, or not

"No, Hatter." He said to himself. "Don't get involved with things. You're supposed to be enjoying your time with Alice."

He looked at the end of the alley way. Two suits were at the end. He looked to his left. Sure enough there were more suits. Not now. Hatter thought. Leading them was none other than Dodo.

"Hello again Hatter."

Hatter threw back his right fist to punch the bigger older man but he grabbed his arm and pushed it back. No one should be able to grab his sledgehammer like that. It must had something to do with not being in wonderland. His good swing was useless here. His arm was forced behind his back. He spun around and kicked Dodo in an uncomfortable spot. Alice had taught him that move. (The spin and kick.)

"Grab him." Dodo ordered the suits, still slightly in pain.

Hatter tried fighting off the suits. He decked one of them but the other grabbed him. Before he knew it was shoved against the wall. The suit that shoved him, punched him in the gut, hard. Hatter fell to the ground winded.

The two other suits grabbed Hatter under the arms. Dodo walked over to Hatter. "I told you I would have the resistance hunt you down. I kept my word. The Queen falls and you are nowhere to be found, and here you are taking the cowards' way out. How do you think that's going to affect your reputation?" He was mocking him. He had trusted Dodo. He had found out the hard way when Alice was in his world. He could trust no one from wonderland. Hatter had been a slefish person until he met Alice. He wasn't that person anymore.

Hatter spat in his face. Dodo backhanded him.

Alice had been following Hatter. Where would he be going at two a.m.? She saw two suits fighting with Hatter.

"Hatter." She tried to run toward him.

"Alice, don't follow." Hatter called to her.

The suits dragged him off. And of course Alice followed.