Tea Time, an Alice in Wonderland fic
Summary: He waits for her Return. Again.
Author’s Notes: I’ve read some wonderfully angsty fics about how Tarrant is handling Alice’s departure at the end of the movie. This, however, is decidedly less angst-filled. As always, I’d love to know what you think.
The Hatter sipped on his tea, calmly ducking his head as a cup came whizzing by, courtesy of the Hare across the table from him. Now that his friend seemed content to throw sugar cubes to the dormouse, he let his mind slip into its investigation about things starting with the letter M.
Morning.
Marvelous.
Magnificent.
Alice.
He frowned. Her name didn’t start with an M--Did it?
“There he goes again,” Mallymkun complained, her hand on her hip. “She’s not comin‘ back, ya know.”
“Who?” cried Thackery as he tossed a scone in her direction.
“Alice,” the mouse replied, annoyed. It wasn’t as if the Hatter hadn’t been waiting endlessly for her since her Departure.
“Oh yes, Alice,” the Hare muttered. He held up his half-broken cup, looking at the Hatter through the bottom.
Tarrant frowned at his friend and looked directly Mally, “She will be here.”
A frown passed over her face. She knew when Hatter was in one of his Alice-moods the best thing to do was to ignore it, but she couldn’t let her friend hold onto the delusion the girl was coming back, no matter how Mad he was.
“No, she won’t. She’s gone now, Tarrant. You heard it from Absalem himself,” she said as gently as possible. “She’s off explorin’ her world.”
Despite her attempt to carefully remind him of the butterfly’s report, the Hatter’s eyes glowed orange. Thackery held up his broken cup, shielding himself from the impending rage.
“I was there when he gave his report, his testimony, his update, his--”
The shattering of a tea cup pulled him out of his rampage.
His eyes focused back on the mouse. “I’m fine,” he squeaked. He refilled his teacup with the closest pot. “I know she’ll come back. She said she would.” And her word was good enough for the Hatter.
“Well, how long are you willin’ to wait?” asked Mall with a huff.
He thought about it for a second. “What number is infinity?”
“Why that would be seventy-two, I think,” offered Thackery.
The Hatter nodded, pleased with his friend’s answer. “Then I shall wait that long. I’ve certainly waited longer for her,” he reminded the mouse. He looked at his watch. “Time for a clean cup. Move down!” He slid into the chair at the head of the table. It was his favorite chair; it was the one he had been in when Alice returned after her long Absence.
“Sugar?” inquired the Hare.
“Of course,” he said, catching the hurled cube with practiced ease. As he dropped in in his cup, he realized with a great sadness that he didn’t know how Grown-Up Alice took her tea or her toast or her--
“Hatter!” interrupted Mally.
He realized with a giggle that he must have been saying his thoughts out loud. He must be Madder than he thought. “Thank you,” he said.
A rustle from the woods momentarily halted the tea party. It was probably that slurvish cat, the Hatter thought distastefully. He reached up and held onto his hat tightly, just to be careful.
Thackery was distracted from the distraction by the strong urge to dip his pocket watch in his cup of tea. The Hatter was about to join in the fun when a blur of blue caught his attention.
Surely it hadn’t been infinity already.
Surely it couldn’t be--
Alice.
Yet there she was, a normal size for once, running towards the tea party with a smile on her face. She stopped at the end of the table as the Hatter walked across it, his green eyes shining. A smile flittered on her lips as she watched him step haphazardly on the miscellaneous cups and saucers, eager to reach her.
“Am I late?” she asked breathlessly as he jumped off the table to stand next to her.
“No,” he said, smiling, “you’re right on time.”
Author’s Notes: I’ve read some wonderfully angsty fics about how Tarrant is handling Alice’s departure at the end of the movie. This, however, is decidedly less angst-filled. As always, I’d love to know what you think.
The Hatter sipped on his tea, calmly ducking his head as a cup came whizzing by, courtesy of the Hare across the table from him. Now that his friend seemed content to throw sugar cubes to the dormouse, he let his mind slip into its investigation about things starting with the letter M.
Morning.
Marvelous.
Magnificent.
Alice.
He frowned. Her name didn’t start with an M--Did it?
“There he goes again,” Mallymkun complained, her hand on her hip. “She’s not comin‘ back, ya know.”
“Who?” cried Thackery as he tossed a scone in her direction.
“Alice,” the mouse replied, annoyed. It wasn’t as if the Hatter hadn’t been waiting endlessly for her since her Departure.
“Oh yes, Alice,” the Hare muttered. He held up his half-broken cup, looking at the Hatter through the bottom.
Tarrant frowned at his friend and looked directly Mally, “She will be here.”
A frown passed over her face. She knew when Hatter was in one of his Alice-moods the best thing to do was to ignore it, but she couldn’t let her friend hold onto the delusion the girl was coming back, no matter how Mad he was.
“No, she won’t. She’s gone now, Tarrant. You heard it from Absalem himself,” she said as gently as possible. “She’s off explorin’ her world.”
Despite her attempt to carefully remind him of the butterfly’s report, the Hatter’s eyes glowed orange. Thackery held up his broken cup, shielding himself from the impending rage.
“I was there when he gave his report, his testimony, his update, his--”
The shattering of a tea cup pulled him out of his rampage.
His eyes focused back on the mouse. “I’m fine,” he squeaked. He refilled his teacup with the closest pot. “I know she’ll come back. She said she would.” And her word was good enough for the Hatter.
“Well, how long are you willin’ to wait?” asked Mall with a huff.
He thought about it for a second. “What number is infinity?”
“Why that would be seventy-two, I think,” offered Thackery.
The Hatter nodded, pleased with his friend’s answer. “Then I shall wait that long. I’ve certainly waited longer for her,” he reminded the mouse. He looked at his watch. “Time for a clean cup. Move down!” He slid into the chair at the head of the table. It was his favorite chair; it was the one he had been in when Alice returned after her long Absence.
“Sugar?” inquired the Hare.
“Of course,” he said, catching the hurled cube with practiced ease. As he dropped in in his cup, he realized with a great sadness that he didn’t know how Grown-Up Alice took her tea or her toast or her--
“Hatter!” interrupted Mally.
He realized with a giggle that he must have been saying his thoughts out loud. He must be Madder than he thought. “Thank you,” he said.
A rustle from the woods momentarily halted the tea party. It was probably that slurvish cat, the Hatter thought distastefully. He reached up and held onto his hat tightly, just to be careful.
Thackery was distracted from the distraction by the strong urge to dip his pocket watch in his cup of tea. The Hatter was about to join in the fun when a blur of blue caught his attention.
Surely it hadn’t been infinity already.
Surely it couldn’t be--
Alice.
Yet there she was, a normal size for once, running towards the tea party with a smile on her face. She stopped at the end of the table as the Hatter walked across it, his green eyes shining. A smile flittered on her lips as she watched him step haphazardly on the miscellaneous cups and saucers, eager to reach her.
“Am I late?” she asked breathlessly as he jumped off the table to stand next to her.
“No,” he said, smiling, “you’re right on time.”