A/N: Just a little one shot I thought up right after seeing this movie! I hope you enjoy!

It always seems to rain this time of year.

It's not unusual, I guess. I mean, it rains everywhere, doesn't it? Even in Underland. From time to time. But I always seem to mind the rain when this time of year creeps up on us once again. How long had it been? I stopped counting the days.

"Cheer up," came the voice of a petite mouse. Mallymkun looked up at me with her big, worried eyes. "Have some tea, hm?"

"Yes, yes," I replied. "I suppose that should help."

I took a sip. It didn't help. I so desperately wished to open the teapot to see her sitting there, looking helpless. Still thinking this was all a dream. Would it have been easier, if it were all a dream?

I suppose. But on days like these, where the whole world seems to look completely void of vitality, I can't help but remember the look on her face after she drank the blood of the Jabberwocky. And then how she disappeared no more than five seconds later, completely gone, as if everything that had just happened wasn't real at all.

Be back before you know it, she had said. I swear, that phrase could have been engraved inside my eyelids. It was always there.

"Is Chessur about?" I asked, disturbing the silence.

"Mmm, yes, most likely," Thackery muttered to himself, his eyes looking full to bursting. One of his ears twitched. "W-why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," I replied airily. "Just wanting a bit more company, is all."

A drop of rain pattered against my nose. Mallymkun cocked her head to the side and gave me a pity glance, her tiny arms folded against her stomach. Thackery looked away, his foot idly tapping the chair beneath him. They knew of my uncertainties, yet they didn't dare speak them aloud. In fact, they remained silent for quite a long time. I felt a pile of words lingering on my lips; empty words that meant nothing save for keeping the conversation afloat. The silence was the worst, for it was simply an invitation for my melancholy thoughts to once again occupy my mind.

"Excuse me," I spoke, standing from the tea table. Mallymkun and Thackery looked warily at me, not saying a word as I walked away. I couldn't take it anymore; I didn't want to be awake on a day like this. I had to go home. Thoughts of the blonde girl danced in my head.

If I could, I would have counted the freckles on her face. I would have cherished the times that she broke into a smile, even the teensiest one. I would have allowed myself to grasp her hand when I was frightened, just to see how soft it was. I would have done so many things, if only there was time. So that when she finally returned after all these years, it wouldn't be just another dream.

One hundred and three freckles, I would tell her. You smile like you're hiding something. Your hands are soft as silk sheets.

And she would know that it wasn't a dream. And maybe, just maybe, she would stay.

I came across my one-door, one-window house with the lopsided chimney and sighed. Another day, another year gone by. How many more did I have to endure?

In one fluid motion, I entered the house and flopped into bed. The rain pattered against my sole window steadily. It always seems to rain this time of year.

I guess on an anniversary like today, one can't blame the sun for hiding. I fell asleep within moments.

A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope it didn't confuse you too much; I figured that the inner workings of Hatter's mind would be generally confusing anyway. Let me know what you think!