Disclaimer: Sadly, Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, Disney, and whoever else owns the rights. Only original characters and ideas belong to me.

AN: Sorry this is so late getting posted; life's been busy. Anyway, here's the third and final installment of my Alice in Wonderland series. It'll be just as short and sweet as the previous two, and I hope that people enjoy it just as much. Thanks for reading, and please review!

Chapter 1: Marital Bliss:

Looking over at his sleeping bride, Tarrant felt his heart futterwacken madly in his chest. It was so hard to believe that she was actually his wife now, the dearest person in the world to him.

She was facing him, lying on her left side with her left hand resting delicately on the pillow beside her fair head. On her finger sparkled his rings; the diamond engagement ring twinkling prettily beside the shining gold of her wedding band. Both proclaimed her as his wife, Laura Hightopp, Lady of Diamonds.

Not that Tarrant became the Lord of Diamonds –Laura's title was for her alone, and he couldn't be more thrilled about it, especially since he had never been one for titles. The one he bore was basically his job description: Hatter to the White Queen, and that was good enough for him. Becoming a Lord would mean a lot of socializing with the courtiers and following etiquette, both of which he hated.

A soft sigh drew his attention to the perfection that was his wife's mouth. He could not get enough of their sweetness, their softness, or their shape; ever since their wedding, he had to steal a kiss whenever possible, they were that irresistible.

Closing his eyes, Tarrant thought back to their wedding day, and smiled in bliss.

After having his proposal accepted, Tarrant Hightopp, Hatter Extraordinaire, couldn't stop grinning. Laura had blushed and let him kiss her soundly, right before he indulged in a festive futterwacken that had her laughing and applauding when he finished. His desire to dance fully indulged, Tarrant had swept the two of them into the castle, where he immediately located the Queen and told her the happy news.

Soon, the entire court knew, and within the day, both he and Laura were involved in some very complicated and detailed wedding plans. Dress designs, flowers, cloth patterns, food, and a dozen other things - all with a hundred different choices to pick from - were piled upon them, and before two days had passed, Laura looked as though she were going to weep from stress. In the end, the Queen put her elegant foot down, and declared that the only ones who could plan the wedding were Tarrant and Laura.

"It is to be their special day," she firmly told the court. "You will merely do your best to put it together."

Now, Tarrant knew nothing of Above Realm customs, so he spent a good day listening to Laura explain how weddings were done in her land. He liked the idea of her marrying in white, though he would have liked to add some other colors to the dress to make it more suited to her. And the idea of her possibly wearing flowers in her hair had been a memorizing one. The food and drinks couldn't have mattered less to him, so he allowed her to choose, and merely added a few favorites of his own.

However, Tarrant had his opinion about the vows. He did not want either one of them to merely say "I do" –it was so impersonal, and he had wanted something so much more to their wedding than agreeing to what sounded like a business contract. He was ready to make the longest wedding speech in Underland history, but Chess and Mallymkun told him it would be a bad idea. Besides, Chess told him that since Laura planned to keep her vows short and sweet, he should, too. And so, between clothing fittings, flower arrangements, and refreshment choices, Tarrant somehow managed to write his vows, miraculously keeping them within a small timeframe.

On the day of their wedding, Tarrant stood before the White Queen, who would conduct the ceremony, and adjusted the collar of his shirt. The suit he wore was black, as was the custom in Laura's realm, but his shirt was a rainbow of colors, and his trademarked hat sat proudly atop his head. The overly large bowtie around his neck was, at Laura's request, bright green to match his eyes. He had been feeling quite handsome…until the White Rabbit blew his trumpet, announcing the arrival of the bride.

Then Laura herself appeared at the end of the aisle, and everything else seemed to disappear.

A long-sleeved, gold silk under gown flowed under a white satin over-dress with lace sleeves. The white satin bore what would have been a scandalously low V-neck, had it not been for the gold silk underneath. Along the satin V-neck were embroideries of gold and white pearls, a design that also trimmed the edges of the veil, which hung to the center of Laura's back. Her dark hair hung in loose waves, and atop her head, holding the veil in place, was a circlet of white and gold silk roses, crafted by Tarrant's own hands. In her hands was a bouquet of lilies and white roses, tied with a gold ribbon, and on her feet were dainty white satin slippers, trimmed in gold braid and pearls of white and gold.

When she took her place beside him, Tarrant had nearly swallowed his tongue as she flushed a pretty pink, the sheer white gauze of her veil barely hiding her lovely face from view. Then he watched, fascinated, as her lips formed a shy smile, and her eyes looked down shyly at the soft green grass beneath her feet. She was the most adorable, enchanting creature Tarrant had ever seen.

Before them, the Queen cleared her throat, bringing silence to the entire crowd. The Court had gathered, of course, as had all of Tarrant's friends: Chess and the March Hare stood with Tarrant as his best men (or creatures), and Mallymkun stood as Laura's maid of honor. The Tweedle twins had preceded Laura as the ring bearers, one twin for each ring, and both looked extremely excited at the honor.

Tarrant couldn't remember a word of what he'd managed to babble in regards to his vows, but he (vaguely) remembered Laura's. She spoke of how, at first, she had been uneasy and unsure about his feelings and actions towards her, but as time passed and they spent more time together, her heart had grown fonder for him. The time she had been held captive in Stayne's castle had been a blessing in disguise, as it had helped her realize her feelings for him.

The mention of her kidnapping had sent shivers of anger and fear down Tarrant's spine, but when she smiled at him, he felt all those bad emotions melt away. He grinned back at her, and heard her give a small giggle, which made him grin even wider. Chess's trademark smile was no match for his.

To keep with the traditions of Laura's realm, both he and his bride had vowed to love, honor, and cherish one another for as long as they both lived. The Queen then asked if any opposed the marriage, and if so, to speak then and there, or forever hold their peace.

Tarrant had turned to scowl at the guests, daring anyone to protest the union. A few seconds of pure silence followed, broken only by the giggles of talking flowers and the sound of birdsong on the wind. Satisfied that no one had anything to say, Tarrant turned and nodded to the Queen, who looked at him in amusement as she pronounced them husband and wife, and told him to kiss the bride. Ecstatic, he almost threw the veil into the air as he lifted it, so eager was he to kiss his beloved.

Grinning, he returned his mind to the present, and to the peacefully sleeping woman beside him.

The rest of that day had been unimportant to him, at least until their wedding night. He couldn't remember the feasts or dances if his life depended on it; he had been too focused on the fact that it seemed like an eternity before he and his wife could be alone together. When the Queen had discreetly nodded at him, Tarrant had grabbed Laura's hand and practically carried her to their new chambers.

Now, Tarrant was not ignorant of what happened between a husband and his wife (because he'd spent a good amount of time before the wedding in the library, researching it). It had been a bit embarrassing, however, slipping into bed beside Laura and no idea how he was going to proceed to what was supposed to happen next.

She had blushed as he pulled her into his arms, but didn't stop him from kissing her deeply. After that, things had progressed quickly, and soon they were both in paradise. Tarrant knew from the smile on her face afterwards that she had experienced the same marvels he had. There had been many wondrous nights like that in the weeks following.

Watching her closely, Tarrant smiled as her eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened. That sweet mouth of hers opened as she gave an adorable yawn, and deep brown eyes blinked at him, still dazed with sleep. When Laura saw him, she smiled.

"Up early again?" she asked, reaching out to trace a finger along his cheek. "Why is it you're always awake before I am?"

He grinned back at her. "I like watching you sleep. Did you know you're as beautiful asleep as when you're awake?"

Laura flushed slightly, as she always did whenever he complimented her. The pink tinge of her cheeks stood out beautifully against the white silk of the pillow, and against the deep brown of her hair.

Tarrant marveled at the sight. 'I'm the luckiest man in Underland.'

Again, she yawned. "I suppose we should get up. You've got work to do, remember? "

"There's no hurry," Tarrant said, snuggling close to her. "We've time yet."

He grinned and pressed his lips to her neck as she dissolved into giggles.

Sighing, I watched as my husband disappeared out the door of our room, whistling cheerfully, like always. In the month we'd been married, Tarrant left our room every morning with a smile and a whistle on his lips. I think married life agreed with him.

As for me, I'll admit that I'd had doubts, right up to my wedding day. After all, part of me was happy to marry Tarrant, but another part, a very small one, asked if I was merely doing this because I owed him for saving my life.

As I thought about it, though, I had to admit, I really did love him. I had probably always loved him, but never actually admitted it because I couldn't understand what my feelings were. I'd never been in love before, so I really had nothing to go off of except what I was feeling in my heart.

'And I do feel all warm and happy inside whenever I see him,' I thought, smiling as I got dressed.

As for married life, it seemed to agree with me as much as it did with Tarrant. According to a few of the ladies in the Queen's court, I tended to get all goo-goo eyed whenever I talked about him, and they said the smile I wore could rival his whenever he saw or talked about me.

In my old life, I'd never thought I'd be married. I had liked being single, but then, I was relatively young, and had a while before my "biological clock" started ticking. Now here I was, waking up beside my husband, who always greeted me with a smile, a kiss, and bit of…well, 'morning affection' before he headed off to work. Tarrant really was the sweetest man, and I knew how lucky I was to have him.

After a month of marriage, our mornings were becoming routine, but it was a comfortable one. Every day, after we woke up together and had breakfast, we separated for a few hours to do the work that came with our assigned positions in the Queen's Court.

In spite of being the Lady of Diamonds, I was still the Queen's herb gatherer, as I had insisted on keeping my old job. I didn't want to be a noble who sat around and had nothing to do all day, so the Queen agreed to keep me at my old post, and had assigned me a constant guard as protection. This allowed Tarrant to resume his position as Hatter to Her Majesty, though he'd still rather be with me whenever I went out gathering.

"I don't like you going outside without me," he said whenever I was given an order to fulfill for the Queen. Tarrant clearly feared that I might be taken again, and had not forgiven himself for what had happened, though I had told him it was not his fault.

"I know," I assured him. "But you are a hatter, and as such, you should be making hats. I want you to make hats, particularly when you make them so beautifully."

In the end, Tarrant had given in and gone back to exclusively being a hatter, though I had the sneaking suspicion that he spied on me whenever I rode out the gates.

As for being the Lady of Diamonds, I was occasionally required to 'hang out' with the Queen and her other ladies, which tended to be extremely boring. Sitting in a circle, chatting quietly and politely with a group of ladies was far from thrilling, especially when most talk revolved around dresses, courtships, upcoming marriages, and other things I had no interest in.

Yet there were times when I wasn't sitting around with the court ladies, and on those days, I went for walks with Her Majesty in the gardens. The two of us would talk about herbs, plants, flowers, and books, all things the other ladies didn't know about or had no interest in. Needless to say, the walks were much more fun.

Best of all, free time was easily available to me. The Queen didn't require me to gather herbs all the time, and my presence as a Lady of the court wasn't often needed, so I spent my free hours doing whatever I pleased. Mostly, though, I found myself in the company of Mallymkun, the Dormouse, and the March Hare, both of whom had come to live in Marmoreal after the wedding. Apparently they had always lived near one another, and so they had packed up their stuff and moved here. I guess they didn't count me as much company for their friend, at least at first, but I think I was growing on them.

Mally, as she asked me to call her, was a stubborn soul who was completely devoted to Tarrant. They had fought in the war with the Red Queen together, and she'd been ready to give her life for him. I suspected that she'd had a crush on him, but it was clear he didn't think of her that way. When she had been told that Tarrant and I were getting married, Mally had been surprised, but accepted it. She wished us both well, and decided to at least try to get along with me, if only for Tarrant's sake. I'd decided to return the gesture by making her my maid of honor, which she'd accepted with a genuine smile of thanks. Since then, we'd taken to having lunch or afternoon tea together in order to get to know one another better.

As for the March Hare, I was a little wary of him. Oh, he was friendly, and had welcomed me into the 'family' that he, Tarrant, and Mally had made of themselves, but I always had to put my guard up whenever cups and eating utensils were around him. Apparently the Hare had a violent version of a nervous twitch, so I had to be ready to duck-and-cover so that I didn't end up with a concussion or brain injury. I'd already had too many close calls to count.

Today was going to be one of our 'lunch dates,' where Mally, the Hare and I would meet for lunch and talk. In the meantime, I had to find a way to kill time this morning.

It turns out I didn't have to worry. A groom from the stable came to tell me that Pearl was getting restless, and wanted to be taken out for a good run. I spent the entire morning running circles around Marmoreal, and when Pearl was close to falling over in exhaustion, I walked her back to the stable, where she gave me a gentle nuzzle.

"I missed you, too, girl," I said, pressing a kiss to her nose. "How are you and Thunder getting along? Good, I hope?"

Horses couldn't blush, but if they could, Pearl would be doing so. She ducked her head and looked away, turning her attention back to her buckets of oats and grain so that she could ignore me. Chuckling, I went back to my room, ready for a long bath.

I was just drying my hair when Tarrant came in, humming a tune under his breath. Seeing me at my vanity, combing my hair in nothing but a robe, he froze. A wide grin spread over his face, and he immediately sauntered over, looking immensely pleased.

"Well, now, there's a lovely sight to behold," he said, reaching out to run a finger through my drying locks. "I must be the luckiest man in any world, coming home to the bonniest girl I ever did see."

The Scottish brogue was showing through in his voice, but in a nice way. Since we'd married, I had learned to read the changes in his looks and voice, and how they indicated which mood he was in. Right now, he was feeling a bit…frisky, but since I had plans, I had to keep things from going further than they should.

"Sorry, love," I said, smiling at him in the mirror. "But as much as I adore your affections, I have to meet Mally and Marchie for lunch, and you know how they are about punctuality."

By now, neon-green eyes had darkened to emerald, and there was no mistaking the expression on his face. There'd be no deterring him now.

"They can wait," he said, swiping my brush from me and tossing it onto the vanity. I squeaked as he swept me up into his arms, causing him to grin wider. "We've more important things to tend to."

"You're late," Mally chided as I sat down, Tarrant taking a seat beside me. "And I thought you'd be working this afternoon, Hatter."

My husband merely smiled cheerfully at her and passed a silver platter of pickled vegetables. The Hare, on the other hand, nudged her gently with a paw and gave her a look. It took Mally a second to catch on, but when she did, I had to hold back a laugh at the expression on her face.

"Oh, I see," she said, twitching her whiskers. "Honestly, you two! Worse than rabbits, you are."

I blushed as Tarrant eyed me closely. "Aye, and how would you know that, Mally?" he asked, smirking my way. "Must be your lovely cheeks, glowing such a rosy color, my sweet Mrs. Hightopp."

"Tarrant," I squeaked, blushing even redder.

Grinning broadly, he took my hand and pressed a kiss to it. "My apologies, dearest heart," Tarrant said, "But anyone can see from the pleased look on your face that we both had a very good morning."

Both Mally and March broke into insane giggles as I rolled my eyes. "And you're no better, sir," I said, smacking him in the arm with my cloth napkin. "That smug look on your face would make anyone realize what you're so happy about."

"And I've reason to be," he replied with an even smugger grin.

I smacked him again with my napkin and picked up a sandwich, biting into it so that I didn't have to answer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tarrant watched Laura nibble her way through her meal, and felt his heart beat faster. She was absolutely radiant, as she always was after they were together, and he always felt proud that he could make his wife happy.

In the back of his mind, he vaguely remembered his own parents, and how happy they had been. Tarrant had been the only child of Chief Hightopp, leader of their clan, and his bonny red-haired mother had been the best seamstress he'd ever seen. In face, Mistress Hightopp had been head seamstress to the White Queen's mother, and to Queen Mirana herself until the day the Jabberwocky attacked.

Thinking about his mother, Tarrant believed she would have approved of Laura, and if she'd lived, she would have welcomed her daughter-in-law with open arms and a wide grin. It lifted his heart just thinking about it.

Watching her get along with Mally and Marchie was a relief as well. Mally had always been the difficult one: suspicious of everyone until she somehow managed to figure out what their true characters were. Tarrant suspected that Laura had won Mally over by asking the little Mouse to be her maid of honor –he had never seen the little creature look as proud and surprised as when his betrothed had asked the Mouse to be in their wedding.

As for Marchie –well, the Hare was more than willing to like anyone Tarrant liked, so that hadn't been nearly so difficult. In fact, for their wedding, Marchie had created a grand ice sculpture of Laura that looked so like her, people often had to make sure that it really was just a copy and not Laura herself, somehow turned into ice.

Smiling, he sat back in his chair and took a sip of tea as he watched Mally and Laura argue over what jams tasted better on toast. If this was marital bliss, Tarrant hoped it lasted forever.

AN: Kind of a sappy, fluffy chapter, but more excitement and fun will happen later. Thanks for reading, and please review!