"So what was it that your mother wanted to talk about?" Alice asked as we once again zipped through the ocean of Time.

"Small talk? Now? Really?" I mocked her words from before and she laughed.

"Oh come on. It's not everyday you get to actually talk to your deceased mom let alone the past. I've always wondered what she was like growing up here."

"She seemed..." I sighed sadly "Happier actually. She had friends. A family. Did you know Chess is my god father?"

Alice snorted "That's a joke?"

"No truly he is. She's... she was still the mother I knew but..."

"More your mother then she ever was?"

I smiled nodding in thought
"Yea. Exactly." I breathed.

Suddenly we came upon a wave flashing of younger children. With a ding the ship showed an inked picture of two girls and her mother.

"I suppose that's it."

__________________

This time we entered a time period much smoother and once again we were in Witzend. However it was night time, and the chill of a winter wind nipped at my skin.

My powers were still gone offering little protection from the outside. Ignoring it, we landed and I looked around at our surroundings.

It was beautiful here during the winter.

"So you said at six, she will run out into the square and some how hit her head?" I repeated what Alice and told me.

"Correct, so we should hurry."

"He reminds me of someone." A small childish voice yet one that sounded familiar pricked our ears. "I can't think who."

We walked towards the voices and ahead of us playing in the snow I gasped lightly at the scene. It was our friends but much much younger. Kids even. The tweedles, chess, Bayard.....
My eyes finally landed on a little boy with red curly hair and a top hat. He walked happily in the snow with his friends.

"No way." I whispered as we tucked behind a tree to watch.

"Tarrant! Tarrant!" Little chess exclaimed getting his attention.

They all watched expectedly as the little floating cat tried to summon his powers

"Now you see me, now you... wait a moment wait a moment! Annnd don't!" And he evaporated all but his tail.

They looked in awe but it was ruined as Bayard, a tiny puppy, jumped up and bit Chess's tail causing him to reappear and glare at the pup.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed

Mean while the tweedles got into a sword fight with each other, with a spoon and an umbrella which ended quit quickly as both objects broke. They then bursted out crying.

"Curious." Alice laughed "It truly is hard to picture them all as children."

Suddenly we got distracted as the town clock started chimming, signaling it was already close to six.

"It's nearly 6!" Alice exclaimed "We must hurry."

We quickly tried to walk away but suddenly a little body stepped out in front of me giving me a wondrous look. It was none other then little Tarrant.

"Hello." He said confidently "You have a very nice head."

I couldn't help but giggle. I do hope our children will be as cute as children as Tarrant was. I had actually never seen a single baby photo or painting of Tarrant when he was a child. Like we said it was hard to even picture he was one. But here he was, small with the same red curls and a much small top hat, looking at me with curious eyes.

"Why thank you kind sir." I mocked curtseyed for him causing him to giggle.

"And a nice head deserves a very nice hat." He declared "That's what my father says. He makes the best hats in Witzend!"

I could tell that despite the hostel behavior we saw previous to this, Hatter truly looked up to his dad and at one point wanted to just make him proud.

"Would you like him to make you one?"

The obvious answer was no. However neither I or Alice said so. We probably should have because of the time restraint we already were on but I don't know if Alice felt the same, but I had a feeling we should follow the young hatter.

_______________

As we walked the little boy went on and on about all the hats his father could make. It honestly reminded me how Tarrant also took customers. When he was planning a hat for a client he'd say a memorized list very fast of what type of hats he makes. It was entertaining to watch but even more entertaining watching the client trying to keep up with him.

Finally we made it to a small cottage that had a Hightop Hattery sign right out front.
It was a lot smaller then the cottage Tarrant now lives him but it was quiet and homey.
As we walked in, Zanik Hightop was there already working on a hat, and turned to us expectingly as we walked in.

"Father look customers, with lovely heads! Especially this purple headed one! You can make a lavender one to match!"

However I noticed that Mr. Hightop wasn't paying much attention to Tarrant only hummed on him as he continued his work.
However that didn't stop Tarrant one bit as he turned to face us.

"What is the hat of your hearts desire, madam? Something..."

He pulled a live red bird form his coat
"Something feathery? Or something buttony?" And pulled a string of buttons from his jacket as well

His excitement made Alice and I giggle and before we could respond, his father noticed us, taking a tape measure from his neck and sighing.

"Good afternoon miss." He walked up to me and it was strange finally standing in front of my future father in law.

"Good afternoon sir."

He started measuring me head with the tape while saying very firm
"The function of a hat is to is to follow the proper dictum of society." He then turned to his son and said "Not to be fun."

Suddenly Tarrant pulled something out of his pocket and I couldn't help but gasped as he held up the object to his father that made all this happen.

"Father, I have something fun."

It was non other then that paper blue hat. The very hat that was found by Tarrant. Given to his father. The first hat he ever made.

His father took it inspecting it confused.

"What is it..?"

Tarrant frowned
"It's a hat."

Then to my horror the elder Hightop started pulling at the gate muttering
"Oh Tarrant you've got it on backwards."

"Stop your ruin it."

With that he ripped off a part of the hat, completely ruining it.

"Oh dear." He looked down at his son who had tears in his eyes, with a shrug he threw the hat in the trash "No matter. Tomorrow I'll show you precisely how to make a proper hat, hmm?"

I was in such shock that a father would do something like that and Alice squeezed my wrist giving me a warning not to say anything. Even if I could I didn't have time too as Tarrant ran upstairs crying, just as his mother walked in.

"Tarrant?" She called out but there was no reply as the slam of his door could be heard.

She turned to the father.

"Your too hard on him Zanik."

"Hatting is a serious business. I can't have his frivolous ideas keep him from his true potential."

If only he knew his son was going to grow up to make not just the best hats in Witzend but in all of Underland. And how proud I was of him for it.

He turned back to us
"Now."

He walked back over to us with a top hat happily saying
"Yes. I think this hat will suit you."

However I glanced at the clock on the table and saw it was only five minutes till 6.

"Annie we need to go." Alice whispered to me.

I nodded
"Thank you ever so much Mr. Hightop although we really must be going!"

__________________

Running through the snow and nearly slipping over my clumsy feet in the process, we had finally made it too the center of town. A large statue stood in the middle surrounded by white roses. There was tons of people out here but I could not see the little red queen anywhere or anyone who resembles her.

Finally the large clock started chiming.

"It's the stroke of 6 and I don't see her anywhere!"

Suddenly we heard sobbing
"Annie there!" Alice pointed at a little girl running down an ally way.

Two frogs at the same time as she headed their way, was holding a large grandfather clock horizontally.

"The clock! She's going to hit her head!"

As if in slow motion, I felt my feet carry me towards the clock. I tackled one of them just in time as it came crashing down. I felt Iracebeths eyes on me as she kept running. I thought for a moment we had done it. But fate had other plans.

While she had avoided the clock, she still tripped over her feet, and fell screaming into the edge of the statue just as the clock stopped chiming.

I sat up gasping

"No."

The people started to surround her worriedly, but then the shouts of the king, the queen, Mirana and a young version of my mother ran towards the scene. Picking up the young Princess as her head started to swell.

Alice and I hid in an ally way as we watched Mirana and my mother stare at the spot Iracebth had hit her head, tears rolling down their faces.

"This is my fault." We heard Mirana mutter

"You couldn't of known this would happen." My mother answered back

"Mirana! Cassiopeia! Come on!" And they were dragged away by their mother.

We slowly came out of hiding taking deep breaths trying to figure out what to do next.

"You cannot change the past. Just like time said." Alice breathed.

I dare say you might learn something from it

It felt as if someone had taken the wind from me as finally it all clicked into place. A sudden realization came to me as I started watching forward towards the Hightop house. I heard Alice calling after me but it was muted.

Inside the house I could see Zanik Hightop. He had indeed pulled the small hat from the trash. Tucking it in his pocket.

The first hat I ever made I thought I tossed it away long long ago. It's impossible for it to be here and yet here it is.

"He... he kept the bloody hat."

So if this hat survived then my family must have too.

I gasped as a vision came to me of the Underlandian deceased. The memory of Time saying those names. The H's he... he skipped over one.

Higgins, Highbottom, Not here yet...

"No Hightops."

No. It can't be. But the evidence was there.

"There alive.." I whispered

"Annie what's wrong? What did you say?"

I turned around gripping my best friends shoulders as tearful smile came to my face.

"The Hightops are alive!"