[Protected meant safe. He was the second one in just days that had said he would keep her safe. Bruce had said the same in his argument for putting her in the penthouse of Wayne Towers. She knew it was different - Gotham versus Wonderland - but safety was a strange pull for her. She could have so little care for herself, but yet being safe always felt like an ultimate prize. One she didn't deserve, but that was being offered to her nonetheless.
And to stop worrying? She didn't think that was actually possible for her. It was such a part of her thoughts that she wasn't sure that she would even exist if she removed all the worry from her mind. But with her eyes closed, his voice so near and so soft, she almost gave in. She felt herself slipping and wanted to stay steady but also wanted to fall. And then her hands were lifted, and she opened her eyes in time to see Hatter press his lips to the backs of her hands and ask one last time. Quiet words that weren't actually a question.