Can You See Me?
By Rurple101

Summary: Alice returns after two weeks but she sees Tarrant has a new "friend" and she feels left out…until she realizes she may be jealous and Tarrant might not feel the same way as she does anymore.

Rating: T

Category: MOVIES/ Alice In Wonderland 2010

Language: English

Genres: Hurt/Comfort/Romance

Chapter One - The Final Straw

Alice sighed as she sat at the tea table. She had been forced to endure a whole afternoon of listening to Lord and Lady Ascot (Hamish's parents) drabble on about how she shouldn't be working too hard on the company (or her late father's company) since she had returned from Underland (the land she had called 'Wonderland').

"Gone are the days, Allison where you can just…do it all yourself!" Lady Ascot trilled, placing her tea cup down more forcefully than intended.

Alice cringed; she hated anyone calling her Allison.

"First of all, my name is Alice -" Alice said, meeting Lady Ascot's beady and narrow eyes "- and secondly, it's my life and we can't all just watch the world go by and do nothing in the world. I want to make my father's company live to his dreams before I choose to settle down!"

Lord Ascot chuckled, also placing his tea down. "Come, come Alice. I understand you completely about you wanting to make your father's company live up to its name. But remember, and I am very sorry to put it bluntly but your father has passed on. He may have been been denied future plans…"

"Yes, I know. My mother told me that you and your colleagues denied allowing my father to China. Maybe if you had listened, then I wouldn't be here doing it for him!" Alice blurted out, determined to win the argument.

Lord and Lady Ascot both looked shocked at the outburst by the young Kingsleigh. But Lord Ascot sighed and looked down into his tea cup.

"I know Alice" he said gravely. "I understand how your annoyance at me and want to do your company well but…you can do better than this! You can have a life!"

"By marrying a stupid suitor and producing heirs, making sure I look after my face as well?" Alice literally exploded. "Never in a million years will I do that! That is nonsense!"

Both Lord and Lady Ascot went to stand and argue but a maid interrupted the three people. "Excuse me?"

They all turned. "Miss Kingsleigh, there is a message for you at your manor."

"Thank you" Alice said calmly and straightened her dress out. Taking a deep breath Alice looked at them. "I shall be right back to finish this!" she swore and took haste towards the front gates and summoned a carriage to take her home. Once inside the carriage she sunk down in her seat and put her head in her hands.

What is with me? How can I have changed so much during these last two weeks! I'm acting like a woman twice my age!

Maybe..

No! I won't! I can't leave now! Father's business!

You cannot control it forever Alice. You should let go while you can otherwise you will be left with money pouring from you and you'll be broke.

I shall think about it.

Good girl

Alice had no idea who was speaking to her while she thought like that but she just let it go and got on with their work. She knew she wanted and needed to go back to her home, her Wonderland to her friends, her Hatter, Tarrant Hightopp who was probably the only man she had fallen in love with.

Yes, she had admitted it to herself. As soon as she had fallen back out of the hole to the magical land, she had felt such emptiness, that she had felt physically broken. She had felt the ghost of Tarrant's arms wrapped around her and the ghost of his two magical kisses on her lips.

I love him; she had thought at once and looked behind her to see if the hole was still there. It was so she went back to the party and declined the man whose parents had now argued with her. Stupid Hamish! Stupid Lord and Lady Ascot! Stupid world!

She was running out of excuses to herself on why she was sticking to her plan. Tarrant hadn't wanted her to leave…only moments before she had. Only she hadn't realised she loved him until she was back up here. And he had loved her as well! And he was probably going mad!

If one worse thing happens to me or anyone around me up here, then I will not hesitate to jump back down that hole to the arms of my Hatter, she thought determinedly.

She raced inside and handed her coat to the butler. Harold nodded to her gravely and said "Your sister will explain Miss Kingsleigh" and walked away to hang it up on the coat stand.

Alice froze. "What?" she asked.

Harold eyes her carefully. "Go into the parlour, Miss Kingsleigh" he ordered and she obeyed. He was one of the staff who gave orders to Alice. He scared her too much that she listened.

She paced towards the parlour door but it opened before she could raise her hand to the handle. Her sister, Margaret was there, as was Lowell. Alice glared at him as her sister hugged her while tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh… Alice!" Margaret sobbed into her little sister's shoulder.

"What is it Margaret?" Alice demanded, she was completely unaware of what was happening.

"Its…it's…mother…" Margaret sobbed even harder if it was possible. Lowell put a hand on his wife's shoulder and guided her over to the sofa and sat her down next to him which she wrapped her arms around him.

"What about her?" Alice asked.

The last thing they knew was that their mother, Helen Kingsleigh had gone on a holiday as a thank you for raising the two girls. They had given her a seaside holiday to Brighton on the south eastern coast of England. They had received various letters from their mother, saying how charming Brighton was and that she had met some lovely new people in the place were she was being taken care of.

"Read…read the letter…" Lowell stammered as he lowered his teary eyes to his wife's make up spoiled face as it ran down her face by her tears. He reached into his pocket and handed her his handkerchief. She took it and wandered over to the mirror, and wiped her face down.

Confused, Alice walked across the parlour and picked up the abandoned piece of paper.

To the Kingsleigh family

I am writing to tell you of an unfortunate event. Allison and Margaret, I really do hate to state this in a letter but late last night, your mother Helen died peacefully in her sleep. We all made sure she had a happy time while she was in our care. She sensed that she was slipping away yesterday evening and she told me to say to you that she loved you and that she is proud of you. She hated to want to leave you like this but I am afraid that she will be transported back to you for a funeral in September.

I am most sorry for your loss. Helen was a lovely woman.

Yours sincerely

Madame Roselle.

Alice felt numb as she saw herself drop the letter back onto the coffee table. She saw the room spin and she heard her sister's yelp of "ALICE!" before she fainted on the cold marble floor.

Alice awoke from her slumber several minutes after. She was still on the parlour floor and her sister, Lowell, Harold and a few other maids were surrounded around her.

"I'm fine." She said at once.

"Nonsense" Harold said sneering. "You need some food."

Alice's anger flared. "Shut up Harold or you can find yourself another job!" she snarled back.

The maids nodded and excused themselves and walked away. So did Harold quickly.

Margaret paled. "Alice, are you alright?"

"A little shocked, and soon to be grieving my mother but apart from that I shall be fine physically. I shall see you later." She answered.

She got up (ignoring how everyone had to move hastily out of her way as she got up) and walked quickly and quietly upstairs to her room.

"This is the final straw!" she said aloud to herself. "I'm going back."

Yes, I have made sure that THIS fanfiction by me gose by the ORIGINAL script of Alice In Wonderland . Please REVIEW! :D