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Coming of Age

Brief Summary: Alice is not the only Abovelander to go to Underland, nor are McTwisp and Absolem the only Underlanians to go above. Oh no, it is *much* more complicated than that.

Detailed Summary: Alice fell down into a world of Wonder, but those she are close to in London know much more about that land than she. Just how connected are the Abovelanders to Underland? And how will they determine Alice's fate?

Genre: Family, Friendship, Angst, Adventure, and Drama

AUish: This story takes place before, during, and after the movie.

A/N: I wrote this for NaNoWriMo (look it up online!); so constructive criticism is encouraged. I do hope you will stick with me through the end. I do love where the story goes! =)

Disclaimer: Alice in Wonderland does not belong to me. I am not doing this for monetary gain, but instead because I'm just a bit mad!


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Chapter One: The Return

It was embarrassing to put it lightly. All of London was standing there—the important ones, at least—watching, judging, gossiping. And her poor son was standing in the gazebo, trying his best to keep his composure.

The nightmare did not end there. Lady Ascot had her own reputation to uphold as well. She always threw the best parties, dinners, and other social gatherings. She had ensured that this would be the party to end all parties, and that she would be the talk of the town as the best hostess in all of England. But there was one thing she had forgotten to take into account. And now Lady Ascot would instead be known for hosting the disaster of the century.

"She left me standing there without an answer." Lady Ascot was pulled out of her own thoughts by the disgruntled musings of her son.

"A case of nerves, no doubt," Fiona Chattaway replied, smiling smugly with her twin sister.

Before Lady Ascot could reprimand the sisters or comfort poor Hamish, she walked back into the gazebo.

"Alice—?" Hamish Ascot started. It was a question and a statement all in one. Alice Kingsleigh had waltzed back into the picture, hair and clothes in disarray and completely covered in dirt.

Lady Ascot took a measured breath and did her best to hold her composure.

"I fell down a hole and hit my head," Alice replied simply to the query of where she had been the past quarter of an hour. "Sorry, Hamish," she continued, "I can't marry you…"

And there it was. Lady Ascot did not need to hear the rest. Her picture perfect design had completely fallen to pieces. She would fix it, she resolved, but she did not know how yet.

"I happen to love rabbits, especially white ones." Lady Ascot refocused, realizing that Alice was addressing her. Alice had a bit of a reputation for giving unsolicited advice, even when etiquette required one to refrain from making personal remarks.

"You two remind me of some funny boys I met in a dream," Alice said to the Chattaway sisters. The twins nervously looked at each other in shocked silence. Were they putting the pieces together? Did they know? Did Alice know?

Alice was back in Lady Ascot's proximity, but this time she was addressing Lord Ascot, "…sir, you and I have business to discuss."

"Shall we speak in the study?" he asked after taking a step forward.

Alice smiled, but before she walked to the mansion, she turned, lifted her skirts, and—is she…? Lady Ascot looked over to the twins and their giggles confirmed her thoughts. Alice finished her dance and stormed off through the crowd.

Left behind, the party guests began talking amongst themselves. They would soon disassemble and politely take their leave, but not before seeing how the meeting with Lord Ascot went. Lady Ascot was sure they would each come calling next week inquiring about Hamish in an effort to find more coal to add to the gossip fire. She would have to find a solution, and quickly, to save her and her son's embarrassment.

But before she could make a move, Alice's mother and sister came up to her with questions. And her son came to her with a fury in his eyes. There was much to be done before Lady Ascot could put things back on the right track.

"What has gotten into Alice?" Helen Kingsleigh asked.

"I don't understand at all," Helen's daughter, Margaret Manchester, said.

"She put on a bit of a show there, did she not?" Lowell Manchester replied smugly. "Care to take a drink in the parlor, old chap?" he said to Hamish.

"Lowell!" Margaret looked at her husband with a scandalized expression. "It is not even dinner!"

"It would be a pleasure," Hamish said firmly. Lady Ascot knew her son didn't even like Lowell all that much, but surely anything was better than him standing out in the garden in front of everyone after being rejected by Alice. Besides, she figured he could really use a strong shot of whiskey, as could she, though she would never publicly partake.

The three women silently watched as Lowell and Hamish set off determinedly to the gentlemen's parlor.

"You do not really have holes in your garden maze, do you?" Margaret turned and asked Lady Ascot.

"No," she carefully replied, "none in the garden at all."

"Then she could not have fallen…" Margaret trailed off.

Helen touched her gloved fingers to her forehead. Lady Ascot said nothing.

"Then how did Alice get so dirty?" Margaret wondered aloud.

"She couldn't have gotten far," Helen mused, "she wasn't gone that long."

"Where could she have gone?"

Lady Ascot politely excused herself from the conversation, using the other guests as an excuse. Walking toward the Chattaway sisters, she could hear many of the other guests ask the exact same question. But that was the one question that she did not need an answer to; Lady Ascot knew exactly where Alice had gone.

Alice had been to Underland.