Disclaimer: I do not own the Syfy movie Alice, nor do I claim to own it's characters. This story is strictly for enjoyment purposes so please no one sue me! I do, however, own the DVD, some microwave popcorn and my own thoughts.
Synopsis: The Wonderlanders picks up where Alice left off, but Hatter tells Alice that they need to go back to Wonderland. Since her absence, a new threat has hit Wonderland, that of the White Queen, who wants to take control of Wonderland and the Looking Glass. Jack's life is hanging in the balance and the Wonderlanders have begun disappearing. Alice managed to save Wonderland once, can she do it again?
A/N Well, this is my first contribution to FanFiction, so please don't be too harsh! I'm currently working on the full storyline for this, so the first chapter might be a little while in coming, but I hope the prologue is enjoyable!
Prologue
The flat looked different. It wasn't the kind of difference she could put her finger on though. There were still the wide chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, woven blinds covering the windows, the polished dining table she and her Mom ate all their meals at. Yet something was different. She observed the main room again, but this time with the eyes of someone who has travelled through Wonderland.
It was, she realised sadly, too plain.
"Well", Carol said cheerily, oblivious to the turmoil taking place within her daughter. "Here we are then. How about some tea?"
The corner of Alice's mouth twitched with irony. "Great", she mumbled.
While her Mum prattled away in the kitchen, Alice wandered into her bedroom. It seemed like so long ago since she had stood here, yet in her world it had only been the previous day when she had followed Jack onto the street and fallen -
- onto the harsh concrete and bumped her head, knocking herself unconscious. Alice was surprised her Mother had actually believed that story. But then, Wonderland didn't sound a hell of a lot more believable, did it? With a short sigh, Alice got to work. She had made the decision while in the hospital, to stop the search she had been making for her Dad. It wasn't as hard as she'd thought it would be. Considering she'd been looking for him since the day he disappeared, Alice found it incredibly easy and satisfying to remove the posters from her wall and pack her Father's trinkets into an old hat box of her Mother's. She sniffed a little while packing away some photographs, but she had shed all the tears she needed to while at the hospital, and she would cry no more now.
When she had fallen from the Scarab, dangled from a ledge in her own mind, or seen Hatter led away for torture by the Queen of Hearts Suits, she hadn't cried. It was because she had built herself up, covered her heart with a high running wall and refused to let her emotions be a barrier. It was only when her Father turned up in Wonderland that her walls had started to crumble, and when he died they had obliterated completely. At the time, she had wondered whether it was a good thing. Her Mother had been right about Alice's trouble with boyfriends. No matter how close she got to them, how much she liked them, she had trouble lowering the walls and letting them in. Not even Jack had managed to enter her heart. Now, though, with her armour stripped from her, perhaps Hatter would suddenly grab her to him, swing her around, kiss-
The clack-clack of Carol's high heels brought Alice back to earth with a jolt. She bent her head to try and cover her scarlet cheeks and dropped a little ring box her Father had given her when she was nine in with the photos. Her Mom paused in the doorway and (finally in control of her reddened cheeks) Alice glanced at her.
"What's this about?" Carol asked.
Despite herself, Alice smiled. "I don't need to look for Dad anymore", she told her Mom. She shut the lid firmly over the hat box. But just because she was closing the box, didn't mean she would never open it again. "It's time to move on", she said, sliding it beneath her bed.
Her Mum raised one eyebrow, but the sound of the door buzzer cut off whatever she had been about to say. Alice, who had been in the middle of rolling the world map she had used to try and track her Father, jumped at the sound.
"Oh", Carol said. "I almost forgot: the construction worker who found you, he wanted to stop by to see how you were", she smiled knowingly. "Very sweet".
Her Mom danced off in her heels to get the door while Alice bit her lip. She would have preferred to spend the day in her room, closing a chapter of her life while thinking over memories and packing away the things she no longer needed. But she couldn't very well ignore the man who had saved her, could she?
She placed the map beside the hat box beneath her bed and straightened up. All that was left was the present her Dad had bought her when she was a child. She picked up her copy of Alice's Adventure In Wonderland off her bed and lovingly stroked the cover. How can I possibly part with that? She thought. It didn't just connect her with her Father, it connected her to Hatter, Charlie, Jack and the most amazing adventure she'd had.
"Alice?" Carol called from the other room. "Come meet David!"
So it was with a smile, that Alice very carefully placed the book on top of her dresser.
She wandered into the main room, twiddling her fingers, trying to ready up a big false smile to show the man who saved her how grateful she was. But when she lifted her head and caught sight of him, she stopped. Her feet stopped, her breathing stopped, her heart stopped.
"Hatter!" she cried.
The next moment she was flying. She charged across the room and into his arms, holding him as tightly as she could. It seemed impossible, but then after what she'd seen, she was beginning to think there was no such thing as impossibilities.
Beneath her arms, Hatter let out a short breath. "Finally".
She laughed weakly. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you".
She thought she felt him laugh and she pulled back slightly. There was a pause while they just looked at each other, then he bent his head and in one quick movement captured her mouth with his own. Finally! Alice thought, repeating Hatter's sentiments. They broke apart just enough for Hatter to murmur: "I've missed you", against her lips. And then they were kissing again, Alice caressing his face while he pulled her tighter to him. It was better then she could have ever wished for.
When they did finally brake apart, both breathing heavily but grinning foolishly, Alice was suddenly aware of her Mother looking on from a distance. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were as round as the chinese lanterns that hung from the ceiling. She rooted around for something to say, but couldn't think of a single answer that would explain why she had started kissing a total stranger. Hatter hadn't noticed and rubbed his hands over her forearms, soothing her.
"Have you come to make use of your offer?" Alice asked.
His forehead creased and she felt her lips twitch with amusement.
"Pizza?" she persisted.
And that was it. It was as though a cloud passed straight over his face and the smile slipped from Hatter's features as though it had never been there.
"No, Alice", his hands tightened on her arms.
She had never seen him like this. He looked - she hated to say it - almost afraid.
"I'm sorry", he continued.
She didn't care what he said. She'd make sure it wouldn't effect her. During her night in hospital she'd had a lot of time to think things over, and also a lot of time to rebuild the walls around her heart. After all, upon returning home, Hatter hadn't grabbed her to him, swing her around and kissed her lips. He'd let her go. He may be back now, but she also had her armour back on.
He was looking her straight in the eye. "But we have to go back".