Wake Up Call

Alice considered everything she'd gone through in the past week, though it hadn't been a week in her world by any means.

She recalled Hatter's betrayal at the Library, the horror that had lanced through her when she'd realized his real reason for supposedly helping her. She could still picture the fierce expression on Dodo's face, her terror when he shot Hatter, and his weight on her shoulder as she flipped him onto his back. She could still feel the leather of Hatter's jacket in her hands, as she hauled him towards the bus—her anger and relief when she found that he was okay.

She remembered what it felt like for her heart to break, not once, but twice, as Jack revealed that he was actually the enemy, that he was engaged; as he strung her along and manipulated her into playing a part she wasn't ready for. She remembered the ache that seized her chest, the way her stomach dropped to floor-level when she realized that she'd never been anything but a means to an end for him.

She knew now, what it was to cry for the first time in years, as she lost her father for the second time. It was like the crash after a fight. It was like catching your breath after a jog; suddenly bone tired and weary. It was like coming home from the movies to find Dina dead. It was all so surreal. There she was, hunched over her father's body, sobbing into his chest. Nothing else existed in that moment. She was just tired, and weary, and frightened. Everything had gone so wrong, and she wasn't just crying for her father (she'd had years to cry over him, and—though she'd never admit to it—she'd let go of him a long time ago), she was crying for the things she'd done in Wonderland, the things that had been done to her, and all the in-between.

And then Hatter had pulled her to her feet, apologizing for it all,

("I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,")

and they were off again, to save Wonderland.

Now, as she tucked her father's things away in a box, where they'd stay until she wanted to remember, she felt all of those things and more. She felt tired and weary, insecure and frightened, horrified and heartbroken, and there was no way to fix it—no one to fix it.

She'd rejected Jack, killed her father, left Charlie behind, and her mother didn't even know she'd gone anywhere. For a while, she'd thought it was a dream; a fantastical, horrible, strange dream. She considered that maybe she had just temporarily lost her mind. But then her mother had asked about Jack, and she knew it was all real. She hadn't just made it all up.

Alice really had gone to Wonderland.

("What's all this about?"

"I don't need to look for dad, anymore.")

And now she was back here, feeling lonelier than ever. She would never see her friends in Wonderland again. She would never see Hatter again. Oddly enough, it was that last one was the one that got to her the most.

Hatter, with his charming grin and his ridiculous hat and his warm coat. He had been there through it all. He'd even come after her when she'd run away. He wasn't here now, though. He'd stayed behind.

Her mom left to answer the door, and she stared fondly down at Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, not sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.

"Alice!" Carol called from up the hall, "Come meet David!"

She set the book down absently and turned to leave her room without even thinking about it. Her mind was still in another world, thoughts filled with green grass and tea shoppe's and hat's. She swallowed thickly as she crossed into the living room, gaze on her hands, fingers twisting together.

When she looked up, she gave a start, faltering mid-step.

"Hatter!" she yelled, surprised and delighted all at once. She ran to him and he caught her, tugging her close. She could feel his breath along the curve of her shoulder as he said,

"Finally." She shared his sentiments.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

The expression on his face as he pulled away told her otherwise.

And then they were kissing. His lips were moving against hers in a way that she'd wanted them to since he'd first informed her that they were in this together.

"I missed you," he murmured against her lips.

And, suddenly, everything was okay.