Greetings to everyone who decided to click on the title of my story and read my first and hopefully not so badly written fiction of Alice in Wonderland. I'm not yet entirely sure as to where this story will end up going, but it'll mostly focus on the end of American McGee's Alice and Alice Madness Returns and the time in between, perhaps even the time after Madness Returns. Having played both the games, read the book a trillion times and watched the Tim Burton movie, I am rather excited at writing this as I've always had a strong love for Alice, and now especially for the horror version of both games.

Anyway, enough ranting. All the characters from the games will be returning in this fiction as well as characters from the book and most possibly from my own imagination. It will focus mostly on Alice and her adventures in Wonderland, but also on her live in London and Rutledge Asylum. This is just a preview but in the next chapters there will be several appearances of characters from Alice and of course Alice herself will be ever present, and I hope I'll be able to keep them in character, please tell me if I need to change several things in that aspect. As for the rating, taking in consideration my own character there will most certainly be blood, gore and a chance at sexual references, something I find rather fitting in the Alice Madness Returns game. For anyone who finds that disturbing, if there is a sexual reference or situation in a chapter there'll always be a warning before the start of the chapter. Otherwise it would be wise to just skip this story and move on to one with a lower rating or without sexual themes, especially if you're not of age.

Review would be very nice as I would like to know if there's anything I did right or wrong but it's not a necessity. Flames however are something way less appreciated and helpful. I have no idea when I'll update again but I'll try not to take too long.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own American McGee's Alice, Alice Madness Returns, Alice in Wonderland or any other characters appearing in this story aside from my own. The book and the characters are copyright to Lewis Carroll. The poems used in this story are not mine if not stated otherwise. This fan fiction itself is copyright to me. The poem in the beginning is part of a poem written by Andrew Lang.

Let's open the book and start indulging ourselves in the beautiful yet scary place called Wonderland.

One gift the fairies gave me

Three they commonly bestowed of yore:

The love of books, the golden key

That opens the enchanted door

Teacups were scattered upon a table which looked as if it could fall over any minute. The tablecloth was a dirty grey colour which should have been a beautiful light pink if not for the many smudges and stains from tea and the crumbs from the cakes and cookies that were scattered across the table. Several chairs were neatly set in a row while other chairs were scattered all across the ground, looking as if they had been attacked by a horde of cats and rats. There were even some chairs floating through the sky, amongst many other things that were floating around the table. At the head of the table was a big and very old tree and from its branches hung a big old chair in chains. It was a very beautiful chair and only one person was allowed to sit in it. But now it was empty, like everything else. Candles were unlit and teacups were without any tea, though the kettle was filled to the brim with tea, cold tea to be precise. The cakes and cookies were dry and stale. It looked as if ages had passed since anyone had been here, but the chair was still as beautiful and clean as ever, not even a speck of dust soiled the beautiful dark wood and soft red pillows. Butterflies were embroidered on the cushions and beautiful flowers were carved into the wood of the chair. If you looked closely enough you could almost see the butterflies move, their wings moving up and down, trying to take to the sky. The flowers and vines carved into the wood grew and grew until they had covered the entire chair, but that only happened if you looked really close.

The sky continued to shift, colours changed every second, every minute. Nothing was ever the same as it was the second before. Nothing but the inhabitants remained the same, on the outside at least. But you'd have to find them first, or let them find you. They could be anywhere, hiding, running. Moving away from the tea and the greasy table to the forests surrounding it, locked in an eternal autumn. Green grass and trees with red and golden leaves. Mosses in all kind of colours grew on the rocks and trees. Small streams flowed through the uneven and rocky landscape. Sometimes the ground just went straight down and sometimes it just went up into the sky, making it difficult to find your way through this beautiful forest. The sky went from yellow to blue and then to purple and after that to red, and so on. Toys and things from all kind of games floated through the sky, books of all kinds were hanging from branches and were lying on the floor. It looked as if someone had been just reading several books or playing games yet there was absolutely no one. Not even little critters in the grass nor birds on the branches of the trees. There was no wind blowing through the trees but the leaves danced nonetheless. Whispers and strange sounds floated through the air. Oh so beautiful and strange, yet so scary and ominous.

She felt as if she had been here before. Everything seemed so familiar yet so new at the same time. Her feet moved over the grass, or was she floating through the air? The tea, that stale tea in the kettle was her favourite white tea. The cookies were the ones she liked the best, with chocolate chips. The recipe for the cake she knew inside and out, layered chocolate cake with cream and grated chocolate chips in the white frosting. Put a strawberry on top with some cream and it's oh so delicious. Did her feet just touch the leaves on the top of the trees or was that just her imagination? Her hair floated around her face and her bangs tickled her cheeks. Laughter escaped her lips and she watched the words that came from her mouth float down to the ground where it met the water. Down they flowed, along the stream. Her laughter was soon joined by many others. Soon she wasn't floating through the sky alone, or was she walking on the ground? Soft fur touched her shoulder and she instantly knew who it was. After all, they had known each other for so long that even with her eyes closed she could point him out in a big crowd. The feeling he gave her was unlike any other, but then again, he was a talking cat after all and who had a talking cat for a friend? A tail moved across her nose and a weight appeared on her shoulders. He purred into her ear softly as her hand moved up to scratch behind his ear. Next to her, somewhat lower than her waist a sound was heard.

Tick, tock, tick tock.

That sound told her that they were just on time. Just in time for the tea party under the tree. Or was it atop the trees? Hurried sounds of hopping told her that they had to hurry just slightly, just because he hated being late. Afraid that something might go wrong, though that never happened. Sometime she wondered if he was just a little paranoid, just a little. One of her hands went to touch his soft and furry ears, hoping to calm him down just slightly for they won't be late, they never are. He hopped slower and slower, closing his pocket watch before he slipped it in his waistcoat. He was such a cute and funny little rabbit. A grin against her ear told her that Cheshire found Mr. White just as funny as she did. The light of the sunset hitting their faces, or was the sun rising? She just couldn't see it any more.

Where are the trees, where is the ground, with the little streams and all the books she loved to read on a warm and soft day? Where is the sky, the fluffy clouds in all kinds of shapes and forms, the ever changing colours, where has it all gone? The soft fur she felt between her finger just moments ago was gone, the weight of her shoulders had lifted, had disappeared. Mr. White and Cheshire had vanished into thin air, though the fact that Cheshire was gone didn't surprise her as he came and went as he pleases, but Mr. White doesn't have the ability to vanish into thin air. Had she always been this alone? She was running, always running from something she couldn't see in the darkness, a foul breath. There was nothing beneath her feet, nor the ground nor the air. She didn't feel anything except for a sharp pain on her back. Her hair floated around her face and her bangs tickled her cheeks. Bubbles escaped her lips and she watched the air that just came from her mouth rise up to the surface. The bubbles were soon joined by many others as the air was forced from her lungs and was replaced with water. Her hands moved through the water in a desperate try to reach for the surface below her, but no matter how hard she moved her arms and legs she didn't get any closer to the light. Instead it faded away in the distance while she sank higher and higher towards the darkness.

Something slick and slimy touched her shoulders and she felt nothing else but overpowering fear taking over her body. Sharp talons appeared as the slimy substance moved from her shoulders towards her neck and ears. Blood flowed freely from her body when the talons cut into her shoulders painfully. She didn't dare look behind her in fear of seeing something she rather not want to see. Chains with spikes twisted around her legs and pierced through her skin, pulling her up towards the darkness. Hands clawed at her feet and legs, blunt nails digging into her calves. In that moment she made the mistake to look down, down towards her feet, down into the darkness. Air she didn't know she had left in her lungs left her mouth in a silent scream, drowned outby the water surrounding her. Mouths gaped at her in equally silent screams but their words still reached her ears and invaded her mind. Their dead and soulless eyes stared up at her while tears of blood and something black mingled in with the water. Hands and tentacles holding her legs so tight it felt as they would rip them off her body. Talons suddenly caressed her cheeks before closing over her eyes when the slimy thing which had touching her neck and ear moved over her cheeks towards her blue lips. Disgusted by the movement she jammed her jaws shut but it didn't stop the things from violently biting her lips until they bled. Something akin to lips moved over her own, perhaps to soothe the pain or just to disgust her, in which is most certainly succeeded, then over her cheeks towards her ear. Whispers turned into screams yet she could still hear a dark and deep voice whispering small nothings to her as she rose further up towards the devouring darkness.

Or was she sinking instead?

'Come with us, up and down with us…'

'Together, together always.'

'Why did you leave us?'

'HOW COULD YOU LEAVE US?'

'Please.. stay with us.'

'SAVE US ALICE..!

'Who stole my tarts?'

'Oh dear, oh dear! You will be too late if you don't hurry!'

'It's nice to have you back, even though you're so always late for my unbirthday. I have a fine Darjeeling this time so come 'ere.'

'Alice…welcome back to your wonderland.'