Alice looked down at her desk, piled high with maps and papers. There was a knock at the door and a young man poked his head into the room.

"Ms. Kingsly, he's back."

"Again?" Alice cried in despair. "Tell him to go away; I don't have time to deal with him."

"Right away," the man disappeared and Alice knew he was throwing the would-be suitor out. An annoying man had been attempting to woo Alice for months, attracted by her money and power as well as her looks. Her business had taken off recently, and the workload was completely overwhelming her.

She spent almost hour checking numbers and marking maps, and the pile on her desk was finally beginning to shrink slightly. There was another knock and the young man came in a second time, laden with more papers covered in numbers.

"These are the newest calculations…" his voice trailed off when he saw the defeat on Alice's face. Alice raised a hand to her forehead.

"I need to talk a walk. I'm going to go mad if I stay closed up in here any longer," she pushed past the protesting boy – for, really, he was no more than a boy – and walked through the house out into the garden.

She stopped for a moment, savoring the sweet warmth of the sun on her face. She walked slowly across the lawn and past the rose bushes, lost in thoughts of maps and trading.

After several moments, she realized that she was standing still. Looking around, she was surprised at where her feet had carried her. There, in the ground beneath the tree, was the rabbit hole. She walked slowly to the hole and knelt beside it.

"I really shouldn't," she whispered to the empty garden. Even as she said this, though, she sat and let her legs dangle over the edge.

"Alice!" her mother came around the corner and called her name sharply. "What on earth are you doing? Heaven knows what could be in that hole, and you'll ruin your clothes sitting on the ground like that."

Alice stood reluctantly. Her mother sighed when she saw her face.

"Honey, you really need to marry before you lose your pretty face. And you should dress better. Honestly, you can afford nicer dresses than that one," the woman continued to chatter critically as they walked back to the house. Alice looked up at the window of the little office. Her blood ran cold at the thought of her returning to her desk and staring at the numbers again.

"I-I can't do this," she stammered before turning and running back through the garden. She heard and ignored her mother's cries of protest. She skidded to a stop in front of the rabbit hole, took a deep breath, and jumped in.

She flew past tea pots, bookshelves, and cabinets before slamming into the floor of the room filled with doors.

Struggling to her feet, she grabbed the familiar key from the glass table and swallowed the potion she knew would be there. Sputtering from the horrible taste, she groaned slightly as her bones compressed and her skin tightened, her dress becoming a tent around her.

Moving even faster now, she scampered over the fabric of her dress, clutching the key tightly in one hand. By the foot in the table, she found the familiar cake, which she grabbed with her free hand.

She sprinted across the floor, unlocked the tiny door, and burst into Wonderland. She took a carefully measured bite of cake. Growing felt worse than shrinking, but she was glad when she was back at her proper height. Alice glanced down at herself, now clothed only in her ripped under-dress.

"Why can't my clothes grow and shrink properly with me?" she wondered out loud. Sighing to herself, she took off running across Wonderland. Her bare feet slapped against the soft dirt path. She had no idea where she was headed, but decided to run where her feet took her. Obviously, her unconscious had been waiting for this moment for some time.

She sprinted through Wonderland, through the forest and over open fields, all the while marveling at the feeling of the wind rushing by her, the sweet smells of the flowers, the bright colors that told her the world had thrived since she left. Abruptly, she skidded to a stop when she saw a little house, then bounded to the door and knocked. There was movement and the door opened.

"Alice," the Mad Hatter had time to breathe before she threw her arms around him in a hug.