Muzik: Hey, there! My name's LiveLoveLaughMuzik, and THIS is my first "Alice" fanfic! I'm telling you right now, this is gonna end up a HatterxOC and JackxAlice, so don't like, don't read!! I'm not a HatterxAlice hater or anything, I just think there should be more diversity, so that's what I'm trying to do. But anyways, I hope you like, so please enjoy!

Note:

'We're All Mad Here' = 3rd Person Point of View

'A Change In Melody' = 1st Person Point of View, Melody's

Disclaimer: I do not own Alice, its plot, its words, or its characters (including Hatter… -SOB-….). I do own Melody, and nearly everything about her, so please don't steal her.

Chapter One: No Place Like Home

~We're All Mad Here~

Pale lips sipped from the Styrofoam cup as the aroma of hot cappuccino overwhelmed her senses. Midnight black hair flared out as it reached her shoulders reached, the tips a caramel brown. A neon blue hoodie splattered with paint comfortably fit her torso, her worn blue jeans hugging her crossed legs all the way down to her sensible sneakers. The buzz and babble of the airport crowd was blocked out by the music that filled her head-phone covered ears, hiding her many piercings. Her aqua eyes scanned the passing faces as she absentmindedly played with the lone silver bangle on her wrist.

"Mel!" Melody turned to find a familiar dark haired woman racing towards her.

She grinned and rose from her seat to embrace her best friend, "Hey, Ali!"

"God, Melody, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever!" Alice smiled as they broke their hug.

"Nah, forever would've been okay, that was more like forever and a year!!" The two friends laughed as they picked up Mel's luggage and headed out of the airport.

~We're All Mad Here~

"So how was art school?" Alice asked as they piled into a cab.

"Not bad," Mel answered, "but it does feel nice to be out. More room for creativity. How have you been?"

"Pretty good," Alice smiled, "Mom's great, New Zealand's officially off the 'Where is Dad' list, and my martial arts classes have gotten more… interesting." Melody raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting how?"

Alice blushed a bit before answering, "Oh, just new faces, more complex moves, you know…" Melody gave her a look that clearly said 'Oh, please.' They stayed that way for nearly three minutes, Alice growing more uncomfortable by the second.

"Okay!! I give!!" she gave in. "See, I met a new guy-"

"Oh, boy…" Mel sighed

"Okay, I know what you're thinking, but this time it's different!!" Alice reassured her, "He's one of my students, and he's sweet, and sensitive, and caring, and…." She trailed off and looked her closest friend straight in the eyes. "And I've got a feeling about him Mel. I can tell that he's special, that there's something that sets him apart from all the other guys. The same feeling you got about…"

Melody visibly winced as Alice had to catch herself from stumbling onto that topic.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's alright. And it doesn't hurt as much anymore," Melody said, gazing at the single bracelet on her wrist as she played with it. Memories arose as her fingertips brushed the cool surface: an echoing laugh, the smell of charcoal and wood, the familiar taste of blackberries on her lips.

"If you do think he could be the one," Mel continued, shaking the sensations away, "maybe you ought to pace this relationship a bit slower than the others you've had. Diving into it could screw the whole thing up, you know?"

Alice nodded, taking her friend's advice to heart. Between the two, Alice had always been a more rational thinker, but Melody's instinct was never wrong.

"So when do I get to meet the new target?" Mel asked mischievously. Alice gave her a friendly whack on the head.

"Never, if you don't behave."

Mel pouted, "Oh, c'mon Ali!! It's only fair, because I got you a surprise, and this is a fair exchange!!"

Alice thought for a moment, weighing her pros and cons, before finally surrendering to her curiosity, "He's coming over tonight, so play nice and try not to scare him away for me."

Her friend gave her an angelic smile, while thinking sinisterly in her head, 'Hehehe, fresh meat!!'

~We're All Mad Here~

"Okay," Alice started once they had lugged all of Mel's things into the flat, "I want to see my present, now!"

"Wow, a bit pushy are we?" Mel teased as she plopped onto the couch, "I just got here, can't you give me a minute?"

"No," Alice insisted. "You already put it off in the cab, since it was in the trunk, but it's here now, so let me see!!"

Melody laughed. She loved it when Alice got all impatient and lost her composure, "Alright, alright, it's in the suitcase to your left."

Alice unzipped it, and pulled out a package, flat and large.

"This?" she asked, gesturing to the object that was wrapped in wrinkled beige paper. Mel nodded, and Alice made quick work of the wrapping, eager to see the mysterious present. The final layer of paper was ripped off, and Alice gasped as she set her eyes on the canvas, in complete awe of what she saw.

The painting depicted a flashy tea party in a forest clearing. Five figures were seated around the table, drinking tea.

The first was Alice, looking as empowered as ever, her legs crossed under her flowing black skirt, and the sapphire blue shirt hugging her figure. A smirk was prominent on her face as her chocolate brown hair wisped around her.

To her left was Melody, grinning mischievously with her head tilted slightly to the side. The electric green cat ears on her head paired nicely with the bushy tail curled around her chair. She sported a white halter top and chestnut skinny jeans.

On Alice's other side, the Dormouse slept soundly, his mustache hanging into his teacup. He was a stout and large man in a beige suit and what looked like a fur coat. His nose and face gave him a bit of a feminine, mousy look.

At the end of the table sat the March Hare, an air of power about him. Dirty blonde hair fell raggedly onto his face, which looked focused and uptight. He wore a black suit and turtleneck, looking similar to a hit man if it weren't for the rabbit ears sticking out from his hair.

On the other end sat his near opposite, the Mad Hatter. His flamboyant outfit consisted of a tan jacket, a patterned shirt, a maroon tie and brown slacks. A brick-red hat rested atop his head and he was laughing, probably mocking the March Hare whom was glaring at him.

It was great, Alice loved it immediately. One thing threw her off though…

"You made the Hatter a blonde?" It was true, from the locks spilling out from under his hat, to the stubble on his face; the Mad Hatter was blonde.

Mel made a face, "Yeah, my art instructor thinks that the Hatter should always have light hair, God knows why. But he threatened that he'd fail me if I changed it." She took the painting from Alice's hands, examining it, "Well, since I'm graduated, and I've been dying to darken his hair….. You guys got an area you don't mind getting messy?"

"Later," Alice said, stopping her friend before she got into full artist mode, "Jack's gonna be over in a few hours, so we need to get you unpacked and settled, get dinner ready, and be somewhat presentable before then."

"Ugh…" Mel groaned as she picked up her suitcase to bring to the spare bedroom, "I never had all these things to worry about when I was dating…"

~A Change In Melody~

I sighed as I dug through my clothes, trying to find something that Alice would be okay with.

"Are you sure I can't just wear jeans and a shirt?? That's what I wore on my dates!!" I called through the closed door.

"No!" she shouted back, "It has to be nice, not something to wear if you're running through a park!!"

I rolled my eyes; she could be so picky sometimes. I continued my search, getting more annoyed by the second. Everything was either too casual, or extremely dressy. I sighed again, running my hand through my hair. Then, I saw something flashing as it moved in the closet. Opening it, I found my favorite outfit. It was the only thing I cared about enough to hang it in there. It hadn't even crossed my mind since I only wear it when working… but it might work.

A few minutes later, I took a breath before opening my door, ready for criticism. Alice's eyes widened as she took in my ensemble. I'll be honest; calling it eye catching was an understatement. Teal fishnet hugged my figure under a white sleeveless shirt. The lime green pattern on the shirt matched the skirt that wrapped around my middle before flaring out at my thighs. Under the skirt were white skinny jeans, for I dared not go out without them. All in all, it was a very bright and energizing way to dress.

"What are you wearing?" Alice and I both looked down the hallway to where the voice had come from.

"Oh…" I smiled sheepishly, "Hey, Mom…"

"Don't you 'hey, Mom,' me!!" Carol marched up to me, "I finally get home, hoping to get a hug from my daughter who's been gone for years, only to find her wearing this!" She shoved an accusing finger at my outfit.

"Okay, Mom, I have a way to explain!!" I defended myself, "Alice won't let me wear any of my regular stuff, so the only thing left was my work outfit-"

"Work outfit?!! I don't see many things you could be working as, besides a prostitute!!" Carol was going into spazz-out mode, her arms beginning to flail.

"MOM!!" Alice shouted, effectively quieting Carol, "Can you PLEASE just shut up?! Let Mel explain."

"Thank you. First of all, no, I don't work as a prostitute, I had to work part time as a DJ to help pay bills," I explained, "and second, it really isn't that bad. It's pretty crazy, yeah, but not bad in the way you're thinking of. I just changed my wardrobe a lot since you guys last saw me." I mentally flinched. Like I told Alice, the pain from that time had numbed quite a bit, but it still hurt none the less.

Now calm, Carol surveyed my outfit again, keeping all the things I had said in mind, "…. Alright, I admit it isn't as bad as I thought. I'm just used to seeing you in darker clothes. Sorry, Hon."

"S'okay, Mom," I smiled, "Now c'mon, we still need to 'help' Ali." We both turned to Alice, who looked frightened.

"Oh, Lord…." She muttered as she raced to her room to hide. Carol and I roared with laughter as we started chasing her down, all previous worries chased away

Muzik: Mmkay, well that's the end of the first chapter, I hope you liked it! It's mostly to kind of ease Melody into the picture, I didn't want to have her jump into the plot without giving you guys a pretty good feel about her personality and all, so here it is.

And my e-mail's currently being screwy, so I won't know if you Favorited or Subscribed me, but I can still check reviews, so please leave some!! Reviews make the world go round!! X3

Oh, and if you're confused by the Carol/Mom thing, don't worry, it'll be explained soon. And yes, Alice and Melody are sisters. Also to be explained soon!!

Well, I think that's all for right now, please do review, and HOPEFULLY I'll have chapter 2 up by the 24th, but I'm not completely sure due to holiday craziness. Alright, see you later!!