Story: Queen Elicia

Summary: "Running away from destiny will get you nowhere." What the Cheshire Cat said was true… Elicia Liddell is now 30-years-old and is engaged to a man she met during college. She has forgotten all about Wonderland, and absolutely refuses to pick up anything related to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". She seems to be living a pretty happy, normal life…but, her life is about to become anything but normal. The White Rabbit appears to her again and pleads for Elicia to take her place as Queen of Wonderland, ultimately killing the Queen of Hearts and Spades. She tried running from her destiny once; can she really do it again?

Warnings: Language, Violence

…

"Elicia, when do you think you'll have that project done?" A woman with boy-cut black hair and cat green eyes asked the blonde woman sitting behind a mahogany desk.

Said blonde woman, Elicia Liddell, turned her head to look at her colleague and friend. "Soon enough, Adriana."

Adriana shook her head. "That doesn't give me a time frame to give to Douglas."

Elicia thought for a moment and then looked at her computer screen for a few seconds before saying, "Probably just a few more hours, give or take a few minutes."

Adriana nodded. "Right then, I'll go tell boss-man." Boss-man was the "affectionate" nickname everyone in the offices of the Knighton Commercial Arts Company gave their boss, Douglas Knighton.

"Gotcha." Elicia turned from her friend and started to get back to work, quickly typing out codes to rewrite certain pictures or WordArt to fit her needs.

Her blue eyes cautiously watched the monitor as keystroke after keystroke altered the picture of an angel with one wing and a long sword – and the words Final Fantasy written under it – until Elicia was happy with it. She leaned back in her chair, not entirely satisfied with the picture of Sephiroth, Yuna, Yuffie, Cloud, and Leon but was content for the moment.

Three weeks ago, Square-Enix came to Knighton Commercial Arts – yeah, it was an internationally acclaimed company – and asked for them to design an American ad for the US release of the new Final Fantasy game. They had told everyone the characters in the game, and what they expected. Elicia, being the only gamer in the offices, quickly scooped up the job. She had been told to use whatever character(s) necessary, but for it to look like the best game made thus far. Luckily for her, all her favorite characters – Sephiroth, Yuna, Yuffie, Cloud, and Leon (Squall) – were in the game. For taking the job, Elicia had even been granted to see a preview of the game; it combined all of the characters from all games into one awesome action packed video game that downcast the others.

"Taking a break?"

Elicia jumped and nearly squealed at the voice. She looked over and sighed when she saw it was only her red haired fiancé, William Barbieri. She smiled when she saw the white roses in his arms. "Yeah, just a small one. I have to finish editing this ad soon."

William, (called Will by most), made a disappointed face as he handed her the roses. "How soon?"

Elicia looked at the clock on her computer and saw it read 4:54 PM. She now made a face; it had been almost two hours since she told Adriana she'd have the ad done in a few hours. "Actually, right now soon."

She put the roses aside, made a few more demanding keystrokes on the keyboard, and looked at her work, satisfied. Sephiroth was broadcast in the center, making him larger and more seeable than the others, with her other favorite characters heads and shoulders floating in midair around his head. Under the other characters, behind Sephiroth, was the city of Midgar, or what was left of it. Beneath Sephiroth it read:

Final Fantasy XIV: All's End

A past that's repeated. A present that's too real. A future that may not exist.

Will nodded in approval and smiled lightly at the work done by his fiancé. "Good work, as always. It amazes me how you can create such masterpieces."

Elicia smiled in return. "I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but I am satisfied with it."

Right then, Adriana ran up to the two. "Elicia, boss-man wants the Square-Enix project now."

Elicia clicked the print button and waited as the ad printed out. She snatched it from the tray it rested in and handed it to her friend. "Here ya go, Adriana. Hot out of the oven."

Adriana smiled and shook her head at her friend's distasteful humor. "Gotcha. I'll go run this to boss-man now, and ask if you can go home." She winked at Will. "Treat her nice." She turned walked towards an elevator.

Elicia stood up and stretched her arms over her head until they popped before straightening out her light blue blouse and black gaucho pants. She slipped on the black ballet flats she took off when she was working.

Will smiled at her and wrapped her in his skinny arms, resting his face in Elicia's shoulder length blonde hair. "Does my artist wish for anything?"

Elicia giggled a little. "Nothing, at the moment. What I will need whenever boss-man lets me go home is going to be a back rub. I've been hunched over all day and it's killing me."

"Is that all you're gonna want?" He asked, blowing into her ear.

She blushed and wriggled out of his arms. "Only if you continue to try to seduce me at work."

Will groaned in disappointment but shrugged in acceptance. He understood that her boss wasn't exactly too happy that last time he'd successfully seduced Elicia in the office, Douglas had walked in on them in the middle of having sex and made her take a desk out in the open.

Adriana walked up to the two again and said, "Boss-man said you can go home. He's impressed with the ad you made, as am I, and says it's your best work yet."

Elicia nodded once as she shut down her computer and grabbed her blue jean purse from her drawer as Will grabbed the roses. "Tell him I say thanks." She turned and walked with him as he threw one arm around her shoulders.

The climbed into Will's red Trans-Am once outside, with him driving. Elicia rested her head against the glass and closed her eyes. Thinking how perfect her life was, and how nothing could change that.

…

Meanwhile…

"Go and get her, we don't have a moment to spare." A woman with bunny ears and alabaster pale skin said with urgency.

The white rabbit standing in front of her started, "But, I can't just—"

"You must." The bunny woman rested her face in her hands. "Every second wasted waiting for our true Queen to return is a second that we could be killed by the Queen of Hearts and Spades. We can no longer wait for her to come back of her own accord."

The white rabbit hesitated but nodded. "Yes, I will retrieve her."

"Good. Make haste, Queen Elicia must ascend to her throne or I fear we will all die."