New Story! I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this but I've got my general direction... and as long as I keep walking, I'm bound to get somewhere eventually, right?

Anywho, here's the prologue. Let me know what you think! P.S. - the next chapter will be set about 18 years in the future.

David Kieran Tobias Hatter gazed sympathetically at his wife, who was currently curled up on the bathroom floor. She'd had a stomach bug for several days now. Having spent a lot of her time throwing up whatever she tried to eat, she was pretty exhausted. That was the only reason he could possibly imagine she would fall asleep using a package of toilet paper as a pillow. He leaned down and carefully swapped out the tissue for a real pillow and draped a blanket on top of her, trying not to wake her up. She hadn't slept much either lately, complaining of overly vivid dreams. Alice needed her rest. But Hatter was unable to stop himself from brushing her hair over her ear.

She stirred, blinking slowly at her husband.

"Hey you. What are you doing in here? I'm terrible company right now," she whispered.

Hatter laughed. "What are you talking about? You've never been easier to get along with."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "If I felt better, I'd hit you."

"There's my Alice." He sat down on the floor next to her, picking up her hand. "You sure you're comfortable here? You could always move to the bed if you wanted to."

She shook her head. "No, if I'm going to suddenly hurl, I'd rather not have to dash in here."

Her voice sounded so resigned. His fingers began stroking Alice's, almost on their own. "Alright, have it your way then. I'm about to head to work though. Do you need anything before I leave?"

She groaned. "A new stomach, maybe?"

Her husband gave her a half-smile. "I'll see what I can do, love." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and stood up. "Be back before you know it."

"You better be," she called after him. Alice struggled to stay awake until after she heard the door close. Hatter really had been wonderful this past week, staying up with her until all hours, making sure she would be ok. He really was the only man that she'd ever felt this way about. She still couldn't believe that she had ended up with him. It had taken several twists of luck and more than a few stupid decisions, but somehow they had gotten together. Seeing him standing there, awkwardly holding his hat in her living room definitely ranked as one of the best moments of her life.

With that memory in her head, and feeling slightly better, Alice drifted off to sleep.

Hatter found his wife on the couch when he got home. He was impressed for a moment that she'd managed to move herself that far – she must really be feeling better – but then he noticed how pale and nauseous she looked. She wasn't even really looking at him at all.

"Alice? Love? What's the matter? You look even more dreadful than usual." His attempt at humor fell flat. Alice looked up at him and let out a soft whimper.

Genuinely alarmed now, Hatter sat down next to her. He wound an arm around her shoulder, gently cradling her to him. "Alice, please tell me what's going on. You're really making me anxious."

She nodded. "I was thinking about stuff earlier, and I realized something. Then I started doing the math, and then I checked, and…. oh, Hatter. I don't know if I can handle this." She buried her face in his shoulder.

Hatter was completely confused. "What are you talking about? I'm not following, love, I'm sorry."

Alice looked up at him. With a deep sigh, she told him.

"I'm pregnant."

He stared at her. "You mean… like, really pregnant?" '

"Yeah."

Hatter waited for the panic, the fear, the horror to settle in, but they didn't. Instead, he suddenly felt unbearably light.

"But Alice! That's brilliant!"

She looked at him in shock. "Brilliant?" she echoed. "Really? Hatter, we're barely responsible for us! How are we supposed to take care of a kid? We're both still in our early twenties. We're not old enough to have children yet!"

"Alice, stop," he commanded, running his hands through his frantic wife's hair. "We're plenty ready for a kid. Sure, we're not living in suburbia, and I don't go to an office every day like a normal bloke. But would you really want to trade living in this flat and have me sell the teashop? We're perfectly responsible. And besides, no one is ever really ready for kids. But they keep on having them anyway. And don't forget, it's just one kid and two of us. I think we'll be able to handle anything it throws at us. You did bring down the Queen of Hearts almost single-handedly, remember?"

Alice shook her head. "I had help."

"And you still have me know," he interrupted. Alice sighed. "We'll be grand, love. It's just one kid to start with. We'll figure it out."

"Promise?"

"Promise."