Alice and What Came After – The Extras

Disclaimer: Nothing except my shiny new copy of Alice on DVD! Yay!

Original Opening Chapter

Based on the original concept—here's the first chapter, or what might have been worked into an opening:

Wonderland might be a strange place, but it remained home for a slightly mad man with a habit of wearing hats. His name was David Hatter and he lived in a modest two-story home with his wife and teenage daughter.

Hatter had a fondness for tea. He had run a successful, yet illegal, tea room back in Wonderland before meeting the famed Alice of Legend. At the time, she had been little more than a pretty girl in a very wet dress. What transpired between them shaped both Wonderland and their bond. It continued through the Looking Glass and into Alice's world.

Nowadays they lived in her world. But Hatter still longed for his home and all its eccentricities.

With Alice's permission, Hatter traveled between the two worlds. He missed Alice when he left her behind. Once their daughter was born, visiting his home hurt even more than before. Despite the heartache, Hatter knew he never truly belonged in Alice's world. Wonderland would always be his home.

It was during one of his visits through the Looking Glass that his beloved home turned into a distant memory. Wonderland lost its wonder for Hatter. Alice and Sarah were his home. They were all he truly needed in order to be happy. They were his own personal piece of Wonderland. His Alice and their little jabberwock.

Unfortunately for David Hatter, he was trapped beyond the Looking Glass, awaiting his execution. His crime? Loving an Oyster. In this twisted version of Wonderland, loving Alice was treason. The King of Wonderland himself ordered Hatter's arrest. There was even a rumor that the king would be the one to chop off his head, hat and all.

The only problem was that he overheard the Suits' plan to travel through the mirror and capture his wife. If the king and his minions learned about Sarah...

Hatter shook his head. He wouldn't let that happen.

"Mom? Is Dad home yet?" asked a brunette teenager. Her shoulder length hair stuck out in odd patches. 'Hatter hair' is what her father always called it.

Sarah tossed her backpack down at the foot of an antique mirror. Her reflection shone back.

"Mom?" she called again.

No answer.

"Mom?"

Sarah's shoes echoed in the empty room. Alice used her home studio on her days off to keep in shape. Usually she practiced once Sarah got home. Karate was a shared passion between them. Even her father could throw a few good punches.

"Hey, honey. How was class?" Alice asked, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Sarah shrugged. "Is dad back yet?"

Alice took a deep breath. "I don't know. Time is different there."

"Why don't we ever go with dad?"

"To Wonderland?"

"Yeah. Didn't you meet dad over there?"

Alice nodded. "We did. But Wonderland just wasn't for me. It's Hatter's home, not ours."

"I guess..."

Alice gave her daughter a hug. "I know you miss him, baby. I miss him too."

Sarah sniffled. "He's never been gone this long before."

Dinner consisted of reheated takeout. Hatter was the cook of the family. Of course most of his meals included some obscure blend of tea. Not that they minded. Tea time was a sacred ritual in the Hatter household.

Sarah picked at her plate.

Across the table, silverware clattered. Her mother loved takeout. Hatter never understood the concept and banned 'that rubbish' from his kitchen. Not that it stopped Alice.

A loud sound came from the other room. Sarah dropped her fork.

"Dad?"

Sarah ran to the mirror, half-expecting a familiar accent to call out her name. Instead she was greeted by a man with blonde hair wearing a red suit. He clutched his stomach.

"Alice?" the stranger called.

Sarah stared at him. "Mom?"

Her mother appeared behind her. "Sarah, what--? Jack?"

Alice bent down beside him.

"Alice..."

"You're hurt..."

"Alice, listen to me. You're in danger."

"What?"

"Your... husband, Hatter, he sent me to warn you..."

Alice frowned. "About what?"

"Wonderland is under attack. My son takes after my mother. He sent Suits to guard the Looking Glass. Alice, David Hatter is to be executed for treason."

"There has to be a mistake."

"He loves you. Under the new rules that is treason."

"How?"

"Wonderlanders cannot be with Oysters."

"But there has to be something we can do..."

Jack shook his head. "There isn't."

"How long does Hatter have?"

"Three days."

"Then we can go--"

"No, Alice. He made me promise to get you out of here."

"Not without him!"

A man tumbled through the mirror. Another man followed. They wore suits and sunglasses.

"Run!" Alice screamed, going into a fighting stance.

Sarah wanted to help her mother but common sense told her to run.

And run she did.

Alice grappled with the first attacker, using a wrist grab to disable him. Before she could go on the offensive, two men grabbed her arms. Sheer force wouldn't help her break free.

"Tie her hands," ordered one of the men. A Suit, just like Jack warned.

Alice struggled in their grip. Jack groaned a few feet away.

"What about Heart?" one of Alice's captors asked.

A quick series of gunshots brought an end to Jack's sounds. Alice jerked at each shot.

"Find the other Oyster."

Shaking with rage, Alice went through the mirror on her own. Bright lights surrounded her as she tumbled down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland.

Sarah crashed through the front door, her jacket flying out behind her. One of her father's hats covered her head. Adrenaline kicked in, sending her down the street to her mother's studio.

In a back room, a small mirror rested against a wall. It was a one way mirror to her father's home in Wonderland. No one used it. It was for emergencies.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah jumped through the Looking Glass and into Wonderland.