Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in Wonderland.

AN: For anyone who's reading this story, I'm going to try to upload a chapter a day. Unfortunately, I'm terribly lazy so sometimes I may not be able to do even that. But I don't believe this story will end up being very long anyway, so I'll do my best.

Chapter 1

When she woke up, the sun was shining harshly down on the emerald green grass she lay on. Her throat hurt, and she couldn't speak without sounding hoarse. She felt lightheaded, and, overall, she felt absolutely miserable. Slowly opening her eyes, she waited until her vision adjusted to look around her. She frowned.

Well, the afterlife's not what I thought it would be. Is this Heaven? No, no. I wouldn't be here if this was Heaven. It's awfully familiar though.

She sat up, trying not to aggravate the ache in her sore body. Her eyes darted from side to side as she absorbed the scenery around her. The grass sparkled. As did the sapphire sky and the amber trunks of the trees. Even the sun glittered like a luminous yellow topaz behind diamond clouds. Her eyes widened. She knew where she was. A genuine smile broke across her face like the rising of a new dawn. Her eyes sparkled like peridots as a childish joy filled them. She was back. She was in Wonderland.

After she'd managed to stand up, though on shaking legs, she started exploring her childhood sanctuary. As she walked away from where she'd woken up, she couldn't help the smile that refused to leave her face. It had been so long since she'd last been in Wonderland with its extravagant beauty. As a child, she had loved sparkling things and her sanctuary reflected that. She supposed she must still love jewels and things like those deep down, but being raised by her father had erased such fondness from the surface. Really, though, she had no clue why Wonderland didn't blind her with all of the light reflecting off the faceted trees and bushes and just everything around her.

Right as she'd reached the edge of what looked like a forest a jeweler would salivate over, she heard soft footsteps approach. Turning around, she paused and scanned her surroundings. Shaking her head, she turned back around and took another step when something-no, someone-materialized in front of her. Jumping back, she watched as a large pair of familiar, vibrant green eyes blinked at her, quickly followed by a large, toothy grin.

"Alice, how…lovely to see you," the grinning mouth said as the rest of his body formed. She blinked owlishly as she stared at her old friend-was that the word for what he was? She shook her head and smiled at him. Whatever he used to be to her, she couldn't deny she was happy to see him. Perhaps he'd turn out to be pleasant company as she wandered through Wonderland.

"I'm glad to see you too, Cat. How've you been?" she asked, her voice pleasant and almost sweet (if hoarse) for the first time in so many years. The dark bundle of fur that was the Cheshire Cat simply continued to grin at her, though his eyes, large and familiarly intelligent, remained wide open. His stare unnerved her, always had, really.

"We're already late for the Tea Party, Alice," he said, turning away from her, voice smooth and mischievous, "The Hatter will not be pleased."

"The Hatter?" she asked, her eyebrows raised, "How is he?" The Cat stiffened, before relaxing his body and walking into the forest.

"You'll see. Follow me," he said, not even looking at her. Alice watched him for a moment, before following after.

They were walking in peaceful silence through the forest when Alice noticed something forming out of the shadows. She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the bubbling mass that was almost hidden in the shade of the trees. The Cheshire Cat turned to look at what his companion was currently staring at. Just before he could, the dark mass flattened to the ground, looking like nothing more than shadow. He looked up at Alice with a mocking grin, which she frowned at.

"So, tell me," Alice asked, "how's Wonderland been since I was last here?"

"You'll see," said the Cat, looking straight in front of him. There was something incredibly dismissive in his voice, as if he couldn't bear even having a conversation with her. She was somewhat surprised that she wasn't surprised at all.

"You know," she said, "Something about you has always been familiar."

"Really." His grin was just as toothy and mocking as ever, but there was an unmistakable trace of disdain that she couldn't remember it having before. She was stunned. As subtle a change as it was, something about it just didn't seem quite right. Something about it was not what she remembered the Cheshire Cat being.

Alice opened her mouth to speak, when the Cat suddenly shushed her. She frowned at him, but he ignored her, his head swiveling to and fro. His eyes narrowed as he studied the shadows around them. A small bubbling mass began to form from the shade. The Cat's eyes went wide, and then he curled his tail around Alice's arm, insistently trying to pull her forward.

"What-" Alice tried to say, but the Cat continued to pull at her. Seeing him so quiet and serious unnerved her, so she kept quiet and followed quickly after him. His paws gained speed, and he occasionally looked behind them, frowning and running even faster than before. She looked back and gasped at the sight of the creatures following them. She froze. The Cat looked at her for just a moment before frowning and smacking her with his fluffy tail.

To say that the creatures were nightmarish would be to do a disservice to them. They formed from the shadows, tendrils of darkness hanging off of their bodies. They had razor sharp fangs that refused to stay in their mouths and extended to just underneath their milky white, beady eyes. Saliva trickled out of their mouths, their exposed gums almost bloody red. They had sharp chins and long faces and the bodies of wraiths. But it was the fact that their eyes were focused intensely on the Cheshire Cat and her that froze Alice's heart with fear.

The feeling of the Cat's soft, fluffy tail brushing against her cheeks managed to snap her out of her trance (mostly because she now wanted to rub his tail against her skin). Alice looked over at his frowning face and quickly started moving again. He turned his face to the front again and quickened his pace.

"We're almost there!" he called, the slightest trace of panic in his voice.

"What are they?" she asked, running faster when one of the creatures got too close. He didn't answer her and just kept running, his paws moving faster and faster as pale green grass slowly turned emerald.

"Just keep moving, Alice!" he called back, "We're almost at the Hatter's!" She was already panting, not used to running for any real length of time. But she forced her aching legs to go even faster as she followed the nimble, if very round, Cat.

"What's happened here? What's happened to my Wonderland?" she asked, though it hurt to speak so loudly. The Cat stayed silent, his paws still pounding grass and dirt. Finally, just for a moment, he turned his face around to look at her, his large green eyes seeming to pierce through her.

"You know what's happened, Alice," he said, turning his face away from her, "You know what's happened to Wonderland better than anyone else." Her mouth opened as if to speak when the Cat suddenly burst into a sprint, forcing her to do the same. The Cat stopped abruptly in a clearing and Alice collapsed to her knees. She took a few moments to catch her breath, then looked up and back at the forest. The shadowy creatures were retreating, their eyes still focused on their prey.

"We're here," the Cat said. They had finally arrived at the Hatter's domain.