To give credit where credit is due, all characters and personalities belong firstly to Lewis Carroll, and secondly to Tim Burton, the best producer on the face of the earth!

Please don't ask. I really enjoyed the movie. This is based off of something I typed out on my ipod on my long bus rise. That's right. I get bored. Aaaand...this is kinda meant to have a dark feel to it, but the people involved won't be too different behavior wise.

REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Chapter 1

Sunset came ominously over the matchless world of Underland. The sky turned a deep red, like a raging fire was burning in the atmosphere, or whatever Alice supposed it was as she sat on a balcony high above the White Queen's courtyard. Behind her, a wall of open windows harbored the entrance to a great hall, filled with white-clad partygoers. Strangely entrancing music drifted out around the young woman, and along with that, a light breeze caught tendrils of her blond curls. She sat on a bench of polished stone with one leg tucked under her and the other hanging down, swinging like a schoolgirl to the incongruity of the musical rhythms. Her mind was baffled with the memories of all she had done as of late; her eyes were unblinking, fixed on the darkening horizon.

Insecurely, Alice smoothed her dress down over her knees, casting what she hoped to be a nonchalant glance into the room beyond, where the rejoicing horde of people socialized. Folding her hands in her lap, she admired the lacy hem of her attire. It was a very pretty dress, in reality, and Alice smiled to herself privately. It had been upon her own request to arrive at the alleged "party in her honor" wearing another color besides white. Of course, it was hard to find something completely lacking in colorlessness, but with a bit of effort, she had come across a dress that fell just past the middle of her shin with a slight amount of light pink on it. The neckline was lower than what she was accustomed to, so different from what all the proper ladies were wearing back home. Then, Alice had reminded herself that she had just killed a monster--sliced its sorry head strait off at that! She was undeniably incapable of being "proper"...

As she continued to listen to the music, she chanced to look over the balcony. In the center of the wide courtyard, there was a large, white, marble fountain, filled on its various levels with crystalline water that reflected the emerging stars. Naturally, this would have been a regular and calming sight, if not for a small figure standing motionless at the edge. It was a child, or at least what appeared to be one, dressed in ghostly pale robes that were clearly too spacious. She--Alice soon distinguished it to be a little girl--extended a thin hand down onto the water's rippling surface. White hair fell around the young one's shoulders, and sparkling bracelets adorned her arms. The tips of her fingers brushed the clear liquid in one graceful motion; the trail of the silken robe on her back spread out for many feet behind her. After she had withdrawn her hand from the water, something began to happen. A warm light formed in the center of the fountain, spreading until it had covered the whole adornment. Alice watched in a kind of daze, hands gripping the barrier tightly. A white cat joined the girl, perching on the flattened area on top of the short wall. Its tail flicked back and forth, matching the steady motion of Alice's foot, still moving to the ongoing music.

"Alice?" A somewhat delicate voice came from the open entrance. She turned to acknowledge the speaker, who turned out to be none other than the Mad Hatter. With one look at him, Alice noticed that even he had taken the extra step to formalize himself, looking more immaculate than she had ever seen him look before. His hair was combed nicely, similar to how she remembered from when she was little, and considerably different from the stereotypically uncontrollable tangle of vibrant orange. He wore a new pink shirt underneath an equally new light brown tailcoat with matching pants a few shades darker. The vibrant bowtie around his neck was different as well, in the form of a white background instead of black, and covered completely in happy purple and sky blue triangular-shaped flowers, all connected. A pair of long socks matched the pattern. It was a pleasant ensemble for someone who rarely took the time to properly groom himself. In the back of her mind, Alice had to wonder why she hadn't seen him before. He certainly stood out among the group of similarly dressed persons! And, of course, he held a tea cup and saucer unsteadily out in front of him, which was the most unsurprising aspect to him by far.

"Why, might I inquire, are you out here all alone?" He asked, blinking widely. She looked fleetingly back over the edge of the balcony to see if the spectacular sight was still there to behold. To her own astonishment, she saw that everything that was previously there had vanished. No girl. No light. Not even the white cat. All that remained was the fountain, lifeless compared to the magnificence it had displayed before. That couldn't be! It simply couldn't. Nothing could be there one moment and be nonexistent the next! The only exception was that odd feline, Chessur, whose structure could never truly be explained. Alice sighed deeply as her eyes strained to see what she already knew to be gone. She thought for a split second she might have seen something move into the shadows, but realized that there was absolutely nothing there. "I was just pondering the origin of the--whatever are you looking at?" The voice pervaded her thoughts once more, and she turned her head to see the Hatter craning his neck to try and see what she did.

"Oh, forgive me." Alice replied automatically. "I was just attempting to find the little girl and her cat. They were standing"--she pointed strait down at the exact place in front of the fountain--"right there."

The Hatter shifted back and forth between the young woman and the fountain, a most puzzled expression upon his face, faintly disturbed in addition to his perplexity. Then, a good-humored smile graced him, and his eyes laughed at her. "There's no one down there, silly!" He involuntarily giggled after saying it in an innocent, lighthearted tone. "If I, a man who is an accredited nut cannot see what is unseen, there is no way that this little girl can be seen, you see...?"

Alice struggled to put two and two together in her head, but couldn't make sense of what he meant by that. "That makes no logical sense." She folded her arms, turning so that she was sitting with her back to the barrier. Her friend stayed on his feet, gaze seeming to penetrate her very mind. She sometimes wondered if he could truly tell what a person was thinking just by looking at them. The usual bright green color of his irises showed an undeniable curiosity towards others, while the more serious shade of red conveyed rigor or fury. It was through these that Alice was able to determine what he was feeling, and for that reason discover why, and what she could do to help. She truly had begun to know what selflessness felt like...

The response to her proclamation was delayed well past the point where the moment of pondering had ended, and the Hatter stifled another chuckle at some undisclosed thought, then said, "You are such a commonsensical girl, Alice..." Tsking her, he held out his tea cup from the saucer; she hadn't seen him take a drink since he had began talking to her. "Tea?"

Having his head tilted to the side and with his arm extended in her direction with his fingers curled around the tea cup's handle, he gave the impression of being an guiltless soul. Leaning over to examine the object, Alice quickly became aware that there wasn't even anything in the cup, and quietly declined. The Hatter shrugged melodramatically, but stole a glimpse himself, then blinked rapidly in what Alice defined as "sad consciousness". He placed the two items on the bench, then sat down next to her and slouched over, putting his chin in his hands. "Blithering imbeciles," he mumbled to himself, catching Alice's attention again, "think they can take away my tea, do they? Who do those swindling, double-crossing, thieving, prevaricating sons of perverse and rebellious women think they are?" His mumbling grew faster with every intentionally insulting word he poured out, along with very faint traces of an accent. This man was exceedingly peculiar. Most peculiar indeed...

An awkward silence elapsed while Alice struggled to come up with a light topic of conversation that he would take interest in, which was hard to say, bearing in mind that madness clouded his reason more times than not. But then again, he was quite intelligent, for being a slave of insanity, not to mention being susceptible to normal human emotions. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him stare impassively into the hall of carousers, shifting ever so often like he could not sit still. This, logically, was unreservedly accurate, given that spastic movements were a common occurrence within the madman's--Alice used to term without the intent of offense--little trio. About to say something; anything that sounded good in her mind, her gaze was drawn to a movement in front of her. In the doorway, stood the White Queen, adorned in a dress more pure and elegant then Alice had ever seen before. She dipped her head reverentially when the queen looked at her, a lovely smile forming on her dark lips. Alice studied the other woman with a mixture of respect and the smallest fragment of jealousy. There was no denying it, Wonderland's correct ruler was stunning. She neared the two bemused sitters, her arms raised and fingers curled flawlessly.

"Is there something you wanted, my Queen?" The Hatter solicited deferentially, sweeping his hat off the top of his head in one fluid motion and holding it in his lap. He grew all the more fidgety as he spoke. "Is there a problem? Did one of my friends break something again? I told Thackery to be careful, I truly did! Or perhaps, do your guests require entertainment?"

The queen laughed calmly, her silky white hair swinging around her shoulders. She gestured for him to stop speaking in a polite manner. "No, no. Everything is just perfect, but thank you for your offer. Actually, I came not for you, but to ask something of Alice."

"Anything." Alice answered, brightening automatically. "What may I do for you?"

"Simply answer me this: why are you not enjoying the party?" Pausing, her scintillating eyes moved to the Hatter as well. "Both of you." She added with placid conviction. "Surely, Alice, you desire the admiration of the people, do you not?"

Caught between a reply that would displease the White Queen, and a useless attempt at lying, Alice weighed her two options. Being scrutinized by the two other individuals put extra pressure on her; she had no idea what to say. "I don't fancy myself a social person, if you do not mind my saying so. From the time I was very small, the notion of...mingling, never fully appealed to me. My parents forced me to, and if it is all good and well, I wonder if I might remain out here, even if for a mere moment longer?"

Studying Alice, the queen nodded slowly, coming to an understanding, so it seemed. "As you wish. I suspect you will be wanting to stay with her, Tarrant?"

The Hatter was of the same mind, making known his concurrence with a dynamic, "Yes, my Queen." But then he said in a sentimental tone of voice. "Always." He broke off and resituated his hat overtop the trim shock of orange that was his hair, instantly appearing more self-confident. What his hat was to him was no doubt the equivalent of being properly dressed to most in London.

Flattered by the remark, yet knowing full well the sincerity behind the words, Alice had to turn her head away to hide the faint color that had risen to her face. Folding her hands by habit, she regained composure just in time to see the queen taking her leave. Her company observed her with an ingenuous form of prying, making her feel uncomfortably ill at ease. While he was a close friend, it would be extremely thick of her to acknowledge what he had just stated. Though mild in comparison to many other things that Alice could conjure up, she had always responded to all comments with the utmost aptness for a young woman of her age, regardless of how outrageous she, herself was. If ever the circumstances were to change, perhaps...

She ended the thought before it was even concluded. The Mad Hatter would always be a protector and comrade. To deem him anything else would be suicidal.

But you know that the likeness suited for you is unreachable back home...A voice in the back of her head pointed out, leaving her mentally struggling to bring uniformity back to her views. I think I need some sleep...It has been too long of a day to be contemplating such deep topics...

On that note, Alice cleared her throat nonchalantly, standing up as she carried out the action. She was given a look that killed her emotionally--one full of esteem and that ubiquitous integrity. "I believe..." she began, "that I shall retire for the night. I feel suddenly weary." Alice could scarcely look him in the eyes. Good Lord...It cannot be all that bad... Forcing a smile, she walked towards the doorway, but paused when the Hatter spoke.

"Alice." There was a long hiatus, filled only by the subdued clamor of the revelers and music. She turned to bravely peer over her shoulder at him, noticing that he had not moved.

"Yes?"

They stared at each other, until he addressed her again, with a greater earnestness then Alice had ever perceived before.

"Thank you..." The man called Tarrant Hightopp told her. "For everything you have done for us."

She left without a further response, just as a vast smile materialized on the Hatter's face once more.

Alice was escorted to her room by a servant, predictably dressed all in white. When the door was opened for her, she knew she had reached heaven. Everything was spotless and untainted, much like the rest of the lot in the castle. Against the wall to the left, a large, king-sized white bed took up not even a third of the accommodation's spaciousness. The floor was carpeted in a soft plushy material, and there were many furnishings scattered around as well. On the opposite wall as the bed, there was another doorway, connecting the room with what seemed to be a closet of some sort. The only thing that bothered Alice, was that not a single thing was a color other than white...until she took a closer look around. In the darkness, she could not see everything perfectly, but when the servant lit a lamp mounted on the wall beside the door, something caught her eye. She waited, and when the servant had left her to herself, she took a closer look.

A nightdress lay flat against the white comforter. It had thin straps and lace around the neck, with tiny ribbons at the places where the straps came down. But what was most startling about it, was that it was as black as night. Not a trace of white could be found on it, nor any other color for that matter. It greatly contrasted everything else, making it stand out like a weed among roses. Alice's curiosity was piqued, and as she picked it up carefully, her fingers felt that it was made of a smooth silk unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Holding it up to herself, she found, with great satisfaction that it would fit her perfectly, and straight away went to the small room on the adjecent wall to try it on. She changed quickly, for a cold feeling had come over the entire bedroom as soon as she had touched the apparel. What should have been an inkling to doubt was traded for fascination. Alice had never seen a dress like it before in all her life. She had to question whether this was what they would wear back home in the future. Well, future or not, it was a very nice piece of clothing, although she had no idea as to where it might have come from. Removing her shoes and stockings, she walked barefoot out of the closet with her other dress draped over her arm, and went to a small table where there sat a pitcher of clear water. Pouring it into a crystal glass, she turned around and leaned against the white-wooded surface.

What she saw made her drop the glass onto the carpet, spilling nearly all of the water that had previously been in it. She couldn't move; her whole body went stiff.

In the chair near the far window, there sat a man. He had short black hair, neatly done. His face was clear, save for one small detail: a half-sun shaped mark under his left eye. Additional visual probing showed that both his eyes were outlined in a thin, black line. He had a clean profile, but wore a frightening red suit jacket that fell to his knees, over a black shirt and vest. Black pants went with his shirt, and dark socks with sprays of white in them went down into trim, black shoes. But most of all, the aspect of this stranger that struck a cord in Alice, was his red tophat, encircled by a length of black material. He looked like the Mad Hatter, but rather, was a more shadowy form of her friend. Alice set her hands down on the edges of the table, watching him closely in case he attacked. But somehow, he didn't have baleful intention; she knew, somehow, in some strange way. All he did was lean forward, his hand grasping the handle of a cane.

And with his head canted to the side, he said in the spine-chilling voice of a serpent, "Hello, Alice Kingsley...My name is Barabbas Thayer, and I have been waiting for you..."

Just in case you're wondering or if you noticed it, I based this new guy's look off of the singer from the European band Oomph!, specifically from the music video to their awesome song Labyrinth, which is what I like to refer to as, "Alice in Wonderland gone emo".

REVIEW AND I'LL TRY MY BEST TO UPDATE QUICKLY!