A/N: Yay! More reviews, and even more people adding this to their story alerts! ::claps giddily:: I apologize to those who are finding the first few chapters to be sad—I myself find them terribly sad. =( However! Things will be brightening up here soon, and our dear Tarrant will be showing up soon, within the next two chapters!

Big note—I did change the name of the fic. I wasn't enjoying the original name when I chose it, and I only had this title come to myself recently, when listening to Shinedown's "Her name is Alice". Also: this chapter (and probably others to come) has a tinge of influence from the "Almost Alice" CD (which has that Shinedown song on it); here, in particular, it's the influence of "Very Good Advice" performed by Robert Smith, probably my favorite song on the CD. 3 I suggest everyone give it a try, both for the Alice influence and for the musical talent on it!

And finally, as always, reviews make my heart bubble over with unbridled, vigorously-Futterwacking joy. =D Onward to the chapter!

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Carroll, Burton, etc. I will put the toys (characters) away when I'm done playing with them, I promise!

Chapter 1: I give myself Very Good Advice…but I very seldom follow it…

The face staring back at her looked no different than it had the day before, or the day before that, and yet, she herself felt quite different. No, not "different" per se, but perhaps, "muchier"? Yes, she felt very full of "muchness" at the moment, that was it. Not different, just much muchier than she had before today.

She giggled to herself at her use of "muchness". Such a silly, delightful word! Still giggling, she turned back to her full-length mirror, examining her profile.

A hand brushed a long strand of dark hair out of her eyes, only for it to slip back as soon as she had pulled her hand away. She sighed, the puff of air barely upsetting the piece of hair. Blue eyes gazed fondly at the offending lock, before turning back to the mirror. It was undeniable, no matter if she turned this way, or that way—she looked no different than she had in the previous months of her life, yet something deep inside her begged to differ.

Alice Johanna Lydell, the youngest child and only daughter of Charles and Anna Lydell, was turning twenty-two that day, the fifth of August. If one wanted to be terribly specific, it would be at precisely eleven-twenty-three, p.m. Alice herself, however, was never one to be terribly specific, and was celebrating her birthday during the afternoon hours instead.

Alice herself hadn't planned the party; in fact, the only thing separating it from a true "surprise party" was that she knew it was happening. She hadn't helped with the planning at all, or with the guest list, and was only told to dress in a blue tea dress for the afternoon's festivities, which were taking place in the gardens of her parent's summer house. Why she was supposed to wear blue, or a tea dress for that matter, she had no idea, but she wasn't one to cross her best friend (and party planner), Margaret de Lune, who could prove to be quite formidable.

Alice still had the scars from last Mardi Gras to prove it. "Maggie the Loon" was not one to mess with, no matter how much alcohol she'd imbibed. No, scratch that—she was especially not one to mess with when she'd been imbibing copious amounts of alcohol. Alice shuddered from the memory, a bead of sweat falling from her brow.

"I love you, Maggie," she muttered as she patted down the skirt of her dress, "but sometimes, I do believe you are nuttier than I am." As her skirt bounced back into its natural bell shape, Alice gave a frustrated little sigh. The blue polka-dotted cotton was refusing to flatten, despite her best attempts, and instead Alice decided to ignore it. After all, in ten minutes she'd be outside among her family and friends who had all gotten used to the sight of her in ridiculous looking clothing a very long time ago. (Alice briefly thought back on her stint in high school drama—she quite missed that lavender tutu and silver spandex tube top combination. Nearly as much as she missed the daily exposure to the best—and oddest—people she believed she'd possibly ever met.)

"Enough pondering, dear Alice," she scolded herself, wagging a finger in the direction of the mirror. "You have people to entertain! Maggie will have your head if you're late!" Lord, she sounded so much like Nivens at the moment! Her heart gave a painful wrench at the thought of the name, before it clambered back into her psyche. She had done a great deal of forgetting over the years, but when she did spontaneously remember things her "other self" had experienced, it caused a funny, achy feeling in her heart. She shook her head slightly, clearing it, before she gave one final twirl in front of the mirror, smiling. She didn't even know who this Nivens person was, after all, nor should why scolding herself about being late remind her of him; and besides that, it was time to celebrate!

The garden had been decorated to mimic a Victorian tea party, complete with shimmery pastel colors and delightful china set at each table. However, Maggie had shown her true sense of "unique-ness", and instead of a string quartet or something similar, had hired a local Deejay to provide the musical entertainment. At the moment Alice wandered into the garden, the petite blonde woman was dancing by herself to a rather loud, bouncy song, her own tea dress swaying with her movements.

"Alice!" she cried upon spying her Best Female Friend from Childhood (BFFFC, or "Biffffka", if you asked Maggie), her eyes lighting up. "I was about to send out a search party, I was so worried! You must learn to be on time more often, dearest!" She thrust out an arm and snagged Alice about the waist, pulling her in for a bone-crushing hug. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks…" Alice wheezed, gasping for air as she was released. She did smile, however, at the bright smile her friend wore, and at the delightful scene that surrounded her. "Maggie, you are a true visionary! I love what you did!"

"Well, I've heard you prattle on about how fun tea parties are, and I couldn't resist." Maggie clutched at Alice's arm, curling it around her own. The pair walked through the various table set-ups, greeting those they passed who also wanted to wish Alice well. "Your mother was very accommodating, I have to say. Though she wouldn't let me trim the hedges into animal shapes…"

"Maggie, I'm afraid it's because she fears you being in any close perimeter with a hedge-trimmer."

"Pish posh, I have yet to lose a body part to any sort of sharp object!"

Alice giggled, feeling younger than her twenty-some years. Maggie had always been her little ray of sunshine over the years they had known each other, being the very best friend Alice could've possibly asked for. She was truly the only one, besides Alice's own family and a few select family friends, who had been made aware of her "little problem" with past memories; Maggie had found it incredibly intriguing, and insisted she had once been the Queen of England herself (or the very last of the Tasmanian tigers, she could never really settle on a past life of her own).

Regardless, Alice had come to rely heavily on the blonde at her side, for more than just her party planning skills or her eccentricities. Maggie had stuck by her side through every year of therapy and "recovery", and had never thought her odd or strange or, as some did, an unfortunate case. She had proved time over time to be Alice's port in the storm, even to this day. Hell, she was even moving to Oxford with Alice the next week, even though she had no reason to!

"Alice!"

Blue eyes blinked furiously; Alice blushed along her cheekbones as Maggie giggled softly. "Penny for your thoughts, love?" she asked softly, clutching Alice's arm a bit tighter.

"It's nothing," Alice replied, looking about them. They had reached the far end of the garden an into the true throng of the partygoers; a mass of delightfully dressed people were sipping tea and discussing matters of their own, though the majority of eyes had fixated upon Alice as she walked into their midst. Alice froze as a wave of people stood to great her, the urge to ramble incoherently fighting with her jaw muscles, which were tightly clamped.

"Alice!"

"I'm fine!" the girl squeaked, a response she'd been using since childhood. Ignoring it, her mother swept her into her arms, smiling.

"Hello, darling." Anna Lydell beamed down at her only daughter, pride shinning in her eyes. "I can't believe you're already twenty-two; it seems that just yesterday you were making me curse your father for ever asking for another child!"

Alice laughed softly, smiling back at her mother. "And as always, I apologize for being such a bugger twenty-two years ago, though it couldn't be helped!" She hugged her mother close a second time. "I do thank you for giving birth to me, though, mum. I literally would not be here without you!"

"And then where would we all be, hmm?" Anna laughed as she pulled her daughter in tighter. "You're just as important as I am, my Alice." The older woman casually wrapped her arm around her daughter's, before steering her off towards a less populated area of the party, waving at Maggie as she did. "Come with me, Alice, there's someone who's just dying to see you!"

Alice was going to kill her mother. No, actually, she was going to kill Maggie, then her mother, and then the obnoxious man in front of her. And she'd do it slowly…terribly slowly.

Henry Abernathy drove her absolutely bonkers; it was a widely known fact that, despite their year-long romantic relationship early in college, Alice couldn't stand the man. She had once thought herself in love with him, or something close to love, but the feeling had taken a dramatic turn one day and left her completely. Perhaps it was when she had realized just how…well, boring, Henry was. He, however, had never gotten over the break up, as evidences by his current staring at Alice, his obnoxious grin firmly plastered on his face.

"It's so good to see you again, Alice, love," he simpered, clutching her hand in his. Alice winced at the physical contact, though it went unnoticed by Henry. "I've missed you so much since graduation. I hear you're moving to Oxford? What a coincidence! I just got accepted in to the graduate school there as well! How fortunate for us, to have a classmate—"

Alice nodded mutely as she continued to stare at Henry. She thought everyone knew she had found Henry to not be her "type" after they had gone their separate ways. Apparently, neither her mother nor Maggie understood such a concept, as Henry had revealed both women had extended invitations to him.

"Alice?"

"I'm fine," she commented offhandedly, staring at something just past his shoulder. It appeared to be a rumpled Maggie running in their direction, hair flying about.

"Henry! Alice!" Maggie was indeed running towards them, screaming their names quite loudly. Henry gave a frightened little jump as the blonde came to a stop next to the pair, panting and out of breath.

"Did I miss it, Henry?"

"Miss what?" Alice, thoroughly confused. Maggie gave a delighted squeal in response.

"I haven't missed it then! God, go on Henry and ask her!"

Alice felt her stomach start to edge downwards, towards her hips. "Ask me what? What's going on here?" She watched a blush spread over Henry's cheeks, before he stepped in front of her. He cleared his throat roughly, making Alice wince.

"Alice, I know this is rather sudden, and probably old-fashioned of myself, but I really feel right in my heart asking you this, despite our troubled past." At this, Alice froze, eyes going wide. A flood of emotions and partial memories crashed against her, sending her mind into a tailspin. Terribly enough, she knew these memories, of another proposal from a rather stuffy boy, weren't hers.

"Henry, what is it you're asking of me?" She tilted her head away from him slightly, regarding him with wary eyes.

"Alice, love, I thought it was quite obvious that I was asking you to marry me…"

For a moment, and for the rest of her life she would hold to the statement, Alice could've sworn her heart stopped beating.

"I…I…" Alice froze, feeling panic rise in her chest. Why did this feel so terribly familiar? Her eyes darted to Maggie's, finding nothing but unbridled joy on the blonde's face as she waited for Alice to answer Henry.

"Well? Alice, dear, I apologize for being so forward, but I really do have strong feelings for you, as I'm sure you know." Henry pressed onward, starting to look a bit strained at Alice's silence. He gripped her upper arm and peered downward into her eyes. "Alice?"

"I'm so sorry. I need a moment."

And with that, Alice bolted like a scared rabbit, her feet taking her as far, and as fast, as they could.

A/N: Argh! Sorry it took so long with this chapter! 0__o Sadly, my mind hasn't been cooperating, so this took longer than expected. I don't care for this chapter much, so don't feel bad if you don't either; this actually took a few rewrites to get to where I was somewhat satisfied.

So, Alice is running away once again, hmm? And from another proposal to boot! (To indeed clear things up for those wondering, Alice Lydell ((this featured Alice)) is both the great-granddaughter of Alice Kingsleigh, and the reincarnation of her. Both factors will come in more as the fic wears on.

Also: don't always expect chapters this length! This one was nearly 2500 words; usually chapters will be between 1000 and 1500 or so; my mind just didn't know when to stop here, heh.

Well, enough rambling! Please review, add, etc. (those of you adding to favorites and alerts, please review too!), and 'till next time, fairfarren!