Alicia In Wonderland

Disclaimer: I don't own Alice In Wonderland. If I did...the movie would have ended sooooo differently;)

Author's Note: Okay, this chapter drags on a little bit, and it's very sad, but we've got to get through it. It's important! I'll upload Chapters Three & Four in about five minutes! Thanks:)

Chapter Two: Fly Away Home

Alice's Point of View

"You're not the same as you were before. You were much more...muchier. You've lost your muchness."

"My muchness?"

"In there- something's missing."

Alice awoke from another dream. But then, she wasn't sure if she had actually fallen asleep. It could have been another one of her troubling daydreams. She'd been experiencing them a lot more lately, each one more hurtful than the last. But they all had one thing in common:

Wonderland.

Of course Alice had not forgotten about her home! It was the only thing that kept her from going mad in her society. After the decline of the aristocracy things had gotten better, but Alice knew deep down in her heart that she did not belong in her world.

She belonged in Wonderland.

Her granddaughters - Alison and Alicia - had run off into the woods moments before. Alice knew deep down that they had found the rabbit hole. How unfair! They would get to see him while she was confined to this ever-interesting (as if) wheelchair.

Alice couldn't believe her life was so near over. It wasn't that it hadn't been fulfilling - after having had a daughter and two granddaughters (not to mention a love of her life), one's life surely has had its moments, but...

She never got to see her Mad Hatter again.

That would have to have been Alice's biggest regret. That she never got to go back to him. She had truly loved him, and she would have gone back in a heartbeat, but...

T'was not that simple.

After she returned from China, Alice was shipped off by her mother and sister to America. Normally she would have refused, but...well, she had her reasons for not. After the birth of her daughter a year or so later, Alice raised Mystique in Pennsylvania. After Mystique had Alicia, Alice moved back to England, in the old Ascot Mansion. But by that time, Alice was old, and had too many ties to the real world to go back to Wonderland.

She had to have broken Hatter's heart, and-

"You still believe this is a dream, do you?"

"Of course. This has all come from my own mind."

"Which would mean...I'm not real?"

"I'm afraid so. You're just a figment of my imagination. I would dream up someone who's half mad."

"Yes, yes, but then you would have to be half mad to dream me up."

"I must be then. I'll miss you when I wake up."

There it was again! It was like it had just happened yesterday. Oh, how she missed her ever mad Hatter!

To try to take her mind off things, Alice picked up her poetry book. It had to have been fate - not an hour before, she'd asked Alicia to select a poem at random from her book. Alicia had, and - oddly enough - had read the poem in what was almost a Scottish brogue similar to...his.

At first, Alice did not believe it - she thought Alicia was mocking her, but sure enough, it was there. Had it been written in? Was it even a real poem? Or was it - perhaps - Wonderland magic?

"Alicia? Why don't you entertain your sister and I with some poetry? You can pick one from my book." Alice requested, handing her granddaughter her poetry book.

"Sure." Alicia said, very uninterested.

Then, Alicia began to read.

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought -
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

"I'm sorry dear...what was that?" Alice asked.

"What was what?" Alicia asked. But it was not her voice that Alice heard - it was his. It was also his voice that Alice heard throughout the entirety of the poem - never Alicia's.

But then, Alicia continued.

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.`Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe;All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Alice laid her head in her arms. She had wheeled herself over to her small end table in the middle of her lawn. She was tired - moreso than usual. Why?

"Miss Kinglseigh? Would you like some more tea?" Alice's maid - Elizabeth - asked her.

"As you can see, we're still having tea, and it's all because I was obliged to kill time waiting for your return. You're terribly late you know - naughty! Anyway, Time became quite offended and stopped altogether. Not a tick ever since."

Alice snapped back into reality. "No thank you, Elizabeth." And she dismissed her maid.

Elizabeth left with a nod of her head, and left Alice to her thoughts.

Alice's breathing increased rapidly. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She felt her face pinch up, as though she was about to cry. Her forehead became hot, and tears poured out of her eyes. She knew she was mad, but so was the man she was crazy about! It just wasn't fair - her story was supposed to have a happy ending - wasn't it?

"Nothing was ever solved with tears."

At first, Alice thought it was another daydream, but Absolem's wise voice was too realistic to be imagined. She opened her eyes, and looked left and right. There - sitting softly on her shoulder - was a beautiful blue monarch butterfly.

"Absolem?" Alice asked in shocked.

"Of course, stupid girl." Absalom said affectionately.

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked, barely able to speak through her hard breathing.

"Sh." Absolem demanded. "Be at peace, Alice. Be at home."

"Absolem," Alice chuckled dryly, ignoring the pain in her chest. "I haven't been home since the day I left Wonderland."

"Underland." Absolem corrected in a fatherly tone.

"You know what I mean!" Alice said, sounding more like she used to, and falling back into the old pattern with ease.

"Haha. That's our Alice." Absolem said, laughing.

"Our Alice." Alice sighed happily. "I'm going to miss that."

And then, Alice lost all of her energy.

The last thing she heard was Absolem's voice saying,

"Come home."

Alice Kingsleigh opened her eyes.

The Jabberwockey Poem belongs to Lewis Carol! Review please!