i'm truly and really sorry for the delay! I really apologize but a series of events came upon me, being unabble to update this chapter. But don't worry, I truly suffered this night. It's 3:30 am in the morning and couldn't stop writing. Remember: great things come for those who wait. Well, I really desire to go and slide under my covers, so I won't bother you anymore. Oh! One more thing: I. Do. Not. Own. This.
Thank. You

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"Mummy, can we go now?" Lucie whispered to her mother's ear.

Alice could tell, by the expression of the little girl's face, that she felt uncomfortable. Her brows were pulled together and she was playing with her finger, scratching the back of her hands, and biting her bottom lip constantly.

"But sweetheart, we just got here. We need to stay for a while," Alice explained softly.

Since they got there, Lucie had been acting really different, and with Helen criticizing and correcting her manners every time she did something was surely not helping. Lucie didn't even run into Lord Ascot's arms as she used to do. When he greeted them, she only pulled out a little forced smile and hid behind her mother's dress. Alice smiled in apologize but he said it was just fine. Lady Ascot and her son, Hamish, had been waiting for them already at the table they used to take tea at their backyard.

Alice had taken her place just at the right side of Lord Ascot who was occupying the head of the table. Lucie immediately followed her so she could slip in the chair at her side. Helen quickly joined the table at the other side of Lucie, to reprehend her whenever she did something wrong. Lady Ascot sat right in front of Alice, at Lord Ascot's left side, Hamish on hers. She and her son occasionally glanced at Alice, which made her feel uncomfortable, so she tried just to turn at Lord Ascot, who seemed to be the only one in the family that didn't gaze at her with suspicion.

Tea came over really quick they even had time to talk a little about nothing that seemed the main point of the reunion. Lucie sipped at times at her chocolate and took small bites of her cookies, thanking the young maid that brought them for her. She wandered her eyes to every direction, moving her head in the process.

"Lucienne, would you refrain from moving for a minute?" Helen asked in a hushed voice.

"I'm sorry."

Alice got tired of the pointless conversations about weather, the house, the current economy, etc, although Lord Ascot was trying to make her feel more comfortable before going straight to the point, but Alice was growing tired.

"Lord Ascot," Alice began with the most polite tone she could pull out, "I find myself enjoying the conversation, but I don't believe you invited us over to talk about the weather."

He placed the cup of tea in the little plate before clearing his throat. He took his time formulating the answer, before he finally spoke up:

"Indeed, Alice. This bright sunny day is not the main purpose of this reunion. I wanted to talk about you about some proposal."

"Proposal? Are you talking about some work proposal? If it involves moving away, I might reject it. We're doing just well in our house right now."

"No, no, no. Alice, dear, this has nothing to do with work. Not company from China or anything related to it."

Alice was confused. If it wasn't about work what could it be about? "Oh," was all she could say.

He looked right at Alice's eyes and gave her a very serious look. Alice started feeling really nervous now. The only thing that kept her mind in place was Lucie's small hand holding hers under the table.

"Alice, please, before you let me start, I want you to understand this we are doing is for your own wellbeing, as well as Lucie's."

Lucie? What did her daughter have to do with all this? Her head spoon around with hundreds of possibilities but none of them seemed to be the correct one. Lucie reacted at the sound of her name and started to actually pay attention at the conversation.

"As you see, Alice, this beautiful daughter of yours has no father that has recognized this child as his. Lucienne is growing up, and she'll soon be able to go to school and get educated."

He suddenly stopped and left the little speech unfinished. It looked as if he was trying to choose the correct words to tell her something important in a way she wouldn't get hurt. Alice found it hard to understand what was happening. What was Lord Ascot talking about? But Helen, who had remained silent during the whole party except for a few phrases, kept up with the matter quickly.

"A child with an unknown father and a single mother is not well seen in society, Alice," her mother explained.

This was like a puzzle to Alice's head. She frowned, trying to understand, but a few pieces were missing. She turned to look at Lord Ascot with questioning eyes, her right hand curled in a gentle fist over her lap and the other resting in Lucie's hand.

"And where do you want to get with all of this?"

"It is quite simple," Lady Ascot, another one who had been silent trough all the tea, began. She stood up and got behind her son and placed her hands over his shoulders. Alice waited for the worst. "Hamish, with all of his big and pure heart, has acceded to take you as his wife and recognize the child as his. Then, you will pass as a normal and content family: a husband, a wife, and a daughter. The incident of the unrecognized daughter will soon fade from the people's mind and they will take this new story of the happy family."

Alice was speechless. What did she just say? That she had to marry Hamish for the sake of her daughter and herself? Hamish remained serious for a moment and then stood up.

"Yes, Alice Kingsley, this is in fact, my second proposal of marriage for you. So…" He rounded de table and went to Alice's place. He stood her up and took her hand in his. She looked at him in the eyes and she never dared to hide the confusion and anxiety in her eyes. "Alice Kingsley, would you be my wife?"

Those words remembered Alice of the other they Hamish had said the exact same words to her in front of the whole party. She felt the strong déjà vu taking over her as the nervousness crept over her. Back then, her curiosity for the white rabbit saved her. But this time there was no white rabbit that could make her escape into a whole new world full of wonderful characters that made her forget Hamish and the party. Her hatter…
This proposal was the one that held a chance for their daughter to be a normal girl, and meet friends, and study, and grow into a beautiful woman that never got to know her real father…

No, she couldn't betray her hatter like that. He was waiting for her. She knew that. She had promised to come back. But, the promise of a future to her daughter felt stronger than everything else. Her own happiness didn't matter, but Lucie did. But doubts took place in her heart as she slowly backed form Hamish.

"I… I don't know, this is all so sudden… Lucie…"

She turned to look at the small angel-faced girl she had for a daughter and found her perfect face expectant, waiting for her to answer. She'd stood up as well and glanced up at her with her electric green eyes. Tarrant's eyes…

"Alice, if you'd want the best for your daughter, you'd better accept," Helen explained. "You'll be guaranteeing a place in society for your daughter. She's in need of a paternal figure, anyways. Offers like this don't fall from Heaven, Alice. You better choose what's best for both of you."

Alice placed her hand with her curled fingers over her chest. She was sure she'd never be happy at Hamish's side. He was just not the one. He was not. And she couldn't help but thinking of her Mad Hatter back in Underland. What was he doing right now? Was he thinking about her just the way she was?

This is no time for distractions Alice Kingsley, she told herself, you got to make a decision…Lucie…

She closed her blue eyes and prayed for it to be a good decision, hoping she was doing just the right thing.

Goodbye, my Hatter…

"Yes, Hamish. I accept your offer. I'll be your wife." Her voice was quiet and emotionless, even though she had tried to sound happy and decided.

Hamish's smile couldn't have been even bigger; Alice figured he was happy he hadn't been turned down by the same girl twice. Lord Ascot clapped his hands. Lady Ascot gave her and approving nod, but remained as arrogant as ever. She felt her mother's hand in her shoulder, knowing she had taken the decision her mother wanted her to take. She didn't feel like Alice anymore. Alice would have been braver, but she couldn't step back, she felt she was losing her muchness…

She was about to turn to see Lucie's reaction, when she was surrounded by things about the wedding.

"Very well," Lady Ascot began. "The wedding day will be set on a day everyone can come. I will deliver the news to everyone by today and tomorr—"

"No!"

They all froze when they heard Lucie's sweet voice, raised into and angry tone.

Alice turned back at her daughter and noticed some changes in her. The girl's cheeks were a burning red, her hands were clutched in fists at her sides, and, the most impressive thing of all was that her eyes had changed color. The green was replaced by a orange-brownish color mixed with a little of purple, the exact same color her father's had been when he got really mad at Chessur.

"Lucie, dear, this is—"

"No! No, no, and no! Mummy you said my Daddy was alive. You can't marry him if he is!" she shouted pointing her little finger at Hamish.

He watched her in shock as everyone else was doing. But then, in a few minutes, he seemed to be back to reality and knelt to Lucie's level. Tears had started foaming at the corners of her eyes and she didn't even try to hide her disgust for Hamish.

"Lucie, your father is not here. But don't you worry; I will take care of you and your mother just as if I were him."

This, Alice knew, irritated her even more and she got even closer to him.

"You will never," she stated in a raspy voice, "replace my Daddy."

And after this, Lucie kicked Hamish in a private spot, sending him to the ground curling his body in pain as the little blonde girl ran into the direction of the woods, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Alice watched still petrified as the little figure of her daughter disappeared into the trees. It took her some time to regain consciousness of what was going on before she started running behind her daughter.

"Lucie! Lucie, Lucie!"

Lucie ran as fast and far as she could from the table where that man had just proposed to her mother, ignoring the screams that came from her mother just moments before she had started running. It hurt her a lot that another man desired her mother, but what hurt the most was that her mother actually accepted the proposal. She was so angry! But no, se was just angry, she couldn't hate her mother. She loved her with all of her heart.

She ran, and ran until she was definitely lost. It would be really hard to find her if she could just stop sobbing so loud, cause she made a lot of turns to the right and then went very far up and then to the left. There, hard to find.

Lucie tried to control herself and began to breathe as she rested her small back to a big and huge trunk. She relaxed and when she finally stopped crying, cleaned her face covered in tears and pulled back the golden locks that fell to her face. She glanced around taking a good look from everywhere. But it was all the same. There were just trees and trees to wherever she turned to. She looked down at the brown, rich soil in the ground, and there she saw something shiny. She removed some dirt over it and was pleased to find and golden, old pocket watch. She was about to take it in her hands and the watch moved away.

Lucie frowned and tried to catch it again between her hands but it moved again. Moving again toward it she tried one more time before the watch reached a dark, humid hole in the base of the trunk. The watch rolled down the hole. Lucie, who had inherited her mother's curiousness, got closer to the hole and placed both her little hands in huge roots, supporting her weight.

She leaned in, trying to see, and found nothing but darkness.

"Hello?" she called.

At the sound of her voice, she could've sworn she saw a rabbit tail disappearing further into the hole. ´A Bunny!' she thought excited. She loved bunnies. She leaned further.

The last thing Lucie heard was her dress ripping, when it got stuck in a branch growing out a root and the last thing she saw was the clear blue sky, slowly becoming smaller and fading away as she fell into the unknown hole.

Cold. Darkness. Falling. Fear…

Lucie shouted for her mother.

This is what you guys get for... hmm. I dunno, a week? Guess I'll be updating till next friday so people who read this story will have plenty time to read and review, pweaaaaseeee? I know I don't deserve it, but... PWEASEEEEEEE?*big puppy terary eyes*

With all my pure and sincere love,

~Queen of Chess.