A/N: E.G. Potter, Ngoc Chau, futrCSI1490, Hats-For-Alice, bloodyblond, Meerkatgirl13, NightRose131, mattsloved1, Melanie Swirls, LadyLioness, PeersHitInMoscow, Ying-Fa-dono: You all get gold stars just for reviewing! There haven't been too many for this story, so I want to personally thank you all. (Huge stars to futrCSI1490, Hats-For-Alice and Ying-Fa-dono for reviewing all three chapters… you folks have muchness on top of muchness!)

Also, I took the lyrics to this chapter out and will probably remove the non-essential lyrics to the previous chapters too. I totally forgot that you're not supposed to use them here. Oops. If you want the lyrics to any of these, let me know.

My Give a Damn's Busted – Jo Dee Messina

As I lay here, I have a nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something. I'm not sure what it is though. The day went off without a hitch, after all. I had all 4 "somethings" that I needed, my dress was perfect, the music, the food, the atmosphere were all perfect as well. Not to mention my perfect groom.

So what was it?

My mind drifts off as I listen to the steady sound of Tarrant's breathing. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have married such a wonderful man. Really, to think that I might have had to marry Hamish.

Hamish!

That's what I'm forgetting! I never did return to the "engagement" party. What with all the adventure and the wedding planning … well, I just completely forgot about him. Funny how that happened. I have thought of my mother and my sister. They were there just as much as Hamish, and yet, he hadn't even crossed my mind. Oh dear, I'm sure he was humiliated.

I should feel bad about that. And yet, because I'm so deliriously happy, I find myself giggling. How awful of me!

"Cricket, usually men don't find it very good when their lady laughs after making love."

Oops. Looks like I woke my perfect groom.

"I'm so sorry, Tarrant. I didn't mean to wake you! And of course, I wasn't laughing at you. I'm thinking of an … awkward situation that I left behind in London."

His eyes grow wide. "Is everything all right, love?"

"Yes, I would imagine it is."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Soon, perhaps. But not on our wedding night. I promise I shall tell you all about it … soon."

"Fair enough, poppet."

He looks at me with those newly-found bedroom eyes and I see them darken. But then I also see him yawn deeply.

"Rest, my sweet husband. You'll need your energy again soon."

"Minx," he murmurs as he drifts back to sleep.

I know I should feel bad for Hamish, and I honestly am trying to … but I just can't bring myself to care. I'm just too happy for myself!

Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran Duran)

My Tarrant is an insatiable man. Sometimes I think it's the madness. Sometimes my confidence is up and I believe it's because of me. No matter what the reason, I just know that we both enjoy it. And waiting for our wedding night was the best decision we could have ever made. It made making love that night so much better. The anticipation only made him (and me) even more hungry.

He'll tell you that it was the proper thing to do, and while I agree with that, proper hasn't always been high on my priority list. This was all about building the tension. Tightening the coil until we both snapped. And did it work!

I don't like to talk with her about just how long I waited for her, and I don't even mean the time between when she was 6 and when she was 19. Before that even. It tends to unnerve her to think that I am that much "older." It's hard for her to understand that people in Underland stop aging after some point. And especially considering that Time stopped for me once she left, I was the exact same age when she returned as I was when she left. It's still strange to her, so we usually avoid the subject. I just tell her how happy I am to finally have someone willing to stand with me.

But this was the exact reason that I wanted to wait for the wedding night. She'll tell you that I thought it was proper, but that's not just it. I wanted the build. I wanted the chase, the hunt. I wanted us both to be hungry for it. Starved, even. I'm pleased to say that I think the plan worked beautifully. Our wedding night was beautiful and passionate and so, so worth the wait.

And since then, my Alice has been an insatiable woman.

Even now, after years of marriage, the passion has not diminished between us at all. If anything, it's increased. We've never been able to hide it, even when we didn't understand it. But now! It's truly amazing at how a touch of the hand or even a simple glance across the table can be the signal. We're so in sync with each other that it's easy. Never a question. Never a problem.

4 Minutes – Chris Colfer & Amber Riley (Glee) (Originally by Madonna & Justin Timberlake)

A few minutes. That was all I had to save the world. I knew the beast wouldn't allow me any more time than that, so I had to be quick. I wasn't surprised at how terrifying it looked. What surprised me was how confident I felt walking towards it. Maybe it was the Vorpal sword's doing. Maybe it was because Hatter was standing next to me, telling me that my believing 6 impossible things was an excellent practice. Maybe it was just his presence.

No matter the reasoning, I made sure that my ability to slay the jabberwocky was my final impossible thing to believe. I knew Hatter was watching intently, always ready to intervene if necessary. He only needed to once, and it almost cost him his life. I would only have a few more minutes until the jabberwocky would start winning.

Just a few more minutes, Alice. You only have a few more minutes.

I couldn't let Alice see just how anxious I was to head into battle. I wanted to seem as confident as possible; I wanted to give her that same confidence. She needed to be ready and she needed to see that I was behind her 100%.

But as we arrived at the battlefield, and we saw that dark beast lumber towards us, the memories of that day came flooding back to me. I wanted desperately to fall to my knees and weep at the thought of losing my family that day. But I couldn't. I couldn't let Alice see that weakness. Today was about strength and bravery and defeating the evil that had plagued Underland for so long. Today was about victory, not the loss of the past.

I must have given Alice some support, because she walked right up to the jabberwocky with no fear and began the battle. She was a fantastic fighter and I couldn't have been more proud. I did interfere once, and I doubt she really, really needed it. But I couldn't stand back and do nothing. We only had precious minutes until the end. Only a few more minutes until the beast would be no more.

Just a few more minutes, Alice. You only have a few more minutes.

Follow Me Down – 3OH!3 (Alice in Wonderland soundtrack)

Life in London … I have no words for it. I'm sure it's terribly lovely for some, but for me? It's so drab, dull and boring! I feel like I am lost here. Everyone else is so proper and rigid. How do they function like that? Don't they feel just so, I don't know, boxed in? I need out of here. I need my adventure! I need someone to come and take me out of here!

I think the first time Alice heard, "we're all mad here," it made her a bit nervous. Now she just takes it right in stride, especially since she's becoming one of us. Some days she's as mad as a hatter! (And I love it) She's never had to be self-conscious about it, never had to worry about it. We are all like that. And it makes for such interesting tea times, even in the palace itself.

Since returning to Underland, I have had more adventure than I ever thought possible! Now that life is peaceful, my Tarrant leads me on journeys that I even I couldn't dream of. I've seen purple lakes and blue trees, rocking horseflies and bread and butterflies. I'm best friends with a queen and married to a royal hatter.

Sometimes, I'm still convinced that this has to be a dream. It's not possible for this much wonder to be in one place. But it is. And it's more than just wonder. It's love and friendship and beauty. It's the place that I've been waiting for, the place I had to go to.

Jump in the Line – Harry Belafonte (Beetlejuice, anyone?)

My Alice is a wonder. There is no other way to put it. I knew she had been practicing, and I know that once Alice puts her mind to something, there's no stopping her from there. But I certainly never expected my Alice to do a futterwacken. Now, of course, it's not a full futterwacken in the complete Underlandian sense. Being from another world keeps Alice's head and waist from spinning around. But the rest of it she has down pat. She's something to behold.

As we dance together at our 5 year anniversary party, I realize just how lucky I am. For quite some time (at least the time that Time allowed me) I never thought I would have another occasion to even think about doing a futterwacken and here I am, dancing it again. I've lost track of how many times I've done this dance since Alice won the battle on the Frabjous Day. It's only appropriate since it is a dance of unbridled joy and I certainly have that.

Our two year old daughter is laughing so hard as she watches us. I run over to her and pick her up to join us. She claps and giggles as she dances in my arms. Being half from the Otherworld, I wonder if she'll be able to spin like me. She doesn't seem to, but I suppose time will tell. For now, it's enough just to see her so happy.

Charlotte tells me she wants down, so I place her on the floor and she sways and bounces with that two year old style. If I ever had a need to futterwacken, dancing with my beautiful girls, it would certainly be now.