Hope and Light: Trinity Chapter 6: Alice, a Buffy: The Vampire Slayer + Dollhouse Crossover fanfic

Chapter Six

Alice

England, 1884

The city of London.

Capital of the British Empire. Crown Jewel to her Majesty Queen Victoria. It was the focal point for all of the political, military, and economic power of the entire empire.

In this time, England was the most powerful nation on Earth, though their distant cousin, the United States of America, was rapidly growing stronger, having finally spanned the continent from Atlantic to Pacific and having finally built their navy up.

However, it is at a specific point in London where yet another player to this story will soon be found, returning from a sojourn that had successfully extended her family's trade routes to China.

The Port of London was one of the busiest in all of England, and where Kingsleigh Exports had most of its merchant fleet stationed. Run by Lord Ascot, it had become one of the richest businesses in the world after only eleven years. And it was all thanks to its Founder and former CEO, the late Charles Kingsleigh.

And his heir was, quite possibly, the last person anyone would have expected. Though considering the eccentricities of the Kingsleigh family, no one was really surprised. After all, the man had had no sons.

Alice Kingsleigh, the youngest daughter to Charles and Helen Kingsleigh, was by far one of the few women in the world who was an apprentice in a business. And, as she had discovered, she had quite the talent for it. It was a family trait that she had apparently inherited from her father. In another lifetime, she could have been a diplomat.

Then again, she had quite the history as well. A history that would remain hidden so that the world at large would never know. And, as she hoped, none would ever.

For Alice was also Champion to Underland, a magical land that she had visited only twice in her life. The first time she had been there, she had been six years old, naïve and foolish. (And look how well that turned out, first with the kangaroo court of Iracebeth of Crims, the Red Queen, then being kidnapped by the Heartless and all that. That was a month that she would rather forget some of.)

Her second visit occurred a mere three years ago, after the somewhat messy affair concerning her 'engagement party' to Hamish Ascot. After several days of believing it all to be a dream, she was able to kill the Jabberwocky, a massive dragon-like creature that could shoot purple energy from its mouth, and fulfilling a prophecy that had been made many years before. In doing so, she discovered hidden reserves of strength that she never knew she had, and confidence that she had built through many a harrowing adventure, returning to her family a changed woman. And, at the urging of Lord Ascot, she began her apprenticeship at her father's company. Perhaps one day, she would even be running it.

But as she later discovered, during the long nights onboard the Venture, more than her outlook on life had changed. Something else had changed. Something she didn't even realize she had been missing.

Alice had found love in Underland.

It wasn't with Tarrant Hightopp, the Hatter to the White Queen, and the one person who had never lost faith in her. And thankfully, it wasn't with Illosavic Stayne, the evil little prick who had tried to kill her, just because she had spurned his advances.

No, Alice had fallen in love with the ruler of Underland herself, Mirana of Mamoreal. The aforementioned White Queen.

She had met Mirana during her first visit, though it was rather brief. Her second visit, which had been just as short, had still given her an opportunity to get to know the White Queen a little better. And she had never met anyone as interesting as her before or since.

She had found herself captivated by the ethereally beautiful woman. Not only because of her beauty, but for her kind, loving spirit, and her strength of character. What was more, Mirana hadn't pushed her like everyone else had, hadn't tried to force her into the role of Champion. She had just… talked to her, gotten to know her. She had spoken about hers and the Red Queen's childhood, and had asked about Alice's family in return. And she had given Alice the choice to refuse and left it at that, only bringing it up in passing, then on the Frabjous Day itself. It was something Alice had not expected. She had found a peace and serenity that she had never thought she would feel… ever.

Smiling at the memories and feeling her heart speed up a bit as Mirana's face crossed her vision for a second, Alice watched as the crew set the cat walk down, giving her a means to get to the docks. "Thank you, Captain," she said as she turned, shaking the man's hand. "I realize how difficult it must have been shuttling me around for three years, and taking orders from me as well."

The Captain grinned. "It was our pleasure, Miss Kingsleigh," he replied. A strong man with a full salt and pepper mustache, he had been a mere sixteen years old when her father had begun the process of opening new trade routes in Asia. And, despite a few early misgivings, he had grown to respect and like the young woman before him, as had the rest of the crew. "Personally, I never thought I would see the day when your father's dreams would be fully realized. I'm grateful that it was you to do it. Besides, if it weren't for you, those pirates would have blown us to smithereens. So, I hope that you'll sail with us again someday."

"As do I." Smiling, the young woman started down the ramp onto the dock, looking around. She knew that her luggage was already being unloaded, and in the process of being taken out to the carriages. The only thing she carried on her person was a small bag of mementos and treasures, collected throughout her travels.

Lord Ascot was waiting for her at the end of the catwalk, grinning widely as he beheld her. "Welcome home, Alice," he said, enveloping her in a huge hug the moment she was in range. He had always viewed her as his own child, even more than his own son, who had a bit of snobbish air about him. And here she stood, hale, hearty, and looking even more beautiful than before.

"It's good to be home, sir," Alice replied softly, eyes sparkling. She was definitely happier to be home, despite everything she had seen and experienced. It always helped that she had a home to return to, and a family that loved her dearly. "How is Mother, and Margaret? I'll bet they were worried nearly every day."

"They were, as was I. I just knew to keep it hidden from them." The two of them started to walk towards the exit, both feeling positively lighter on their feet. "So, how was your trip?"

"It was incredible," she gushed. "I never knew that there was so much wonder in the world. The Taj Mahal, the Great Wall. And there are the natural wonders as well, like the Himalayas. People really have no real idea what beauty this world has."

"Believe me, I understand that much, at least. Your father said much the same thing when he returned." Reaching their carriage, where the last of Alice's belongings were being put up, he opened the door for her. "Your mother wanted to be here, but I suggested that she wait at the estate. There was much to do." He helped Alice into the carriage, then climbed in himself. "Home, Gerald," he said, closing the door.

Alice frowned a little at that strange order. "I was hoping to go home and get settled in. It has been a long voyage." She rubbed her eyes fretfully. "Please tell me that your wife hasn't planned another engagement party for me, and I have no time to freshen up before saying no."

"It's a welcome home party, actually. And your mother and sister were the ones who planned it over the last few months, since we received your last letters. It's the happiest I have seen Margaret in over a year."

It didn't take long for her to figure out what he meant by that, and her gaze narrowed a little in anger. "So, everyone now knows about Lowell's marital indiscretions. The man does not take warnings well, does he?" She leaned back. "I'm going to have a word with him when I see him again."

"Good luck finding him," Ascot replied, smiling lightly at her indignant tone. "He disappeared after Margaret caught him with some red head woman. If I were to take a guess, I would say that he was on his way to America." He hoped that was the case. If he ever found the bastard, he would personally castrate the man… if Alice didn't get to him first. "But enough of that. Tell me a little more about your journey. I imagine that it was insightful."

And for the next hour, Alice proceeded to do just that. She spoke of the wonders she saw in India, China, the various ports of Africa, and Vietnam. She also spoke of the various foods and customs she had been exposed to, closing her eyes as she recalled each of them with clarity. It made him wish that he had gone with her. But he was no longer a young man. Adventuring was for the young.

Alice finally stopped talking as the carriage reached the sprawling lands of the Ascot estate. Her gaze fell upon the lush shrubbery and stone walkways, as familiar to her as her own home, and smiled. "You know, despite everything I have seen and done, despite all of that, there is no place like home. And I am glad to be home."

"And we're happy to have you home." Ascot smiled. "Alice, I once told your mother that I was a fool not to have invested in your father's mad venture when I had the chance. I am certainly glad that I didn't make that same mistake twice. And I think he would be proud of everything you have accomplished. As I am."

Her smile grew wider. "So do I, Sir," she said whole heartedly. "So do I. And thank you."

Helen Kingsleigh looked up from her conversation with Lady Ascot for the twentieth time to glance at the entrance. She couldn't understand what was taking so wrong. Didn't the Venture come in an hour ago?

Lady Ascot didn't mind; she knew why her friend was so preoccupied. She couldn't blame her, either. Her husband had gone to the Port to collect Alice, and was no doubt being regaled with some of the tales of her travels. She was probably not dressed as a woman of high standing should be, but as someone of business should be.

Lady Ascot found that to be rather fitting. Despite being a woman of impeccable breeding and manners, she could tell that Alice was unhappy being the same, having wanted to make a name for herself. She wasn't sure if she was pleased with that, but it also wasn't her place to pass judgment on the young woman's choices, and she was still proud of her. She had also known another just like Alice who had wanted to make it in business as well. She hadn't been able to on her own, but she had fallen in love with a young and rising businessman. The last she heard, they had moved to America and opened up a successful textile company out of New York City. Alice had gone to do much the same thing.

But two years had come and gone, and now she was home, hopefully to stay.

Helen suddenly stood up, her eyes widening as a carriage pulled up at the entrance. "She's here," she said, barely containing her excitement. After so long of waiting and worrying, she felt a great weight lift from her chest.

Lady Ascot rose up as well, keeping her back straight and her face almost emotionless. If she wore a large smile, the young woman might think that something was going on. Even if there wasn't.

Alice emerged from the carriage, a bright smile illuminating her face. Her skin, tan from the endless months out at sea, contrasted nicely with her somewhat wild gold hair. She was wearing the same outfit she had worn on the day she had left, including the blue frock coat Margaret had given her beforehand. She was radiating contentment and purpose, her eyes holding a wealth of knowledge and new experiences. In short, she was hale, hearty, and happy.

Alice reached them, taking sure, measured strides, and promptly curtsied. "Lady Ascot," she said formally, as she had been trained to do since she was six. Slaying a Jabberwocky and three years of sailing the world had done nothing to change that

The lady of the house inclined her head in turn. "Welcome home, Alice," she replied. "We were beginning to think that you wouldn't arrive."

"The Venture hit some rough waters off of Spain," Alice replied, eyes twinkling mischievously. "We were forced into port for a few days, where some of the Spanish royalty invited me to tea. Apparently, the King remembered my Father rather well."

That was true enough. Charles was quite the charismatic man. And now, judging by the looks of it, his daughter shared that talent.

Formality immediately broke down the moment Alice turned to Helen, wrapping her up in a bear hug that looked like it could give a bear pause. "Oh mother, I have missed you so!"

Lady Ascot stifled a chuckle. Alice was twenty two, and she sounded like she was nine again.

Helen certainly didn't mind. "I have missed you too, dear," she said happily, returning the hug with obviously less strength that her youngest daughter. And how was Alice so strong? Even as a child she was just as tough as many of the construction workers, even if she didn't have their temperament. She never flaunted it, though, preferring to remain unnoticed by the majority of the world. Not anymore, it seemed. "Lady Ascot is right. We were afraid that you were going to be late… again."

"I get it from you. Father was always on time to his meetings."

"Fair enough." There was no way to dispute that. She had always been late, even for her own wedding. Charles always teased her about it, too.

Alice took a look at the throng of men and women, sighing. "I had hoped to have a relaxing night off before having to deal with the masses." She frowned a little as she tallied up the number of people there. "And why are there so many men here?"

"Most of them are members of the board and young businessmen who have been working with the company for the last few years," Lord Ascot explained. "All of them are rather anxious to meet you. As for the rest of them…"

"Margaret invited them, before her own personal problems surfaced." Helen finished, sighing sadly. There was no reason to hide it from her little girl. Her little girl was probably the first one to know, anyway. "Frankly, I am rather impressed that the Chattaway girls haven't said anything about it."

"I think I know why they haven't." Alice didn't say anything else on the subject, and no one bothered to pursue it. After all, she was quite the formidable character, especially since she had basically threatened Lowell in front of everyone.

Alice sighed again, shoving her irritation with Lowell into the back of her mind. Margaret had had no idea what her husband had been doing behind her back. Now she wished she had said something. A whole lot of trouble could have likely been avoided. "Well, considering how much effort was put into putting this party together, I might as well remain for a time, if only to make Margaret happy." She smiled. "I might even enjoy it some."

Helen smiled as well. Alice would never let them down. Margaret would be even happier than the rest of them to seeing her younger sister home. That was all that mattered.

Margaret Kingsleigh-Thatcher was a number of things.

She was a proper woman, always courteous and kind at all times to any person she met, no matter their station and place of employment, or even their temperament. She was an incurable romantic, who believed that everyone was destined to fall in love with someone, and be happy for the rest of their lives. And, until the near, near future, she was Lowell Thatcher's wife.

As previously stated, this was going to be rectified in the near future.

The revelation that brought upon this had occurred within the last week as the last of the invitations had been sent out, during the last stages of planning for Alice's return party. She had gone to her husband's workplace to ask him what kind of wine they should serve to the guests, when she had caught him with the other woman, who was half naked and in the process of straddling him. She hadn't said anything, had no need to say anything. Before he could even get her name out, she had whirled around and, with as much dignity as possible, left the building. It was very impressive that she was able to simply walk all the way to her mother's home without crying. Then again, she had been numb the whole way, which was probably the reason why.

The news of his indiscretions hadn't even reached the city's gossips yet. Thankfully, Lord Ascot had used his influence to delay that very thing. The Chattaway sisters had promised not to be the one's to spread it, surprisingly enough. And the woman had sought her out the very next day, letting her know that she hadn't even known Lowell had been married, and that she was sorry for everything. Margaret believed her, as the other woman had looked like she had been crying all night as well.

Unfortunately, the news wouldn't be denied forever. Someone from Lowell's firm would eventually talk. And the moment it hit the streets, her good name would be ruined, or worse, her family's.

But there was some good news to be had, despite the gloom that threatened to overwhelm her. Her sister Alice was returning from her long trip overseas, and was most likely here by now. Unless of course, she was late. How the two of them could be related, she would never know. A trait their mother had passed on to the young lady.

Ah, but Alice also had many of the same qualities as their father, the late, great Charles Kingsleigh. She was very intelligent, bold, willing to take chances, and had such an incredible sense of intuition that was somehow overlooked. Sometimes, which had grown more frequent over the last few years, she found herself envious of her younger sister, of the freedom she enjoyed.

Standing up, she greeted several of the guests as she passed them, engaging in polite chatter with them for a few minutes, before continuing on her way. She was the perfect hostess, just like Mother had taught her.

But as she did so, she also kept her eyes open for a glimpse of Alice. She wanted her little sister, who she figured had learned of Lowell's infidelity first, and warned him of it. Such loyalty was what she was known for, and Margaret always appreciated it.

Looking around, she finally caught sight of Alice talking to two of KE's board members, and noticed how they were alternating between paying attention, and simply nodding politely, smiling indulgently at her. It was obvious to her that they were only humoring her, and felt a spurt of righteous indignation at their backward views on women. The way she saw it, Alice was a far better businessman than the men were. And she was going to support her sister to the fullest. That was what family did.

Something Lowell would never understand.

Alice, of course, knew why the two men in front of her kept shifting their mind sets. On the one hand, she was a woman. Enough said on the subject.

On the other hand, she had also managed to open up new avenues of trade for England, which meant she was a force to be reckoned with in the company. And more to the point, her suggestions on how to boost morale among the workers, including higher pay and better working conditions, actually made sense. Of course, it was all common sense talking, but she didn't say that. Why be insulting when she was still a small fish in the corporate ocean? She had to work with them for quite some time.

Before she could start on some sort of compensation in case of injury, a form a health care that would allow the workers peace of mind while they recuperated, she caught of sight of Margaret heading towards them. "Gentlemen, thank you for your time," she said, knowingly letting them off the hook. "But now, I believe I have put off seeing my sister long enough, and she is looking rather impatient with me." Actually, impatient wasn't a strong enough word. Desperate was much better.

Margaret smiled gratefully as Alice finally made her way to her, the two sisters embracing tightly. Her sister was home. Everything was going to be all right.

Alice pulled back a bit, looking her older sister over briefly. Outwardly, she was still the same. Perfectly composed, her dress wrinkle free, hair neatly coiffed. She was as a woman of day should appear to be, beautiful and proper about it.

But even after three years, Alice could still the subtle differences that lay beneath the exterior. She saw the slightly haunted look in Margaret's eyes, the slight lessening of her smile. Her very emotional state was slightly less optimistic, which was understandable, considering Lowell's marital treachery.

She smiled, letting her sister know that she didn't blame her. "I know what happened," she said quietly, mindful of the people milling about. "How are you holding up?"

Margaret shrugged slightly. "As well as can be expected," she replied as honestly as she could. "It had been… trying, to say the least."

"If you want me to, I can try and locate him, and then remind him as to how much of an idiot he is."

"… … No, I doubt it will help. Idiocy, in his case, was something he was born with."

The younger sister chuckled, forced to concede the point. But Margaret, insulting someone? She hadn't done that in over ten years, since she had been introduced to high society. Surprising, but delightfully so. "At least this party is running smoothly," she said. "But, what is with all of the men? I mean, I would have rather had something a little more… private. Also, I would have thought…"

"That we would have set up another engagement party?" Margaret giggled. "We learned our lesson from the Hamish fiasco, and shall not put you through that again." Though how Alice had managed to get those gouges on her arm was something they would most likely never figure out. And Alice would never tell. "If you were to meet someone here who you figured you would at least try to know, I will not complain."

"Well, for your information, I have already met someone."

"Someone on your travels abroad?"

Alice stopped right there, hesitant to say anything else. "Not exactly," she said, unsure on how to broach the subject. After all, how do you tell your sister that the person you have fallen in love with is not only from another world, but was in fact a woman herself?

She didn't know.

Underland

The land of Underland was a world where everything, even time itself, was a little… off.

Here, it wasn't uncommon to see cats that could appear or disappear at will, nor would it be surprising to grow, shrink, or suddenly spew your deepest secrets, depending on what you ate or drank at the time. Time here was fickle, and could choose to stop at any time if it didn't agree with someone. Tea parties could go on forever as a result, as Tarrant Hightopp could attest to.

And yet, even in this world of perpetual madness, there was a place where a semblance of order and harmony existed. It was here where Underland's true ruler lived. A pure white palace with rows of trees that were forever in bloom, it was centered directly in the middle of a paradise.

Mamoreal, the great palace of Underland. Home of Mirana, the White Queen. Sister of the usurper Iracebeth of Crims who had, until recently, ruled Underland with an iron fist. If not for Alice, that would still be fact.

Mirana was a beauty, to be sure. Her long white hair flowed down her back, perfectly brushed and maintained, and no scars adorned her anywhere on her form. She moved with such grace that it was almost as if she was floating. Outwardly, she was perfect.

But within, that was another matter. Locked deep within her soul lay the inherent curse of her bloodline; the madness from her mother's side that had taken control of her sister. The madness that howled at her in her nightmares from its cage, demanding the complete and utter destruction of everything around them. And, unlike her sister, she had the power to do it. Her Dominion over the Dead was something she was born with, after all.

She had taken so many steps over the years of her long life to suppress that she had almost forgotten about it; the meditative practices that allowed her to channel it productively, her vows never to harm another living creature, the daily exercises she performed every morning, which had the added benefit of keeping her body supple and firm. And there were her constant stream of duties that kept her occupied throughout the day.

Recently, there had been an addition to her arsenal; her memories of Alice.

The few days she had been in Underland had left a permanent mark on the White Queen's soul, forcing the madness within back, bringing forth a degree of serenity that she had never felt before in her life. It was something she had never thought would happen, especially since her first brief meeting with a six year old Alice during the Heartless invasion. If she hadn't found someone to protect that child…

Situated in her chambers, the White Queen had finished getting herself ready for the day, before sending her servants away for a few minutes. Letting her arms lower in relief, which she rarely could as a Queen always had to appear graceful at all times in front of her subjects, she turned towards the Looking Glass.

The Looking Glass was just that; a mirror that had the power to show anything its wielder wanted. She had been using it to keep an eye on her Champion, and had found herself checking on her whenever she could, even if all was well. She had found herself accidentally peeking in on Alice when she wasn't proper, and had found herself capable of blushing, which was something that she had never thought possible.

She decided to see where Alice was now, so she willed it on, had it focus on Alice… and almost leaped for joy.

There, talking to who she decided was her sister, was her Champion, looking more beautiful than ever. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but that didn't matter. Alice was back home.

Before she did anything, she looked her Champion over, which she always did. Her blond hair had been somewhat tamed, though it still retained a degree of that wildness she loved so. Her pale skin was darker, even though only her face and hands were visible. Mirana was disappointed of that. She had been so hoping to see her with less on, and blushed at the thought.

As she looked closer, she noticed how the young woman held herself like the warrior she had become, which seemed to do her well in the art of business. And her eyes, those expressive eyes… by Olympus, she wasn't even here, and the White Queen was still falling into them. Such was the presence of her Champion, even through a mirror. She could simply stare at them forever.

Smiling, Mirana waved her hand, reluctantly wiping Alice's image from the mirror, before leaving her chambers. She had a few routine duties to contend with before night fell on Underland. She had to put everything in order, as was her royal duty; two property disputes that she had to mediate, as well as the daily accounts to go through.

"Your Majesty?"

And attempt to avoid Niven Mctwisp, the head of her court and royal messenger. Whenever he showed up, Mirana usually ended up with at least thirty new problems. It did become quite repetitive after awhile.

Sighing internally, knowing that hoping that he would just disappear would most definitely not work, Mirana turned around, facing him. "Is there a problem, Mctwisp?" she asked calmly, ever the consummate queen.

Mctwisp, a little white rabbit wearing an impeccably tailored coat and a pocket watch, gave her a smile. "I was just curious as to whether or not you plan on journeying to the Upperlands," he inquired knowingly.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at that. "If you must know, I was planning on doing that tonight," she replied, wondering how in all that was holy did he managed to guess her intentions. "Alice has returned from her sojourn overseas, and I wish to see her. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you are a great deal happier now than you were last night. That suggests that something happened that was to your liking. And Alice, if I may be so bold, is to your liking."

The White Queen was forced to concede that point, her blush returning. After Alice had left, it had become apparent that her feelings for the young woman were as plain as the nose on her face. But still, was she that transparent to all of her subjects? Or did Mctwisp simply know her well enough to guess? In the end though, it didn't really matter.

She let out a little sigh. "You won't tell anyone of this, will you? I do value what little privacy I have, after all."

He nodded, knowing full well that their Queen had very little privacy to begin with. "No one shall hear a word from me," he promised her. "So, tonight, then."

"Tonight. And… I do not want an honor guard with me. I don't need Alice's family asking questions."

"Fair enough, your Majesty. Now, there is a matter that requires your immediate attention. They are back."

Mirana barely managed to stifle a groan of exasperation, though it was difficult. The Unicorn and the Lion and their constant bickering was something she simply could have done without, and considering the fact they were both loyal to her… "Where are they, and has there been any property damage involved?"

"They are in the Chessure's forest, and no."

"Then let us make sure it stays that way. Come along." With a little luck, they would leave on their own, but they couldn't leave it to luck.

She wanted to see Alice tonight.

England

Alice laughed as Margaret recounted the tale of how Faith Chattaway had managed to bring the unscrupulous Lady DuChamp down a few pegs after discovering her secret. It was a stiff reminder that the Chattaway girls were a force to be reckoned within the London grapevine. "I always knew that those girls would use their powers for good, not evil," she said. She had never really liked DuChamp. She was too pompous for her own good, sometimes.

"Yes, I was as surprised as you were," Margaret replied, smiling. "I was also surprised that they decided to respect Lord Ascot's request not to spread Lowell's infidelity to the streets. Never thought they would actually have such restraint."

"Yes, that is surprising to me, too." Alice leaned in slightly. "So… I am curious. Since you will be single very shortly, do you have any plans for the future? Applying for a job, perhaps?"

The question threw the elder sister for a loop. After everything that she had had to deal with, the future was something she hadn't given much thought to. "Honestly? I don't know, Alice," she replied somewhat hesitantly. "I mean, I have no real skill sets to speak of, and I doubt there is a job out there I could do that would be acceptable to our family's position."

Alice nodded at that, seeing what the problem was. Margaret had never been able to do much, save for what society demanded of her. She just didn't have the skills of a master chef, or a banker. She had never been allowed to cultivate such skills. "What about studying to become a nurse?" she suggested after a moment. "You have the right emotional state for it. And you have studied a great deal about medicine."

"I would… and I have actually applied for a position, but… the woman in question was a nurse in that very hospital, so they know about Lowell's discretion. They fired her, and refused to even consider me."

"Of course they wouldn't. Have to protect their reputation." She wanted to punch Lowell even more than before. The bastard had successfully managed to ruin her sister's good name without even trying.

Margaret smiled, blinking back tears. "Welcome home, sister," she said. "Not what you were expecting, right?"

Alice sighed. "Actually, this was exactly what I was expecting," she replied. "I was hoping it wouldn't happen, though. Call me optimistic." She smiled as an idea came to her. "Well, I have brought gifts for the family, which I was planning to give out later, but…" she pulled a small case out of her pocket, "considering your present circumstances, I think a little pick-me-up is in order." She held it out to her.

Margaret accepted the gift, a little surprised by this. Opening it, she blinked in astonishment. "My goodness," she whispered. "What is it?"

Alice smiled as her sister picked the trinket up, looking it over. "According to the Chinese, everything is governed by a constant battle between Harmony and Discord," she explained. "Everything, including love, is in conflict. To best try and describe this, they created this symbol. Yin and Yang. Equal yet opposing forces, forever in conflict."

Margaret nodded, observing it carefully. It was nothing much; a simple circle, half black, half white, looking like it was in the beginning of turning, with a dot of the opposite color in each side. "Interesting." Personally, she found it to be synonymous with her life. The love of her family, trying to balance out Lowell's betrayal. She slid it on, hiding it under her dress. "Thank you, Alice. It's perfect."

"I'm certainly grateful you like it." Alice stood up, stretching out a bit. "Well, I might as well talk to a few more of our guests while this party is still going on. I might actually have some interesting conversations."

"It is also proper."

"Thank you so very much for the blatant reminder as to how uncouth I truly am. See if I am ever nice to you again."

Margaret giggled at that, as well as the mocking tilt of her sister's nose. "We still have tonight to talk about your journey."

Alice smiled. "I can't wait until then," she replied. "And Margaret… things will get better. They always do."

"But they have to get worse first."

Helen watched as Alice and Margaret spoke, feeling a swell of happiness at her two daughters. Margaret looked decidedly happier than before, which was a boon. 'Alice certainly knows how to brighten anyone's day,' she thought. 'Perhaps they will both find someone who will be loyal to them here. At the very least, they will have some friends.' It made her wish that she had some friends of her own. But most of hers were either dead, or had become wrapped up in their own lives. In fact, the only friend she had left was Lord Ascot.

Oh, Lady Ascot was a decent, honorable acquaintance, and the Havershims had been her husbands business partners since the company's founding, respectful beyond reproach, but they weren't truly friends. They were more hell bent on tradition, being proper British aristocrats. She wanted a friend that she could talk to, just like Alice and Margaret.

"Well, hello there, Helen."

Her eyes widened, shock and delight settling over her as that simple greeting unleashed a storm of memories. The greeting was unfamiliar, but the inflection, the exuberance and yes, the slight madness, those were what she recognized. A friend was what she needed, and fate was ready to deliver.

Turning around, Helen took in the sight of a lean man in a blue suit and matching tie. He had a head full of messy hair and shoes that were a hundred years ahead of their time. The whole ensemble was a century ahead of its time.

But those eyes, the slight madness, exuberant emotion and sheer intellect, those were the same.

Smiling, the woman stepped forward, giving the man a hug. "I didn't think I was going to see you until my deathbed," she said. "It is so good to see you, Doctor. So very good."

The Doctor, the last child of Gallifrey, returned the hug, grinning widely. Helen Kingsleigh had been his final companion before the Time Wars erupted. As a result, she had been one of the few to see his home world in all its splendor. "Well, you know me," he said. "Had a bit of fun along the way, but I figured that I'd come and see your family." He took a look around. "Oooh, you're having a party. Sorry if I'm crashing it. I could've spruced up a bit."

"You're not imposing. You know you're always welcome here." Her gaze shifted slightly, making note of something interesting. "And who is your new companion?"

The companion, a rather sturdy woman with red hair, stuck her hand out. "I'm Donna," she replied. "Donna Noble."

"A pleasure to meet, Donna Noble. I am Helen Kingsleigh." She smiled. "I'm going to assume this is your first time in this era."

"Second, actually. How'd you guess?"

"Your attire, for one thing. Your attitude and mannerisms are also clear indicators. Late Twentieth, early Twenty First century?"

The Doctor smirked at Donna's dumbfounded expression. "Helen's been to the 1970's," he explained. "She found the hippies behavior to be atrocious."

"I have seen poor men and women who had comported themselves better than them," Helen stated, sniffing a bit at the memory. "That and so many other things, for that matter."

"One of them called her a tyrant and old fashioned," he elaborated at his companion's expression. "Then he offered her some pot." He shuddered, still grinning. "I never saw anyone get slapped so hard that they actually bounced off a wall and fell to the ground."

Donna started grinning as she realized what he was talking about. "I like you," she said. "Anyway, what's the party for?"

"My daughter, Alice. She just returned from a business sojourn to China."

"Ah, my goddaughter," the Doctor mused, grinning at the memories that brought out. "It's been a while since I last saw her… and about three regenerations at that."

"Almost eleven years, in fact."

"Oh, this is going to be fun to explain. Any chance you can do that, Helen?"

Helen pretended to ponder that question for a few moments. "Hmm… no."

"Oh bother."

Donna chortled at that. Some things would never change, no matter what.

Guardian City Capricorn

There is one thing that is true about every Guardian City; they exist at all points of time, every second of every day, yet occupy a singular space.

The Guardians utilized several different principles when they developed their residences, taking them to the next logical step. That way, a person could simply step out the front gate and be in the time frame that they wanted to go. Their satellites were built along similar lines, so as to police the lines of time and destiny, determining whether or not they were natural or not, and ensuring that smooth running of the universe they were in. If it was not natural, they dealt with it before it became a problem.

But, once in a while, a disruption is created deliberately by a malevolent force. One that was nearly impossible to repair after the fact.

Such an event was about to occur. The year; 1884.

Capricorn's resident star base was presently in the middle of repairing and realigning their satellite network when the disruption occurred. Even Guardian Tech needed quarterly maintenance in order to run perfectly.

Junior Grade Lieutenant Philip Hodgens, a low level officer of the Starfleet Corp of Engineers, was presently suited up, and hovering right next to Satellite 2605, or as they loved to call it, 'The Big Mohito,' calibrating the temporal scanners. He had done the same thing with the other twenty satellites in the solar system for the last six months. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't tired of it. The view was spectacular, after all.

2605 was in orbit of Earth's moon, hiding under a cloaking device to protect it from detection from the more advanced time frames. It had to be, as it was charged with most important job of the entire system. It was charged with keeping an eye on the Pillar World, as Earth was officially called in the Archives, feeding information about it and any unexpected changes of destiny that could inevitably change the Balance. That made keeping it in prime condition all the more important.

Hodgens' calibrator connected with the BM's main circuit board, accessing its scanning programs. "I'm jacked in," he reported. "Beginning software check."

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant," his pilot replied from the Beethoven, a four man shuttle that was responsible for getting him to each one of the satellites. "Capricorn, Phil's looking real strong."

"We've got the measurements on the board here," the lead technician in Capricorn. "We'll let you know when it's in alignment."

"I'd appreciate that." Hodgens grunted a little as his wrist tricorder beeped. "Hold on, there looks like there's a crack in the skin, near the neural peptides." He activated his repair kit, sending two hundred nanites in. "It should take about ten seconds to repair."

"Understood," Commander Alejandro Cashar replied, sitting back in his chair. "Sometimes, I wished the Big Mohito would align itself without our help. It would make my job so much simpler."

Capricorn, like many of the Guardian Cities out there, was somewhat out of sync with the rest of the universe. It actually occupied the same spot as Washington D.C., having been established millions of years ago. It was the ideal hiding spot.

"Repair work complete," Hodgins reported from his spot next to satellite. "How's the calibration going?"

"About a minute left. …We're getting some fluctuation from the number seven sensor. We may need to replace it."

"… Negative. The scanner was just hit by a gamma burst. Low level. I'm recalibrating… done."

Cashar checked the readout again, nodding in satisfaction. "Sensor stable." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Too bad we have to set it on Stand By to work on the recalibration," he grumbled. "What do you think, Vega?"

Guardian Vega, a somewhat stout man, shook his head. "I'm still waiting for the upgrades to be approved," he replied. "But, as Tieranos is so eager in telling us, our considerable resources are being used to enhance our defense systems for a potential Deadly Alliance threat. SO we will just have to make do."

Unfortunately, the two men were going to wish that those upgrades had taken precedence.

"Ten seconds until recalibration completed." Cashar leaned in. "Preparing to initiate… what the hell?"

The satellite, which had been on the verge of reactivating, suddenly exploded taking the lieutenant with it. No alarm, no warning whatsoever.

"Capricorn!" the pilot suddenly cried out, before they lost contact with the shuttle as well. What was going on?

The Control Room suddenly came to life, reports flying at Cashar so rapidly, he was getting a headache. "Ensign Mirandez, play that back!" he ordered, just so he had some kind of order. He also had a very bad feeling about this.

Mirandez quickly did so, watching the scene closely. Cashar and Vega also did so, their gazes sharpening. There wasn't much. Everything happened as they had seen it the first time. And yet… something wasn't right.

"Slow playback down by twenty percent," Cashar ordered, watching the video become like molasses. "All right, bring up the Voyeur." The Voyeur, Satellite Eight, was the only one close to enough to observe the Big Mohito, built for the primary defense of the world. And right now, it was their only chance into finding out what just happened. And find out, they did.

"Temporal shift!" Vega yelled out, as two points of light suddenly appeared out of nowhere, destroying both the BM and the shuttle in one fell swoop. There had been no warning whatsoever.

The commander immediately turned around, slipping into Command Mode like it was a suit. "Okay, I want three groups! One; internal malfunction! Run through the feeds one more time! Maybe it's a glitch! Two; I want us, Dimensional Cartography, and the Time Cops go through every piece of temporal space junk that you're tracking in every orbit, every time frame! I want you to check, recheck and then do it all over again, just to be on the safe side! Number Three; wild cards! Anything and Everything! Now Vega, I want you to see if you trace the temporal decay back to its source! Mirndez, get on the phone and wake up eleven thousand people! Ensign Joorad, get them going!"

All three people snapped, "Yes, Sir!" at the same time, and went to do their tasks, while he leaned back in his chair again, concerned now. What the hell was going on?

Ascot Manor

The party turned out very well.

Hamish had finally made an appearance within a few hours after Alice had arrived, his usual arrogant self. He kept it tightly leashed though, greeting Alice with all the warmth he could muster. It was obvious that he didn't have any hard feelings for her rejection. In fact, he was engaged to the youngest daughter of a Scottish nobleman, and couldn't be happier for it.

Both Chattoway girls were also engaged to be married, though in Fiona's case, that was only because her father had had a marriage contract drawn up for her. There were definitely far calmer, though Alice suspected they still skinny dipped in the Havershim's pond.

Aunt Imogen seemed to be far better than when she last saw her. She had become far more social as of late, and had even made friends with an elderly aristocrat. Everyone hoped that both held out.

In fact, the only one whose life had gone the other way was Margaret. And Alice hoped to change that. She decided that a trip to Underland was in order. She wanted to see her friends down all there, introduce them to her family…

… and see Mirana again.

But right now, she was enjoying watching her mother and godfather try to explain why he looked so young, and why he was dressed so differently. What made it even more humorous was the fact that her godfather's friend was busy chatting with Lady Ascot, who looked somewhat ill at ease with Donna Noble's coarse personality. Personally, Alice like it.

"All right," she finally exclaimed, deciding to let her mother off the hook. "Doctor, you are the last survivor of a race of beings who have managed to master traveling through time. Your physiology allows you to cheat death by simply changing your appearance, which is why you went from being an elderly looking scholar to becoming a young man. You have protected the Earth from various threats, and at one point, my mother accompanied you on your journeys. Is that the basic gist of it?"

The Doctor nodded, breathing out. "Basically."

"And why didn't you visit early?"

Helen smiled, grateful that Alice didn't think it was all a joke. "The TRADIS and the Time Vortex can be very fickle sometimes," she replied. "Also, the Doctor rarely visits his former companions. He is too busy jumping everywhere and everywhen else." She frowned. "Haw many companions have you had, Doctor?"

"Yeah," Donna suddenly exclaimed, looking at him. "I know about Martha, Sarah Jane and Rose, but that's about it. You've never told me about the rest."

The Doctor frowned thoughtfully. "I've had about… thirty seven," he finally said, "spanning about ten regenerations. Are you lot happy now?"

"Yep. I'm gonna find out who they all are, by the way."

Lady Ascot looked scandalized by this new information. "Thirty Seven…?"

"He's over 900, now."

"And nothing happened, so you can relax milady," the Doctor added. "Got pretty close a few times, but that was it. Something always happened before it reached that point. For the most part, they actually serve a very important role."

"What role is that?" Margaret asked, finally entering the conversation.

"They keep him from going too far," Alice replied, realizing what that meant. "This man travels through time. The desire to change things is too great for one person to handle."

Helen nodded. "That is exactly what we do, Alice," she said, once more impressed by her youngest daughter's intelligence. "And in return, we get to see the cosmos, with all of its wonders… and dangers."

'Oh, I know all about its dangers,' Alice thought to herself. The Heartless had shown her just how dangerous space was. It was the reason why she had had nightmares until her second trip to Underland.

Of course, she had been shown its wonders by some very good friends. And Mirana had helped her find her courage, and gave her a reason to continue on, simply by not pushing, by just letting her make her own choice. Only one other person had done that for her, she technically wasn't even born yet. Wouldn't be for another hundred years.

The Doctor looked at her for a moment, frowning thoughtfully. It looked as thought his goddaughter had been on the verge of saying something, but had decided not to in the end. "Well, despite all that, we had a lot of fun," he said, deciding not to pursue it at this time. "The Moons of Foraga Prime, for instance."

Helen smiled at that. "Yes, those were very nice indeed," she mused, remembering the days when she was young. "I believe that was where Charles proposed to me."

"Yes, it was. Very romantic. Brought a tear to my eye."

Donna frowned for a second as a thought came to her. "Didn't we visit the moons just last week?" she asked. "The ones with the big purple trees and the flowers with the polka dot petals."

"Yeah, we did. Just a different moon from the one I took Helen to."

Margaret smiled. "Sounds wonderful," she said.

Donna wasn't smiling, though. "Yeah, wonderful, if you like being almost eaten by giant Dodo birds!" she replied. "Bloody idiot landed us right in the middle of a bird's nest!"

"I got us out without any trouble!"

"In the middle of a bird's nest, with hungry babies that were my size!"

Alice started laughing as the two of them bickered, unable to believe it. She didn't think there was anyone who could carry on a topic longer than Tarrant, the March Hare, and Mallykum, but she figured that she had found some stiff competition. "Stop it, you two!" she managed to get out. "I don't wish to die from laughter. It would be embarrassing!" She finally stopped, though a big silly smile was still on her face. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you two were related."

Donna finally smiled as well. "Well, if you want to be technical, the Doctor here is the closest thing I have to a brother," she said. "My Granddad met him during Christmas, and took a liking to him. I ran into him during another alien incursion, and that was that."

"Ah. Do you have anyone waiting for you back home?"

"No, not really. You?"

An image of white hair, perfect features, and open eyes crossed her gaze for a moment, and her smile grew softer. "Possibly," she murmured cryptically. "Possibly."

Margaret caught sight of the slight shift in her expression, and fought to keep her face perfectly composed. She wanted to start giggling, but that would have been bad form. To help with that, she looked up to the sky.

In hindsight, she would be thankful that she had done that. Otherwise, she and the rest of them would most likely have not lived to see another day.

"Well, this is strange," she said aloud, stopping all conversation around her. "What is happening to the sky?"

Their small group looked up in surprise at her rather innocent statement and the follow up question, both spoken with such calm that it was disturbing. One good look explained why.

The Doctor immediately popped his finger into his mouth, then held it up, as if trying figure out the wind flow's general direction. "It's some kind of temporal shift," he murmured, mystified. "Thing is, I've never seen such a localized event before in my life. It's…"

"Trying to breach," Alice finished, eyes widening as a disturbing thought took root. Not only was she intelligent, but she was also quick on the uptake. "Everybody, run!"

No one needed to be told twice, or they simply reacted to an order being forcibly given. Regardless of the reasoning, they ran. The Doctor drove them towards the TARDIS, which even as a police box, was out of place in the manor's estate. He knew that once inside, its nearly indestructible hide would protect them from any attack.

They hadn't even reached the police box when the first of the devices appeared, detonating on impact. Debris and flame shot upwards, shocking everyone into action. Screams of terror filled the evening air at the scene.

Then the bombardment began.

"Keep running!" Alice shouted, as dozens of weapons appeared out of nowhere, destroying everyone and everything they came in contact with. Debris and pieces of bodies flew everywhere, but they kept running. To stop now was to increase their likely hood of dying.

Along the way, they came across the Chattaway girls, both who were completely silent for once. While this was a godsend, it barely registered as they started to follow Alice.

The Doctor quickly unlocked the TARDIS, stepping aside to let everyone in first. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he waved it about wildly. "Definitely an inverse effect!" he yelled over the din. "Whatever's doing this isn't just reaching through time! They're reaching through space!"

"Figure it out, later!" Donna roared. "Get in, you lot!" She quickly shoved Hamish and his fiancée inside, following them in. Lord Ascot, his wife, and Alice's family followed suite.

Alice remained outside, herding everyone that came their direction inside. Despite the chaos surrounding them, she found herself calmer than she had ever been in her life. This was something she knew how to handle; the unknown. The only thing she wanted to know was; who was attacking them, and for what reason?

A cry of fear caught her attention, and she turned around. She caught sight of one of the servants fleeing for his life, staying just ahead of the explosions. She didn't even hesitate. The moment the last person passed the threshold, she took off like a long distance runner.

The servant was just about to head in the direction of the rose garden, where certain death awaited him, when a small but strong hand grabbed his arm. "Safety is this way!" he heard Alice shout, before being tugged in that direction. He let her do just that, simply because she sounded like she knew what she was talking about. That was all he could do at this moment.

They hadn't gotten too far, passing the guest house before Alice saw a rippled begin to take form above her. Cursing, she quickly shifted their direction away from the building in question, mindful that flying debris would prove to be problem. "Down!" she shouted, shoving him to the ground.

Before she could follow him, the device dropped into the building… and exploded. She was picked up by the resultant shockwave, thrown through the air and hitting the ground hard, followed by a few dozen pounds of debris.

Then… darkness.

Capricorn

"My screen's full! They're all over the place!"

"Temporal inversions are occurring in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa! Avalon outpost is confirming additional inversions in the Middle East!"

"The inversions are appearing in Moscow, Saint Petersburg… hell, the entire Russian Empire!"

All over the control room, alerts blared and officers moved. Reports were fired off from every person there, each one worse than the last. Their weapons system, usually on top of things, were unable to properly target. Never before had a Guardian City ever been rendered so helpless to protect the planet.

Cashar wanted to shake his fists at the heavens, but he refrained. Blaming God for something he wasn't responsible for wouldn't help solve this problem. Instead, he turned his attention to Vega. "Anything?" he asked.

Vega shook his head, not speaking. He was still in the process of trying to track the inversions point of origin, which was very difficult to do, even for a Guardian. All of his energy had to be focused on the task.

Leaving the Guardian to his task, the commander turned his attention back to his subordinates. "Is there any way for conventional sensors to track them?"

One of the lieutenants brought the sensor grid up. "I'm sure as hell going to try," she replied. "I'm going to try an old style scan. We'll be targeting anything remotely out of place, but it's better than nothing."

"Don't bother, Sir," an ensign replied. "The temporal ripples have stopped. It looks like it's over."

"Damage assessment!" Cashar barked.

A good minute later, he was wishing that he hadn't said that. The reports came in a deluge, and it wasn't good, to put it mildly. There wasn't a major city on the planet that hadn't been hit, and wiped out as a result. The death toll was in the millions, and the damage itself even higher. There was no way they could recover the original timeline after this. They didn't even have an exact count as to how much damage had been done. It was an absolute nightmare.

"Sir, I have the First Guardian on the line," an anxious operator suddenly stated, shutting the din down to a backyard trickle.

Cashar nodded, suddenly nervous. "Eminence," he said in greeting.

"I have reports coming from Realm 1995," Alania's voice stated brusquely from Zion. "Now we know it's not space junk. Is it a Deadly Alliance attack? Is it Trigon?"

"It was an attack. They first took out our primary satellite, then bombed the planet's major cities, and many of the towns there as well."

"… I have the Supreme Chancellor and the Senate demanding answers. Who is behind this?"

"Milady, I have over eleven thousand people here in Capricorn and Avalon trying to figure that out right now. All we know right now… is that it's bad. Really bad."

"Oh my God." The senior lieutenant suddenly turned around to look at Cashar. "Sir... we discovered where the first inversions began."

Cashar also took a look, and blanched. She had just come home on May 13th, 1884. "Eminence, I'm afraid my original assessment was off. It's much worse. We have reason to believe that Alice Kingsleigh was the primary target…"

Underland

The duties had taken slightly longer to complete than she had originally thought, but they had been completed. Mctwisp even let her off the hook where the Unicorn and the Lion were concerned, which was unbelievably generous of him.

Now Mirana was making her preparations for her journey to the Uplands, as they called the world beyond the Looking Glass. This meant several glamour's had to be created to hide her unique characteristics.

Now, satisfied that her spells, designed to activate and deactivate at her command, were on, the White Queen turned to look at her mirror. Her white hair had been turned a luxurious brown color, and her skin was now what would classify as a healthy tan. From her brief observations of what they wore up there, was ready to make her garments into whatever she needed them to look. She had packed several nightgowns and her dressing gown, so she didn't wrinkle her garments any. A queen always had to look her best, regardless of the circumstances.

Of course, that could change if she could convince Alice to share a bed with her…

Mirana giggled as she thought of all the possibilities, not to mention the reaction she would probably receive if she kissed Alice right in front of her family. She knew their customs rather well, and most of them stated that it was a man and a woman that were supposed to be in a relationship, not two women. If nothing else, it would be something to remember.

Satisfied with the results, the White Queen shifted her attention to the Looking Glass, and waved her hand. She was going to enjoy surprising her Champion, but she wanted to make sure that she hadn't turned in for the night.

What she hadn't counted on was being the one surprised… and it wasn't the pleasant kind of surprise.

Her glamour fell away as an image of fire and destruction appeared before her. She saw bodies strewn everywhere she looked… and she saw a arm, encased in a lavender colored sleeve.

"Tarrant!" she practically screamed, forgetting propriety, and her lessons in the face of her terror. At that moment, her throne, her bloodline, her position didn't even exist.

All that mattered was Alice.

London

The Police Box's door opened, and a red head popped out, taking a look around.

"It's stopped!" Donna shouted into the TARDIS. "I think it's safe!"

The Doctor joined her at the door, sniffing the air. "You're right," he stated, before turning around. "The temporal inversions have stopped. You can come out… if you think it's a good idea. The view's not so great anymore."

Slowly, ever so slowly and with great trepidation, those who had successfully managed to take refuge within the time machine began to filter out, all of them taking in the world around with an air of compete and utter shock, sorrow, and an entirely justified anger.

Where once trees, gardens and flower beds stood, lending a feel of peace, serenity and beauty, now only were gaping holes and ash. Where both the manor and the guest house stood, fires blazed out of control. Debris littered the ground, burnt wood and blackened mortar the only reminders that structures once stood there. There was nothing left, save for the clothes on their backs.

And, of course, the bodies. People that they had been colleagues with, who both served and helped them in their everyday lives, were now unrecognizable heaps on the ground, charred beyond recognition. Others were missing body parts, or even half of their bodies. It was a sight no civilian ever wanted to see.

Lady Ascot held her husband's hand tightly, to anchor both him and herself as they took in this grim spectacle before them. They had spent the whole of their lives in that place, ensuring that their son would have a home to come back to with whomever he chose to marry. They had even hoped that Alice would come to see it as a second home, though the Lady of the House never showed it.

The thought of Alice suddenly became foremost on theirs and Helen's mind. Donna had told them that she had gone back to help a straggler, but she had never returned. Nothing else mattered at that moment except finding Alice.

"Alice!" everyone started calling out as they began searching for her, skirting around any area too hot for them to even go near. They knew it was a long shot, considering the sheer devastation they were seeing, but they had to make sure.

The Doctor helped as much as he could, considering that he was pretty much powerless to do anything else. But more to the point, she was his goddaughter. He was never going to give up on her. "She'll be alright," he said. "She's tougher than most men. She'll make it through."

"We just went through a bombing, Doctor," Donna reminded him gently as they stepped around a small fire. "Whoever did this was thorough. They wanted to maximize casualties. It's a safe bet that she was taken out in the attack."

"No, the Doctor's right," Helen stated firmly, shooting the current companion a stern look. "Alice is a survivor, and she won't stop fighting to survive. She's here, somewhere."

"Now there's the spirit!" the Doctor proclaimed. "Let's find her and then get the bloody hell out of here! What's at the far end of the property?"

"Just the forest. There's an old tree with a pretty large hole at the base of it. Why? Do you think she took refuge there?"

"Don't know. Might have. I'm gonna go check it out." He also wanted to get away from the devastation for a moment, as it was beginning to remind him a little too much of his home planet of Gallifrey, condemned to burn all those years ago, along with the two species that he had condemned top go with it. The Daleks… and his own people, the Timelords. Despite the necessity of the act, considering what both species were planning to do, the act of genocide burned him. It burned him because he had known that there had been no other choice.

His musings and self hatred lasted until he reached the edge of what was once a forest, but was now burning kindling. Surprisingly enough though, it seemed to be missing the ancient tree parked right at the perimeter. Looking around, his hopes dimmed. 'There's no one here,' he thought, sighing as he rubbed his eyes. 'Damn it all, I thought for sure that…'

His thoughts trailed off as he took in a rather interesting detail. One that, as he looked at where they began, would also have been rather difficult to believe, if he hadn't seen such things before.

There were footsteps leading away from the hole, and heading for the disaster area. A whole lot of footsteps that weren't coming out of the forest.

He promptly turned around and ran back towards the estate grounds.

Lord Ascot took a look around as he heaved some debris away, hoping to see young Alice underneath it. Finding nothing, he sighed. It was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. He was trying to stay strong for Helen and his wife's sake, but he was beginning to lose hope.

Next to him, his wife looked perilously close to tears. "I can't believe it," she whispered, her aristocratic demeanor a mere memory in the face of such destruction. "Why would someone do something like this? Who would do this?"

"I don't know," he replied, pausing to take a breath. Despite being in shape, he was not a young man. "But that is a question that we can answer after we find Alice and any other survivors. That is all we can do." Helping a servant move a rather large wooden board, he was greeted by the unseeing eyes of a young nobleman. Wishing the poor soul a speedy journey to Heaven, he closed his eyes, before standing up.

Nearby, Helen was moving forward steadily, calling out Alice's name every few steps. Soot and sweat adorned her face, but she paid it no mind. All she wanted was finding her youngest, alive and well.

Margaret was next to her, uncharacteristically somber. She was in a bit of a daze concerning her personal life, and now this travesty had occurred. If they find Alice in any condition other than alive, she wasn't sure she would be able to handle it without going mad.

And now her eyes were playing tricks on her. Due to all of the smoke in the air and the fires blazing, she could have sworn she saw a giant chess piece in the distance. She blinked, shaking her head of the image.

Except it was still there afterwards, and getting closer.

Margaret's scream caught everyone's attention, and caused her mother to look up in shock. One look was she needed. "Get back!" she ordered Margaret, pulling her eldest child behind her protectively. Lord Ascot came running, a number of men right behind him.

"Dear God!" one of them breathed as he took in the sight of the strange creature heading towards them. "What is that?"

"A giant chess piece," Helen remarked dryly, "or rather, a person with a chess piece for a head. A rook, if I'm not mistaken." She stepped forward. "Who are you… all of you? And why are you here?"

The chess piece, wearing polished white armor, came to a halt, and was soon joined by a rather flat looking creature wearing red armor. Both of stared at the assembled group, holding their hands up in a gesture of peace. It was obvious that they understood English, even if they couldn't speak it. But why were they here?

"We're here to help."

The voice, so soft and yet so firm, immediately caught their attention. The keeper of said voice stepped forward from behind the soldiers. She was a beauty with pale white skin, equally pale white hair, and dark eyes that could seemingly peer into the soul of anyone she looked at. The authority that she emanated was more than enough to acquire everyone's attention and hold it. This one was a leader.

Helen stepped forward cautiously, keeping Margaret behind her. "Who are you, madam?" she asked courteously.

The woman inclined her slightly. "I am Mirana, Queen of Underland," she replied. "I am also a friend of your daughter, Alice."

"You… you know Alice?"

Yes. She… she saved my people by defeating a tyrant. It is a very long story, and not pertinent to what happened here." She looked around. "Continue searching for survivors, and have the Healers administer Healing draughts to the worst off."

The Knights immediately headed off to the far side of the property, where others were already hard at work, pulling bodies out of the wreckage. They were very efficient, well prepared.

Helen nodded, impressed despite herself. "Most impressive."

Mirana shook her head. "It is of little comfort, considering that we only found three survivors so far. Everyone else… well, if we can find the time, we will have to perform burial rites for them."

"That's a good idea," the Doctor replied, running up to them. "There are a whole lot of footprints coming out of the forest near that tree you told me about, Helen. Hello there. I'm going to try and find out where this bombing started." He pulled his sonic screwdriver out, was ready to begin his investigation… and stepped back towards Mirana, truly realizing that she was indeed there. "Hello there."

Mirana inclined her head, smiling slightly. "Good day to you too, sir. Yes, those footprints belong to my people." She quickly turned her attention back to Helen, even as some debris shifted, falling. "Where is Alice?"

Helen gestured at the destruction. "Hopefully, she is still alive."

The White Queen's already pale features paled even further, if that was even possible. "Alice…"

"Right here, and I could use some help!"

Alice had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but she did know one thing; she had a splitting headache, her body felt like one giant bruise, and she had the distinct feeling that she was very lucky to be alive. How lucky was still up for update, but she would take what she could get.

Taking a look to her side, she saw that the man she was trying to save was still unconscious, but breathing. But he looked as beat up as she felt.

Grunting a little, the young woman shunted some strength to her muscles checking to see if she had all of her limbs intact. Heartened to learn that was indeed the case, deciding that now would not be a good time to hide her full power, she stood up, shoving a blackened support beam off of her like it was a piece of cardboard. Quickly brushing embers off of her jacket, she removed a second beam from the man, then checking him over. 'At least he's still alive,' she thought, turning him onto his back gently. She winced at the bruising already forming on his face. "That is going to hurt when he wakes up," she muttered, praying that his jaw wasn't broken. Otherwise, she had just made it a lot worse. Was it even safe to move him any further?

As she stood up to take a look around, she immediately regretted it as the area began to swim. She hoped she didn't have a concussion, because she really wanted to find out who decided to use the Ascot's estate for target practice.

Indistinct voices caught her attention as she breathed in to steady herself. Straining a little, she tried to pick out exactly which ones they were.

"Hopefully," she heard her mother say, even as she took note of shadows moving a little further in the distance. So there were other survivors. That was good.

And then she heard a voice that she had not heard in over two years say, "Alice…"

"Right here," she shouted, quickly getting their attention, "and I could use some help!"

It was toss up, she would later reflect, as to which woman's head snapped in her direction, nor who reached her first. And, in hindsight, she really didn't care who did.

All she truly remembered at that time was being engulfed in the arms of quite literally the last woman she had thought to see. "Mirana," she breathed out, already feeling a whole lot better than before. She had come.

Mirana smiled at her, tears of joy and relief brimming in her eyes. "Thank the Maker you're alright," she whispered. "When I saw what happened, I… I feared the worst." She looked her over. "What happened?"

"We were attacked. By who, I'm going to find out, and they will wish they had never done so." The Champion gently extradited herself from her Queen's hold, turning around. "I have an injured man here. I think he may have a broken jaw, and I might have a concussion."

Her Godfather was next to her in an instant, looking her over, while Mirana knelt next to the servant, gently touching his face. "Well, you're lucky," he said. "No concussion, just a bump on the head. Other than that, you're fine."

"And this man's jaw is not broken," Mirana added, smiling. "He may have two cracked ribs, and he does have a minor cut on his forehead." She stood up. "All things considering, you were both very lucky. But we do need to move him. It is not safe here."

"It may not be safe anywhere," Alice grumbled. "Doctor, does the TARDIS have any kind of scanning equipment? We need to ascertain the status of the planet."

"Already did. It's happening all over. Every nation, every pocket of human civilization. There are only fifty thousand people left."

"What?"

Margaret smiled sadly. "I'm afraid it's true, Alice. We have been effectively thrust back into the Dark Ages." She almost sounded defeated, and who could blame her? This was a planetary disaster.

Alice kicked a burning board over, before finally sitting down, rubbing her head. "Well, we still need to know where this came from, which we won't unless we started looking. Doctor, can you find out exactly where and when these came from?"

"Only if I have the temporal variance, because the inversions have stopped. If we can find an unexploded bomb, I can use its homing beacon to find out what year it came from."

"How about we use the one Alice is sitting on?" Donna asked casually.

Alice promptly stood up and backed off quickly, blinking rapidly. "Okay, I will admit that this is different," she muttered, as Mirana came to join her.

Donna smirked. "So, Doctor… you think you can use that?"

The mighty Timelord was practically skipping as he went to it, looking it over. "This is brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Alice, you're brilliant."

Alice looked slightly put off by the praise. "I was sitting on something that could have taken my backside, and he's congratulating me for finding it," she grumbled.

"I am certainly grateful it didn't," Mirana whispered. "It would be a problem if I had to grow you a new lower body."

The TARDIS was filled to capacity as everyone moved inside its safer walls. The oxygen was free of the stench of fire and death. It had even converted the Dining Hall into a triage center for the few people they had been lucky enough to pull out of the wreckage. Mirana had been declared lead doctor, as she was one of the few with medical training. Margaret offered her services, making sure to stay out of the way of the Underland Healers, but always able to help them when they needed it.

Only after the five they had rescued were stabilized and resting comfortably, and after assurances from her subordinates that they would call if complications occurred, did the two women make their out into the hallway. Once outside, they slid to the floor wearily, breathing out. Their injuries weren't as terrible as they originally assumed, extensive though they were. They would be alright, after considerable rest and time.

But now that the crisis had past, Margaret found herself slipping back into the memories of the past few hours. Difficult not to.

Mirana noted the distant look in Margaret's eyes, and understood. Sympathized, even. She had seen it happen with Tarrant, and she even knew that she had done the same thing many times before. The destruction o the Hightopp Clan was still a sore spot in their minds. "Miss Kingsleigh?" she asked quietly as she touched the young woman's shoulder, hoping to make sure that she didn't dwell on it too much. That was the path to madness.

Margaret jerked a little in surprise, before relaxing. "My apologies, your Majesty," she said. "I guess I just…"

"Found yourself thinking about the attack. Believe me, I understand completely. I would be very surprised if you weren't thinking about it." The White Queen looked her face over. "You have a slight cut on your forehead," she said. "You must have been clipped by piece of flying debris." In fact, Margaret looked like she had just been in a war zone. Her garments were covered in soot, her immaculate hair was now in disarray, and she had bruises forming on her arms where rocks had hit her.

Of course, Mirana knew that she looked no better. And considering her pale Underland skin and pure white garments, it would make it look ten times worse.

Margaret touched her head lightly, wincing as she suddenly became aware of a throbbing in her temple. "I hadn't even noticed it."

"You were a little busy trying to stay alive. I cannot say that I'm surprised. We both need a bath, and I need to take a look at that before it becomes infected." Mirana rose, helping the other woman up. "Come. Let us ask the Doctor where the bathing area is."

Now that she had been brought out of her little world, the elder Kingsleigh sister decided to ask the White Queen a few questions that she had wanted to ask since they first met a few hours before. "How do you know Alice? And why are called the White Queen? It can't just be because of how you dress."

Mirana sighed as she thought about it. Had it been so long since the Heartless invasion? How much had changed? How much had she and Alice changed since those fateful days? "I'm called the White Queen predominately because of my association to the light," she replied, deciding to answer the second question. "However, I am not as pure as my people wish to believe. The truth of my powers is slightly more complicated than that, and something I do not wish to talk about. As for how I know Alice…" she paused for a moment. "I met her briefly when she was eight years old, during a rather… complicated situation around that time. But I had known about her since before she was born. I saw her again two years ago when she helped me reclaim my crown and helped restore freedom to my kingdom."

"Now that sounds like something my sister would do. How did she do that?"

"She slayed the Jabberwocky… a dragon that couldn't fly and shot purple lightning from its mouth."

"Ah." Margaret blinked. "I didn't know Alice knew how to do that."

Mirana smiled as she recalled her first look at her Champion in her armor. "She's actually quite proficient in combat." She knew that she wasn't hiding her admiration and respect for Alice from Margaret, but she didn't particularly care. And, judging by the way her companion was looking at her, she didn't care, either.

If nothing else, she looked like she had been given the piece to particularly difficult puzzle. A puzzle she hadn't even realized she had been working on.

Alice, Donna, and the Doctor grunted as they finally managed to move the torpedo into the TARDIS's control room, all of them really loathing the blasted thing. Of course, if it was going to explode, it would have done so already. It was just freaking heavy!

"Bloody hell!" Donna gasped, waving her arms out. "Why couldn't you put your bloody stethoscope on it? Why'd we have to bring it into the bloody phone box?"

Alice looked up, eyeing the companion for a moment. "You know… I have to second that question," she said.

"Because, honestly, I need to do a full scan of it," the Doctor replied, pulling at various levers, then moving a large screen over it. "I have to see the inside of it. I mean, I've never seen a torpedo like this before, and I've lived a very long time. Whatever this kind is, it's not used by my enemies."

"None of us have," Alice stated irritably. "This is kind of the reason why we need to find out what, why, and more importantly, who did this, Doctor. And we need to do it fast, so we can find out how much damage has been done."

"We already have," Helen replied, tugging down on her new shirt. Her eyes flashed with grief and shock. "It's total. Absolute destruction. There isn't even any signs of the rainforests."

The Doctor shuddered at that, still trying to wrap his own brain around it. He, who had seen much and done more, he who had condemned both his own species and the Daleks to death, had been frozen by the calculating manner, the sheer coldness of the act. And that was exactly what it was. A cold act of genocide the likes of which the Cybermen or the Daleks could ever hope to compete with. And it was calculated, designed for maximum damage.

"Are we good?" Helen asked.

"We are." The Doctor stepped away. "Hit the scanner. The big blue button with the Darth Vader bobble head right next to it."

"'Darth Vader?'"

"The black helmet that also has a frightening mask on it," Donna elaborated. "New decoration."

Her confusion cleared, the Kingsleigh Matriarch quickly pressed the button in question, hearing the TARDIS purr in response as it began to analyze the device. It dinged twice, almost sounding confused.

"Yes, I know!" the Doctor replied, looking at the screen. "It doesn't match any kind of weapon we've come across, and I already know that it looks like a giant cigar case! As for that… what?"

Alice joined him at screen, looking over the information that was coming up. "Three grams of sucpresia and garxasias, exactly," she said, frowning. "What are those compounds?"

"Alone? Sucpresia is relatively harmless, if toxic in liquid form. It's made as a lubricant for the Sontaran's stardrive. But garxasias is… well, it's like anti-sucpresia. You never want to put them within range of one another, because they destroy themselves."

Her eyes widened as she started putting the pieces together. "You're talking about matter and antimatter."

"Well… yes."

"This… was a matter/antimatter bomb."

"Yes."

Donna blinked. "You sound like you know something about this," she accused. "How the hell did you even know that?"

"A fairly good question," Helen stated. "How did you know that, Alice?"

"You're not the only one who has had experience with extraterrestrials, Mother." She sighed, rubbing her face fretfully as memories of her first journey to Underland coming to the fore. "It is… a long story, but sufficed to say that I learned a little bit of humanity's possible futures." Her gaze hardened slightly. "TARDIS, now that we have in the information about this device, can you locate what year it was launched from?"

The TARDIS tolled once, which she took to mean yes. Three seconds later, it was confirmed, as the year appeared on the screen.

"2009," Donna breathed.

Alice nodded. "2009." She turned to face the Doctor. "That long story I mentioned earlier? I met someone from the Twenty First Century who is very notorious. She is a Vampire Slayer called Faith."

Now, to perfectly fair, the Doctor had seen many things in his life, and done even more. He had challenged gods, beaten monsters, braved the pits of hell, and changed the course of human history more times than he could count. He knew there were incredible wonders out there that he had never seen before, and many surprises that still awaited him and the race that he had come view himself a part of.

And yet, despite all of that, despite his endless appetite for adventure and knowledge, to learn that his goddaughter not only knew of the most infamous Slayer of all time, but knew her personally, was not only a surprise, but a shock to end all shocks. It was like she had been in the presence of a god.

He knew of Faith, of course. Time had a series of fixed points, where something had to always happen. It couldn't be altered in the slightest bit, for it could inevitably alter humanity's future forever. And within those fixed points, there were certain people that had to be there, where the course of humanity's future hung by their decisions.

Faith wasn't within a fixed point of history, where her actions had to happen. No, her importance was far greater than that.

She was a fixed point. The fixed point. The one who could disrupt any fixed point without consequence, and create them through sheer will. She did what the Timelords, if they didn't have such strict rules to govern them, could do.

The whole universe, nay, the whole multiverse, would one day depend upon her for salvation. Everything depended on her. Everything.

Donna knew of the Dark Slayer too, though only through conventional means. She started out as an outcast, but rose to become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, heroes of the Twenty First Century, with the distinction of being the only high profile fugitive the FBI refused to go after. The world owed her so much, if even a third of the stories circulating around her were true.

"How do you know Faith?" the Doctor asked, not really sure if he wanted to know.

"She isn't the only one who knows the Dark Slayer," a new voice interjected before Alice could respond. They all turned to see Mirana and Margaret entering the control room. They had caught the tail end of the conversation, and the White Queen knew everything without having to be told. At that moment, a hot bath and some clean garments were the least of their concerns.

Mirana stepped forward, running a hand over her Champion's gently, and with more than a little affection. "I learned of Faith many years ago," she said, remembering those old days. "Underland time runs at a far different pace than the Uplands, but we also have the ability to travel to any time we wish with just a thought, much like your time ship, Doctor. She and I have some of the same… enemies, who would love to see us both dead and buried. As a result, we became acquainted." She sighed. "Four years ago, though it was far longer for Alice here, a race called only the Heartless, kidnapped Alice during a faux trial by my sister. When word of her capture reached Mamoreal, I went to Faith for help." She smiled. "I never learned how she was able to do it, but with a little assistance from me, she was not only able to save Alice, but prevented a full scale invasion from entering."

Helen nodded, not really surprised. She should have known that her youngest daughter would somehow find herself in the thick of things. "This Faith… is she trustworthy?" she asked.

"Trustworthy?" Donna snorted. "Only if you earn her trust, and that's a big if."

"Faith has had… a rough childhood," Alice elaborated. "I know next to nothing on it, but it sounded she had been abused in almost every single manner a person could be abused. Repeatedly, with no respite. It has made her somewhat suicidal, but also helped her survive something lesser people would have crumbled under."

"Her own darkness," the Doctor muttered. "She has to be exceptionally strong of will to do that, among other things."

"She also survived a sorceress's chosen warrior in battle," Mirana added. "She save everyone. And yet, she received no credit from the Gods or their allies." Even now, the arrogance of Guardian Tieranos vexed her.

"So, Faith is a powerful warrior who has saved life as we know many times, but she is a fugitive from the law," Helen supplied. "The only concession that the governments of the world will give her is they will not chase her."

"Pretty much," Donna replied.

"Well… why don't we go and find her?"

The Doctor frowned thoughtfully at that. The idea did have merit, though with the devastation around them, there was a good chance she wasn't even alive anymore. "It's risky," he said.

"Doctor, it is risky staying here, too," Alice replied. "The sheer amount of destruction here will make most the land uninhabitable for at least a few generations. There is no hope for recovery at all, and even if the survivors managed to form new settlements, they would most likely be picked off by vampires and other demons."

"Underland can offer sanctuary to the survivors, which should give Earth time to heal without having to worry about the burden of trying to support a human colony." Mirana sat down. "Lord Ascot, you and your wide are certainly welcome to join them. So are you and your daughters, Miss Kingsleigh."

Lord Ascot inclined his head graciously. "Of course."

"I, on the other hand, know Alice very well," Helen stated. "She is going to try and find Faith, and I intend to help her."

"And I'm not leaving my sister's side," Margaret added. "I have less than nothing here."

The Doctor grinned at that. "Well, let's get everyone who's not coming with us off the TARDIS, and then see if we can't go and find us a Ghost."

The White Queen smiled, squeezing Alice's hand in excitement, and was overjoyed to feel Alice return the squeeze. At long last, they were going to be seeing their friend again.

About an hour later, as the remnants of a once strong civilization slowly made their way to a mirror that would take them to safety, a blue Police box began to fade out of existence, a power noise emanating from it as its pilot keyed in coordinates for its journey.

Tarrant Hightopp saluted the TARDIS just before it completely vanished from sight. "Farfarren to all of you," he whispered in prayer, before he followed the stragglers to the Looking Glass. No madness was in his eyes on this terrible day, as he realized that Underland was going to have to prepare for a possible war.

A very possible war.

The edge of the universe, 2009

"Success?" the Borg Queen asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Six of Twelve replied. "Unfortunately, it looks as though the universe has prevented the changes to be permanent. It has already separated into a parallel reality. There was one final temporal transference before it happened, though,." He looked at the screen. "What do we do now?"

"Now, we wait. We wait for the Lonely God to come and try to stop us."

"And once we have proven that resistance if futile? Will we kill him, or assimilate him?"

The Queen turned around. "Kill him?" she repeated. "I'm not going to kill him, and I will not assimilate him or his companion. I'm going to make them watch."

Her First Officer was about to say something else, when a beeping caught their attention. As one, they turned to look at the screen.

There, blinking into existence outside of the Borg vessels, was a small blue Police Box, whirling around and moving erratically as it came closer. Just what they were waiting for.

"Tractor that ship!" The Borg Queen's mouth curled into a sneer as she saw her triumph come even closer. "Welcome to the edge of space and time, Doctor," she snarled triumphantly.

And this is Chapter Six. Chapter Seven will return to Faith, but I will also be throwing in a few more characters that I'm sure that most of you will recognize. So please read and review. I desire your input.

This story, I'm hoping anyway, will be full of twists and turns that I'm hoping will keep all of you guessing throughout it. And by the time I'm done with it, I will have hopefully altered the landscape forever. (At least where this story is concerned.) So bear with me. On another note, my laptop has finally kicked the ghost, or I would have had this out a good week ago.