It was the morning of October 16th and Alice woke to a note left on Hatter's side of the bed. He wrote that he was going out for a bit and that her breakfast was being kept warm in the microwave. He signed it with, Happy Birthday, Alice. I love you. Alice sauntered out to the kitchen. She took out the plate of food Hatter cooked for her. There were scrambled eggs, three strips of bacon and two slices of toast, already buttered. She wondered where Hatter had to go so early in the morning. Alice shrugged off the thought and began to eat.

Meanwhile, at the tea shop, Hatter and Carol had decorated the interior for Alice's birthday party. There were colorful fall leaf garlands and small pumpkin center pieces. It was an Autumn Wonderland, Hatter laughed to himself. He walked towards the back of the shop, going into his office where Charlie was sitting. Hatter had made sure the crazy old knight wasn't going to be dressed in armor during the party.

"Harbinger, when shall you get Lady Alice," Charlie requested.

"Very soon, Charlie, I promise. She's not expecting any of this and I know she'll be glad to see you again," Hatter answered. Charlie followed Hatter out of the office and after a few last minute preparations, Alice's best friend, Julia, arrived.

"This is incredibly sweet of you to do this for Alice, David," she stated.

"I thought it'd be a nice surprise," Hatter remarked. Turning to Carol, he happily stated, "Well, I best be off to get Alice!"

The closing of the apartment door alerted Alice to Hatter's presence. She stepped out of the bedroom dressed in a long sleeved, knit sweater dress that hugged her curves and ended above her knees. It was the exact shade of purple as the coat he gave her to wear in Wonderland. She wore black lace tights that formed the shape of roses and dark brown slouchy boots. Her long, dark hair was styled in a braided ponytail. The sight of her took Hatter's breath away.

"You look gorgeous, love," Hatter marveled.

Blushing, Alice replied, "Why thank you, kind sir." Feeling like a dork for that response, she decided to change the subject and asked, "So, where were you all morning?"

"I was running a few errands but I still have to do some things around the shop. Would you like to come along," he inquired. Alice nodded and Hatter led her over to the shop. As soon as she stepped inside, she gasped at the beautiful decorations that adorned the interior.

"Happy Birthday, Just Plain Alice," Charlie exclaimed hugging her.

"Oh my goodness, Charlie, thanks! It's so great to see you again," Alice rejoiced. Alice hugged her mother and Julia, the only two fellow 'oysters' in her life who knew the truth about Wonderland. They were the only people she couldn't ever lie about it to.

"Just Alice, if today is your birthday, that means your unbirthday must've been yesterday and the days before that," Charlie mused.

Alice laughed and said, "Well, a very merry unbirthday to you, Charlie." He bowed before her, causing Alice to playfully roll her eyes. This little group of people was all Alice needed in her life. They were the people she was closest with. They all ate cake together and each had a slice of pumpkin pie. An hour later, Carol and Julia were fascinated by Charlie's stories of Wonderland. Her and Hatter were left seated at the table together.

"Happy Birthday, love," Hatter sweetly whispered in her ear.

"Thank you, Hatter. You made this a really great birthday for me," Alice told him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. The pair looked on to see the amusement on the faces of Alice's mother and best friend before joining in on their frabjous conversation with Charlie.


Author's Note: Of course, a thank you to my lovely reviewers, JillJones123 and PrimevalAngel. Thanks again to my bestie, Julia (AlwaysHopelessRomantic95), for proofreading and encouragement. Probably not my best chapter but I thought it was a cute idea! I used Caterina's actual birthday for Alice's. Fun Fact: I share that birthday with her haha!