As Alice slowly woke up, she found herself in her childhood room. She started to sit up, but the nurse softly pushed her back onto the pillow, telling Alice that she needed to lay down until the doctor came in. Alice froze as she laid her head down. There were no doctors in Wonderland. Boris told her that much. It was a moment before she realized that she was back in England. However, she only thought about the amusement park, the castle, Clock Tower, and even the Hatter mansion. It was all gone. She quickly looked around the room, searching for any sign that Boris was there. Her eyes watered as she knew that Boris wasn't there.

The doctor came in a few minutes later with a clipboard. Alice held in her sobs in her chest as no one followed in after him. The nurse left, having something better to do. He took off his lab coat as he brought out his medical bag. He checked her pulse, blood pressure, and temperature, finding nothing out of the ordinary. The doctor sat at the end of her bed, ready to give her some bad news.

"Alice Liddell. Do you know where you've been for the past week?" the doctor demanded. Alice shook her head as she questioned her sanity. Did the past two years in Wonderland actually happen? Did she meet those people? Get those strange gifts? Did she even get married to the man of her dreams? As she silently panicked, the doctor sighed. "Someone found you yesterday in the fields behind the mansion, unconscious. He brought you to the estate. Thank God, too. Since your older sister passed away, you're father has gone to the mental hospital and your younger sister is studying abroad. If you weren't here, there wouldn't be anyone to inherit the estate."

"That would have been a problem indeed," Alice whispered, realizing that Lorina had died only a few days ago. More tears came to her eyes as she figured out how her entire family fell apart instantly. None of that mattered, though. She needed to know what happened to Wonderland. The doctor stood again and grabbed his clipboard and coat.

"You're welcome to familiarize yourself with your home. You seem to have forgotten some things," he winked before he left. Alice only nodded as she sat up in her bed.

Alice dressed herself in her signature blue dress and started to look at her book collection. She had forgotten how extensive it was. They reminded her of Julius's and Madson's libraries, far more extensive than hers could ever be. Alice wiped her eyes before she dashed out of the room.

She continued down the spiral staircase as butlers and maids bustled around. Most of them gave her strange looks, questioning whether she could run such a large property. Alice overheard whispers about how she needed a husband to be truly happy in such a estate. She dashed out into the garden, where she and her older sister frequented every Sunday.

Alice touched her shoulder, finding that the bullet wound was no longer there. There was no evidence that anything had ever penetrated her skin. She sighed as she sat behind a hedge, wondering what she would do next. She had nothing here. Her family was scattered and she had no friends. In England, it was hard for a woman of her age and stature to get a job, so that was also out of the question. Alice could feel her world slowly crumbling around her.

Once the sun began to set, she went back inside, even if Alice wasn't used to the time changes. She even started to miss that, too, even though they were inconvenient most of the time. Once inside, the servants had already made her supper. She calmly sat down and quietly ate her soup by candlelight.

Alice began to climb the stairs to go to bed when the butler stopped her. He bowed deeply before speaking.

"Miss, you have a visitor," he announced as he led Alice into the sitting room. She was extremely curious to find who it was, but tried not to get her hopes up. She hoped for a Wonderlander to take her back, but she knew it was a better chance that it was a suitor that heard that she was awake again. Her estate was extensive and any man with half a brain would know that winning her heart was more than a good idea.

Alice walked into the room and a found a tall man with burgundy hair standing at the window. She pursed her lips as she knew it. This man was probably from down the street. He wore a tall top hat as his long hair cascaded in front of his left eye. He also sported a long tail coat and a nice suit that would make any young girl swoon. The man turned as she ventured further into the room and smiled graciously.

"Hello, Miss Liddell," he greeted as he kissed her hand. Alice said nothing, recognizing that smile from somewhere. Even his pale green eyes offered some familiarity.

"Aren't you supposed to talk off your hat in a lady's presence?" Alice replied, taking her hand out of his reach. The young man smiled again, making her jump.

"Miss, if I did so, you would definitely scream," the man countered as he took a step back. Alice narrowed her eyes, unsure of the character in front of her.

"Sir, what is your name?" she asked, having an impossible idea on this strange guy. He stared her for a moment, wondering if she would guess it. When Alice remained silent, he sighed and bowed slightly.

"Alice, my name is Boris. Boris Airay," he introduced himself. Alice jumped up to him and tore off his hat to reveal a pair of fluffy cat ears. She gasped as she ran into his arms. Boris was real after all. He had been all along. Boris stroked her back as Alice sobbed and sobbed, her emotions running high. Relief, surprise, and love mixed together as her despair vanished. "It's okay, Alice. I'm here now. I'm not going to leave you alone."

"I'm so happy you're here," Alice confessed as she kissed him. Boris smiled and returned the affection. Then Alice told him about the estate and her broken family. He remained calm as he took it all in. "What do we do?"

"We should stay here. I know that it wasn't our first choice, but now we have a nice furnished home, no Hatter, and a staff of servants. Besides, when we drank that medicine, it seemed to give me a heart, but it toned down my hair color and cleared my face of markings. I don't think we can go back," Boris explained calmly. Alice nodded once, vaguely remembering that important detail. They had no more connections after the one she and Boris broke.

"Then we'll stay here then, but we'll have to have another wedding ceremony. It seems that I lost my ring," Alice mentioned as she showed him her vacant hand.

"Yeah, about that. When we came, I had to tear you dress to shreds and took off your ring. That way it looked like someone had kidnapped you or something, so it would explain you sudden disappearance. Then I took you to the mansion so you would get treated, but it seemed that the bullet wound faded away. However, you ended up with a high fever," Boris explained as he reached into his coat pocket and brought out the small sapphire ring and slid it onto Alice's finger. "And I don't mind if we have to redo our wedding, but no guns. That's too dangerous."

"I agree. No guns," Alice whispered as she kissed his lips softly again. Boris placed the hat back on his head as they head for the kitchen for a little dessert.