Separate Worlds

"I say, Alice has been taking quite a long time."

Words from the mouth of possibly the most ignorant person in all of London, Lord Hamish Ascot. Though time had passed with much joy and delight, it certainly was true that Alice had been gone quite awhile.

"Well, I can't blame her; our food is absolutely disgusting," said Lady Ascot. She, too, was acting quite aristocratic and snobbish. There was a look of distaste as she gave the maids a quick glance, then sighed, turning to Margaret. "My apologies."

"Oh, please do not apologize to me!" Margaret replied with much modesty, smiling as a breeze passed by. It was quite relaxing; everything was much more relaxing when she was pregnant. Even if Alice went missing, she would be quite calm.

"Well, I have an idea," Lord Ascot suddenly spoke. All attention was quickly drawn to him; after all, he was a well-respected man. "How about we take a walk around the garden? It would be nice to show our guest around our manor."

"What a crazy, wonderful idea," was the remark that came from Terrance as everybody agreed. He felt the muscles in his legs begin to move as he stood from the table after what seemed like ages in sync with Margaret and the Ascots. Beckoned to accompany him, Terrance came to the side of Lord Ascot as they began their walk, the maids on the porch cleaning up the mess they had left behind.

It was beautiful. It was a secret haven, and who knew what secrets and memories this secret courtyard held? Alice took her attention away from the scent of cinnamon momentarily to indulge in her newfound discovery. Her eyes wandered from the grass, to the shining ball upon the pedestal in the middle. She followed hesitantly behind the Queen, taking small, quiet steps behind her towards the light. She had smelt this cinnamon, and she had certainly seen this light before; it broke her heart.

"Why is this here…?" Alice wondered out loud, taking gentle steps up to the ball on the pedestal, "I've seen it up in London, in the forest near my father's grave." She stood before it, looking down at the small star in the glass ball. It did not take long until Alice turned around completely to face the Queen, confused. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You have seen this before?" Mirana spoke, a smile creeping upon her lips, which were painted a very light peach, "Up in your land?"

"Yes, I have," Alice replied with a simple nod, "I made a wish on it yesterday, but it didn't come true. I mean, really. Who has ever made a wish on a wishing star and ever had it come true?" She took a quick note of the excited look upon Mirana's face, but said nothing.

"Yesterday… That would be maybe a week here in Wonderland," the Queen spoke, mostly to herself, "And you say you made a wish?" Her hand came to her chin, showing she was in thought. As it had gone up, her hand went down as she looked up to the girl before her. "What was it?"

"I can't quite tell you," Alice replied, her chocolate eyes watching as the Queen began to make her way towards the pedestal herself, "That would jinx it."

"Well, I certainly do not know that your wish involves tea," Mirana smiled devilishly as she approached Alice, "You did not wish for tea, did you?"

"Not quite." She did not wish for tea, but she certainly did wish for a man she often had tea with.

"How long as the Hatter been gone, Alice?"

"I don't know." How was she supposed to know?! She had just arrived in Wonderland. She, herself, wanted to know what had happened to Tarrant Hightopp, her friend and love. She began to remember his hat, green and pierced by many pins and needles. His face of many colours came to her, as well as his tie, which was enormous and decorated with a strange design she had never seen before. Slowly, Alice began to remember him. The more she remembered, the more heavy with pain her heart began to feel. She knew she loved him, and she knew that soon, she would have to return to London, even if it meant leaving the man behind.

"I want you to return to your home, Alice," Mirana spoke with a gentle voice. She almost sounded like a mother or Margaret. "Get some sleep and think about your wish. Think about whether or not it was worth it, or if it had even been granted." A smile was on her face, and it was a reassuring smile at that. "I am not trying to make you leave Wonderland, but I really do think you should be with your family when making your decisions in life."

"I guess…" Alice was quite reluctant to agree. She looked to the star in the glass for a moment, then returned her gaze to Mirana, who was holding a vial of mysterious liquid.

"Please do come back soon when you have sorted out everything," were the last words from Mirana that Alice could hear before she disappeared. The Queen smiled to herself, but as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. She had just realized something:

She had just sent Nivens to bring the Hatter back to Wonderland, and returned Alice to her own world!

Each step he took felt as if he were walking alongside Alice. Terrance knew all too well that Lord Ascot was at his side, but he still imagined that he walked beside that wonderful girl he had fallen in love with. The garden was a small maze of bushes, sprinkled with red roses. He admired their rich, red colour for a moment before the roses became splatters of blood in his imagination. The man had a quick thought of the Red Queen and her bitterness, and that was enough to draw his attention to Lord Ascot, who had been talking about his relationship to Alice during the walk.

It was very quiet between them. Lord Ascot and Terrance Topper had left the two women and the Ascot son to explore the garden of flowers while they, themselves, wandered the maze. "…She is like my own daughter… And she acts much more like my child rather than Hamish," the man spoke, a chuckle finishing his statement.

"Alice is quite a nice girl," Terrance spoke, a hint of reminisce in his voice. He knew all too well that Lord Ascot was right… and God did he miss her. He missed her sweet smile, and her warm voice. He missed her fierce attitude and her gentle heart. He missed her madly.

"Tell me, why did you not want to cause her complications?"

Silence. What was he going to say? Terrance had no idea how to answer that question. He did not want to marry her because she had 'things she had to do'. He did not want to marry her because he did not want to put the pressure of the decision on her. Maybe… he also did not want to hear that she did not feel the same way…

"I asked her if she did not have any complications, would she have married you," the man spoke, sensing that Terrance, himself, was confused with his own feelings. The sound of footsteps on the grass became deafening, and the breezes felt like hailstorms. With each step they took, it seemed they walked deeper and deeper into the depths of 'will Alice marry'?

"What did she say?"

"She kept quiet for a very long time. Her face looked like she wanted to say yes, but something was holding her back."

"Oh… I see… I guess my asking for her hand would definitely cause complications." Terrance stopped and turned around to Lord Ascot, who had already stopped behind him.

"You are the first man Alice has really been attached to, you know," the man declared with a smile on his face, "She usually cares nothing for marriage, but the way she reacted was different than how she usually does."

Terrance blinked, standing face-to-face with the man. It felt as if he were having a talk with Alice's father, instead of her family friend. "Is she usually cold?"

"She refuses the talk of marriage and avoids the subject," the man replied. He took a few steps towards the man. "Alice is a wonderful girl, and I know you two have only just met. When she solves her complications, I really do hope you will consider asking for her hand. Everybody in London is waiting for her to get married."

"Well, with all due respect sir, I do not think it is quite nice to Alice if she is pressured to marry somebody."

"Well, that is what I think too. I do not mind her waiting, but if it is too long, then it will be, well, too late."

There was a spot of white rustling in the bushes. Terrance shifted his gaze for a moment to the bushes and noticed a white foot. "Well, I certainly will consider it." Not a moment too soon, the rabbit hopped from its bush to the one across from it. In that quick run, Terrance could make out a white coat, and he could certainly see its face.

Turning his head slightly to look behind him, Lord Ascot chuckled. "It would be lovely to see you and Alice happy together," he smiled, returning his attention to Terrance.

"Sir, with all due respect, I really would like to explore this maze on my own. Will you please excuse me?"

Lord Ascot nodded and watched as the man hurried past him, running towards the heart of the maze. The Lord stood still where he did and sighed to himself with a smile. "Kids these days… Never really telling each other the truth…" was all that the garden heard before he made his way to his wife, son, and guest.

"About time I found you!" They were whispering.

"What is it, Nivens?" He certainly was quiet.

"I have a message from Queen Mirana," the White Rabbit whispered. He stood on the concrete ground of the small circle on the ground, surrounded by benches. He and Terrance were in a circular clearing in the maze, and the bushes around them gave much privacy.

"What is it?" Terrance asked, a tone of caution. The air suddenly became suffocating, and the time passing by so slowly began to eat at his insides. Would the Queen call him back? Would she tell him that he had to stay London? What was it?

"Queen Mirana has requested that you return to Wonderland," the White Rabbit answered, the sadness in his voice quite noticeable. He, himself, wanted Alice and the Mad Hatter to reunite once again, but it seemed that time had run out.

The world was crashing. The beat of the heart was a stab, and the wind that blew was like ice. A breath was taken away with every one taken, and the warmth of the sun above them was beginning to burn. Terrance could feel everything he had suddenly fade away, and his will to live along with it. "Is that it…?" There was a hollowness in his voice, and he took no effort to try to hide it.

"Yes, Hatter," Nivens looked down at his snow white feet, sighing. He looked back and forth to each foot, then twitched to look up. "I'm so sorry, Hatter…"

"It matters not," the Hatter spoke with a peculiar tone of voice. The emerald from his eyes were fading and beginning to mix with gold. "After all, she is just a girl." His voice was quite different. There was a strange grin coming to his face as he stood. Though there was a grin, the other parts of his face certainly showed no amusement or pleasure at all; no, he was quite mad. "That's right. Alice is just a girl! Tea is better without her!" His voice was beginning to gain volume with each lie he fed his heart. "Who needs her?! I could have saved Wonderland myself. MY LIFE WAS FINE WITHOUT HER!" There was an insane laugh that escaped his lips. "I DON'T NEED THAT GIRL IN MY-"

"Hatter!"

There was a calm that washed over the both of them. Terrance blinked and took deep breaths. He sat down on one of the marble benches nearby, the gold in his eyes receding as the colour of emeralds began to paint them. "Thank you, rabbit," he sighed gravely, "I guess I really do have to return to Wonderland…"

"I'm afraid so…"

"I guess I can no longer be with Alice then."

"Guess so."

"How long did she say I had before I have to return?"

"She asked for you to return as quickly as possible."

"I need to tell Alice's friends that I must leave."

"Will you be able to find your way through this maze in time to return to the Queen?"

"….Probably not then."

Nivens sighed, then looked around at the tall bushes around him. "I ran through here from the hole," he spoke, "Just follow me." Thump. Thump. Thump. Close by, footsteps followed.

It was over.

It was over. There was no way she could see him. Her hands reached the edge of the grass high above her. Why was this so familiar? Oh, right, she had climbed out of Wonderland only a few months ago. Seemed as if only yesterday she had just seen the Hatter, and only just yesterday she had saved Wonderland from the reign of the Red Queen. Yet, she knew it was so long ago that she had the chance to stay with the Hatter; she knew it was too late.

The light from the sun showered over her head as Alice pulled herself to the surface. There was a struggle to climb, then a relaxation that came when she sat down on the grass just beside the rabbit hole. The girl cared not for the dirt on her dress, or even the dust in her hair. Silence rang out as she sat still, staring at the rabbit hole that lay dormant before her. It seemed as if the time passed by had stopped, and that nothing in the world existed but herself. She would have to stay in London for a bit and think: was her wish worth it? Was it granted at all?

"How am I supposed to know if it was worth it or not…?" Alice muttered to herself, sighing. She knew that she was lying to herself; she knew that it was worth the wish… But the result was a huge disappointment. Was it granted? No. It clearly wasn't. If it had been, would she be there right now, staring at that empty rabbit hole? No. Clearly not. The girl brought her knees up to her face, and wrapped her arms around her legs, sighing with sadness. She wanted him. She wanted the Hatter. She wanted her father. She wanted somebody to hold her and tell her what to do… But she especially wanted to know where the Hatter was right now.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes fall upon her.

Note: Sorry everyone! I've actually forgotten about this story, and finally got time to try to finish it up. I apologize if this seems a little rushed, as I really want to start on another fanfiction. If you've been reading this still, thank you! Enjoy!