Chapter 25: A Life With or Without Wonderland

Alice watched her daughter slowly fade into her own world as time passed. It had been nearly week since they had come back from Wonderland and she had yet to speak a word to anyone. Olivia would stay in her room most of the time, staring out the window as though she were mourning the loss of a loved one. Then again, perhaps she had.

She had tried multiple times to speak to the young woman, but every time Alice did, she was received with silence. It was as though Olivia were gone to the world, imagining a place that she had felt happier. And she was. Olivia would dream that the Hatter or the White Rabbit, someone, would come walking up the drive and come to steal her away. But they never came. No one ever came. James, her father, had asked Alice multiple times what was wrong with the young woman to which she could only reply, 'she is dreaming of another place'.

"Olivia?" Alice said in a quiet voice as she stepped into the room, noticing the uneaten food on the small table.

The young woman didn't reply or move, she simply remained staring out the window like the statue she had become.

"Olivia why don't you take a walk?" she asked kindly.

Again, she didn't reply.

"I know how you feel." She finally said in a quiet voice.

"No." Olivia replied. "You really don't."

Alice was caught off guard by her daughter's voice. It had been so long since she had spoken and it was almost foreign to finally hear it.

"With all due respect mother," Olivia said as she turned to face the woman. "I'd rather be alone."

Her voice held no emotion. It was almost like a robotic phrase that had been repeated multiple times before, but the most unnerving part was it coming from her daughter's mouth. After speaking, she turned back to the window.

"I do, in fact." Alice replied rather insulted her daughter had spoken to her in such a way after finally choosing to speak.

The young woman turned to her mother once more, her face still blank though Alice could feel she was waiting for her to explain. Alice sighed for a moment, thinking of the words and how they whould exit her mouth before actually speaking. The last thing she wanted to do now, was cause her daughter to sink further into this depression she found herself in.

"Sometime ago," Alice began in a calm tone. "When I was a little older than you are now, I found my way back into Wonderland."

"You had been before?"

"By accident as a child I had found the rabbit hole and fallen in." she said with a faint smile at the memory before continuing on with her story. "When I had come back the last time, I had been convinced it was all a dream, not daring to believe such a place could really exist. But whether or not I believed it was real, I had been thrust into a situation completely out of my control. It had been wirtten in their Oraculum, an oracle type devise, that once I returned, I was supposed to fight a beast the Red Queen controlled and free the entire land."

"No offense mother, but this has nothing to do with how I feel."

"It has everything to do with it." Alice snapped, causing her daughter to jump slightly. "I fell in love with Wonderland in my brief time back. It is unlike any place I had ever seen before in my life, or since. After I slew the Jabberwocky,"

"Jabber-what?"

"Jabberwocky. It was this horrendous beast with a forked tongue and wings." she said with a slight cringe. "But once I was done with what I had been called back to do, I knew it was time to come home. Wonderland isn't my world, no more than it is yours. We simply don't belong down there."

"Says who?" she asked with a cocked brow. "I've never felt more comfortable, or happy for that matter, anywhere up here. Down there, everything seemed so..."

"Odd?"

"Surprisingly normal." she sighed.

That had not been the answer Alice had thought she would hear. From the tone of her daughter's voice and the way she had been acting since their return made Alice wonder if she had truly made the right decision in removing her from it. But now, she was forced to rethink everything. She had thought at the time, that her daughter would simply awake the next morning, slightly confused about what she had dreamed. Instead, she had slipped into a depression, seeming to wish more then anything that she could return. Thinking now, Alice sighed at how foolish she had been. She was jealous of her little girl. She was jealous of her feelings for the Hatter, ones she knew she should have. She was jealous that the young woman seemed so brave when confronted with her beheading. And she was jealous that in her heart, she knew Olivia would fit in more down there, than she did up here. Perhaps there was a reason she had been taken, that it had been written in the Oraculum like Alice's battle. What did it matter now? She had done something irreversible at her daughter's expense.

Olivia on the other hand, felt her mind whirl with thoughts that had not dared be expressed on her face. Her mother had slew a 'Jabberwocky'? She was certain, if she had been confronted with something that had a name that terrible, she wouldn't have been able to act so brilliantly. This meant that her mother was the champion she had dreamed about, the flash of wild blond hair that had been clad in armor with a sword. Sure her dreams were flashes, but some of them stayed with her more than others, and that was one of them. This meant her mother was the one she had written her poem about. That was why she had been treated so well in the presence of the Queen, she had saved them. She had been curious at the time of their departure, as to why the White Queen had bowed slightly to her mother, but was too distraught with having to leave to ask why. It also explained why the Cheshire Cat, Knave of Hearts and the Red Queen kept mentioning her mother and seemed so surprised she was the daughter. In the fight, her mother had single-handedly destroyed a tyrannical monster, and killed her vicious pet. Olivia felt her heart swell with pride for being the daughter of Alice. But that pride and love seemed to do little in the way of filling the hole that had been carved when she left the wondrous world just beyond the rabbit hole.

"If you could go back, would you?" Alice finally asked.

"In a heartbeat." She replied without hesitation.

"You care for him don't you?" she asked with a slight twinge.

"Does it matter? I couldn't find Underland if I tried."

"Go for a walk Olivia, please. At least for a while."

"I'd rather not." She answered.

"Then come with me to our tree." Alice said in a hopeful voice. "It's been ages it seems since we've gone."

Olivia didn't answer.

"I'll leave you alone it you come with me." She said almost irritated.

Olivia stood and walked to her mother, her indication she would come. Alice grumbled internally that she had to bribe the young woman but took the opportunity. After gathering a few supplies, the two made their way to the carriage and set off for the tree.

They sat in silence for a while and it couldn't be more deafening than if Olivia had been screaming. Alice would simply watch her forlorn daughter, feeling guiltier as time went by. Olivia simply stared off into the horizon expectantly. But as the two sat there, Alice noticed something glowing from under her daughter's glove. Curiously, she cocked her head to the side and examined it further as she stood.

"What is that?" Alice finally asked.

Olivia looked to her mother and noticed her pointing to the bracelet on her wrist. The young woman had refused to remove it since she had come back, but now it was doing something it had never done before. The small blue sapphire in the center, was glowing lightly.

"It's never done that before." She muttered as she held it up.

When she had, the glow dimmed slightly. The two women frowned at the gem before she lowered her wrist and let it fall to her side as she sighed. But when she had, the gem glowed brighter.

"What is it doing?" Alice asked curiously.

Olivia glanced down and noticed the action before seeing something on the other side of the tree. She held out her wrist and stepped closer to it, the gem shining brighter than it had before. When she reached the hole under the tree, the blue was shining brighter than the sun could on its best day.

"It's a rabbit hole." Olivia said quietly.

Alice felt herself smile. The Queen was a most clever woman. She knew then, what Alice had only found out now. Her daughter truly was meant to live in the crazy world that was Wonderland.

"It's meant to find ways to Wonderland."

Olivia's head shot to her mother's, a smile forming on her face for the first time in a while.

"I can go back?" she asked, her voice shaking with pure joy.

"It seems that way." Alice answered almost sadly.

Olivia noticed the tone in her mother's voice and smiled sweetly to her, turning to face with an expression a mother would show a child. The thought of Olivia being maternal to her made Alice laugh internally.

"That's where I belong." She told her mother kindly.

"I know." Alice said as she grabbed her daughter, hugging her tightly to her chest. "Will you come back?"

"I… don't know." Olivia answered honestly. "But… do you think they will want me back?"

Alice knew by 'they' she meant 'he'. As she pulled back from her daughter, she smiled sweetly, her eyes turning a light red as tears began to form. Her hand came up and lightly pushed a stray piece of her daughter's hair behind her ear.

"Of course." She smiled as she pulled Olivia's head down and placed a delicate kiss on her forehead. "Please keep in touch."

"How?" Olivia asked curiously. "I thought no one could leave."

"The White Rabbit can. Ask if he will bring me letters. I will write you every day and when he comes, give them all to him just in case I don't have one ready."

"Thank you." She said as she hugged her mother tightly, unable to express how happy she truly was at the moment. She was certain she would burst if she didn't have her mother holding her so tightly. "Thank you so much mummy."

"I only want you to be happy." Alice said through her tears. "And if this is what I have to do, then so be it."

The two parted and for a moment, Olivia stood still, her mother going about adjusting everything on her to make sure she was perfect.

"Now, the door is behind the red curtain. Take the key before you drink the potion and there should be a cake nearby. Take a very small bite when you're on the other side so you can be back to normal. And I mean a very small bite. You might be better off either licking it or taking a crumb." She said as she cried, still adjusting her daughter's clothing. "Now, are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes." She smiled, almost bouncing with excitement. "Thank you again."

Alice kissed her daughter once more before Olivia stepped away. She watched as the raven haired woman knelt over the rabbit hole, glancing down into the blackness.

"Olivia," Alice finally said, waiting to speak until her daughter glanced at her. "Happy birthday."

"I love you mummy." Olivia said sweetly before disappearing through the portal.

"I love you too darling." Alice replied to herself.

This one is kind of long but this have started to pick up and there is only ONE chapter after this. Yay! You guys have followed through to the end. And I want to thank all of you so much for all of your reviews and alerts and everything. Thank you all.