Sorry it's been a while since I uploaded anything. I have been entertaining the idea of writing a story about Alice. I don't know if it will go anywhere but it seems worth a shot.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Lewis Carroll, Tim Burton and the Disney Corporation.

Mirana woke when the sunrise brushed against her eyelids. She felt unlike she had before, a welcome warmth spreading through her. She was on her side looking out at the mouth of the cave where she could see the sun drifting on the horizon, a mass of golden fire bathing the Outlands in an unearthly glow. It was strangely beautiful.

She knew she wasn't alone, she could feel Stayne's breath against the back of her neck feeling almost like a caress and his strong arm wrapped round her waist.

She let memory of the previous night replay in her mind. Did we really do that? Yes! Two weeks ago if anyone had told her this would happen she would say they were as mad and that such a thing was utterly impossible. Turns out impossible things really do happen.

She looked back at the Outlands, it was strange, she was probably in the most deadly place imaginable and yet she wasn't sure she'd ever felt quite as safe as she did now in Stayne's arms. She let her hand run down his arm to brush his fingertips.

Then she felt him move behind her, his arm which still bore a broken handcuff retracting from her midsection and she turned to face him as he propped himself up on one elbow blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning princess," he said, his dark hair in a messy fray.

"Morning," she replied with a smile.

He looked outside and she saw the sunlight brush over his eyes lighting them up in a way she'd never noticed before. "It's stopped raining."

She followed his gaze. "We'll be moving again?"

He looked down at her. "Little more effort and soon you'll be back in the lap of luxury before you know it."

She thought back to her pristine palace, to her courtiers and servants, ready at her every whim.

"I don't think there's anywhere I'd rather be now, than right here, with you," she said softly. A crazy statement, but right now she didn't want to leave this sensation.

He smiled downwards and it made her want to reach up and throw her arms round his neck. It looked like he wasn't going to bring the events of the previous night up.

So she did. "Last night; that was..." She didn't really have a word to describe it.

"I was a bit rough."

She couldn't really deny it. "That you were."

"Sorry."

She ran a finger down his cheek brushing it over his lips. "It was perfect. Truly." She wasn't lying, she wouldn't want to change anything. Even the fact that it was Stayne the notorious murderer who'd killed half her family. She'd fallen for him and was pretty sure there was no going back and if there was she didn't want to.

Though one question had been circulating in her mind, eating at her. It was personal and maybe childish but it was bothering her too much and she had to ask.

"Stayne?"

He locked eyes with her.

"You never..." She trailed off feeling heat at her cheeks.

He looked amused. "What?"

"You never slept with my sister did you?" she asked with a slight wince. The very idea made her uncomfortable.

Stayne gave a short laugh. "Thankfully no. Always managed to get out of that."

Mirana felt relief whisper through her veins. Was she really feeling jealous of her dead sister? She really must have it bad. "I just wondered."

"That's not to say she didn't have her eye on me. I told myself a long time ago I wouldn't sleep with regents, mainly because they were the bane of my existence. So I guess we both broke our own rules."

"I'm not a regent out here," she pointed out. "Look, no crown."

He looked her up and down. "Yeah you don't look much like royalty at the minute. You look...wild."

She kissed him and things escalated from there...

Somewhat later, as much as she would have liked to have spent the entire day in that cave with Stayne they had to push forward. She felt a lot more capable now with a spear in one hand.

Still regardless of early morning activities the rain had stopped and that meant they had to press forwards. By noon they were out in the hot sun and Mirana could feel the familiar beads of sweat building on her forehead. She had taken to walking beside Stayne now and was actually keeping up with him now, even if it was bloody murder on her feet.

"You know," said Stayne after a couple of hours. "Providing we don't...run into anything, or get lost, if we keep this pace up we could actually reach the border in less than a week."

Mirana blinked. "So soon?"

It was the weirdest feeling but she wasn't as happy about this as she'd assumed she'd be. Not 'dance with joy' happy. Maybe the sun was getting to her.

"I'm not promising anything but it's possible."

Home. It seemed so far away. It was almost as if Underland and just been one long dream, a stranger walking in her shoes. She wondered how they'd all react to her...new attitude; and more significantly how they'd react to Stayne. She knew his reappearance was not going to go down well.

"I wonder what they've been doing since I left," she pondered aloud. When her father died he had two daughters to take his place, when Iracebeth had been defeated she had a sister to take the crown. But Mirana had no heirs, nor any more siblings and she'd only had one uncle and he was long dead without issue. Only now she wondered vaguely whether her father had anything to do with his elder brother's unfortunate unexpected passing which led to him gaining the throne and power over Underland.

"They've probably been looking for you," Stayne said logically. "I imagine the White Queen's life would be the top priority."

Mirana wasn't surprised at his words but was surprised that he'd acknowledged her as a Queen. He'd seemed somewhat reluctant to do that since they met.

It was a long walk, she got the feeling Stayne was trying his best to make up for the time lost in the rain. She also couldn't help noticing they weren't going completely south anymore but had winded slightly west as if trying to avoid something.

When they finally did stop for the day Mirana was collecting old bracken to build a small fire when a voice, which was not Stayne's, broke her thoughts.

Mirana gasped unceremoniously dropping all the bracken, fear shooting through her like an electric current until she saw who it was. "Chess, oh sorry, I thought you were one of those..." She just stopped herself.

"Demons?" he said raising a furry brow. "It's alright, most of them have devolved quite badly and don't share my dashing good looks."

"Right," she nodded kneeling down to pick up the bracken again. "So you're back. I thought Stayne and I were 'on our own' now. Hmm?"

He sighed rolling his blue-green eyes. "I was just a little taken a back is all. Honestly."

"You were crying."

"Nazar was very young, by demon standards anyway. Frankly I'm not a fan of killing innocents."

Innocent? That was one weird perception of innocent. She decided to inquire into something which had been bugging her. "Chess he looked, not human but...sort of like a human, I mean he had two legs, two arms, stood upright, you know general body structure. Are many demons like that?"

"No," Chess said without hesitation. "Very few now. I think Nazar had some fairy blood in his lineage."

"There were fairies out here?"

"Oh yeah, long time ago, I never had much time for them, they thought they could walk on water. They talked forever and said nothing. Thinking on it they were probably the first to start dying out and devolving when everything...went wrong."

Mirana had used to draw fairies when she was little with her coloured crayons but thinking of Nazar she got the feeling the small dainty figures she drawn sitting happily on buttercups weren't the type of fairies Chess was talking about.

"You seemed quite upset over him though."

"Enough about me," the Cheshire cat interjected sounding almost irritated. "I'm supposed to be the mysterious one, let me be unsolvable, I work better that way."

Mirana shook her head but couldn't stop a small smile forming as she did so. "Have you been following us this whole journey?"

"I've been...observing at points," he said turning on his back and rubbing the ground. "Out here there is no compulsion to disappear."

She narrowed her eyes. "You weren't 'observing' us when..."

He laughed showing all his shark-like teeth. "No, don't worry. I'm not that kind of cat."

"Do you not think we'll make it out?"

"I don't know," he shrugged righting himself. "We don't have an orraculum out here. And yours can't comprehend the Outlands. Now you've stepped out here you'll never appear on that scroll again. Out here no-one's future is already set for them, you live life on the edge of a knife."

"And yet you spend so much time here when you can appear on the other side?"

"The enchantment pulls me back. And even if it didn't this is home, always has been always will be. The Otlands affect people differently. I think you may even benefit from being here providing you make it out alive of course."

That made her raise her eyebrows. "Come again?"

"Well you seem much more...muchier."

She frowned standing up hands full again. "What does 'muchier' mean?" If he was talking demon-lingo they weren't going to get anywhere.

"Not my term, it sort of means...well more like you are now. Capable, tougher."

She nodded. "True. And I suppose I did find Stayne out here."

Chess's large cat eyes narrowed and he seemed to be analysing her expression. "And what exactly is the plan if the two of you get out?"

She shrugged. "Make our way back to the palace, wouldn't be long before we ran into someone who can help us. Then, well, I'll find some way to clear Stayne's name."

"I see," the Cheshire cat replied and she thought she saw pity in his eyes. As if he were talking to a child. She didn't like that.

"What?" she demanded.

"Have you told Stayne about this?" When she thought about it she realised they hadn't actually talked about the future outside the Outlands at all, not since he told her his previous 'City of Thieves' plan.

"Why are you here?" she asked he voice coming out colder than she intended.

"Really just to find out what was going on, I'm a curious soul."

She wouldn't have imagined demons had 'souls'. In fact if Chess hadn't admitted to being one of them she would still be judging all demon-kind as unquestionably evil. He was thus far the only evidence otherwise.

"Well, we're fine. Lost and trapped in a deadly wasteland no doubt being hunted by your crazed creatures of nightmare but aside of that we're fine."

The Cheshire cat nodded. "I have been in worse situations myself. I do however, have one request I needed to ask you since you may actually get out now."

She waited in silent response.

"If you do get out do not tell anyone about things in the Outlands and definitely don't tell people I helped you get out. Just pretend you never saw me."

"You mean don't tell them you're really a demon?"

"Or that I helped you."

She gave Chess a puzzled look. "Chess people will love you for helping me."

"Your people will. My people won't. If they ever found out...they can't find out. It's important, give me your word as Queen."

Her eyebrows rose, not many people would demand an oath from her. Disliking the fact that Chess felt loyal to the monsters intent on possessing then killing her she reluctantly nodded. "Alright I give my word as Queen I will not mention you to anyone." After all he had saved her life and she supposed she couldn't blame him for not wanting to betray everyone he knew regardless of their, frankly evil, personas.

He soon ran away and she wondered why he never evaporated or hovered as he did in Underland. When she'd seen him back home he'd rarely so much as put his feet on the ground. And she also found herself pondering just exactly what the Cheshire Cat would have done if she'd refused his request. Hmm. On that thought she walked back to Stayne and dumped the firewood on the ground.

"It would probably be safer not to light a fire," Stayne admitted as she laid them out.

She sighed. "I suppose. It'll be freezing soon though," she said looking at where the sun had gone down with a heavy heart. It didn't seem remotely fair for the temperature to go from boiling to freezing in just a single day. If there was a God up there then this was just mean.

"Guess we'll just have to keep each other warm," he said with a smirk that made her want to kiss him and whack him at the same time.

She couldn't deny it was nice though. To have someone to hold her, to keep her warm at night. To have someone love a part of her she'd never even known was there.