Part 4 of 4: Welcome to Wondrous Underland

Warning: The chapter details an extended birth scene, reader discretion is advised.

I tried to make this seem realistic, I hope it worked! This is the first chapter of all my stories, ever, that I've been nervous about posting.

If you like, please review! I do so love reviews!!!

Mirana wondered to herself if she felt more appreciative that she was not enduring as her friend was, or if she was secretly jealous. There was no White King to speak of, so she lacked the option, but would she prefer to be in such pain?

Nearly an hour ago, the Champion of Underland had entered the second to last stage of her labors. The midwife had been keeping all the others informed of the progress. Both the handmaid and the queen had indicated an interest in learning the skill of being a learned attendant to a birth.

Only half an hour prior had the queen ordered the windows to be opened, believing that the fresh air would help the laboring mother and cool her skin considerably. There had been some comfort, but as long as the pains held up, Alice would not be getting the relief she so desired.

She moved back and forth on the bed, shifting her body as much as she reasonably could. With one such movement, she felt herself grow a bit nauseous and was forced to lie upon her back until it passed.

"I cannot do this!" Was her exasperated cry, running her own hands through her hair.

Tarrant had been sitting on the edge of the bed, finding it easier to accommodate her current state if he took up as little space on the bed as possible. He looked positively astounded at her proclamation, "Of course you can!"

"Hatter!"

"But you're not just my Alice, you're thee Alice! There's nothing you can't do! You found Underland, defeated the Red Queen, returned the White Queen to power, you slayed the Jabberwocky – "

"This is infinitely more difficult than slaying the Jabberwocky!"

He was silent again, having not considered this. So caught up he had been in the event itself that it had not occurred to him that she could be in enough pain, be fearful enough, to actually believe she would fail. How could she ever fail?

The White Queen walked over to him and whispered so that his wife could not hear, "Remember what I told you, she just needs you to be here for her."

"I – I – I – " He stammered out his confusion and Mirana simply patted his shoulder, "It will be alright."

All he could do was accept what she said, his eyes shifted from green to gold, then back to a nervous green. His lower lip trembled for a second before he resumed his spot on the edge of the bed.

Alice could feel her body changing; of course, it had been stretching and altering itself for the last nine months, but not in ways that she had felt before. This was different. Her hips were shifting in ways both painful and necessary; she couldn't quite tell which it was to her. Any concentration she might have had on that was delayed by the immense pressure that was currently in her back muscles.

"How do you feel, dear?" The midwife sat down at the end of the bed, her hands applying gentle pressure to Alice's stomach and hips, trying to guess where the child was.

"Terrible. My back is aching." She moaned.

"You're almost there." The midwife sorted through her satchel before she found a small vial. She tilted it, letting the oil onto her palms and pressed them together. Very gently, she rubbed the lotion onto Alice's thighs and stomach, letting the sweet perfumes and cooling sensation sink into her skin, "It's an old tradition."

"You can think of it this way. Once you have the first one, all the others should be easier."

"I'm not having any others!" Declared Alice, "I'm never doing this again!"

Smiling, the midwife continued her ministrations to her charges' aching legs with the oil, "You might feel differently once you see the child."

"Please don't tell me how I'll feel! I know perfectly well how I feel."

"Absolutely." She grinned and continued on, "You make the rules, dear."

Tarrant remembered the advice of the White Queen and didn't respond to his wife's intention of never producing any more children. It was simply not possible, he mused, for fortune alone was such a fickle woman, and surely Alice didn't wish for separate beds, did she? They were only just married!

He shook his head as if trying to shake those very thoughts out of his mind. How he wished that her eyes would change color to tell him when she was not in her right state of mind!

In all honestly, Alice didn't know how she did feel at the moment. Every part of her body came together with her pains and then broke apart when they ceased. She was connected to the world around her, and at the same time, very alone.

She was trying desperately to ignore the new urge that she felt; she didn't want to acknowledge it. Having neither slept nor ate for hours, she could not imagine that her body was demanding more of her. Everything about her was sick and sore, exhausted, and she only wanted a brief respite from all this torture. She knew why Margaret had cried for so long.

Indeed, she wanted to be able to cry out and wail against the situation she had been placed in.

This was not her though.

Cry she might, but she wouldn't give up. All the hell that she had been through, from her restrictive Victorian upbringing to monster slaying; she would not be cowed by such a natural process. Alice, Champion of Underland, was ready to fight for what she wanted.

As the contraction ended, she realized exactly what it was that she was that she had been feeling all through the last one.

Staring at the midwife with determination in her eyes, she said, "I feel like I need to push."

The midwife nodded at her, "That's what I was waiting to hear. You're ready."

Taking a blanket from the handmaid, she sat it upon the edge of the bed and bid Alice come to sit upon it, "You're going to be right here, and you –" She pointed to Tarrant, "You sit behind her. The birth will be easier if she is sitting up."

Hatter moved to sit behind his wife, embracing her with his arms underneath hers, ready to hold her up if needed. Alice leaned back against him, feeling his orange hair brush her cheek. From her position she fancied she could hear his heart beating even over the sound of her own blood pounding in her ears.

Mirana and Aiudala were called to take up positions on either side of Alice and assist her in any way possible; which, according to the midwife, may include either supporting her legs or getting their hands crushed by hers in that death grip.

Hatter was too conflicted by his own emotions to really articulate any thoughts, but he managed to kiss his Alice on her neck and hug her before the next pain set in.

The midwife knelt down, having no other option, and quickly checked the mother to see if her body was in the same way as her mind. She most certainly was.

"When you feel the next contraction, I want you to push with it. Let your body tell you what to do, trust it. Try not to exhaust yourself."

It started and the younger woman gave it her best effort. She held onto the edge of the bed in a tight grip and fought against nature itself. Her eyes tightly shut, she exhaled very slowly. The first effort would produce nothing to spur her onward though, and before too long, she had to relax.

The midwife patted her inner thigh, "That was wonderful for your first try, you're doing great!"

Even at her most pregnant, Alice was not terribly heavy and her husband held her up as best he could. He couldn't see any of the proceedings and did not know if he should be happy at that or not. Aiudala was paying attention to orders and was not terribly interested, but Mirana was observing the process with fascination. The White Queen was a curious creature herself.

"Ready to try again?"

"Yes."

"Alright, push!"

Alice did so, bearing down hard; her blond curls falling over her shoulders as she leaned forward. She could actually feel something this time, the child moving within her.

The midwife put her hand to the space just under Alice's belly and she smiled up at her, "Keep going if you can!"

In actuality, she could not though. The pain eased away from her as the contraction ceased and she was able to lean back on Tarrant.

"Just let your body relax, don't push again until you feel like you need to."

"Quite alright with me." Gasped Alice, breathing hard. For a moment she let her head fall back onto her husband's shoulder and noticed something odd, "Where's your hat?"

He gave her a playful smirk, "On the table, it felt as though that was the proper place for it."

"Oh." She rather breathed out her response as the muscles in her stomach tightened back up. Forcing herself back up, she waited for the urge to come again and focused in upon it. This time, she took the hands of her friend and helper. Alice could feel the child move just a touch more before she had to stop.

Unfazed, she let herself draw air for just a few seconds before she tried again.

"Excellent! Keeping going, keep going!" The encouragement did its trick and she pressed forward with her efforts.

As if the pain in her muscles was not enough, she began to feel another discomfort. There was the sensation of heat in her lower body, building towards something rather unpleasant.

Apparently, this indicated something to the midwife as well, and she stopped talking to check the progress of the child. Seizing the opportunity, Alice took a brief respite.

"I would like you to push one more time and then you can rest again."

Unknowing of what was coming next, she complied with the request. Feeling the child move downward, Alice became aware of a strong stinging sensation.

"Stop now, give yourself a moment." Ordered the midwife, holding up a hand.

"It feels like its burning!" Complained Alice.

"That's quite normal."

"I have to push again." Insisted the young mother.

"No!" This was a more forceful tone, "Give yourself a moment."

She could neither fight the pain in her, nor could she push again until the next contraction. Alice felt as though she was being tortured by forces outside her body now and she did not like the midwife so much at this moment.

The midwife was no fool, she knew exactly how Alice was feeling and she looked up at her with an encouraging smile, "The head is down now, I just want your body to adjust first. It will be easier on you this way."

"I hardly think any of this is easy." Not an entirely pleasant tone as the contraction ended, but at least she wasn't taking out her anger on anyone.

This rest was different. She felt herself regaining the strength that had felt sapped from her very bones as she readied herself for the oncoming pain.

Her next push was strong and it finally appeared to her that she was making progress. The midwife was excited, "I can see the head!"

Alice kept pushing and struggling as best she could, but she had to stop to breathe again.

"You're so close!"

Taking a few moments for herself, she rallied her strength and bore down again.

"Come on! You can do it!"

Mirana took a moment to peer down at what was currently happening to her friend and see if the child was any closer to entering the world. She gave a small gasp and put her free hand to her lips.

"What is it?" Asked the Hatter, holding onto his laboring wife.

"The child has your hair." Whispered the queen, as though she was relating a secret.

He gave a lopsided grin and simply hugged Alice tighter to him.

Alice had heard her though, and in that moment, she wanted more than ever to meet this child that already had her husband's unruly orange locks.

Another strong push would be the last. This time, she cried out at the pain that felt as though her body might break in two. She cried out her anger and frustration at being in pain for so long, and she cried out in her own joy at finally being at the end of her pregnancy.

The midwife caught infant in her waiting arms and pulled the child the rest of the way from its mother. She held the slippery infant to her as Aiudala hurried to retrieve the blankets that had been set aside for such a purpose.

Alice collapsed back into Tarrant's arms, allowing him to hold her to his chest. Everything seemed so very quiet to her now, the only sound she could hear was the gasping of her own breaths.

Suddenly, the silence in the air was pierced by a loud, lusty baby cry. Another cry could be heard soon after, and it took her a moment to realize it was her own. She laughed as tears came to her eyes and began to fall down her cheeks. Her entire body shook.

Hatter laughed as well, watching as the midwife cleaned the infant and quickly wrapped the child up to keep it warm. He brushed the sweat beaded hair from his wife's face and kissed her, "I love you, my Alice."

"I love you too." She sighed back against his lips, exhausted from the day, "It is a girl or a boy?"

He grinned at her, "It's a girl."

"How do you know?"

"I've always known!" He looked surprised, "I'd know her anywhere!"

The midwife walked back over to them, "Here's your daughter."

She laid the small bundle into Alice's arms. Wrapped in one of Mirana's white blankets, the little daughter was lightly crying and whining at her new surroundings.

The White Queen had not lied about the child's brilliantly orange hair. Alice continued crying as her fingers touched the soft strands.

Hatter extended a finger to touch the little closed fist that was so adorably small. When the child curled her hand around a thimble covered digit, she opened her eyes to look at them.

Both parents were a touch shocked when the saw her eyes. If possible, they were an even more bright green than her father's, and as they watched, the eyes changed to the hazel of Alice and then back to their more dominant green.

The world fell away from them as they stared at the tiny creature they had created. She meanwhile, looked back at them with the pure curiosity so befitting her.

"Welcome to Underland, sweetheart." Whispered Tarrant.

Alice kissed the top of her daughter's head, "You were worth everything."

Mirana walked through the halls of Marmoreal as the night stretched forward ahead of her. Though she had not done much herself that day, she still could not sleep not matter how much she tried to.

Having ordered the new parents to be given whatever they requested, as well as privacy, she was loathe to check in upon them herself.

"Your majesty?" A light mist was upon the air.

"Chesire?"

He appeared and allowed his grin to stretch across his face, "I suppose you cannot sleep either."

"I'm afraid not."

"I looked in at them; they're quite fine if that's your concern."

"It was thank you." Mirana sighed in contentment, "She really is quite a beautiful child, isn't she?"

"Yes, and she's certainly a Hightopp with those features."

The queen and the cat regarded each other for a minute, lost in their own thoughts about the implications of such a child.

The Champion from the Otherland and the Mad Hatter were rebuilding, even if they didn't see it in that way.

Underland was lucky to have such a pair.