I walked away from Julius, my head aching. I didn't want to remember anything, it hurt too much. Julius had died before…and I had been scarred. I looked down at my hands and saw the dark pink skin, marking exactly where my hands had been burnt. But the memories didn't stop there. The floodgates were open, and now…now I could see memories of a river before going to an island to die. I knew now, that dream I had thought about had been real…and Wonderland was the dream. The dream of a dead girl…

"Make it stop," I sobbed before falling to my knees, "don't let me remember."

"Who are you asking for help?" a voice asked and I looked up to see Daddy looking at me curiously.

"Daddy!" I sobbed before running to him, and he wrapped his arms protectively around me.

"Don't worry Ellie, I'm here," he said softly, "I won't leave you like before."

"Please!" I whispered, "let me be Alice again. Make it all go away."

"You don't want that," Daddy whispered as he placed a kiss on my forehead, "I've been there."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I pulled away to look into his brown eyes.

"I wanted to forget everything, and I did for a time. But forgetting it will only make it worse. Everything you have ever done, the people you met…it's like it never happened to begin with. So don't wish to forget…now, go on through the thorns and you'll find the Mad Hatter," and Daddy faded like sand.

I looked around and spotted a small hole in a hedge with thorns sticking out almost in warning. Daddy had told me that was where I had to go, so I could get to the Mad Hatter. I took a deep breath and ventured closer, worry making my heart race faster. As I reached the opening, I could see it would take a good amount of care to navigate without injuring myself in the process.

I sat on the opening before dropping myself in, my hand coming down on a thorn in the process. I screamed as the pain spread throughout my arm and down my back. I lifted my head and I saw something, something that made me grit my teeth and push on, ignoring the thorns. I saw Ciel, little Ciel and he was crying. He was calling my name, looking for me.

"Ciel!" I screamed and the boy looked up at me, "I'm coming!"

"Leny!" he called back and I pushed on, the clothes ruined before I even took the last step.

(Ciel's POV)

"Ciel, I'm here," Elena whispered as she got out of the thorn pit and ran to a smaller version of me.

Blood dripped from her hand down the back of my small body as she cradled me close to her chest. She held me tight, refusing to let me go as the false tears were switched with the real ones. Her black hair scratched my skin but it felt so real, it felt right to me. Elena sat back on her heels and wiped away my tears, and I noticed the tears forming on her eyelashes. My bodyguard…Elena Hamilton…

"You don't ever need to cry," she whispered to me, "I'm always here for you."

"You left me," I whispered and she sighed before holding me to her chest again.

Over her shoulder I spotted my demon butler, watching our exchange with anxious eyes. He hadn't wanted me to do this, that it would break her. But I had stated that Elena couldn't ignore a crying child. It was against her nature, she wanted to stop them crying. A child would have gotten her moving but I could have gotten her out of the pit faster. I was like a brother to her, and she couldn't stand me crying. She had wiped away my tears as she died, not wanting anyone to cry over her.

"Oh Ciel," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion, "I wish I didn't have to. I wish I could see you grow up, but it was my time…"

I left her there then, not wanting to hear her say anything else to make me hate Alois Trancy any less. I would hate him with every fibre of my body for what he had taken from me. What he was too selfish to give or let live. He could have ordered Elena to move on and should Hannah find her with me, death would be her punishment. There would have been ways around that, and Elena could have known that.

But the fact that she knew she was destined to die, it was like a slap to my face. Could she not see how hurt I was? How much I missed her? I didn't want to say goodbye to her.

(Elena's POV)

My arms grew colder and when I opened them, Ciel was gone. I got to my feet and wiped my eyes quickly. My name, my real name, faded like sand in a sieve once more and I walked forward.

"I wonder why I was crying," I whispered to myself before moving on.

The iron-gate in front of me was over two foot taller than I was, and decorated with horses and tea cups. Ribbons decorated the metal rungs and they seemed oddly familiar. I shook my head and reached in to pull the lever to open the gate. I stepped in and closed it behind me, catching a glimpse of my tattered attire. How had that happened? I stepped further into the property, seeing three oddly dressed people, with only two looking at me.

"There is no more room," a hare said and I looked at the table.

"Exactly as he said," a man with a top hat said as he sipped his tea.

"May I borrow a coat off you then?" I asked as I held up the ripped tunic top, "so I can continue on my adventure?"

"I will find you the most exquisite gown," the top hat said before running off to a trunk to pull at different clothes.

"Who are you?" the hare asked.

"Alice," I replied but the name felt wrong, "I think anyway."

"Here we are!" the top hat said simply as he lifted up a red dress.

It was to my knees with the ends surrounded by red lace. The bodice was shaped in a heart and the neck covered in red lace down to my elbows where it flared. Top hat brought over the dress and started changing me. A new corset was put on me as well as new stockings and boots before the dress was allowed to touch my skin. My hair was brushed and a small red hat was put on my head. He lifted my hand and bandaged it, telling me I had hurt it a while ago…and not even noticed.

"Thank you," I said simply.

"Please have a seat," a voice said softly and I looked towards the back of another person.

"Only if the others allow me," I said softly.

"The Dormouse is talking in his sleep again," the hare muttered.

"Dormouse?" I asked and the pair nodded, "where does one get such a name?"

"He's always speaking in Dormy," the top hat replied, "and we didn't want to insult his kind."

I stepped closer to view his face. He had grey ears on his head which was surrounded by blond and black hair. He had a pair of glasses on his nose and appeared to be sleeping. He looked about my age, if not a little younger. I reached out carefully to move his hair out of his eyes which he opened to see my hand as I pulled it away. They were an odd green and yellow combination.

"Hello," the Dormouse said softly as he yawned, "are you here for the Mad Tea Party?"

"Please have a seat," the top hat insisted before putting me at the other end of the long dining table, "I'm the Mad Hatter and that man over there is the March Hare."

"Nice to meet you all," I replied as I was set at the table, "my name is Alice."

"Do you want a cup of tea?" the Dormouse asked as he yawned.

"If it isn't too much trouble," I replied as the Mad Hatter returned to the top of the table to pour me some tea.

Some tea turned into a small waterfall as the Mad Hatter poured more and more in, spilling it on the table and himself before deciding it was full enough. He held the cup out precariously which the March Hare took with what appeared to be garden shears and extended it out to me. I carefully took the plate and placed it on the table, not sure how I was supposed to start drinking it.

"Sugar?" the Mad Hatter asked and I looked up to see he had joined me.

"One or two cubes," I replied as he dropped near twenty into the cup.

Each new piece of sugar split some of the tea and I knew not to tell him to stop. It was his tea party, and I was the guest. He touched the rim of the cup and dropped down to be level with my left ear.

"Take a look at the cup," he whispered to me.

I looked into the liquid and saw an image that brought tears to my eyes. A small boy, frightened and sick. I wiped my eyes as I watched myself bend down to take his hand in mine.

"Oh Ciel," I whispered, mirroring what I had said, "please sleep easy. Uncle can wait for me…"

Uncle had ran a meeting late, leaving me with the Phantomhives until nearly ten at night. It was half eight when the incident occurred. Ciel had grown wary, and I had taken it for tiredness. I had stopped reading and held the boy in my arms as he shivered, coughing and whimpering. He raised his hands to hold one of mine, the coughing got worse as I held him.

"Ciel," I whispered and then he got sick.

I knew my dress was ruined so I carefully lifted a section to wipe his lips. His breathing was rough. This wasn't normal so I carefully picked up the boy and held him on my back. Only Rachel was in the house, Elizabeth long gone. I walked out to the entry way but no one was there. Ciel was tossing and shaking on my back, his breathing worsening. So I did the only thing I could; I screamed.

"Rachel!" I called at the top of my voice.

A door opened further down the hall and Lady Phantomhive looked unsure. She was dressed in a beautiful purple dress and her blonde hair was loose around her shoulders. I moved towards her and she looked anxious.

"What is it Elena?" she asked.

"Ciel," I said and she spotted the small boy on my back.

"Bring him in here, I'll call my sister," and I put Ciel in on a chaise lounge.

I found a blanket on a chair, one that was warm and suggested Rachel had been using up until I screamed for her. I put it around Ciel and found a small pillow to put under his head. He was still shaking so I took one of his hands in mine and started singing to him, tears running down my face.

Time passed as it inevitably does and the door to the study opened. A woman dressed in red appeared and walked to the other side of the chair. She touched Ciel's head carefully and I looked for Rachel and spotted Vincent looking down at his son, worry creasing his brow.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"He has asthma," Vincent replied, "he had an asthma attack."

I looked back to the small boy and touched his face gently, only to start humming to him. My dress was uncomfortable and I ended up falling asleep at his side. I only woke up when a blanket was wrapped around me. I looked up to see Rachel as she tucked in the dark pink throw around me.

"Your uncle will collect you in the morning," she whispered to me, "you seem to make Ciel calmer."

I looked to the boy and saw his breathing had deepened and he was sound asleep. He had turned onto his side, closest to me with his hand clutching mine. I squeezed it gently and put my head down again, only for sleep to take me once more. After that day, I kept my eye on Ciel for signs that his asthma was acting up. A part of me, even as the maid, had been looking for anything. Because a part of me never wanted to see Ciel like that again…

The image faded from the cup and all that was left was the mirror of me, crying before I roughly wiped those tears away.

"Memories are such femoral things," the Mad Hatter said simply as he held out a tissue for me, "you had to travel light to come here, little Alice."

"How could I forget that?" I asked around the tissue.

"Let's lighten the mood with a table quiz!" the Mad Hatter said simply, "starting with you Alice, why is a raven like a writing desk?"

"You have two hours to answer the question," the March Hare said simply.

"Did you get your watch repaired?" the Dormouse asked and the March Hare shook his head.

"I have a watch here," I whispered as I took out a pocket-watch, unsure where it had come from.

"Very good," March Hare said as he took the watch, "your time starts now."

Why was a raven like a writing desk? A raven could fly whereas a writing desk couldn't. A raven had two legs compared to a table's four. There was nothing really similar to them, nothing I could think of. I stood and dropped my hand on the bell, hearing a pop behind me as balloons exploded.

"The first bell to ring is Alice!" March Hare stated.

"They aren't alike," I said softly, "there is nothing similar between them."

I watched them as they all started to smile and a bell chimed to tell me I had gotten the right answer. I looked to my left and spotted small dolls in the shape of the Dormouse, the white rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. I lifted the cat up to look at and spotted a small eye-patch drawn on. I needed to find him and tell him everything was alright. I put the idol down and the men looked at me.

"I was hoping you could tell me where I'm supposed to go from here," I said as I left my seat to walk closer, "there is someone I'm looking for."

"Your next stop will be with the Queen Of Hearts," March Hare said, though he sounded disgusted.

The sound of carriage wheels pulled my attention from the men as a carriage appeared in front of me. The driver was one of the men from the boat, the older man. The other three dropped out to lift fine parchment in front of me.

"An invitation for Alice from the Queen we present today," the woman said.

"An invitation from the Queen for Alice we present today," the older blond said with a smile.

"We present to Alice from the Queen an invitation today," the younger blond said with a cheerful grin.

I walked towards them and the young blond caught my arm to dance with me. I laughed, it seemed such an odd sound before I passed to someone I would recognise anywhere. Uncle Frank Hamilton took my hands carefully and twirled me in a tight circle. Music played softly as he held me tight, so tight I could smell rose oil on his shirt. His hair was like Father's and his eyes were just as friendly. The circle grew ever larger as the plum woman and the older blond joined in our dance. As the music hit higher notes, Uncle lifted me off my feet before putting me carefully on the floor. I had danced to this song before, but with someone else.

"Come now, Leny," Uncle said softly, "we should get you to the Queen."

I nodded before running back to the Mad Tea Party. I hugged each man individually before running to the carriage and climbing in. The door was closed and I was sat down at the window. Uncle wasn't coming with and the three others smiled at me.

(Mad Hatter's POV)

Memories are such fading things, you can't keep one straight before you are bombarded with another. In my hand, in the tea, were two small children. One with brown hair while the other had long black hair. Her eyes were watching the boy as he leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips. She leaned into him before pulling away. She said something to him before running off in the rain. The memory continued with the boy sighing before he went into his home, his love (in his own belief) unrequited. Unaware that the young girl, our young Elena, loved him quite dearly.

Did she know yet how much she regretted not staying with James? Alice was here, so maybe, it wouldn't be much longer before she saw what she had lost. A letter arrived by way of a small flying piglet addressed to myself and my companions. A message from the Queen to attend the trial of the century…the trial of our very naïve Alice…

As Alice speeds off towards the palace of the Queen of Hearts, her adventure is coming to a close. The Queen, however, has very different plans of her own, or rather his own. He simply can't stand someone taking attention from him, especially when I'm nearby. How will Alice cope?