It was a bright, sunny day in England. Spring had come, and the whole world seemed to be rejoicing as a fresh new round of hopes, laughter, and life returned. Plants were greening and children out playing, busy tossing slushy snowballs at one another. Winter's fresh, clean air was filled with Spring's rich scents of blossoms and pine trees, and the melodious tunes of chirping birds and laughter flooded land. It was a grand day for nearly everyone to enjoy.

Nearly everyone.

Locked behind the bitter walls of the institute, in one small dingy cell were two people, huddled around a third.

"Oh Alice…please wake up…" Dr. Stanpole had been kneeling beside her bed for hours now, pleading uselessly with her. "C'mon now," he begged, warm brown eyes frantically searching for any sign of life on her frozen face.

"Henry, she's been like this for days. Give it up. It's not as if she has anything to live for anyways."

Amber eyes shifted views from the delicate child to the shaggy man beside him. "She's a patient of mine, Phineous, and I refuse to let her go like this," the brunette scowled.

"Come now, I hate to see you like this. So worried over this child. You've got other patients to see. You can't just push them all aside for her."

"Finny…I-I can't. There's something special about this one. She's…different from any one I've ever handled. I want to help her. I have to. Please understand-"

Emerald eyes fluttered open. "Doctor…" the girl on the bed croaked, "Doctor Stanpole…I'd like it if I could speak to you…"

A rush of relief seemed to instantly sweep over the psychiatrist. "Alice, your awake!" he exclaimed, brown eyes darting back to her. "You gave me a quite a scare there. What happened? Are you alright?"

The teen gave a short nod. "I believe I am…" she replied groggily. Her head was swimming, and vision blurred, though they slowly began to focus on the doctor. "…May I speak with you in private?" she inquired, speech slurred.

"Of course, of course." Dr. Stanpole turned back to his companion. "Mr. Komplien, if you'd excuse us-"

"Go on, I'll leave you two then," the man replied, already heading towards the door. He lingered at the doorway for a moment, however, eyeing Alice suspiciously. "Take care," he bid before shutting the door.

"What is it you want to talk about, Alice?" the 35 year old questioned eagerly.

"Wonderland," she replied softly, struggling with the clean sheets wrapped around her as she tried to get out of bed, "I've returned to Wonderland."

"Alice, lay down and rest. I don't think it's wise to get up," the brunette suggested, gently pushing Alice's shoulders towards the bed.

The femme flicked his hand away in annoyance, ignoring his instructions as she clambered to her feet. The cool cement floor pressed against her bare, dainty feet as she paced silently around the cell. "My, that place has changed… ghastly I tell you. It's filled with nothing more than filthy savages! Awful…it was dreadful. And once more, children are being murdered because of me! Because I wouldn't return to Wonderland. As if I don't already have enough problems…and they expect me to return soon. To /save/ their land," she explained, emphasizing 'save'. "As if there's even anything left to save! Lord, I couldn't even save my own parents from a fire! And they expect me to save all of /Wonderland/ from a ruthless /tyrant? What fools they are, it's no wonder they're in such horrid conditions," she muttered, secretly replaying the Cheshire's words in the corner of her mind. As outrageous as it seemed, of course, she had no choice but to save Wonderland.

Dr. Stanpole watched his patient intently, absorbing every shred of information he could find. 'Poor dear…' he thought, examining the femme with sorrowful eyes. 'Why must she suffer through so much guilt…'

"I'm not suffering from guilt!" she snapped, planting her arms at her hips, green optics staring into brown ones.

The psychiatrist was flabbergasted, "Wha- How?"

Her pacing stopped in front of the large, barred window. Wilbur. There he stood, ugly and out of place in this promising spring day. Nothing more than a discolored, black skeleton against the lush green background. A small smile began to play on the edge of her lips. It was a good thing he didn't know. She didn't want anybody to know about her and her terrible mind. Why everyone was so keen on figuring her out, she couldn't quite understand. They're all mad in Wonderland, yes, but they're all mad here too…

"Alice? Alice, are you okay?" She didn't seem to hear him, slowly meandering back to her bed, next to where he stood. Silence pursued, settling into the small cell. She was lost in thought, racing backwards through the memories in her mind, only to stop at that night. At that night where it all began. She wrapped her cold fingers around the 35-year-old's warm hand. Closing her eyes, she found the picture of her 10-year-old self, scrambling through the burning house develop in the black curtain of her mind.

"Mother!" It was as though a button had been clicked, and suddenly the movie was playing, flipping through the stacks of pictures that sat fresh in her mind. "Father!" Hot sweat rolled down her forehead, streaking across her filthy face. "Where are you?" She was panting hard, heart thumping loudly in her chest.

"Alice! Get out of here!"

"Mother?" She dashed up the stairs, skipping several steps at a time. "Father-" She stumbled to a stop in front of the doorframe. White flames coated the walls, while pillars of thick smoke filled the room, yet Alice could still make out her parents bodies, crouched on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood.

"Alice, get out of here! Save yourself!" Her father ordered in a hoarse voice, fat tear drops streaming down his damp face. He was desperately trying to pull his beloved wife to her feet, but it was of no use. Her long, slender leg had been sliced completely open by a large shard of glass, from the looking glass mirror. Try as she might, the pain was too much to bear, and the young woman simply could not stand.

Alice refused to obey her parent's pleas, remaining rooted to her spot. "I'm not leaving without you!" she cried, squeezing her stuffed toy bunny to her pounding heart.

"We don't have time for this, get out before I throw you out!" her father hollered.

"Please, we'll be right behind you! Go on, we'll catch up," her mother began to beg.

There was a moment of hesitation; finally the 10-year-old nodded in agreement. She quickly started down the stairs, only to find her path heavily cluttered with ash and debris as the searing flames devoured the house.

Suddenly golden eyes appeared through the smoke,"Say goodbye Alice dear. They will both die right here," there was the Cheshire cat, eyes shining maliciously. He still had some meat on him then, and his silky coat was pulled over his wrinkle-free body.

She blinked. "Cheshire?" The cat was gone. Nothing more than a delusion, no doubt caused by the intoxicating fumes.

Suddenly there was a rumble, followed closely by large, painful groans. The flame eaten walls no longer had the energy to support the house and came toppling down.

"NO!"

"Alice." Dr. Stanpole's voice held a soft tone of shock, yet it still had a heavy weight of concern accompanying it. She shuddered; drawing her knees to her chest, heart raging in its cage. One hand was squeezed tightly around Dr. Stanpole's, the other protectively guarding her invisible stuffed bunny.

"Alice, what was that?" He drew his hand away from her grip. "How did you do that?" He asked; voice calm and collected, although he was clearly alarmed at what he saw.

He had witnessed the events in her flashback as well…he saw what she had seen through her eyes, experienced the same emotions she was going through…

"I…I don't know…" she whimpered, wrapping her arms around her legs.

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Author's Note: Just in case anyone had noticed…I've bumped Dr. Stanpole's age from 25 to 35. It had become necessary, for reasons you'll find out soon.

And I'd like to take a moment to thank a few wonderful people who have helped me come as far as I did now. Normally I barely make it past the first chapter when I write a story…but thanks to you people, I've made it all the way to chapter 7.

First off, I thank Cassy. Her love for that wonderful Disney movie, Alice in Wonderland sparked my interest in it. :)

Then I thank Sam, for introducing me to the awesome American McGee game. x3

Special thanks go to Lauren, for taking the time to edit my work. I really appreciate it! Plus, she's come up with a magnificent idea that I plan to add in the story.

Next, I want to thank all my fun role-play pals for helping me out some. :D

And finally, much thanks go to all the readers. Thanks for the support. (And thanks Gareth and Just My Heart for the comments. I appreciate it. :)