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~Chapter 7~

Alice looked up at the dark silhouette of her childhood home. She had visited it often these days, ever since her mother's health started to deteriorate. She wondered if this was going to be the last time she would ever see it.

Once Harvey had driven off with the carriage and team of horses, Alice pulled the Hatter off towards a path that ran along the side of the house, leading to the back gardens. He was still carrying the sleeping Sophie, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. The gardens were thankfully deserted. Alice had worried that one of the grooms might have been hanging around, possibly eating supper in the cool of the evening, rather than the heat of the kitchen.

"Alice," Whispered Tarrant. 'Wouldn't it be better to go in the front door?" Alice shook her head.

"I would have to explain everything to my mother. And you can be sure as sure can be that she would want to know everything about you." Alice turned and grinned at the man behind her. "And though that would be an interesting conversation, I don't think we have the time."

She made her way to the door leading to the back stairs and the servant's rooms, but since her mother had a very reliable butler in her employ the door was locked and bolted.

"It was worth a try." She muttered, after giving the handle a few good turns and tugs.

"Take Sophie," Said the Hatter, handing the sleeping girl over to her mother. Alice tried to hold onto Sophie but she was really not strong enough. Poor Sophie went right down; luckily, because her mother was holding her, she landed on her feet. She made a startled sound before yawning.

"Mummy…"

"Shh." Urged Alice quietly, a finger pressed to her lips. "Quietly, dear, we don't want to wake Mama or the staff."

Yawning again Sophie asked. "Where are we? Are we there yet?"

The sound of scraping and clicking came from the back door. Alice could discern in the dim moonlight that spilt across the gardens that the Hatter was using one of his many hatpins to picking the lock.

"We are at Mama's house and we need to find the old mirror."

The sound of a bolt being unlocked filled the night air along with a scuffle of moving feet. Alice smiled as the Hatter did a small version of the Futterwacken to celebrate his triumph over the stubborn lock. Sophie started to clap but Alice stopped her, shushing her to silence. "Tarrant there will be time for Futterwacken later. We need to get moving."

The Hatter bowed to his tiny audience, before gesturing for Alice to go in first. She disappeared up the stairs followed by Sophie with the Hatter bringing up the rear.

::~::

The Kingsley attic was a truly wonderful place to play. Sophie had wiled away many afternoons playing house, tea party and dress-up usually all in the same game. There were trunks full of old clothes that her mother had outgrown and that Sophie had not yet grown into. There were hatboxes, statues, old nursery furniture, toys and there was even a half finished painting of a girl getting purposed to. The most resent addition to the attic was the cracked mirror from the parlor. It was this mirror that all of Alice's attentions were focused upon.

"Is that it?" She asked the Hatter. He moved ahead and looked very hard at the frame and then the crack in the corner.

"I do believe we have a match." He said. He then pulled out a jeweled hatpin from the brim of his own hat. He took the end of it and tapped three times upon crack he then stood back and watched with his two female companions.

The crack began to spread out. Slowly at first, but within a few seconds the whole mirror was unusable. But then the tiny pieces began to melt into the mirror like ice in warm water. When all of the glass had melted away, there were only the faces of two amazed people and a smiling man staring out of it.

"You lied! You are a magician after all." Said Sophie, indignantly. "Don't try to deny it, Mr Hightopp." She looked from the Hatter to Alice. "Are we going to go to the looking glass house, mummy? I've always wanted to see what was on the other side of that door." She pointed through the mirror at the closed attic door.

The Hatter smiled broadly at the child then at her mother. Alice beamed back at him. The Hatter could feel his face growing hotter, and, turning to the mirror, saw his flushed complexion staring back at him. Even his clothes were beginning to change in color. The brown was starting to change to a slight burgundy.

"Well, first thing's first." He said ending the moment. He grabbed the two bags and the cake tin and with one good swing of his arms tossed them through the liquid glass. The reflection rippled at the impact and the bags disappeared.

"Ladies first." He said, gesturing toward the Mirror House.

"Hold my hand, Sophie." Alice walked towards the crystal clear glass, taking the little girl's hand in her own. She had no fear or worries, and just as she was at the threshold she whispered under her breath, "No regrets."

As she passed through the glass she felt her whole body freeze and melt all at the same time. Then as quickly as a butterfly flaps its wings, it was over and Alice found herself on the other side with her daughter's hand still firmly in her grasp. A moment later the Hatter emerged. They looked back at the mirror and found that they had no reflection. Alice put her hand on the glass and found it was once more solid. The two bags and cake tin were on the floor in front of them. They had left skid marks in the inch thick dust. Who ever owned this attic had not been there in some time.

Now that they were in the other house, Alice could now see a very strange assortment of items. There was a concertina, an odd device with all sorts of copper tubes sprouting from it, and what Alice quickly recognized at a hare shaped sarcophagus! Did Underland have its own version of Egypt, she wondered?

"Where are we Tarrant?" Alice asked.

"This is Thackery's house" The floor gave an ominous groan as he said this. "It's best not to dawdle; Thackery has not been here in many years."

They moved gingerly towards the door. Alice grabbed her daughter's bag, but, alas, that had been a bad idea, for as soon as she had it by its handle, there was another loud snapping and crunching sound, and Alice disappeared through a brand new hole in the floor.

"MUMMY!" Screamed Sophie, running to the hole, before being grabbed around the middle by the Hatter.

"Hold on, Sophie. We don't want the two of you down there." Sophie didn't care she kicked her legs ferociously, but to no avail - the Hatter simply would not let go. She finally gave up when she heard her mother's voice coming from the hole.

"I'm all right, this bed broke my fall." Tarrant leaned over the hole, there was Alice standing on one of the Hare's guest beds or what at least was left of one. She was now completely covered in dust, the tight hairstyle she had been wearing had started to come out, little golden strands hanging here and there.

"Stay put, Alice I know what room you're in." He set Sophie down, picking up Alice's bag and motioned for the little girl to follow.

"Mind the hole in the floor." He added as he opened the door. Sophie very carefully picked up the cake tin and followed the Hatter out into the hall. This was not at all what she had pictured the looking glass house to be like.

At the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the Attic, everything was completely different. There were no back halls or servant's quarters. There were only three bedrooms leading off the rather skinny hallway and the ceiling was ridiculously low to the floor. The Hatter had to walk bent over with his hat off. One of the bedroom doors opened and Alice came out. She too noticed the height of the ceiling.

"How odd that the ceiling in the bedroom was the right height."

"That's because it's the guest room, can't have guests waking up in the night and bumping there heads on the ceiling." Explained Tarrant.

They made it out of the house without any more unfortunate happenings. Alice took a breath of air and smiled, she was once more in her Wonderland.

Thank you all for reading the latest chapter of Rebirth and thanks to all of you who reviewed and fed the poor Plot Bunny Village. But we still need your support, the plot bunnies and I so please continue to donate your reviews to the plot bunny village.

Expect chapter 8 in a few days.