Hey, Kids. Here's my latest installment. Hope you enjoy.

I disclaim.

Alice didn't know what to do with the bullet Hatter had taken for her.

It seemed wrong just to drop it on the floor of the bus elevator; it represented the first truly noble thing anyone had ever done for her. So, after removing the squashed thing from Hatter's Kevlar vest (thank God he'd had it), she stuffed it hastily into her pocket before continuing to chastise him for his lies.

When she arrived home, the bullet gained a new significance: it represented the only thing she had left from her excursion through Wonderland, the only thing to remind her she had ever been gone at all.

In the three days following her return, the bullet was never out of Alice's reach. Often, she would find herself staring at it for minutes, turning it over and over in her hands, forcing herself to recall every moment of her adventure, refusing to let herself forget. The fervor with which she had sought her father now turned to an investigation of Wonderland, and of Lewis Carroll, and of looking glasses. She abandoned every other part of her life in the attempt to find some trace of the Wonderland she had known-the true Wonderland; the Wonderland, not of children's stories, but of despots, addicts and liars. And of knights, flying flamingos, and charming, dimpled con men.

In the late afternoon of the third day, Alice sat hunched over her desk, bleary eyes staring at a website detailing the "Hidden Satanic Messages in the works of Lewis Carroll," but not truly taking it in. She snagged the bullet from its place on her desk and just held it clutched in her hand, feeling the rounded end press into her hand, leaving a dent in the soft skin there, and reveling in the realness of it.

Her mother's voice broke her from her half-trance, "Alice, come meet David!"

Alice blinked, stretched, and rubbed her eyes, then called back, "Who?"

She heard her mother apologize quietly to whomever she was speaking ("I'm sorry, she must be tired, she's been through a lot, you know...blah blah blah."), and then call back, "the construction worker who found you, sweetie, he wanted to make sure you're okay. Very sweet."

A sudden flash of irritation flared in Alice. She didn't care how "sweet" this construction worker appeared to be, where did he get off invading her private life? Rolling her eyes at the audacity and idiocy of people, Alice stood and walked as slowly as possible to the living room, and raised her eyes to see her "savior."

And savior he was, though for many more convoluted reasons than her mother could possibly imagine. Hatter stood before her, strangely normal, but wonderfully there. His name flew from her lips of its own volition as she threw herself into his arms, and spoke the truest thing she could think of, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

He pulls back from the embrace, and for a horrible moment she's afraid she's said the wrong thing, but then she sees his almost-timid smile, and the what-the-hell look in his eye. And then she can't see anything, because he's kissing her, and the only sense she could deal with at the moment was touch, because his lips sent sparks right down to her toes and back, and she doesn't ever want to come up for air, but knows she must.

As she pulls away, his lips follow hers, just as unwilling as she is to break the contact. When they finally do, there is only time for his whispered "I missed you," before some unseen force pulls them back together.

She smiles into the kiss, and feels him smile back. Pulling back again she asks, suddenly unsure, "So, is this just a visit, or an envoy from the king or something, or are you here for good?"

He grins his cocky grin, "I'm here to stay. As long as you want me, love."

She smiles beatifically and leans back in for another kiss, ignoring her mother's sputtered questions and demands for an explanation "right now, young lady." Feeling her hand still clenched around the bullet, she realizes she doesn't need it anymore; it's going into the box with her father's things as soon as she can get it there. She has her arms wrapped around all the reminder she'll ever need.

Hope you enjoyed it. I know I've been gone a long time, and I guess I can give you my excuses if you want them, but I won't waste your time here.
Feedback would be wonderful, whether you liked it or (especially) not. Let me know.

Till next time,
HeadPhones.