Chapter 23! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Alice in wonderland. But if I did I would have kept the Hatter and Alice kissing scenes in the movie. Just saying.

"Alice!" Mctwisp examined with delight as Alice ran towards the cage and pulled the lock open. The moment the metal clanged to the floor the white rabbit had jumped into Alice's arms. "Thank you, Alice. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Mctwisp," Alice said, uneasily, looking around the room, slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"He kidnapped me," Mctwisp replied, obviously unsettled by her question. "When I was looking for Tarrant, but I couldn't find him. At least, not the real him. Instead I ended up finding a man who you described to me as Tarrant, but it was really Stayne. He's been keeping me here for weeks, and….and…"

"What?" Alice asked, quickly. "What Nivens?"

"Alice, where is he?" He asked suddenly, squirming around to face her. "Is he near now?"

"Yes, Imogene knocked him out, a few minutes ago." Alice explained. "Don't worry Mctwisp; you'll be fine, I promise."

"Alice," Mctwisp said sternly, and jumped out o0f her hands, rushing out to the hallway, where he let out a small cry and Alice came chasing after him.

Standing where Stayne had been was Aunt Imogene, staring down in disbelief at Mctwisp. No, she was staring straight down, at where Stayne's unconscious body had been.

"Aunt Imogene, what happened?" Alice asked, and her Aunt looked up at her with scared eyes.

"I don't know." She whispered staring back down at the floor. "I was waiting for you to come back, when…when he just vanished. Out of thin air."

"What?" Alice exclaimed, but Mctwisp was nodding with as if it were exactly what he'd thought would happen.

"It's his backup plan." the white rabbit explained, staring up at Alice with a grave expression. "In case anyone was to find me, he would disappear, out of thin air, no matter where he was. He would return back to Underland, where he could get his army ready."

"Underland?" Imogene breathed at the same time Alice said. "Army?"

Nivens nodded. "He told me that I was just the bait and when you found me he knew it was time for the real game to begin."

"So..."Alice whispered, shutting her eyes briefly. "He's already gone."

Mctwisp nodded. "And we have to go too."

"What?" Alice and Imogene exclaimed, this time in utter unison.

"We need to return to Underland immediately so that we can prepare for the battle that is ensured to take place very soon." Mctwisp said rapidly. "Stayne will be assembling his army just as we speak, and I'm sure we don't have much time until he's on the attack.

"Then let's go." Alice said, picking up Mctwisp and running towards the still open window before she turned to Aunt Imogene who was staring ghastly back at Alice. "What?"

"Alice, are you sure we're ready for this?" Her aunt stuttered, and Alice was sad to say, she didn't really have an answer for her. So instead, they both climbed out of the window, and went back to the carriage where hopefully, hatter was waiting.

. . .

"We need to what?" Hatter exclaimed, his stunning green eyes wide.

"We need to go back to Underland, tonight." Alice explained still in a total rational manor. Even though, She, her Aunt Imogene whom they'd just broken out of an asylum, Mctwisp, who was still rubbing his paws together and him were all driving to her mother's home where they could wake her up. "Because Stayne is already back and we need to prepare for battle."

"But, Alice-" Hatter tried to interrupted.

"No, Hatter!" Alice exclaimed. "We need to do this. For everyone. Irisa, Nicholas, Mirana, Mally, chess…they're counting on us to be ready, and now is the time to go back."

"I know," He replied, and Alice gave him a hopeful look while he turned around to watching his way to her mother's house.

Alice grinned as she shut the small door that separated her from the outside of their carriage and turned back to her two companions who were in a deep conversation about how much Underland has changed.

Finally, Hatter stopped the horses, and Alice opened the door and found they were standing in front the house where Alice had spent her days since birth. Silently, they all walked inside, everyone taking in exactly what was inside while Alice walked straight to her mother's bedroom.

Helen was paler then last time. Her fair hair stiff and lifeless and her breathing quiet shallow. Alice felt her intake of breath and then Hatter was behind her while Imogene was next. Alice took a step forward, and hatter moved aside so that the elder Liddell sister could pass.

She sat down on her sister's bedside, and held her little sister's hand. Alice saw something flash, a spot of color perhaps? Something, that Alice couldn't have explained if you'd let her, and then, Imogene was leaning into her sister's he d and in a voice sweeter and quieter then

Alice had ever heard, she whispered. "Helen, wake up, honey. It's time to wake up."

And nothing. Nothing happened.

Everything in the room stood still, and Alice felt a cry rise up her throat when suddenly, her mother's eyelids fluttered. And then she was stirring, taking deeper breaths as the color flashed into her cheeks and she was alive!

Alice ran towards her mother's bedside and grabbed her other hand while Helen finally opened her eye sat last, and at the sight of her daughter and her sister, she smiled slightly.

"Mother," Alice whispered.

"My Alice," Her mother replied in a soft voice, and the n she looked over to her aunt and her smile widened slightly. "Both of my Alices."

The nest thing she knew, Alice was crying, and so was her mother and he aunt. Finally, things were right in this world. Her mother was safe, absolutely so, and something in Alice, finally clicked.

Someone sat next to her, and Alice smiled as Hatter put his arm around Alice's waist and pulled her closer to him with Mctwisp oat Imogen's side. Alice didn't know if it was a romantic gesture, or just one of friendship, and she didn't care. She was just happy to be here, with her family.

"Alice?" Helen asked, in a strange voice.

"Yes mother?" Alice asked, in a slightly confused tone.

"Would you mind explaining to me why there is a rabbit, in a waistcoat on my bed?" She asked, in a slightly playful tone.

"Well," Alice said with a sigh. "That is a very long story."

Aw, happy ending. Or at least the beginning of one. But this is only the BEGINNING OF THE END! Mwa ha ha ha (More evil laughter). Please review!