AN: The time between all my updates is weird, and I'm sorry if I am disappointing anyone. I don't have a set schedule, since it is really when I feel inspired or have time. But I do have a sequel in mind. :P

Disclaimer: Lewis Carroll owns "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Beyond the Looking Glass". Syfy owns "Alice".

She woke alone that morning, as she had for the past month. As always Jane had entered her room far before Alice had woken and drew back the drapes to allow the early morning light to filter in. What followed was normally a cheery wake up call by her maid in an attempt to rouse her from sleep. She smiled slightly despite herself; she supposed some things never did change. Of course, this room wasn't the chambers she was used to at the palace.

Nor was her father waiting in the next room over. She raised herself wearily onto her elbows and watched as Jane bustled around the room to prepare her for that morning's dressing. Her friend gave her a discreet look, which Alice had begun to pick up on after a few mornings of her new married life, in order to assess her former charge. Alice knew without having to inquire about her friend's stares to know what the maid was looking for: the telltale signs. It would have been quite obvious if Alice had indeed became a wife the night before by the rumpled blankets, bloodstained sheets, and general mussed appearance. But Alice looked just as put together as she had when Jane had helped her prepare for bed the night before.

Since the night of the wedding Hatter had made no more physical attempts toward her. He treated her with as much courtesy as ever although he seemed to be more distant in his interactions with her. It felt almost as if they were total strangers and not close friends as they truly were. But she guessed that marriage and friendship were two separate things. Alice, for her part, was mostly thankful that nothing had yet to happen. She had heard enough from the giggling maids of the palace what happened in private between men and women, in addition to the explanation given to her years earlier by Jane.

She had no desire to feel the pain that was described to her or to be in such a vulnerable state of undress. Husband or not, she wasn't comfortable with being stark naked in front of anyone.

"Come along Alice. You'd best get up now so that you aren't late to breakfast. All we need is that woman to be on our backs again."

The ex-governess rolled her eyes as she withdrew a peach colored silk gown from the wardrobe. Although Alice had not lived in Hatter's home for more than a month already Mrs. Merryweather and Jane were starting to butt heads. She supposed that it was because Mrs. Merryweather was used to running things her way without any input from the other maids. But Jane wasn't exactly the type to be told what to do, especially after being in charge of Alice's household for so long.

Alice bit back a laugh before sliding out of the soft bed. The two chattered about Alice's plans for the day as Alice was dressed and prepared. She had received a calling card from a Mrs. Ashley that lived a few houses down from her. The other woman was holding an afternoon tea and had requested that Alice attend. She was a bit hesitant, as she was unsure of the woman's intentions, but accepted anyway. Even if the woman was just being nosy she couldn't go and turn down invitations right away; she would be written off as a recluse.

As she had only left the house a handful of times since her marriage, the last thing she wanted was to have no excuse for going beyond the house.

After descending the stairs she stepped into the dining room, nodding a 'good morning' to her husband seated on the other side of the table. She gave Mr. Lizard a small smile as he helped her into her chair before reaching forward for her glass of water. She sipped at it carefully, stealing a look at Hatter over the rim. He was diligently reading that morning's paper, like always. She almost found it comical how predictable her life had become.

After a nearly silent breakfast she knew that he would excuse himself to go off to the shop, leaving her to overlook the work of the house for the rest of the day. He would arrive home around five in the afternoon and join her for dinner not long after. What followed was normally awkward conversation for about a half an hour or so in the parlor before he excused himself to finish up some last minute work before bed. She would then prepare for bed and fall asleep long before he returned to their bedroom, and leave her long before she woke the next morning.

This cycle was starting to infuriate her.

What was the point of their life together if he refused to interact with her at all? Their physical interaction was the same as before their marriage, with the exception being that now she slept beside him each night. She felt that sometimes she wished to stamp her foot like an errant child and pitch one of the china plates across the room to get his attention. It wasn't that she was looking for intimate physical contact; in truth she was avoiding that aspect of their 'marriage'. She just could not, however, stand aside and be treated as a doll or some type of curio for him to display.

She watched as he carefully folded the paper before handing it off to Mr. Lizard who was waiting along the wall. He stood, giving a nod to Alice before moving from the room. She felt her hand coil around the linen napkin in her lap in frustration although she continued with her meal as if nothing had happened.

She wasn't sure how long she could go on like this.

Nearly three hours later she found herself standing before the polished front door of one Mrs. Ashley. One gloved hand was raised to reach for the brass door knocker, paused in midair as if unable to move. She tried to school her features into those resembling anything but nervousness but was afraid to see the results. She had never really had a close female friend beside Jane before and was a little embarrassed about the way that she might come off to this women. She wasn't a tomboy either, but years of growing up with a boy hadn't exactly taught her the proper way to carry on the meaningless chatter that she knew tea socials usually required.

Her left hand tightened measurably around the maroon sachet in her palm until she realized that anymore pressure might cause the bag to pop. Hastily she glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone else on the street had taken notice of her odd behavior. It seemed that everyone else out and about were too involved in their own concerns to observe the behavior of the new wife.

Finally after clearing her throat Alice brought her hand forward to use the knocker. She just had to act like an adult was all. After all, she was one now, wasn't she?

Nearly five seconds later a stately looking man opened the door for her, bowing at the waist.

"Mrs. Hatter."

She almost didn't respond for a moment, as if she had forgotten that that was her name.

"Mrs. Ashley and her guests are waiting in the parlor. If you would please give me your wrap..."

She reluctantly parted with her shawl, thinking it something of a shield against the eyes of the unknown women chattering in the next room over. The butler draped it over his arm with ease before starting toward the parlor. Alice numbly followed after him, still clutching the small sachet. The chattering of the women died down as the man cleared his throat.

"Mrs. Hatter to see you, madam."

A middle aged women stood up from the floral printed sofa directly across from the butler and Alice. She smiled warmly and began to move toward her at a rather slow pace. The quick glimpse she had gotten of the woman's rounded stomach beneath her empire waist was enough to alert Alice that she was pregnant.

"Welcome my dear," the woman greeted, taking one of Alice's hands into both of hers. "Welcome to our little group."

She turned to face the other women who were curiously ogling the newcomer. Alice felt her face grow warm from the attention, and she struggled to sound articulate and not like a stammering child.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ashley."

It was only then that she realized she was nearly squeezing the satchel in her hand into powder. "This is for you, from my husband's personal store," she held out the small bag of tea leaves carefully. The woman gratefully accepted them before handing off the bag to the waiting butler.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hatter. It was quite nice of you to think of me. Please, send on my thanks to your dear husband."

Alice forced a smile onto her face as she was ushered farther into the room. Mrs. Ashley quickly began to gesture to the other ladies. Soon she was introduced to the rest of the group: the elderly Mrs. Jameson, a bored looking , and a woman named Mrs. Pappet that didn't seem to be much older than Alice.

Mrs. Pappet moved over on the sofa that she was currently sitting on, gently patting the free spot for Alice. A slight twinkle rested in the young woman's eye, as if she knew exactly how nerve wracking this meeting was for Alice. Gratefully the new wife sat beside the woman before settling her hands into her lap.

"Welcome to our little circle, dear," Mrs. Jameson piped up. The old woman squinted slightly to get a better glimpse of Alice. She nervously smiled, unsure of what to do under the woman's scrutiny.

"Thank you, very much," she managed to answer before accepting a cup of tea from Mrs. Ashley. She sipped at it slowly, trying to ignore the bitter taste. Mrs. Ashley returned to her earlier seat, her attention clearly on Alice now. "How are you fitting into things dear?" she asked politely, absentmindedly resting a hand on her now pronounced stomach.

Alice thought over her answer for a second.

"It's been...difficult," she said, summing up her few weeks of married life. The women gave her understanding nods. "It will take some getting used to, I suppose."

Mrs. Ashley leaned back into the sofa. "I remember quite well," she said, sighing as if a little wistful. "Although things were simpler then. Thank goodness for the governess, or I'd never have a moment free." A few chuckles arose from two of the older women, while Mrs. Pappet stayed silent beside Alice. Alice guessed that this young woman hadn't had children yet either.

"But it gets easier. You'll get into the swing of things in no time." She waved her hand in the air dismissively. "But tell us, dear, tell us about yourself."

Alice glanced around the group, taking in the expectant eyes. "Well," she began, "I've lived in the palace for my entire life. My father had been one of the king's scientists." Again she was faced with understanding looking nods. She almost thought it was a little comical how attentive they were to her story, but she supposed as bored housewives they had nothing better to do than sit around with each other all day. With a sinking feeling in her stomach she realized that was how she would appear soon.

Mrs. Ashley leaned over to pat her gently on the knee. "I remembering hearing about that; I'm quite sorry for you dear." The other women followed up with soft condolences, which Alice wasn't quite sure were sincere or not.

Her mental question was answered as Mrs. Wright began to speak. "The palace, you said?" she asked, clearly trying to hide her interest yet failing. "That must have been exciting. Why, I've only been there once, and that was for the King's coronation ball." The woman sat up a bit higher, as placing herself above everyone else in the room. "Mr. Wright and myself were invited to the ball, you see. My family has always supported the King."

Alice bit her tongue, wishing to remind the woman that she too had been invited, and had actually danced with the king. She couldn't even remember seeing Mrs. Wright there. But she didn't want to make a bad impression on her first meeting with these women; Mrs. Ashley had been nice enough to invite her to begin with.

Mrs. Wright watched her carefully as she spoke. "There were rumors that he was attached to you, Mrs. Hatter." She let the words hang in the air for Alice to answer to. Alice took her time sipping at her tea, all the while trying to ignore the small smirk on Mrs. Wright's face. "We were good friends. I grew up with him, you see," she said carefully, proud of herself that she had kept a neutral tone.

Mrs. Wright shrugged, the smirk still in place despite not hearing the answer that she had wished for. "That's for the best then; he is getting engaged after all." Alice felt the blood rush from her face as she comprehended the news. Had she been drinking her tea at the moment, she felt that she might have had to spit it out.

Mrs. Pappet was the first to jump to her defense.

"Really, Madeleine," she chided, staring down the other woman. "Starting rumors about the King isn't the most respectful thing for some of your station to be doing, is it?" No one had been able to ignore the sarcasm laced in 'your station', which caused Mrs. Wright's smirk to fall into a frown. Before she was able to retaliate Mrs. Ashley raised her hand up.

"Ladies! Really! Is this the way to conduct ourselves in front of our newest friend?"

Mrs. Ashley's voice held something of a mother admonishing her children. Whatever the tone, it worked on the two irate women. Mrs. Wright stared sulkily into her tea while Mrs. Pappet stared ahead at the wall, a little smug looking. She turned her gaze slightly to catch Alice's eye, giving her a small smile of encouragement. Alice felt the same smile mirror onto her face for a moment.

At least someone was looking out for her.

Nearly two hours later she returned home from the afternoon tea. She found Mrs. Ashley to be very matronly, which she found rather comforting. Mrs. Jameson, although a bit hard of hearing, was very sweet. Although, the woman did have the tendency to reference an event that she had thought happened a week ago, while in reality it had happened forty years ago. Mrs. Wright had attempted to rise her into conversation about the King once or twice more although Alice had refused to comment on him. Instead either Mrs. Ashley or Mrs. Pappet changed the subject to something much lighter. Mrs. Pappet had stood out the most to her. As Alice had grown up along with Jack for her childhood, she hadn't had many female friends except for Jane. To have someone around her age to talk to was something she wanted to take advantage of.

But the rumor of Jack becoming engaged was something that she couldn't ignore. Throughout the entire afternoon with the ladies it had been at the back of her mind, simmering upon her subconscious. She was still unable to stop thinking about the possibility of Jack becoming engaged. She knew that it shouldn't bother her; she was married, after all. But still, the thought of him calling another woman 'wife' caused her chest to constrict.

If anyone would know the truth, it would be Jane. Her ex-governess still had friends in the palace and would know the current state of affairs. Alice found the woman working at embroidering in Alice's room, by the window overlooking the street. She smiled warmly at her former-charge before going back to her work. "Did you have fun?" she asked as she continued with her pattern. Alice came to stop before the other window, looking out onto the street below.

"It was...interesting."

Jane laughed. "You'll make friends soon enough. After all, you're the newest thing this neighborhood has; everyone will want to see you."

"I heard that Jack is engaged," Alice blurted out, turning from the window to face the other woman. She had planned on easing into her question but she had found herself unable to wait. She waited in silence as Jane finished her current stitch.

The woman took her time in placing down her materials before looking up at Alice. "I've heard talk from my friends in the palace, but I thought nothing of it until about a week ago." She stood up, coming to stand beside Alice and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I heard that he is going to announce it within the next month." Alice, for a moment, didn't react. What could she do? She couldn't exactly go up to her friend and yell at him for betraying her. Nor could she expect him to wait around forever while she went on with her new life.

She remained silent, causing an alarm to run through Jane.

"Alice...are you alright?" she asked, turning the young woman's face to observe her. Alice's vision focused in on Jane's look of concern. With a shaky smile she patted the governess' hand. "I'm fine," she asserted, although her tone wasn't fooling either of them. She cleared her throat. "I'm having lunch with Mrs. Pappet on Wednesday; help me pick out a suitable outfit, will you please?" She broke away from Jane, going over to her wardrobe as her mind focused on the man in the palace.

The last straw had been that he hadn't been at dinner.

Alice had gone down to the dining room long after her husband was due to come home, only to be told by a nervous looking Mr. Lizard that her husband was staying later at the shop. She had been rehearsing a speech in her mind all that afternoon to say to her husband on the state of their 'marriage', and had been completely thrown off now that he wasn't there. She ate alone silently, inwardly fuming at this prime example for her argument. She wouldn't sit around like a toy any longer.

Jane didn't comment on her mood as she helped her dress for bed. She left Alice to sit alone in her bed waiting for her husband to finally return. She had heard Mr. Lizard open the door for him as she had been dressing, so she knew that he was somewhere in the area. She heard the grandfather clock in the front hall chime eleven when the door to her bedroom finally opened. Hatter checked at seeing her still awake.

"Alice...it's late. Go to sleep," he murmured, closing the door to the hall behind himself. He moved to collect his bedclothes from his wardrobe, completely ignoring the astonished look on his wife's face. Alice felt her face grow red with rage. How dare he just come in late and chide her as if she was a child? She kicked the blankets off and slid off the edge of the bed. Her pale hand grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt, stopping him from entering the bathing room. He turned to address her, but she cut him off.

"What is wrong with you?"

The air between them hung heavy with silence for a heartbeat. Then Hatter moved to pat the hand currently glued to his sleeve. "We'll talk about this later Alice. Just go to sleep," he insisted, gently prying her hand away. To his surprise, she used her free hand to bat his away.

"No! Answer my question now. It's the least you can do after ignoring me for an entire month." She fought to keep her volume under control. She didn't need the entire staff waking up because she was having a spat with her husband. Although now that she felt all of the annoyance and hurt of the past month surfacing she was finding it harder to remain quiet.

"You insist on marrying me...insist on taking me away from the life I could have had. And then you refuse to even speak to me! Don't look at me like that!." He had given her a questioning look, as if unsure of what she was referencing. But she wasn't about to let him play stupid.

"You claim that I'm your wife, yet you treat me nothing like it. You claim I'm your friend, but our friendship is nothing like it used to be. We used to be able to talk about anything, do you remember? Now you barely give me the time of day." She let go of his sleeve, taking a step closer.

"I'm not something to keep on display, Hatter. I refuse to be! Now what do you want from me? I can't go on guessing."

She found herself a few inches away from him, her chest heaving as she struggled to get her breathing back to normal from her impromptu speech.

"Jack is going to get engaged, did you know that?" She forced breath into her lungs, even as if her chest constricted with her pain. "He is going to have the life that I was supposed to have with him. And where am I? I'm with a man who insisted on changing my life, and refuses to even talk to me!"

She had been expecting an angry response from him. Maybe a few yells. She had even for a moment thought that he would hit her.

What she didn't expect was him to kiss her. And she hadn't even thought of kissing him back, yet she found her lips firmly pressed to his in response. His hands starting on the buttons of her nightdress had been a bit of a surprise, but not as much as her refusal to stop him.