AN: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! Over one hundred! That's awesome! Sorry for the recent delays, I don't like taking this long to update. Believe me, I don't disappear for months just to piss you guys off. I try to work on new chapters whenever I can.
RECENTLY RE-EDITED (2/7/16)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or Alice: Madness Returns.
It's coming down to nothing more than apathy
I'd rather run the other way than stay and see
The smoke and who's still standing when it clears
Everyone knows I'm in Over my head.
Over My Head (Cable Car) ~ The Fray
~O~
The dining hall was just as grandiose and lofty as the rest of North's Workshop. The table stretched far across the room and was made of lovely oak with a glossy, varnished coating. Chairs made of the same wood lined up along each side of the table with long backs and red cushions with silver designs woven intricately into the cloth.
The hall itself was decorated to match the rest of the workshop. Large red and gold banners hung from the rafters, a festive-looking chandelier shined brightly while suspended high over the table, and large tapestries ornamented the walls, depicting fierce battles involving North and the yetis fighting against shadow-like monsters. And just like every other room in the Russian Palace, there was a grand fireplace with a roaring fire already burning behind the head of the table.
The table was set with fine silverware and porcelain dishes. Only a relatively small portion of the table had food on it, with only a few place sets for the six spirits that would dining that evening. When Alice entered the hall behind Bunny, she noticed North sitting at the head of the table, leaning to his left and speaking to a smaller figure. From a distance the figure resembled a small boy, but the closer Alice came to the table, she was able to see that he was an extremely short man, garbed in an outfit made out of golden sand. He was very stout with the hands and feet no bigger than a child's and golden hair that stuck up wild and in different angles.
The short man had a chalice of eggnog in one hand with the other resting on the edge of the table. He nodded in response to North's words as he took a drink from his cup, but stopped short when he noticed Alice from the corner of his eye. A bright smile spread across his round face as the sand that covered his body glowed brighter. With an enthusiastic wave of his hand, the man motioned for Alice to come closer, gently patting the cushion of the seat next to him.
After some hesitation, the girl accepted his invitation by taking the offered seat. She noted with a low-level of distaste that Jack Frost was seated in the chair directly across from hers, but did nothing to outwardly express her malcontent since Frost wouldn't have noticed otherwise. He was too busy playing with his fork.
"Alice, this is the Sandman," North introduced.
"Hello," she greeted the golden spirit politely.
Figures of sand danced above his head, but she was unable to decipher their meaning. Judging by the way his hands lightly clapped with silent joy, at the very least she could gather he was happy to see her, which brought a small smile to her face.
Once seated, Alice smoothed out the front of her dress while Bunny took the chair next to hers. Tooth sat patiently next to Jack, waiting for North to start. The fairy's wings ceased their frantic movements and she had them tucked neatly behind her, leaving Alice with the desire to examine her wings more closely, just to see if they truly resembled a dragonfly's. She forced herself to remain seated and silent, figuring supper wasn't the appropriate time for that sort of thing. Perhaps later, if the Tooth Fairy didn't mind her curiosity.
North clapped his hands together and rubbed them in anticipation. A smile graced his jolly face as he looked around the table at his friends.
"I love it when we can all come together like this," He confessed happily, breaking the silence. "It warms up this old man's heart faster than any fireplace could. Before we eat, I would like to say few things."
He turned to address Alice, his hands folded in front of him in a very business-like fashion. His expression was hard and serious, but one could still see the light in his eyes if they cared to look for it.
"Alice, I'm certain that Bunny has already explained to you why we asked you here today. I am also certain that you are aware of who we are and what we represent, but I would like to explain things in way that, I hope, will help you see why accepting Guardianship so important."
Alice inwardly flinched. The possibility that she was going to have to make this life-changing choice within the next couple minutes made her immediately on edge. On the outside, she was the picture of a calm and collected individual, she had many years to practice that skill, but on the inside, her mind was falling into near turmoil. The tight coiling of anxiety started to build up in the pit of her stomach as she fought to avoid making eye contact with anyone except North. As friendly and welcoming as he was, Alice refused to show this man her discomfort. She was much stronger than that and he needed to be well aware of it.
She felt the other's eyes on her as well and she didn't like it, but she tried to calm herself down before something unbecoming of her happened.
Before she could voice any type of protest, whether it came out rude or not, Alice felt a furry paw place itself on the crook of her elbow and squeeze reassuringly. Almost immediately she relaxed into the touch. Just knowing that Bunny was sitting next to her made all the difference.
"As Guardians, it is our job to protect the children of the world. Their faith is what keeps us anchored to world and we must do everything we can to keep faith alive. As long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives.
Each of us; Bunny, Sandy, Tooth, Jack, and I, were chosen by Man in Moon. He is our guardian and he is responsible for our creation. And now, he has chosen you, Alice Liddell, to join our ranks and become guardian. We are not expecting answer now, there is much time for you to decide, but we do ask that you think deeply on this very serious decision."
Alice opened her mouth to decline the offer like she always planned to, but then she remembered her promise to Bunnymund. She ended up sighing in defeat when no words of rejection came to mind. North had spoken so passionately about the guardians and their purposes in life. How could someone possibly argue against that without sounding like a complete bigot?
So instead, she settled with a much less devoting response. "I'll try."
She wanted to tell him no. She wanted leave and forget about everything that has happened that day. She wanted to be back in her beautiful Wonderland where her comfort was guaranteed and she had control. Alice didn't feel threatened or scared by the strange motley crew of spiritual beings. She was more than capable of defending herself against any attacks, should there be any. She just didn't enjoy being surrounded by unfamiliar faces in an unfamiliar place. There was so much that Alice wanted to say, but no way of something them. She didn't want those carefully constructed walls around her head and heart to be penetrated.
Yes, after the Dollmaker's demise she had more or less conquered her own personal demons, and her century-long reprieve from the world helped build up her self-confidence, but Alice still didn't think she was strong enough to handle any new pain. Even after all those years since the fire, it seemed like she had only just gotten over her old pain. So the prospect of being hurt again was something she definitely wanted to avoid, especially if it meant feeling loss and grief. If she allowed herself to gain a sense of friendship, or Hatter forbid a sense of family, with these people, then Alice would once again become an open target for pain and misfortune.
'Because everyone you love is doomed to die violently, remember?' She thought bitterly to herself.
And if Alice were to have another family ripped so harshly from her hands again, she knew that she wouldn't be able to recover from something like that twice. Recovering enough to leave Rutledge Asylum the first time had been nothing short of a miracle, and miracles were always in scarce supply with usually an allotment of one per soul.
"Excellent!" North laughed before he picked up a crystal glass of wine next to his plate. "A toast, then!"
Everyone followed North's example and grabbed their wine glasses. Alice noticed that her wine glass was only filled about a quarter way. She had tasted wine before, and even a bit of whiskey back when she was a human helping her nanny run the bar at the Mangled Mermaid, but she never really had a liking for it. That curious sip of numbing liquid that burned the back of her throat as she swallowed it had been more than enough. More so with the whiskey than the wine.
The crystal glass felt delicate in Alice's hand and she worried that the stem might break in half if her grip became too tight. The fine red liquid swished in the glass as she slowly lifted it to join the other ones. North looked up towards a large skylight that expanded over half of the ceiling, displaying the stars and moon beautifully.
"Here's to you, old friend!" he boasted, raising his glass to the Moon. "To the Man in the Moon!"
"To the Man in the Moon," everyone except Alice echoed.
They didn't say it with as much enthusiasm as North, but they all raised their glasses in obvious respect and devotion. Alice barely raised her arm an inch before she took a small sip of wine. Once the others took their drink, they started to reach for the different foods on the table and begun eating. Alice didn't follow right away. She was still gazing up at the Moon. She found it almost impossible to understand how they could be so loyal to a spirit that they have never seen in person before. How did they even know that a spirit lived on the Moon? If this "Man in the Moon" really did exist, who made him the apparent leader of all spirits? Who made him her leader?
'Absolutely no one,' Alice thought as she irritably tapped a fingernail against her wine glass. 'They can put as much faith as they want in him, but they can't expect me to, and if they do, then they will be sorely disappointed. Man in the Moon - pure nonsense.'
Alice turned her gaze away from the Moon and on to the dinner table. She placed her glass back on the dark oak and reached for a nearby bowl of mashed potatoes. She wasn't very hungry, but she didn't want to come off as rude or standoffish to her most gracious host, so she took only half a spoonful of the fluffy potatoes and a thin slice of ham from a nearby silver platter. As spirits none of them really needed to eat, but they still did anyways mainly for the taste of certain preferred foods. Also, having the occasional dinner at the North Pole was always a good excuse for the guardians to come together and enjoy each others company.
As Alice reached over to grab the salt shaker, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked up and caught the Winter Spirit looking at her. He quickly looked away when she caught him watching, but she didn't miss the hint of curiosity that shined in his ice blue eyes right before his gaze fell back on to his plate. Her face curled up in slight annoyance at the ice spirit's attention towards her. Alice hated being the source of someone's speculations. After the treatment she had received from Frost earlier, he had absolutely no business looking her way.
The rest of dinner hadn't been nearly as awkward as she had expected. It was probably quieter than usual due to her presence, but it wasn't completely silent. North spent most of the time asking each Guardian what they have been up to since their last gathering several months ago. Alice would nod every now and again to show that she was paying attention whenever someone addressed her, but for the most part she didn't say much. Throughout dinner, she tried to keep back the nostalgic memories that threatened to surface and ignore the occasional glances that Jack threw in her direction.
The dinner did allow her the chance to examine the appearances of each guardian a little closer. She was able to take in all the colors of Tooth's feathers, the golden swirls and dunes of Sandy's tunic, North's complex Naughty and Nice tattoos, and even the intricate frost patterns on Jack's blue hood. She wondered how there could still be frost on his clothing. No doubt it had something to do with his powers over the ice and snow, but still, every room in North's Workshop had to be just as comfortably warm as this one.
Perhaps his skin was cold. It wouldn't be such an outrageous thing to assume since his skin was almost as pale as snow. And not mention, he was a Winter spirit, an elemental. They were known to take on numerous physical attributes associated with the element they had control over. On more than one occasion, she heard Bunny refer to Jack as a walking popsicle whenever he visited Wonderland in a particularly sour mood.
Gradually, the sound of North's heavily accented voice faded off into the background as Alice's eyes started to roam over Jack's features a little more closely. It had just hit the dark-haired spirit then, that she hadn't seen someone her own physical age in over a hundred years. Well technically, until today, Alice hadn't seen anyone of any age except for Bunnymund and her creations, but it still felt strange for her to see another young adult after so many years.
She did think that Jack Frost was rather handsome; with his crystal blue eyes, white shaggy hair and devil-may-care smiles. It was an opinion that she would keep private to avoid giving Frost any satisfaction and inflating his already oversized ego, but she wasn't about to lie to herself over something so trivial. It was a fleeting thought that popped briefly in the back of her mind every time she looked at him, but just because someone was easy on the eyes that didn't automatically mean they were a likable person.
Granted, she could see how his carefree personality could be endearing and attractive on a good day. But then again, Alice wasn't exactly having a good day.
~O~
She spaced out a lot.
That was one of the things Jack noticed about his new "teammate". Dinner barely started ten minutes ago and already Alice Liddell proved to be an interesting person to watch. Her eyes would move along the room before they would randomly stop and focus on one object for an exceedingly long period of time. It was kind of fascinating.
It was interesting to watch her facial expressions, or lack thereof, during North's speech. She sat as still as a statue and barely showed any emotion at all. She kept her back straight and her face blank as she listened to North. In regards to her body language, Alice seemed perfectly calm with the strange situation she was in, but Jack could almost sense the panic and confusion bubbling underneath the surface. He figured he could see it much easier than the others could, probably even more than Bunny, mainly because he had been in her same shoes only two years earlier. The circumstances of their similar situations had been very different, but ultimately they had the same problem.
They were both young spirits who had been content (but perhaps not completely happy) with their chosen life styles and routines. Jack would have the occasional bouts of loneliness and heart-wrenching longing for answers and acceptance, but other than that if he hadn't been chosen to become a guardian, he probably would've spent the next three hundreds years doing the same thing he has always done; making snow days and causing mischief.
Now, he couldn't speak much for Alice since he had only just found out she existed, but he figured that if the girl could spend over a hundred years, alone, inside a world of her own creation, surrounded by weird creatures also of her own creation, with the occasional visit from the cranky Easter Kangaroo as her only link to the real world and not die of complete boredom...then she could probably continue doing that for another few centuries.
Jack knew he couldn't pull something like that off. He was too much of a people person, even though he could count the number of people who could actually see him on both hands.
The point was, they were content and comfortable with their lives. Then out of nowhere, a giant rabbit showed up unexpectedly and took (or in Jack's case tossed) them to the famous Santa's Workshop where a group of children-bribing stiffs tell them that they have to become these almighty protectors of every child on the planet. Something like that can totally ruin a person's day. It certainly ruined his.
Jack waited for a break in North's conversation with Tooth before he decided to try and initiate small talk with the girl across from him. The calm and quiet dinner was starting to bore him and he felt that he had been silent for too long. He liked to talk and he always jumped at the chance to strike up a conversation with anybody who could hear him, which unfortunately again, wasn't a lot of people. And it wasn't everyday he got to talk to a pretty girl who could actually say something back to him.
Although, Alice also looked like the spiteful type of girl, so saying that she could talk back didn't mean that she would talk back. It was worth a shot anyways.
"So," Jack idly started. "What does your pendant mean?"
He almost flinched when Alice's acidic green eyes snapped up to meet his. She didn't answer right away and it took him a few moments to realize that Alice either hadn't heard his question, or wasn't sure if he was speaking to her.
"Your pendant," he repeated while pointing to his own neck. "What does it mean?"
Alice's hand came up to mimic Jack's as she looked down at her silver pendant.
"It's an Omega symbol, and if I'm not mistaken, it means 'the end' of something."
"The end of what?" Jack asked, genuinely curious. What weird choice in jewelry.
"I don't know," Alice answered honestly. She really didn't know what "end" her pendant was supposed to symbolize. She had never given it much thought before. It seemed strange that the necklace had always been part of her Wonderland wardrobe and yet she was only just now questioning its presence. The whole idea was starting to make her feel quite silly.
"You don't know?" Jack asked skeptically as if he was thinking the same thing she was.
"Yes, I don't know," Alice snapped.
"Okay! Jeez, sorry," Jack said while holding up a hand in surrender. "I was just asking a question. Didn't need to get all defensive."
The Winter spirit looked back down at his plate and picked half-heartedly at the food with his fork. Alice watched him for a moment before looking back at her own porcelain plate with an odd sense of guilt. It had been a simple question, and she did get unnecessarily defensive over it. Her shoulders slumped a bit when she realized just how much of a hypocrite she was being. She spent most of the evening thinking so little of Frost for the incident back in the Workshop, and here she was, failing to answer a simple question without getting upset. So honestly, Alice was being just as rude as he was, which maybe wasn't very rude at all. Maybe she was still bitter over a situation she couldn't fully control, and perhaps she was projecting her anger on to the first person who crossed her.
Alice raised her head with the intention of redeeming herself for her boorish behavior towards Frost, but he already seemed to be over the spat because he cut her off with another question.
"What's Wonderland like?"
Alice's eyes widened at the unexpected question and she blinked at the spirit across from her. "Pardon?"
"I've read the books and seen the movies, but they make it seem like Wonderland is only just this big enchanted forest so I was wondering if that's what Wonderland is really like."
"You've read my books?" Alice replied after a long pause.
Alice didn't consider the "Alice in Wonderland" books as hers. She didn't write them and the "Little Alice" in the stories didn't resemble her real childhood. Yes, the books were based off her creations and her Wonderland, but they never truly felt like her books. Though she helped inspire them, they were ultimately a product of someone else's imagination. In the beginning of her new life as a spirit, Bunny tried to convince her otherwise by bringing copies to Wonderland and urging her to read them, hoping that they would somehow inspire her to reconnect with the outside world, but after about thirty years or so he stopped trying.
"Well yeah, these days, it would be pretty hard to find someone who hasn't at least heard of them," Jack smiled while tapping his glass absentmindedly with his fork. "They're a classic, and people have made tons of movies based off them."
"Oh, I see," Alice said while briefly wondering what a "movie" was. "And to answer your question, Wonderland is not made up of only forest. It's broken up into different sections and each section has its own unique and distinguishing theme to it."
"What kind of sections?"
The Winter spirit's continued curiosity puzzled Alice greatly. To her, Frost looked like the type of person that lost interest in things quite quickly, unable to concentrate on one single object or idea for very long.
'I suppose appearances can be deceiving,' Alice thought. 'According to Cheshire, I'm the perfect example of that. Though I hardly see why he would think such a thing.'
"Well, there's the Hatter's Domain, the Red Kingdom, Vale of Tears, Deluded Depths, the Mysterious East, and several others I'm sure aren't included in Carroll's books."
"The Red Kingdom is, but not any of the others, which I figured would be the case," Jack said. "Most myths and legends about Tooth, Sandy, North, and Bunny don't portray them or their domains exactly right either."
"No, I suppose they don't, do they?" Alice said with an amused smirk as she recalled all the times Bunny complained about how his representation in the real world was a cute, fluffy bunny rabbit. "And what about you, Mr. Frost? What do your stories say about you?"
Immediately, Alice knew she had said something wrong when Jack's smile vanished and his eyes went to his plate. He stumbled over his next few words, trying to cover it up by clearing his throat.
"I uh...I actually don't have any stories," Jack shrugged. "Or at least any likable ones. I'm usually portrayed as some cranky old man or a malevolent spirit who freezes people to death for kicks, which totally isn't true. And there really isn't anything I could do to prove the myths wrong because the children don't exactly...believe in me."
Alice muttered a quiet apology before looking back down at her own plate. She chastised herself for making the conversation awkward. Brilliant, Alice. Brilliant. It must be hard for a spirit, who was so obviously an extroverted individual, to not be seen. If she remembered correctly, spirits like the guardians were invisible to people who didn't believe in their existence. With that in the forefront of her mind, perhaps her and Frost could be considered similar in some way. No one believed in the real Alice. The Alice people associated Wonderland with was the small blonde Alice, not dark-haired Alice Liddell.
But which was worse? Having children believe in a more ideal, a more perfect, version of yourself while your true self is completely forgotten by time? Or not being believed in at all?
In Alice's opinion, Frost probably had it much harder when it came to the belief department, for obvious reasons. Alice didn't care whether people could see her or not. It had always been that way for her, in some form or another. When she was human, the seemingly good patrons of the rotten side of London would go immensely out of their way just to avoid Alice and her "stone of madness". And why wouldn't they? Reputation was everything back then, even for the less than saintly characters. Alice had been a sickly looking, ex-mental patient. She was an orphan who people believed would never wed and become a productive member of society.
However, despite all those perceived personality flaws, Alice always liked to believe that the true reason why people avoided her was because she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. More specifically, she was a woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Her vocabulary and intellect were, in their opinion, way too advanced for someone who never made it past elementary school, but perhaps that was because Alice was homeschooled as a child.
With that being said, when all those unfavorable qualities were mixed with her inability to "hold her tongue", Alice was easily considered no better than the pimps and prostitutes that lurked around the Billingsgate slums. So quite frankly, Alice was avoided like the bloody plague.
So for her, being invisible or ignored was just second nature. She preferred it that way in fact. She had been a borderline recluse ever since she was a child; although, during that stage in her life, it wasn't by choice. The Liddell family home was a little more secluded than the other homes, and Alice could never make any friends no matter how hard her mother tried with her habit of scheduling play dates with neighboring children.
"You don't have many believers yet, Jack," North joined in on their conversation, reminding the Winter spirit with a wag of his pointer finger. "But you will, trust me. These things take time."
"I know, North. I'm alright with it, really," Jack insisted with a reassuring smile that almost looked genuine.
North gave a satisfied nod before sitting back in his chair. He raised his arms above his head in a stretch as he let out a loud yawn.
"Time flies, doesn't it?" He laughed while looking at the large clock above the fireplace. "I believe is about time to close up shop for evening. Alice, I would very much like if you would stay and spend the day in the workshop tomorrow. You can watch the yetis make the toys and I'll show you how to care for reindeer. It'll be fantastic!"
"Oh, I don't know if..." Alice trailed off. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay, but she didn't want to disappoint the Christmas spirit either, not after all his warm hospitality.
"I was goin' to take Alice home in the mornin," Bunny said, getting up from his chair. Once he pushed his chair back in, the gray pooka looked across the table at Tooth with an apologetic smile.
"Mind if I take a rain check on our plans tomorrow, sheila?"
"Oh...yeah, sure Bunny. We can plant fresh flowers around my palace some other time," Tooth said after a few moments.
Bunny smiled at her again before moving to pull Alice's chair out for her. The oblivious Easter Bunny may have failed to notice the disappointment in the fairy's pink eyes, but Alice didn't.
"Actually," Alice spoke up while turning back towards North. "I would love to stay."
"What? Really?" Bunny asked, thrown. He didn't expect her to accept North's offer considering that she had been uncomfortable all evening.
"Yes, really Bunny," Alice confirmed with a curt nod. "A day in the workshop sounds delightful. Besides, it would be quite rude of you to cancel your pre-existing plans on my behalf."
"Are you sure? I won't be there right away if somethin' goes wrong."
"I'm sure I'll manage," She replied back tautly.
She appreciated Bunny's concern for her safety, but the pooka treated her like a helpless child sometimes, and she didn't appreciate that.
"Well, I guess if your okay with it, but just-"
"Stop being such a worrywart, Bunny!" North laughed while giving him a rough pat on the back, making Bunny stumble forward. "She'll be fine!"
"Will you stop that, mate! I swear, I'm goin' to fall flat on my face one of these days!"
"What ever happens Bunny, I'm sure it will be improvement."
"Why you rotten-"
Tooth smiled at the boys' antics before getting up from her seat. With a gentle wave of her hand, Tooth motioned for Alice to follow her. The dark-haired girl threw a quick look towards the bickering guardians before she got up and walked around them.
"Come on, they'll be here for a while," Tooth said quietly as Alice approached. "I'll show you to your room."
Before leaving the dining room, Alice glanced back at where Frost was sitting to see if he had decided to join in on the others' argument, but his seat was empty.
~O~
"Alright, here it is," Tooth smiled as she reached out and opened the guest room door.
The room on the other side of the door was surprisingly plain. It had a simple, four-poster bed with a dark red comforter, a mahogany wardrobe in one corner, a beautiful vanity in another, a plush floor rug, and elegantly crafted French doors leading to a small balcony in the back. There was also another door on the right side wall which presumably led to the bathroom. It was extravagantly decorated, but still relatively modest compared to the rest of the Workshop.
"Are all the rooms like this?" Alice asked while running a hand over the pristine, white sheets of the bed.
"No, each bedroom is decorated differently," Tooth replied. She was hovering near the doorway with her hands folded neatly in front of her. "I thought you would like this one, though. You can stay in a different one if you don't."
"No, I like it. It's beautiful. I was merely curious."
"I'm sure you've already noticed North's eye for the extraordinary."
Alice smiled lightly at the remark and nodded her head. "Yes, his workshop most certainly reflects his personality."
"It really does, doesn't it?" Tooth agreed with a smile of her own. "Well, I guess I'll go now. I need to get back to my palace soon. Goodnight, and don't forget to brush and floss before bed!"
The Tooth Fairy was barely halfway out of the room when she heard Alice call out.
"Tooth?"
She turned back to look at the girl.
"Yes, Alice?"
Alice gave her a sincere look, but her emerald eyes were just as hard as ever. "I wanted to apologize, for earlier. It was rude of me to snap at you like that."
"That's alright, I shouldn't have mentioned-"
"No," she cut in firmly. "You and other Guardians shouldn't have to walk on eggshells just because I'm too sensitive. I'm the only one who should apologize. I am a guest here."
Tooth watched as Alice scolded herself like a child before the woman took a seat on the nearby bed. Despite Alice's confident exterior, the dark-haired spirit was still so very young, even by immortal standards. Just a baby really, like Jack. Tooth could sense the anxiety boiling precariously underneath the surface and as she watched Alice sit on her bed with her head turned towards the ground, the fairy's heart clenched in her chest at the sight.
Tooth finally let out a sigh before she hovered over to the potential guardian. With only a little hesitation, she placed her hands softly on Alice's shoulders and waited for the girl to look up at her, but when she didn't, Tooth continued anyways.
"Alice, I know that your life as a human was horrible and that a small part of you is still recovering from it, but whatever it is that you're still struggling to overcome, I just want you to know that you don't have to go through it alone anymore. Even if you don't take the Guardian Oath anytime soon, you will always be welcomed here. I think you'll make the right decision in the end. We all do because we believe in you."
And with that, Tooth pulled away from Alice. The feathered fairy wished her a goodnight one last time before she closed the door behind her, but she stopped for a split second when she heard Alice speak.
"Make sure Bunny has a good day tomorrow. He deserves it."
Alice continued to sit on her bed long after Tooth left, processing everything that has happened to her in the last twelve hours. As she cataloged every detail to memory, her emerald eyes focused on the lines in the wooden floor underneath her black boots. The silence around her thickened as she retreated deeper into her thoughts.
She had been so deep in thought, that when a familiar voice cut through the silence, Alice gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin.
"They're quite the bodacious bunch, aren't they, Alice? All smiles and hopeful jitters."
Alice placed a hand against her chest to help calm her poor heart before fixing the sudden intruder with a fierce glare. The offending figure laid casually across the railing of the balcony with his gray tail flicking liquidly in the air. Funny, she didn't even hear the balcony doors open.
"Cheshire!"
She crossed her arms with a huff and practically stomped out on to the balcony. The infamous Cheshire Cat only watched as she approached with his amused, yellow eyes and ever-present, malicious grin.
"I thought I left you to watch Wonderland while I was gone."
"You did, but after you didn't return after quite some time, I started to worry that you had gotten yourself lost again. That seems to be one of your more persistent bad habits."
"You? Worried?" Alice laughed curtly. "That's certainly a first."
Cheshire's eyes narrowed at her attitude, but his grin went unchanged. "At least I didn't come across as a complete shrew to my new friends."
"Cheshire, I am really not in the mood to listen to your cynical wisdom, or whatever it is you call your insults," Alice sighed. "I've had a very long day."
"Ah yes, I caught the little show with the toy airplane. The pale boy is horrible at making good first impressions, isn't he? Although, I thoroughly enjoyed the finale where that overgrown rodent was nicked in the noggin. I would imagine he'll have quite the bump on his thick skull tomorrow."
"Bunny getting hurt was not funny, Chess," Alice scolded with her hands on her hips. "But I suppose you're right about Frost. He resembles a walking icicle and he appears to be as smart as one too."
"Well now, this could be interesting," Cheshire purred mockingly. "The boy is a bumbling fool and you're a confused mess. That's a match made in heaven if I ever did see one."
"Go back to Wonderland, Cheshire," Alice demanded. "I won't tell you again."
"But don't you want to hear my warning?" His voice taking on a high, almost nasally tone as he whined teasingly.
"No."
"It's very unfortunate."
"Knowing you, I'm sure it is, but I still don't want to hear it."
"Perhaps humor me then. I do it all the time for you, it's only fair."
She sighed in frustration before crossing her arms again. The Cheshire Cat could be even more stubborn than her sometimes.
"Alright, but make it quick."
"Bossy today, aren't we?" the emaciated gray cat smiled. "Shadows can be easily overlooked when one chooses not to pay attention, but you can't always assume-"
"Cheshire," Alice snapped while tapping her foot impatiently. "I said-"
"Something wicked is coming, Alice," Cheshire purred in his rich, deep voice. "See? It's not so fun when you're the one being interrupted, now is it?"
"What do you mean something is coming?"
"I say what I mean, you should try it sometime," He narrowed his piercing gold eyes. "History tends to repeat itself in the worse ways and you don't want to be present when it does. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that evil can lurk inside even the lightest of rooms. Be on your guard."
Before Alice could question him further, the Cheshire Cat disappeared from sight.
The dark-haired girl looked at her companion's previously occupied spot before abruptly turning away, brushing off the mangy cat's warning for the time being. The balcony doors made a satisfying click as Alice turned the lock into place.
From the top of her peripheral version, she saw the moon floating majestically in the night-time sky. Cautiously, she lifted her gaze to look at the large silver sphere, hanging so innocently and without a care in the world. For a moment, Alice's eyes scanned its surface, searching for any signs of the Man in the Moon's presence.
Then the moment ended and she scowled at herself for thinking so foolishly.
AN: I didn't really like this chapter much. I wanted Alice and Jack's conversation to sound more argumentative.
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~Scorpiofreak~