A/N: This storyline was suggested to me by zaneri0t. I truly hope I do it justice. Many thanks for the idea!

What a long day it had been! I had never been so glad to fall into bed. Unfortunately, I was alone as Tarrant was still downstairs finishing up a hat he said needed to be done or he just would not be able to sleep anyway. I was too tired to wait up.

Since we had been married, I always found it unnerving to fall asleep alone. I liked Tarrant's presence. His arms around me, the soft sound of his breathing (when he wasn't snoring), all helped lull me to sleep. Tonight I just felt uneasy.

I drifted off to sleep and instantly felt wrong. What was happening?

I was back on the battlefield, dead jabberwocky just off to my left. I looked down and realized I was back in the armor. And I was holding the blood the queen gave me. What on earth?

It was then that I realized I had no control of my body. Hatter was telling me that I could stay and I was giving him the reasons why I couldn't. I wanted to tell him that I would stay. No words were coming out. I tried to move my limbs, but I was trapped in this body. I began to drink the blood. "No!" I attempted to scream. I wanted to tell sweet Tarrant to not worry, because I would at least stay right here. Then the sky began to fall, or I began to fall towards the sky.

"I can't leave!" I yelled to no one. "My heart is here! I can't leave my heart!" But the words still remained tightly locked up.

I climbed out of the rabbit hole, quite discombobulated. What had just happened? Why did I have a bandage on my arm?

I wandered back to the party, and was met with many shocked gasps. I told everyone just what was on my mind and made a plan with Lord Ascot as to where the company should go. After that, my mother shuffled me home and put me straight to bed.

I couldn't help thinking that I was forgetting something. And it felt quite important. What was missing? Surely if something was this imperative, then I would know what it is, but before I could figure it out, sleep claimed me.

I began to dream of grinning cats and tea parties, ruthless queens and strange little twin boys. It was the same dream that would send me running to my father.

Suddenly I sat straight up and called out, "Hatter!"

The hatter? Why was I calling for ... Oh! Sweet Hatter! I leaned over to find him and instead found an empty bed. Where was he? Then I remembered where I was. I was back in my room in London. How did I get here? Where was Tarrant? What had happened? I wanted to cry, but there was no time for such nonsense. I needed to get out of here and return to Underland.

I had apparently made quite a commotion in my waking, because my mother and a maid had burst into my room.

"Alice, child, what is the matter?" she asked worriedly.

"Mother, I have to get back!"

"Get back? Where?"

"To Underland! To Tarrant!"

"Your Wonderland? Is Tarrant a city there?"

"He's not a where, he's a who! And he's my husband! I must get back to him!"

"Alice, calm yourself. There is no Wonderland. And you most certainly do not have a husband and likely never will after the spectacle you put on yesterday."

"Yesterday? Oh the party."

"Yes, the party! You behaved completely inappropriately! You were like a child!" my mother scolded.

"I meant every word."

"I have no doubt. You will apologize to everyone for that display of defiance."

"I won't! Besides, I do not plan on being here much longer. I'll be going back to Underland just as soon as I can."

"Alice, listen to me. There. Is. No. Wonderland."

"It's Underland, Mother. I've learned that since. And if I don't return quickly, they'll all be terribly worried about me. Tarrant saw me leave. What a mad state he must be in right now! What if he's hurt himself?! Mother, I couldn't live with myself knowing that I was the cause for this madness. Please, help me to get back. Get me to the Ascot estate!"

"The Ascots? Alice, you'll never be welcome there again, I'm sure. After the way you humiliated poor Hamish, Lady Ascot wants your head!"

"Off with her head," I whispered. "No! What if the Red Queen escapes? I need to be there! I need to be the Champion!"

Just then, the doctor walked through the door. "Hello, Alice. What seems to be troubling you?"

"Why is the doctor here?" I asked.

"You were screaming in your sleep. Some nonsense about cats and queens and big heads. I didn't know what else to do but to fetch the doctor."

The doctor put his hand to Alice's forehead. "Doesn't seem to be very fevered. Has she had much stress lately?"

"You could say that," Mother muttered.

"Alice, I'm going to give you this medicine. It's a mild sedative and it will help you sleep," he said as he pulled out a syringe.

"No! I don't want to sleep! I want to get back to Underland! To my Tarrant!"

Before I could protest anymore, I was given the injection.

"Mother, no," I whimpered as I began to nod off.

As I fell asleep, she heard my mother ask, "Has she finally gone mad?"

"Perhaps the stress she's been through and the loss of her father has finally driven her 'round the bend," the doctor replied sadly.

I wanted to tell them I wasn't mad, and even if I was, the best people were. But I couldn't. The medicine was pulling me into unconsciousness much faster than I liked.

Just then, I felt like I was falling. Was I back in the rabbit hole? I never went to the Ascots, so I couldn't be. Were there other ways back to Underland? And before I could think on it any further, I was thrown into a chair. I was back at the tea party! Sitting at the head of the table was Tarrant, hat over most of his face, looking more forlorn than I had ever seen him.

"'Atta?" Mally said. "Yeh must get o'er 'er. She's not comin' back. Drink yehr tea, please?"

"Ah want no tea, Mally," Tarrant replied, the Outlandish accent thick. "Ah want teh live ou' th' rest o' my days 'ere. Righ' where Ah saw 'er first. All th' firsts. Ah'll fade away in this chair. And mah 'eart twas th' first teh go."

"Hatter, no! I seem to have returned! Don't speak that way! I'm here and you don't have to be so sad!"

But Tarrant took no notice of me. In fact no one did. I began to think I wasn't really there.

"Tarrant, please look at me! I'm right here, love!"

No one even flinched at the sound of my voice. But before I could decide what to do next, I began to disappear and I was dropped into the bed that Tarrant and I shared.

"Darling, wake up," I whispered, hoping this time I was really there.

"Alice?" he mumbled. "What? What are yeh doin' in mah bed?"

"Don't you mean our bed?"

"Nae, o' course not."

It was then that I noticed that his normally vibrant green eyes were instead a terribly sad blue color.

"Tarrant? What has happened?"

"Alice, yeh left meh. I cannae bear life anehmore."

"No, I didn't want to! I drank the blood, but I didn't want to. Now I want to get back!"

"There is no other way. Th' blood took yeh where yeh wanted teh go and it won' bring yeh back. Th' wish is done."

"It can't be!" I didn't know how else to convince him, so I grabbed his face and kissed him as passionately as I could. He froze at first and then began to return the kiss.

When he pulled back, his eyes were green again, though not as full of life as I remembered.

"Alice?"

"Yes, my love. I think I'm back."

"Nae, yeh cannae be. Ah woul' ken if yeh were back. Did yeh take th' rabbit 'ole?"

"No, I think I dreamed my way here. I'm so confused. The doctor sedated me and I think my mother is planning to commit me."

"Yeh must get outta there, sweetness. Yeh must find yehr way back teh th' rabbit 'ole."

"Aren't there other ways to Underland? Did the jabberwocky blood really lock me to London?"

"Ah dunno, poppet. There are other ways, but none tha' are ready fer yeh. Yeh'd need teh fall down th' 'ole agin'."

"Bugger it all! I need to get back to London then. Tarrant, know this: I will get back to you. I don't know how yet, but I will do it. Promise me that you will hold on to that."

"Aye, Ah shall do meh best. But 'urry Alice. Ah dunno 'ow long Ah can make it withou' yeh."

I kissed him again and found myself back in my bed.

"Tarrant," I whispered. It was very dark, so I assumed that it was now nighttime. I noticed that I had an IV attached to my arm. I was very thirsty, weak and hungry, so I also assumed that I was probably asleep for well more than a day. Did no one worry that I could have died under all those chemicals?

I painfully pulled out the needle and rested my head back on the pillow. I was very weak, so I took a few minutes to gain my bearings. I couldn't take too much time though. I didn't know if I was being checked upon, so I had to move fast. Once I felt strong enough to move, I focused all my energies on getting back to Tarrant.

I dressed as best I could to protect me from the cool, London night air and ran to the stables. I saddled my horse quickly and took off for the Ascot's estate. It was a long ride, but I felt rejuvenated when I saw the gate. I gave my horse a kiss on the nose, then swatted her away, not wanting her to be found here.

It took some time for me to navigate my way back to the gazebo, but my heart leapt when I saw it. I took off down the path to the rabbit hole. When I saw it, I was almost giddy with joy. I jumped in without a second thought.

Once I landed, I knew exactly what to grab, eat and drink and opened the door to the most beautiful sight I had seen in some time. I saw my Tarrant in the distance and he was beckoning me to follow him. I ate a bit of upelkuchen and grew to my correct height.

"Hatter! Wait!" I called, but he was too far to hear me.

I ran and ran, wondering just when he would stop. When I lost sight of him, I took the path that Chess took me to the tea party. Surely I would find him there. As I saw the tables come into sight, I realized he wasn't there. Perhaps he was in the house?

I ran to our bedroom, but again he wasn't there.

"Tarrant!" I screamed. "Where are you?!"

"Shhh, lass, Ah'm righ' 'ere," I heard. But I couldn't see him.

"Where? Tarrant!"

"Tarrant!" I screamed again as I sat straight up.

"Alice!" he cried as he ran into our room. "Dearheart, what is wrong?"

"Am I back?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. You were screaming for me and wondering where I was. Did you go somewhere?"

"I ... I don't know. I think it was a dream, but it felt so real. I was taken back in time to the Frabjous Day, but instead of staying, I actually went back to London. They thought I had lost it and I had to find my way back to you. I was so worried about you. I came back here for a moment and I saw you there and you were so sad. You're eyes were so blue and I just wanted to come back to you, the real you!"

"You did, poppet. You did," he said as he held me close and stroked my hair.

"I already woke from one dream of Underland. How can I be sure this is real?"

Tarrant kissed me powerfully. "Does that help, love?"

"I think so. But I just don't know if I really left. Did I go, Tarrant?"

"I don't know, my dearest. But I know that I'll never be letting you fall asleep alone again. I may never let you be alone again. I can't bear the thought of losing you."

"I know. Tarrant, make love to me. Prove to me that we're both really here."

"As my lady wishes," he whispered as he kissed me again.