Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. All I'm doing is mixing Stephenie Meyer and Lewis Carroll's characters in Tim Burton's world while adding a dark splash of my own imagination.

Chapter Four: Fixation

After the March Hare finished making the cake for their un-birthday party, everyone ate and drank tea. When their feast was finally over, it was nighttime already, so Edward offered Alice to stay with him and his friends at the March Hare's home. Alice agreed immediately since she didn't want to leave Edward's side, but was reluctant when she learned that he would give up his room and bed for her. When she began objecting, Edward managed to convince her by saying that he would stay in his sewing room.

The next morning, when Alice woke up, she realized that Edward was standing by the door watching her. Edward expected her to be startled yet all Alice did was smile at him.

"How did you sleep, Alice?" Edward asked.

"Very good," Alice replied. "I feel well-rested."

Edward grinned. "That's fantastic—truly fantastic!"

"And how did you sleep, Edward?" Alice asked him, stretching in the bed.

As he replied, Edward's eyes lit up. "I actually didn't sleep last night, Alice. I was too busy making a new dress for you."

Alice gasped. "You made me a new dress?"

"Yes, I used the dress you took off last night when I lent you my night shirt. That's where I got your measurements, and although it is exactly the same in design, I made it in a different color." Edward sighed. "I hope you like crimson and black because those are the colors that I picked for it. I can't wait to see how they look against your pale skin."

Alice blushed upon hearing his words. "I can't wait to see it, either," she whispered.

Edward smirked crookedly at her. "Have I told you how beautiful you look in my clothes? Better yet, in my bed?"

"No," Alice breathed. "You haven't."

Edward stepped closer to his bed, stroking Alice's cheek as he gazed into her eyes. "Well you do," he replied, "and I can't tell you how much I wish you would stay there every night."

While Alice lowered her gaze, flustered, Edward leaned down to place a soft kiss against her head. "I'll leave now so you can get ready to head downstairs and see the dress in the sewing room. If you like it, Mallymkun will help you get clothed."

Alice nodded. "Thank you so much for everything, Edward."

"There's no need to thank me, Alice. If anyone should be grateful, it would be I for counting with your presence at our home," Edward told her before he exited the room.

Alice then washed up and took off the nightshirt she'd worn to put on her underclothes. She took a few minutes doing so before she put the shirt back on over them and went to Edward's sewing room. Mallymkun was already there, putting together Alice's ensemble for the day.

"Good morning," Alice greeted her.

"Good morning, Alice," Mallymkun murmured, hopping down from a box on one of the tables in the room onto its surface. "Are you ready to try on your dress?"

Alice smiled. "I am, so will you show it to me?"

Mallymkun nodded. "Yes, right this way." She then hopped off the table and led Alice further into the room where a dress form mannequin showcased Edward's manufacture.

"Wow," Alice gasped as she noticed how similar it was to the dress she'd made. "I didn't know that Edward confectioned clothes."

"Edward does many things," Mallymkun informed Alice. "He specializes in hats, but he can make all types of garments. He's the one that makes all my clothes."

"No wonder they're lovely," Alice observed.

"It's because he makes them with a lot of love," Mallymkun sneered.

Finally grasping that Mallymkun was so short with her because she was jealous, Alice chuckled.

"Well," Mallymkun began, "why don't you put on your dress while I go fetch the stockings that Edward purchased for your outfit? I'll be back to help you tie your dress."

"Alright," Alice assented. "Thank you."

Mallymkun exited the room and Alice immediately took off Edward's nightshirt, revealing her underclothes briefly before she slipped on the crimson dress. After a few minutes, Mallymkun returned with Alice's accessories, handing her first a pair of black silk stockings.

Alice proceeded to put them on as well as her boots, and then sat next to Mallymkun so she could tie her dress. Afterward, Alice donned the pair of black fingerless gloves and hat that Mallymkun had chosen for her.

"Everything looks very nice," Alice commented, as she looked at herself in a mirror they had in the room. "Thank you for picking it out with such care."

Mallymkun, who was sitting on the edge of a table, didn't reply anything as she observed Alice, and simply shrugged. After a beat of silence, though, Mallymkun finally spoke. "Alice, why did you return to Wonderland?" she whispered.

"Well," Alice replied, "while it's true that I missed everyone here, I really came back to see Edward. I missed him so much."

Mallymkun nodded, solemnly. "He missed you very much as well."

Understanding her gloomy mood, Alice gently lifted Mallymkun's chin with her finger. "Don't be so sad, Mally. One day, you're going to find someone that's right for you. Or, like Edward would say, someone that is proper-sized."