A/N: Here's Chapter 12 as promised and yes Alice goes to Underland in this chapter so please read!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Lewis Carroll's or Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass. The plot and the characters I create, I do.

Rating: T

*On The Wonder in Aboveland*

After dinner and introductions, everyone retired to their cabins. Just as Lowell had said, Marlaina and Mallory shared a room directly across from her cabin. Next to them was Lord Jared Mays. Lord Chester Mooney was sharing a room with Lord Mays.

'I'm sure Marlaina and Mallory are excited about that!' Alice thought to herself.

During dinner, Marlaina and Mallory had gotten further acquainted with Jared and Chester. It seemed to her that Jared and Chester were just as taken with the two as they were with them. Alice had been rather quiet for the rest of the dinner. Lord Hightower had tried to make several attempts to start a conversation with Alice but she had kept her answers short and to the point. She felt betrayed, like he'd known all along and had played her.

Alice finally took the key she had in her pocket and began to unlock her cabin door.

"Alice!" Shouted a man to her left.

That's when she remembered that Lowell had said Lord Ascot's nephew's cabin was next to hers. She thought about pretending not to hear him and slip into her cabin but he was already next to her after taking a few quick strides.

"Alice, what's wrong?" Tarrance said nearly out of breath. Apparently he had raced after her after she left the dining area.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong!" Alice said shortly.

"Don't lie to me Alice, I can tell you are lying to me!" He said staring her down with those piercing green eyes that were so much like the Hatter's.

When Alice didn't say anything he continued.

"Was it something I said to you at the dinner table? If so, I meant no disrespect, I just wanted to get to know you a little better and I'm sorry..."

"No, it wasn't anything you said!" Alice interrupted.

"Then may I ask what was it?" Tarrance said.

Alice was confused.

'Surely he knew why? He was in on it wasn't he?' Alice thought.

"You mean you don't know?" Alice asked.

"No I don't. Know what?" Tarrance replied.

Alice was suddenly embarrassed to tell him why she was upset and felt something similar to butterflies in the stomach at the thought of telling him. 'Oh no!' She thought. She was starting to feel the same butterfly feeling around Lord Hightower that she felt when she thought about Hatter. Could it be because he looked similar and acted like her Hatter? She didn't know.

"Are you going to answer me, Alice?" Tarrance asked growing impatient.

Alice could 'almost' imagine him with orange eyes and dark circles.

"What all did your uncle tell you before we set sail. My mother and sister said they spoke with you as well?"Alice asked.

It was Tarrance's turn to be confused.

"So your mother is Helen Kingsleigh and sister is Margaret Manchester?"

"Yes."

"I was introduced to them by my uncle and they said that when we all returned from China that there would be a celebration party and invited me. That was all, but why do you ask?"

"I guess it's my turn to apologize, I didn't mean to be short with you earlier. It's just that my family, mainly my sister, likes to play matchmaker..." Alice said trying not to blush with embarrassment.

Tarrance understood. Alice had thought he was in on it. He hadn't known her long but all of London knew about her Aunt Imogene and how she'd never married. He imagined that Alice's family didn't want her to be another 'Aunt Imogene'.

"Ah I see! So they were responsible for trying to arrange a marriage between you and my cousin, Hamish." Tarrance said.

Somehow the idea of her family arranging a marriage between he and this Alice girl didn't seem so bad but he didn't know why. Then he remembered that she seemed to have feelings for someone else that looked like him or rather he looked like that guy. All he could think of was how lucky the nameless man was to have caught the eyes of Alice Kingsleigh. If he ever met the man, he'd personally congratulate him and if he didn't return Alice's feelings he'd likely give him a well deserved beating.

"Yes they were, though the marriage was arranged a long time ago. I'm not against marriage, I'm just not ready for it. I want to marry someone I love and someone that loves me." Alice said as an image of her Hatter popped into her head again. If what Tarrance said on the deck of the ship earlier was true, then could it be possible that she felt more than friendship for the Hatter?

"So you thought that they would try to hook us up since you turned down Hamish's offer?" Tarrance asked boldly.

Alice couldn't believe he boldly stated what she thought.

"Well...yes. They all hinted at such, including your uncle." Alice said.

"I see, I'm sorry for the confusion but I'm afraid I'm just as ignorant to the ordeal as you are. My uncle and my mother have been trying to get me to settle down for a while now." Tarrance said turning his back to the wall and leaning against it and looking towards the ceiling.

Alice didn't know what to say. She always thought men jumped at the chance of marriage so they could start a family or have a wife to parade around like a trophy.

"Why haven't you?" Alice asked curiously.

"Oh I suppose my reasons are like yours. I'd very much like to marry someone I love. I don't want to be stuck with some nagging wife that is never satisfied. I mean no disrespect toward women, but I've heard my fair share of horror stories from other men about marrying women that didn't share or support their interests, that always complained about everything, and sadly most of those men wound up taking a mistress since to divorce their current wife for someone of a lower status whether they were in love or not would mean a path of scandal and destruction." Tarrance stated.

"Oh, I didn't realize that arranged marriages could be just as horrid for a man as a woman though I guess it makes perfect sense. Tell me Tarrance, is there any woman out there that has caught your fancy yet?" Alice said.

"No, not yet." Tarrance lied.

"I find that hard to believe." Alice said.

Alice noticed Tarrance looked uncomfortable like he was hiding something.

"Well...I haven't found her yet...at least not in this world." He said cryptically.

"Whatever do you mean?" Alice asked.

"I have these weird dreams at night. I've never told anyone about them. I have this dream every night that I'm in this clearing in a forest. There's always this young woman in a long blue dress. I can never see her face but she calls my name over and over. She has long wavy blonde hair and she always seems to be running away from me like she wants me to follow her. In the dream she tells me her name but every morning when I wake up I can't recall it." Tarrance said.

"I guess I'm not the only one who fancies someone without a name then." Alice joked.

"No, I guess not. Accept your man is real, I'm not even sure if the woman I dream about even exists." Tarrance said.

Something about what he said made her cringe. She realized she never told Hatter that she was wrong and that he wasn't a figment of her imagination.

"I'm sure she's real and is out there waiting for you. Besides I used to think Hatter was a figment of my imagination...I even told him such." Alice stated.

"Ouch! I'm sure that hurt him deeply, that is if he feels the same way that I'm guessing you feel about him." Tarrance said wondering why what she said about this man he didn't even know had hurt him as well.

"Yes, I believe it did and I never told him that I was wrong. I know I sound mad, crazy, even bonkers but I have a strong imagination and sometimes I get a little wrapped up in it." Alice said trying to explain herself. She figured that he might've been wondering why she thought someone wasn't real. She couldn't even tell him about Underland or anyone for that matter, then people would think she was crazy.

"Sometimes the best people are a little bit mad and there's nothing wrong with having an imagination. I doubt the world would be what it is today without people that had a strong imagination." Tarrance said with a wink.

Alice looked at a clock that happened to be on the wall and noticed it was late.

"I'd love to chat more Tarrance but I'm afraid it's getting late." Alice said.

"I'm sorry I got carried away, Alice. I didn't mean to. Time always has a way of sneaking up on me I'm afraid." Tarrance said looking her over. He wondered what it'd be like to kiss her and didn't realize he'd leaned towards her face.

"I see, it happens to me often. I'm always late." She said looking at his lips and wondering why he kept getting closer to her. He looked like he was going to kiss her.

"Same here..."

"Well, if you'll excuse me Mr. Hightower, I must be retiring now. I'll see you tomorrow." She said rushing into her cabin and shutting the door.

He realized what she must've thought. He wasn't going to kiss her was he? How selfish of him? She already admired someone and he barely knew her and he was already pushing himself on her. He knew he'd have to apologize to her first thing in the morning. He turned to his cabin and retired.

*Alice's Cabin*

Alice didn't mean to be rude but he was going to kiss her wasn't he? She had to admit she felt something for him. She wasn't sure what but she felt if she'd kissed him it would've been wrong. She then thought about what it'd be like to kiss the Hatter. She got that strong feeling in her core again. It was much stronger then what she felt for Lord Hightower. She couldn't even begin to describe it. She wished Hatter was here with her. She was starting to wonder why she left him in the first place. He'd asked her to stay. Why didn't she? Then she remembered, she wanted to stand up for herself to her family and she wanted to complete her father's dream and make something of herself. Why didn't she ask the Hatter to come with her?

'Because you thought he wouldn't fit in your world...' She thought to herself.

Alice was tired and got ready for bed not knowing what would await her in her dreams...

Alice was in her bedroom when she thought she heard something.

"Alice..."

She looked around for where the voice was coming from.

"Alice..."

"Hello, who's there? Is that you Tarrance?" Alice asked.

Everything seemed foggy in her room. She looked around her room and noticed the mirror on her dresser was glowing an ice blue color and rippled like water in a lake.

"Curiouser and Curiouser!"

She climbed up onto her dresser and stepped in. She swam through it until she seemed to fall from the sky. Could there be lakes in the sky? She fell until she landed in a very familiar clearing with a certain Tea Table.

"Alice..."

"Hatter! Is that you?"

She noticed someone sitting at the head of the Tea table in the green chair. She couldn't see their face as their hat was turned downward. This person looked way too thin to be Hatter though.

She walked up to where the person sat.

"Hatter...is that you?" She said.

The person snapped their head up making Alice scream. She continued to scream. It was Hatter but he was a skeleton with few pieces of rotting flesh clinging off of him. His hair still stuck out from under his hat though there wasn't much left of it. His eye sockets held no eyes but glowed an eerie green. He picked up his pocket watch and seemed to look into her very soul.

"Alice...I'm still waiting..." Skeleton Hatter said.

Alice shot up out of bed. Once she got adjusted to her surroundings she calmed down.

'Thank God it was only a dream!' She thought and added a prayer that it wouldn't come true.

At that moment, she wanted to be with the Hatter so bad that it hurt. She had to be sure he was okay. If only there was a way to Underland she'd go there right now and tell him everything. She'd even try to bring him back with her until she finished her Father's dream.

"I wish I could go to Underland!" She said out loud.

"What is said is said..." A voice whispered.

"Who's there?"Alice asked but didn't get any reply. The mirror on her dresser started to glow and ripple like it had in her dream. Alice was nervous. Somehow she knew it would lead her to Underland but she was afraid she'd get the same outcome as her dream. For once in her life, she was terrified to the point of shaking but something was pulling her in. Before she could protest, she slipped into the mirror not knowing what to expect on the other side.

A/N: Sorry this is a little short but I wanted to get Alice to Underland and finish introducing the other characters at the same time. Anyway please read and review! =)