Worlds of Wonder

Wendy bit her lip. She really shouldn't do this. As much as she hated to see Peter this oddly humble and, well, nice, it would be mean of her not to take action. Not that Peter had been mean, exactly, but thoughtless he was to the end, and selfish, too, if she was to be brutally honest with herself, but what child wasn't?

"Let's go over to the table," Wendy said. "I'm going to need some tea for this conversation, and maybe some nibbles from the cabinet. I think we have some crisps, and I'm sure you're still hungry, Peter, you could always eat enough for seven boys and I'm sure getting taller has only made your stomach bigger." Walking briskly over to the table, Wendy started pulling odds and ends out of the cabinets for them to snack on, and put a fresh kettle on to boil.

As her friends, old and new, sat in front of her, Wendy went to her room and pulled several loosely-bound manuscripts off of a few of her shelves. Going back to the table, and watching in approval as Peter started to explore and taste the things that she'd laid out, Wendy set the books down. Picking one up to show the both of them the cover, she said, "This, Peter, is the story of a very ordinary girl and her brothers in Neverland. This other one," she said, putting that one down and picking up a much thicker volume, "is the chronicles of the Neverland King, of his adventures and his merry band. Since you want the stories about you, no surprise there, Peter," she said, laughing, "We'll read from this one. I've read it to a lot of children, you know, in the bookstore. It would have been published for the world to see, but I've been waiting for the right place to do that. So, why don't I start with one of your favorites? I'll tell one, and then I'll let Alice tell one, her stories are excellent and I've been meaning to get more of them down on paper, if she doesn't mind."

The kettle had started to whistle, so Wendy poured herself a cup as well as one each for Alice and Peter, in case they wanted something warm while they told stories. Sitting back down with her own cup, she opened the book and started,

"This is the first tale of the King of Neverland. His favorite, too, or so I've been told. The King of Neverland, it is said, wears no crown for everyday, but there was a time when he found a crown and made it his own, to flaunt in front of the Lost Boys and especially the pirates, when the King was feeling particularly fractious.

It all began when the King, known to his friends as Peter Pan, was exploring Neverland for what must have been the millionth time. Not that he'd counted, Neverland was a place without time and mostly, to be quite truthful, without counting, as education wasn't a priority of those who lived in Neverland. Neverland changed constantly, so Peter was forever poking into its nooks and crannies, sometimes with much less welcome than not. But that is another story.

This particular day, Peter had poked himself into a very dark corner of a cave he had never explored before, and without any of the Lost Boys, because most of them were afraid of the dark. Peter would never admit to be afraid of anything, so when they'd refused to go in with them, he'd called them cowards and gone in anyway, with only the light of his fairy, Tinkerbell, to accompany him. Down and down and down they went, getting themselves quite lost in the wet darkness of the cave. So lost that Peter thought he would never get out again, and that Tink would have to fly home and find one of the boys to come and get him, assuming even she could find her way out. She was just as lost as he was, so that option was out, and just when Peter was resigning himself to be the King of Caves, he saw a glitter that wasn't Tinkerbell, just around a corner...

... and so it was that Peter Pan crowned himself as King of Neverland, applauded by the fairies and with a cape as luxurious as any that graced the kings of old. Standing on his throne, which had been placed in the tree house at his behest and too his glee, he crowed his victory, and the Lost Boys cheered and threw their caps in the air. "Hooray for King Peter!" They cried, and as Peter waved grandly to them with his scepter they starting bowing, rather melodramatically, puffing Peter up so big that Tinkerbell considered pinching him just to let some of the air out so he could fit through doors again. For many moons Peter accepted tribute and stayed largely on his throne, lording it over Neverland, and crowing all the day long, until once again the Pirates started mischief... but that is another story. The End."

Closing the book, Wendy looked at Peter, hoping the story had cheered him up. The veracity of the story, especially some parts, she'd always doubted as Peter tended to inflate his adventures to make himself look more impressive, but this was not the time. Peter needed some ego back and his favorite story had always done the trick before. Would it again?

Alice followed Wendy happily as they made their way over to the table, all the while skipping. Alice couldn't even remember the last time they had a story-time. Last week? The week before? Alice never could be sure. Time was awful like that to her, and she often forgot things she didn't mean to. Alice watched as Wendy pulled two of her manuscripts from their place and set them down. Wendy pointed to one (the bigger one, to be sure, but Alice figured that was only because it chronicled a whole life and the other only told of a few adventures). It wasn't even thirty seconds before the kettle began to whistle, causing Alice to clap her hands delightfully and sing the first verse of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat' as Wendy poured the cups and Alice took her's quickly, not wanting to miss a second of the story. Wendy did have an amazing way with words, after all.

Alice's pale fingers curled around the cup as the story started, and her legs quickly followed until her chin was resting on her knees and the cup was burning her legs-- not that she minded, of course, as the cup couldn't help its temperature. Alice looked over to Peter as Wendy declared him the 'King of Neverland'. Wendy had called him this before, but it wasn't like she had had the opportunity to look at the protagonist of the story in the flesh before. Alice imagined a hand-made crown sitting on his red locks of hair and a smile permanently set on his face. She imagined him smaller and younger-looking, and not so bogged down by life. Of course, all she succeeded in doing was imagining a young Hatter with a crown made of teapots on his head. That in turn caused her to giggle uncontrollably. She knew that was in no way proper story-time manners, but she couldn't help it. It was amazingly funny.

As Wendy told about Peter's trek into the cave, all alone, Alice clutched the cup tighter. How horribly dark and scary! However, at the mention of a fairy Alice immediately perked up. She would have to ask Peter about that later. Fairies were a delightfully fun topic! Soon enough, however, the story came to an end, and Alice smiled. It was her turn, after all.

"Oh, that was a wonderful story! I shall have to hear more of them sometime!" she said brightly as she picked up her tea cup and stood up. Some of the tea sloshed around, almost spilling over, but thankfully none did. "My turn my turn!" she exclaimed as she thought over what story to tell.

"I suppose I should start on my first adventure to Wonderland. My second one was so much more bloody and scary that I've yet to get over it myself yet, so I shan't burden you with that. Yet. Anyway, where to start... right! My sister. I hated my sister. Well... I didn't hate her. I don't hate her. She is a wonderful person. I hated the bi-weekly trips to the bank of the river. She never read any books with pictures! Or even a conversation- how can you have a book without conversation! I shall never know. She said she enjoyed them. Anywho, that is neither here nor there and unimportant. My adventure really started with the White Rabbit. Well, he is the white rabbit. At the time, I didn't know that was his name. I just thought it was horribly strange for a rabbit in a waistcoat to be rushing past muttering 'I'm late! I'm late!'. So, I followed him. There was this horribly large rabbit hole he went to-- at first I really didn't want to go, because I was wearing a dress I didn't want to get dirty, but as they say, curiosity killed the cat. So, I went down.

It went such an awful long way! It went probably all the way down to the center of the earth- and you could never believe how inconsiderate whoever built that rabbit hole was! All the jars of marmalade were empty. Though, I wasn't thinking about that at the time. I was showing off. Though, now that I think about it, that was a silly thing to do. No one was there to see me! My fall had to come to an end eventually, though. I fell fairly softly for such a long fall. I was so horribly scared though. None of the doors opened, even though I found a key. Well, one did, but it was horribly small. I couldn't even fit my shoulder in! Thankfully, I found some shrinking juice and got in- eventually. There was some crying involved and some growing cake, but that is unimportant and frankly not my finest time.

After I finally got into Wonderland- which was kind of a hassle, as I mentioned- I met so many people! There was the duchess, who made me take care of her pig-baby-- that is, a baby that turned into a pig-- and the Cheshire cat. You've seen the replacement one, of course, and even though that Chess is positively stunning, he is still a normal cat. The real Cheshire is so much more fun. He can disappear and riddle with the best of them. His words are sometimes confusing though. Takes a minute to think about and then by that time he is bored of you and gone! There is also the caterpillar, but... I shall not talk of him right now. I'm still sad. He turned into a butterfly and flew away!

Oh, and also the Hatter and the hare. The dormouse was there too, of course, but the first time she was a sleepy little mouse. I hardly noticed her, to be honest. The hare likes to throw things- he always has. Be it a cup or a watch-- which his watch can apparently be fixed with creamy peanut butter-- he will throw it at you. You really have to get into a pattern to deal with it. Then there is the Hatter... well, the hatter is indescribable. The first time I met him he seemed very happy and funny. For a child, he was ridiculously wonderful. When I met him the second time... well, that is for a different day.

I met others too, of course. The Mock Turtle, who wept so much you'd think he'd run dry, and then the Red Queen and The Queen of Hearts..... mean people, both of them. Horrible. Thankfully, gone now. The white queen is in office now. Or she was, last I checked. But I didn't meet the White Queen on my first journey, so I'm getting ahead of myself! Let's see now.... The lizard named Bill. Oh how mean I was to that poor man! I kicked him out of the fireplace when I grew to big to be in the White Rabbit's house, and then I knocked him and the rest of the jury over. I feel terribly sorry.

Of course, all of this had to end at some point- it was horribly sad when it did, but it had to. When I got back everyone but my now-late-father thought I was daft, but I brushed it off at the time. It was such an amazing adventure after all!" Alice exclaimed as she sat back down in her chair and took a deep sip of her tea.

Peter sat at the table and picked at the food Wendy had placed down. He looked up when she placed the books on the table, his eyes instantly running over the titles. He could not read, but he though the books were equally as beautiful.

"...this, Peter, is the story of a very ordinary girl and her brothers in Neverland. This other one....is the chronicles of the Neverland King, of his adventures and his merry band." Peter starred down at the books, the stories about him and Neverland. Never had he felt so...moved, all his greatest adventures were written down. He looked up at Wendy as she continued talking, not really hearing her as he was still lost in the moment. Wendy, his Wendy, had written down his stories. He was immortalized on page, he would always exist now. As the King of Neverland, not as this shadow of his former self he had become.

Peter lost himself in her story as she read. Of course, she did not get all the details right- it had been raining that day, one of the few days it rained in Neverland, and Peter never 'poked' himself in anywhere. He entered every location with a massive and mighty caw, but he would forgive Wendy for the moment.

His grin was stretched far across his face by the time Wendy had finished her story, a grin that hadn't shown itself since Neverland. He continued to stare at her after she had finished, his green eyes alight with happiness and ease. He had not felt this purely good since he was home with the Lost Boys- all it took was once story from his Wendy and he felt somewhat whole again.

"Oh, that was a wonderful story! I shall have to hear more of them sometime! My turn my turn!"

Peter blinked and looked away from his stare on Wendy to give Alice his attention as she started her story of Wonderland. Just as she began, Peter turned back to Wendy and locked eyes with her. He mouthed a quick, 'thank you', gave her a true Peter Pan smile, and then quickly turned back to the story.

Wonderland was truly a mad land. Peter even had a hard time keeping up with the crazy story, his brain was working at full throttle as Alice jumped from place to place. He was still trying to figure out why a rabbit was wearing a waist coat when the girl had already moved on the marmalade! But, by the end of Alice's story, he was very very much delighted in the land. Maybe if when they figured out how to get to Neverland, he could visit Wonderland....he was sure the Lost Boys would adore a land where all the animals spoke and wore human clothes!

"Wonderland soonds amazin' Alice! I woods loove tae visit it, maybe when we figure it how tae get tae Neverland we can all make a trip!" He laughed and leaned back in the chair just as Alice had done. Peter turned his eyes to Wendy, then back to Alice, "Weel, I guess its mah turn reit? Let me 'tink....How when I saved ye from Hook?"

A younger Peter stood at the helm of the ship, glaring down at the pirates below as they held his Lost Boys and Wendy captive. He swung the sword in a long arch, pointing the tip down at the lecherous Captain Hook. He let out a rooster caw, alerting those below to his presence.

"Peter!" Wendy and the Boys yelled out, signaling the rest of the pirates to his location atop the ship. He grinned at all of them, a cheeky grin that looked more imp then boy.

"How is he alive? I KILLED the damned brat! SMEEEEE" The Captains grating voice truly got on Peters nerves, but he ignored in it favorite of relishing in his surprise. Of course, he had almost died, but Tink had saved him just in time and alerted him to the captive situation on the ship.

Peter swung down from his spot, landing lightly in front of Captain James Hook. The man looked truly disheveled, probably still trying to cope with the fact that his poison did not in fact kill the great Peter Pan. Peter laughed at the adults expression, leapt up in the air, and landed a perfectly placed kick in Hooks chest. The pirate spiraled backwards, his face changing form surprised to angry as he grabbed for his own cutlass. Of course, Peter had snatched that the moment he had leapt down from the top of the ship, so Hook was left groping for nothing.

But as Pirates are cheaters, Hook quickly got his own sword from a nearby crew mate. Thus began the greatest battle ever, in which Peter and Hook fought from almost every flat platform on the ship. Peter of course won, tipped the damned Pirate off his feet and straight into the jaws of the crocodile he feared so much. With Hook gone, the rest of the pirates either abandoned ship or were chased away by his Lost Boys. He then stole the cloak and hat that Hook had thrown off his form during the fight and donned the pirates personal effects, leapt up onto the bannister, and released the loudest and mightiest crow he had ever sung.

"Then, a'course, ye ask tae go home" Peter turned his eyes to Wendy. He was not glaring, though he remember being infuriated at the thought of her returning. Now it was just apart of the story. The moment of intensity was banished as Peter swung his attention over to Alice, a bright grin on his face, "Do ye ha'e fearies in Wonderland? Or pixies, sometimes 'here called pixies"

Wendy nodded and smiled at Peter's thanks. She was glad it had helped her old friend get back to his old self. She could even dig him up a sword if he started to get down in the dumps again, fencing had usually brought his spirits up before, even if his Lost Boys weren't anywhere to be found in this world. Even if she had to let him win, she thought, amusing herself, as she was pretty sure the only time she'd won in Neverland was when Peter had let her, or for a joke. Maybe she could actually win now that she was older? It didn't look like he'd kept up his practicing, although perhaps it was unkind to take advantage of his time outside of Neverland... nah. She could use all the advantage she could get, especially since he'd grown since then.

Her own part in the story had been greatly reduced, Wendy noticed, but she chuckled anyway. It was a very good story, although it was hard to tell if Peter changed his stories because he genuinely couldn't remember them accurately or if he, in experiencing the event, had focused so much on his own actions that others faded from his memory. Either way, it wasn't a malicious omission, and while she considered her books more of an accurate-as-possible chronicle of their adventures, Peter had no such requirements. And why should he? He told stories because he loved to, and because he enjoyed it, so as far as she was concerned as long as she wasn't somewhere in the background swooning like a cliched princess she had no objections.

She was very definitely ignoring Peter's ending phrase of his story. Hadn't they had that conversation before? And really, since Peter was going back, there was every reason they'd have it again later, so there was no need to rehash those memories this particular evening. Alice's story she'd heard before, but it was always funny and odd and different to hear. Wonderland seemed as 'living' a place as Neverland, but in a way that made no sense at any time, including its citizens. Neverland, unlike Wonderland, changed in more predictable ways, unless Peter was involved. Those who lived there lived out their own lives in more or less predictable ways--the Pirates sailed around the island, the Fairies mostly in their Hollow and occasionally elsewhere, the Lost Boys and their leader wandering around, finding adventures and/or trouble. From Alice's stories, Wonderland was a topsy-turvy upside-down full of magic sort of place. Where were the rules? She was sure there was some, you just had to find them. One thing about it, though, it was full of random nooks and crannies and stories that children loved because they made no sense.

That fight with Captain Hook, that brought up memories. Especially with the sword she'd just put away. It had been an exciting time, the most exciting time. The last exciting time, but that was depressing, so she ignored that thought. At least looking for a way back to Neverland would be something more interesting than her life had been lately. The long weekend would help out, but if she had to she could take another day off, or just work around her shifts. Where to start, though? There were some old bookshops downtown that she had only browsed through before, and maybe a deeper perusal would lead them to another way from this world to others. Alice might have some other ideas, as they tended towards different spots when they were wandering in town in their free time.

Alice listened to Peter as he recounted the tale of his saving Wendy from an evil pirate. It wasn't the first Alice had heard of him-- Hook was someone who came up regularly in Wendy's stories. She wondered why he was such a driving force in Neverland- in Wonderland if something mean or scary came up it was dealt with. Quickly- no matter what. Normally, she was the one that dealt with it, too. Though, Neverland seemed to be a bit different than her Wonderland. It seemed like a place of eternal fun and happiness, and childish charm. Wonderland... Wonderland had unlimited, if a bit off-the-rocker- potential. Bad things could happen there, sure, but it turned out okay in the end. It always did.

"Do ye ha'e fearies in Wonderland? Or pixies, sometimes 'here called pixies" Peter smiled brightly at Alice as he said the words. Alice blinked a few times when she heard the word 'Wonderland' to bring herself out of her reminiscing. She had never seen fae in Wonderland, but that didn't mean there weren't any. There were plenty of places she had never explored and she had seen many things that defied logical explanation there.

"No, I don't believe I have. But I do think they would fit right in if they did reside there. In Wonderland, there are these amazing things called rocking-horse flies that would be just perfect size for a fae to use as a mount. Though, there are also bread-and-butterflies that are just so pretty to look at... though I don't think it would be difficult for the fae to get caught in the butter and then- oh how horrid! Can you imagine getting stuck to a bread-and-butterfly? And the flowers would be so mean to them! They would be just the right size for the flowers to torment. And it would be such torment for them to get around with all the Snap-dragonflies. They breath fire, you know," She rambled as she thought the question over. No, she didn't think Wonderland would be a right and proper place for pixies.

"But, none of that now. Maybe you will be able to see them one day! But we have to figure out a way to get you back to Neverland! I'm sure we can figure out something," she said as she stood and walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a little book from the back of 'her' cupboard. It was were she stored her juice and cakes, as well as all the other recipes the White Queen had taught her but she never could find a use for. Really, what use would a potion that would stop a jubjub bird be to her now?

She skipped back to her table and set the book down before opening it up. "I don't really know what's in here- some of the potions are incomplete and I could only remember some of the ingredients, and some of them I remember the recipe but not what it was for, and for quite a few you would be hard pressed to ever find the things needed... and most of them are potions of protection, or wisdom. Only the things the White Queen told me when I was training to slay the Jabberwokey- most are things like the ability to sharpen a knife if you pour the potion over it, but that one requires gryphon blood and the only gryphon I've met lives in Wonderland..... there might not even be anything in there that could help. There probably isn't- but give it a try, at least...." she slid the book to Wendy as she said this. She would be better at identifying what would help and what would be frivolous to even try. And if that didn't work, she could always find someone to help. Wendy had to know someone, and Alice knew a few people who might be able to help.

Wendy picked up the book and flipped a few pages. "I'm going to have to take a long look at this. Mirrors and potions and rabbit holes got you to Wonderland, it may stand to reason that something in these pages carries the secret of how to use those methods to get to other places. And if not, there's some bookstores I'd like to look through tomorrow."

Paging through the book as they sat and drank their tea, Wendy took a while and then pointed to something on a page, accompanied by a diagram and a few faint scribbles. She could hear Ranvir groaning from the bathroom. "This could be helpful. It's hard to tell, it's not exactly clear or simple and some of it is completely unreadable. However, what I am reading here is that there were stories of someone who found a way to travel to a bunch of places, although the exact method isn't quite detailed enough. It does mention that this traveler used two components to get from one place to the other: a 'mad mirror,' and what the story calls 'a potion of dark moonfire and a queen's crowned jester, colored with melancholy and joy in equal parts.'"

She put the book down gently on the table, although she would have rather thrown it across the room. "The potion I'd have to research, and this might be a complete dead end, it doesn't make much sense to me and potions aren't really my area of expertise. But the mirror... that sounds like a mirror made back when they used mercury in the process, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Buying an antique like that would be out of the question, but it's possible we could find one that we could borrow for the purpose, as presumably you would drink the potion and stand in front of the mirror. One sure thing is that if we could figure out that potion, according to the story we could get wherever we wanted as long as we have an object that carries a part of the land's soul or, more relevantly, have been there before. So Peter, you should be able to get to Neverland, again, if we can figure out the rest of this spell."

Gazing at the dregs of her tea, Wendy stood up and got some ice cream out of the freezer, serving herself some and offering it to her friends. "A couple of scoops of strawberry ice cream, for dessert, if anyone wants it? Anyway, I can't make heads or tails of that potion description. Moonfire sounds like an alcohol to me, but I've never heard of it. And a crowned jester sounds historical, but fairly unlikely unless it's some kind of euphemism. So I'll leave this up to you, Alice. Does any of this sound familiar, so it's worth looking in to, at least? Or does it sound like a waste of time and I should do some more research to find some other methods? Not that this will necessarily work, we might have to try a couple of things before we get lucky."

Alice listened to Wendy read out from the book that held so many of her memories. All the potions, spells, and even some of her thoughts about them all written carefully down. Still, even though she could remember learning and writing down all the potions she had been taught, this one didn't ring many bells.

"...it does mention that this traveler used two components to get from one place to the other: a 'mad mirror,' and what the story calls 'a potion of dark moonfire and a queen's crowned jester, colored with melancholy and joy in equal parts.'" those words did seem familiar to Alice, but mostly due to the fact they sparked memories of the Hatter. Wendy quickly told the collected group of her idea of what the words might mean.

"I agree with most of them- the white rabbit, if I recall, had a mirror that could talk. Of course, no one liked to talk to him as his edges were sharp and covered in mercury. He was a mad mirror by any means, but again I couldn't fathom being able to find one here. Then again, the white rabbit was the only creature I know of that could travel from wonderland to here and back, besides me of course, so that could be the very mirror it refers to," she said sadly as she kicked her feet on the floor.

"I don't know about dark moonfire though. Nor a queen's crowed jester. What I do know is that wonderlanders love chess, and keeping the pieces happy is very important-- really, can you imagine an unhappy chess piece?! So I could see a queen having a jester and the jester having a crown. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum served as a sort of jester for the Red Queen for a while, and the white rabbit was sort of footman to her. I suppose the 'crown' of the jester could be the Queen's heart-seal, but I could never be sure. And dark moonfire is a conundrum to both of us," she said quietly before placing her hands on the table and sighing. "But if anyone can figure it out it's us, and I happen to have the dress the Red Queen made me when I was tall- it's covered in her seal. But the mirror.... I don't know where it could be. I know the White Rabbit can't have it and it has to be here, because if he did have it then he would have found me! I know he would have."

Alice looked over to Peter with a hopeful smile on her face before collapsing in her chair. She knew what it would mean if they were to find a way to Neverland. Peter would leave, and Wendy might too. And according to the spell, it could work to get her back to Wonderland. Still, Wendy would either leave for Neverland or stay in the normal world... somehow it felt like soon Alice would be either stuck in the mortal world alone or in Wonderland without Wendy. Perhaps we may visit each other? the helpful voice in her head piped up.

Perhaps, she responded, looking to her flatmate with a smile on her face.

The next week passed both too quickly and too slowly for Wendy's taste. Too slowly because finding Peter clothes that he liked, would stand up to Neverland's demands, and reflected his particular flair wasn't exactly easy. Peter figured that the fairies could whip him up something, no problem, but Wendy didn't want to take any chances. Also getting \all the survival essentials was prepared, with things like a first aid kit, making Peter roll his eyes. Wendy was all about the preparation. Once she was back to her work schedule after the weekend, Peter had fun stopping in to her workplace and had no idea what a regular sleeping schedule was like. On the one hand, it was good to see him getting back to his much better moods, mischievous and arrogant in turns, but on the other hand she needed more sleep!

The time passed far too quickly because even though the items they needed seemed difficult to obtain, when it came down to it they just sort of .... fell into their laps. A mirror from a cobwebbed corner of a thrift store, a potion recipe for dark moonshine from one of Alice's haunts, and the others in one way or another came into their paths. Peter was overjoyed, but it was starting to seem a little too easy to Wendy. Regardless, they pushed forward, assembling all the things together. The potion could only be completed on the night of a new moon, which was several nights ahead, so until then all Wendy could do was go to work and make lists of things Peter might need in Neverland.

Days were also passing too quickly because Wendy, as mawkishly sentimental as it was, was not looking forward to saying goodbye to Peter yet again. And then the question always came to her, usually in the wee hours of the morning when she couldn't sleep, what if she didn't say goodbye? What if she just went with Peter to Neverland, even if it meant staying her current age forever or even going back to the age she had been when she left? But the same problems would still exist. And would about Alice? She was an adult, she could make it on her own, but it wasn't exactly a nice thing to do to her roommate. They'd become really good friends, and abandoning her for Neverland didn't strike her as good form.

In the end Wendy knew the choice had to be hers, and she could only avoid Peter's blunt questions about it for so long. She had put enough in his survival pack, which ended up being a large duffel with enough to help Peter and the Lost Boys for a while, whether or not she left with them. She was pretty sure Alice wouldn't go. It was Wonderland Alice wanted, Wonderland she dreamed of, not Neverland.

The night before the last night Peter would have in the real world was somber, on Wendy's part. Peter was happy, although still nagging about Wendy's decision, but content enough with whatever Neverland would do to him. He didn't like age any more than he used to, and he made that pretty clear. The three of them had gotten along pretty well over the last week or so, and Peter's leaving would change that. But Wendy, after all, was a big girl, and there was enough steel in her spine to do what she had to do, although the nagging voice in the back of her mind kept telling her that when she said goodbye it would be forever this time, and that her regrets might be stronger than her common sense.

The week was too long, far to long for Alice (and Peter, of course). Alice would sit in bed, or make hats, until the early hours of morning. She spent much of her time thinking-- about what would happen within the week. The house itself was already beginning to feel empty, even if they hadn't left it yet. Alice figured it felt sad they would be leaving. Or, more accurately, at least one of them would be leaving. Peter would go, and he had already become a staple of the household in the short time he had been in their company. Alice was now accustomed to waking up early, far earlier than she would have normally, to the loud crowing coming from the couch, or even next to her bed or Wendy's. She was used to cooking for four (Peter ate for two at least) when Wendy didn't want to and she was used to going out shopping almost every day with Wendy for things that were necessary for the potion and necessary for Peter.

Alice had begun a nightly ritual of talking to the old walls of the apartment, just to make it feel a bit better, and thinking of Wonderland-- possibly more than she already did. Though, this thinking was more optimistic than her normal simple reminiscing. Questions kept popping up in her head- Had Wonderland changed much? Would she be welcomed back, if she got back? Was the White Queen still ruling? None of them had answers, and none of them would stop bugging her. It didn't help that the work on the potion was progressing faster than she thought it would. They had found the mirror within a few days, and although it no longer spoke and it's edges had been smoothed down by the thrift store they found it at to prevent cuts, it felt like home. She had taken to bringing it into her room and staring into it at night, when Wendy was asleep (if Peter hadn't kept her awake). Sometimes she would swear that the Hatter had shown up in the mirror as she looked into it and talked to herself, and those times were very hard. She would cry, sometimes, when the image of him would fade and be replaced by the knowledge that it was only her imagination and her face in the mirror. She began to note changes-- the straightness of her hair, which she had long since stopped curling into pristine ringlets, the absence of pale skin, which had been replaced by a light tan. Her eyes-- they were the most different. Not that they had malformed... they were without something. Her muchness was still there, gleaming in the depths of her eyes like the hidden kiss in the corner of Wendy's mouth she had spoken so much of.

Still, it was unmistakable. Now, Alice still sat in front of the mirror in a light rose colored nightgown as her clone stared back at her. I've lost my wonder, the thought floated to the forefront of her mind, and she immediately scuffed. She would never lose her wonder! It was as big a part of her as her hair or her body. Still, she leaned forward and placed a hand against the mirror and looking into her eyes, trying to force herself to see her soul. No, it's still there. Still a spark, though not as big of a flame, she confirmed to herself as she searched the rest of her face. That much was true. Her muchness was still a large, roaring flame, making her as defiant and strong as ever- but her wonder was only a spark. It used to burn in her veins and make her see the impossible and everything. Now, it was kept alive only by her daily ritual of believing in six impossible things.

That will change tomorrow. Even if I don't get to Wonderland, we will get to Neverland. It has got to be Wondrous. It has just been to long in the normal world for me, she thought as she stood and patted the frame of the mirror before crawling into her bed and looking up at the ceiling, thinking about the changes the next day would bring. It loomed over the house- change. Still, it felt like a good change. Alice turned to her side and fell asleep into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Another week after waiting for two years was nothing for him. You would think they time would have past slowly, but that was not the case. The last two years seemed like centuries compared to now....compared to his week with Wendy and Alice.

If Peter had initially landed in this world and found his Wendy right away, things would have been much different. He could not see that this world was far more interesting and spectacular then her had witnessed by himself. Wendy took him to places that they had never let a street kid in before; places like massive grocery and clothing stores. Aisle and aisle of food just waiting to be eaten, mountains of fruit, and piles of meat waiting on a bed of frozen ice. And the clothes. Peter had never seem such insane, magical, and crazy colors before. While he himself could never imagine wearing anything of the sort, Peter found the attire to be interesting to say the least. At first, Wendy had to drag him into the consignment shop. He hated they idea of changing- especially into some ridiculous outfit picket out by a girl. But after a few begrudging minutes in the dressing room Peter soon realized that he actually quiet enjoyed shopping. At least the trying on bit was fun- he had a few girls from the store gathered round by the end. Of course, most of the clothing would do no good in Neverland, but he let the women have their fun (they reminded him of the mermaids and it only made him more excited for home).

Wendy and Peter settled on a pair of tan cargo shorts, a simple green shirt, and a pair of 'converse' (they were black sneakers, but everyone insisted he call them by their true name). After fussing over it for almost 30 minutes, Wendy also convinced Peter a jacket was a good idea, so they left the store with a light weight water proof black zip-up.

Other then the shopping- which Wendy forced him to do a lot of- Peter spent most of the week at the house. When Alice was home and Wendy wasn't, he would entertain himself by listening to her wild way of speaking and crazy stories. She told him of Cheshire and the Hatter and all her friends in her Wonderland. Peter was very interesting in her upside down world and would love to visit it some day- maybe after a few hundred years in Neverland.

When Wendy was home, Peter spent all his time with her. Though he knew he was probably being annoying and disrupting her- he couldn't help himself. He had longed to go home for two years and now he was finally getting the chance....but he found himself wishing he had more time. Here he was, years older and years later, finally seeing his Wendy again....and soon it would all be over.

Peter knew that if he went to Neverland and Wendy stayed, he would never see her again. He knew it just as he knew that he needed to be home- Wendy and him would never meet in this life. Which is exactly the reason he painstakingly fought for her to come with him. He brought it up every chance he got and insisted on discussing their plans even though he knew she had not answered. But she never said anything on the subject, just 'hummed' in her Wendy way and changed the topic to more practical manners.

The night before they planned to leave for Neverland, Peter lay awake on the couch. Both Alice and Wendy had retreated to their rooms and he had forced himself to lay down- but he knew he would not be sleeping tonight. He stared into the dark room around him, absentmindedly stroking his smooth face (Peter has requested the girls show him how to shave) as he thought over what would happen tomorrow. The Lost Boys would rejoice and Tinkerbell would be pissed out of her mind. Captain Hook would think he had seen a ghost and the Indians would throw a beautiful party for him. The mermaids would sings him sounds and Tiger Lily would dance....Neverland would be waiting for him, he was sure. There was not a single doubt in Peters mind about tomorrow- except for Wendy.

Peter turned on his side and gazed towards the pitch black pit of the hallway across the living room. The house was silent, only the creaking of the wood could be heard and the noises of the night outside. Alice was in her room, sleeping for doing whatever it was that Alice did (Peter stopped trying to figure her out the second day he knew her). Wendy was in her room, probably writing or working or sleeping....

By the time he realized he was up, Peter was halfway down the hallway and tapping lightly on Wendy's door. He was barefoot, bare chested only clad in the stripped blue and white boxers the girls had purchased for him on their shopping trip. He tapped one more time, bouncing on the balls of his feet, before he opened the door with a loud creak and slowly popped his orange head in.

"Wendy, ye' awake?"

Wendy opened her eyes. She'd finally managed to fall asleep, and then of course Peter would stick his head in. She didn't have the heart to resent it, but she was too tired to process that at the moment.

"Mmm. Kind of. What's going on?" Might as well get up rather than have him in her bedroom.

Rubbing her eyes, Wendy sat up. She was wearing a cami and shorts pajama set that she should have resigned for the year, given the temperatures, but she liked it too much. Her mother had given it to her the last Christmas, it was a rather nice blue silk set that, for all that, wasn't so scanty Wendy felt like she had to wear a t-shirt over it in bed just to be decent for her dreams. Yawning and stretching, she slid over to the side of the bed and swung her feet down to put her slippers on. That done, she walked to the door and patted Peter absentmindedly on the head. More petting his hair than anything else, but she was pretty tired.

"If we're going to talk, I'm going to need some tea," she said through a yawn. "Lots of tea. Liters of it." Passing him on her way to the kitchen, she put the kettle on with her eyes all but closed. Looking through the cupboard, still not quite awake, she took out a tea that was just enough to keep her awake, but not enough to keep her up the whole night. She got out a cup and a saucer for Peter as well, and passed him some nibbles.

"So, my friend," she said, sitting down at the kitchen table to wait for the kettle to boil. "What's keeping you up tonight? The obvious? I assure that if we can't get this method to work, it won't take long before we can find another one. Alice and I have a very unique skill set, and one of them seems to be getting travelers... home." Thankfully the kettle whistled so Wendy could get up and pour the tea for them. She sat a cup and saucer in front of Peter. Even if he didn't want it, which was fine, she didn't want to leave him without tea while she enjoyed it. Besides, it was good for him.

Home. Where was home, really? Peter had made his thoughts on the matter plain, but looking into his dear old face in the wee hours of the morning. Wendy wasn't so sure where hers was. She had won adulthood by sweat, blood, and tears. Could she leave it again? She guessed the real question was, if home is where the heart lies... where was hers?

Peter followed Wendy to the living room like a lost puppy, glancing around at everything but her. He slumped into the kitchen table next to her, not even bothering with the small amount of food she offered him. Instead, he stared down at his wringing hands, unclenching and clenching his fists as he tried to work out his words.

"What's keeping you up tonight? The obvious? I assure that if we can't get this method to work, it won't take long before we can find another one. Alice and I have a very unique skill set, and one of them seems to be getting travelers... home."

Peter looked up at Wendy as she spoke her final word, his eye brows lifting in a worried sort of look, "Nae, I trust ye an' Alice. I will make it tae Neverland tomorrow, I am sure ay it", He paused then, his eyes once more casting down to his freckled hands, "I'm jist worried tha'...."

His sentence trailed off and a moment of silence past between the two, a silence that was filled with a hundred million different un said words. Wendy and Peter, the Queen and King of unsaid words. The ticking of the clock could be heard, the simmering of the tea, even the light snoring of Ranvir in the other room. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Peter released a gust of breath he had not realized he was holding, ran a stressed hand through his orange hair, and look up at Wendy.

"I've said it a million times an' Ah will probably say it a million times mair, but ah don't know if ye realize hoo much a reall'y mean it. Come wi' me Wendy, come back tae Neverland. I've thooght abit it since I found ye....and I 'hink th' reason I was sent tae yer warld was tae brin' ye back. The Lost Boys miss ye, Tinkerbell misses ye, heck- I think e'en Hook misses ye. You are supposed tae be in Neverland....ye ur supposed tae be wi' me".

Green eyes bore into blue, pleading with her to understand how important this was to him. As much as Peter hated to admit it, he changed while he was in this world. He wasn't the same boy that lived in Neverland...he might not even be considered a boy anymore. But with Wendy with him....Neverland could go back to be a little more of how it was supposed to be.

In the silence, Wendy sipped her tea and waited, her stomach falling. It was going to be that same question again, she felt, and this time he wouldn't accept an evasion.

"...ye ur supposed tae be wi' me."

That was it. That was what she hadn't been able to figure out on her own. Always odd when Peter had insights Wendy herself had missed/ He wasn't unintelligent, just usually too thick for things that weren't straightforward. However, there had been more than once during their Neverland adventures that Peter's flashes of insight had amazed her.

She'd been missing that one, salient fact. Wendy, too, had felt that she belonged in Neverland, with Peter. Especially, with Peter. Her heart squeezed tight.

"I doubt Tinkerbell or Hook misses me," she said, making light of it a little to begin a difficult conversation. "Especially Tink. She never liked me." She took a deep breath, and let it out. You're a big girl, Wendy, you can make life-changing decisions in the middle of the night.

"I don't know if you remember what happened last time, Peter, why I left. There were two reasons. One, my family. They would have always worried about me and John and Michael deserved a chance at a real life. The second reason was much more... complicated. I don't ... I don't think I could be a child forever. But, Peter..." she took another breath in and out. Set her cup down on the table, looked him straight in the eyes. She clenched her fists against the impulse to put her hand on his. He would find it mawkish and odd. The moment of truth. Another silence fell. Which way could she jump? The constant grief of knowing that Peter was forever and always out of her life, vs. an indeterminable length of hell where she had to live with the boy she loved... loves? She didn't have the strength for that question at the moment, better to consider it an old crush... while he treated her like his boon companion, his pal. Forever friendzoned. If her heart hurt now, the thought of years upon years in Neverland in that situation made her cringe inside.

The alternative was also bleak. Disregarding the question of whether or not she had more than a friendly affection for Peter, could she have a full adult life without him? Could she ever find a man to marry who would be the kind of companion that Peter had been to her, and could be again? And what if Peter's age stayed the same in Neverland, what if he needed help or comfort, and what if... what if he.... felt.... no. Her nails cut into her palm. Best not to think of that, either. Too many questions, too many ifs. Her head hurt.

It was funny. She thought she'd gotten over this, had moved on, but apparently she hadn't. Not enough. She wasn't infatuated with him like she had been, that was for sure. Peter wasn't infallible, the best at everything, or even the best looking boy she'd ever known. But something in her heart was still alive for him. Just for him. With some inner amusement, she decided to blame it all on the hidden kiss. She tried not to talk about that particular family legend much, although when drunk she tended to mention it more, but when you'd been raised that the kiss would only belong to one person, you tended to look for that person.

The women in her mother's line usually married that man, but sometimes that man slipped through their fingers... or they never found him. It was almost like a soul mate. It wasn't guaranteed, not one hundred percent anyway, but the general feeling of the family was that only a man worthy of the girl's heart could claim the kiss. If she went to Neverland, would she be cutting herself off from that man? And even if she found someone in Neverland to claim it, would they want her heart along with it? Besides the fact that being a child there would make everything that much more complex, given that her mind and heart had aged once gone from that place, although she'd always felt years older than the large part of Neverland's residents.

Enough of the angst and the second guessing. Hidden kiss, no hidden kiss, soulmate, no soulmate, Peter deserved an honest answer, even if it was a sort of confused answer. "Peter, I can't say for sure that I will go with you to Neverland. I don't know if the Neverland I remember has a place for me, not anymore. I've changed since we left. But what I do know, Peter, is that I can't say goodbye to you again. Not like that. So... I don't know."

Even as she tried not to let it, part of her still wondered what it meant it Peter's mind that she belonged with him. Did he understand what that kind of belonging could mean to a girl?

"Ye dorn't know?", Peter repeated, staring at her with a blank face. Of course, he knew she would say this- nothing was ever easy when it came to Wendy. The red head ground his teeth together, staring at her with a harshening expression before he suddenly sprang out of his chair and flung around, his dramatic flair he was always known for resurfacing as his anger grew.

"Ye dorn't know!"

He needed an answer. Peter couldn't do this waiting game any longer, not when it came to Neverland. He had waited two years for tomorrow and he could handle a few more hours, but waiting for Wendy to give him a yes was torturous. He wanted to scream at her, he wanted to rip our his shadow and force her to come. He wanted to kidnap her like he had done all those years ago and show her how amazing her life would be with in Neverland, with the lost boys, with him. He began pacing, his arms crossing and uncrossing before he finally walked around the table and stood inches away from Wendys face. Peter was never taught the concept of personal space in Neverland and though he had learned it here he felt his point would come across better if he could make sure Wendy could hear him. And see him.

"Wendy. Please. Ye know ye want tae be wi' me, ye know ye want tae be in Neverland. How is thes place any better 'en th' most beautiful place e'er created? How can ye stand it haur when you have th' option ay bein' thaur? You waur alive in Neverland, you lived an' saw things ye ne'er woods here... things ye coods ne'er even imagine. I ne'er even showed ye th' whole islain! Thaur are things 'at I coods still dazzle ye wit'... I can still amaze ye".

Peter stared at her, his eyes imploring and searching and wishing. He grabbed her face delicately, holding her checks softly before leaning a touch forward, "Come wi' me, please, come wi' me".

The lowest of low blows, Peter's face close to hers. She wondered how he'd react if she gave him a 'thimble,' she couldn't help but think. Putting her hands on his, on her face, and pulling them down, she stood, still holding his hands in hers.

"Peter, I'll come with you, but only if you promise that you will let me go again if... if you no longer need me. If there comes a day when your Boys are enough, and I'm just another burden to take care of, you will need to let me go. I grew up, Peter, and that won't change just because I'm in Neverland. I'm going to want... things. Things that Neverland might not be able to give me, like, I don't know, a family of my own someday. I don't want one now, I love adventuring, but eventually I'll want that really badly, and ... I hate to say it, Peter, but there may come a time where Neverland isn't enough for you, too."

"So I want your word, Peter. Your word as a gentleman and the King of Neverland, that if Neverland becomes too small for who we are now, that you'll come back with me, or you'll let me go if you don't need me as your.... best friend, anymore. You have to swear you won't be stubborn and keep me just because you think I should be there. You have to keep me there only if you can't imagine Neverland without me, and you know for certain that it's the best place for me." If he promised this to her, he would keep his word. And if the past replayed in the present, Peter could tell when she was really unhappy, and would let her go inevitably when she wanted more from life than an eternal childhood in Neverland could give her. Frankly, she didn't even consider the possibility that Neverland and Peter could give her all she needed. Why would she? She'd tried that before, and failed miserably, so this time Peter would let her go of his own volition. She would go back to her family and get on with her life, sure in the knowledge that she had done all she could to keep her best friend with her. Neverland, once again, would be temporary, although she wouldn't bother explaining that to Peter. He would just get stubborn about it, which is why she was asking for his promise.

"And I swear to you, Peter, that this world is just as big and just as wondrous, even if it isn't magical, and we can find places in it if we leave it again." She knew he probably wouldn't believe her, and she knew that Neverland in all its joy and pain could beat the real world several times older, but a world for children was so much narrower than a world for everyone, even though that world be without magic. Adulthood had many benefits, if Peter could just see them.

"I will come with you, if you swear." She looked into his eyes, the eyes she knew so well, and held his hands in hers. Who knew when this sort of closeness would happen again, with Peter it was extremely rare, so why not enjoy it while she could.

Her family would understand. Her brothers were grown, and as much as she wanted to remain to take care of them, they didn't need her. They might even, she thought wryly, be better off without her, as they would have to learn how to take care of themselves. Her parents would be dramatic about it, but when were they not? Wendy was an adult, she made her own choices, and she chose to go to Neverland. It wouldn't be forever, she was sure, but she would always regret it if she didn't give Peter just once more chance... and it had been too long since she'd had a good adventure.

Peter stared at her, thinking through her words. Two years ago, Peter would not understand why Wendy would force his word like this. Two years ago, Peter Pan would have thrown a fit and flown off; pissed and stubborn because someone wouldn't full heartedly agree to something he wanted right away. The new Peter; this weird, stretched out boy-man that grows hair on his face and gets flustered around pretty girls- understands why Wendy would need his reassurance.

In this world, trust is something that is never a hundred percent. You may think you trust someone, that you know their character...but usually they are only using you to benefit themselves. Sort of like Hook, most of the people of this world have another motive for everything. So when Wendy asks Peter for his word that he will allow her to leave if Neverland turns out to be unhealthy for her, he nods solomenly.

"Aye, Wendy, ye hae mah word 'at Ah will escort ye out of Neverland if ye need or want it", While he spoke his words, he cast his eyes downwards and away from her. It hurt to speak ill of Neverland- no one would ever truly grow tired of it. Peter doubted that he would ever need to take Wendy home and he for sure knew he himself would never be leaving. Just like a fish needs water, Peter needs Neverland- he was sure Wendy understood that.

A small smile spread across his face as it finally dawned on him what she had agreed to. His bright green eyes flicked up to hers, the smile growing wider as it took on his old boyish imp like look, "Neverland, Wendy", Peter whispered, "Tomorrow... you an' me- maybe e'en Alice!". A laugh broke free, one of the first carefree laughs he's had in a while and he rushed forward and enveloped Wendy in a bone crushing hug, "Everythin' will be reit again, yoo'll see".

---TimeSkip: Next night---

Alice held the potion the group had spent almost all day making over a small tray. She took a deep breath slowly, almost like she was stalling for time. Her hands were shaking as she held the potion above the table and the cups. Though, no amount of layers would have changed the shivering. She wasn't cold, as it was fairly nice out, but even the fact that her outfit of the day didn't need to have a coat with it didn't stop her nerves from making her hands shake madly. She knew what pouring the potion would mean- Change. Alice had always loved change, but this change felt strange, different than the normal change. Normal people would probably pass it off as simple nerves, but Alice had long ago decided to trust her instincts. Though, with one look over to Peter she steeled her resolve, knowing how much this would mean to him. Alice had been to the normal world many times, for very long periods of time-- years, days, and minutes all sliding into one mass. She had learned the ways of normal life and how to provide for herself and take care of life as normal people did, even though she never was normal. Peter- Peter wasn't like that. Wendy had told Alice of how many times Peter had come to the normal, mortal world- more times than Alice. However, he never stayed before... before he fell down to the mortal world and was forced to stay. Even though Alice longed for Wonderland with all her heart, she could survive in the normal world- she had and did, every day. It wasn't something she liked, but she could handle it. Peter, however, wasn't like her. He was born for a world not like the mortal one, and he wasn't fit for life that wasn't in his Neverland. His state when Alice had found him in proved that.

So, with one final look towards the gathered company she poured the pitcher that held the vile looking potion into three smaller cups before wordlessly handing them over to her friends.

"Bottoms up... or top down, depending on which way you wanted to look at it. For the cup it would have to be top down, because from their viewpoint I'd imagine it would seem more like the top was being tipped..... right," she stopped her rambling long enough to give her friends a happy look before she tilted the cup backwards and forced the liquid down her throat. It tasted as vile as it looked, but after a few sputters and coughs she got herself to put the cup back onto the tray and walked up to the mirror they had placed in such a way that they could easily step through it.

"Come on. The trip over can't be as bad as the passport," she said with a bright giggle as she stuck a foot trough the mirror, which was shimmering in her vision slightly. It was an vision she remembered from her second trip to Wonderland, when she had met the white queen. Slowly, with one last nod of her head for them to come on, she ducked into the mirror and let the weightlessness overtake her.

It was dark, wherever she currently was. Very dark. The kind of dark where you can't tell when you are blinking and when you are simply staring. The kind of dark where you can't tell which direction is up, which is down, and which is side to side. Soon, though, it didn't matter, because her body hit a barrier. Her arms snapped up to prevent her head from smashing any more onto the ceiling that had seemingly shown up from nowhere.

"Up! Up!" she hit her hands against the barrier a few times like that would make it crack, but it didn't. A bright light filled her vision for a few seconds, but her hands never moved against the barrier. Though, the barrier seemed to move, and when she opened her eyes again an island was floating above her, sort of upside down, or like the tunnel she was in was floating her above it.

Neverland, her mind screamed at the vision, but she didn't get the chance to confirm it. As soon as she fully understood it was an island, her mind was enclosed in blackness again and she stopped floating upwards. Instead, something seemed to catch her foot and she felt herself being pulled down. Somehow, she knew Wendy and Peter were right behind her, but that they wouldn't see each other either. Traveling through mirror, in her experience (which wasn't much experience at all) was a single-person journey, one at a time. An isolated experience.

Peter, her mind sighed as she recalled the island. That had definitely been Neverland.Alice could only imagine how he would feel if he saw what she just had and then was pulled away from it like that. Sadness pained her heart for a moment, but she told herself to put it off for a later date. Now she was falling, and that needed to be dealt with. Alice didn't feel fear, for some reason, because she trusted the mirror-portal to drop them off somewhere, but she wasn't sure where. Back through the mirror? Maybe they hadn't added the right amount of something to allow the final push into a different realm. Maybe they would fall into Wendy's old home or-

A ground that was not the ground she was used to came rushing up to Alice's feet too soon, far too soon. Maybe she had been falling for days, she didn't know, but she didn't have time to react aside from bending her knees and tucking her head as something that was definitely bright-green grass came rushing up to her. Fear that had been absent throughout all the trip suddenly filled her chest and she screamed just as she felt her body fall onto the surface. She figured, with the speed she had been going, she would have broken everything with the fall. To her surprise, however, she wasn't dead. In fact, she was only mildly jarred. Almost like the ground had cushioned the fall. Though, reason told her that ground didn't ever cushion falls because it thought that people shouldn't be stupid enough to fall onto it. Unless of course the ground liked the person falling onto it.

That thought crossed her mind just before two loud thumps hit the ground, sounding decidedly less cushioned than her body's thump had been. In fact, while no cracking of bones had been heard and no really loud screams of pain had been yelled out from Peter or Wendy, Alice figured they might be in a bit of pain. Though to check on that, Alice knew she would have to unravel from her position and open her eyes, and she wasn't sure she wanted to discover just how bad there predicament was.

I'll count to three and then I'll open my eyes, she told herself before unraveling from her position and, with her eyes shut tight, she started counting. One- Alice curled her fingers into the grass and lifted herself up. Two- Alice blindly brushed dirt off of her hands. Three-

Familiar colors and figures filled Alice's head, and for a moment she figured she must have died. Large, mushrooms filled the ground in patches, towering over her head and large, sculpted shrubs dotted the land, even though no one ever seemed to go out and cut them into their elegant shapes. Wonderland... I must be dead, her flabbergasted mind screamed at her, and she immediately turned to check on Peter and Wendy. Neither were up and active yet, probably still in a daze from the fall (after all, Wonderland soil hardly liked them as much as Alice).

Alice shook away her awe at her current situation and tucked a stand of hair that had fallen out from behind her ear back into place before kneeling onto the balls of her feet and shaking both of them. They didn't look dead, so she figured they were just dazed.

"Guys.... we might not be where we wanted to be, or at least where we needed to be. Well, it's a bit hard to explain... I think it would be better if you would just look and... don't freak out. I know we can fix this... now that we are here at least. Jabberwoky blood can get anyone home and I'm sure the Queen salvaged some... never mind that now. Just... this is Wonderland," Alice said as she let go of the pair on the ground and stood up. The fall couldn't have dazed them that horribly right? Though, if it did, the Queen would be able to fix them right up if they were hurt with bandages and a caring hand. She always did.

The image of the White Queen popped into her head, and that started a series of images that caused her body to shudder, from the Jabberwoky to the dormouse. However, the final image had her eyes popping open and her feet taking an involuntary step forward. The hatter.

She took a step towards the line of trees automatically, toward her home and where she belonged. Still, the knowledge that her friends could and might be hurt made her stop and turn back to them and sit down Indian style next to them before shaking the closest one, who happened to be Wendy, on the shoulder. She knew how horrible the other two must feel after being so close to success, but she also couldn't help the excitement that swirled in her gut and made her smile brighter than she had in years.

"I find it funny your friends managed to hurt themselves on catching-grass," a slow voice said from behind Alice, and the blonde quickly turned to identify the figure. Chess. Or, more accurately, his grin and transparent face, slowly coming into view.

"Cheshire! Oh, it has been ages since I've seen you," Alice exclaimed as she jumped up and grabbed the creature around his only have-transparent body, pulling him down against her. Of course, he simply disappeared and reappeared in the air in front of her.

"Tick Tock goes the clock, but Alice always returns. The caterpillar and I were prepared to wait," The cat said lazily as he floated around Alice's head.

"And the Hatter?" Alice said as quietly, almost hoping he hadn't heard. If he had forgotten her or didn't want her to be in Wonderland at all... or worse, his tea parties were over forever and he at or passed his deathbed (Alice never knew how time worked- a hundred years could have passed in Wonderland.)

"Delighted to know of your return," Chess said before appearing next to Wendy, "You are a very frivolous friend if you don't give them the grand tour. I'm done playing tour guide," with his last remark, the cat dissipated into the nearby air, probably off to gossip about her return or do whatever Chess did.

When Neverland came into view out of the pitch black darkness, Peters heart had begun to thunk against his chest madly. It felt as if the organ was going to rip right through him at that rate, or it would simple give out from exhaustion. He had never felt something quiet like it before- the shinning brightness of the beautiful island of always and never welcomed him like a parent would a lost child. Peter was ready to once again fly in the blue skies and devastate the pirates ship. The Lost Boys would be waiting for him, Tinkerbell would be pissed, but in moments everything would be back to normal.

Then, like some sort of evil serpent had coiled around his body, Peter was yanked away. He was pulled up and for a moment it seemed like he was actually flying over the island- until it shimmered and melted into the blackness all around and he was once more cast out. Peter screamed, he yanked and writhed and wrenched himself around, but that invisible snake continued its course and he was stuck on its path. No noise escaped his lips, but he was aware of the sounds he would be making if the blackness had not swallowed them up. Pure anguish, anger, and the feeling of being cheated coursed through him....

The rushing feeling came upon him like an unexpected waterfall, but he made no noise as he was unceremoniously deposited on solid grown. Peter crumpled into the grass, unable to hold himself up even to just look around the area. He could feel grass, he could feel a light breeze; all he needed to know was they were outside. Frankly, he didn't care. Neverland has once again been wrenched from his grasp and he felt empty and weak.

Blearily, Peter could hear Alice speaking through a cobweb of noise. He lifted his head to glance at her, his eyes squinting as they adjusted to the bright light of the field. Ah, she was talking to a cat. A smiling cat....a vanishing cat. The creature had disappeared from sight just as Peters eyes came into focus, making him almost think that they hadn't seem him at all. But Peter remembered Alice's story and he knew who that feline was; Cheshire, the real one this time.

The red head pulled himself upwards into a sitting position, casting his eyes around him at the strange trees and colors he had never seen before. Wonderland it must be, Wonderland instead of Neverland. The unfairness of it all sent a raging surge of anger through him, and anger he had not felt since Hook stole Wendy from him and almost killed Tink. He turned his sights on Alice, and completely ignored Wendy's question of how he felt.

"What did ye do?" He growled out as he pulled himself upwards, glaring down at Alice, "Why ur we in Wonderland- I saw it, we passed Neverland on the way 'ere! We waur almost thaur an' now we ur here, was thes yer plan all a long?"

Alice's body was still buzzing with happy excitement when Wendy spoke, asking about where they needed to be off to. The Palace! her thoughts supplied the location quickly, as well as a host of images that came with it- the grand white walls that went on forever, the graceful way the trees seemed to move. Everyone would be there, of course. All of her friends seemed to hold positions in court.

Alice never got the chance to say anything, though. Peter was looking down at her with an expression Alice could only describe as 'Furious'. Alice, though a girl who looked ten times more fragile than the avrage woman, didn't like anyone with fury directed at her that much, but she understood the reasons. He thought she had done something- made them pass over Neverland and drop into the land that dominated Alice's every waking thought (and many of her sleeping ones). Alice would feel the exact same if the roles were reversed.

"I promise, Peter, I swear on not only my life but on the White's that I had nothing to do with this. Yes, I wanted deeply to come back here but... But I wanted to get you back first. I promised. After you were back in your proper place, I figured I could get to Wonderland. You don't have to believe me- you don't even have to like me. I want you to like me, but I understand you think I am to blame. But I think I can get you to Neverland... At least I hope so," Alice said with as much courage as she could muster, givin the circumstances.

"Now... Let's go to the palace. The White Queen will be there and she knows potions better than I...the hatter might be there too, and you can all meet him. I assue you, he is wonderful! You'll love him," she said quickly before turning to the woods, where the tip of the palace could be seen.

"It can't be far... I think we can reach it in an hour or so," she muttered before stepping into the forest, brushing away the branches as she did. After a few tentative steps she was off quickly, her feet remembering the steps from her previous trips.

Peter dragged his feet after Alice, glaring daggers into the back of her head. He understood what she was saying, but the image of Neverland fading out of his grasp as he was dragged into darkness was still fresh in his mind. He needed someone to be at fault, he to pin this on someone.

Wonderland was far different then the world he was used to. It was dark, strange, and filled with creatures that made no sense to him. While Neverland was filled with different sorts of creatures, they all made sense to him. Rocking horse flies and disappearing cats should not exist, but they did here. A past Peter may have been excited at the idea of a strange new world to explore and conquer, but this Peter felt the need to go home, to be somewhere normal and safe and set in place. Peter missed the normalcy that came with a land of infinite summer time. In Neverland, he could spend his days doing the exact same thing but Never grow bored. He had also grown so used to his days of continues Never changing that the past two years felt like the longest days of his life. See, when he came to Wendys world, he realized that the concept of time had always alluded him. He never understood that time passed except for the rise of the sun and the fall of the moon. But when he came to that new world, time seemed to expand before him and stretch and stretch....he needed to rest, and he needed to rest in Neverland. Time needed to stop.

Wendy fell into step next to him and Peter cast a tired glance at her. He was glad she was with him, though he wished it was in a different world. At least Wendy was always in a good mood about things- she seemed to be taking their new destination in well despite the surprise.
"Here's a snack, put it into your pocket if you want, but I know you get cranky when you're hungry." Peter took the offered food and stuffed it in his shorts pocket as he was told, no questions asked. Wendy usually knew what to do in these sorts of situation. While Peter was great with schemes, Wendy was far more practical them him. Peter would have never thought to bring food with.

"And... here."

Peter raised a brow at her and let loose one of his infamous grins, taking the parcel into his hands, "Ye brooght me a present, ah t'anks Wendy".

"I was going to wait until your birthday, or whenever we got around to celebrating your return in Neverland and your coronation--yes, I knew you'd have one--but I might as well give it to you now."

Quickly, Peter ripped apart the paper, not bothering to keep the wrappings together as he dug out Wendys gift. He pulled out the dagger gingerly, running his eyes along the blade and handle, weighing it in his hand....
Peter had not held a blade since the last time he was in Neverland. Wendy of course knew his choice of weapon was always a dagger, though he dabbled in swords as well. Blades were easier to carry, they were effective tools in both fighting and survival, and they were easier to fly with. Peters dagger in Neverland was made of Giant Walrus- shaped from the tusks of a Giant Walrus that he had killed himself. The best was massive, well over ten feet taller then him, and its tusks were pointed and shinned like the creature carried its own two swords. Peters battle with it was one of his favorites- he had recounted the story numerously (always adding in a few extra flares).

Peter raised his gaze to stare at Wendy, a slow crackle of a smile breaking out across his face before he latched his arms around her and gave them both a spin. Of course, in Neverland, this spin probably would have sent them both tumbling into the sky by the sheer happiness Peter was experiencing. Although they did hover above the ground for a moment longer then any normal human should have, Peter still released Wendy back onto solid ground a moment later.

"Ye have no idea- er, or maybe ye do- of how happy thes makes me. Thenk ye Wendy, I mean it. When we gie back tae Neverland, it'll be my new favorite dagger fur sure"

Hatter had grown used to things like his tea running cold when he fell far to much inside his own mind. His brain was a dangerous thing, deep, dark, and full of all sorts of creatures that ensured him and forced him to stay.

Like just now for instance, he had been researching a new sort of leather for a hat he was making, when he suddenly had a thought about bats. You see, bats themselves appear to be made of leather, but then why are there wings not used for it? Cow hide does not seem leathery at all, but some poor man had once thought it so and thus it became. So if Hatter went about trapping bats, could he then turn bat wings into leather? But then, bats are not the sort of things people like to wear....would people where people leather?

Thus, his mind tumbled and turned with all sorts of new leathers he could make and what was ethical and what wasn't. Normally, Hatter would not spend so much time on one subject, but his table was empty today so he was forced to actually read his books and sip his tea like a good gentleman.

Dormouse had left on an errand for the Queen and would not be back till later that evening, and March was god knows where. Hatter refused to be his keeper, though half the time the old hare needed one. Hatter was not used to having an empty table, and they empty platters and cups caused him to let loose a dreary sort of sigh.

Once, his table had always been full. Once, there had been a little girl with blonde hair and a curious sort of mind. That little girl had been so wonderful and interested in everything and lovely. Hatter missed that little girl terribly, though not as much as he missed the Champion. Wonderlands Champion was by far the one thing Hatter missed the most, the one thing that tore out his chest when ever he thought of her. He stared across the table, to the seat that no one sat in anymore.

The table had been full the last time he saw her. It had been full of crumpets and tea and soups and cheese and bread and cookies and candies and chocolate. You see, the Red War was over, and Wonderland was now a land governed by the White Queen. Creatures were free to escape their holes and be out in the world without fear of having their heads chopped off. So Hatter, March, Dormouse, and the Champion were once again allowed to celebrate unbirthdays. This day in particular had been all of their unbirthdays- can you imagine that!- so they had made a table full of everything you could ever want.

Hatter blinked and for a moment he could see her across from him, laughing at March as he flung food across the table. Hatter could hear the echo of her laugh, the way her golden hair shone in the hazy Wonderland sun. He smiled for a moment, blinked, and she was gone.

In her place across the table sat Cheshire, hovering above the seat that no one sat in and staring at Hatter.

"Can I help you?", Hatter grumbled out, his face falling back into the scowl it normally sat in while he turned back to his books. Cheshire continued to float and stare, his constant grin a nagging after thought that Hatter wished to whip from the area.

"Ah Ramsey, what are we ever going to do with you?", Cheshire now floated over Hatters shoulder, staring down at the large duty books he was pretending to read. Hatter ignored the cat, running his finger under the lines of the sentences so he could focus, "You were so good once, then you weren't so good, then you came back once. Thats twice we've lost you, twice you've become a grime sort of man that no one wants to be around-"

"Get out of here cat!", Hatter stood and swiped his hand where Cheshire floated, only to find he had evaporated once more and reappeared in front of him.

"That was not nice. And here I am, simply trying to tell you the rumor of the day"

Hatter rolled his eyes, once more depositing himself into his chair and gazing across the table at the one no one sits in, "And what are they Ches, spit 'em out. I have things to be finished and work to do"

"Ah, ah Hatter, manners. The rumors today deserve some respect"

Hatter sighed and nodded, turning to look back at the floating cat, "Yes, sorry. Please Ches, what are the rumors of today"

Cheshire's grin grew, spreading from side to side and threatening to crack his face in half. His pupils narrowed and he floated closer to Hatter, so close that he was staring almost inches away from the man.

"Alice is back".

And thus began the Third Age of Alice.

Time seemed to aid in their journey, cutting down the hour Alice had expected the trip to take to thirty minutes. Alice didn’t know if this was a blessing or a curse, though. Yes, she couldn’t wait to see the hatter, the hare, and all of her friends. Yes, she knew she would be accepted with open arms by almost everyone (she had her doubts about the Hatter though- in her mind he had every right to be mad at her, even after she explained why she had to go the last time. He had looked so hurt by her words, after all). But, she needed time. She never even considered the possibility of seeing all of her friends again, not after all this time. She had given up, really, on it. Her first year back she had searched the area around the rabbit hole and beyond, hoping for it to simply one day open up again. But it never did, and after that she had abandoned all of her hope and put her mind on autopilot until she met Wendy, and even then she only opened her mind up a little, just to let Wendy in. Now, her mind was opening up to the hope she hadn’t let herself feel before. Without her consent, The Champion she had proven herself to be in Wonderland was arising from the box she had left it in, where it could only affect her choices and couldn’t force her to spend all of her hours searching for her lost home.

The Hatter was another story entirely, and one she really need time to work out but, judging by the way the white walls of the palace were towering above them, she wouldn’t get nearly enough. She didn’t know what to say to him—she didn’t even know what he looked like anymore. He had changed between her first trips, something she had hardly paid mind to then, but now it would be something she couldn’t ignore, and she knew it. The Hatter with unruly red hair, skin covered in white makeup almost everywhere, and crazy color-changing definitely mad eyes was The Hatter in her mind, at least now. The first time she had hardly noticed what he looked like, because she was child with many things to see and she needed to travel and see and feel. The second time her adventure as the Champion, and the fact that she had to save the poor hatter on at least one occasion, had made his looks imprint into her mind. This time she knew he would probably be changed again, if only for the fact that her visits seemed to be marked by his ever changing face, and she didn’t know if she would be prepared. And there was the other issue of what she would say. Each time she thought about it ended horribly, with only two outcomes- he would say he hated her and didn’t want her around, or he would do the exact opposite and not blame her for leaving at all. Somehow she needed at least a little blame, to feel like she had done something wrong because for the longest time that was exactly how she felt- like she had wronged Wonderland.

The leaves on the trees slowly quickly turned to a porcelain white as they approached the Castle, like they were covered in a perfect coat of snow even though the temperature got no colder. In fact, it was fairly temperate, and Alice was glad for that. The blonde had been expecting Neverland after all, a place of ‘eternal summer’, if Wendy’s stories were to be believed (and Alice believed in them whole-heartedly). Because of that, Alice had only worn a simple white spaghetti-strap shirt, a short-sleeve denim jacket, and some short jean-shorts. Nothing that would stand up to any sort of wintery weather, at least. Though, maybe Wonderland never even had winters. Alice had never seen it, at least, but she assumed it had to. Now isn’t the time to be assuming anything Alice, it’s not good for concentration, a voice piped up in her head, and she looked up as if to identify it, even though it was in her head. She was glad she did, as the doors to the palace were suddenly right in front of her and she was very, very unprepared.


“Well, here is the palace, guys,” Alice muttered as she turned around with a smile. Peter had been glaring at her the entire trip (she knew because of the tale-tell prickling at the back of her neck), but Alice was determined to make him like her again, regardless of her words. Thankfully, Wendy had done something—at least, Alice assumed Wendy had because there was no one else about and Peter had a new dagger and seemed at least a few times happier than he did before). Hopefully, the White Queen could fix everything and Peter would be safe in his Neverland soon enough.
The door to the Palace was unlocked, something that didn’t surprise Alice. The White Queen wasn’t above hosting all manner of strangers within her walls, anyone that needed her help. Though, the woman in question wasn’t to be found within the area the door opened into. Thankfully, there was a palace guard, one with the white knight chess piece for a head.


“May I ask you to tell the Queen that The Alice, The Champion of Wonderland, has returned? Even if she is busy, I am in dire need of her help,” Alice said quickly, only slightly gloating with the whole ‘Champion of Wonderland’ part. Still, there was still a bit of gloating in her words, even some joking. Alice felt the title of Champion was unnecessary, really, because it wasn’t like there was another, wrong Alice that visited Wonderland. There was just her, Absolutely Alice, the one and only Alice of Wonderland. The White Knight nodded his head and walked off in the direction of either the kitchen or the gardens (Alice couldn’t be sure, as they were both in that general direction).


“Well, only a bit longer now. If we have any luck the White Queen will be able to send you two to Neverland within a day or two, or maybe even less,” Alice was careful not to say ‘send us to Neverland’ because the white walls of the palace and the bright fanciful colors of her home were beginning to entrap her again, and this time felt more final than the other times, and she knew this time there was very little chance of her leaving again.

The palace was creepy. Wendy had admired it in an aesthetic sense from the stories, but in person it was as if the color had been drawn out of the place. Ethereal, true, but the contrast between the too-bright Wonderland forest and its absence in the castle struck her oddly. Everyone stared at Alice as they walked in, in admiration it seemed to Wendy, and a few of them in awe. Alice was someone important here. Someone they respected. She looked at her roommate again. The stories hadn't done their feelings toward Alice justice, and once again Wendy's respect of her roommate was raised as she learned new things about her. Very unpredictable girl, Alice.

The Champion of Wonderland said,“Well, only a bit longer now. If we have any luck the White Queen will be able to send you two to Neverland within a day or two, or maybe even less,”

A few days in Wonderland seemed far too short a time to explore it. All of a sudden as she realized it would be so easy to get them from one place to the next, Wendy found herself curious about what wandering around Neverland would be like. Besides, they had never met Hatter, or many of the other characters--or, rather, friends--that Alice had met in this world. She wondered, as she thought about Alice's statement, if her roommate had left a note for anyone at their apartment. As usual Wendy had to leave a message on her parents' answering machine, but she had talked to her brothers in person and given notice to her job. It was unfortunate that she'd had to leave so many of her books and things, but she'd brought the few important ones like Peter's stories and her own adventures.

She wanted to ask Peter, in a rather tongue in cheek fashion, how it felt being the unimportant one, because Wendy had plenty of experience at that. In Neverland, she was always Peter's companion, or the mother figure, or 'the girl.' Important in their own ways, but certainly no titles to speak of. Pursing her lips, she decided to pursue that with Peter once they got back to Neverland. If she couldn't be a Pirate Queen, which had never worked out right, maybe she could be a Duchess or something?

Instead, she murmured to Peter, "Do you think Neverland would like a palace? I suppose it wouldn't fit into the scheme as well as the tree house, wonderful as it is, but they are very majestic."

To Alice, she said softly, mindful of the echoing nature of the large room, "The White Queen must be quite impressive. And you, you're the Champion here! I don't think I ever congratulated you for doing the kind of work you did, so I will do so now. You were an excellent Hero, and all on your own. Very inspiring." She gave Alice two thumbs up. "Three cheers for you."

Peter was highly unamused with the castle, though he was amazed at the sheer size of it. He enjoyed things he could build, things he could understand; this castle was so enormous and strange to him he just didn't understand. And anything Peter Pan didn't understand was bad in his book.

So Peter made faces at the large white pillars as the walked through the all white garden. He glared at the beautiful trees, grass....birds. Though everything was still enchanting and mystical, it still put him off slightly and made him want to go flying for the forest (the green one). He followed Alice through the garden though, wringing his hands slightly and glancing at Wendy to see what her reaction was. As always, Peter never truly knew what Wendy was thinking, so his look really did nothing to help him. A very soft sigh escaped through his nose as they finally reached the massive entrance and stopped- he was ready to get back to a world of color....

“May I ask you to tell the Queen that The Alice, The Champion of Wonderland, has returned? Even if she is busy, I am in dire need of her help,” Peter could recognize a gloat when he heard them. He was fond of them himself, of course. Though, hearing it from Alice, he couldn't help but be a little impress. The strange soldier guard like man reacted instantly to her and didn't ask any questions- his like for Alice grew a bit at that.

As they waited, Peter glanced back over his shoulder at the whiteness. It wasn't often that Neverland ever got snow, only when the island wanted to send the boys a little gift. It only really lasted a few hours and it was never cold- not like it was on Earth the past two years. the winters had been harsh and the first real snow had left Peter with a bitter hate for snow. Looking over the White Queens garden, he couldn't help but be reminded of those freezing months. A chill ran down his spine and he shoved his hands into his front pockets, turning his back on the garden to face Wendy and Alice.

"Do you think Neverland would like a palace? I suppose it wouldn't fit into the scheme as well as the tree house, wonderful as it is, but they are very majestic.", Wendy whispered to him.

Peter shook his head and frowned, sending a wary glance up the walls of the palace, "Not tae keen oan th' white, though th' castle is massive. I 'hink I like my tree hoose bet'er, but mebbe some walls an' pillars woods be good. Shoods I get th' Lost Boys some armor like these lot? I likes their helmet" Peter cracked a grin, imagining the youngest of the boys decked out in the gear of the White Queens guards. Though it would be cooler in black, Peter could imagine snagging some of it and painting it for them.

Alice was trying very, very hard to not touch everything she saw, if only to check to see if it would disappear. Her fingers ran over the marble of the room like if she touched it to quickly or with too much pressure everything would crumble to dust. She was, quite frankly, living in one of her dreams, after all. Alice was just about to spark up a conversation with one of the ladies in waiting, one she had met briefly during her training as the Champion and liked to talk to the sentient flowers just as much as the non-sentient ones. That made her very nice in Alice's opinion, because sometimes the flowers that couldn't talk got lonely and people needed to be more mindful of their feelings too, even if they were mute. Though, her foot didn't even get the opportunity to move because Wendy leaned over and spoke to her at that exact moment.

"The White Queen must be quite impressive. And you, you're the Champion here! I don't think I ever congratulated you for doing the kind of work you did, so I will do so now. You were an excellent Hero, and all on your own. Very inspiring. Three cheers for you." Alice smiled at Wendy as her ever-kind flatmate gave her a thumbs-up.

"I simply did what was best for Wonderland. If their was a vile beast making the inhabitants of Neverland suffer, you would probably do the same," Alice whispered back to her friend before turning back to the arches and columns of the Palace. She ran her hands over the white surface of a table once before looking at it sadly and muttering a sorry. Her fingers, it seemed, had not been cleaned since before her trip down the portal and the trip over to the palace had been quite a dirty one, leaving her hands a bit less spotless than they should.

Alice was about to run off to find a bathroom and apologize more thoroughly to the poor table when a she heard the tale-tell thumping of two feet on the ground and the always-worried voice of the white rabbit.

"My Queen I really don't- I don't think it is the best idea- Miss please disregard my rudeness but your grace, please keep your decorum!" The rabbit said, causing Alice to look to the door, where The White Queen was positively rushing to Alice. Her dress was crumpled in her hands and her shoes were clacking against the floor, but she still looked as graceful as ever. The brilliant gold crown of Wonderland still sat atop her white hair and her skin was slightly flushed with her apparent happiness, but it was still the stark white-that-wasn't-as-stark-as-the-hatter's-skin white that she remembered.

The Queen enveloped Alice in a hug that reminded of the hugs that tv-show teenagers always gave each other after a long time without seeing one another, but somehow more graceful. The White Rabbit was right behind her, muttering about how she should try to keep her pace steady and how it wasn't proper for a queen to greet her subjects in such a rowdy way.

"And you, Alice, you are late. Very late!" The rabbit said, and Alice, now out of the embrace, sank to the balls of her feet to grab the watch the Rabbit was brandishing away from him, causing a loud gasp.

"And now you'll never know, will you?" Alice said with a smile before placing the watch onto the table. "And, your grace, I have something I need your help with. Normally I wouldn't wish to bother you with my petty desires, but this is...this is more important. This is Wendy, and this is Peter," Alice pointed out her friends quickly before remembering she had forgotten to bow. She corrected herself and curtsied.

"Dear Alice, you are my Champion. We are passed the formalities, are we not? Now, I'm sure I can help your friends in some way, but for now we must celebrate your return! Oh, it will be glorious," The White Queen assured Alice in a calm tone before telling the Rabbit to clear any meetings she had for the day.

"Oh, I'm sure it will be your grace, but I really must insist on your help presently. You see, Peter isn't from Wonderland, nor is he from the mortal world. He's from a place called Neverland and I-I messed up. I meant to send Peter back to his home but I ended up here instead and I have to right my error," Alice said quickly, looking at the Queen with as much heart as she could manage.

"I didn't realize this was so important. I'm sure we can right any issues, though. Come. March is preparing dinner and all of my potion items are set out. I was meddling earlier," The queen giggled like this was funny and Alice smiled with her, knowing she found joy in anything out of the ordinary. Alice followed after the figure of the Queen and stepped back only long enough to warn Wendy and Peter to duck before she was off again, into the kitchens.

The Hare seemed in a pretty well mood, only throwing one bowl over Alice's head, and that bowl was plastic and didn't shatter when it hit the ground. Alice picked it up carefully and placed it on the bar just as the White Queen began to meddle with the various items in front of her. "Well, how many I help the friends of my Champion?" the White Queen said before looking expectantly towards Peter.