So we've come to -Dun dun dun- the end! I would be more enthusiastic if I weren't dead tired, sorry! I'm going to be frank here: I am pretty sick of writing this story. I've got a different idea that I really want to start writing (Actually, I think I'll plot this one out first!), plus all this crazy homework. Also, we got a new dog!! His name is Victor and he is super awesome. :)

As far as this particular chapter goes, I'm not completely satisfied with it. I may or may not revise some parts in the future, but it all just depends. :O Anyway, it's been pretty fun writing this, and I want to thank everybody who took the time to read/review/add to alerts/etc. Thank you so much!!!! This story received so much more love and attention than I ever could have expected, and I am so, so grateful to you guys! Much hugs and tea to you!! -Kiss kiss kiss hug hug hug xoxoxoxo-

As always, I own nothing! Tim Burton/Lewis Carrol do!

Alice sighed, interrupted by a big clock alerting her that it was six in the evening, and looked up from her book to the pond, where a few ducks were dunking their heads under the water in search of food and having a heated debate about what sort of fish was tastiest. She looked up at the blue sky, tinted with orange at the edges, scanned the cottony clouds, then closed her eyes as a warm breeze rushed over her. It was late summer in Underland. The trees were just beginning their turn from green to gold, but the air was holding desperately to the lingering warmth, even during the increasing rain. This was the best time of year, she thought.

It had been almost a year since her courtship with Stayne had officially begun, and it had taken a long time but eventually most of the awkwardness surrounding it had faded. There were still so many things to sort out, countless issues that had already and would arise, and Alice's fickle trust in him had yet to solidify on either side of the fence, but for the most part it was a pleasant, quietly passionate affair.

The wind passed. Alice opened her eyes and gazed at the ducks again, her mind grazing over the book she held. She had tried her hardest to concentrate on it, but to no avail. Her thoughts were occupied with other things, most prominently swordplay. She had just finished a rigorous training session against Tarrant, adding a few new moves to her mental arsenal. By now she was quite knowledgeable in sword-fighting. Sometimes she wished that the Jabberwocky was still alive just so she could slay it again now that she knew what she was doing.

She glanced beside her at the simple wicker basket she'd brought. There was a little cloth on top, covering a meager meal. She pushed herself farther back on the bench, drumming her fingers on the front cover of her now-closed book. Stayne would be arriving any moment to join her for dinner, which did not happen very often. She didn't mind so much. She enjoyed the time they had together, but did not feel any desire to spend every last moment with him. She had seen it happen more than once in London and it had greatly annoyed her. She did not understand how two people could be so… obsessed with each other. She liked Stayne – loved him, actually, although it was still strange to admit it – but that was no excuse to loiter in his presence every second of every day, and she had no desire to.

Falling in love was not how she had imagined it would be. Then again, her particular situation was not normal, so maybe she would never know. She had not expected to be so hesitant or uncertain, but of course she had not expected to fall head over heels. Really, she did not know what she had expected.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Stayne rounding the corner, looking winded. He paused when he spotted her, catching his breath before walking over and sitting down beside her. She watched him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded.

"A minor scuffle," he said, and went no further. She nodded. That was enough for her.

"Well…" she said, standing up and picking up the basket. "I thought that we could sit over there by that tree." She pointed to a large tree on the opposite side of the pond. He stood up and nodded, falling into step beside her as she walked. It was a silent trip to the tree, which struck her as a bit strange. Usually he had something, even if it was insignificant, to tell her, but today he seemed distracted. She looked up at him from under her lashes. He was staring ahead, looking distant, his face flushed from his apparent run here. She tightened her grip on the basket, feeling a small, silly fear settle in her stomach. What if he was going to call this off? What if he had decided he no longer wished to court her? Perhaps he was just trying to figure out the best way to tell her… He had been rather distracted the past few days…

No. She closed her eyes. No, it was fine. She was being silly.

He helped her spread out the blanket on the ground, and then she unpacked the little meal. It consisted of various different sandwiches and fruit, as well as some sort of Underland-specific fruit juice to drink. It was not fancy at all, but it went unnoticed.

Neither of them had much of an appetite. Stayne had removed his breastplate and set it aside, and now he was lying down on the blanket with just an orange and nothing else. She crawled over and sat down next to him, peeling her own orange.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked. "You haven't been yourself lately. Everyone's noticed. Even Tarrant."

He looked up at her, looking a bit like a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I'm fine," he said, smiling. She raised an eyebrow. His gaze lingered on her for a few moments, softening, before he looked away. She felt her stomach give a small, familiar lurch at the subtle shift, at the quiet fondness she'd caught in his face before he returned to being blank.

"You've been quieter than usual," she said, stretching her legs out in front of her and discarding her orange peel.

"Really, Alice, I am fine," he said, sounding not at all fine and, in fact, quite solemn.

"I don't believe you," she said. He looked up at her again, a deadpan expression on his face, but she stared at her orange, picking at random bits to appear occupied. "If there's something bothering you, you can tell me."

He sighed. "There is nothing bothering me," he insisted. She just shook her head. She knew he was lying, but she didn't push it any further. He set his orange on the blanket beside him and tucked his arms under his head. There was a long silence. A part of Alice wanted to lie down beside him and nestle into his side and stare up at the leaves with him, but another, larger part of her was too annoyed at his stubbornness to want to do anything with him. She figured she would just give it a rest for now and come back to it some other time.

"I've been thinking about paying a visit to the Red Queen's castle," he said. She nearly dropped her orange, her gaze involuntarily snapping to his face.

"Why?" she asked blankly.

"I'm curious," he said. "I'm curious as to what it's become."

"I'm not," she said, taking a bite of her orange.

"No, I don't imagine you are," he said. "I'm not asking you to come with me."

She set her orange down on the blanket beside her with a little more force than was necessary. "I will, if you want," she said, trying not to sound irritated and failing.

He burst into laughter. She hovered between being even more irritated and being relieved that he was showing any sort of emotion at all. He rolled onto his stomach and looked at her, a playful spark in his eye, before tossing an arm around her torso and rolling over. Before she had time to react, she was jolted over his body and to his other side. She ended up lying on her side, facing him, his arms wrapped tightly around her back. She felt her breathing become shallow and her heart begin racing, her annoyance giving way to confusion. Within seconds, he leaned his forehead against hers, his eye closed, his voice quiet.

"Marry me," he mumbled, his words slurred together, almost as if they had slipped through his lips on accident.

She felt the entire moment come to a screeching halt, all thoughts in her head replaced with a loud, blank buzzing that vibrated through her skull. She could have sworn that her heart stopped beating, and all breath escaped her body, leaving her feeling helpless and absolutely baffled. Stayne remained in close proximity, surprisingly relaxed in contrast to her chaotic thoughts, his breath warm against her neck.

"W… What?" she asked, her voice monotone. He furrowed his brow, moving even closer to her.

"Marry me, Alice," he said, his voice just barely above a whisper. She gripped his shirt, trying her hardest to keep her thoughts straight, which proved to be an incredibly difficult feat. Dozens upon dozens of thoughts all wanted to invade her jumbled brain all at once, while she was just trying to concentrate on what he was asking right at that moment.

"Are… Are you serious?" she asked.

He began laughing at her again, opening his eye. "I am absolutely serious," he said. Her eyes burned and she buried her face in his chest to hide it. She felt a million different things all at once, from fear to happiness to bewilderment, her hands shaking, her heart rioting inside her chest so hard it was almost painful. Here she was, worried that he might not want her, when in reality he wanted her to marry him? He was sincere now, all traces of laughter gone as he leaned down towards her. He released her and found her hands, his fingers closing around hers and holding them against his shoulders.

She pulled away and looked at him. "I will," she said, trying to keep the ridiculous laughter out of her voice. "Of course I will marry you." She freed one of her hands to take hold of his face, unable to resist leaning up and kissing him. "And I'll go to the Red Queen's castle with you if want. I'll go with you wherever you want." She pinched her lips together to stop herself from talking anymore, her cheeks burning, feeling like more of a fool than she had ever felt before. He gave her a relieved smile, slipping his arms around her back and pulling her close. Alice buried her face in the warmth of his chest again, trying to keep herself from bursting into tears.

She could not keep the smile off her face for the rest of the day.

----

Alice fumbled with the pen in her hand as she tried to write to Margaret. She had been surprised to learn that she could, but it had turned out to be a great comfort. Margaret gave her regular reports as to the condition of London, and of their mother, who had been told that Alice had gone to America. At the moment, Alice was attempting to figure out the best way to announce to Margaret that she was now engaged, but every time she went to write it down her mind wandered down a different path.

Her stomach tied itself into knots when she thought about it. She was going to be married… It was otherworldly, in a way. It made her head spin, her heart race, her fingers shake in anticipation. It made her want to giggle and jump and dance around the room, but she remained steadfastly in her seat. She would not resort to such flamboyant displays. She had yet to even fully grasp the idea, the fact that she would be getting married to Ilosovic Stayne. She could barely manage to resist saying her name and attaching his last name to the end, and when she thought of it she felt more than a bit embarrassed. She had to get a hold of herself, or she was sure she would go mad.

She stood up and walked to her window, opening it just enough to get some fresh air. She leaned forward, resting her face against the glass and closing her eyes, trying to straighten her thoughts out. Being so obsessed with the thought of marriage just seemed silly to her, and some part of her loathed that she was being such a silly little girl, yet she decided to ignore and push away that part. Being engaged was a happy event, and she would not let cynicism ruin it.

She was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, causing a peculiar pins-and-needles sensation to buzz through her body. She ran over to her mirror, straightened her hair, and pulled a robe on, tying it around her waist. Just for good measure, she pinched her cheeks a few times before going to the door and opening it. To a mixed relief and disappointment, she found the White Queen on the other side of the threshold, still in full dress. Alice made a small curtsy and stepped back.

"Oh, your majesty," she said, "Hello. I was not expecting you."

Mirana remained still for a moment, and then a large grin spread across her lips and she walked into the room, grabbing Alice's hands and squeezing them.

"Dear Alice, I heard the news," she said. Alice blushed.

"You did?" she asked.

"Indeed. Gossip spreads like wildfire here in the castle," Mirana said. "I came to offer my congratulations. You are excited, I presume?"

Alice could only nod, the embarrassing, almost overwhelming urge to burst into tears returning to her.

"Good," the White Queen said, looking a bit like a proud mother. She glanced around, then gently pushed the door closed with her foot. She leaned forward, looking sly. "I think I ought to give you my present now," she said, excitement laced in her calm voice. Although Alice was puzzled at how the White Queen could have a gift only hours after the engagement had come into existence, she did not question it. Even if it was obvious she had heard the inquiry, she had a curious habit of choosing not to answer, so over time Alice had learned that it was better just to not ask at all.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Mirana pulled a small, rolled-up piece of fabric and held it out to Alice. After casting a wary glance at the Queen and receiving a look of approval in return, she unfurled it. It was very short night-dress, shorter than Alice had ever seen, decorated with lace and ribbon. She felt heat climb up her neck, and when she looked back up at Mirana she was met with a very devious smirk.

"I don't think I need to tell you when you'll be wearing that," she said.

Alice began laughing, the irresistible giddiness finally getting the better of her, and Mirana joined. "Thank you," Alice managed to say, rolling the dress up again.

A knock on the door interrupted them and, turning to find Stayne in the doorway, Alice blushed again. Mirana swallowed her laughter, taking a moment to regain her composure before grabbing Alice's hands. "Well," she said, "I should be going." She kissed Alice's cheek, then left, Stayne stepping out of her way without a word. Alice stuffed the little nightgown into one of the drawers of her dresser, then joined Stayne in the hall.

"Hello," she said, trying not to sound too awkward.

"Hello," he replied. There was a moment of silence. "I've got something for you."

She smiled, struck by the amusing thought of two different gifts within minutes of each other. "I… really?" she asked.

"Well, yes," he said, reaching into his back pocket as he spoke. He grabbed her hand and, without really waiting, slid a simple gold ring onto her finger. She blushed. The ring seemed to send pins and needles through her skin, up her arm and into her chest. She failed to mask the smile that appeared on her lips as she looked up at him.

"Well…" she said, "Thank you." The corners of his lips turned upwards. He leaned down and kissed her lips, then her closed eyelid, leaving her skin tingling. As he tried to pull away, she grabbed his face in her hands, holding him there for a long, lingering moment before kissing his chin and letting him go.

"Goodnight," he said, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it. She suppressed a giggle.

"Goodnight," she told him breathlessly, her heart racing. He gave her a smile – a small, but sincere smile – and a bow, then turned and walked down the hall. She went back to her room and closed the door, leaning against it. Her gaze went to the ring, as if magnetized, where it rested on her finger, burning the skin. She tried to resist the giddy laughter that wanted to escape her, but it bubbled through despite her efforts.

She clenched her hands into fists and jumped around the room. Her future looked bright.

Very, very bright, with no clouds in the sky.

----

--The End--