Disclaimer: I don't own anything, actually. I'm just playing with the characters that other people have created.

A/N: I loved the mini-series Alice that was just on recently, though I wished it had been longer. I enjoyed the fact that Alice was a black-belt, but I decided to take it one step further and make her a Vampire Slayer and shake the story up a bit. I didn't stick this in the actual crossover section because none of the original BtVS characters make an appearance, at least not till the very end and then probably only one or two. This story is about Alice and her adventures in Wonderland; I just add a little spice to it is all.

I'm changing where Alice and her mom live to Cleveland, Ohio (I think it's implied that they live in New York City). Alice will be slightly different personality-wise, but I think I make an improvement upon her character. I am following the outline of the mini-series, but since this is technically AU, not everything will go according to the script. Hatter and Charlie were perfect as they are, so I plan on sticking to their characters.

By the way, it is not necessary for one to have watched every single episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or even any of the show at all in order to understand the story, but if any readers have a specific question just send me a message. I'll either answer it in a reply or it will simply be explained later in the story. I'll shut up now and get on with the story.

Full Summary: AU Alice Hamilton, a Vampire Slayer, finds herself in an unusual situation after her boyfriend is abducted. In an attempt to rescue him, she ends up in Wonderland, right in the middle of a political quagmire where revolution is brewing and human emotions are a black market commodity. A smarmy but annoyingly charming and handsome tea shop owner/double agent, a lone white knight somewhat removed from reality, a psychotic queen with a penchant for beheading, and an assassin with a robotic rabbit head...nothing a Slayer can't handle. So long as she keeps her feet no more than six feet above ground.

Prologue

It was a slow night.

Well, slow was probably an inadequate term for it. It was far too generous, really. This night, aside from the normal sounds of a vibrant city, was actually more like a dead night. Even so, it was a lovely early spring night. The crescendo of a thunderstorm had just finished its last note, lumbering its way further towards the East Coast. The finishing shower was leveling off into a sprinkling mist. The rain had temporarily diminished the less pleasant stenches of sewage, garbage, and decay drifting from the darkened alleyways and cemeteries. The girl currently roaming through one such dark alley was at least thankful for that.

She was a petite young woman, with long hair tied back behind her head to hang down her back in a cable of dark silk. Her skin, a naturally pale hue, contrasted dramatically with her nearly black hair. Her eyes were a lustrous sapphire blue which surveyed her surroundings with practiced vigilance. She was dressed in clothes which blended easily with the darkness. Black boots with silver buckles rose halfway up her calves over top of tight black leather pants. The black leather jacket she wore brushed past her hips and concealed the long dagger and stake she had sheathed at her belt. Two more lethally sharp knives were hidden in her boots.

Normally, it would be a foolish move for a young woman to be casually jaunting down dark alleys in the wee hours of the morning alone. In fact, it was not just foolish. For a city such as Cleveland, it could very well be the last jaunt such a young woman ever had. Alice Hamilton, however, was not like most other young women. Most young women did not go out into the night dressed in subtly disguised leather armor whilst packing quite a few sharp, pointy weapons on their persons. Most young women possessed neither the skills nor the abilities to properly handle the dangers one could come across in a dark alley. Most young women did not pursue such dangers, either. On the contrary, Alice was practically begging one of those dangers to make an appearance. A Vampire Slayer with nerves strung as taut as her own needed something acceptable to take her anxiety out on.

"Of course, out of all the nights for all the vamps to take a vacation they have to pick this one," the girl mumbled quietly to herself.

The night was dead in Alice's view precisely because of the lack of undead activity. This was a rare occurrence because the city of Cleveland was built over a mystical dark node called a hellmouth. Usually, a girl like Alice could count on having at least a dozen or so vampires to thrash and dust before dawn. She had been out here wandering around the western side of Cleveland for well over three hours. Not a single vampire or demon had made an appearance. She could not even sense any within her vicinity.

Three dozen Slayers, including Alice, guarded the Cleveland hellmouth, which was, currently, the last remaining hellmouth in the United States. They normally patrolled in teams of four to six, sometimes more depending on what the situation entailed. All Slayers were equipped with the necessary training to hunt and fight solo, which was more intrinsic to their natures. But Alice had not even been scheduled for duty tonight. There was currently no major conflict going on that warranted the full, concurrent attention of all active-duty Slayers. She had gone out of her own accord for one simple yet annoying reason. Her nerves were wound tighter than a coiled spring and she needed something to release that negative energy before she exploded in a less suitable environment, such as the karate class she would be teaching tomorrow afternoon.

A man she had been seeing for a while was finally going to meet her mother tomorrow night. For most girls, this could cause some anxiety, but not enough to drive them out into the night recklessly looking for a supernatural brawl. But Alice was not most girls. Her luck with men was notoriously heinous. She may not have possessed the infamous track record of Buffy Summers, commander of all the Slayers, but her own history with the male sex had enough heartbreak and disappointment to supply a soap opera for a few seasons.

She liked Jack Chase. She liked him a lot. Whether or not that like would ever blossom into love was still up in the air, especially so early into the relationship. But, then again, she was not certain she could ever really love a man. Giving her heart to someone inspired more terror within her than taking on a whole group of axe-wielding demons solo. One man had all but destroyed her fragile heart once, and she had only been a child then. Her defenses had since been impenetrable in spite of the some of the valiant attempts of every boyfriend and lover to cross her path through the past few years. But Alice liked to think Jack was a man she could come to love some day. She liked to think he stood above the rest. There was something about him that set him apart from her former boyfriends, something intangible that she had not yet been able to figure out. The hopeful part of her viewed it as a turning point in her life, the point where she conquered that commitment trepidation and opened herself completely up to the possibility of love. The cynical portion of her personality was stronger, though. It was so deeply entrenched that it could not see past the heart that was broken. It wanted to protect that heart from further pain at all costs. Hence, her extreme contradiction of optimism and reservation over the next evening.

Alice sighed dejectedly as she reached an old cemetery. Many of the tombstones were so old the ground had practically swallowed them up. There was a strong earthy scent in the air, the scent of loam, soil, and age mixed together. To her knowledge, no one had been buried here in a few years, making it very unlikely any fledglings would be clawing themselves out of the dirt. A newborn vampire would be far too easy of a target for a veteran Slayer anyway. She stood before the rusted wrought-iron gate, staring at the place with indecision. Inside her head, she reasoned with herself. Just go home and go to bed, Alice. The girls probably swept through and killed all the interesting ones and scared off all the wimpy ones. Besides, the last thing you need is a bruise on your face or a broken bone to have to explain to Mom and Jack, anyway.

Her job complicated things immensely. Her own mother did not even know about it, and Alice intended to keep it that way. Her mother believed her to be merely a college student and part-time martial arts instructor. Alice did not believe her mother could accept the fact that her only child battled creatures which most of the world believed to be fictional. Mostly, she did not want her mother worrying about her. It was not easy deceiving her, but, in Alice's opinion, deception was worth her mother's peace of mind. As for Jack, he had not been in her life long enough to earn the right to know about her secret life. She had no idea how he would react to the information that vampires and demons and all those creatures in the bedtime stories parents told their children to scare them into submission were real. If things progressed in their relationship as she hoped they would, she might tell him. She probably would, if only because she truly believed romantic relationships were doomed to failure if there was no trust and honesty between the two people. For now, she decided she would cross that bridge if, and when, she made it there.

She stood there, breathing in the deep, peaceful ambiance of the ancient cemetery. Lightning arced across the sky in a jagged white beam, illuminating Alice's soft features for a split-second. The rain which had been little more than a barely noticeable drizzle began to increase its force. She cocked a quizzical gaze up at the sky, allowing her face to feel the splash of the raindrops. Perhaps the storm was not through with them after all. With that in mind, Alice gave up on her quest for stress release and turned around to begin the journey back home. For good or for ill, she had a very important date tomorrow night. It was probably best she was rested for it.

Sorry for the no Slayer action. This is merely an introductory chapter to provide a little background information and a glimpse of Alice's life as a Slayer. Several chapters have already been written, but are, of course, subject to changes at my whim or if any readers offer brilliant suggestions.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated!

*Edited and Re-Posted Apr. 17, 2011*