DISCLAIMER: We DO NOT own any of the characters from Disney's "Adventures in Wonderland". I however, do own Alicen Sierra Kimberly Miller and her family and her friends, along with anyone else you don't recognize. I also own the words to "Through Thick and Thin." If anyone would like to use them, please ask my permission first.

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Enjoy

A/N: This story contains the subject of rape and how my own Alice deals with the aftermath. Use good judgment when reading it

"Alice's Secret"

Chapter 14-Through Thick and Thin

Early the next morning, Alice jumped as she heard the sound of a door opening and then closing again.

She sighed with relief as she glanced up to see the Queen sit down beside her. She gave her mother a small smile.

"You can't sleep either?" The Queen questioned, putting a loving arm around Alice.

Alice shook her head.

"I'm scared, Mom. I don't want to do this, but I know I have to. I need to put "him" where he belongs."

"That's right." The Queen agreed, making calming circles on Alice's back. "Besides, you promised me you would do this. And remember what I always say?"

She winked and Alice actually let out a giggle. It was soft, but the Queen heard it all the same. It was truly music to her ears.

"Nobody corrects the Queen?" Alice asked, a small smirk on her face.

The Queen shook her head as she nudged Alice in the ribs slightly.

Alice let out a small giggle, which caused the Queen to laugh softly as well.

After both had calmed down, Alice said what she knew her mother was getting at.

"Never break a promise."

"Good girl. That's right. Now, do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

Alice sighed as she tried to put her fears into words.

"I'm afraid nobody will believe me. I'm afraid I won't be able to tell the judge the truth. I'm…I'm just afraid of the whole thing." The young girl confessed, tears springing to her bluish green eyes.

The Queen nodded as she took her daughter into her arms and gave her a hug.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Alice. It's all right, my dear. You're going to do great. I know you will."

"But I could barely tell my grandmother and Mike without chickening out. How am I going to tell a bunch of strangers?"

The Queen sighed.

"You know what I do whenever I have to speak in front of a group of people and I get scared?"

Alice shook her head. She then got an incredulous look on her face and asked, "You get scared?"

The Queen nodded.

"Oh my yes. Even queens are scared sometimes."

Alice nodded.

"What do you do?" Alice asked, wanting a solution to make her fear go away.

The Queen smiled.

"I think of you."

"You do?" Alice asked, not daring to believe the Queen used her as a means of not being afraid.

The Queen nodded.

"Yes. I think of you and how proud of me you were when I did that one speech at the hearing to get custody of you. You were counting on me and I came through for you. I came through for you because I Love you, Alice. I love you as if you were my own. And I knew you had faith in me. Now, it's your turn to be brave. I have faith in you. I know you can do it. Will you try for me?"

Alice nodded as she gave her mother a hug.

"Yes, You're Majesty." She said, earnestly.

"That's my girl. All right, let's see if we can both get some more rest. Hmm?"

Alice nodded and followed the Queen back into the palace.

After Alice was tucked in, the Queen stayed with her until Alice's steady breathing could be heard. The Queen knew Alice had a tough day ahead of her, but she also knew her daughter. Alice would do whatever it took to keep her promise. The Queen had faith in her daughter that she would come out on top…

A few hours later, Alice shook as she sat in the back of the courtroom the next day. She was afraid something awful that morning. She wasn't able to eat breakfast and she had even gotten sick three times before the Queen managed to get her to keep some tea down.

When it was time for Alice to leave, she didn't want to and showed it by clinging to the Queen for a full ten minutes.

It took a lot of coaxing from Dee, but he finally convinced Alice to let go and he took her back to the entrance. He waited till she had gone through her mirror before leaving.

Her brother stayed for a few minutes to make sure she didn't back out. He felt bad for her, but he knew it had to be done.

Before Alice had left, Dee had a pep talk with his little sister.

Dee gave Alice a small smile as he knelt down in front of her.

"Alie, I know you're afraid," Dee said, using his nickname for his little sister, "but you have to do this. You know it's the only way to make everything all right again, right?"

Alice nodded as she swallowed back a sob. She glanced back at the forest and Dee put a hand on Alice's shoulder to keep her from running back to the palace.

He knew Alice was scared, he could see it in her eyes. But he also knew she could do this. She had the courage to do this. He just had to help her find it.

"You can do this," Dee encouraged, giving Alice a small hug. "I know you can. And once you do, you'll feel so much better. I know you will. In fact, you'll be better than before."

Alice nodded, still a little unsure.

"Will you take good care of Sammie?" Alice asked, trying to find a way to change the subject.

Dee nodded.

"You know it. Now, go get 'em, sis."

"All right." Alice said, with a sigh. She gave Dee one more hug before turning around and heading for her mirror.

Alice stepped through it, only glancing back at her home once, wishing she could go back. She knew she would be able to once this was all over. The only question was, would she be able to go through with it?

Alice shook as her mind floated back to the present. She wanted to run back home, but something kept her from leaving. She didn't know what it was exactly, but it sounded strangely like the Queen's voice saying. "Don't you dare move, young lady."

Alice laughed softly at the thought. She knew her mother wasn't that stern with her anymore, but she had to be when Alice was younger and got a little too excited about things.

Alice held her breath as Justin answered her lawyer's questions. She hoped he would get put away for good. But Alice knew deep down in her heart that she would have to be the one to make that happen.

It wasn't long before Alice was called to the stand. Her knees felt weak and she swallowed hard as she walked up to the stand.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" The judge asked, giving Alice a kind, but serious look.

"Yes, ma'am." Alice said, placing her right hand upon the Bible.

"All right then. Let's begin." With that, Justin's lawyer started asking Alice questions.

"Is it true that you stayed behind with my client while his brother went to get the seats?"

"Yes." Alice answered, honestly.

"Why did you do that?" The lawyer asked, giving Alice a Look. "Why didn't you just go with Kyle?"

Alice didn't answer at first. She wasn't sure how to answer that question.

"I left my coat behind and I wanted to get it." She finally responded, praying that sounded right.

"You could have just gotten it and left with Kyle." Justin's lawyer pressed. "Why didn't you?"

Alice shook her head, feeling her thoughts starting to spin.

"I don't know!" She shouted, in a way she sometimes did if she was frustrated about something.

Mike stepped forward.

"Your honor, is this really necessary? I mean Alice has been through enough already. Why don't you just ask her what you really need to know and be done with it."

The judge eyed the little girl in front of her and her expression softened. She could tell that Alice was in emotional pain and it was her job to make it stop.

"I think that's a good idea." The judge finally declared, giving Alice a reassuring look. "Alice, honey, can you tell us exactly what happened that night?"

Alice nodded, but she didn't speak at first. She felt her legs starting to shake and her head starting to spin.

She felt as though she was either going to faint or throw up. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

As she did this, she saw her mother and Dee in her mind. They were both cheering her on.

"You can do it, Alie." Alice heard Dee say in her mind.

"I have faith in you." The Queen assured her, boosting Alice with confidence she didn't know she had.

"Go get 'em, Alice"! Hatter shouted, making Alice giggle softly. Hatter and Hare always got her laughing.

As Alice continued to hear her family's encouraging words in her head, she felt her courage building and building. She felt an inner strength and a sense of calm settle over her.

"We had gone to see a movie and Justin told Kyle to get our seats while we got the snacks. After Kyle left, Justin…" Alice's voice trailed off as tears came to her eyes. She forced herself to stay strong, although a part of her wanted to burst into tears right then and there.

As Alice tried to compose herself, she once again heard her family rooting for her in her mind, giving her the strength to continue.

"He…He held me down and he…I told him to stop, but he didn't listen! I told him he was hurting me, but he didn't listen! It hurt so badly!" With that, Alice broke down right there.

The Judge nodded and motioned for Mike to help Alice calm down.

Mike moved forward and gave Alice a hug. She accepted it, but who she really wanted was her mother. She wanted the Queen there so badly.

"I want my Mom! I want my Mom!" Alice whimpered, burying her face in Mike's shoulder. "I want my Mom!"

Mike was at a loss for words. He knew Alice's biological mother had abandoned her when Alice was four and Sammie was born, so he couldn't figure out why Alice would want her now.

"It's okay, sweetie," Mike said, holding Alice close. "I'll take you to your grandmother. It's okay. I'm very proud of you. You did a great job."

Alice shook her head. She didn't want her grandmother, at least not right then. She just wanted her mother. She wanted the Queen and that was that.

Alice continued to cry while Mike tried to calm her down.

Mike tried to put Alice in Gran's arms, but Alice pushed away and sat on a bench furthest away from her. Alice buried her face in her hands and let out a sob.

Just then, the Judge turned to everyone in the courtroom. She was ready to announce her verdict. She had heard testimonies from Dr. Arielle Larson and Dr. Lucy Chasity. They had given medical reports that were accurate and went into detail about how Alice had acted after the rape had occurred.

"I've come to a verdict," she said, giving Alice a reassuring look.

Everyone in the courtroom hushed up and let the judge continue.

"I find Justin Williams guilty of rape and I sentence him to ten to fifteen years in prison with community service."

It took Alice ten minutes to realize that people were getting ready to leave. As she felt someone touch her arm, she jerked away and got to her feet. She wasn't going to stick around here anymore. She couldn't. Even though it was over, she had to get out of there.

"It's over," Alice heard her grandmother say. "Alice, darling, it's over. It's finally over."

Alice nodded and managed a small smile for her grandmother before dashing out of the room and to the car.

During the twenty minute car ride home, Alice didn't talk much. She didn't even make a move to sing when Gran put her favorite CD on.

Alice wasted no time once they pulled into the driveway. She ran upstairs. She made such an impact with her mirror, that she felt it rattle as it deposited her on the other side.

Alice brushed herself off before heading for the palace. As Alice walked the familiar path, she suddenly felt a sense of peace come over her. She felt tears come to her eyes, but these tears were ones of relief and happiness. It was finally over and Alice couldn't have been happier.

Alice walked into the palace a few minutes later to her expectant family.

They all gave her questioning looks and Dee chimed in with, "Did you get 'em, Alie?"

Alice nodded as the first sincere smile spread across her face in the last two months.

"Yup. It's over. It's all over."

The Queen grinned as she came over and embraced her daughter, kissing her cheek before putting her hands through Alice's golden tresses.

"I am so proud of you!" She said, hugging Alice yet again.

"Thanks, Mom. I was scared," Alice admitted. "I was really scared. I wanted to come back here so badly, but then I heard you guys telling me I could do it and I..I found the courage to tell them everything. Thank you."

Dee grinned as he patted Alice's shoulder before embracing his little sister.

"No thanks needed, Alice. We'll always be here for you."

"Dee's right," Dum chimed in, giving Alice a hug of his own. "We'll be here for you no matter what. Through thick and thin."

Alice grinned as she started to sing, feeling happy for the first time in a long while.

Alice:

When you're in a tough spot

With no way out

A quandary or conundrum

And you don't know where to turn

Look no further than a friend

They'll be there for you

When you're in a fix

You can count on them

They'll be there on the double

Through thick and thin

When you're in trouble

When you're in a jam

A quandary of a mess

With no clue

to help you out

Call the best of the best

Look no further than a friend

They'll be there for you

When you're in a fix

You can count on them

They'll be there

on the double

Through thick and thin

When you're in trouble

You can count on friends

To help you out

When you're in a jam

Have no doubt

All you have to do is ask

They'll be there on the double

Look no further than a friend

They'll be there for you

When you're in a fix

You can count on them

From beginning to end

Through thick and thin

When you're in trouble

"You said it, Alice!" Dee said, smiling at his little sister. "You said it."

Alice nodded, still smiling. She had a smile on her face that lit up the entire courtyard. She never felt happier and she was glad to be back where she belonged.

"I'm glad to be back home," Alice told her friends as she sat down at he tea table to enjoy some tea with the Wonderland gang.

"We're glad to have you back," Hatter assured her.

"Hatter's right, Alice." The Queen said, giving Alice another hug. "Welcome home, my dear."

"Thanks, Mom. There's no place I'd rather be." With that, Alice relaxed and enjoyed time with her friends and family. It looked like things were back to normal in Wonderland once again.

Then again, things were never normal in Wonderland. But for now, they were exactly how they should be.

THE END