A/N: I was happily writing away the next chapter of 'In a Time of Magic' when a plot bunny wearing a waistcoat popped into my head. He insisted so much that in order to get him to leave, I had to write him down. So here we are. My first one-shot. :)

Summary: Alice is back from Wonderland, and can't help but wonder whether it was all a dream... One-shot based on the last scene of SyFy's Alice. Here be spoilers.

SPOILER ALERT – If you haven't yet seen SyFy's rendition of Alice in Wonderland please be aware this story is about the last scene of the miniseries, and gives away key plot points.

Disclaimer: Although I was named after Lewis Caroll's famous heroine, I do not own Alice in Wonderland (except for a nifty reprint copy with original drawings and text I got at the local bookstore years ago). I'm not sure who owns the rights, but it aint me.

Alice had never felt so confused in her life.

Had she really been to Wonderland? Or was it just some concussion-induced dream? Even if it was, she knew she could no longer search for her dad. It was something she had to let go, lest it drive her mad.

Mad....

Hatter came into her mind. Messy dark hair, happy-go-lucky smile, warm dark eyes full of mischief, hands twirling that stupid hat of his.

Her heart clenched.

He was weird, and kind, and just so full of life. How could her mind make up someone so real? The thought of him never having existed cut through her heart. He couldn't be just a dream, he just couldn't. Wasn't the pain of losing him proof of that? The empty, gut-wrenching feeling in her stomach she got whenever she thought of never seeing him again, or arguing about some random, insignificant little thing?

How could you miss someone so much if they had never existed?

Was that possible?

Maybe that's why he hadn't asked her to stay, hadn't tried to follow. Because he couldn't. A figment of imagination only exists in the head of their creator after all.

Alice wasn't really aware of how long she was in the hospital. Staying in a bed all day long messed up her sense of time. Maybe she'd been there a week. Or was it a day? She didn't really keep track. Mourning over her father and the loss of Hatter took up most of her attention. Alice didn't show it, of course, she wouldn't cry when someone was with her. Last thing she wanted was to be stuck in a white padded room again.

Eventually her mom had taken her home. The day after she got back to her own house she quietly got to work on clearing out her father's things, her map, everything. Her mother questioned her about it, worried, but all Alice was able to reply was that she wouldn't be needing those things anymore. What she really meant was she couldn't bear to look at them. Not yet. Maybe once the wounds had healed, scarred over.

Picking up her copy of 'Alice in Wonderland' she thought of the times her father had read to her from the battered old book. Making up silly voices to fit each character. She thought of Hatter, and how different he was from the Hatter in the book. Yet still just as bouncy and agitated as his famous predecessor.

Her mother interrupted her thoughts, calling her insistently again to meet the construction worker. It wasn't like Alice wasn't grateful that a stranger had come to her aid. She knew how lucky she was a kind soul had found her and done something to help. But she felt a twinge of resentment towards this David. It was illogical to blame the poor man, but she felt that somehow it was his fault Hatter wasn't with her right now.

Non-enthusiastically Alice put the book down, and with a sigh made her way to the apartment's entrance.

Alice made her anticlimactic appearance, looked up... and forgot to breathe.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was in his arms, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, clinging to him for dear life. He was real. He was here. Now she'd found him again she was never gonna let him go, revelling in the warmth and strength his arms provided. She heard him softly breathe out "Finally!".

Alice said the only thing her mind was able to at the moment.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

She felt him draw her closer, tighten the hug. A non-verbal reply of 'Me too'.

They kissed as though they hadn't seen each other in weeks. Maybe they hadn't. The time apart was unimportant. What mattered was they were together again. They broke apart for air, staring into each other's eyes, drinking in the feeling of being together again.

"I missed you," he murmured, and they were at it again.

A/N: Good? Bad? Meh? Let me know what you think!