Disclaimer: I don't own anything, no exceptions. Don't sue the poor college kid.

A/N: Please, stay with me on this. It's going to take a little bit to explain everything. Yes, there are some random inclusions not canon from either movie or book. All will be explained, trust me. Also this is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine. On to the story!

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Alice stepped out of the Woods to a ruin of a once grand castle. Everything was shades of blue, like Marmoreal's whiteness. The ruins of spires and walls, parapets and doors and windows. Colored window glass glinted like a shattered rainbow across the rubble, jagged pieces still clinging like broken teeth along half collapsed walls.

Once magnificent gardens are overwild and dying - strangled by death and neglect. The stone path she walked along was broken and missing pieces to was had to have been a beautiful and intricate design.

An inexplicable, all consuming sorrow settled in her soul, as Alice walked slowly up the center of the ceiling-less throne hall. Standing before a lonely, bloody and almost defeated chair something like true desolation gripped the blue-eyed girl and she turned to her companion. She was asking something - catching a brief glitter of emerald before she reached out and she was -

- gasping, bolting upright in her bed, shaking and damp. She was in her bed at home in London, finally after two long years at sea. Two endless years of rebuilding and expanding her Father's company.

Alice sighed shakily, putting her head in her hands and resting them against her up drawn knees.

The same dream, or rather, the same dream and it's progression. Such an odd, prophetic dream, she breathed deep to steady herself.

Alice slipped from her bed and went to her window, pushing aside the drapes. She saw the world of London thrown in contrasts of blue and white and black from the high, full moon.

A fluttering blue - vivid, neon against the pallid world of night - caught her eye and she inhaled sharply.

"Absolem?" She pressed her hand to the glass as the butterfly settled against the sill.

She wasn't surprised, startled perhaps, but not surprised. Alice couldn't put her finger on it, but she was positive she shouldn't be this calm, this knowing.

"Meet me down stairs." She told him, then whirled and grabbed her dressing gown - slipping into it as she darted like a shadow down the stairs and out the backdoor to the tiny gardens of their city home.

Absolem fluttered to land delicately on her hand and she smiled fondly at him.

"What brings you to me at this hour, my friend?" She asked softly, walking with him carefully until she found the bench in the back corner of the garden beneath the oak tree.

"You have been Dreaming, Alice. It's brought me here." Absolem told her, and was not surprised when the young blonde woman tilted her head in confusion.

"That sounds much more complicated than simple dreams, and I believe it is. I didn't mean to call you unnecessarily, Absolem." Alice apologized and the butterfly gave her an exasperated glare.

Or as well as he could as a butterfly in the Overworld, anyway.

"Silly girl, you didn't call me. Your Dreamself was spotted in Underland." Absolem said, watching the weight of that hit her - Alice's eyes went wide and quite eerily bright in the shadows.

Absolem hummed contentedly. Underland would be in safe hands with this one, he thought.

"Time for me to go home, isn't it?" She asked softly, looking as if relief was going to collapse her.

"Yes, dear. Long past time." Absolem said and she smiled, with an agreeing nod.

"Take me to Underland, Absolem. Show me." Alice said, standing and looking quite resolute.

"Come then, we need your mirror." Absolem said fluttering up and leading her back into the house and to her room where her long oval mirror stood in the corner glinting just so in the shadows.

"Keep in your mind where you wish to be and simply go through. I shall accompany you." Absolem said, settling on her shoulder.

Alice closed her eyes and imagined Underland with all it's inhabitants, it's lands full of wonder - imagined quite clearly a gap toothed smile and mood-toned eyes, then opened her eyes and carefully climbed through her mirror.

She climbed out of another mirror, similar in size and shape, into another bedroom clearly not her own.

Absolem chuckled, "Of course, here is where you'd wish to be."

But Alice had never seen this place before, never seen the large hastily made bed with mismatching blankets and linens. Never seen the oddly shaped windows and their multihued draperies.

But she did know this place, she knew who lived there and she gave Absolem a affectionate quelling look.

"Not a word from you, sir." She said and he laughed.

There was a quiet music coming from the floor below so Alice padded quietly out of the bedroom and down surprisingly sturdy, unsqueaky stairs (from all appearances the staircase looked ready to crumble to pieces if Absolem so much as sneezed near them) to follow the spill of warm light and music from behind a half shut door.

Alice saw Absolem flutter off someplace out of the corner of her eye as she pushed the door open a little more and slipped through.

It was a magnificent workshop - long well built tables, sets of drawers with neat labels, stands and mannequins - though bits of everything were strewn about in the mad wonder of creation. Boxes upon boxes of hats were piled around and hats of every imaginable kind, shape, color and fancy were cluttering the place up.

In the midst of it all was the one Alice missed most of all, her beloved Hatter. Working diligently as he hummed along to the tune coming from the record player in the corner. Alice smiled, even though a few tears dropped down her cheeks, oh how she had missed him so.

"Tarrant?" She called from where she stood by the door, so she didn't startle him.

He jumped about a foot anyway, and she bit her lip against a giggle when he spun looking a little wild, brandishing a hatpin.

"Alice?" He stared, his eyes flowing from the deepest of green to the lightest of orange-gold and back. A broad grin broke across his face and in two long strides he'd gathered her up and hugged her close and fierce. She threw her arms around his neck and held on just as dearly, not minding at all her feet no longer touched the floor, not with a strong arm around her waist and a warm hand in her hair.

"Aye, 'tis you." He set her down but didn't let go, leaning back just enough to study her face, "And you're late! As usual, naughty."

Alice laughed, "At least I am neither too tall nor too small this time!"

An odd look flickered over his face, and she swallowed her laughter, feeling a warmth bloom in her at the look darkening his eyes and his voice.

"Nay, yer not that's true." He rumbled softly, stroking her face with a work roughened finger.