Chapter X

I finally get to Jefferson's house and knock on the front door, my stomach is turning in circles in anticipation of seeing his face for the first time since getting my memories back. Seeing him the way I saw him so many years ago makes my body tense up as I hear footsteps walking towards the door. The doorknob squeaks and he opens the door. Seeing his face is too overwhelming, knowing that I would have to leave him again so soon. I run into his arms and don't even try to stop the tears from spilling. He stumbles back a little probably surprised at my running into him, but he just stands there silently, rubbing small circles onto my back and letting me cry. After a minute or so, I pull back from his arms and look up at his face, which looks kind of amused.

"You didn't miss me that much, did you," he asks smiling and stroking my hair, "We just saw each other yesterday."

I giggle, wiping my eyes and looking at the wet spot I created on his dark blue button up shirt. I bring my eyes up to his face, but they stop at his neck. A small gasp escapes my lips when I see a huge scar wrapping all the way around his neck. He must notice where I'm staring because he quickly grabs a thick scarf which he ties around his neck. "W-what happened to you?" I ask him, still staring at his neck where the scar is now covered.

He chuckles a little and takes my hands. "I had a little mishap with the Queen of Hearts back in Wonderland, after Regina tricked me into taking her there, stole my hat and left me stranded there until the curse brought me here," he dismissively explains. I keep my eyebrows raised at him, causing him to laugh. "It's a long story, but we have all the time in the world now," he tells me, slowly bringing me in for the deep kiss I've been waiting for.

It's now that I realize that while it's painfully causing me so much stress right now; getting my ability was most definitely worth it. If I hadn't gotten it, I never would have met Jefferson.

*

Rumpelstiltskin spends a whole five minutes telling me everything I need to know about my powers before he hastily pushes me out the door. I barely get in any time to ask the questions I have. I leave his residence content though, and start walking back to the forest to find a quiet spot where I can lay down. He said I will actually have to fall asleep to get my mind focused enough to travel until I get stronger and more experienced at using my new ability.

I venture into the woods and find a spot where the roots of a tree pop out from the ground, creating a bed-like appearance. There are some wildflowers growing inside, so that should make the ground a little softer to lie on. Getting comfortable, I tightly wrap my brown floral shawl around my body to keep myself warm. I try to relax and think only of Wonderland and of saving Elizabeth to maybe convince my body that it can handle this one night of cold.

Finally after what must have been a few hours, I can feel myself starting to drift off. In my last moments of consciousness I keep Wonderland on my mind before I descend into the darkness of sleep.

*

"Oh!" I gasp when something large falls onto my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. My eyes fly open to see a large purple and black striped cat with the fuzziest fur I have ever seen stretching on my stomach. It's grinning so abnormally huge that I can't tell if it's real or not. I reach my hand towards it, curious to feel the soft looking fur, but its eyes flicker, blue as a robin's egg, and it raises its paws and pushes down my hand.

"No touching the fur kid," says the cat, hopping back on the ground. My jaw drops at his words.

"You can talk!" I exclaim, completely in awe. I think I've been hanging around Christopher for too long, his talking to animals thing is starting to rub off on me.

"You sound surprised," he says, still with that same toothy grin.

"I've never talked to an animal before," I tell him, still not believing that I am right now. He just laughs.

"Well then you very clearly haven't been in Wonderland for very long," he tells me.

"No, I suppose I just arrived in my sleep. Your falling on me woke me up," I joke accusingly. The cat rolls onto his back, still looking at me with his metallic blue eyes.

"You were lying on the pillow I usually land on when I jump out of my tree," he grins. I turn around, and sure enough, there's a huge white feather pillow in the spot I was laying. I can't believe that I didn't notice it before. It's odd really. While I'm looking around, I also see a small cottage on the other side of the tree where the cat must live. "So what are you doing under my tree?" he asks, taking me out of my thoughts.

"I transported myself here from the Enchanted Forest," I tell him proudly.

"Transported here eh? I myself am also a master of the art of teleportation. Not between worlds, but all throughout Wonderland," he tells me, rolling in the grass. I have to admit, he is pretty amusing to watch. "Why did you come here?" he asks.

"My sister was taken by some royal guards from here, I'm here to find her," I explain. The cat stops rolling and looks up at me, looking a little less happy than he was moments ago. That can't be a good sign.

"Your sister must have done something pretty bad to have been taken by the Queen of Hearts. Actually, maybe not," he laughs, "That crazy old queen will behead people for simply winning against her in croquet!"

"Behead people!" I squeal, what if I find out Elizabeth has been beheaded? I don't think I could handle that. What would I do without her?

The cat just laughs some more. "Oh, don't worry, it wouldn't actually kill her. They just reattach the head after the queen gets what she wants. It leaves a nasty scar though from what I've seen," he explains. Hearing this relives me a little, but the whole idea of beheading people is still so shocking.

"Do you know where I can find the queen?" I ask, getting a little more nervous about this whole thing. If the queen really is that short tempered, I don't know that I really want to get on her bad side.

"I've been waiting for you to ask! Follow me," he tells me, starting to walk towards a path in the forest.

"I can't believe I'm following a cat!" I laugh. All of a sudden, the cat stops in his tracks. He turns around and looks at me smiling. A smoke as golden-yellow as the setting sun spirals around him, hiding him from my sight. "Cat?" I yell into the smoke, what in the world is happening? The smoke clears and standing there is a man. He has shaggy brown hair and his eyes are the same blue color as the cat seems to have just disappeared. Then I look at his familiar grin.

"Everyone here calls me the Cheshire Cat, but my name is actually Dexter," he says, holding out his hand. I shake it, still in shock. He looks a lot older than he seemed as a cat. He looks like he's about the same age as Elizabeth, who is twenty, but he looks a little taller than she is.

"I'm Alice," I tell him, "But you're... what is going on?" I ask, utterly confused.

"Well, you don't seem to be cool enough to want to follow a cat around..." he trails off, raising his eyebrows at me and giving me a goofy smile.

"Hey, I'm not used to Wonderland's definition of normal yet," I giggle, following him when he starts walking again.

We walk down the same lonely path for what seems like hours. If Dexter wasn't here to talk to, I would probably be going mad right about now. Wonderland seems to have that affect on people, and Dexter is no exception; I can tell that right away. Then I hear something up ahead.

"Did you hear that?" I ask Dexter, who already seems to be trying to figure it out.

"Yeah, it sounds like somebody running," he concludes. Then his seriousness turns into a smile, "Oh well! Let's keep going," he says, continuing on the path. He's already a few paces ahead of me when I hurry back up to him. We are getting ready to turn a corner when the runner ahead of us gets dangerously close. I look up to Dexter, but he doesn't seem to be fazed whatsoever.

"Run!" I hear some deep voices shouting. I freeze in my steps, preparing myself for the inevitable collision on the narrow path. Instead, I feel a strong grip on my arm pulling me the direction we were just coming from. I look up to see a burly man trying to drag me away, after a few seconds of my stumbling along to his huge paces he picks me up. I'm too surprised to even scream. I hear laughing behind me and turn around to see there are two other boys running with us, and one purple cat. The second boy looks younger than the one carrying me, probably in his late teens. The last boy looks about my age and he's carrying something black in his hands. I can't see it very well from my position, but I could swear it looks like a top hat.

Without warning, the man carrying me jerks off the trail and into the forest. He looks around and his eyes square in on the field I can see up ahead. When we get to the edge of the field between it and the forest, he slows down to a stop and puts me down, laughing heartily as if he just won a race. The other boys catch up to us and stop also, trying to catch their breath. Dexter runs up, and quickly changes back to his human form. I run to him, not knowing what to think.

"What was that?" he demands, walking up to the man, not the slightest bit out of breath. I guess that's a perk of being a cat.

"Sorry miss," the oldest man says to me, still breathing heavily, "We didn't mean to scare you guys. We were being chased by the Queen's guards."

"And we got away!" the middle one exclaims, high fiving the youngest one who's holding the hat. He has light brown hair and a slightly crooked smile, his smile accents his already perfect face. The boy looks up, meeting my gaze and I quickly look away. I can feel my face starting to get warm, but I focus my attention back onto the oldest one who I now realize has been talking all this time.

"My name is Jerry," he says, holding out his hand. I shake it and he glances at the other two. The second boy steps up.

"I'm Jimmy," he greets me, I shake his hand also. They look back at the younger boy, who's just looking inside of the hat he's holding.

"Jefferson!" booms Jerry, giving him a hard pat on the back, "Introduce yourself to the young lady!"

*

That kiss, the one I've been waiting for longer than I could have ever realized, only brings reality crashing down harder. I pull back again, "Actually we have less time than that," I say, looking down at our now intertwined hands.

His smile fades into confusion, "What do you mean?" he asks.

"Rumpelstiltskin brought magic back to Storybrooke and wants me to go on some sort of a quest to get sand for him," I tell him.

"So don't go," he tells me.

"I have to, we made a deal and I have to live up to my end of the bargain. Who knows what he will do to me if I don't go?" I say, my voice wavering a little.

"I just got you back; we just got our lives back. You still need to meet Grace," he says, faintly smiling. The sound of her name chokes me up again. Even though I desperately want to meet her, see what she has become, I know that it will be harder to leave once I see her face.

"I can't," I tell him, shaking my head. He pulls me in again, looking distressed.

"What if I go with you? I can find a way to get my hat back from Regina and I can help you," he suggests.

"No, this has to be me. You need to be here for Grace, she will probably be looking for you soon," I tell him, "I'm not even sure there's an entrance for the Wood Between the Worlds in your hat." As soon as I mention where I'm going, he looks shocked.

"The Wood Between the Worlds?" he asks breathily, his shock turning into anger. "That's where he wants you to go?" He turns towards the living room and starts pacing, keeping his hands behind his neck. "That disgusting crocodile," he utters under his breath.

"What is it?" I ask, following him.

"That place may seem safe enough," he trails off when he looks at my distressed expression. "Just please be careful, and please come back."

I nod and walk up to him. I give him one last hug and he wraps his arms around my waist as I wrap mine around his neck. He kisses me one last time before I decide it's time head out and find Dexter. I try not to think about how it might be the last time I ever see him. He holds me in an embrace for what I wish could last forever. "I have to find Dexter," I tell him, trying not to let the tears escape from the corners of my eyes. He nods, with one last kiss I leave to find him. It isn't too hard since he's waiting for me in the driveway.

"You talked to Ruby already?" I ask him, trying to pull myself together.

"I drove remember, while you walked the mile here," he grins, his arms folded across his chest.

"How did it go?" I ask.

"Great! We are still on! You know, I think I could get used to living here," he says. I smile half-heartedly.

"Well, when I get back you can tell me all about it," I tell him, looking at the loose thread on his red and white striped shirt. Dexter really does love his stripes.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" he worriedly asks.

I sigh, "I have to do something for Rumpelstiltskin, but I will be back as soon as possible," I tell him, hoping he won't ask any more questions. Luckily he knows me enough not to.

"Well, then I guess I will see you later?" he asks, looking into my eyes, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah," I choke out, "Later." I pull him in for a hug and try not to let my emotions overpower me, at least until I'm on my own again.

"Do you want a ride to Rumpelstiltskin's shop?" he asks.

"Yes please," I answer. If only I could use my powers to go back in time.

*

When all of the introductions are made, I tell the three brothers about how I ended up in Wonderland from the Enchanted Forest. I learn that they also are from the Enchanted Forest.

"Why are you guys here?" I ask curiously when I finish my story.

"We were on a mission," Jerry exclaims proudly, making it obvious that they were successful in whatever it was.

"Does it have anything to do with that hat?" I ask, glancing towards Jefferson, who looks back up at me. I dare myself to not look away this time. He must have the same thought on his mind because he keeps his deep blue eyes on me also. After a few seconds he curves the corner of his mouth up slightly into a smile and I can feel the heat rising in my face... again. Right when I'm about to give up, Dexter blocks our gaze.

"Well, if you guys aren't busy, maybe you can help us with our little mission," Dexter suggests, resting his arm on my shoulder. I look up at him, what is he doing? My mouth goes dry at the thought of embarrassing myself in front of Jefferson. Wait, what am I thinking?

"What kind of mission are you going on?" Jerry asks, raising one of his bushy red brows. We tell the brothers about Elizabeth getting kidnapped by the queen's guards and they're more than happy to help. Jerry being the adrenaline junkie he is; I think is just more excited to get into more trouble, but if he's willing to help, who cares what his motives are.

"The queen's castle is quite a ways ahead," Jimmy reminds Jerry skeptically, taking a map out of his leather satchel. "It will be quite the trek to get there, I predict we won't arrive at the edge of her courtyard until late tomorrow night," he explains.

"Well, then we should go now," Jefferson says, speaking up. The boys pick up their belongings, ready to find the trail again.

"Wait," Dexter says, stopping them, "I can get us there sooner." Jerry turns back and looks at him questioningly.

"What, with your kitty power?" Jerry jokes, laughing his hearty laugh.

"I AM the Cheshire Cat," Dexter says, grinning. This evokes something in Jerry, he looks at his two brothers in shock, his mouth gaping.

"THEE Cheshire Cat?" he clarifies. Dexter nods, a devilish grin plastered on his face. I look wonderingly at Dexter.

"Am I missing something here?" I ask, looking at everyone's face individually. Jerry snaps out of it.

"Oh, it's nothing little lady," he tells me. I can hear his voice shaking a little, I haven't known him for very long, but I can sense that his unease is out of character.

"Shall we get going?" Dexter asks. Everyone looks up at him. "Everyone take each other's hands, we need to make a chain of contact so I can transport everyone." I can see Jerry and Jimmy trying to be discreet in their argument about who is going to stand next to "The Cheshire Cat." I roll my eyes and take Dexter's right hand; he gives me an amused smile. I can tell he's enjoying his moment of power, but I can't help but wonder what it is that gives him such a reputation.

Finally the boys stop arguing and Jimmy hesitantly walks towards us and takes Dexter's other hand. Why am I not surprised that Jerry gets his way? He walks over and takes Jimmy's other hand while Jefferson makes his way over. He looks into my eyes and with a sly smile he takes my hand. I can feel my face turn beet red as somebody from the other side of Dexter whistles.

"Are we ready yet?" Dexter asks sarcastically, giving me a goofy grin.

"Yes," I tell him. The sooner the embarrassment ends the better. Dexter laughs and closes his eyes. I study his face as he calms the smile on his mouth into a thin line; it looks odd to see him without a smile. Suddenly I see a sparkle out of the corner of my eye, I look in its direction but it's gone. Then it's like we are all trapped in a huge snow globe, sparkles are everywhere, but I can see that they're not actually sparkles. It's like the forest around us turned into microscopic blinking pixels. The pixels of the forest keep flipping over and over again until they start fitting together like pieces of a puzzle, creating a beautiful garden as a result. I wonder if this is what it's like when I transport. Finally Dexter opens his eyes and the scene snaps into place.

"Welcome to the queen's castle," he says, smiling of course. I take a look around, amazed at all of the scenery, my eyes stop when I notice one of the queen's guards sitting on a stone bench a few yards away. He's holding his face in his hands and his helmet is placed carelessly on the ground, covered in what looks like blood. I gulp and start walking over to him, but I feel two pairs of hands holding me back. I turn around to see Dexter and Jerry giving me warning glares.

"It's okay," I mouth to them, even though I'm not so convinced myself. They look at each other skeptically but let me go up to the troubled guard. "Is something the matter?" I ask, relieved to see that the blood is actually just red paint. He looks up at me and I see a hint of anger on his face before his expression turns into... worry?

"What are you doing trespassing in the queen's garden?" he asks, straightening up. He doesn't ask accusingly, he just asks it like one would ask a normal question.

"We are looking for my sister Elizabeth," I tell him, "Some of the queen's guards took her. I don't know why so now I'm trying to find her." Right after saying that, I wish I hadn't. He IS one of her guards after all. His expression turns angry. Yeah, I really wish I hadn't said anything.

"You are related to Elizabeth?" he asks, saying it more like a statement rather than a question. I slowly nod my head. The guard looks quizzically at me before he rises from his seat. "I know why she's here," he tells me, slumping his head, "and I'm sorry to admit that her being here is my fault," he says, throwing something at the ground. I see it is a paintbrush dripping red paint.

"Why?" I ask, in surprise. He looks behind me at the others and crouches down to the level of my face.

"I will take you and only you to find her," he whispers, glancing back at my friends. I nod, this may be a huge mistake, but I just have to take a leap of faith for Elizabeth. I walk over to the guys and quickly tell them what the guard said. I thank them for all their help and make it clear that this is the way it has to be, for better or for worse. This is my sister after all; I don't want them to risk their lives for me when I'm so willing to risk my life for her. They are very hesitant to leave me alone here, but we say our good-byes.

"Good luck, kid," Jerry tells me, patting me on the back hard. I can tell from the look in his eyes that he's disappointed that he didn't get into a good fight while here.

"Yeah, when you find your sister you should both come visit us sometime," Jimmy says, "I have a couple interesting books about everything from anatomy to zoology if you're interested," he smiles.

"Sounds like a plan," I smile. I don't have the heart to tell him that books and I have a bittersweet relationship. Turning towards Jefferson, he's looking at me with his lips curving into an amused smile.

"Or if you get bored of learning about the human body and animals I have some stories about all the different worlds," he suggests. Now that's more my style! I lean closer to him and give him a quick peck on the cheek. He immediately looks down at his shoes while Jerry and Jimmy give us some loud hoots and whistles. Knowing his brothers, he's probably going to get teased for weeks on end about this, but I can see him smiling under his lowered head. Lastly I say my good-bye to Dexter.

"If you're ever in Wonderland again, stop by and visit," he smiles, bending down slightly to give me a hug.

"Surely I will!" I tell him. They guys all join hands again and I watch them disappear. I take a deep breath and turn back to walk towards the guard. Here goes nothing.

Author's Note

One chapter left! Sorry it's been a couple days, I haven't been feeling well and there's a lot of construction going on at my house so it's been hectic. I'll try to post the last chapter tomorrow though! Thanks for reading and remember to vote and comment! As you can probably guess, Christopher is Christopher Robin. The rabbit from the last chapter represents both the rabbit in Winnie the Pooh, and the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.