Forever Wonderland CHAPTER 13
Characters: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland characters, and OFCs
Rating: G to PG-13 for some fighting sequences
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to claim Wonderland and all it's gloriousness, I cannot. Therefore, I give all credit to Lewis Carroll, Disney and Tim Burton.
Summary: Imagine being the granddaughter of the great Alice of Wonderland. Imagine for a minute that you wished you could go to the place where you heard the stories? Could it be possible? This world makes you think that it couldn't be, but really, could it?
Melody screamed as Tarrant’s hand was released from hers. The tunnel was dark, damp and cold as she remembered it coming down to Underland the first time. She heard Tarrant’s voice echoing off the walls as they traveled faster to her land.
With a thud, she landed on top of Tarrant. He wrapped his arms around her as she tried to catch her breath.
“We’re here,” she breathed heavily.
She pushed herself off Tarrant and rolled onto the ground next to him. She felt a sting in her arm. A cut marked her skin and she winced as she tried to wipe some of the blood away.
Tarrant stood and offered his hand to Melody. She slowly brushed herself off and looked at Tarrant. “We made it.”
He nodded and smiled and let a laugh escape his lips.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
He took a twig out of her knotted blonde hair and showed it to her. “Seems some of Underland decided to come with you here,” he said as he tossed the stick and licked his finger, wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek, “and here.”
Melody felt her cheeks blush. “And here,” she said as she ran her hands down his arms, clasping his palms in hers. “Well, this is it.” Melody motioned her arm across the lush green yard. “This is Great-Great-Grandmother Alice’s estate.”
Tarrant stepped away from her and looked around. He inhaled deep the fresh smell of the grass and the fragrant air perfumed with the flowers from the garden.
“You know it’s not going to be easy to explain when they see you, you know,” Melody said, grabbing his hand.
“I know. But I will be with you every step of the way. I will not leave your side.”
Melody nudged Tarrant playfully. “Seems I have heard that once before. Only, I was led away by a pack of wide-eyed teenagers.”
“That was out of my control, my dear.”
“So it was,” Melody giggled. She turned to Tarrant, straightened his jacket and hat, and smiled. “Ready?”
“As ready as I will ever be. You?”
“Mhmm.”
They slowly walked through the garden. Melody groaned and rolled her eyes.
“What is it, love?”
“They decided to move the party outside,” she whimpered. “So much for the surprise sneak attack.”
“Sneak attack?”
“Yes, my plan was to leave you outside for a minute, go in to see everyone and then bring you in to see them. I can hear them out in the yard. It’s just around this bend.”
Tarrant stopped and turned Melody to him. “Why don’t you do it the same way and just leave me here?”
“I think I just want to get it over with, Tarrant. I want to...,” she paused, “say my good-byes and go back.”
“If this is going to be harder than you thought, dear-”
“No, I’ll be fine. Ready?”
He nodded. Melody took his hand and they walked around the wall to where the party had indeed moved out to the patio. The laughter lofted high in the air. Melody watched as her family played and chatted. They hadn’t seen her yet as they walked closer. Melody could feel the palms of her hands starting to perspire, but Tarrant gave her a reassuring squeeze letting her know he was right there.
“It’s Aunt Melody!” one of little children playing yelled and pointed. “Look!”
Melody felt her heart jump as all eyes turned to them. “Tarrant, I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered to him.
“I’m right here.”
The little girl that called her name came flying up to Melody and gave her a big hug. She pulled back and grimaced. “You stink.”
“Thank you?” she hestitantly asked.
“And you are dirty. Where did you go?”
“Oh, I had a little fun in the maze and must have-”
“Abigail! Don’t run off like that!” came Veronica’s voice, Melody’s sister. “Melody, dear! Look at you! What happened?”
“I...fell.”
“I see this, you look absolutely-” Veronica looked over to see Tarrant standing next to Melody. Her eyes went wide. “Who is this?”
“Um...you see, this is where the story is going to sound crazy, but-”
“I feel as if I have seen him before. Have we met?”
“I don’t believe we have,” Tarrant said. He started to bow. “My name is-”
“Tarrant Hightopp?”
Melody looked past Veronica to see a thin, frail woman making her way over to the small group.
“Mother! Mother, please!” Came another voice behind the old woman.
“Victoria?” Tarrant whispered.
The old woman slowly lifted her hand to Tarrant’s cheek. She let out a soft cry and moved over to him and wrapped her arms around him.
“What is this non-sense?” came the other voice.
“Mom!” Veronica cried.
Susan, Melody and Veronica’s mother, stopped as she watched her mother, Victoria, hug Tarrant. A sour look drew on her face as she watched the scene.
“What is this?”
“Mother, before you go all ballistic on me, please listen to what I have-”
“If it’s non-sense about some silly land called ‘Wonderland’, I will not have it. Mother, step away from that sickly looking man at once!”
“Mother! That ‘sickly looking man’ as you call him is Tarrant Hightopp- The Mad Hatter. The man from Grandma Alice’s stories. The paintings on the wall.”
“You can’t be serious!”
Victoria let go of Tarrant and smiled at him. She squeezed his hands tight in hers. “You haven’t aged a bit, my friend.”
“You look well, Victoria,” he replied.
She waved her hand in the air. “These old bones? No.” She glanced over to Melody. “I take it you went to Underland, dear?”
Melody only nodded. She continued to glare at her mother. Finally, she said, “Apparently, it’s silliness. But yet, here Tarrant is. In the flesh.”
“Mother, you still can’t believe all those stories after all these years?” Susan protested.
Victoria stood up to her daughter. “How can you not? Look at him. Just look at him. Do you honestly think that I would lie about such a lovely creature? Melody has obviously been taken care of.”
“I can’t believe you all!” Susan stormed. “Look at you all! Foolishness! Complete, utter foolishness!”
“Mother! When will you see that all the stories are true! I’ve been there! I’ve seen Underland!”
“Seen it! Darling, I think you need to wake up from this dream of yours! Fairytales are just that-tales!”
“They’re real!” Melody and Victoria both said at the same time. They looked at each other in understanding.
“Mother, please. Just for once try and open your eyes and your heart. Alice, Grandma Margaret, and Grandma Victoria have all been there and seen what a wonderful place Underland is. I’m going back to Underland with Tarrant. I only came to say my good-byes.”
Victoria’s eyes widened. Susan gasped at the remark.
“Back to Underland? Melody, my sweet, sweet granddaughter. Do you mean what I think you mean? Is something wrong in Underland?”
“No. But there was. Tarrant was chosen by the Oraculum to defeat the Black King. And he succeeded. I’m going back to Underland to...” Melody swallowed hard, “to live with Tarrant.”
Victoria smiled wide. “My granddaughter! My dearest, Melody! Have you finally found your muchness?”
Melody couldn’t help but smile. She remembered the stories of Tarrant telling Alice that she had lost her muchness. Yet, he had never mentioned it to her yet.
“Yes, I have,” she said as she squeezed Tarrant’s hand.
“No!” Susan bellowed. She waved her arms about her. “No! No! No! Melody this is non-sense! Do you hear yourself talking?! You have gone mad. I think it’s time we check you in somewhere for some help to relieve you of this crazy talk.”
“I knew this would happen!” Melody ripped her hand away from Tarrant’s and ran off.
Susan was yelling stuff after Melody as she slammed the door in her mother’s face. Susan struggled with the door, continuing her rant. Everyone else looked on is surprise. They were confused to what had just happened.
“I think you had better go and get her, Tarrant. She is going to need you right now.”
“Melody was afraid this was going to happen. If only Susan had followed Nivens when she was supposed to. This whole situation would have been much easier for Melody. She was having a hard enough time deciding to come back to say her good-byes.”
“Oh, Tarrant,” Victoria sighed. “I wish my daughter, too, would have opened her eyes. Such a sad misfortune.”
“I’m sorry about my mother, Mr. Hightopp, is it?” Veronica replied. “So, there really is a Wonderland, then? All the stories are true?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t be here if they weren’t, now would I?”
The rest of the family gathered around Tarrant and Victoria explained what had happened. Everyone knew the stories of Alice and now they were finally understanding and wanted to know more. They were also concerned about Melody and Susan. They knew that this argument started when Melody was just a child.
“Tarrant, take my hand and walk me inside. I think I have had enough fresh air for the day,” Victoria said. She wrapped her fragile arm around his and leaned on him for support.
They walked into the house and Tarrant looked up the staircase to where he could hear the yelling and slamming of doors. He heard a frustrated growl, a door slam and someone coming down the stairs. Once he saw that it was Susan he quickly moved out of her way.
“Hand me my tea, there, son,” Victoria said, positioning herself in her favorite chair.
Tarrant poured her a cup and added 3 sugars. “Just like you like it, if I remember correctly.”
“Ah, yes, indeed.”
Susan stopped in the doorway, glared at Tarrant and spoke. “I hope both of you are happy. Her head is filled with complete and utter insanity. I don’t understand this family at all!”
“I think that you had better go check on that sweet granddaughter of mine, Hatter. She is going to need you.”
Tarrant nodded and walked up the stairs.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4
Chapter 5/ Chapter 6/ Chapter 7/ Chapter 8
Chapter 9/ Chapter 10/ Chapter 11/ Chapter 12
Rating: G to PG-13 for some fighting sequences
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to claim Wonderland and all it's gloriousness, I cannot. Therefore, I give all credit to Lewis Carroll, Disney and Tim Burton.
Summary: Imagine being the granddaughter of the great Alice of Wonderland. Imagine for a minute that you wished you could go to the place where you heard the stories? Could it be possible? This world makes you think that it couldn't be, but really, could it?
Melody screamed as Tarrant’s hand was released from hers. The tunnel was dark, damp and cold as she remembered it coming down to Underland the first time. She heard Tarrant’s voice echoing off the walls as they traveled faster to her land.
With a thud, she landed on top of Tarrant. He wrapped his arms around her as she tried to catch her breath.
“We’re here,” she breathed heavily.
She pushed herself off Tarrant and rolled onto the ground next to him. She felt a sting in her arm. A cut marked her skin and she winced as she tried to wipe some of the blood away.
Tarrant stood and offered his hand to Melody. She slowly brushed herself off and looked at Tarrant. “We made it.”
He nodded and smiled and let a laugh escape his lips.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
He took a twig out of her knotted blonde hair and showed it to her. “Seems some of Underland decided to come with you here,” he said as he tossed the stick and licked his finger, wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek, “and here.”
Melody felt her cheeks blush. “And here,” she said as she ran her hands down his arms, clasping his palms in hers. “Well, this is it.” Melody motioned her arm across the lush green yard. “This is Great-Great-Grandmother Alice’s estate.”
Tarrant stepped away from her and looked around. He inhaled deep the fresh smell of the grass and the fragrant air perfumed with the flowers from the garden.
“You know it’s not going to be easy to explain when they see you, you know,” Melody said, grabbing his hand.
“I know. But I will be with you every step of the way. I will not leave your side.”
Melody nudged Tarrant playfully. “Seems I have heard that once before. Only, I was led away by a pack of wide-eyed teenagers.”
“That was out of my control, my dear.”
“So it was,” Melody giggled. She turned to Tarrant, straightened his jacket and hat, and smiled. “Ready?”
“As ready as I will ever be. You?”
“Mhmm.”
They slowly walked through the garden. Melody groaned and rolled her eyes.
“What is it, love?”
“They decided to move the party outside,” she whimpered. “So much for the surprise sneak attack.”
“Sneak attack?”
“Yes, my plan was to leave you outside for a minute, go in to see everyone and then bring you in to see them. I can hear them out in the yard. It’s just around this bend.”
Tarrant stopped and turned Melody to him. “Why don’t you do it the same way and just leave me here?”
“I think I just want to get it over with, Tarrant. I want to...,” she paused, “say my good-byes and go back.”
“If this is going to be harder than you thought, dear-”
“No, I’ll be fine. Ready?”
He nodded. Melody took his hand and they walked around the wall to where the party had indeed moved out to the patio. The laughter lofted high in the air. Melody watched as her family played and chatted. They hadn’t seen her yet as they walked closer. Melody could feel the palms of her hands starting to perspire, but Tarrant gave her a reassuring squeeze letting her know he was right there.
“It’s Aunt Melody!” one of little children playing yelled and pointed. “Look!”
Melody felt her heart jump as all eyes turned to them. “Tarrant, I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered to him.
“I’m right here.”
The little girl that called her name came flying up to Melody and gave her a big hug. She pulled back and grimaced. “You stink.”
“Thank you?” she hestitantly asked.
“And you are dirty. Where did you go?”
“Oh, I had a little fun in the maze and must have-”
“Abigail! Don’t run off like that!” came Veronica’s voice, Melody’s sister. “Melody, dear! Look at you! What happened?”
“I...fell.”
“I see this, you look absolutely-” Veronica looked over to see Tarrant standing next to Melody. Her eyes went wide. “Who is this?”
“Um...you see, this is where the story is going to sound crazy, but-”
“I feel as if I have seen him before. Have we met?”
“I don’t believe we have,” Tarrant said. He started to bow. “My name is-”
“Tarrant Hightopp?”
Melody looked past Veronica to see a thin, frail woman making her way over to the small group.
“Mother! Mother, please!” Came another voice behind the old woman.
“Victoria?” Tarrant whispered.
The old woman slowly lifted her hand to Tarrant’s cheek. She let out a soft cry and moved over to him and wrapped her arms around him.
“What is this non-sense?” came the other voice.
“Mom!” Veronica cried.
Susan, Melody and Veronica’s mother, stopped as she watched her mother, Victoria, hug Tarrant. A sour look drew on her face as she watched the scene.
“What is this?”
“Mother, before you go all ballistic on me, please listen to what I have-”
“If it’s non-sense about some silly land called ‘Wonderland’, I will not have it. Mother, step away from that sickly looking man at once!”
“Mother! That ‘sickly looking man’ as you call him is Tarrant Hightopp- The Mad Hatter. The man from Grandma Alice’s stories. The paintings on the wall.”
“You can’t be serious!”
Victoria let go of Tarrant and smiled at him. She squeezed his hands tight in hers. “You haven’t aged a bit, my friend.”
“You look well, Victoria,” he replied.
She waved her hand in the air. “These old bones? No.” She glanced over to Melody. “I take it you went to Underland, dear?”
Melody only nodded. She continued to glare at her mother. Finally, she said, “Apparently, it’s silliness. But yet, here Tarrant is. In the flesh.”
“Mother, you still can’t believe all those stories after all these years?” Susan protested.
Victoria stood up to her daughter. “How can you not? Look at him. Just look at him. Do you honestly think that I would lie about such a lovely creature? Melody has obviously been taken care of.”
“I can’t believe you all!” Susan stormed. “Look at you all! Foolishness! Complete, utter foolishness!”
“Mother! When will you see that all the stories are true! I’ve been there! I’ve seen Underland!”
“Seen it! Darling, I think you need to wake up from this dream of yours! Fairytales are just that-tales!”
“They’re real!” Melody and Victoria both said at the same time. They looked at each other in understanding.
“Mother, please. Just for once try and open your eyes and your heart. Alice, Grandma Margaret, and Grandma Victoria have all been there and seen what a wonderful place Underland is. I’m going back to Underland with Tarrant. I only came to say my good-byes.”
Victoria’s eyes widened. Susan gasped at the remark.
“Back to Underland? Melody, my sweet, sweet granddaughter. Do you mean what I think you mean? Is something wrong in Underland?”
“No. But there was. Tarrant was chosen by the Oraculum to defeat the Black King. And he succeeded. I’m going back to Underland to...” Melody swallowed hard, “to live with Tarrant.”
Victoria smiled wide. “My granddaughter! My dearest, Melody! Have you finally found your muchness?”
Melody couldn’t help but smile. She remembered the stories of Tarrant telling Alice that she had lost her muchness. Yet, he had never mentioned it to her yet.
“Yes, I have,” she said as she squeezed Tarrant’s hand.
“No!” Susan bellowed. She waved her arms about her. “No! No! No! Melody this is non-sense! Do you hear yourself talking?! You have gone mad. I think it’s time we check you in somewhere for some help to relieve you of this crazy talk.”
“I knew this would happen!” Melody ripped her hand away from Tarrant’s and ran off.
Susan was yelling stuff after Melody as she slammed the door in her mother’s face. Susan struggled with the door, continuing her rant. Everyone else looked on is surprise. They were confused to what had just happened.
“I think you had better go and get her, Tarrant. She is going to need you right now.”
“Melody was afraid this was going to happen. If only Susan had followed Nivens when she was supposed to. This whole situation would have been much easier for Melody. She was having a hard enough time deciding to come back to say her good-byes.”
“Oh, Tarrant,” Victoria sighed. “I wish my daughter, too, would have opened her eyes. Such a sad misfortune.”
“I’m sorry about my mother, Mr. Hightopp, is it?” Veronica replied. “So, there really is a Wonderland, then? All the stories are true?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t be here if they weren’t, now would I?”
The rest of the family gathered around Tarrant and Victoria explained what had happened. Everyone knew the stories of Alice and now they were finally understanding and wanted to know more. They were also concerned about Melody and Susan. They knew that this argument started when Melody was just a child.
“Tarrant, take my hand and walk me inside. I think I have had enough fresh air for the day,” Victoria said. She wrapped her fragile arm around his and leaned on him for support.
They walked into the house and Tarrant looked up the staircase to where he could hear the yelling and slamming of doors. He heard a frustrated growl, a door slam and someone coming down the stairs. Once he saw that it was Susan he quickly moved out of her way.
“Hand me my tea, there, son,” Victoria said, positioning herself in her favorite chair.
Tarrant poured her a cup and added 3 sugars. “Just like you like it, if I remember correctly.”
“Ah, yes, indeed.”
Susan stopped in the doorway, glared at Tarrant and spoke. “I hope both of you are happy. Her head is filled with complete and utter insanity. I don’t understand this family at all!”
“I think that you had better go check on that sweet granddaughter of mine, Hatter. She is going to need you.”
Tarrant nodded and walked up the stairs.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4
Chapter 5/ Chapter 6/ Chapter 7/ Chapter 8
Chapter 9/ Chapter 10/ Chapter 11/ Chapter 12