Note to Reader: As an audience member, I was satisfied with the ending of the Alice in wonderland movie, but as a romantic I couldn't just let it sit. It's been pestering me for a month since the movie came out and I can't stand it! So now it's my turn to take the story into my own hands.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Miss Madelin (yes, I spelled that right) who was my companion to attend the midnight premiere of Alice in Wonderland.

Chapter 1:

Alice's POV:

I said farewell to Absolem as he flew away from the ship. His blue wings glinted in the sunlight as I watched him leave and he melted into the deep blue of the ocean. A small smile pulled up one side of my mouth and I let out a breathy sigh, turning from the water to face my crew, the brave troupe of men endeavored to deliver me safely across the sea. It was strange, but I wasn't scared. I wasn't the least bit worried of what might await me, for it was just a part of a new adventure.

"Shove off, boys!" The captain yelled from the other side of the ship. An eruption of activity swept across the deck. Men yelled and grunted as they pulled on various ropes that I had no clue what the purposes were, the sails fell and filled with wind, and the ship began to move away from the dock. I laughed in excitement and leaned out over the railing, gripping the wood tightly in one hand and waving farewell to the spectators with the other. My mother was there, waving that ridiculous white kerchief at me. She tried to look strong, but she couldn't hide the tears, not from me. She'd be alright; my new business partner would look after her.

I stayed in that spot for hours, just resting my weight on the rail and watching as the city, England, my home, grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Soon the sounds of the land fell silent and all that was left was the water and salty spray sloshing against the side of the ship and the crew men walking and working behind me. I didn't know any of them, not even the slightest idea what any of their names were. Not that any of them would bother speaking with me; every one of them knew that it was bad luck to have a woman on board a ship. I'd be lucky if one of them looked my direction just to shoot me an evil glare. This would likely be an incredibly lonely 3 months.

When land became nothing more than a black line on the horizon, I finally turned to look at my new companions and was sadly surprised at what I found. All the men looked the same; to say there was indeed a great variance in age and shape, but emotions read the same across each face. Concentration was the only expression per face no matter where I looked. None had clothes that particularly stood out, all clean and frankly uninteresting. The only color that caught my eye was the hair of a man who appeared by my estimate in his early twenties; it was dark, near orange and tied into a small ponytail at his neck. His back was turned to me, but he was obviously unaccustomed to ship work. He wore a clean white shirt like the rest with the sleeves rolled up to reveal shockingly pale skin, not darkly tanned like the others. His pants were dark brown and well fitting, but his black boots seemed far too large for his feet.

The man continued to hold my attention as I watched him. He was trying to lift a chest of merchandise that was too heavy for him to lift; he would strain to pick it up for about 10 seconds, stop for 5 seconds, and then attempt with renewed fervor for another ten. He tried lifting it towards the right, towards the left, to tip it away from him to get a hold beneath it, but all to no avail. It was the most entertaining thing I had seen since my mother's reaction to my improvised futterwacken! Finally he managed to wedge his foot underneath a corner of the chest and then the fingers of his left hand. Then with one great heave, he thrust the chest up….then over his right shoulder where it fell crashing to the deck only a few feet from me, its contents spilling all over the wood. Bottles of wine rolled from their packaging and scattered in all directions, thankfully none broke.

Quickly I dropped to my knees and began picking up the bottles and trying to hurriedly put them back in the chest before anyone noticed the commotion. The man looked rather panicked at his error, hair falling from his ponytail in all directions. He didn't speak or glance up from his work, his eyes hidden beneath the mess of hair as he helped me clean up the wine and straw. I paused for a moment when I noticed his hands. They were scratched and worn, the skin pink on his palms and fingers with nails that were yellowed and chipped. His hands were not in any form calloused like the other sailors, which encouraged my theory that he had never worked on a ship before. What in the world was he doing here now? Then we were caught. I could feel the anger rolling off the captain in ways as he stood behind me, his shadow falling over me the only indication of his silent arrival. I froze.

"Terrence! What is going on here?!?!" He screamed. The man stood, as did I. I looked the captain in the face then glanced back at the man whose eyes were fixed at the captain's feet. He kept his head bowed as he knew he should, but there was no fear in his stance.

"I am sorry, sir. Actually my-"

"It was my fault." I cut in hurriedly, "The sailor here was carrying this crate, and I was walking by and I didn't see him, so I ran smack into him and he fell. But, as you can see none of the bottles were harmed, nothing is cracked and no harm was done." The captain turned his attention to me, trying to stare me down, but I wouldn't have that. I returned his stare with equal force until he was the one to look away.

"You should be more careful, Miss Kingsley. You could get hurt if you don't watch out." I hoped that I imagined the double meaning in the captain's words as he took one more look at the chest and the man before he turned and left the way he had come. I watched him leave with my arms crossed and a crooked smile on my face, feeling triumphant.

When I turned back, the not-quite-sailor was closing the lid of the chest which he would now have to attempt to move again. He said nothing.

"Here, let me help you with that." I said, stooping down and grabbing one end of the chest. Who cared if it was 'unlady-like'? Who on this ship would judge me?

Again the man said nothing, but moved to the opposite end and helped me heave it up. To his credit, it was exceptionally heavy, but I as we walked I became thoroughly confused. I was having trouble and had to constantly watch my feet so as not to trip, but he now had no trouble with the lifting whatsoever. The movement of his too large boots was near effortless and he was doing almost all of the lifting himself.

"Would you care to play a game?" I asked. He made no verbal reply, and as I could only see his boots, I wouldn't have been able to see if he nodded. But I continued anyway.

"I have been contemplating words that begin with the letter 'M'." My smile grew at the memory, eyes nearly fogging up with tears of fondness for my friend who I had left behind me. I couldn't be sure, but I think that the man chuckled from the other side. I suppose he has probably never heard of such a game, but it had instantly become one of my favorites.

"Let's see, there's Minotaur, Music, Mirana…" By now we had made our over to the pile of boxes that were tied down to be kept on the main deck. With one final heave we lifted the chest to rest in the space that had been left for it. The man grabbed a rope that had been left nearby and secured the chest in place. I probably could have left at that point, but my mind and mouth were already running far ahead of me. I leaned against the pile with my hands folded behind my back as I continued to list off words. I studied the wood patterns beneath my feet.

"Milliner, Mariner, Madness-"

"-Muchness." The man stated nonchalantly.

That stopped me dead in my tracks. Slowly I turned myself to face him and lifted my eyes to meet his.

My breath caught in my throat.

I'm sure you all saw that one coming from a mile away, but please understand that it was necessary for me to set the scene. Don't worry, the coming chapters will be more intriguing and better fun to read. Please review if there is anything you want to see or any recommendations you may have.