I own nothing of Alice 2009 or the works inspiring it!

Dawn came early, its radiant arms stretching to touch upon the flowing silk curtains of the balcony of the sleeping princess and upon her porcelain furniture. The beauty slept peacefully, her face a calm reflection of the dreams dancing in her head. The King of Hearts, for once since the news of the Red Queen, let the worry fall off his features while he sat on her cotton bed and placed a large gloved hand atop the beauty's own smaller ones. He found himself looking upon his daughter and letting the memories of her laughs, her crystal voice when she spoke to him of books she read, her sweet voice when she sang down the halls to the Suits, and when she would dance with him in his bare study on days when he would sulk over the growing amount of paperwork he sifted through. The Duchess found her childish with her vivid imagination but it was a quality he found most endearing.

While he mulled over his memories, the beauty awoke. Her eyelids fluttered until her deep cobalt eyes met his pale sky blue ones. She smiled brightly and gripped his hand tightly. Before he could open his mouth to speak, she sat up swiftly and pulled her troubled father into a hug that made his next words all the more difficult to speak. Jack, the King of Hearts and ruler of Wonderland, pulled her back and looked into his daughter's eyes with all the steel resolve he could muster.

"Dearest, there is something I need to tell you and you must follow it. No matter what you may feel. No arguments."

The beauty only raised one thin eyebrow and lit up with a smile, despite the seriousness of the discussion. "Father, I will never argue with you. You are wise in all you do and I trust you."

Jack cleared his dry throat and spoke the words he dreaded to say, words he thought he would never need to speak. "Alisa, you must go away for a time. It is not safe here for you. Your mother and I must stay, no matter the consequences. You must be safe and well."

The beauty nodded nonchalantly. "Someone is coming you wish would not come."

"Yes." Jack replied.

The beauty began twirling a lock of her flaxen mane and let one tear drip from her closed eyes. "I will not see you again, will I?"

Jack found himself unable to respond. What was there to say to his innocent daughter, one he found himself unable to part with that he had kept hidden in the skyscraper all her life? One he had indulged in and loved more than he had the strong willed Alice from long ago. There were simply no words for once. His tongue was heavy, but he found his courage ride over what pieces were left of his heart.

"One of my suits, Mr. Knave, will take you to somewhere safe where a friend can keep you well and healthy. The Duchess has all ready ordered your most needed items packed."

The beauty, his tender Alisa, hugged him once more and let her tears run more freely. "But, Father, who will tend to you? You cannot ache alone. I wake from such a wonderful dream to such a nightmare."

Jack pulled away from her and smiled grimly. "Then that must be remedied. Nightmares are banned from Wonderland. Would you like a beautiful dream?"

Alisa nodded fervently, her unnatural eyes sparkling like sapphires in a ring. She jumped from her bed nimbly and danced over to her folding screen, letting her hands run down her blue dress and grey coat. She turned suddenly and looked at him sagely. "Do you think my garden will be kept up? My birds will be lonely without songs to keep their spirits up. It will be lonely here…"

Jack stood, brushing flint from his deep red suit and adjusting his silken kerchief in his breast pocket. "No, the Duchess will feed them and sing them songs. We won't be so lonely."

Jack knew he was lying through his teeth, but it wouldn't help to be completely honest with his daughter. The Red Queen was nearly hours away and Alisa needed to be far away. Though he didn't desire her to be so deep in the underbelly of Wonderland's city that never slept, he didn't want her where the resistance could not keep eyes on her. There were spies all around, maybe now. His eyes flickered over to the cracked door of the room, the hazel eyes of Mr. Knave connecting with Jack. He nodded once and let in his most loyal Suit. Dustin Knave was young but intelligent and full of vigor and promise. He was scholarly with a strict code of honor, never failing to fulfill his duties yet he held a witty air about him and could banter with Jack when he wasn't busy checking security measures or tapping away at his digipad. Jack could count on this brilliant young man to guard his daughter on their way to the city and keep contact with the agents embedded there.

The beauty tiptoed from behind her screen, her hands modestly folded and eyes on the ground. She was dressed impeccably in a blue dress that hugged her figure and fell to below the knee. The wool coat was cropped to her waist and buttoned in the middle. Her shoes were black ankle boots that buttoned on the side. She resembled a schoolgirl ready for class. Her eyes lifted from the ground and sparkled once more upon seeing the darkly dressed Dustin Knave. She ran over to him and held his hands lightly. "Oh, Dusty! You look keen and ready for adventure! Are you going on one? You should have told me. I so long for one. I dreamed I had one."

Dustin Knave let a ghost of a smile pass his cupid mouth before straightening out. He pulled his gloved hands away, waiting for Jack to signal him. Jack sighed and let his long legs stride over to where the young people stood, all the while pulling out a glass bottle of purple liquid.

"Dearest, would you like a dream?" Jack asked innocently, pulling the stopper off the bottle.

The beauty smiled with pure delight. "Of course. No one wants nightmares."

Jack held out the small bottle and attempted a tight smile, feeling his chest clench and heart fall apart all over again. "We can't have any nightmares here. Remember? This will give you dreams of songs, adventures, and gardens and of me. No nightmares ever."

The beauty took the bottle and looked it over curiously. "Do you promise, Father?"

"Yes."

The beauty put the bottle to her red lips and tipped it back, the liquid passing her lips and down her throat. She beamed a full smile that soon faltered. Her brow furrowed deeply in confusion until smoothing over. Her grip grew loose on the bottle, slipping past her thin fingers and nearly dropping to the floor with the rest of her body. Knave was quick to catch her limp body and cradle her in his strong arms.

Jack grabbed the bottle and hid it in his breast pocket. "You know what to do. Report to Cheshire so she may send notice to Dodo. We must hide her at The Gardens. Do not take any risks."

Knave nodded and gripped the beauty tighter. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Jack pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead before Knave passed through the doors and only echoes of footsteps remained in the room of his daughter. The rays of the Sun did not seem so promising or bright, but dark and foreboding. It was as if the radiance had left the room, the royal skyscraper and Jack's heart. His last piece of happiness had fled from his broken heart, leaving only cold worry and acceptance. Acceptance that he would never see his child again and that he would die at least knowing his child was in good hands. Yes, he could die with that knowledge at least.

Thanks for reading so far! The Red Queen appears next chapter and heads will roll. Leave feedback! It inspires me so much, you have no idea how much I enjoy reading reviews and seeing how much you all enjoy my stories as much as I do writing them.