A/N: This is my first Alice fic. Please read and review. :)
Diclaimer: I do not own anything. I just love Hatter.
He's not sure when exactly it happened, but it did. And against his better judgment, that's for sure. Maybe it was when Ratty brought her in, when he turned his chair around, saw her in that very, very wet dress. No. That wasn't it. She was scared. He could tell that much. Hell, even he'd be scared, if their positions had been switched.
Maybe it was when they had been running from Mad March. The moment he'd seen the man-rabbit at his tea shop Hatter had known there was no way he could ever go back to the only place he had ever called home. When, by some form of miracle, he and Alice made it to his smuggling boat, he told her that they had a chance, and not just her? Was that it? No.
When he and Alice ran it opposite directions from the Jabberwock? When Hatter turned around and realized she wasn't with him, that the monster had followed Alice, and not him? The sinking feeling in his stomach, the pain in his heart when he realized that he couldn't lose her, was more than genuine fear for an acquaintance. Running to catch up to Alice, he prayed he'd make it in time.
Sitting by the fire that Charlie had made, after the first good meal he had had in ages, seeing her pale skin glowing in the firelight? How easy it was to smile at her.
Hatter knew the moment he'd realized that he was falling for Alice. After he'd told her to forget about Jack, about the casino. After he'd basically said that he had been using her. Those had been the thoughts running through his mind when Ratty first brought her to him. If she really was the Alice then maybe, just maybe, the resistance had a chance. But those thoughts vanished at some point. They were gone way before he'd made that mistake. The mistake that he knew had pushed the girl to leave in the middle of the night and go to the godforsaken casino. He would never forgive himself for hurting her like that. If he and Charlie hadn't have made it in time… He couldn't even finish the thought.
And then it hit him. Hatter knew exactly when he had fallen in love with Alice. They were going down the ladder from his now nonexistent tea shop. She had let him go first. He slid his feet down the couple of steps and landed softly on the cement below. He adjusted his pants and jacket and turned around just as Alice hesitated, if only for a second on the very steps Hatter had learned over time to slide down. He reached up and gently but firmly placed his hands around her small waist and set her down next to him. He had begun to walk away but had made it only a few steps when he realized that she wasn't following him. Turning around, Hatter saw Alice grasping the ladder with a death grip. Heights. The girl was afraid of heights. "What's the matter?" Terse. Short. Belying the… butterflies? "Got a thing about heights." He sighed. "Look at me." Same tone. That wasn't doing any good. He softened his voice, giving way, only a tiny bit, to the strange feelings coursing through him. "Alice." He held his hand out, willing her to trust him. All pretense of using her for the resistance, vanished from his mind. She was terrified. Alice took his hand and looked at him. Their eyes made contact. There was a fire that was burning in his heart. Something he'd never felt before. It felt amazing. "Try not to look down. Okay?" Nodding slightly, she let him lead her to the wider parts of the walkway. Hatter continued to face her until most of the fear was gone from her eyes.
Yes. That was it. That was the moment it had happened. Looking at the sleeping form nestled in the blankets beside him, Hatter smiled. Yes he'd fallen hard for the Oyster who, despite all odds, had won his heart. Never before had he ever wanted to leave Wonderland. It was his home. But the moment she had been pushed into the looking glass, he knew Wonderland would never be the same without her with him. He had glanced at Jack, almost for permission, to follow Alice through the looking glass. The new King nodded slightly and Hatter ran.
Hatter watched Alice wriggle in the blankets, stretching. A morning routine he'd grown to love to watch. She turned and faced him. His smile widened. "Morning, Love." Alice smiled. "Good morning." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Yes. He fell hard for Alice. And he loved her more than anything in this world, and Wonderland.