Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just play around and take liberties! Based off SyFy's Alice (2009).

Chapter Summary: Alice is sorting out her thoughts as she waits for Hatter to return from sending for Caterpillar.

A/N: This is my very first attempt at fanfic! I just couldn't get Halice out of my head and I've been inspired by all the stories I've been reading! Please review. Constructive criticism welcome. Be gentle, it's my first time!

Cinnamon sticks and allspice. Alice breathed deeply as she absentmindedly fingered her coat collar, indulging in the aromas rising from the plush velvet. She closed her eyes. And something else…familiar. The scents mingled in her nose and drew forth an image of a broad shoulder clad in soft, tan leather and the sensation of a warm body as she pressed her face into the leather, squeezing for dear life and trying not to see the water below or hear the gunshots behind. Alice's heart was thumping with adrenaline as she recalled the flight from the Happy Hearts casino. Goddamn flamingos. She'd thought they looked like they belonged on a children's Merry-Go-Round and had serious doubts about their flying capabilities. Not to mention the weight of two people. But Hatter had trapped her in his gaze, assuring her that there was no way he'd let her ride one of those things if he wasn't certain she'd be safe. And she'd believed him, grasping his arm as she mounted the machine and settling herself close behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest. She mentally prepared herself for the flight, grateful that she had Hatter to cling to. After the initial shock of the wind whipping her straight, nearly black locks against her face as she gasped for breath and squinted through her eyelashes, panic settled in at the sight of the steel water stretched out under them. Dizzy, she clutched at the silk of Hatter's shirt and buried her face in his left shoulder, screwing her eyes tight. She had calmed a bit when she finally turned her head towards the nook where Hatter's neck met his shoulder. His wild chestnut-brown hair was sweaty just at the nape of his neck, and Alice watched as a single bead of sweat slid down to his paisley maroon collar. Her left cheek cool against his leather jacket, she could feel the heat radiating from his glistening skin. Alice exhaled and felt her body relax into his, surprised that she had been holding her breath. Worn leather, cinnamon and allspice. Her gaze drifted to the dark scruff covering his clenched jaw and then to the vein pulsing at his temple, his dark chocolate eyes sharp as he attempted to maneuver the Queen's idea of a flying machine. The top of his unruly hair was smashed down where his hat would normally be perched, and she vaguely wondered if it had flown off during the flight. Knowing him, he'd probably tucked the hat safely inside his jacket before takeoff. She'd laughed silently, then gasped when she realized that her mind wasn't concerned with how far down the water was, but rather how close Hatter's skin was.

"Heeeey, nonny nonny! Heeeey, nonny nonny! The wind and the rain, the wind and the rain…"

Alice was pulled back to her present senses, eyes once again staring up at the fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across a bluebird sky. She lay on an incline near the crest of a hill, one arm hooked behind her head, knees bent so her bare feet were flat on the ground. Her heavy boots, blue dress, and sodden underwear were drying by the fire. The ruby-red tights were long gone by now, she'd ditched them after the romp through the woods with the Jabberwock. The third snag had spiraled from tiny zigzags at her left shin to gaping holes at the top of her hamstrings, and several more rips had converged to expose her right quads and kneecap, prompting a quirk of the eyebrow from Hatter, so the tights had to go. Charlie was kind enough to loan her some sort of nightshirt and even men's undershorts while her clothes dried. The garments were surprisingly bright white, and Alice wondered how he kept them from getting dingy. After all, he does dabble in the Black Arts! She grinned. His clothes may have been much too big for her, but they were dry and smelled like fresh spring water. She'd grabbed her - Hatter's, she corrected herself - purple coat from where it still hung and slid it on, enjoying the feel of the smooth lining on her forearms as the sleeves of the oversized nightshirt bunched up past her elbows. She'd continued wandering without a destination in mind until she found herself standing at the peak of Charlie's western lookout, carefully scanning the horizon. She'd laughed at herself and lay down in the grass to rest her aching muscles.

Alice felt the pleasant warmth of afternoon sunshine on her face and spread her toes in the dewy grass, chuckling as she listened to Charlie's distant singing. She hoped he was cooking up some more barbecued borogove. Her mouth watered just thinking about it, and it hit Alice how exhausted she was. And no wonder! The exertions of the Suits' humiliating body search, the audience with the Queen followed by psychological torture in the sadistic Tweedle twins' Truth Room, and the narrow escape on a flying pink flamingo machine, (topped off with an aquatic crash landing, of course), had left her utterly spent. Hatter must be even more exhausted than she.

Hatter. Alice felt a pang of guilt that he had gone back out into danger, into the proverbial fire, while she got to rest her weary body in the grass. The pang sharpened into remorse as she recalled their argument before he'd sped off in his smuggling boat to contact members of the Resistance. He was trying to get to the top man, code name "Caterpillar." That was dangerous enough, but Hatter was already on the most wanted list for both Dodo's arm of the Resistance and the Hearts. Or at least he was on that creepy Mad March's list. Mad March, the Queen's maniacal assassin. Alice shuddered involuntarily as she visualized March's robotic voice and mechanical white rabbit head. What did he want with Hatter, anyway? As far as she knew, the Hearts thought Hatter worked for them, selling their emotion teas, enabling the addictions of despondent tea-heads throughout Wonderland. For whatever reason, that psycho was hunting him, and Hatter was running around Wonderland in search of Caterpillar. Alice couldn't help but admire his actions. He was doing what he felt was right by his people. She groaned and covered her face with the hand that had been fingering her velvet collar, cringing at the memory of the words she'd spat out at him. How could she accuse him of using her? The man had taken a bullet protecting her from Dodo and then risked his neck rescuing her from the casino, losing his teashop and home somewhere along their merry way. He yearns to step up and fight for his people, and she interprets it as using her. Selfish Alice! She'd been trouble for him from the moment she'd stepped into his private office in the back of his teashop several days ago, hair still dripping wet from her first Wonderland swim. And he still came to rescue you.

Alice dwelled on Hatter's words about Jack and her father. How meeting Jack in her world wasn't a coincidence. She knew in her heart he had to be right. Jack Chase had turned out to be a complete lie! She wondered if she wasn't the first Oyster with a mysteriously missing family member that he'd fooled. She didn't want to believe that his intentions were completely dishonorable. After all, he'd taken a risk in slipping her father's watch to her in the presence of the Queen, whispering simply, "He's here." Her blood had stopped pumping through her veins and the whole universe had paused for an entire second as she felt the cold metal watch slide discreetly into her hands and understood. After 13 years of fruitless searching, Jack had given her something tangible. She'd searched his pale blue eyes and dignified face, but found no clear answers. Alice didn't know what to make of it; she obviously couldn't read Jack at all.

Hatter, well…

Hatter told Alice exactly what he thought, even if it was difficult for her to hear, and his feelings were right there on his face for her to see. The corners of her mouth twitched as she saw his animated expressions flit across her mind's eye. Her smile faded into an embarrassed grimace when she again recalled her argument with Hatter. He had simply been trying to talk some sense into her, and she'd responded like a child, still hurt from the revelation that Jack Chase was actually Prince Jack Heart. Alice may have been unable to let go of her father's disappearance, but she had since taught herself to move on from failed relationships, and was annoyed with herself for allowing Jack's lies to affect her so deeply. So Jack lied to you, get over it! She'd been unfair to Hatter, and Alice hoped she'd be able to swallow her pride long enough to admit all this to him.

The smell of borogove sizzling over the fire wafted past Alice's nostrils and her stomach growled. It would be a while before the meat was ready, and hopefully Hatter would be back by then so he could get a hot meal. If Alice was sure of anything, it was that Hatter would return to her with a healthy appetite.

As her fatigue set in, Alice allowed her body to sink into the ground, feeling that she was floating along with the clouds overhead. Her eyes shifted in and out of focus, identifying shapes in the various puffs and shadows. That one looked like a rabbit. And that one looked like a hat. And not just any old hat…

Alice's breathing deepened and grew steady as she drifted into a soft slumber.

~TBC~