She Hadn't Been Thinking Of...
By: Fiera Sabre Words: 500 Genre: Romance Rating: K
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Alice, Syfy does, and I'm not making money off this. Man, but I wish I owned Hatter. Alice is a lucky girl.
She hadn't been thinking of romance when she met Hatter. She was wet, cold, and worried about Jack, and Hatter was the first semi-reliable person she'd stumbled upon. Romance had been the furthest thing from her mind. Nonetheless, Alice was drawn in by his charms, all the while protesting that Jack was the object of her affections.
She hadn't been thinking of romance until that first night with Charlie. She hadn't been able to sleep on the rusted bed which was good, she'd thought. It worked with her plans. She couldn't be drowsy for her midnight...well, it wasn't an escape, really. All she did for some time was watch Hatter. He'd braced his back against the stable gate post, propped his ever-present and dearly beloved hat upon his bent knee, and with a slightly remorseful and apologetic look her way, fallen asleep. Her mind drifted then, somewhere between this crazy reality and the new emotions stirring within her heart.
She hadn't really thought of romance again until Hatter showed up while she was in the truth room. When he caught her and held her tight for that brief moment she realized that maybe her love for Jack wasn't as strong as she thought it was, because back there in the truth room the only person she'd wished to see there was Hatter. And like a gift from heaven above, there he was, and right then he looked more like a knight in shining armor than Charlie did.
She didn't think of romance again until they were back at Charlie's and Hatter had just gotten back. They'd just reached camp, and she'd just divulged one of her larger immediate fears, and he'd just said exactly the right thing, and they were just about to kiss, and Alice was thinking this just might be love, when Jack himself arrived. Jack played on her biggest issue: Trust. True, she did know him better than Hatter. Well, she thought she knew him, anyways. And true, Hatter had been playing both sides of the kingdom for some time. But...As she rode away with Jack, Alice felt her heart twist and pull back to Hatter, though she was determined to set the kingdom to rights.
She was mostly thinking of romance when Hatter came to say goodbye, as she waited for the Looking Glass technicians to get the mirror up and running, which was why when Hatter suggested they "Do pizza" her brain dropped everything and threw caution to the winds by saying (in a much huskier voice than had been originally intended) "And lots of other things."
She was only thinking of love when she ran into Hatter's open arms in front of her startled mother, holding him tight as she had done before, and taking in the scent that was uniquely Hatter. She was only thinking of love when they finally kissed and it felt like the whole world disappeared and all that was left was her and Hatter.
Alice was only thinking of...