Chapter Two

For the next two days Alice was busy working at the dojo and helping her mom with some apartment renovations. Even though Alice didn't live there anymore, she did what she could so that her mother didn't have to bear the entire financial burden on her own. As a consequence, she didn't see much of Hatter. When they finally had a few hours to spend together, she was exhausted.

"You look tired, love." Hatter sat on the floor, rubbing her feet. Alice rested her head on the back of the couch, eyes closed.

"Hmmmm," she murmured.

"Shall I put on the kettle?"

"You know what I'd like?" Alice kept her eyes closed, enjoying the feel of Hatter's hands on the sensitive skin of her feet. "Hot chocolate."

"If I must," Hatter sighed. Alice knew he didn't like hot chocolate, but there was only so much tea she could drink. He gave the bottom of her feet a quick tickle, and then started to get to his feet.

When Alice heard him groan, her eyes flew open and she sat up. Hatter was on his knees, very clearly in pain.

"What's wrong?" Alice was at his side in an instant. She didn't like how drawn his face was. "And don't tell me you're just stiff!"

"My back…"

"Can you get up?"

"Don't know."

Alice put her arm around Hatter and helped him stagger to his feet. He was sweating now, and his jaw was clenched against the pain.

"Let's get you into bed," Alice said. She knew for sure he was in bad shape when he didn't make a lewd comment. They shuffled into the bedroom and Alice helped Hatter sit down on the bed.

"I'll get you some ibuprofen." She hurried into the bathroom and grabbed the bottle of pills out of the medicine cabinet. At the last minute, she remembered to get a glass of water as well.

"What do I do with these?" Hatter asked when Alice shook out two ibuprofen into his hand.

"Swallow them. Here." She handed him the glass of water.

Hatter choked down the pills and then lowered himself slowly into a prone position on the bed. Alice adjusted a pillow behind his head and then sat down next to him, feeling useless.

"I'll be fine, Alice." Hatter reached out and put a hand on the back of her neck.

"You better be," Alice said sternly. "If you're not, I'm taking you to the doctor."

Hatter grimaced. "Let's not do anything drastic."

"I'm serious, Hatter. It's not like you to be…sick."

"I just need a bit of rest, yeah?"

Alice kissed his forehead. "I'll be in the living room. If you need anything, just call me."

Hatter nodded and closed his eyes. His mouth was still pinched and Alice hoped the pills would kick in soon. She sat down on the couch and put the television on, keeping the volume low. She paid no attention to the talk show that was on, instead worrying about Hatter. Alice hated to see him in pain; it had been bad enough seeing what he'd gone through in the Truth Room. She was reminded of that every time he took off his shirt and she saw his scars.

Alice sat out there for a half hour, then went back in to check on Hatter. He was sleeping, his face peaceful and with no hints that he was still feeling any pain. He could still steal her breath, he was so beautiful. Alice knew she'd never be able to concentrate on anything else tonight, so she turned off the television and changed into her sleep shirt. She curled up next to Hatter on the bed and rested her head on his chest, comforted by the steady beat of his heart.

*o*o*o*

Alice woke up tired and cross the next morning. She'd slept so lightly the night before that every time Hatter twitched in his sleep she'd woken up to check on him. Hatter himself seemed to be feeling better – she could hear him banging around in the kitchen. The only saving grace for her was that it was Saturday and she had nothing planned, besides some grocery shopping.

Hatter was just pouring out some hot tea when Alice shuffled bleary-eyed into the kitchen and threw herself into a chair.

"Tea?" Hatter asked. Alice just nodded, and waited while he fixed her a cup. Once she got some caffeine in her system, she knew she'd feel better. Hatter sat across from her, stirring honey into his cup.

"Those pills…what did you call them?"

"Ibuprofen," Alice croaked. She took a sip of tea and scalded her tongue.

"Fixed me right up!"

Alice merely grunted. Her head was still too fuzzy to think about Hatter's mysterious pains, or the fact that they'd vanished overnight.

"You're right grumpy this morning," Hatter said. He hopped back up when the toaster oven dinged, and soon returned to the table with some buttered toast for Alice.

"Couldn't sleep," Alice mumbled. She drank more tea, letting it burn its way down her throat. When the warmth hit her belly, she grabbed for a slice of toast to chase it down with.

"What plans for today?"

"Groceries." Alice finished off the toast, and started to feel a bit more human. "You want to come with?"

"Yeah. I like spending time with my girl." Hatter gave her a wide grin, one that Alice couldn't help but reciprocate.

"Let me shower and put myself together and we'll get the shopping done. Then we'll have the whole rest of the day to hang out."

Hatter waved her away and cleaned up the breakfast things.

Half an hour later, Alice was feeling like her old self as she and Hatter walked down the block, arm in arm. The sidewalk was full of people and the air was full of exhaust fumes, but Alice loved it. There was so much vitality in the city, so many ways to fill your time. It was impossible to be bored here. And while she knew Hatter didn't like the crowds, he felt the same way she did. They were two of a kind, she thought happily.

When they reached the market, Alice and Hatter each grabbed a hand basket, and Alice produced a hastily scrawled list. She knew they'd go home with more than they needed, because Hatter always found something he wanted to try. It wasn't long before they'd gone their separate ways, Alice working off the list and Hatter working off the spur of the moment.

"Eggs, cheese…sugar…what else?" Alice murmured to herself. She rounded an aisle, in search of bread, and saw Hatter standing there holding a bag of Fig Newtons.

"Are those regular? Because I don't like the fat free ones," Alice said. She looked up at him expectantly, but Hatter was just staring blankly at the shelf. "Hatter?"

When he still didn't respond, Alice set down the basket and put her hand on his arm.

"Hatter!"

He jerked and turned his blank look on Alice. A finger of fear trailed down her spine.

"What is this?" Hatter asked.

"What is what? Hatter, what's wrong?"

"This is…I don't…what is this?" Hatter raised his voice, clearly agitated, and before Alice could stop him he'd squeezed the bag of Fig Newtons into a pulp with his powerful right hand.

"It's just cookies, Hatter!" Alice pried the bag out of his hand and dropped it into the basket. She could feel eyes on them as they drew a curious crowd, but she didn't care.

"It's me, Hatter. It's Alice." She put her hands up and when he didn't move, put them gently on his arms. "It's okay."

"There's something…my head, it's…"

Alice's heart clenched at the desperate tone in Hatter's voice. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and when he opened them Alice was relieved to see that they were clear and focused. He saw her.

"Alice?"

"It's okay, Hatter. It's okay. Let me pay for these things and we'll go home."

Hatter's basket was still empty, so Alice left it where it was. Hatter held her hand, trailing after her to the register like a little boy with his mother. Alice forced herself to stay calm. She didn't know what was going on with him, but she knew they'd figure it out.

They got out of the market without any further incident, though the cashier had been wide-eyed at the state of the Fig Newton package. Hatter didn't say another word, and his very silence was extremely unsettling to Alice. Any joy she'd had in the day had been snuffed out.

When they got back to the apartment, Alice hastily stowed the groceries after making sure Hatter sat down in the living room. When she joined him, he had his hat in his hands, turning it over and over; a sure sign he was nervous or upset.

"Hatter, what's going on with you?" Alice took the hat and set it aside. She put her hands in his. "You need to tell me."

"I don't know," Hatter mumbled. "It's all fuzzy. Just…it all seemed wrong."

Alice freed one of her hands and rubbed little circles on his back. She could feel him trembling, knew he was only just holding himself together. Hatter hated not being in control.

"We'll figure this out, Hatter, I promise." She hoped that wasn't a lie.

*o*o*o*

That night, while Hatter slept, Alice sat up in bed with her arms around her knees. She watched him, watched his face twitch, and wondered what he was dreaming about.

He'd really scared her today, more than with his mysterious back pain. That blank look on his face – it was awful. It was like he wasn't even there. Alice rested her head on her knees, still watching. She was planning to call her doctor first thing on Monday and make an appointment. He needed a total physical, and maybe they'd find something. A virus or something.

When Hatter moaned in his sleep, Alice lay down beside him and put her arm around him, holding him close.

"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here, Hatter. I'm here."

AN: Uh-oh! Trouble in paradise! Sad to say, this is only the tip of the iceberg for poor Hatter. Is Alice strong enough to face what's coming? You'll have to keep reading to find out!

No actual Fig Newtons were harmed in the writing of this chapter. ::grins:: Please review and let me know if this is good, or if you're already horribly bored.

Also, if anyone is interested, in my profile I've added a link to my blog so you can see a picture of my very first tattoo. I think Hatter fans will like it! ::grins again::