Disclaimer: I don't own Alice. SyFy does. Though I'm sure all of us long to find those official papers giving us legal rights wrapped up neatly under the tree, huh? :P
A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews, guys. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them!
Between work at the dojo and being with Hatter, Alice found that the days seemed to be flying past. She managed to pick up a few Christmas cards and get them mailed out to her various relatives, but hadn't yet found the time to go Christmas shopping. By the time the week before Christmas week rolled around, and she still hadn't gotten any gifts, she started to panic.
She woke up on the morning of the eighteenth and stared at the ceiling above Hatter's bed, many gift worries pounding away at her brain. Her mother had mentioned vaguely a few weeks ago that she would love to have that new silver bag that they'd seen at the mall together. But what if the store was all sold out by now? The longer she waited, the chances of the new bag being gone increased.
She had to get this done, today. No matter what. Because if she didn't get everything that she needed bought and wrapped neatly under the tree, she was going to go insane.
Alice slipped from between the sheets, careful not to wake Hatter, who was lying on his back, snoring lightly. The room was freezing, so she wrapped a pink silk robe from the back of the bedroom door around herself, then padded into the kitchen.
On the refrigerator, Hatter had neatly copied down a schedule of the days he had to work down at the café. She ran a finger along the paper until she found Saturday the eighteenth. She gritted her teeth with frustration when she saw that he was supposed to work from ten that morning until six in the evening. So much for her plans to take him along with her to the mall. And so much for her enthusiasm to go, because she certainly didn't want to go by herself. What would be the fun in that?
She turned to go back to bed, but her gaze fell on where her cell phone rested on the kitchen table. She licked her lips, then shrugged and picked it up. She dialed the number for the café, which Hatter had written across the bottom of his schedule, then waited.
Two rings sounded in her ear before there was a sharp click, then a cheerful voice declaring, "Carnation Café, home of the best tea this side of the city. This is Jackie speaking."
"Hi, this is Alice Hamilton," Alice said, trying to sound pleasant yet worried. "My boyfriend Hat–David Hatter works there. He's supposed to come in today?"
"Oh, David!" Her voice immediately brightened even more. "Oh my God, he makes the best tea! We've been having so many customers come in and ask for it all the time ever since he started working here!" Alice smiled slightly. Hatter hadn't mentioned the incredible demand for his tea, which sounded just like him. Downplaying his abilities. "You're so lucky. He's just so sweet."
And keep your claws off him, Alice couldn't help thinking, jealously flaring inside her chest. Suddenly, she didn't like this girl so much, whoever she was. "Oh, right," she said. "Anyway, David is why I'm calling. He's sick."
"Sick?" Jackie parroted. "It's not too bad, is it?"
"No, he's just throwing up. And coughing. A lot. So he can't come into work today, obviously. Oops, there he goes again. I think he's throwing up a lung or something."
"Oh my God, is he going to be okay?" Jackie cried, making Alice realize that she'd probably overdone it a little. "Maybe you should take him to a doctor."
"Oh, I'm sure it's just a twenty-four hour thing. He'll be fine again tomorrow," she lied quickly. "Well, it was nice talking to you." She hung up and put the phone down. That was done. The whole day seemed much more optimistic now. Hopefully Hatter wouldn't be too peeved at her.
She hurried back to the bedroom. Hatter was still fast asleep, though his arm was now flung across where she'd been sleeping before, like he was reaching for her. She stood in the doorway for a few seconds, smiling softly while she watched him sleep, and thinking about how they had met.
Then, knowing she couldn't delay it any longer, she jogged around to his side of the bed. Careful not to jostle the mattress any more than she had to, she slid up to sit on his stomach, and leaned down so that her face was inches from his. He stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. Not until she pressed his lips to his and cupped his face with one hand.
He jolted awake under her, eyes flying open and right fist clenching automatically. She was careful not to flinch away, because she knew that he couldn't help such a reaction, thanks to his troubled life in Wonderland. She kept her lips on his, and smiled against them. Once he relaxed again, she pulled away and swung her hair back over one shoulder. "Morning," she said in a husky voice.
"Hi," he said, sounding slightly breathless. "You know, love, I could probably get used to waking up like that."
"Not too often. We don't want the novelty to wear off, do we?"
"I don't know about that." He stretched, absently brushing a gentle kiss over the knuckles of her left hand. "Have I slept in? Is it already time for me to go to the café?"
"Not exactly." She laughed nervously, and he frowned curiously at her. "I called in and told some girl that you're sick."
"What? Alice!" he yelped, sitting up so abruptly that she almost fell into the floor. She rolled over to the other side of the bed and sat up, biting her lip. "What if I lose my job?"
"You won't lose your job, I promise. You can go back tomorrow. I told her it was probably just a twenty-four hour bug. Please, Hatter, don't be mad," she pleaded, taking one of his hands between both of hers.
He sighed and rolled his chocolate eyes heavenward, but it was clear that he wasn't angry. "All right, love. I assume that means you don't have to go into the dojo today, then?"
"Right. Today's my day off," she said, happy that he wasn't mad at her. "So I thought you and I could go Christmas shopping together, at the mall. I haven't gotten any gifts, and it's driving me nuts. I didn't think you had either, so I thought it might be fun if we go together."
"So we're supposed to buy gifts for one another?" he clarified. She nodded. "How can we do that if we're together?"
"We'll split up, then met later after we're both done," she said. "And I've got to get something for Mom, too, and my friends at the dojo."
He thought about it for a minute, then nodded, lips slowly curving into a smirk. "Sure, why not. Yeah, I'll go with you."
"Oh, thank you, Hatter!" She kissed him, then jumped out of bed and went to his closet, where she pawed through the few clothes of hers that hung there among his silk shirts and trousers.
"Do I have time to take a shower?" he asked, getting out of bed. He was wearing nothing but a pair of blue pajama pants covered with tiny black hearts. He had to be freezing, but he didn't react to the room's chill.
"Of course," she replied, finally selecting a pair of jeans and a purple sweater from the closet and taking them off their hangers. "Just don't take too long. The mall's only going to get more crowded as the day goes on."
He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Sure you don't want to join me?"
She smiled and leaned her head back against his chest. "Hmmm, tempting. But I really do need to get ready. Maybe I'll fix some breakfast while you're taking your shower."
"Er, why don't we buy some donuts from that shop on the corner after we're both ready? We can eat them on the way to the mall," he said.
She rolled her eyes. It was no secret that she couldn't cook to save her life, and Hatter knew it as well as she did. There was no point in arguing. "Fine, okay. Donuts sound good."
He kissed the top of her head, obviously pleased that she'd agreed so easily, then headed for the bathroom.
She shed her robe and the shirt of Hatter's that she'd worn to bed, and put them in the laundry hamper in the corner. Then she got dressed as quickly as possible and went into the kitchen, where she made some coffee to get her brain jumpstarted for the busy day ahead. It wasn't as bad as it could have been; it was actually drinkable, though not as good as the coffee Hatter made.
Sitting down at the kitchen table with the steaming mug, listening to the sound of the shower running, she picked up her cell phone again and dialed her mother. "Hey, Mom," she said, after Carol answered. "I won't be home until later. Hatter and I are going to the mall to get some shopping done."
"All right, have fun," she said, though she sounded distracted. "I guess you won't want me along to ruin your fun. Even though it used to be just the two of us doing the shopping together each year, you know."
Alice's eyes widened. She'd actually forgotten all about the standing tradition of doing late Christmas shopping with her mother in the excitement of Hatter. She'd been with him as much as possible since they had both come from Wonderland. And apparently, she had been neglecting other important aspects of her life. She felt incredibly guilty. "Mom, you can come with us. Hatter won't mind. He really likes you. So why don't you–"
"Alice, I was only kidding. I'm going to see a movie with that nice man I met at the grocery store last week, James. You know, the one I told you about. The one with the sweet smile and that nice…hair."
She laughed outright. "Okay, Mom, that's way too much of that. Have a nice time, okay? I'll see you tonight, probably."
"You and David enjoy yourselves, dear. Alice, has David…?" She paused, struggling for words, and there was a short silence.
"What is it, Mom?"
"Has David asked you…anything recently? It's been a while since you and I have talked, and–"
"Asked me anything?" she repeated, taking a sip of her coffee and frowning. "Like what?"
"Oh, nothing. Forget I said anything. You two have fun."
After saying goodbye and hanging up, Alice stared into her mug without drinking any of the liquid inside, thinking over those last words of her mother's. She was hiding something, Alice could tell, something involving Hatter. What, she had absolutely no idea. It was a mystery. But not one she was going to leave alone for long. She would find out what was going on, sooner or later.
Half an hour later, after they had walked down the block to buy breakfast, then taken a cab to the mall, Hatter and Alice went inside the enormous building, both glad to be out of the snow and ice outside. What seemed like hundreds of people milled about, each carrying several shopping bags. Colored Christmas lights were strung near the ceiling high above, and holiday music blared over the sound system.
Hatter stopped just inside the doors, nearly causing a couple of people to run into his back, and stared around with amazement. "Hatter, what is it?" Alice asked him, grabbing his arm and staring into his face with concern.
"I've never seen so many Oysters in one place before," he said in amazement, slipping up and using the Wonderland term.
Alice realized that this was the first time she had brought him to a mall of any kind. His reaction was understandable for someone used to much smaller crowds of humans, as opposed to this massive multitude. "It's Christmas. There are always a lot of people at the mall around this time of year," she explained.
"I'll say," he agreed, eyes wide as he stared around, trying to take everything in. "So what should we do first, love? Have you got something in mind?"
She told him about the silver purse she wanted to buy her mother, and said that she thought they could get it together, so he could have a chance to adjust to the crowds before they split up. He agreed that it was a good idea, so they set out across the store, towards the right store.
When they found the store, it seemed like lots of other New Yorkers had had the same idea. Alice was happy to find the purse she wanted to buy near the very back of the store, with only three others. She'd come just in time. She took it to the front and waited in line to purchase it, while Hatter waited for her by the exit. She tried not to grit her teeth when several young girls walked past him, peered up at his face, and walked off giggling and blushing. He was oblivious, studying a display of hats.
After the purse was tucked safely inside a plastic sack, dangling from her arm, she went to rejoin Hatter, and they stepped out of the busy store.
"This is where we split up," she told him regretfully. "See that big water fountain over there? Let's meet beside it in…two hours, okay? Do you have enough money?"
Hatter shrugged, and pulled a wad of crumpled bills from his pocket. He still hadn't quite gotten the concept of using Oyster money yet, but was trying his best. He handed the bills to Alice, and she counted them before passing them back again. "You've got sixty dollars."
He nodded, though it was obvious from the way his brow was crinkled that he had no idea what she was talking about. "All right. I'll be waiting by the fountain in two hours, love." He kissed her lightly, then vanished into the crowd.
Alice stared after him, biting her lip. She hated to see him all alone like this, thanks to some possessive instinct buried deep inside her, but she couldn't hold his hand forever. It was a dangerous world, but if he never got out on his own, he couldn't grow as a person and learn, as much as she hated to admit it. She needed to stop acting like his mother all the time, and trust that he'd be okay.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and hurried in the opposite direction, walking briskly. Before buying the gifts for her friends from the dojo, she wanted to get something for Hatter. The thought of what to buy him for Christmas had been nagging away at her for weeks, and she simply couldn't decide. What she gave him needed to be the perfect present, and would be the most important one she ever gave him, since it was also the first. It couldn't be too I'm your girlfriend, so don't even look at any other girls, and stay close to me at all times, like an expensive piece of jewelry or a bottle of cologne. And she definitely didn't want it to be boring, like a book or, God forbid, a package of underwear.
Shopping for the opposite sex had always been hard, but never this hard.
She let the crowd carry her along, window-shopping for anything that jumped out at her. She didn't see anything that really screamed Hatter until she passed a shop that sold nothing but clothing accessories. The window displayed dozens of different hats. She veered into the shop and went to study the many hats up close.
She found a porkpie hat that looked a lot like the hat he had owned in Wonderland, and a brown and orange patterned newsboy hat. The only person she could ever imagine wearing the last hat she selected was Hatter, so she just had to get it for him. She also found a pair of stylish wraparound sunglasses that she could clearly see him wearing in her mind's eye.
These items she took to the registers and purchased, praying silently the whole time that he would like what she had finally decided to get him. What if I picked the wrong thing? Two hats and a pair of sunglasses? Oh God, that's so tacky. Maybe I should return them. But she managed not to panic and shove her purchases back at the cashier, instead calmly accepting her receipt and walking out of the store.
"It's too late now. He'll either like them or he won't, Alice," she said out loud, ignoring the stares she got from several people passing by. She squared her shoulders and marched off in search of gifts for her friends from the dojo.
Just over two hours later, Alice breathlessly rushed up to the water fountain, which was bubbling merrily. She found Hatter sitting on a wooden bench, legs crossed casually, holding a small white sack in his lap. "I'm so sorry, Hatter," she said, sinking down beside him. "I lost track of time, and then there were so many people, and I practically had to start kicking people out of the way to get back here."
He assured her that waiting for a few minutes hadn't killed him, then playfully tried to look inside her bags. She elbowed him before he could get close enough to see the hats, and eyed his sack. He didn't seem at all worried about what he had decided to get her.
She felt a fresh surge of panic as she wondered if she had picked out something totally wrong for the occasion. She was going to feel terrible if he had got her some amazing gift, and all she had for him were a pair of hats and sunglasses. It was all she could do not to bang her head on the side of the fountain.
He stood and picked up his hat from where it had been sitting beside him on the bench, expertly flipping it onto his head. "I don't know about you, Alice, but I'm ready to get out of here," he said, as she also got to her feet. "I don't see why you humans like shopping so much, especially during Christmas, which is supposed to be peaceful. It's crazy."
She laughed at the exaggerated terrified expression on his face and looped her free arm through his. "Let's get back to your apartment and wrap the presents," she suggested. "Then I'm sure we can…find some more mistletoe."
He grinned at her. "Sounds great to me." He led the way through the crowd, towards the nearest exit.
Alice bit her lip and tried not to think about the presents she had bought him, which seemed heavier and more wrong with each step.
Only one chapter left, guys. I hope you enjoyed this as much as you did the last one. Please review and tell me what you thought, yeah?