Fighter Girl, by Mason Jennings

Spinning your umbrella over your head
You should be in bed but you're here instead
Walking with me towards a midnight swim
I can give you, baby, what you can't get from him

Songbird's singing in an old dead tree
The way you drive honey scares the hell out of me
A hundred miles an hour on a brand new road
Look at me again, you'll make my heart explode

Hey, hey, little fighter girl
It's you and me up against this whole wide world
Sleeping together in the lion's den
Got your earrings in my pocket till I see you again

Come on, kiss me
Keep on kissin' me
Come on, kiss me
Keep on kissin' me

It was a rare moment when Alice felt vulnerable, rarer still for her to show it. But Hatter could see it now in her eyes, in the tentative set to her mouth. Most of the time it seemed Alice could take on the world single-handedly, and she certainly tried. Though he was loathe to admit it, she could out-fight him. Out-stubborn him, as well. His Oyster was a fighter.

"What will I do?" she asked him, sounding small and unsure. "If I get stuck here?"

Hatter looked into her expressive blue eyes and felt everything inside him soften. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and keep her safe, though he was certain that was the last thing she'd want for herself.

But he could give her words of comfort. He could tell her the truth. "Then I'll make sure you're okay."

And still she looked up at him, and he could see she wanted to believe him. He couldn't help himself, couldn't fight that hypnotic gaze of hers. He put his hands on her arms, squeezing ever so slightly. He wanted to kiss her. So much so that it made him ache. He wanted to lay claim to those lips; to all of her, if truth be told.

It was foolish of him to want it. Dangerous, even. But his own emotions were twisting him up and he was suddenly just too tired to fight them anymore. He leaned in slowly, wanting to see if Alice would pull away. She didn't. Wonder of all wonders, she was moving towards him. Was it possible that she was feeling the same need? Hatter dared to hope.

He was a hair's breadth from her lips now, her breath puffing warmly against his skin. His entire world had narrowed down to a single point. His heart was pounding fiercely in his chest. Nothing would be the same for him after this kiss. For once that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was this moment, this tenderness between the two of them. The rest of the world, with all its worries, simply fell away.

"I think your luck is finally changing," he murmured. And whether he was talking to Alice or to himself he wasn't completely sure. And it didn't matter. Everything was changing, and he was glad for it.

AN: Thanks to Nicholas de Vilance for suggesting this song, which is just such an Alice song! It made me think of this scene, my second favorite scene from the movie, at least until Jack ruined it. Stupid Jack.