Pot and Kettle

They stepped out of the Scarab and walked up the steps to the Tea House. The front door was slightly open but that didn't seem to bother Hatter. He pushed the door open and the sound of voices could be heard coming from the Trade Room.

As they entered, Dormie came to greet them. Outwardly he didn't seem to be afraid of Hatter but Alice noted he did keep his distance.

"Boss, you're back. I've done everything you asked. I contacted William, and he said he and his son can start work on the bar tomorrow, I had the furniture delivered," he said pointing behind him at the men moving chairs and tables. "And dinner is in your office." When he finished he grinned up at Hatter, looking for approval.

Hatter waved his hand at the little man. "Yes, Dormie, you did well. I don't forgive you, though; we'll see how many weeks you have to work without pay before I do."

Dormie lowered his head "Yeah, I figured that."

Hatter pulled his hat off and ran a hand through his hair. "Is this the last of what they're bringing in?" Dormie nodded. "Right then, get them out of here and lock the door when you're done. You'll have to come back in the morning and let William in. Alice and I have to go to a meeting in the palace."

Hatter flipped his hat back on, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the office. Behind them she heard Dormie yelling at the movers to hurry up and get going. They entered the office and Hatter kicked the door closed behind them. He walked over and looked into the bags of food Dormie got them.

"You want to eat down here or wait until they leave and go upstairs?"

She sat in his chair. "Upstairs," she said, pulling one of her boots off and rubbing at her foot. "I want to get out of these shoes. I've been running for days all over Wonderland in heels, I need a pair of flats or my feet are going to fall off."

He looked down at her and chuckled. "We'll go shopping after our meeting tomorrow. I'll get ya some nice shoes, maybe a lovely pair of sandals to show off your cute little toes."

Alice continued rubbing her foot. "That would be nice."

Hatter pulled up the other chair. "Here, I'll do that."

He reached for her foot but she quickly pulled it back. "Um no, I don't like people touching my feet." Hatter looked a little put off by her comment. She didn't want him to think it was anything against him. "I work in my bare feet so they end up being all rough and calloused. I don't even like touching them, I wouldn't ask you to."

He rolled his eyes before reaching down and grabbing her foot anyway. He placed her foot in his lap and started massaging it, rubbing gentle circles into the arch where her muscles had been slowly cramping all day. "Sorry about this luv, I should have thought you'd need something more comfy to walk in. Why didn't you say something sooner?"

She relaxed under his touch, leaning back and closing her eyes. "I didn't want to bother you over something so petty."

His fingers pressed harder as they worked their way up towards her toes. "Nothing petty about pain." He ran his fingers over a particularly sore spot and she moaned softly in approval. "Nothing wrong with your feet either, they may not be silk smooth but they're not the scouring pads you make them out to be. I like your feet."

Alice smiled sweetly at him. "Well then, I guess I'll let you work on the other one too."

"I planned on it."

The sound of the front door closing rang through the office, signaling that Dormie and the movers had left. "Let's go upstairs. You can lie down on the couch while I do this, you'll be much more comfortable."

Alice pulled her foot off his lap and slid it back into her boot. "Tempting as that sounds, I think we should have dinner first. The only thing I've had to eat today was the light breakfast Dormie brought me. I'm starving."

Hatter stood and grabbed the bags of food and the box from earlier and they both went upstairs. He flicked on the lights and set the food down in the kitchen. Alice kicked her boots off before following him. She pulled out plates and silverware and he dished out the meal Dormie had brought them. It was a chicken dish with steamed vegetables and a sweet spicy sauce. There were also some twisty noodles that tasted like pepper and cinnamon, a flavor combination she didn't like but that he seemed to enjoy.

When they finished she cleared the dishes. Hatter pushed the box at her "Open it." He looked so enthusiastic about whatever this was and she couldn't help but smile.

She opened the box and inside was a bottle of wine and three smaller bottles. "Oh, you got wine."

His shoulders slumped a little at her statement. "What do you mean 'oh'? Alice, do you have any idea how hard it is to find wine in Wonderland?"

She shook her head. This was clearly a big deal to him and he obviously had expected her to react differently. "Sorry but in my world if you want wine you just go to the corner liquor store."

That seemed to smooth things over with him a little. "Well you can't do that here. Wine hasn't been made since the Queen came to power, so it's rare. I had to pay Gryphon a fortune for this." He worked at uncorking the bottle. "How exactly am I to sweep ya off your feet if I make all these grand gestures and you don't think anything of them?"

Alice reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "Hatter, you don't have to do anything grand, you've already treated me better than any another man I've ever known. And besides, you just had me off my feet, remember? And you will again in a few minutes. At least I hope I'm still getting that foot rub, right?"

She watched his face and saw he was smiling. "Here I thought you didn't like your feet touched."

"Well maybe you changed my mind." She watched him struggle with the cork and then realized that the wine was warm. "Shouldn't we chill this before we drink it?"

"Yeah but I'll fix that, grab us some glasses will ya?"

Alice searched the cabinet for wine glasses but found none. That made sense; if he didn't have wine very often then he wouldn't own wine glasses. She found two regular glasses and set them on the table and Hatter poured them each a glass. He then reached into the box and pulled out one of the smaller bottles. It looked eerily like emotion Tea.

Hatter placed a drop in each glass then handed her one. "Try it."

Alice twirled the liquid around in the glass. She didn't know what he had put in the wine and she had to fight every instinct in her not to demand to know what it was. She wouldn't do that and whatever he had done, it was nothing that would harm her. She did trust him. She took a sip and was shocked to find the wine icy cold. She held the glass out and stared at it before looking up to see the smug expression on Hatter's face.

"How is it cold?" She pressed her hand against the wine bottle and found it warm just like she thought it would be.

Hatter sipped his own drink and smiled. "Guess I did surprise ya, huh?" He motioned towards the small bottle. "It's a drink cooler, something Gryphon invented. It works just as well as ice but won't water down the drink."

Alice smiled and drank a little more. "Gryphon must be a clever guy."

Hatter took his glass and the wine and nodded towards the living room. "You'll meet him next week. Once we get the bar set up, he'll come in and stock the drinks for me."

They sat down, Alice leaning back against the arm of the couch and Hatter on the cushion next to her. He motioned for her to put her feet up and she did so. If he was willing, then she wasn't going to argue. She watched his fingers travel over the skin of her foot. She wanted to ask him more about the White Side and why he left there, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. He didn't seem too fond of where he grew up and probably had good reason for that.

"So tell me," he said, switching from one foot to the other. "What do you do in your world that you have to work barefoot?"

"I'm a Judo instructor." He looked at her questioningly so she explained what she did. "It's the style I fight in. I teach people how to defend themselves."

"That's how you can throw a fat bird like Dodo around like a rag doll?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Judo teaches you how to use an opponent's strength against them. The idea is not to attack but to disable."

Hatter filled their cups again. "Is it common for women in your world to fight? I only ask because the only women I know here that fight are in the Resistance. They're not nearly as graceful as you though, they more or less just scrap. "

"I live in a large city, so it's popular for woman to take defense classes just so they feel safer. Most don't go beyond the basics though, there aren't many female black belts."

"Hmm, and you're a black belt right? Does that have to do with you teaching?" Hatter had stopped messaging her feet and was now lazily ruining his hand over her ankle and every now and then he would move higher up her calf. He was touching her so casually she wasn't sure if he was absentmindedly doing this or purposely trying to drive her crazy.

She tried to concentrate on his words rather then his feather-light caresses of her skin. "The color of your belt represents skill level. To be an instructor where I work you have to be at least a black belt, but you get paid more the higher rank you are. I'm a second degree black belt."

Hatter laughed. "In that case I'll try never to make you too cross with me. I don't fancy ending up unconscious on the floor."

Alice sat up and scooted closer towards him. "Hatter, you don't really think I would do that, do you?"

"Alice, you've got to admit, you're not exactly the type of girl who thinks about her actions when emotions are involved." Hatter reached out and brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered in her hair, fingers twisting through her dark locks.

She tried her best to look serious. "I'll have you know, I'm very level headed."

"Yeah, level like a sloped hill." He was smiling, his dimple flashing on his cheek. "Never in all my life have I met anyone as impetuous, stubborn, and pig-headed as you."

She reached out and jabbed a finger pointedly at his chest. "Oh, if that's not the pot calling the kettle black."

He reached up and rubbed his chest like her light jab had actually hurt him. "Violent little kettle."

"Sorry, guess I should be more gentle, hmm?" It slipped her mind that she was still holding a half glass of wine and she almost spilled her drink on the couch.

"Careful, I don't want to sleep on a wine stained couch tonight."

She cast her eyes downward and licked her lips. "Doesn't matter, you didn't really want to sleep on the couch anyway did you?"

She reached out and ran her hand along his jawline, his light stubble rough against her fingers. His eyes fell closed at her touch and he leaned his face into her hand.

"Alice." Her name escaped his lips in a whisper. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He tasted sweet and like wine. The kiss was tender at first before becoming more passionate and needy. He pulled her closer to him, his hand fisted in her hair. He nipped and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. She parted her lips and allowed him to deepen the kiss.

He pushed against her and she leaned back on the couch. He broke away and stared down at her, his breathing short and heavy. She looked up at him and saw his hesitation. She wasn't going to let doubt fall between them. She reached up and pulled him back down into a kiss. Her hands roamed over his arms and shoulders and trailed down his back. Mentally she cursed his choice of clothing, he had on too many layers. She wanted to touch his skin.

His lips moved from hers and kissed a hot trail down her neck, stopping at the junction of her shoulder. He gently bit her before kissing and sucking the pain away. She moaned and her hands fought with his shirt, trying to get to his skin. Finally, she pushed against his chest in frustration. Her hand started working on the buttons of his vest.

"Damn it, why does your clothing have to be so complicated?"

He smirked and down at her. "Impatient little Oyster."

"You're right, I am." She tugged hard at his shirt. "Now help me."

He sat up and she finished undoing the buttons of his vest while he undid the top buttons of his shirt. She tugged the hem of his shirt up and he finished removing it all together. Alice leaned up and kissed around his jawline and under his chin before trailing down his neck. Her hands now had free reign to travel over his skin. She felt the hard muscles of his chest under her fingers and she bent her head down to kiss over his wildly beating heart.

She looked down at the burn and bruise marks along his ribs. Even though they were healing fast they would still scar. They'd be constant reminders of what he had gone through. She brushed her fingers lightly over the marks.

"Hey, don't start thinking about that, not now." He took her hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissed her fingers. He rose off the couch and pulled her up with him. He kissed her again as he walked backwards, leading her towards the bed. While they walked she worked at undoing his belt and then fly of his pants.

He pulled up on the hem of her shirt and she lifted her arms, helping him remove it. His hands roamed over her shoulder and then down her sides. He pulled her skirt off her hips and it fell to the floor in a silent heap.

Alice returned the favor by tugging his trousers off and pushing him back onto the bed. She straddled his hips and pressed her body against his. She felt his hand snake up her back and the clasp of her bra came undone and off in one quick motion.

She planted her hands on his chest and smiled down at him. "Well, you swept me off my feet."

He flipped them so she lay under him and pushed her up further on the bed. He ran his tongue over her earlobe and bit her lightly. He whispered, his words falling hot and raspy against her ear, "Just think, I haven't even started with grand gestures yet."

They lay in bed afterward, both happy and sated. Alice was running her fingers through his hair and he was tracing small circles against her stomach.

He kissed her forehead and rubbed his nose against hers. "You all right, little Kettle?"

"Very." She giggled and snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Is that going to be my new nickname?"

He pulled back so he could look at her. "You don't like it?"

"I think it's sweet," she said pressing her lips to his. She laid her head on his chest, listing to his steady heartbeat. A comfortable silence fell between them. Neither was trying to sleep; both were content simply being near the other.

After a few moments she broke the silence. "Hatter?"

"Hmm?"

"What's your real name?"

He breathed deeply and the hand at her back pulled her closer to him. "David," he whispered, even though they were alone with no chance of anyone but her hearing him. "David Temple."

"David Temple." She repeated, liking the way the words rolled off her tongue. She looked up and met his eyes. "Just between us, right?"

He nodded. "Just between us, Kettle."

a/n

Well, I hope you liked that. Lots of you wanted a kiss and I decided to give a bit more than that.

And yes, the name Temple is a reference to Primeval.

Hope you like it, drop me a review if you did!