Frog's Fabulous Footwear

Alice woke to the sun shining through the windows and into her eyes. Hatter was pressed against her back, an arm curled lightly around her waist. She wondered what time it was. Hatter never slept in. Well, not as far as she knew.

His hold on her tightened and he buried his face further into her hair, grunting softly. She turned in his arms and pushed his hair away from his face.

"Isn't it past time for you to get up?"

He blinked a few times, clearing the sleep from his eyes. "Why? You trying to get rid of me?"

She snuggled closer to him. "No, you're just normally up and dressed by now. I'm the one who likes to sleep in, remember?"

He smiled and ran his hands down her naked body. "Well, you are a bad influence."

"Bad Influence?" She said, doing her best to mock hurt. "I'd like to remind you that before you met me, you were a Tea dealer and a con-man."

"I suppose you did fix one of those. Though I'm not as straight and narrow as you'd like to think. Ya got to be a little crooked to deal with people here."

"Um-hm, I bet." She lazily ran her hand up and down his chest. "So are we going to lie in bed all day or are we actually going to go out and do something?"

"Well," he said, shivering slightly as her nails dragged across his skin. "Before you started doing that, I was going to suggest we go shopping. I did promise you new shoes after all. Then I thought we could go see how old Charlie's doing."

She nibbled at the base of his neck and trailed her fingers lower over his stomach. "Before? That mean you changed your mind?"

In one quick motion he flipped her onto her back and pinned her hands above her head with his left hand, leaving his right free to roam her curves. "Nope, just means we'll be leave later then I thought."

When they finally left the Tea House, Hatter explained that there were no good shoe shops in the Lower City, at least none he thought she would like. Most leaned toward what he called 'Wonderland traditional' and simply put, not her style.

He lead her to one of the staircase buildings. She looked up and saw that it was at least another ten stories tall. Just the thought of how high they already were brought about vertigo.

Her mouth had gone dry and she struggled to speak. "Hatter... how high are we going?"

He paused in the middle of the doorway and turned to look at her. "About eight stories. The shops are all higher up."

She looked back up at where they were going. Once again, the spinning sensation overwhelmed her and she quickly looked back down at the ground.

He reached out and took hold of her hand. "Ya know what, we can just go to the Lower city. I'm sure we'll find something you like."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "What are the streets like?"

"Same as this level. Some buildings don't reach that high so the bridges tend to be longer."

She held his hand tightly and looked up once more. She tried to convince herself that it would be ok. Plenty of people lived in the city and she hadn't once heard of anyone falling since she had been here. Besides, Hatter would be right next to her and he wasn't going to let her fall.

"I'm fine, we can go up."

"You sure?" He asked.

She nodded and pulled him towards the stairs. "Yeah, I'm fine. I can't get over my fear if I avoid it all the time."

He nodded and they started climbing upward.

The upper level was a stark contrast to the Lower City. The buildings here were all new construction. Most of the building fronts were white brick and framed in steel. Windows on this level were large, clearly placed to allow as much sunlight in as possible. The sidewalks were slightly wider then the Levels below, still not much of a comfort considering how high they were. As always, Hatter walked with his arm around her shoulder and her on the inside of the street.

There were less people up here than down below, and the few she did see were dressed very businesslike. The shops here were different too. They all seemed to be selling luxury items. Most of them displayed their goods in the large front windows. It reminded her of the high end shops in New York, the ones she never even set foot in because she knew she couldn't afford even the simplest items they offered.

They passed the first few blocks of shops and Alice felt dread settle slowly in her stomach. They had to cross a long narrow bridge that connected this block and the next. The bridge did have rails but they looked to be made of extremely thin metal. The wind picked up as they moved closer and she swore she saw the bridge shift slightly in the wind.

Hatter's grip tightened on her shoulder but he didn't slow their pace.

"Shopping up here is different from the Lower City. Things here are expensive and way overpriced. Shoe shops are definitely the worst, and the blokes that sell them will do anything to make a sale. They only put the price so high because rich people think that the more they spend, the better status symbol it becomes."

As they stepped onto the bridge, Hatter quickened their pace. Her heart was beating like a sledgehammer against her ribs. She tried hard to keep her focus on the other end of the bridge, because looking anywhere else only sent her head spinning. She wanted to close her eyes, but the thought of not seeing were she was going only frightened her more.

"Honestly, how can they expect so much money for something ya wear on your feet and people don't even look at? I can normally talk them down in price. You just have to remember not to seem too enthused, the more casual we are the better deal we'll get. Just go in there, pick out a few pairs, and let me talk down the price."

They reached the other side of the bridge and she breathed a sigh of relief. She broke away from him and pressed her back against the nearest building.

"I don't think you understand."

He looked at her, brows furrowed in question. "Understand what?"

She was still breathing deep trying to steady herself. "I like shoes."

"Ok...so what?"

"No." She corrected. "I really, really like shoes. Like, you know how you have all those hats in your closet?" He nodded. "That's how many shoes I have."

She started walking, her hands following the building as she went. "I even have a savings account just so I can put money away for when Plush Pumps has their annual sale."

He followed a few steeps behind her. "Alice, that's insane. Why in the world would you spend money like that on shoes?"

"Why do you buy hats?"

He quickly strode past her and stood in front of her, blocking her path. "That's different. My hat's on my head, you can't help but look at it. No one looks at shoes. Well, ya know, unless you're talking to someone who stares at the ground, and then you don't really want to be talking to someone like that anyway."

She held up her hand, cutting him off from whatever ridiculous rant he was about to get into. "Look, it's no big deal. You just go in there and pick out what you think I'd like."

"Ok, what size are you?"

"Seven and a half."

His expression went blank and he stared at her for a moment. "I don't know what that means."

"How could you..." she waved her hand in front of her face, as if batting away whatever ridiculous statement she was about to make. "What size are you?"

"H."

"Oh, of course." She rolled her eyes and pushed past him. "I should have know it would be something stupid like that when I found out bra size went by number."

He quickly followed behind her. "What else would you use?"

"The alphabet is used for bra size and numbers are used for shoe size."

Behind her she heard him give a snorting laugh. "Well that's stupid."

"No," she argued. "That's normal. I feel better saying I'm a B cup than saying I'm a two."

"Really? Because I thought your breasts were bigger than that."

"We are not talking about my breast size!"

Two women in very sharp-looking dress suits had just rounded the corner and were now staring at the arguing couple. Alice felt the heat rise to her face and she quickly looked away from the disapproving glares.

Hatter for his part, just smiled and nodded as the women hurried past. "Ladies."

"Oh my god, let's just get this over with so I can quit embarrassing myself."

They stopped in front of a shop called Frog's Fabulous Footwear. Despite the weird name, she was floored by the selection of shoes displayed in the front window. The familiar thrill of excitement she always got when she shopped washed over her. She had never quite been able to pin down when her love of footwear began. She suspected, like most things, it had to do with her father.

The first pair of shoes she had ever sought out had been ruby slipper look-a-likes from the Wizard of OZ. Her father surprised her with them early on her seventh birthday. She remembered wearing those shoes well after they stopped fitting comfortably. In fact, they probably were still hidden somewhere in the back of her closet.

"You look like a kid in a candy store."

She caught his reflection in the window and saw him smirking at her. Taking in her current stance she realized he was right. She had both hands pressed at the window and had raised up on her toes to see the shoes further back. Embarrassed, she quickly stepped back and turned away from the display.

"Oh please, I'd like to see you in a hat shop," she said, reaching up and flicking his hat.

He huffed and righted his hat. "I'd like to see me in a hat shop."

She glanced back at the window, seeing a very nice pair of open toed white sandals that she really wanted to try on. "I doesn't help that you still haven't explained to me how money works here."

"We've been busy, I haven't had the time." He grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the window. "All you need to know is that that scrawny little man behind the counter has been watching you drool for the past few minutes. He's probably adding extra zeros onto tags right now. "

She peeked back into the shop and saw the salesman standing in front of a mirror, adjusting his tie and running a hand through his slicked-back, blond hair. The man was tall, thin, and very light of frame. He wore a pink button-up shirt under a gray vest paired with gray slacks.

Behind her Hatter sighed. "Well, let's get in there before he preens himself anymore."

They entered the shop and the man turned to greet them. His smile was wide and he greeted them excitedly. "Welcome! I knew a woman of such beauty," his eyes traveled downward, taking in her plum boots, "and such exquisite taste, couldn't stand to pass up such a buy."

He quickly strode past them and plucked the white sandals out of the display window. He held them out for her inspection. "The White Sorrel sandals are our latest in summer fashion, an excellent choice for any occasion."

"Yeah." Hatter said quickly. "She'd like to try those on."

"Excellent, sir." The man led Alice by her elbow towards a black leather chair. "My name is Geoffry and I'm more than happy to assist you today. May I take your coat, dear?"

She almost said yes before she remembered her Oyster mark. "No thank you, we really can't stay long."

He nodded, his smile never fading. He looked down at her feet appraisingly. "Let me guess, you're a C, or maybe a C and a quarter."

"Yeah, a C and a quarter, I'll try that. My size tends to vary." She was grateful he guessed, it kept her from having to come up with a good reason she didn't know her own shoe size.

"Perfect, I'll be right out with those, and I have a few lovely pairs of heels I think you'll like as well."

He headed towards the back of the shop and Hatter leaned down against the back of the chair. "I've got to hand it to him, he's good at his job. Polite, charming, good judge of what people like. Still a slimy bastard, and a bit on the fruity side, but good at what he does."

Alice smiled and couldn't help the retort that fell from her lips. "Kind of like a certain Tea seller I know."

"Oi, I'm about to spend a small fortune to make your tiny little size C feet happy and you're going to call me slimy?"

She laughed. "I didn't say slimy. I was agreeing with the polite and charming part."

Before he had a chance to comment back, Geoffry came back with a stack of boxes. He knelt down and helped remove her boots. "I must say, these are absolutely gorgeous. What shop did you buy them from?"

Her mind went blank trying to come up with a believable lie. Hatter jumped in with an answer.

"A second-hand shop if I remember right. I think they're Oyster castoffs."

Geoffry sighed and stared at the boot in his hands. "Oysters did always have the best tastes in footwear." He looked up at Alice, his wide smile returning. "Some of our best shoes were modeled off Oyster castoffs. It's a pity the Prince won't let any more come across the Looking Glass."

She didn't know whether to take that as a complement or be insulted. Then again, she didn't know what he meant by Oyster castoffs. She'd have to remember to ask Hatter about it after they left.

Geoffry slipped the white sandals on her and they were a perfect fit. At least now she knew her own shoe size. She stood, walked around the chair, and over to the floor length mirror.

"Those are nice." Hatter said. "Do you like them?"

She studied her feet in the mirror for a second before turning and smiling. "I do, they're cute."

"Can't put a price on a smile like that, can you?" Geoffry said tapping Hatter lightly on the arm.

Hatter glanced down at the price on the box. "I know plenty of ways to make her happy. I'm not paying that."

Unfazed, he opened the next box and placed a pair of red platform pumps with criss-cross ankle straps in front of her. Alice slipped out to the white flats and into the pumps. She loved the shape they gave her legs and the few extra inches they added to her height.

Geoffry smiled. "I'm sure we can do a multi-purchase discount."

By the time they left Frogs, Alice had several new shoes and Hatter was exhausted from haggling with Geoffry.

Alice leaned against him as they walked back home. "That wasn't too bad ,was it?"

Hatter shrugged his shoulders. "Not as bad as I was expecting. However, right after lunch, I'm going to give you that lesson in currency."

She looked down at her new pair of Sorrel sandals. He noticed her downward glance and pulled her closer as they walked.

"I knew you had to have a downside, just my bad luck your habit's an expensive one." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "But, as long as you're happy, it's money well spent."

She stopped walking and pulled him into a proper kiss. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips.

"You're welcome, Kettle."

A/n

I haven't said it in a few chapters but thanks so much to Iellix for betaing for me. And thank you everyone who continues to read and review my story!

EtherealDemon asked "If Alice is both an Oyster and from the White side is she then overly emotional and is Hatters 'Sledgehammer' connected to his being from the White side?"

I may never work the answer into a chapter so here it is, I see it as the world you're born into being the driving force behind the emotional state. It's similar to zodiac signs. If your born under the Red Queen you have an equal chance of being slightly emotional or having very little emotion. While being born under the White Queen, you could be born with what we would consider, normal emotion or you could be overly emotional.

Genetics really have nothing to do with it, it's where you're born that effects you. So Alice, being born in our world, would have the normal emotional range of us Oysters.

I'm still trying to work the Sledgehammer explanation into the story. So I hope this cleared up a few points. :)