AN: This one was also a request from Stars May Fall. Just one more short after today, guys!
Young
Alice was folding clothes into a suitcase, preparing to officially move into Hatter's flat, when the aforementioned boyfriend made a funny noise from behind her. Curious, Alice looked back at where he was piling her books into a cardboard box. "What was that?"
Hatter glanced up at her and grinned. "I can' believe you kept it," he said. Frowning, Alice glanced down at the book in his hands; it was her battered copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
"What about it?" she asked in confusion.
Hatter's smile faltered. "You don' remember?" he asked and then shook his head. "Nah, course you wouldn't. You were a wee thing."
Alice set down the jeans she'd been folding and turned to properly face him. "What are you talking about? My dad bought that book for me."
"Did not," Hatter said petulantly. "You were a little thing, couldn'a been more 'an six or seven, I reckon. Playin' by youself at the park."
And a memory drifted up through the cracks in Alice's mind, pulled forward from that deepest recess where dreams and fantasies lived...
Alice was bored. She kicked at the dirt in the sandbox and stared balefully down the street toward her house. Her mother was at work and her father was buried deep in grading papers for one of his classes. He promised that when he was finished they'd go feed chickpeas to the ducks, but he sure was taking an awful long time of it, and he didn't like her in the house bothering him while he was doing it. She's gone to the park but so far it wasn't turning out to be any more fun than sitting alone in her room.
She headed for the playscape but a much older kid stepped in front of her. "Whatcho think your doin?" he asked, chewing loudly at a piece of bright pink bubblegum. "Get outta here. No one wants to play with you." He shoved her shoulder and Alice stumbled back into the wood chips. Eyes watering, Alice picked herself up and ran for home.
Halfway there, she quite suddenly collided with something that sent her sprawling on the pavement. "Oi, easy there," the thing she'd hit said. When she looked up she found herself staring at a man, younger than her daddy with droopy brown hair beneath a pale violet hat. He was smiling, but when he saw her face it slipped away.
"Sorry," she muttered, rubbing at her watery eyes.
"Don' worry 'bout it, I get knocked 'bout all the time," he said with a laugh. He crouched down in front of her. Alice noticed his eyes, dark and soft and warm. "You okay, love?"
"They were mean to me," she said and gestured vaguely back at the park.
The man followed her gaze and scowled. "Bloody Jabbers," he said and shook his head. "Pickin' on a pretty li'l thing like you. You know what you oughta do? Learn'a fight back. That'll teach 'em." He sighed and then looked down at her again. "Here, lemme 'elp you up. What's your name, love?"
"Alice," she responded as he helped her to her feet. He stayed crouched in front of her so they were eye-level.
The man chuckled, his eyes sparking in amusement. "You don' say," he said. "You know what, Alice, I think I got som'mat that'll make you feel better. Was gonna take it 'ome with me, but I think you need it more." He reached into the backpack he was wearing and pulled out a book, holding it out to her.
Alice took it and read the title, printed above a photo of a little blonde girl and a woman with hearts on her dress - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. "Alice?" she asked and looked up eagerly.
"Aye, right feisty thing she was too," he said. "Not much olda 'an you."
"I can keep it?" she asked in awe.
"Sure," he said and tapped her chin playfully. Then his gaze flicked passed her and his smile flickered. "Alright, love, great chattin' to ya but I gotta go. I gotta Rabbit to follow." And with a quick ruffle of her hair, he stood and took off running down the street while Alice hugged her new book to her chest...
"Wait, that was real?" Alice asked in shock, looking up to meet Hatter's gaze. "I always thought I dreamed that."
"You dream 'bout me?" Hatter asked with a roguish grin. When Alice continued to stare at him insistently he chuckled. "Aye, it 'appened. Was tailing the Rabbit for the Resistance; knew he was interested in somethin' for the Queen and was tryin'a figure out what. Turns out it was your da, 'though I didn' know that 'cause I got sidetracked chattin' to a little girl."
"So you knew me, all this time?" she asked. "When we met - why didn't you say anything?"
"Didn' realise you was the same Alice a'first, did I? All grown up like," he said with a shrug. "Wasn' 'til I saw your da I figured it out, and then, well..." He trailed off with a hopeless wave of his hand. "You 'ad other thin's on your mind. An' you neva' said anythin' either, I thought you knew an' just weren't sayin'."
"But you - you looked just the same," Alice said, frowning. Hatter cocked an eyebrow at her as he walked around to join her beside the bed. "Your hair was longer."
Hatter chuckled as he carded a hand through his hair. "Bit, yeah," he agreed. "Was in me thirties a' the time, I think. Weird time, wore a purple hat then, had a thin' for those funny gloves withou' fingers."
"I can't believe that was really you," Alice said. "Did you come to my world a lot then?"
"Jus' the one time," he said. "Afta that they started sendin' someone else. Said I spent too much time lookin' for treasures 'stead of followin' Rabbit like I was s'pose to. Couldn' right blame 'em, really. I did bring me back a nice bag of thin's, minus the funny book I gave to a wee girl."
"Your only time in my world, and you ran into me," she said with an awkward laugh. "What a coincidence."
Hatter snorted. "Run into a girl once, then for'y years later she shows up in me shop," he said, tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear. "Tha's not coincidence. Where I'm from, love, we call that fate."