A/N: Here it is! I quite like this chapter, and I hope that you do too.

Reviewers! I am bowled over! Thank you so much! I check like mad for new reviews (I do, it's sad really), but they mean so much, and it encourages me to write. So thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Chapter 47

Alice hadn't said anything about what she had discussed on the phone with her mother, but by her clenched jaw and angry mutterings during the conversation, it didn't appear to have gone so well. After they finished up at the shop and went up to their cozy little flat, she seemed to relax again. By the time Hatter brought her a cup of evening tea, she was no longer angry… just sad.

"What did she say this time?" he asked, the question softened by his obvious concern for her.

Alice sighed, "Do you really want to know?"

He nodded, and then shifted his position on the couch so he could hold her close to him. She leaned back against his chest, her head on his shoulder, their legs stretched out. She closed her eyes and began to speak; letting his warm presence ameliorate the pain she was feeling at her mother's lack of faith in her. She had always been Alice's strongest supporter, believing in her when no one else did.

Her mother had started out by apologizing for what she said about Hatter. She admitted that she didn't believe he would do that to her, but she didn't want her to throw away such a large inheritance. Alice explained that she would own half of the business, and she fully expected it to succeed. Her mother had laughed at that… actually laughed… and told her that most businesses went under in the first year. She thought it was just a bad idea for her to invest her inheritance in the tea shop with Hatter managing, even if he had the best intentions.

She'd admitted to her mother that he'd never actually owned a business before… but explained that he had managed a pretty lucrative business back in England. Her mother had argued that British commerce was completely different from a place like New York, where hundreds of new businesses closed every day. She wasn't convinced he had it in him to make it work, and she didn't want his failure to drag down Alice along with him.

Alice turned her head to look up at Hatter, but he didn't seem overly affected by her words. He shrugged a shoulder, "She's right about that, you know." He smirked, "Well…except about the whole 'British commerce' thing."

Alice rolled her eyes at him, "No. She's not right. I know you…you won't let the business fail," she argued.

"Well, I'm just saying she's got a right to be concerned about you," he reasoned. His voice hardened in anger as he thought of the way Carol had shown her anxiety, "I do wish she would have found a better way to express it than scaring you or implying that you can't succeed."

Alice turned in his arms so she could face him, "She's wrong; she is just… stubborn… sometimes. At least she apologized for what she said about you using me."

He shook that off as unimportant, "She should have said it to me if she was truly worried about it, not you."

Hatter hated to see Alice upset about anything, and he knew she valued her close relationship with her mother. Knowing Alice, she would be angry for weeks. He was going to have to have a word with Carol.

Alice sighed and shook her head, "Can we just not talk about it anymore?"

"I'm sorry, love," he answered as he pulled her into his arms for a hug.

The next morning they had to wake up early again to make it to four different nearby bakeries before Hatter had to be to work and Alice had to go to class. She was taking a slightly smaller course load this semester. She had almost convinced herself that it was because she needed a little bit of a break, but deep down she knew it was so she would have more time with Hatter. She was going to finish her business degree up fairly soon anyway. Finishing her degree would also free up a lot of her income, and her paycheck combined with Hatter's would make for a decent living.

She stopped in the middle of making their morning tea, shocked at her turn of thoughts. She was calmly planning out their future together, and it wasn't causing her even the slightest twinge of concern or anxiety. If anything, the thought of spending her life with him filled her with joy. She didn't know how she got so lucky as to find him. As if on cue, he staggered into the kitchen. She stared at him thoughtfully as he passed a hand over his face and shook his head, trying to wake up.

He blinked at her blearily, and then his gaze focused and sharpened. She smiled; it amused her how he could go from completely foggy to instantly alert when the situation called for it. She supposed it had to do with all the time he spent living on a razor's edge. She was glad he was done with that part of his life; no one can live like that forever.

"What is it?" he asked, thinking that there was something amiss.

She walked over to him, handed him his cup of tea and kissed his cheek, "I love you."

He smiled slowly, it blossomed into his full-out blinding broad self-satisfied grin. His eyes danced with mirth and smug satisfaction, "I know you do…but why don't you show me, just in case?" he flirted.

Alice laughed and smacked his ass,"Maybe later…we have places to be."

"Promise?" he asked hopefully.

Hatter was less than impressed with the first two of the four bakeries, but he was so polite and charming to the owners that even Alice wouldn't have known it except for the faces he made while they weren't looking. Alice was having a hard time keeping a straight face. The third bakery proved to be terrible, but Hatter still managed to keep up his charade. Alice, however, snorted in laughter when he turned to her and pantomimed retching when he tried their scones. She had to turn it into a cough to cover it, and she wasn't so sure she was successful.

She paid him back for it by resting her hand casually on his leg, and then moving it progressively upwards along his thigh under the cover of the table. He continued speaking with the baker, moving on to the tea cakes without giving any outward indication that she had unbalanced him. Despite his outward calm, she noticed the vein pulsing in his neck as she moved her hand still higher up on his inner thigh, tracing light circles through the thin fabric of his trousers.

As the baker rose to get his last offering for them to try, Hatter turned to her with wide eyes, "What're ya' doin'?" He asked, the words slurred together, his voice at least an octave higher than usual.

Alice smirked, "Payback."

The baker entered the front again; Hatter turned back to him with a smile. Alice resumed her slow torture of Hatter. His voice broke as he was thanking the man for his time, right as Alice hit her final destination. She patted him on the crotch and stood to bid the baker farewell. Hatter shot her a dark look as the baker rose as well. With a quick flick of his fingers, he buttoned his jacket to cover his erection, and then stood to shake his hand. Hatter shot her a dirty look as they exited the bakery.

"That was a beastly trick, Alice," he admonished.

Alice dissolved into giggles, "I know… fun though!"

He took a long look at Alice, giggling hysterically in the middle of the sidewalk. She was holding onto her side she was laughing so hard. He swept her up into his arms and kissed her soundly.

"You are beautiful when you laugh… you're forgiven," he said as he broke off the kiss.

"I don't remember apologizing," she countered breathlessly.

Hatter threw back his head and laughed out loud and kissed her again.

"Come on… one left to try. My vote is we make it quick, yeah?"

The last bakery proved to be a good one. Hatter privately thought that he could do better, but he had neither the time nor the inclination to bake as much as he would need to for the tea shop. He wangled a good deal out of the bakery, they would have his order delivered fresh daily starting next week. Alice was impressed all over again at how smooth and charming Hatter could be when he put his mind to it. Still, she was glad that he was either unwilling or unable to use that facet of him with her. She liked the real Hatter best of all, and she knew she shared him with no one else.

Alice promised to join Hatter in the tea shop for the few hours she had free after she got out of class and before she had to teach at the dojo. She dreaded sitting through classes again, but she thought that the possibility of actually using what she learned might make the business courses a little bit more tolerable. Hatter had joked that he had considered taking a class or two. Alice had laughed at the complications they would likely face trying to get him enrolled, but then had sobered as she realized that they still hadn't heard back from the Immigration office.

She made a mental note to call them after she got out of class and ask for any updates. She was scared to death that they would revoke his citizenship and send him packing. She didn't know what she would do if that happened. Well, she knew she would follow him wherever he went (how could she not?)…but it would be a nightmare.

Hatter walked back from the subway station after watching Alice get on the train. He stopped in to the tea shop to tell James he might be a few minutes late and then strode toward Carol's apartment. He had been thinking about what he would say to her all day, but he hadn't come up with anything concrete. He just knew he had to convince her that he wouldn't let Alice throw away her future. He also had a few choice words for her about how much her lack of faith had hurt Alice.

Hatter knocked on the door, nervous but resolute. Carol answered after a few moments; she seemed surprised to find him standing outside her door. She invited him in; he removed his hat as he entered… an old world gesture that Carol appreciated. She thought young people didn't use their manners enough these days. She offered him something to drink, which he declined. She offered him a seat, which he accepted. Carol sat down across from him and looked at him expectantly.

Hatter cleared his throat and played with the brim of his hat as he tried to think of how to begin, "About Alice…she's pretty upset right now."

Carol nodded, "She's not answering my calls."

Hatter's brow creased. He didn't know it was that bad, "She thinks that you don't believe in her. I told her that you're just looking out for her, but you hurt her pretty badly."

Carol expression hardened, but she hadn't interrupted so he kept going, "You know Alice is headstrong… she will do what she wants to do, whether you like it or not. I don't like the idea of her buying into the tea shop either, but she won't listen! I promise you, if it looks like we can't turn a profit I'll sell it and give her everything. She's brilliant though, if anyone can help me do this, it's her," he finished.

Carol mouth thinned into an angry line, "If you are taking advantage of her…"

Hatter jumped up, "I would never, I promise you that. And if you believe that, let loose your fears on me… not on Alice. She needs you to believe in her, not to prey on her insecurities. If you want to shout at someone for this, shout at me," he replied heatedly.

Carol's mouth opened and closed, taken aback. This was a different side of the charming, polite young man she knew. Carol narrowed her eyes…he didn't act the least bit affronted that she had said some terrible things about him. He was just concerned about Alice.

Hatter wracked his brain for something, anything he could say to make it better. He figured that yelling at Alice's mum probably wasn't the best way to go about it. He sank back down onto the couch, steepled his hands together to still them; he had the feeling that doing any hat tricks to calm his nerves would be misinterpreted. He took a deep breath and blew it back out.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. I just…well," he cleared his throat, tried again.

"Alice means everything to me, and I hate to see her upset. I love her, more than anything. Believe me, please, when I say I'd never do anything to hurt her," he beseeched.

"I just want her to sort things out with you, and I wanted you to know that I wouldn't hurt her," he finished quietly.

Carol considered the young man seated across from her. She genuinely liked Hatter; Alice had blossomed into the happy carefree woman she should have always been since he showed up on her doorstep. He obviously cared for her… enough to brave his girlfriend's mother.

"Does Alice know you're here?" Carol asked.

"No. She'd probably be right brassed off about it if she knew," he smiled wryly.

"Are you going to tell her?" Carol asked curiously.

Hatter gave a short bark of laughter, "Probably, yeah." He shrugged, "It makes me feel too guilty if I hide things from her," he sheepishly replied.

Carol pierced him with a gimlet stare. He met her glance unflinchingly. He hoped he measured up.

"Well, you are right about one thing. Alice will do what she wants, whether I like it or not," Carol granted.

Hatter chuckled humorlessly, "Yeah."

Carol sighed, "David Hatter, if you leave her high and dry I will hunt you down and kill you," Carol stated, her tone deadly serious.

"I see where she gets it," Hatter said under his breath.

He looked her directly in her eyes and spoke from his heart, "I'd never leave her. I love her… I'd marry her if I thought she would have me," he stated quietly.

Carol's eyes widened at that, "You barely know each other."

He smiled gently, "She knows me better than I know myself. You could say we have been through a lot together. But let's save that argument for another day, yeah?" he finished with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

Carol laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation, "I suppose a kidnapping does tend to be a bonding experience."

He nodded, his grin diminishing, "That it does."

Carol sighed and shook her head, "If you can get her to talk to me?"

"I'll do my best… but you know Alice. You may have to just wait her out," he warned.

Carol looked at him as he stood to leave and decided that Alice had done well to find him. It couldn't have been easy for him to come here and talk to her, but he had done it for Alice. He was obviously completely devoted to her. At least I'll have cute grandchildren, she thought. That is, if Alice didn't run away screaming as soon as he proposed. She hoped that it would last between them, but Alice was a grown woman and would make her own decisions. She would offer her support to Alice, even if she worried… even if she didn't agree.

"Hatter?" she said as he strode towards the door to leave.

He paused next to her, waiting expectantly.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry for what I said about you. I never thought you would intentionally hurt her," Carol apologized.

"It's okay. I understand," he acknowledged.

Impulsively, Carol hugged him, "I see why she loves you."

Embarrassed and touched… a blush rising on his cheeks, he hugged her back gently.

He figured that it must mean that they were okay, if Carol had hugged him. Alice however might be more than just a little bit angry with him after he told her what he had done.

Alice had placed a call to Immigration, hoping to get some sort of update on Hatter's citizenship. All she managed to get was a case number. She was supposed to try again tomorrow; they were going to have to look into his file. Frustrated, she headed home. Her class had gotten out early because it was the first day. She was glad of it, many of her teachers had insisted on taking up every allowable minute of their allotted time, and then some…even on the first day of class.

She had roughly three hours before she had to teach at the dojo. She planned to make Hatter a sandwich to bring to him, hang out in the tea house for a little while, and then go teach. She was debating on going into the dojo a little early. She was still furious at her mother, and pounding the heavy bag sounded like a good way to work out her anger. She'd called her multiple times throughout the day, but Alice didn't want to speak with her just yet. Not yet.

Alice minded the shop while Hatter wolfed down the sandwich she'd made for him. He hurried to take over again, kissing Alice on the cheek as a quick thank you.

"You know, you are going to have to teach me about tea if I'm going to be part owner," Alice noted.

Hatter turned to look at her, surprised, "I didn't know you were interested."

"I'm interested," she countered.

He smiled delightedly, "Really?"

She nodded, "Really. So will you teach me?"

"Of course, love. Brilliant! That's just lovely," he enthused.

He had decided to save telling Alice about his conversation with Carol for when there weren't any customers in the shop... or things nearby to throw at him. He thought she might yell at him, but he thought he had done the right thing. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset with him. He gave her some preliminary information on different teas they sold before she had to leave, promising to tell her more later on that evening.

Hatter's phone rang, signaling that Alice was on her way back from the dojo. He stood at the door and waited for her. She jogged down the street, planted a kiss on his cheek and said she was going up for a quick shower and then she'd be right down to help him lock up. He told her to take her time; he had a lot to do yet, and he still had a half-hour until closing.

Alice studied Hatter as she sipped a cup of tea and watched him from her table. He had a few moments yet before he was able to lock up, and she was waiting on the customers to leave before she confronted him about his odd behavior. There was something bothering him, and he obviously didn't want to talk about it until the shop was empty. The tea he had served her had been a good indicator, as well. For one thing, he'd named it Don't Hit Me When I Tell You. She'd never had a tea that tasted apologetic before.

As he locked the door behind the last customer and flipped the sign to closed, Alice stood and walked up behind him. He spun around to face an impatient and irritated Alice.

"Out with it. What did you do?" she demanded.

He looked at her for a moment, decided to get it over with.

"I talked to your mum. She wants to talk to you," he admitted sheepishly.

He winced as Alice's mouth thinned to a grim line and she set her jaw in anger.

"Why did you do that?" she challenged.

"I wanted you two to sort it out… and I wanted to tell her that you are worth believing in, and that I'd never let anything bad happen to you, if I could help it," he replied earnestly.

Alice tried to stay angry, but he was looking at her with his heart in his deep brown eyes. He was trying to protect her again, and she found it hard to fault him for it although she didn't agree with his methods.

"I can handle my mother on my own, you know," she stated.

"I know… but you hate arguing with her. I hope you are not too angry, but I wanted to speed up the process a bit," he explained.

"Alright. I'll talk to her tomorrow. Happy?" she acquiesced.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked carefully.

Alice sighed, "No, not really."

Hatter flashed her a blinding smile, "Then I'm happy."

She helped him lock up, watched him count his tip money out with amusement, "Do I want to know what you are doing to collect that amount of money in tips?" she joked.

Hatter laughed and gave her a sly smile, "I'm charming, is all," He replied, his accent twice as thick as normal and his dimple on display as he grinned cheekily.

Alice rolled her eyes and snapped the bar towel at his ass.

Over their evening meal, Hatter kept staring at Alice, a strange inscrutable expression on his face. Alice tried to draw whatever he was thinking out of him, but Hatter did some things on his time alone. He was usually easy for her to read, but she didn't see the reason for all his nervous energy or veiled glances. She got tired of waiting for him to tell her what was on his mind and just asked him, point blank. He grinned, and laughed softly. He was rubbish at hiding anything from Alice.

"I just wanted to ask you something," he answered.

"So ask," Alice replied.

"I'd like to take you out Saturday night. Somewhere nice, for dinner and the theatre maybe?" he asked hopefully.

Alice smiled. She thought it was cute that he had been so worked up over asking her out on a date, "That sounds like fun. Would you let me pick out the play that we go see?" she requested.

He nodded, "I was sort of hoping you would, actually. Good. That's good then."

Hatter relaxed a little after she agreed. He had decided that it would be the night he would ask her. He would try to make it a romantic evening, and then he would ask her to marry him. His stomach clenched at the thought, but he tried not to think about it. She would either agree or not.

Please say yes, he thought as he looked into her stormy blue eyes.

A/N: I sure hope you liked this one. It almost wrote itself. Thanks to catesy for launching my "Hatter talks to Carol about marrying Alice" plot bunny. I didn't think he would ever feel the need to ask her permission… Alice belongs to herself (and to Hatter), but I thought it would be vastly amusing to mention it to her. Heh.

Is Carol redeemed now? Hey…sometimes people say very mean things that they don't mean…just because it will cut the deepest. Carol's not perfect.

Thanks to the folks that crossed over to read and review my Primeval fics. :) Primeval land doesn't get enough love. It's kind of depressing to not get the same amount of readers & reviewers, but I desperately wanted to write them a lemony M rated fic, and I accomplished it. I think it came out sweet and steamy. Wow, are Connor and Hatter two different people though!