AN: Any suggestions for a song for this chapter? I'm at a loss. Please let me know if you can think of one (I will give you full credit for it).

Thanks everyone for all the great reviews. You all rock! Much love!

...

She knew she should be flattered that someone like Tim was interested in her. She knew she should be enjoying herself. She knew she shouldn't be thinking instead of chocolate eyes and chaotic hair, and a certain brown pork pie hat. And the man that belonged to all three.

He had moved on. She had seen it with her own eyes. He had been holding onto the pretty blonde. And laughing. Laughing! She tried to remember the last time she had laughed. It had to have been over seven weeks ago.

She realized that Tim had stopped talking and was watching her again. She smiled, a little apologetically. And blamed "first date jitters". She could tell Tim wasn't convinced, but he was playing along. This wasn't fair to him, and she knew it. He was a friend, and she was using him... and the thought only served to make her more miserable.

…

Alice's phone rang in her pocket. She glanced across the table at Tim and mouthed "sorry", before pulling it out. The display flashed a name and a number. Hatter.

Her face fell, and she shoved the phone back in her pocket, before forcing a smile back onto her face.

"You okay?" Tim was watching her with a concerned but knowing look.

Alice nodded, though in her mind she shook her head. "Fine."

It rang a second time and she ignored it. She didn't want to talk to him. Didn't want to hear what he wanted to say. Didn't want to admit that she really did.

The third time it rang, she gave an angry growl of frustration, turned her phone off, and flung it onto the table, causing Tim to jump slightly. Then without thinking it through, she reached across the table, buried her hand into the back of Tim's hair and pulled him in for a kiss.

Tim tensed, a little surprised, before melting into the kiss. He knew it was borne of frustration, of anger at Hatter, but damn, Alice was a great kisser.

…

It was all wrong.

His lips weren't as soft. There was no roughness of stubble – only clean-shaven skin against hers. His tongue didn't know the right dance. His hand in her hair was too gentle.

He was one hell of a kisser, but it tasted wrong, felt wrong.

And Alice felt awful.

She felt hot tears spill from her eyes as she pulled back out of the kiss. She couldn't look at him. Instead, she buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "Sorry, Tim, I can't."

She could hear Tim sigh audibly, could imagine the look of frustration on his face. She wouldn't have blamed him if he had just walked away.

…

Tim watched the miserable puddle that Alice had dissolved into, and felt more sympathy then anything. He knew he had rushed it, knew she wasn't ready to date again. He had seen it in her eyes. But at the same time, it was Alice, the pretty girl who could kick his ass on the mats, the one who he had been attracted to, even had crushes on, since they were both teenagers. He hadn't been able to resist at least asking.

But he hated seeing her this upset. It was obvious that she still loved David Hatter. And if the phone calls were any indication, he still cared very much for her as well.

Tim cringed. "Alice, Alice, Alice," he groaned. "Don't make me be the good guy, here... please?" He saw Alice's eyebrow quirk, and she peeked back at him through her fingers.

He reached across the table and pulled her hands off her face and back onto the table. "You know good guys always finish last, right?" This time he was rewarded by a bit of a smirk.

He didn't move his hands from hers, just looked down at them for a long moment, before giving her hand a squeeze. She still hadn't said anything. He gave a bit of a sigh again.

"Alice, you obviously still love Dave. And judging by the phone calls that you wouldn't answer, he still loves you too. And..." here he kicked himself inwardly again... "I think the two of you should try to work things out."

Alice's eyes clouded again and her face crumpled. "No. I've lost him. I saw him in the park with another girl." A tear escaped from her eye. "He's moved on." At Tim's sympathetic look, she cringed and quickly added, "It doesn't matter. It wasn't working anymore. We were always fighting."

...

In her mind, she and Hatter were back in the living room, staring each other down. They had both practically yelled themselves hoarse, and yet she couldn't even remember what had started the fight. All she remembered was how it ended.

Hatter's shoulders had dropped, a clear sign that his anger was spent and he was done fighting. Alice had still been raging mad. And she knew what the next words were that would come from him. It was the way he always ended the fights.

"I love you Alice."

And she had scoffed. Not because she didn't believe it. But because she wasn't ready to stop fighting yet. But scoffing at his offer of love... it had finally broken his heart.

She had broken his heart.

…

The tears were streaming down her face now, as she beat herself up. She was barely aware of Tim, still sitting across from her, and looking slightly awkward as the strongest woman he knew broke in front of him. "It's my fault," she sobbed. "I pushed him away. I was always fighting with him."

Tim once again cursed himself for what he was about to do. He was sure he was going to lose any chance he ever had to be Alice's next-in-line, but he couldn't just watch her suffer like this. She belonged with Dave, not him. And she was his friend.

He waited until she quieted a bit, then reached over and squeezed her arm. "Alice, listen to me, okay?" He took a deep breath. "Three phone calls tell me that he isn't as over you as you think he is. And maybe, instead of fighting against each other, you two need to start fighting for each other."

"What?" Alice was staring at Tim now.

He looked confused. "What?" he asked back.

"Say that again..."

Tim still looked uncertain. "Instead of fighting against each other you need to start fighting for each other?"

Fighting FOR each other. Like they had in Wonderland. Like they hadn't here.

Alice smiled softly at Tim. "Thank you," she whispered.

…

She gave Tim a warm hug, and apologized again for everything, when he dropped her off at her building. He had smiled back at her, wished her luck, and said he would see her at the dojo next class.

She walked slowly up the stairs, fiddling with the cell phone in her hands. She still hadn't turned it back on, and she wasn't sure she was ready to quite yet. The image of him and the blonde still haunted her mind, but she knew Tim was right.

If she wanted Hatter back, she needed to fight for him.

And she would. Once she figured out how.

…

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice a scrap of white taped to her door. She wrinkled her forehead as she pulled it off. It was a napkin. And scrawled on it in blue pen, in feminine script, were three words. "CALL HIM. PLEASE."

She frowned, and flipped the napkin over. Imprinted on the other side was a restaurant's logo: Waffle's Cafe.

...

AN: Thanks to Alaina Downs - your review inspired the perfect advice from Tim to Alice - fight for him!

I will try to have my next chapter up quickly... :D Please review. It makes my day and keeps my muse writing away!

Merry Christmas!