AN: So, I didn't quite have it done by Christmas, but at least it will be done by New Years!

Thanks to everyone who continues to read this, and much thanks to all who have favorited and or reviewed this story. :D You make my day!

Again, no song for this one... oh well.

Cheers!

...

They reconciled on December 4th.

Alice hoped that some of the other dates would eventually fade – those attached to bitter memories – but she always wanted to remember this one.

They talked for nearly four hours at the waffle restaurant, and Sami made sure they were well-fed but undisturbed. They talked about how they felt, what they had gone through in the seven weeks that they had been apart. They clung to each other, and cried and laughed and kissed. And he promised not to leave like that again.

But Hatter could not help but hesitate momentarily, when they reached the threshold of their flat. It had been weeks since he had been inside, and his last memory of the place had been a bad one. And he knew that all of his things would be missing from there – either in storage or at the other apartment, another reminder of what had transpired. He wanted desperately for it to feel like home again, and he was afraid that it wouldn't.

Alice saw the look in his eyes, the sadness and anxiety that lurked there, and it tore at her heart again. It was like he was waiting, needing to be invited back in. He winced slightly when he noticed her staring at him, as though expecting her to be upset. Instead, she smiled gently at him, and, taking his hand, pulled him through the door and pushed it shut behind him.

The moment it clicked shut, she pulled Hatter down into a passionate, hungry kiss that begged him to take her, to make her his once again.

The first time was hard and desperate and possessive, pressed up against the door of the flat, as Hatter reclaimed every inch of her body. It left them both aching and bruised, but it was healing. It was a release of some of the pain they had both been holding onto.

The second time was far sweeter, as he carried her back to their bedroom and made gentle love to her on the bed they had shared. His kisses and caresses were soft, almost worshipful, and interspersed with declarations of love. Alice found herself sobbing as she came for him, and they held each other in gentle silence after, until sleep took them both.

It took four days. Hatter had called his boss, and claimed a family emergency. Alice had called in some favors at the dojo and gotten her classes covered. They spent the days and nights, walking back through their relationship – reliving the events in Wonderland that had brought them together, their reunion here, and everything that had happened since.

They talked through the memories, the good and the bad, the happy and the painful. Figuring out where things went wrong, and learning how to fix it. Promising to fight for each other, and to never walk away without resolving things first.

Words were interspersed with caresses and kisses, and hours of make-up sex. Sometimes it was rough, at times almost painful. Sometimes it was gentle and loving, a reaffirmation. Sometimes it was possessive, sometimes it was needy, sometimes it was comforting.

On December 8th, he had kissed her and promised her his forever. And she had cried.

And they emerged, stronger then they had ever been.

…

Alice had insisted on going to the dojo that day, telling Hatter that she needed the workout. Hatter had jokingly told her that he could give her a workout if that was what she was looking for, and had received a playful swat on the arm in answer.

"You could come watch," she offered. It was an advanced class, and Hatter was only a yellow belt, but he loved watching Alice on the mats. The fighting skills she had exhibited in Wonderland were only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, of her overall fighting ability, and it never ceased to amaze him.

Tim had been there, and at first, things had been a little uncomfortable. Hatter tried not to think about the fact that Alice had kissed that man (though the slight twinge of jealousy was still there) or that Tim had tried to win Alice over when they had been separated. Instead he thought about the friendship and advice that Tim had given Alice, advice that had ultimately helped to put their love back together. And when Tim had, rather nervously, approached him to clear the air, he was shocked when Hatter shook his hand and told him, "Thank you!"

They had chatted for a bit, and Hatter found that he really did like the man. Tim had a great sense of humor and was genuinely a good person. Perhaps someone that he could be friends with, even. When Alice rejoined them after her shower, she was surprised to find the two men joking together.

Hatter flinched slightly when Tim inadvertently checked Alice out as she walked up, and Tim had the grace to flush slightly.

"Don't worry, Dave. She's all yours," he had hastily told Hatter. "She always was. I don't have the right accent." He winked at Alice, and Hatter chuckled in spite of himself. "Besides," Tim added. "I seem to have better luck with blondes."

Hatter quirked an eyebrow, a grin starting to spread across his face.

…

She missed him.

It worried Sami that she hadn't heard from Davey in the six days since his emotional reunion with Alice at the restaurant. He hadn't even come to pick up his things.

She wasn't worried that he and Alice hadn't worked things out. The way they were looking at each other when they left the restaurant that day told her that they were going to be okay. Rather, her fear centered around Alice.

Would Alice accept her as Davey's friend? Or would she see her as a threat? She wasn't a threat, probably never was, really. She had known from the very start that Davey's broken and battered heart belonged to someone else. And when she had learned the truth about Alice of Legend, everything she had done, and everything that she and "Hatter" had accomplished together, she knew she had to do whatever she could to see them back together.

And she had. But the longer she waited to hear from them, the more she remembered, instead, the look on Alice's face, that day at the rink. And she couldn't quite quell the anxiety.

Nick had comforted her, telling her to give them a few days. "He'll be back. He's one of your boys now."

When they finally did come, her anxiety didn't last long.

A key turned in the lock and a familiar hat poked around the door. Hatter beamed when he saw her, threw the door open, and grabbed her into a hug. She returned it enthusiastically, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

Then she noticed that Davey wasn't alone. Alice stood, just outside the door, watching them and chewing her bottom lip, a little nervously. Sami pulled back out of the hug and took a step toward Alice.

"You can come in you know," she said, her signature impish grin belying her nerves. "We don't bite... usually."

It was an old, ridiculous, and overused line, but it had the desired effect of causing Alice to smirk. The two looked at each other for a long moment over the threshold.

Then Alice did something, surprising herself and catching Sami completely off guard.

Alice hugged her.

It wasn't a very long hug, and Sami tensed slightly for a moment, before she returned the embrace, a smile spreading across her features. Hatter was staring at the two girls when they broke apart, a huge dimpled smile on his face. He was so proud of Alice. He knew she wasn't the affectionate type, rather the opposite generally. And it meant so much to him to see her embracing his friend.

Alice got a very friendly reception from Matt and Nick, who were ecstatic to meet Dave's Alice, finally. At times she found it hard to follow their conversation, but she felt a warm sense of happiness meeting the friends that had helped Hatter out so much.

And she found that she really liked Sami. The girl was friendly and chatty, with a quirky sense of humor, and she was very loyal. They chatted for quite a while as they helped Hatter pack his things.

"What are you doing for New Years?" Alice had asked her, after a while.

"Probably spending it with my boys," had been Sami's reply.

"Oh, we want them to come too," Hatter had interjected. "We're having some friends over for a New Year's party." He grinned. "Will you come?"

Sami shot him another impish grin. "Will there be any cute single guys there?" was her cheeky response.

She didn't catch the look Alice and Hatter gave each other, as they both started to laugh.

…

AN: So, I lied. This is the second to the last chapter. The next one really is the last one. Stay tuned and thanks for the reviews! Much love!