Disclaimer: Syfy owns Alice, I just own the plot bunnies, or hares…
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Pepperoni and Passion?
Hatter noticed that somewhere along the line, Alice had stolen back his coat. She wore it now as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It had pleased him to see her wearing it in Wonderland. But here, it almost made him believe that she was claiming him as hers. Not that he had any problem with that.
He wondered if he could slip his hand into hers, or something so grossly juvenile. He had done that with girls when he had been young, before tea had come into vogue. People in Wonderland had stopped interacting with each other, at least in search of good emotions, those had been readily available to the highest bidder. Anyway, he had no clue what Oysters liked.
He could tell that even here, Alice was considered pretty. Men slowed down a bit to watch her walk by and he could have sworn that one glanced back at her butt before continuing on his way. How was a con-man like him supposed to woo a girl like her? The kissing had been good enough, but that was kissing, and he knew he did that well.
It irked him to think that maybe he should have asked Jack (wonderful King Jack Heart) what she liked. But he doubted that the Card would have helped him anyway.
A warm, small hand slid into his and Alice smiled at him. (See, he didn't need Jack's help.) He smiled back at her, following her through the streets of the city that she called home.
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The pizza place was loud. It reminded her so much of the Tea Shoppe that she had to smile. At least there were no screens displaying the cost of each item, just menus. She handed one to Hatter as they sat down.
"Anything you want, just not Canadian bacon." She could eat just about anything else on her pizza, but for some reason, Canadian bacon was one of those things she could only eat for breakfast.
Not that it wasn't still breakfast time (according to her cell phone). It was only eleven thirty and the place was already packed. That was one of the reasons she loved Tom's Pizza. You could tell that a restaurant's food was good if it had a loyal mob demanding its product every morning as soon as it opened.
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Hatter started to open his mouth to ask what a Canadian was and how bacon came from it. He wondered if it was anything like the stuff that Charlie had made for them. Thankfully the pictures in the menu helped him make a decision.
Soon the server had brought out a large pepperoni pizza. She sliced it expertly and dished a piece out onto each plate.
"And the round things?" Hatter asked.
"Those are the pepperoni." He wondered how long it would entertain Alice to explain her world. But he had spent hours explaining things to her in his, so it was fair enough.
He plucked a pepperoni off his slice and shoved it in his mouth. Yes, pepperoni was a word that he was going to have to remember.
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Alice watched as he savored the flavor. It was a bit cute to see him like that. His eyes were closed and she could see smudges where he had obviously rubbed at his eyes. It seemed that eyeliner in either world still smeared.
He opened his eyes again. Alice grinned. His top two teeth were sticking out from between his lips as he considered the slice before him.
Cute, yes, Hatter was cute. But, she decided as he shoved the pizza into his mouth with a look of pure ecstasy on his face, he could be damned hot too.
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"Are you going to eat that?" Her eyes widened. Hatter had barely allowed her to consume her original piece, and now he was moving in on her second? No way.
"Umm… how about I order another?"
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It was almost like being on a date. Being on a date with Hatter. That was something that she hadn't expected when he showed up at her apartment. But it made sense. Just because he showed up didn't mean that their relationship was suddenly going to turn into a wedding with a happily-ever-after to go with it. If she had thought her relationship with Jack was fast, that would have just been ridiculous.
As she watched him work his way through a second pizza, she admired him. Sure, he had slept on the floor in an abandoned construction site. He was still wearing the same clothes as the day before, but he was still someone that she was happy to be seen with. He didn't even smell as bad as most people did after just an hour or two at one of her karate classes.
Suddenly her imagination ran wild, considering what she would do if Hatter was in one of her classes. He would learn to fight, unlike Jack. The idea of him in all white was a bit odd, but she realized, it would only emphasize how dark his hair was and glimpses of his chest offered while fighting… well, she could imagine.
She drew out of her contemplation of him when she noticed other people looking his way as well. It was the hat, she realized suddenly. People were looking at him because of the hat. Well, let them look. The hat was pretty much a part of him, and there was no way that she was going to tell him to take it off just because it wasn't in style here. Heck, maybe it hadn't even been in style in Wonderland.
And that thought kept her amused for the rest of the meal.
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AN:
I just had to show them going out for pizza. It makes a wonderful "first" date and since they talked about it in the show, it seemed like it needed to be done. Also, I think of Alice as a girl who is pretty sure about her own attraction to guys and who isn't afraid of acting on it. This seems to be supported by the show in her flirtations with Jack at the beginning.
Comments? Questions? Mistakes you caught while reading? I love to hear from you all.