Finding Normal, or Something Like That

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own. Man!

To everyone who reviewed the first chapter, thank you so much. I really appreciated your feedback. It's really helpful to me.

Yep, here's chapter two, in which Alice and Hatter meet again. So what do you think? Will Alice remember Hatter and Wonderland?

He sorely resisted the overwhelming desire to run his hand through his hair. But he couldn't. He had spent a long time taming it – and picking out very subdued clothing to match the people of this world. Oysters were very weird, he decided, especially about their fashion sense.

Tentatively, he pressed his finger against the button, which, as Hatter had surmised, announced his presence at the door. From inside the apartment, he heard a buzzing noise.

Was that what that button did?

A moment later, as he twisted his well-worn and familiar hat in his hand, the door slid open. Carol stood there, smiling brightly at him. Absently, he noted that she looked very nice, storing that little bit away in the part of his brain that was reserved for the verbal arsenal that he could use to talk his way out of a situation. (After all, he was quite good talking his way out of different situations.)

"David," she said, with broad smile, which he didn't think would last too long if Alice did remember her trip to Wonderland, "Come in." He stepped into the apartment, gripping his hat even harder, sudden too nervous to speak. Carol didn't seem to notice. Instead the woman was walking towards a hall, calling out, "Alice! Come meet David."

His breath caught in his throat. It was now or never. He couldn't back out now. He simply couldn't. Not with Alice and his future hanging on the line.

Soft footsteps echoed down the hall.

A moment later, Alice –his Alice, though dressed in a shirt and trousers, not that blue dress he loved so much – appeared. She stopped, wide-eyed, when she saw him, her jaw slightly dropped.

His stomach sunk miserably. She didn't remember him. He cast his eyes down, only to be met with –

"Hatter!" Alice cried, joyfully, smiling.

With that, she launched herself across the room, throwing her arms around him. He did the only thing he could do. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her.

"Finally," he whispered, pressing his cheek against the side of her head.

When she pulled back, she was smiling brightly at him. It made him so happy inside to see her look up at him in such a loving way.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Her words warmed his heart and he did something he swore he wouldn't do in front of her mother. Hatter bent down and kissed her firmly on the lips.

For a split second, he was afraid that she would push him back, that he had misread her signals – which probably wouldn't be the first time or the last time. But when she pulled him just a little bit closer and deepened the kiss, he felt reassured that she did reciprocate his feelings with just as much enthusiasm.

Briefly he drew back, only to regain air and to confess, honestly, "I missed you."

She smiled and kissed him again. It was joy, plain and simple, kissing Alice, his Alice.

But that joy was unfortunately cut short by a soft, but firm cough from the direction of Carol. Hatter felt a small blush cross his cheeks. In his joy at being reunited with Alice (who did remember him), he seemed to have forgotten that Carol was there. It was the kiss, he decided. Alice was a damn good kisser and her kiss had literally wiped away all of his thoughts.

Alice had been the one to pull back. If she hadn't, he knew he would want to do a hell of a lot more than kiss and he was fairly certain that Carol wouldn't approve of that in the middle of her living room.

His angel –his Oyster-girl, his pearl – sheepishly turned to her mother.

"Yes, Mom?"

"Would you care to explain, Alice?" Carol's voice was stern. Hatter winced. This wouldn't be easy to talk his way out of. Yep, he wasn't in her good graces any more.

"Well, you see, Mom," Alice stuttered out, obviously just as frightened by her mother's sudden change of tone as he was, "David is a friend of mine. We took a class together in college and were study buddies. But, after graduation, he left to travel the world."

"Yep, tryin' different styles of teas," he added, nodding eagerly. "I only recently got back in town. I've been workin' construction to pay the bills and to save up until I can open my shop."

Carol raised her eyebrow. "A shop?"

"A tea shop. The best one in the whole city," he proclaimed. Or, at least he hoped so. That was kind of a snap decision – well, not really. He did want to open a tea shop on this side of the Looking Glass, only not selling human emotions but actual teas, like his great-granduncle had done.

Alice slipped her arm around his waist, squeezing tightly. Hatter had to consciously stop himself from looking down at her in surprise.

"I actually ran into David a few weeks ago on the way back from the dojo," Alice bluffed. "It was so good to see him again. He actually saw me last night when I went after Jack."

Hatter cringed – mostly out of reflex by now – at Jack's name. He didn't mean it. The new king of Wonderland was, slowly, getting better in his mind. "Alice had told me a great deal about their relationship," he admitted, at Carol's look. "Truth be told, I don't particularly like the man. He doesn't seem like the right kind of person for Alice."

Carol gave him a small smile. He could tell that she agreed with him, even if she didn't want to admit it in front of her daughter, especially given the fact that she was (almost) engaged to the man. Still, her eyes stayed narrowed as she looked back at her daughter.

"Alice, what about Jack? This thing with David it seems so . . ."

"Mom, Jack didn't want me for me. He didn't love me. Trust me, David's not going anywhere," Alice said, with conviction. Hatter caught the bitterness in her voice. Reflexively, he kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him and smiled.

Carol sighed. "I certainly hope so."

He could only grin madly, in true, Hatter fashion, at her. "I plan on sticking around for a good long time. She is the Alice to my Hatter."

The groan from Carol was well worth it, especially since Alice was giggling at his side. So what if they both had a Wonderland fixation? It may only be a children's story, as Alice had told him so long ago, in this world, but they both knew the truth.

Without warning though, Alice plucked his hat out of his hand. As he turned to her in surprise, making a swipe to get his hat back (What gave her the right to try and take his favorite hat?), she grinned like the Cheshire at him, reaching up to run her free hand trough his hair, ruffling it, messing it up. Hatter made a protesting noise. He had spent a long time taming his hair to be presentable! And now she was just ruining it. Alice, grin still on her face, lifted the hat and situated it on top his head.

"That's where that belongs," she told him firmly.

Carol threw her hands up. "You know what, I don't care right now." She looked between Alice and Hatter. "I invited David over as a thank-you for being so kind. It seems it's more of a set-up than that. It seems that you two are quite familiar with one another."

"Mom . . ."

"Alice," the elder Hamilton said with a smile, "Go have fun with your friend tonight."

Alice nodded, a bit absently but understanding. Hatter swore he saw something that looked like a look of approval on Carol's face but he knew when not to push it.

Which was why, not five minutes later, Alice was dragging him out of the apartment, a jacket in hand.

"Where are we going?" he stammered out.

"Pizza!"

Alright, that was chapter two. Now go press that lovely little button that says 'Review.' I love feedback and positive thoughts.