Finding Normal, or Something Like Tha

Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: Um, yeah, I still don't own anything

Anyway, here's chapter twelve, in which Alice and Hatter enjoy a sick day.

Sunlight streamed across his face, pulling him out of his deep slumber. Hatter yawned and stretched, uncurling. He heard the distinctive crack in his back, with a few pops of his vertebrae. He rolled his shoulders a bit.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and turned his head a tiny bit. A smile crossed his lips. Alice shifted slightly as he straightened out, cuddling closer to him.

Hatter leaned his cheek against the top of her head. The soft moan from his companion was the only sign that she was, like him, awake. A moment later, her arm snaked across his hips, slipping under his wrinkled shirt, lazily rubbing circles on his skin. Little goose bumps raised on his flesh at her wandering touch.

"Good morning," he quietly told her as she sniffled. Alice wasn't coughing as much, he noticed, so that was a good thing, though she was probably still stuffed up.

She lifted her chin and rested it on his chest. Hatter's heart melted as he looked into her eyes. The look she was giving him was one he had grown accustomed to seeing in the last months and one that he loved more and more every time he saw it. And it was all the more better that he knew that it had to do with his presence, both in her near vicinity and in her world, in general. He knew, because he felt the same happiness every time he saw her.

"Are you playing hooky today? Or did you get sent home?" she teased. Yep, she was definitely stuffed up. He could hear it in her voice, but that train of thought was quickly lost as her wandering hand went a little higher. Hatter chuckled a little bit.

"Well, I was going to take a short day, but Anderson seemed to know that I was sick and told me, point blank, that I wasn't allowed in his kitchen," he told her, sticking out his lower lip in a pout that he knew she couldn't resist.

She kissed his neck. "Well he is a chef, and they tend to be very possessive of their kitchens. Besides, he doesn't want your germs to spread."

"Aren't you giving me your germs right now?" he asked, a bit playfully. He got a smack on the arm as a reprimand, to which he threw up his free hand as a sign of concession. "Anyway, after that, Francesca told me that I had to go home as soon as the delivery was in. Said that the shop could survive without me for one day."

Alice smiled. "She's right. Francesca knows what she's doing. You need to have more faith in her."

Hatter raised an eyebrow. "I do trust her. I trained her, didn't I?"

"Well, you need to listen to your manager more." Alice sighed a bit. That sigh quickly turned into a coughing fit, though it wasn't as intense as the ones she had had the night before. Hatter rubbed her back gently.

"Are you sure this is just a cold, Alice?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine in a few days," she told him, after she regained her air. "I get colds like this every winter. All I need is medicine, liquids, and rest. It just stinks that I got sick right now."

He hugged her. "Give it a few days, love. You'll be fine. Besides, I have all day today to be with you."

"Mmm, so what shall we do today?"

If she had asked him that on any other day off, his answer would have been very simple. But, given that she was sick and needed to lay low for the day, all of the plans that were currently running through his mind were neither appropriate nor conducive to someone who was trying to get over a winter's cold. He would just have to store those plans away for a later date.

So, instead, he leaned over, kissed the tip of her nose, and said, "You are going to call in a replacement for your classes this afternoon and evening and then take a shower while I make you breakfast in bed."

"Breakfast in bed? After I take a shower?" The playful glint in her eyes was encouraging.

With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Hatter plucked his hat from the night table, placing it on his head. "Well, yes, a nice, hot shower will make you feel worlds better, even before you take medicine. Couple that with the famous, top secret 'Hatter Sick Day Breakfast' and that medicine, I can guarantee you'll be back on your feet faster."

Alice's grin was broad and bright as he managed to pull himself off of the bed. It wasn't easy for him to voluntarily get out of bed when he was otherwise so comfortable with Alice. But, given the circumstances and the fact that the breakfast he was about to cook had always managed to help him when he was ill, he had rallied the willpower. Though, as he left the room, heading in the direction of the kitchen, he grinned to himself as he heard the shower begin to run.

He had known that he would follow Alice to her world, even before she got rudely tossed back through the mirror by those blasted scientists. A lot of luck, fate, and chance had gotten him to this pint. In the grand scheme of things, his emigration to this world could have gone a lot worse.

To the quiet sounds of Alice's shower, he busied himself in the kitchen, preparing the hearty meal that he knew so well from his childhood.

He was glad that Alice had, for the most part, moved into the apartment. While he was a little reluctant to separate her from her mother, Alice had told him that it was perfectly natural for a couple to live together. And, given the events of Christmas, Carol whole-heartedly agreed with her daughter.

Briefly, he slipped away from the stove, to grab the phone from the living room, dialing Carol's number as he went.

"Hello," she answered, cheerily, a few moments later.

"Hello, Carol. It's David."

He heard her chuckle. "Oh good, David. I was starting to wonder if you had forgotten to call me." Hatter couldn't help but laugh as well. "So, how is Alice?"

"She slept, though it was a bit worrisome at times, what with her coughing and all. Alice is actually in the shower right now and I'm making her breakfast."

Carol was silent for a moment before she responded. "That's good. But, really, how is she?"

"It seems like just a cold, to me. Alice agrees. I think she just needs to rest and relax. She'll be over this thing soon enough."

"That sounds good." He shifted the handheld phone to his other hand as he turned the sausages over in the pan on the stove. Carol must have heard the faint sounds of cooking meat because, a second later, she added, "Well, I don't want to distract you while you're busy."

A smile crossed his face. "You're not distracting me."

"Suck up," she teasingly accused. He didn't even try to suppress his grin. "Anyway, thank you for calling and keep me posted on Alice."

"I will."

"Good bye, David."

"Bye, Carol. I'll talk to you soon."

As he clicked off the phone, Hatter felt the now-familiar sense of family that he associated with the Hamiltons. Carol really had stepped up a lot since Christmas. If anything, she had become more of a mother-figure to him than before. It was such a wonderful thing that she had so readily accepted him as a part of her daughter's life and, by extension, a part of her own. From his own experiences, both in this world and in Wonderland, not a lot of people would be so accepting.

He just hoped that she would remain as loving and open as she was currently when they finally told her the real story of how they met. They couldn't keep it a secret for forever. After all, Carol would start to wonder why she didn't meet anyone from his life.

Still, he pushed that thought from his mind as he turned his attention back to cooking Alice's breakfast.

Fifteen minutes later, he had a tray loaded up with food, gingerly carrying back into the bedroom. As he walked in, he saw Alice walking out of the bathroom, dressed in lounge pants and a tank top, toweling her damp hair. She coughed a bit into her arm before she noticed him.

Her eyes went wide as she saw how much food he had on the tray.

"I'm not going to be able to eat all of that," she stated, wide-eyed.

He shook his head. "I don't expect you to. But that's the way this works. Mum always did it for me and now I'm doing it for you."

The faint smile on her face was not lost on him. The story was one for another time, but he would share it with her. It was a part of his life and she was his life now.

Alice returned his smile as she settled down onto the bed. Hatter raised an eyebrow for and she giggled a little bit, pulling the blanket over her lap. Once he was satisfied that she was comfortable enough, he set the tray down on the bed.

"Mmm, that smells good," she said, taking a plate from him. Hatter didn't disagree with her.

They ate in comfortable companionship, Alice propped up against a few pillows, the blanket across her lap, Hatter perched at her feet, the tray in front of him. He kept a watchful gaze on her, taking note of the number of times she coughed and sniffled. It seemed less than the night before and the shower had done wonders for clearing p her sinuses. He could tell that she was aware of him watching her. Alice was a smart girl.

Once they were finished, Hatter busied himself loading up the tray and, feeling particularly lazy on this unexpected sick day, he only put the tray on the floor by the bed. There would be plenty of time to take the tray into the kitchen later and clean up the dirty dishes.

He stretched out beside Alice, collecting her in his arms. She snuggled into his chest.

"So what do you want to do today, Hatter?" she asked, looking up at him.

Hatter looked down at her. "Not much, love. Best birthday present you could give me is resting and getting better."

Alice sat up, looking at him wide-eyed. "Today's your birthday!"

He nodded, suddenly a bit sheepish. "Yeah, Alice, it is."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

At that, Hatter shrugged a bit. "It didn't seem all that important to mention it, especially since you're sick and the shop's still getting on its feet. I'm not a big fan of birthdays. Un-birthdays, however, are another story all together."

She slapped his chest. "You could have said something!" The sly look on her face told him that he was definitely going to be getting it later. Hatter gave her a playful smile. "Mom and I'll definitely have to have a birthday party for you later, even if it's actually your un-birthday."

"Right, love."

Well, there you go, another chapter of Alice/Hatter awesomeness. Hope you enjoyed and you know what to do now. Go and review!