This wasn't how Hatter had imagined their reunion at all.

He figured he would drown the moment he saw her. A small, dark part of him deliciously hoped, even as the rest of him terrifically feared, that one taste of the emotional elixir that was Alice would undo all the progress he and Charlie had made and thrust him back into a tempestuous sea of feeling and sensations, forever adrift.

The thought of losing her, of caring more about the feelings the girl inspired than about the girl herself, was a horrific concept that had made him lose a fair quantity of sleep. It was the reason he'd left her to come back here.

He remembered a time that seemed ages ago in which they rode together on Charlie's horse, Guinevere. He suggested that she lean forward and wrap her arms around his waist, letting his body take the weight to make her ride more comfortable. She had turned him down then. A smile quirked upon his lips with the memory, breaking through the melancholy, as he realized that she felt comfortable enough, even in her vulnerability, to do so now.

He basked in her presence, his fears about their meeting unfounded. Having her with him again, his anchor, kept him focused and alert. Things were sharper, clearer, and more intense but he wasn't feeding off her emotions anymore. He could control it. He still felt everything she felt. Even if he pretended not to notice the moisture on his back where her tears were seeping into his shirt or the little tremors as her quiet sobs shook her, her sorrow caressed his skin like the howl of a lonely wolf across the night sky.

She was upset, terribly so, but he could rest confident in the fact that he wasn't the cause. He was sure of that from the feelings of relief and love that wafted intermittently through her sadness like a breeze from an oscillating fan, and the desperate way her arms tangled about him as though he might dissolve into mist at any moment.

He understood the need for physical reassurance very well. It was the same reason that he had been steering the horse one-handed so that he wouldn't have to release the hold he had on her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers and some missing piece of him clicked into place, the touch itself was tethering him to something deeper.

He slowed the horse's gait once they reached the Forest of Wabe. He couldn't go back to the fortress as a wanted man but they needed the safety of being within the borders of the Red Kingdom. So he began to steer the horse along the waterfront, a path that would take him back into the city. The battlefield that the White Kingdom had become was far behind and so was the strange woman that helped Alice, but her whispered words still echoed in his mind.

She loves you with a true heart. There're not many who could make that claim of the one they love. Take care of her.

He hadn't known who she was but she had protected Alice at her own peril, and that alone meant that Hatter owed her his gratitude. That woman was just a small bit of the proof that Alice had been through so much since he left her.

Hatter sighed. They hadn't spoken since their escape, instead drawing comfort from the real and solid existence of each other. But he couldn't take this silence anymore and felt the need to fill it with words.

"I missed you." Hatter blurted out, immediately wincing as much at the quiet, desperate tone of his voice as how inadequate a statement that was to describe the complexity of all he felt.

He felt Alice gently tighten her hold on him momentarily. She let out a soft breath that might have been a weary laugh before giving him a delicate, "Yeah, me too."

Hatter released his own breath, not realizing he'd even been holding it. He'd been worried about that too, what she'd say when she saw him again. He had imagined a hundred different reactions, most of them including a bit of a screaming row. So this, of all reactions, was the best one to be hoped for… or second best, if he counted the one he'd imagined that ended with them snoging. His heart began to thump happily.

She'd missed him. She loved him. That was everything he needed.

Wait, had she just said something?

He'd been so lost in his own thoughts that he had nearly missed the question she posed to him. And it must have been a question from the anxious tension that now filled the air between them.

"Come again?" He asked sheepishly.

"Why did you leave?" Her voice was fragile, uncertain, as though she didn't want to hear the answer but couldn't live without it.

Hatter brought the horse to a stop, turning as much as he could to face Alice. He drank in the sight of her. Her beautiful blue eyes were red rimmed but her tears had dried. He'd done that; made her worry and cry over him. His heart stopped its contented skipping; the painful tightness in his chest indicating that it must've tripped over her anguish.

She was the strongest woman he had ever met and yet that only stirred this need in him to be all the more protective. He wanted to smooth away her hurts and shield her from everything and anything that might cause her pain…including himself.

"I didn't want to…" he started, untangling his hand from hers and cautiously reaching out to gently brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. He smiled as she allowed the gesture. "Hardest decision I ever had to make. You remember the hospital of dreams, yeah?"

She nodded, though her brow began to furrow in confusion. Right, get to the point. If he made it fast it would be less painful, like ripping off a bandage.

"Well, then you'll also remember, of course, that you Oysters and your powerful emotions can be a dangerous and addictive thing."

"But you weren't drinking the tea…" Her voice was meek but her eyes stared boldly into his, seeking answers which he couldn't deny her.

"No. I was getting my fix straight from the source." He laughed weakly, nervously. "I wasn't even trying but Oysters have a way of projecting, just lobbing their emotions in random directions at all times. Like smoke in a pub: whether you been smoking or not, it gets on ya. It was like a contact high and it was like… like nothin' else… amazingly exhilarating. And I got scared…"

She was silent, waiting for him to continue. It was both a blessing a curse: he was grateful that she was willing to hear his explanation first but damn if he just wanted her to have a go at him and be done with it. Her curiosity was pungent. It came to him as a tickling sensation in his nose as he breathed it in and he sighed to stifle a sneeze.

"I was afraid I'd forget…"

"Forget what?" She prompted, voice gaining in confidence. She wasn't going to make this easy, was she? But she needed to hear it and he realized he needed to say it.

"That I love you." He held her gaze, hoping she would see the truth in his words. "You, Alice, and not the incredible way you make me feel…"

"You… were addicted." Alice confirmed, summing up his situation more succinctly than his fumbling explanation.

Hatter gave a quick jerk of his head as he nodded, finally breaking off his stare to avert his eyes so she wouldn't see the shame in their dark depths.

"You could have told me that before you left." Alice said.

Hatter reached for her hand again, still avoiding her too keen eyes, and entwined his fingers with hers. He marveled at the smooth, softness of her hand, taking comfort in the way their hands seemed to meld together as though made to fit. A gentle pressure as she squeezed his hand, urged him to continue.

"I couldn't do that. You'd take it on yourself. You'd never look at me, at us, the same way. You'd always wonder why I stayed around… Couldn't have that."

"And now," She asked, "can you feel what I'm feeling?"

Hatter tentatively looked up, allowing himself to taste each of her emotions that flittered through him: Love was strongest, followed by trust, empathy, and just a hint of melancholy. She was sweet and earthy, like Sherry aged in an oak cask.

But Hatter remained himself.

"Yes, everything." He flashed a grin, in awe of the strength of her emotions for him.

"And?" She questioned, voice sounding unsure.

"Not a thing."

Alice cupped his cheek, smiling as though he'd given her the right answer. Hatter closed his eyes and savored it, leaning into the touch and nuzzling her hand like an attention-starved kitten. He felt her hand slide to the back of his head to tangle in his short hair, a demanding pressure drew him towards her and there was an explosion of sparks behind his closed lids as his lips touched hers. The lightest of touches but the emotion was more than tangible.

His tongue darted out to brush against her lower lip, begging entrance. She acquiesced, her tongue gliding against his. The unique flavor of her danced along his taste buds, coupled with the sensation of fulfillment and joy that filled him, giving him goosebumps. The warmth that filled his heart to bursting seemed to overflow and fill all his limbs with delicious fire.

The hand fisted in his hair tightened, pulling slightly, deepening the kiss. Hatter couldn't help the throaty moan that escaped him, the sound swallowed by Alice's hungry mouth. He could feel the movement of her lips, smiling at the effect she was having on him. He sensed a hint of mischievous desire intermingled with the other emotions he felt from Alice.

Definitely the best reaction to be hoped.

*~*~*~*~*

To Be Continued…

There's a reference in this chapter to one of the new extended scenes from the DVD so my apologies to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Special shout out to my reviewer "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH" for a very emotional response to my story. I giggled but I was touched by your encouragement. Hope this chapter fills the void for a while. I wanted to give Hatter and Alice a quiet moment of fluff.