Those who dance are thought mad by those who hear not the music

Alice waited semi-impatiently in her apartment for Hatter to press the buzzer that would finally signal his arrival. This was to be their first official night out as a couple and she found herself on pins and needles in anticipation for the first time since her high school prom. He'd been completely closed lipped about his plans since she'd accepted after the Un-Birthday party yesterday and the suspense was wreaking havoc on her imagination. After all, what would someone from Wonderland consider to be a normal date? The only clue she had was his request for her attire tonight; a dress with a full skirt and comfortable shoes to match. At least that ruled out something like cave spelunking…she hoped…

A loud electronic buzzing startled her out of her thoughts and Alice quickly walked over to the panel to ring back that she'd be right down. Grabbing her purse before giving herself one last look over, she locked the door behind her as she stepped out into the hall. Typically she'd buzz the person through to come up, but as excited as she was already, she knew she wouldn't be able to wait the few extra minutes his assent to her apartment would take.

Stepping out of the elevator, she immediately looked over to her left to see Hatter waiting for her on the front stoop of her apartment building, watching people as they passed by. He was wearing a dark charcoal colored suit, a plum waistcoat, and a deep blue shirt with some sort of design that matched his dark green tie. A dark gray fedora with a dark blue band completed the look of course. It was an outfit that would've only looked slightly out of place in the 1940's thanks to his color scheme, but it rang true of the current style as she remembered it in Wonderland, and she felt herself smile broadly as she stepped out to greet him. One day she'd ask how he could look so incredibly attractive in such outlandish color combinations.

Hatter turned immediately at the sound of her opening the door and a grin slowly blossomed on his face as he slowly raked his eyes across her form. The mainly monochromatic dress with strips of blue did look nice on her if she did say so, and it was clear from Hatter's expression that he wholeheartedly approved of her selection.

"You look brilliant, love," he stated as he lifted her arm up and she allowed him to twirl her once so he could get the full effect.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she shot back with a grin of her own. The anxiety in her stomach from earlier had changed into those fluttering butterflies that only Hatter could create in her with a simple touch. She could only imagine what those touches would stir in her when they finally took things farther, and it was moments like these that she had trouble trying to remember why she didn't just pounce on him here and now.

A slight tug on the infamous purple coat that Hatter insisted he loved her in, brought her out of her musings and a glance at Hatter's face showed a spark of mirth and something else in his eyes. Alice had a feeling her thoughts weren't quite as hidden as she hoped when he looked at her like that. "So, are you gonna to tell me where we're going?" she asked as he led her down the stoop to a waiting taxi.

He continued to grin at her as he opened the door for her to slide in, "Now what would be the fun in that?"

Alice recognized that they had arrived in the theater district as the taxi finally came to a stop. Hatter had continued to remain tight-lipped about the whole thing the entire ride and it was starting to frazzle her while he seemed endlessly amused by it. There was a thrill at knowing she'd be able to step out in just a moment and finally see where he'd taken her. Hatter continued to be the gentleman and gave her a hand up out of the car and her eyes slid from his face to reading the name on the overhang. Alice couldn't hold back the laughter that escaped her lips as she finally saw where he'd taken her. She never would have been able to guess this is where he would be taking her, but at the same time it easily fit with Hatter's personality. A glance back showed that wasn't quite the reaction he was hoping for, though he was trying to hide it, and she decided to pull him down into a quick kiss to reassure him.

"This is fantastic," she proclaimed with a grin that Hatter had regained as well now and he led her inside the restaurant, "I've lived here for years and I didn't even know we had a place like this. How did you find it?"

"What? You think just cause I've only been here a few weeks I haven't learned my way around your city?" Hatter inquired and Alice just shook her head good humouredly. The lady behind the podium greeted them with a smile and immediately led them off to their table once Hatter gave his name. Passing through the doors onto the main floor allowed a wave of big band style music to wash over them and Alice could already see several couples were out on the dance floor. The entire place had an art deco style design with booths and small round cloth covered tables surrounding a large open dance floor with a live band on the far end of the room. It actually made her slightly nervous at seeing the skill of the majority of the dancers. She'd experienced half hearted attempts at swing dancing during school dances years ago, but she had a feeling that wouldn't cut it anymore.

Still, she knew she could trust Hatter not to make fun of her at least if she couldn't hold a candle to the others. Okay, well…maybe just a little teasing…

Hatter seemed to sense her nervousness though and suggested they order before getting out on the floor. Taking his jacket off after helping her sit definitely brought her attention back onto the man before her thanks to the form fitting nature of his waistcoat. Between his naturally charming demeanor and the energy of the place, Alice even found herself beginning to look forward to getting out on the floor with Hatter.

He didn't disappoint when they did almost an hour later.

Much as he had weeks before during her first day in Wonderland, Hatter calmly led her through the first few basic steps during a slower song and before she knew it, he was showing her dips and more complicated spins as they danced. The entire time she was laughing and smiling as this was easily becoming the most fun she'd ever had on a date. The music was infectious with its upbeat pace and catchy tunes as her pace increased with her confidence in her moves and Hatter really began showing off for her when he added a few hat tosses and tricks into the mix. Alice wasn't sure how long they stayed out on the dance floor but she felt just as breathless as having a good spar by the time they stepped off it. A few of the flares and steps he taught her seemed to gain notice from a pair of instructors as they cleared the floor for a small class being held for some dinners, and Hatter simply said he'd learned them back home before taking her back to the table. It was probably best not to spread around Wonderland dances moves just yet.

After a few glasses of water and a delicious desert of brownies and cinnamon ice cream, Hatter took her back out for a few more turns on the dance floor. Though not pushing a faster pace nearly as often as before and eventually gathering their belongings and calling it a night. Passing the paid check off to their waiter just as she'd come back from freshening up before they left.

"That was honestly the most fun I've had in a long time," Alice smiled as they stood on the stoop of her apartment.

"What, you mean you didn't enjoy your little adventure a few weeks back?" Hatter slyly remarked as he leaned into her space, "Seemed you had a grand old time then as well yeah?"

Alice chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Yes well, tonight had a distinct lack of imminent death and a lot more time with just the two of us together, so you'll have to forgive me if I mark tonight as the clear winner of the two."

"Mmm, yes, there is that isn't there?" Hatter grinned before closing the small space between them to capture her lips with his own. Alice snaked her arms around his neck as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss. Tenderly massaging her lips against his before tracing her tongue along his bottom lip, and he quickly took the invitation. She could feel the heat of their embrace run through her as he pulled her flush up against him and against the brick façade simultaneously, causing her to moan from the increased contact. The things this man could stir in her were intoxicating to her senses.

A loud noise from across the street broke their heated embrace as they both seemed to realize just where they still were. Alice pursed her lips slightly as she debated her next course of action. Every nerve in her body was demanding she take him upstairs and ravish him right now, but the sensible part of her brain kept telling her that it was too soon, too fast. Deciding that following her heart with Hatter had yet to fail her; Alice spoke up, "Would you like to come upstairs with me?"

Hatter's eyes widened in surprise slightly as he processed her invitation, "You sure?"

Alice nodded once as she smiled and played with the hair on the nape of his neck, "Yeah, I'm positive."

"You know," Hatter grinned as he tightened his grip on her hips slightly, "They say only fools are positive."

She chuckled at the memory his comment inspired and shot back, "So I've heard. And what does that make you for positively following me around on a daring journey against an evil old tyrant then?"

"Well, I've been told by a certain relative of mine that you'd have to be blind not see that I was painting flowers for you almost since the moment we met," Hatter replied with a softened gaze, "Probably the only smart thing that cheeky little bugger has said about me in awhile."

The meaning was easy enough to decipher and Alice felt flushed at the casual remark to his commitment to her. Eagerly wanting to get back on topic, Alice posed her question once more, "So…was that a yes then?"

Hatter brought one hand up to stroke her cheek tenderly, "That is, mostly whole heartedly, a yes love." Smiling brightly, she leaned forward to meet him in a brief kiss before taking out her keys and letting them into her building.

A/N: Takes place between Tumbling into Madness and the sequel: Curiouser and Curiouser. Just a fun date night between Hatter and Alice.

Coming back to edit/clean up the grammar in this reminds how I considered writing a lemon/smut scene for the bit after the fade to black. Older, wiser and less bashful now so I might give it a try one of these days 😆