A very important date

Gray-blue eyes stare down the contents of her closet; nothing seems appropriate. Somehow she keeps imaging a puffy blue dress and pinafore. Alice shakes her head to drive the image from her mind. She thought being back in her world, and him being here, being real, would make things less strange. But what is she supposed to wear to her first date with Hatter? The Hatter. Or is he? She hasn't gotten around to asking him about that yet. She doesn't think she'll ask him today either. It doesn't sounds like the best first date conversation topic.

Sighing and forcing herself to Stop Over-thinking, she grabs jeans and a blue blouse. The blue blouse goes back to the closet rack immediately. She grabs a red one but that one is not right either. She settles for a nice beige blouse with a little bit of cleavage. Hatter will probably be wearing enough colors for the both of them anyways.

The last time she's seen him (22 hours ago, not that she was counting), she had, very firmly, told him to stop it with the combed hair and monochromatic clothes because it was freaking her out. Alice hoped that was all the incentive he needed to stop trying to look normal. She was pretty sure he had been trying for her mother's sake, but let's face it, he wasn't her mother's favorite person right now and how he dressed wasn't going to change her opinion about him. Much.

Another sigh escapes her as she buttoned her jeans. So kissing what appeared to be a strange man in front of her mother hadn't been the smartest idea. Alice doesn't let herself be driven by her emotions much, and her mother knows this well, so her forwardness at seeing Hatter had caught her by surprise too. She had been so happy to see him. That morning she hadn't only been putting thoughts of her father to rest, but thoughts of Hatter as well. Between waking up in the hospital and arriving back home she had convinced herself that she wouldn't see him again. Seeing him in her world had made something on her snap; she had stopped thinking, and now she was in trouble with her mother.

After separating them with a "You two know each other then," she had had her disapproving-mother look firmly on her face until Alice had convinced Hatter (David) to come back the next day (hopefully dressing normally-for him, at least). It hadn't helped that when asked how they had met Hatter had started with "We go way back", while she had said "Well, three days ago". In the end they half-spun a tale about meeting at a coffee shop ("tea shop," he had said, "coffee shop," she corrected. He had looked offended but there were no tea shops in this part of town) and him lending her a jacket because it had been raining and she was drenched and that despite hitting it off they had not exchanged phone numbers so they lost contact. Despite Alice's wish that her mom would fall for their fast-thought lie, she could see that Carol was having none of it, so Alice had walked Hatter to their door and hopefully out of her mom's earshot. Hatter had assured her that he had a place to stay (and she didn't doubt it, he was nothing less than resourceful) and that he'd be back the next day to court her properly, no more inappropriate public displays of affection, and with a bit of luck enter in her mom's good graces. Alice knows it won't be that easy but he is free to try.

She is finishing applying her mascara when the doorbell rings. She doesn't even try to move to get the door; she knows her mother has been waiting by the door, ready to pounce. It isn't that Carol doesn't like him. She just feels justifiably confused by Alice's actions. She had brought Jack home to meet her mother three days ago only to make out with another man two days later. She probably thought that Alice had gone insane, and that it was all David's fault.

Alice grabs her purse and checks herself in the mirror one last time before leaving to rescue Hatter from her mother's clutches.

She can't help but smile when she comes through the doorway and sees him clutching his hat for dear life while talking to her mother, a grin in place. He had listened to her and is now wearing a green paisley shirt, dark blue tie, gray vest and dark trousers. When his eyes find Alice her smile gets even bigger at the sight on his messy hair. She thoroughly approves.

"David," she exclaims and his grin turns to her.

"Alice," he doesn't move toward her but there is so much emotion behind that "Alice" that she feels herself blush. She prays her mother doesn't notice. His eyes flash to Carol as he straightens out and says "You look very pretty," in the most proper voice he can manage.

"Thank you," Alice smiles as they look at each other, half a room between them and her mother in the middle.

"I promise to have her home at a decent hour," he tells jokingly to her mother but Carol's smile and nod is still a little hesitant. Alice is starting to pity her. She has always been a good daughter and now this.

"Anyways, we better get going," Alice says after the pause and is shepherding Hatter out of the apartment when her mother calls out: "I'll be waiting up!" and she quickly closes the door behind herself.

Alice and Hatter look awkwardly at each for a few moments before he effortlessly puts his hat in place and proclaims with a smile: "Your mother hates me, which is really strange because mothers usually love me."

"I doubt that very much," Alice says, also smiling, as they start walking to the elevator. "I didn't like you at first either," she murmurs with a smirk at the same time she pushes the button for the lobby.

"What, of course you did!" He complains, trying to somehow hold onto the elevator's bare walls. Vertical bus rides he can take, at least they have windows, these steal cages are ridiculous.

"No, I didn't," she assures him and tries not to smile at how good revenge feels. Who is afraid of heights now?

"I think you're confusing 'dislike' with 'sexual attraction'," his dimple is as noticeable as ever as he grins at her and she can't help smiling right back. He's completely wrong, of course, but she's pretty sure he knows that.

There is silence again as they reach the front door of her building. Hatter leads her outside and she follows; he obviously knows where they're going.

"I like the hat," she says to fill the silence, pointing at the black fedora on his head, "very Johnny Depp." She can see that he's about to ask "who" when she cuts him off, "So, where are we going?"

"I found a place just half a mile down," he explains pointing down the street they had been walking on, "I did promise you pizza."

"I honestly didn't think you even knew what pizza was," their arms bump as they walk and Alice feels a very involuntary smile on her lips.

"I didn't," he admits honestly and she laughs airily. Huh, he thinks, who knew honesty could feel this good.

They arrive at a small Italian restaurant and since it's a Tuesday they're seated very quickly at a cozy table for two away from prying ears. They are looking at the menu when Alice's curiosity gets the better of her and she has to ask: "Do you even have any money?"

"Of course I do!" he exclaims, mock-offended. "Do you think I'd just come all the way to your world with none of your money?"

"I thought you jumped after me without time to plan for anything," she says and as soon as the words leave her mouth she wants to swallow them back up. He looks at her for a few seconds-deciding if he should lie, she thinks.

"No, after you left…" a pause. "I went back to the tea shop. Had more chocolate and cake than I'm proud to admit, but when I woke up the next day I knew…" another pause. "It'd never be as easy as 'what was her name again?'"

"A day…" she murmurs, preoccupying her mind with the workings of the looking glass instead of his confession.

"Two days," he corrects quickly, glad to be back on a safe topic. "Had to sell the shop-not that it was worth much by then, and find a place to live on this side of the mirror."

A waiter arrives to their table; he makes no indication of having heard anything strange in their conversation, thank god. Alice places an order for a medium pepperoni pizza and two iced teas. Hatter looks a little horrified at the notion of adding ice to tea but he doesn't say anything.

As soon as the waiter leaves Alice has to ask, "Where are you staying?"

"Jack's old place," he answers simply, looking almost unbearably smug. Luckily for him, smug suits him.

"He's letting you stay at his place?"

"God, no!" He laughs like that's the funniest thing he's heard in a while. "I got his address from one of my contacts. His locks might as well be decorative." It's her turn to look horrified but he doesn't seem to care. "His rent is paid 'til the end of the month," he says with a shrug.

"Are you going to get a job?" Man, words just keep coming out of her mouth before she can stop them.

"That's the plan," he tells her and smiles tightly in her direction.

"I'm sorry, Hatter," she shakes her head, "I just can't wrap my mind around this yet."

"Too weird?" His face is set in an adorable frown and she smiles tightly back.

"No, no…" She notices his eyes fall on her hands worrying a defenseless paper napkin and she stops.

Their pizza arrives at that moment and she decides to make sure that waiter is tipped well. Hatter turns his frown to the pizza at the middle of their table and Alice busies herself with serving each a piece. She tries not to look at him as he takes his first bite but she can't help but look up when she hears him gasp.

"I didn't know cheese on bread could taste this good," he explains, his grin back in place. She laughs at his excitement and agrees that pizza is downright sinful. Hatter is not as impressed with the iced tea, though.

They skirt the most serious topics and settle for discussing the differences in food between Wonderland and Alice's world. She's glad to know that apart from some ingredients that can't be found in one world or the other, food is pretty much the same.

The check arrives and Alice is surprised to see Hatter take a wallet from one of his pants' pockets. It's ridiculously full.

"What did you do, rob a bank?" she exclaims, again before she can stop herself.

His face is perfectly serious as he asks, "Could I do that?"

"No!" She answers with a horrified laugh. Of course he'd take that as a suggestion.

"Oh," He looks disappointed for a few seconds, "I told you I sold the shop."

"For American Dollars," She says more to herself than to him, but he hears and nods. "You sold your tea shop and left everything behind," Her eyes lock with his and she sees him catch his breath, "For me."

It's not a question so he doesn't answer. She knows the answer; she has known since he showed up in her living room and kissed her silly in front of her mother. She waits for what usually happens to her in these situations, for all of her alarms to flash and her brain to start chanting "too fast, too fast, too fast, run NOW!" but that doesn't happen. To her completely horror she feels herself blush and he shoots her a half-shy, half-smug smile.

They walk back to her apartment holding hands and Alice is pretty sure she hasn't felt this giddy in years. It's a little embarrassing, actually.

When they arrive at her door, she turns to face him and before she can say something cheesy about how date ends in her world Hatter already has his hands on her hips.

"I kept my promise, are you going to keep yours?" He asks and he's way too close for her to ponder for long about what he's asking.

"What promise?"

"You know, about 'lots of other things,'" He says and she wants nothing more than to wipe that self-satisfied smile from his face so she grabs him by that silly tie of his and pulls his lips down to hers. She was going for a quick kiss but as soon as the surprise wears off and he takes control, and oh, there goes his tongue, hours could have passed without her noticing.

She finally breaks the kiss and she can swear that he follows her lips a little longer than is considered 'manly'. She takes some time to straighten his tie and shirt neck while he looks dazedly down at her.

"We'll see," she answers as if the kiss hadn't made him forget what exactly he had asked just minutes before.

She unlocks her front door, steps inside and throws him a "See you tomorrow" for good measure before gently closing the door on a very pleased Hatter. He doesn't even need to call for Alice to be sure they'll have a second date.

The end.