(for disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 5

Alice ran through the last set of practise exercises with her class, smiling at their efforts and achievements. They had come on a lot in these last six months, learnt so much. Alice couldn't help thinking she had leant just as much, though not about self defence. On the contrary she had learned lessons about letting down her defences just a little, enough to let someone into her life that she could truly trust and love.

"Okay, that's good," she said, snapping out of a momentary daze. "I've seen some real progress today, you should all be proud of yourselves. See you next week." she smiled at her students, who dutifully thanked her and then filed out of the room.

Once alone, Alice stretched out her body, and performed a few moves of her own in the quiet empty space. Kicks and flips came second nature to her now, she didn't even have to think about it. To anyone who didn't know how, she supposed it might look impressive, a fact proven by the applause she suddenly heard from the door way.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked Hatter, hands on her hips as if she were mad at him, though her smile remained.

"Who me?" he asked, all innocence apparently. "Just long enough to be reminded what an extraordinary woman you are, Alice," he assured her, as he came wandering into the room. "Y'know, I was wondering if you could teach me a few things later," he asked with a playful grin. "In the privacy of our own home, of course."

"You really want me to throw you across a room that badly?" she smirked, already figuring on where he was going with this before he ever put his arms around her and pulled her close.

"No, not really. I was more interested in the holds... if you catch my drift."

"Always," she assured him, right before he kissed her.

Her arms up around his neck held him close as the moment went on and the couple became lost in it. The first time he had showed up at her work, Alice had felt a little weird about it. The last day she and Jack had spent together in her world had involved a pretty serious make out session on the very mats beneath her feet now. Still, time had moved on, the world was anew in her eyes. Jack felt like a lifetime ago, and Hatter was most definitely her present and her future.

"Mm-mm," Alice made a vaguely muffled protest against Hatter's lips, as his hand slipped inside her judo clothes. "Not the time or the place," she told him, pulling away some. "We have dinner with my Mom in... barely an hour," she noted, as she checked the clock over his shoulder.

"You'd be amazed what I can achieve in an hour."

Alice felt an uncharacteristic blush rising in her cheeks at that comment, but she tried to force it down. She was sure she wouldn't mind participating in what Hatter had in mind at all, she never had before, but right now she had to resist. She meant what she said about dinner with her mother being important and imminent. She needed to shower and change, pick up groceries if they wanted breakfast tomorrow, then get back home and make herself presentable. The daily tasks and usual things of life didn't stop just because people were happy and in love! This she told Hatter, disappointing him of course, but not so very much. He would have Alice all to himself later tonight, and he really wouldn't want to upset Carol after all she'd done for the two of them.

"Come on," Alice urged Hatter when he seemed lost in thought. "We really have to go."

"Y'know I can get you home twice as fast as you'd think," he told her, making her stop at the door and turn back to look at him.

From his fingers he dangled a set of keys and she gasped at the sight of them.

"You passed your test?" she asked, looking astounded but genuinely pleased at the same time.

"Was there ever any doubt? I mean, really?" he rolled his eyes, then smiled as wide as anything as she rushed back into his arms and hugged him tight.

"I am so proud of you," she assured him, kissing him hard.

Hatter was a little overcome, truth be told. He hadn't realised how thrilled someone could be about driving. It really wasn't all that complicated when you got right down to it. The fact was, Jack had furnished him with a licence when he came here but Alice didn't like the idea of Hatter just going out and trying to drive - he could get himself killed! He took lessons, learnt fast, and now he had a genuine licence, and a car of his own, which he was eager to show to Alice. It wasn't massively impressive, he was aware of that, but money was sort of a big deal in this world and Hatter didn't have a lot of that to start off with. Still, Alice seemed pleased for him when she saw the beaten-up little blue car he could call his own. They wouldn't even have this if not for Alice's mother who seemed eager to help them as much as possible.

Together, Alice and Hatter headed home to their apartment. It was in the same block as Carol, partly because they wanted to be close to the woman the were both calling Mom these days (well, it was more like Mum with Hatter's accent), and because it helped that they already knew the landlord and he liked them. Carol co-signed the lease, since they were kind of short on funds, but Alice and Hatter were gradually finding their own way.

David Hatter, as he was known here, was now an upstanding member of the community. He had a job in a nearby cafe, not exactly glamorous but it paid the bills. He and Alice together, it just worked. She shared in his enthusiasm to one day have his own place, a coffee shop maybe, something like that. Not quite like the tea shop back home, but then that was probably a good thing.

"I know that look," said Hatter as he glanced away from the road a second. "Alice, that's your serious look. What are you thinking?"

"Nothing really," she shrugged, forcing a smile.

He knew she was faking and the look on his own face proved it as he pulled up to the kerb and faced her. There was no hiding things from someone who loved you this much, who was this smart too.

"I don't know," Alice sighed. "Things are just going so well right now. I guess... a part of me is just waiting for the next thing to go wrong. Is that crazy?"

"Nope, not crazy," said Hatter, unclipping both their seat-belts and pulling her close. "Bit daft, maybe," he smirked, "but not quite crazy yet," he told her as he hugged her close.

She socked him in the shoulder for teasing her but laughed all the same. Once they started kissing, they might've got to christening the car, if not for the fact they were parked in the street in broad daylight! Besides, Carol would be expecting them before long and Alice's reasons from before still stood - she had plenty to do yet before they went to dinner.

Thankfully Hatter managed to keep his distractions to a minimum after that and within the hour they made it to Carol's apartment with five minutes to spare. There were hugs and kisses, talk of work and such. It was a real family dinner, something Hatter was gradually getting used to. It was so very long since he'd had people to love and to love him. He never did expect to find it with a couple of Oysters from beyond the looking glass, but now he couldn't imagine going back to Wonderland, or wanting to be anywhere but here.

"Mom, are you okay?" asked Alice then.

Hatter looked across at Carol who was idly pushing the remains of her dessert around in the dish. She hadn't eaten much tonight now that he thought about it, though the things she had cooked had been delicious, he knew that. She didn't look ill or anything and she said she was fine, yet something was clearly up.

"I, er... I have something to tell you both," she admitted with a nervous smile.

She put down her spoon, wiped her already spotless mouth with her napkin. Carol didn't exactly know how to say this and yet she knew she had to. Alice looked scared stiff and Hatter's hand found hers on the table, squeezing in some kind of comforting gesture.

"Come on, Mum," he said to Carol then, forcing a smile. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad, right?"

"Oh, it's not bad," she assured them both. "I'm so sorry, scaring you like this, I just... I met someone," she admitted at last. "A man that... that I like, a lot," she smiled bravely.

This was a big deal and they all knew it. Hatter wanted to say congratulations to Carol and wish her well, but he worried for Alice. This meant a very definite moving on from her father, the only other man she had ever seen at her mother's side.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" he said carefully. "Alice?"

There were tears sparkling in her eyes as she looked his way suddenly, but she was smiling too. It was a shaky expression but genuine enough, Hatter was sure of that, and he was very pleased to see it.

"Yeah, it's good. Great even," she said, reaching her other hand out to grab onto Carol's own. "I'm really happy for you, Mom. You deserve to be happy with someone."

"Thank you, sweetheart," she smiled. "His name is Charles."

Hatter choked into his wine glass, immediately apologising for it. His brain had just pictured Charlie, the White Knight, right at that moment. The thought of that particular man paired up with anyone, never mind Alice's mother, it was just too fun. Of course, there were plenty of people called Charles in the world, both this one and the one he left behind, but the brain did funny things sometimes.

"Maybe next time we have dinner like this, you could invite Charles," said Alice to Carol then. "I'd love to meet him."

It was obvious how much that meant to her mother.

"Thank you, Alice."

It was late when Alice and Hatter got back up to their apartment, three floors above Carol's own place. He had a hold of her hand and as they went in through the door she tried to let go - he didn't let her.

"Hey," he pulled her closer as he shut the door behind them. "Now it's just you and me, you can tell me the truth. Are you really okay with your mum having a new bloke?" he asked her seriously.

Hatter didn't do serious much, not since he arrived in Alice's world. He was so happy to be with her as she was to be with him. Sure, they had ups and downs like everyone, but he kept upbeat pretty easily. Of course, Alice knew this was important. She also knew that lying to Hatter wouldn't work even if she wanted to try it, which she didn't.

"I'm okay," she nodded slowly, smiling as his arms came up around her and held her close. "I mean, when we didn't know where Dad was, I always hoped... but we know the truth now," she said, swallowing hard as her voice wobbled with emotion. "He's gone, and Mom deserves to be happy," she smiled then. "As happy as I am with you."

She kissed him then and Hatter was happy to let her. The fact she had him pretty much pinned to the back of the door didn't worry him in the slightest. He believed what she said and he was glad. It was tough on her, losing her father the way she had, but that didn't mean Carol didn't deserve to live her life too. If both her and Alice could be happy in their lives, that was all Hatter could really want for them.

"Mmm," Alice murmured against his lips. "Sometimes I still wonder if I'm going to wake up and this whole thing was a dream," she confessed, fingers running through his hair.

"Nope, this is definitely reality," he smiled, kissing her nose and grinning at her. "No dream could be as crazy as what we went through, or as happy as they are now."

"You are happy, aren't you, Hatter?" she checked then, leaning back a little and meeting his eyes. "You don't miss Wonderland at all?"

"Hell, no!" he told her with a slightly manic giggle that made her laugh too. "Here with you," he said then, serious again in a moment, "this is a whole new wonderland to me. Can't imagine anywhere else I'd want to be," he promised, voice barely a whisper by now as he leaned in closer and covered her lips with his own once more.

Somewhere amongst deep kisses and promises of love, they stumbled towards the bedroom. Alice pushed the door closed behind her, and fell into a moment that always did feel like a dream, but the best one she could ever conjure. Such was her life now, and she wouldn't change it for the whole of Wonderland.

The End

A/N: I have a vague idea of another Alice fic, a year down the road, in which Alice & Hatter have a baby, and then the child is kidnapped and taken to Wonderland, where they must follow and save him/her... but I'm not sure yet. Comments? Thoughts? Opinions?