A/N: Greetings! I'll be slowly reposting this old fanfic that used to be here. I hope to be able to finish the newer chaper soon.

The Spectator in Spotlight

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Their first 'meeting' was not a special one. In fact, he didn't think anything in particular when he became aware of the intrusion, just a small dust grain that got lost in the gears of the clocks. Such a small existence simply wasn't enough to catch his attention. Accidents happen. It would come and go, he believed, as he went on with his life and she with hers.

There was nothing peculiar about it at all.

.

For Joker, the first performance after another move to a new country was always a special occasion.

The happy chatting of the big audience gradually died down as the darkness enveloped the large circus tent, almost magically silencing every single visitor. The curtain that shielded the backstage from the prying eyes moved slightly, indicating that the show was about to begin.

Joker let out a happy hum as he observed the filled stand. Having such a large crowd waiting outside improved his mood greatly, just like it always did.

If there was something Joker never knew of and never felt, then it must have been stage fright. A tent full of loud, cheery people whose attention was focused on him and him alone was an exhilarating experience; all this was pure elixir of life for the circus master.

Of course, this time would be even more special than usual, and Joker couldn't help but grin widely and lick his lips in excitement as if he thought of all the interesting things that could, no, would happen in near future.

'Finally…'

With a large grin upon his lips, the circus master eagerly made his move and gracefully entered the stage as the bright lights embraced his figure, welcoming him back to his favourite spot.

'… It's my turn!'

The redhead's face basked in the shine of invisible projectors that illuminated the stage. Joker could feel with his every fibre how it became alive with the touch of warm rays of light and the burning eyes of the always curious audience. Intoxicating excitement filled his body from head to toe, till the last cell of his being was singing with joy. It was in the special moments like these that Joker was able to truly feel alive.

After what seemed like ages, but only a few moments in reality, the redhead sucked in a breath of the undeniably sweet air – so full of tension and wonderful promises – and let the magical phrase announce the beginning of a new game.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Wonderful Wonder World!"

The words rolled off his tongue with ease and not even Joker himself could remember how many times he spoke them out loud on that brightly lit stage. They were glued to his identity, and every now and then the redhead questioned himself: Since when? And how?

But the memories of the past were unimportant, and even he who could not die was not able to tell anything about the beginnings of this world. Or at least not much.

For how long will this game, he wondered briefly, the never ending journey through the land of wonders last? How many times will the evening replace the night, how many days might follow in a row and will there ever be an end? In a cyclic world, where everything goes round and everything is racing in a circle, where is there the beginning, where the end?

It was actually funny how this invisible force of time seemed to rule their world, their hearts, yet it flew past its inhabitants like a river – ever present but still out of their grasp. Surely they could take a handful of it, use it like the Hatter, for example. Joker had indeed come to admire the Hatter's forever blooming, secret rose garden – nothing could possibly escape Joker's ever curious eye - but nevertheless it was not in his interest to possess anything of that sort. It was, after all, pleasing to the eye but too fancy and boring for his personal tastes.

But luckily, boredom was currently resting in the deepest corners of the redhead's soul. There was no time to indulge into philosophical thoughts; those were reserved for particularly dreary days.

After all, today was a special day, and even the usual announcement seemed to have more eagerness to it than normal. And Joker could feel it, his counterpart was experiencing the same joy as him, similar to a child, overwhelmed with the start of a new, thrilling game. This other Joker could barely conceal his slight excitement behind the thin layer of indifference as he watched the stage behind the curtain, in the safety of shadows and darkness.

The redhead's curious eye scanned the large crowd, looking for his special guest while re-encountering familiar (though not exactly welcomed) faces. Naturally, his gaze first fell upon the Hatters who conveniently occupied the seats in the middle. Two overly excited children, no, twins, momentarily caught his eye.

'Causing trouble, as always,' Joker noted with a twisted smile as they could barely sit still on their designated seats, much to the annoyance of a certain fuming hare. Upon seeing this, the redhead narrowed his eye while glaring at the carrot-man and silently promising to break the Rabbit-Dog's neck if he dared to go on a rampage and damage the seats again. Joker snorted with disgust as he recalled the rascal's incredibly inconsiderate behaviour during their last show.

No, the Hatter Family was not Joker's favourite group of role holders. The love for breaking rules seemed to flow through their veins, and there were definitely too many rule breakers in this family, at least for his taste. Quickly getting bored, his lonely eye moved across the room, searching for another group of role holders.

His gaze finally fell upon the bright mass of strikingly colourful clad employees of a certain Mary Gowland.

Well, Joker did not miss the copycats from the Amusement Park, most certainly not, he figured as he noted the all too eager and concentrated look upon the said park owner's face.

'I bet he's hiding a notebook somewhere to steal our ideas, that ungrateful dog.'

The redhead was, however, greatly amused as he found the Mafia's Rat sitting beside the Stray Cat. The sneaky coward has finally had enough of the Bloody Twins, he presumed.

The unusual pair of animals quickly lost Joker's interest as he moved on, scanning through the Mad Queen's mass of servants and soldiers without much success. He found the Knight of Hearts in his usual disgustingly cheerful mood, teasing the White Rabbit who was sitting beside and openly shooting amorous glances towards the opposite direction of their group.

'How unusual,' the redhead noted, letting his eye follow the direction in order to find the object of the Prime Minister's affections, until he was forced stop and simply stare.

There she was sitting.

And Joker could not help but break into a large grin, feeling self-satisfied with his discovery.

"I found you, Alice Liddell."

.

The young foreigner stiffened. Did someone just call her name?

After taking a quick glance at the residents of the Tower of Clover that were accompanying her, she found them looking straight at the stage. 'No, that's out of the question,' Alice shook her head, quickly dismissing the thought, but being unable to let go of the feeling of being watched. She shifted in her seat, feeling rather exposed all of a sudden.

Luckily, nobody seemed to notice her unusual behaviour. Apparently the huge crowd was making it difficult for Nightmare to read her heart, much to the brunette's relief.

Alice turned back to watch the performance begin. After all, it was not often that she was invited to go to a real circus, although the girl still had a hard time accepting yet another change in the ever moving Wonderland. However, this time it was a pleasant surprise.

A circus is surely a relatively harmless place, although Nightmare did snort as she voiced her opinion on the new territory and thanks to the change she was able to reunite with a certain clockmaker whom she has dearly missed in the Country of Clover.

So far, the circus has left a positive impression on the young foreigner. It was her first time visiting the new place after the beginning of the April Season, if only because of the terrible snow storm that plagued the territory of the Tower of Clover and refused to let its inhabitants out of their houses. Upon first examining the circus before the first show, Alice noted that it was not much different from the ones she was used to as a child. Perhaps it was a bit bigger and brighter, but all in all quite normal indeed.

And yet, Alice couldn't help but look out for flaws, anything that would indicate that this magical place truly belonged into this mad Wonderland. Maybe it was her friends' strange behaviour that made her slightly reluctant, or the silent glances when the name 'Joker' fell during their conversation. However, a show was meant for enjoyment and Alice was decent enough to be thankful for the chance to have a break from every day's life.

And so, as a brightly clad man walked out to announce the beginning of the show, Alice's thoughts were pushed aside as her curious eyes focused on the stage. Without a doubt, the man on the stage possessed a very strong aura, very suitable for the role of a circus master, she thought.

Alice leaned forward to look closer at him, just before a sudden realization caused her to draw back and let out a silent gasp of surprise.

The circus master, Joker, as Nightmare has reluctantly informed her before their departure, was looking straight at the girl. Truth to be told, there was a certain distance between her and the man on the stage and she could not be certain of her revelation. And yet, the young foreigner could swear that that single dark eye - she could not quite tell which colour it had - was looking in her direction.

His gaze was focused on her, Alice could tell, and solely her, concentrating all the attention upon her figure. And even though the darkness seemed to hide her being in the mass of faceless and role holders, she involuntarily felt herself standing out of the anonymous audience.

This gaze alone made her want to cover and shrink into the crimson plush of her seat.

Joker's lips were sealed as he paused in between his announcement, yet his lonely eye seemed to speak to her, and strangely enough, she was able to understand the message without much effort, as if it was sent straight to her heart.

'Welcome,' the intent, burning look in this role holder's eye told her, 'Alice, welcome to my Wonderful Wonder World!'

Despite the unpleasantness, she felt a chill run down her spine. A chill of excitement and she was forced to look back, unable to break the magic spell that held her gaze fixed on his face that she would not be able to forget, and take in every single word, as if it was meant solely for her…

…and nobody else.

'Now watch me, Alice Liddell, and enjoy the show!'

Just as Joker had thought, this first performance will probably be one of his best.