What A Nightmare Can Be

by DarkKitten666

There is more to Nightmare than meets the eye. The man isn't just a child who refuses to take his medicine and cries about shots. He can have his serious moments... and he can have his scary moments. Rated T because violence.

Hey all! It sure has been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry I haven't been posting anything, I've had writers block for nearly a year now. Actually, I started writing this story back in August 2015 and never got around to finishing it even though I really wanted to. You MIGHT notice a slight style change where I had stopped and picked it back up, but that's okay! ... Right? Anyway, enjoy. - OH YES. One last warning. It's kinda long. My longest oneshot I have written so far. Sorry if you think it is too long.

Disclaimer- I do not own these characters. They belong to the Heart no Kuni no Alice series. (Not sure owns it now after all the stuff that has happened, though...)

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I walked into the somewhat crowded office. Not that there were tons of people but more like mountains of unfinished work that was building up, piled up on the desk and overflowing to the floor. One man stood between the desk and myself, Gray Ringmarc. I could almost tell what his face looked like even with his back turned to me- so full of worry… exasperation… even a slight bit of exhaustion. Instantly, I knew what had happened. It was really just…

"Pathetic," I grumbled under my breath as I pushed past Gray to view the sight. Just as I thought, the 'boss' of the Clover Tower was there, hunched over his work. There was a line of blood dripping down his chin, staining the papers before him a deep crimson color. The man was sick- obviously- but… he seemed to always refuse to get better. Well, it wasn't that he refused to get better; he refused to go through the steps to GET better. That is what made him pathetic.

"Lord Nightmare," Gray sighed, attempting to collect the soaked papers from the desk. "If you would just take your medicine-…" his spent pleas were cut off only by a gurgling protest from his employer. I could hear Gray let out a heavy breath of defeat. I could only assume this meant it was time for a break.

"How is it possible," I asked, "that Nightmare is the leader of this territory?"

"How can you even ask such a question!" the man in question gasped, jumping from his desk in surprise. He slammed his hands against his desk to show his displeasure in my question. This, in turn, knocked over one of the towers that had collected on his desk and scattered them across the floor. The 'leader' was then sent into a fit of coughing once again while Gray instinctively jumped at the jumbled mess to try to collect them back up. If anybody could be a good leader…

He sighed. "I guess we have reached his limit," he muttered, shuffling through the papers and turning to me. "Alice, could you please take Lord Nightmare to his room? If he can't finish his work then he might as well rest up for the upcoming Assembly."

"What about his medicine?"

"No! No. No. No. No. NO!" Nightmare protested.

"Oh, right. That's why I came in here," Gray shifted the weight of the papers he had collected to one hand while he dug in his pockets with the other to recover the small bottle of medicine.

"Ack! I said no! Why don't you two respect me more? I am the leader of this tower!" he babbled like a child.

"We do respect you," Gray said, trying to sooth the pouting child. He then poured the medicine into a small cup and tried to pass it to his boss. "Now, drink this."

"Never," he hissed, turning away with his nose in the air and his arms folded over his chest. "It's bitter."

"I'm sure a good leader would take his medicine," I said, trying to coax him into taking it.

"I AM a good leader- a great leader! It's the subordinates that are in the wrong," he retorted. "Being such bullies."

"You are a great leader, Lord Nightmare. But we are also great subordinates. We care about your health and wellbeing. We-…" I decided to tune out the argument that followed. It was the same thing, day in and day out. Nightmare refuses to do his work, take his medicine, go to the hospital… It's like he doesn't WANT to get better.

Finally, I blinked some times and frowned as I realized that I had to bring THAT out… "So… is it that you just don't want to marry me?"

"Wait a minute! I-…"

"I said I would marry you if you got better. How will you get better if you don't take your medicine?"

"NO! Wait! I-I want to marry you!" he groaned. He jumped at me, clinging to me as he pleaded his case. "I want to marry you more than anything, I swear!"

"Then…" I started, taking the medicine from Gray, "… You'll take this medicine for me?"

He flinched as I asked, letting me go and backing off several steps. His face twisted into a look of discomfort as he looked from the medicine and then to me and then back again. I could almost see the internal struggle as he argued with himself.

"Lord Nightmare," Gray smirked. He had somehow suddenly gotten very close behind me and had placed his hands on my shoulders. "It shouldn't be that hard of a decision." I almost flinched when he moved his long, slender fingers along my cheek. "Even I would choose Alice every time."

"Don't touch my Alice!" the man snapped, slapping Gray's hands away from my body. Then he hugged me possessively and, although I could not see it, I knew he was glaring at his subordinate for getting so close to me. After that moment of tension, I was happy to see the man take the medicine from my hand and get it down in one gulp.

A look of disgust was plastered on his face as he muttered to himself how bitter the medicine was and yet all I could do was smile. He was getting better at trying to get better. All I had to do was threaten the legitimacy of his proposal. "Now will you marry me?"

"Ah…" my face fell and I paused for a moment. I glanced up at the man before me. He still looked quite sickly- he was tall and thin and his skin was very pale. I sighed heavily before reaching for his handkerchief that he kept in his pocket and wiped away the blood that had collected at the edge of his mouth from his earlier coughing fit. "You're still coughing up blood," I said quietly.

"Does that matter?" he questioned. After I replaced his handkerchief where it belonged, my hands were quickly snatched up and he cupped my hands in his own. They weren't exactly warm like any normal, healthy person's hands would be but the feeling was… comforting.

"Your kisses still taste like blood." I tried to stay quiet as Gray continued to work within the same room, retrieving the papers that were still scattered on the floor.

"I… I took the medicine like a good dream demon." It was like he was pleading to me… or was it just bragging? He squeezed my hands.

"Just because you took the medicine does not mean you are one-hundred percent better. It takes time."

"I'm not patient enough to wait that long," he moaned. He let my hands go only to snake his arms around me into a tight embrace. "I love you, Alice. I want to marry you. I want to marry you NOW."

I tried to push him away as my cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. I couldn't help but glance over at Gray before sighing with relief. He was still working away, now cleaning the puddle of blood from Nightmare's desk. Whenever Nightmare openly confessed himself with people still in the room… it was embarrassing.

"Hey, hey! If I can endure taking that horrible, bitter medicine, then you can endure these 'embarrassing' moments of affection," he grumbled in my ear, squeezing me tightly once more. He must have read my mind at that, so this time I could only give in and wrap my own arms around his thin torso, burying my face into his chest to hide my flush cheeks. Although his body temperature was lower than it should be, his hugs were still warm and inviting. I don't know how long we were like that but after someone cleared their throat nearby, I had to peel him off me.

"Y-yes, Gray?"

"It's good that Lord Nightmare took his medication, however, he still needs his rest…"

"Oh, yes! Right, sorry," I apologized and grabbed Nightmare's wrist forcefully and began to drag him behind me as fast as possible. I feel so embarrassed that Gray had seen…

"Oww! Hey! You don't need to be so rough, Alice!" the man whined. I ignored him and continued to pull. I was mad at him for being so embarrassing so he deserves this. "You shouldn't treat me like this! I am IMPORTANT!" He really didn't act important. If he acted important, then he would think more of his health. "I took my medicine like a good boss! If anything, I deserve more than just a hug." He caught me off-guard with that comment. More than just a hug? Does he want more than just a hug? What does he mean by more? It seemed he was ignoring the questions that popped into my head because he walked right past me as he headed towards his room. There was a sly smile on his face as he passed. If he wants more than just a hug then why am I taking him to his room? Is it dangerous for me to take him to his room? No, I shook my head and followed Nightmare. He isn't dangerous in the slightest. He's just so sickly that he could never actually make something happen, right? He couldn't even hurt a fly.

"Are you tired?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. He was already sitting on his bed, stripping off his jacket and tie. "I realize that it's not night time but…"

"No, I'm fine." I was a little bit tired but I tried to sleep only at night periods. I glanced out the window at the evening's setting sun. Nightmare pulled back the covers and snaked his way in between the sheets.

"There is no way to tell when your next opportunity could arise. What if you are working the next night period?"

"Then I can endure." I looked out at the sunset one last time before closing the curtains, blocking out the light.

"A nap can be taken at any time of day. You just need to sleep long enough to feel refreshed."

"I probably still have work to do."

"If I'm taking a break, how much work would there be for you to do?" he asked. He had a point, I guess. Most of the work I did hinged on whether he did his work or not. That's why our breaks typically line up. "There, see? Now why don't you just climb into my bed?" he lifted up the sheets and patted the mattress beside him.

"Into your bed?!" I questioned, a little bit louder than I had intended. I could once again feel the heat return to my cheeks. Is this what he meant by more?! "I-I-I couldn't sleep in your bed!"

"But my bed is plenty big enough for the two of us."

"But I-!"

"It's just a nap, Alice," he said it so naturally, not even holding back. Does he ever get embarrassed?! "Of course I get embarrassed. But I won't at this. Not if I feel so strongly about it. Alice, I just want you to sleep here so I can watch over you and your dreams. So I can make sure you sleep well even if it's for a short time."

"Can you stop reading my mind?" I grumbled. He ignored me and continued.

"If you go to your room then I'll have to invade your dreams and doing that is less restful than just sleeping."

"You need to stop doing that, too."

"Then I'll have to wait until you're asleep to climb into your bed." He pulled back the covers and acted like he was going to get up but I quickly pushed him back down.

"No, don't get up. You need to rest."

"Will you stay?" he asked softly, tugging on my arm. I lost my balance and fell right into his embrace- fell right into his bed. He buried his face into my hair before whispering into my ear, "you promised you'd marry me, so why should it matter if we sleep in the same bed together?"

Feeling the warmth of his arms and breath, I felt I couldn't even resist. I laid there for some time, quietly enjoying his touch, before trying to get away. He held fast and would not let me go. I tried to think of some excuse for me to get out of his grasp…

"W-What about the light?" he snapped his fingers and the light went out. That's abusing your powers, you know… I tried to speak to him with my mind and he only smirked. He had heard what I was thinking but just decided to ignore it. It was dark enough to sleep, I'll give him that. But there was some light still seeping through the cracks so I could still see around the room. I sighed heavily, giving in. "At least let me change…"

"Yay~" he chimed, releasing me. The smile on his face was almost childish…

"Hey, you gotta look away!" I could have sworn I saw him blush before muttering his apologies and turning away. I quickly removed my dress, socks, shoes, and ribbon and neatly placed them over a chair in the corner and silently stood within the room wearing my negligee. Why was I doing this again? I sighed. It was time for me to pull myself into bed next to Nightmare. I couldn't even get myself comfortable before he wrapped his arms around me, bringing me close to his body. It felt… nice… and warm.

"I can definitely sleep well like this…" he mumbled, squeezing me one last time before falling asleep. It wasn't long before I felt my own eyelids grow heavy and I was dragged into dreamland.

xXx

I woke abruptly from my dreamless sleep to the sound of heavy knocking on the door. I was getting ready to force myself to get up when Nightmare muttered into my ear, telling me to just ignore it. He then pulled the covers over our head just as the door opened.

"Lord Nightmare," a familiar voice called out in a soft tone. "It's time to get up, we need to get ready for the Assembly."

Nightmare squeezed me before groaning out to his subordinate, "don't wanna."

"I'm afraid you have no-…" Gray yanked back the covers to reveal the sleepy Nightmare and myself. "Oh! I-I am so sorry. I didn't realize…" his voice trailed off as if he were embarrassed. He, however, was nowhere near as embarrassed as I was to be caught in such a way. But I couldn't move. Nightmare still held me tight. Let me go.

His arms only got tighter around me as I mentally asked him to let go. I asked again: Let. Me. Go. Still, he ignored me.

"Perhaps I should come back another-…"

"N-no! It's alright!" I interrupted, trying as hard as I could to break free from Nightmare's warmth. Finally, I was able to get up. I took this chance to jump out of the bed to avoid Nightmare's reach. "We needed to get up anyway. Thank you for getting us up in time."

"If you're still tired, Alice, you can go back to-…"

"No, no. It was just supposed to be a short nap. I'm actually glad you woke me. Thank you."

"I'm still tired…" Nightmare groaned from the bed. Gray turned his attention to his superior.

"You still have work to do, Lord Nightmare." He sighed. "If only you could take after Miss Alice here."

"Eugh, why do you gotta be so nice to Alice but so mean to me?"

"Her working here is to our benefit. While for you, it is your role to do it." With that, Gray finally disappeared back into the hall, closing the door behind him.

"Get up already," I order, poking the man in the bed.

"Why don't you make me?" he mumbled under his breath. "Wake me with a kiss."

"Because you're already awake!" I growl, poking him once again. I could feel my cheeks heat up yet again. This man is just so…

"Ow! That hurt! You'll leave bruises if you poke me like that!"

"See, you're awake."

"I just… I just wanted a good morning kiss… that's all…" he whispered. Although it was hard for me to hear, I understood. I could also pick out more of his mumbling on how it hurt where I had poked him and how I was so nice to Gray but not to him.

"You need to get up…" I said, gently this time. I went and sat on the bed but the man only rolled over to avoid me. Is he really going to make me do it?!

"Are you so opposed to the idea?" It's not that I was opposed to the idea but rather, it made me blush thinking about it. It was funny how he envied me about how kind Gray was to me. The fact was that I actually envied him.

"How so?" he asked, rolling back over to look at me. I smiled slightly at him as I thought of all the reasons that I envied him… I envy how he could say and do things without getting embarrassed.

"I wouldn't exactly say I don't get embarrassed. It's just that… the need is far greater than anything else." I also found Nightmare to be unbelievably… beautiful. In a weird way, his pale skin and silver hair mesh so well that it was almost beautiful. Add to that his steel-colored eye, something that would seem so cold but was in fact so warm and inviting…

"You're beautiful too!" he insisted. I ignored him and continued on the list. I envied how much Gray actually cared about him. It was a touching kind of relationship that-

"I couldn't care less about how much Gray cares about me. And I don't want him caring too much for you or he… might…. steal you away…" I looked down at him but he refused to look back at me. I could only sigh before continuing. I envy how kind and understanding he is. He is so kind to his subordinates that they forget that he can even read their minds. Either that or they just don't care if he reads their mind or not. The way he treats his subordinates is the best I've seen any of the leaders treat them.

I've never seen Nightmare kill anybody. I've never even seen him have a gun. I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't like them or if Gray just doesn't trust him with one but it's really comforting to know that I'm not the only person in Wonderland who isn't armed to the teeth. Sometimes, I wonder if he even has the ability to kill someone.

"I have the ability to protect myself," he said, derailing my train of thought. "I can protect you, too, if there is ever a need to. And I wouldn't exactly call myself kind. If anything, I am far from it."

"Don't say such things," I sighed, leaning over to kiss the man on the lips. I tried to be gentle and, when I opened my eyes again, a look of surprise was plastered on his face.

"W-what did you do that for?!" he questioned as his face turned bright red. I cocked my head in confusion.

"To make you get up, of course. Isn't that what you asked for?"

"A little bit of warning next time would be nice!" I could only laugh at his reaction.

"Time for you to get up now."

"I want another kiss."

"I already gave you one, now get up and get ready for the Assembly."

"Don't wanna."

"If you don't get up, I'll poke you again."

"Hmm…. If you really wish to leave bruises on my body then I shall happily accept them."

"D-DON'T SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" I said, flustered. I tried to roll him out of the bed as I came up with an excuse. "I-I need to change so you need to get out!"

I could almost feel him give a once over of my body before he willingly rolled out of bed. "Your dress for the Assembly, it's still in your room, isn't it? I can go get it for you."

"That… would be nice, if you wouldn't mind…"

"Then I shall return!" he shouted chivalrously as he pulled on his jacket and dashed out of the room. I sighed heavily and slumped back down onto the bed. It was still warm and comfortable… Perhaps that's why I… I fell in love with him. I don't like admitting it because it's embarrassing. I told myself I would never fall in love again… yet… here I am. In love with a sickly, lazy, and pathetic man. I guess I'm the pathetic one… for trying to avoid the feeling…

There was a sudden knocked on the door. At first, I wondered if it was Nightmare who had returned with my dress but then I figured he wouldn't knock, would he? It was his room after all. Then maybe it was Gray who had once again returned to collect his boss?

"Yes?" I called out.

"M-miss Alice? I-I was asked to bring you your dress." It was neither Nightmare nor Gray… I quickly jumped out of the bed and ran to the door, opening it only just enough for the dress to be passed in. "Lord Nightmare had some work to do so sir Gray-…"

"Th-thanks!" I felt bad for slamming the door on the poor guy but I didn't want him to see me like this…

xXx

"It's not fair," Ace said, leaning against the wall as I passed by. I was carrying papers for last minute preparations for the Assembly when I came across the bored-looking Knight.

"What's not fair?" I questioned. I decided to follow the man's line of sight which was pointed directly at… Gray and Nightmare. Gray was attempting to 'prepare' Nightmare for the Assembly. His job was to host the entire Assembly- to be the speaker and the mediator and whatnot. The only problem was that he was not good with speaking to large groups. These kinds of things never seem to go well.

"Mr. Lizard," he sighed. "He's too busy with the scary nightmare to play with me."

"They're not playing," I stated coldly. "They are preparing for the Assembly, which, if I remember correctly is A TIME WHERE FIGHTING IS PROHIBITIED."

"It's not fighting, its training. Big difference. Big, BIG difference."

"I tend to think you don't even know what training is." Rather than argue with him, I turned on my heel to leave. These papers needed to be delivered.

"Now hang on," the Knight protested, grabbing my arm. "Are you telling me I don't do my job right? I train the soldiers."

"That is exactly what I am saying. You don't train them. YOU SLAUGHTER THEM."

"Same thing," he shrugged. I couldn't help but roll my eyes and try to leave again. He, once again, grabbed me. "Wait, where are you going?"

"To deliver these papers, what else?"

"Well, have some faceless do it. I'm lonely over here so you should keep me company."

"If you're lonely, go sit down with the others from Heart Castle!" I griped, pointing in the direction of Peter and Vivaldi. Instantly, I knew this was a mistake on my part and felt that, for the sake of these papers, I had to pass them off to someone else. I was barely able to pawn the papers off on another worker when I was so rudely grabbed and nearly dragged to the ground.

"Alice, my dearest love! Whatever were you pointing at me for? Perhaps you were asked who your one true love is? Oh, joy! I'm glad you chose me~."

"Get off me, Peter," I hissed. I tried to pry the rabbit-eared man off of me. "Ace just said he was lonely. I was just pointing out his significant other. You two would make a perfect couple."

"I would rather be alone than paired with that Knight."

"Aw, Peter, you don't have to be so cold," Ace objected. Peter, however, just ignored him and continued badmouthing the man.

"He prefers to be alone anyway. Why else would he get lost all by himself?"

"I don't like to be alone. If anything, I would love if Alice traveled with me every once in a while."

"Do not drag my love into this!" the Prime Minister hissed, squeezing me tighter.

"H-hey! Let me go!" Finally, I was able to break free from his grasp.

"Oh, Alice. When will you open your eyes and finally see that I am the only one for you?"

"WHEN I'M DEAD."

Rather than trying to pursue the matter, Peter instead turned to Ace. I tried to tune out the two as they bickered so I turned my attention to Gray and Nightmare. I could almost picture the conversation between them. 'Lord Nightmare, please follow the scripts this time.' Gray would say. Then Nightmare would come back, all childish like with 'Following a script isn't cool. It will be much better if I do it without a script.' Or something along those lines.

"Ha, ha! You sure are funny, Peter," Ace laughed. "I'm afraid that your dear Alice has eyes for another man."

"That can't be helped." He sighed. "It's because she is living in this disgusting tower instead of at the castle with me where she belongs."

"H-hey! I choose to live here!"

"Yes, but for how much longer…" Ace questioned darkly. "I wonder how much longer before the scary caterpillar will show his true nightmare form."

"What… do you mean?"

"Do you not realize that there is a reason the nightmare is feared, Alice?" Peter questioned, looking me in the eye. Rather than giving me time to answer, he instead asked me another question. "Why do you choose to stay at the tower anyway?"

"W-well…" I had to stop and think. For one thing, Peter wasn't there. "I like to work and Gray needs me."

"The lizard? But isn't your lover the scary nightmare?" Ace asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"W-well, that is-… You see...!" I could only fumble with the words. I couldn't think of a good way to describe the relationship that Nightmare and I shared.

"You know, if you want to help, you can always live with me. In my tent. I could always use your help setting it up," Ace chimed with a mischievous look on his face.

"No, never!" Peter objected. "She would rather come to the castle with me!"

"She would rather stay at the tower with me," a voice said as two hands placed themselves on my shoulders. The duo almost flinched as a dark shadow loomed over me. With the way the two reacted, I almost could have sworn it was Gray… But I knew for a fact that it was actually Nightmare.

"Ah, ha ha," Ace chuckled nervously. "Hello there, caterpillar. What's with the scary aura?"

"Scary aura…?" I questioned. I twisted myself to look up to the man. He looked serious, yes. But scary? He gave me a lopsided grin which said 'I have no idea what he is talking about either.' I shrugged and just thought that maybe since Ace doesn't know how to read a map, he can't read facial expressions either.

"Alice is happy here at the tower and will not be leaving anytime soon," Nightmare stated. "Do not try to convince her otherwise."

"You do not have the right to speak for Alice, caterpillar," Peter said. "I will only accept it if she says it."

"Don't you worry, rabbit, Alice will agree. Won't you, Alice?" I felt the two hands squeeze on my shoulders. It was weird. Nightmare was never this… serious. Nor was he this certain. It was really refreshing to see him man up for once.

"A-Alice, now is not a time for thinking. Tell them you're happy here. You're happy here, right?"

"Yes, of course I'm happy here." I guess I shouldn't expect him to stay serious forever… The man wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God…" he muttered into my hair. "I was afraid that, because you were hesitating, that maybe you weren't happy…"

"I'm happier here than I would be at the castle."

"Don't say that, Alice! I'm positive you would love it at the castle more than here!" Peter cut in. "But if you say you are happy here, then I will not force anything upon you."

"That's… oddly civil of you, Peter," Ace laughed.

"Don't patronize me, Knight. Now get back to your seat. The meeting is about to begin." With that, the Prime Minister grabbed the Knight and proceeded to drag him away.

Before he got pulled too far away, Ace called out to me. "Maybe next time we see each other, we can go camping together!"

"How about not…" Nightmare muttered into my ear, squeezing me once more in a hug.

"Maybe next time I will," I hissed, trying to pry the man off me. We're in public after all!

"D-don't say that!" the dream demon whined almost as if he was truly hurt by my words. "Why are you so much nicer to the Knight than you are to me, your lover?"

"I'll be nice when you deserve it… And don't say you're my lover!" Its embarrassing!

"He doesn't deserve it. All he wants to do is get lost and never return you."

"Don't worry, Nightmare," I muttered quietly so nobody else could hear. "No matter how lost he gets me, I will always find my way back to you…"

xXx

Nightmare didn't do too badly at the Assembly. He had done worse before. He babbled a lot and bragged some then coughed up what seemed like it could be almost half his body's worth of blood. Like usual, however, nothing got done anyway which was a total letdown. Gray, on the other hand, was proud of Nightmare and what he had accomplished and granted him a little bit of a break before the next meeting began. Nightmare had initially wanted to take me outside on a date with this time off but Gray, on the other hand, thought that he should take the break and use it to his advantage as a resting period instead after his vomiting episode during the meeting but Nightmare insisted he was fine now that it was over. Even I was opposed to the idea of a date. In the end, they came to an agreement that a short walk in the courtyard would be best. I was still opposed to the idea and wanted to get back to work but…

"I'm doing this to thank you for staying by my side," Nightmare said, hauling me out into the small garden area.

"If you wanted to thank me, you could do so by doing your work," I grumbled.

"A nice breath of fresh air is healthy, right?" he questioned, trying to make me feel like this was a good idea. I decided to give up. I didn't have the energy to argue with him right now. Instead, I glanced around the courtyard. This was really the first time I had come here with the intention to enjoy the scenery. Typically, I would meet someone here or just walk right through, using it as a shortcut to get around the very large Clover Tower. Never before had I stopped to look at the variety of plants that were growing here.

Most of the plants were just greenery such as shrubs and things with some trees that are sparsely placed between the pathways. There were patches of flowers here and there of daisies and peonies and such but there was more patches of clover than anything else. It is the Tower of Clover after all. I shrugged and found myself leaning over a group of colorful tulips. Although they were pretty, I knew I couldn't expect too much.

"I know it's not as beautiful as the gardens in the other territories. I made as many compromises as possible."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and cocked my head. "What do you mean by compromises?"

"I would have liked to have had a big, beautiful garden that was comparable to that of the other territories. No, a garden better than the other territories. However…" his voice trailed off. He came up behind me and carefully plucked the deep red tulip that I had been admiring. It wasn't a rose by any means. But, I suppose, it was beautiful in its own way. He offered the flower to me and spoke. "I know it's no rose, but it's the best I can do for now. If you want roses, I'm sure one or two plants won't make my allergies act up too bad."

"No, no," I insisted. I took the tulip and offered him in return a smile. "This little garden is just perfect. The tulips are perfect. Besides, if I want to see some roses, I could always go to the mansion or the castle."

"But I don't want you to go to a different territory, especially the castle," he moaned somewhat childishly. "I want you to never leave here. Also, roses mean 'I love you' right? So I want to have a bush planted just for you to say just how much I love you."

"H-hang on! Don't say things like that so suddenly!" I hissed, feeling my cheeks grow red. I quickly stood up and glanced around. Thankfully, I found nobody stopping to gawk at the situation. I was surprised to see that there were actually very few people out walking in the courtyard to begin with.

"Don't worry about what they think, Alice. Their thoughts have nothing to do with you or me so don't worry yourself."

"I-it's still embarrassing when you say things like that out of the blue!"

"I wouldn't say it was out of the blue. Peter was thinking of kidnapping you and taking you back to the Castle with him if you didn't say you were happy here."

"He's such a nasty perv," I muttered, shivering. I sighed heavily before continuing. "But, it shouldn't matter. He knows that we are…" I paused to think of the right word. Lovers? No, that would be way to embarrassing to say out loud… Dating? Not… really. Nightmare is always to sick and busy to go out on dates. "… We are together."

"Are we together?" he asked somewhat angrily, is mood seemed to change in the blink of an eye from anger to sadness. "Sometimes, it doesn't feel like it with the way you treat me…"

I quickly glanced around before giving him a peck on the cheek to try to cheer him up. "Of course we're together. I promised to marry you when you get better and that's a promise I'm going to keep, okay?"

"I'll try to get better soon," he promised, cupping my cheeks with his hands. I felt my cheeks grow hot and tried to pull away.

"You know, roses aren't the only flowers that mean 'I love you'." I muttered, trying to change the subject.

"Then what other flowers are there?"

"Er… uh… daffodils?" I, myself, wasn't sure. Although I enjoyed flowers, I wasn't particularly familiar with their meanings.

"Then I shall get daffodils planted everywhere!" he proclaimed.

"N-no, please don't." Firstly, I wasn't sure if I was correct and second, it would be way too much yellow. That much yellow might actually remind me of the amusement park… I could get dizzy just thinking about it. "It's fine. Really."

"I'll need to speak to my gardener about bringing in that many flowers… and maybe he would know more about the meanings of flowers than I would… Then we'll-…"

"H-hey! Nightmare, stop it. I like the courtyard just the way it is. As long as it doesn't make you sick to come out here, it's perfect."

He gave me a wide grin. "Y-yeah. Of course it's perfect. It is in my territory after all." And then there he goes bragging and ruining the moment. I slumped my shoulders and gave a long, hard sigh. At least Nightmare will always be Nightmare. He continued to brag about how his territory is the most amazing and how none other can compare to the beauty of his simple yet elegant garden and whatnot. I tuned him out and instead looked at the tulip in my hands, taking in the faint aroma that it produced. I wonder what the meaning of a tulip is…

It took me a while to notice that Nightmare had stopped bragging. Actually, he altogether stopped speaking and, instead, his face twisted into a grimace. My eyebrows furrowed. Did I do something that he didn't like? His facial features grew dark and somewhat hard to read- a face I had never seen Nightmare wear. Was he angry?

"You there," he ordered, looking at a passing faceless man wearing the usual work suit. I had assumed it was one of his employees, but I'd never heard Nightmare speak with such a tone to one of his workers- it was oddly deep and very serious. It was hard to tell this was the same whiny, childish man from moments before.

"Y-yes sir?" the man questioned, stopping to turn and look at the territory's leader.

"Stop trying to act like one of my subordinates. We both know you're not."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," the faceless insisted nervously. "I'm just a lowly worker. And I'm… new here! Yeah, that's it! I'm new!"

"You've been stalking the garden since we've arrived. You're watching us, obviously. I was going to ignore the fact that you were here to investigate the tower for your little gang. I am a busy man after all and it would have ruined my time with, Alice." His eye narrowed as he focused on the faceless man who now seemed to be shaking.

"Y-you-…?! You're really a nightmare?! I-I thought you were just a legend!" he whined. The man beside me did not react and, instead, continued.

"You know, bombing the tower during an Assembly is against the rules. I would have let you go and let my aid have his way with you but…" Nightmare stepped toward the faceless man. Fear was clearly painted across his face as he stepped back away from the angry dream demon. Then, for seemingly no reason, the man hunched over and began to cry out in pain. His hands snapped up to his head; his fingers dug into his skull. "But when you threaten Alice, the only thing important to me, I cannot forgive you. I won't grant you any mercy."

"Argh! I-I… AH! I didn't say anything! I-I'm sorry! P-please! STOP!" I wasn't sure what was going on. I looked from the pleading man to Nightmare. His frame was rigid and his fists balled up into tight fists. I had never seen him this way before. I had never seen him get this… personally involved before. Even when people poked him and made fun of him, he never got this involved. Even when the ordinary faceless whispered in the crowd…

"N-Nightmare?" I called out, wondering if it was him that was, in fact, somehow causing this invisible force to bring pain to this helpless man. He ignored me and instead continued to focus on the writhing man.

Workers slowly began to form around the scene, making sure to leave plenty of room. I heard whispers and mumbles from them but couldn't make out what they were saying. The cries from the cringing man overlapped the gentle whispers of the crowd. A shiver was sent down my spine. Was Nightmare the cause of his eerie cries? How was this possible? Nightmare couldn't even hurt a fly…

"Nightmare, stop it!" I ordered, grabbing at his arm. Without even looking at me, he pulled out of my grasp. He wouldn't listen to me. Against my will, my body began to shake and I had to take several steps back. "S-stop…." No matter what I said, I received no response.

The crowd began to part until Gray found himself at the center of the commotion. "Lord Nightmare," he called, trying to snap his employer out of it. Gray refused to approach the man and, instead, kept a safe distance away while trying to coax him out of his, what I assume to be, rage. "You need to stop this right now. If you don't, the man will die." He was met with silence from his boss. "If he dies, we can't interrogate him. He needs to be alive."

"Does he really?" Nightmare questioned in a monotonous voice. The man continued to quiver on the ground, holding his head.

"You can continue this after the investigation," Gray continued, trying to make the raging man stop. He glanced from me and back to Nightmare. "You're scaring Alice." he said it in a quiet tone, so quiet that I almost didn't hear. The dream demon turned it head and I saw his steel eye lock onto me- the look was cold and made me shiver in response. After a moment, the faceless man slumped over and his yelling ceased. I looked from the man to Gray and then to Nightmare. He turned to me and his face softened.

"Alice?" he quietly questioned. "Alice, are you afraid?"

I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I only watched the man before me, the man I thought I knew. The man who just gave me a beautiful flower… And the man who nearly killed a man before me. The image of his cold gaze reached my mind. He frowned- he must have seen it. He saw himself through my eyes. Gray and several of the other subordinates began to gather the unconscious, or possibly dead, man and carry him back to the tower for god knows what reason…

My eyes trailed back to Nightmare. He looked worried. He reached out his hand as if to offer it to me but my body reacted on its own, flinching. He withdrew his hand. "Alice…?" he breathed. He reached out once more and I stepped back. "W-wait. Where are you going?" He stepped forward as I stepped away and I grew more frightened. I slapped away his hand and turned to run. I didn't look back. I couldn't. I was too afraid of the demon that I thought I knew.

xXx

My thoughts were swirling. I couldn't think straight. It never truly occurred to me that Nightmare was actually capable of… well, hurting someone. He said he was a demon but I never really thought about it. Sure, he read minds and levitated, but those were more annoying than demonic. He was childish- or so he led me to believe. Is Nightmare truly what I thought he was? Or is he something entirely different?

"Open the door…" the whispers dragged me out of my thoughts. When had I come to the forest? I looked around at the many strange doors that were on the trees and the signs that only got the reader even more lost on the path. There was nobody around and I knew… the whispering was the doors. It was no secret that there were similar doors within the Clover Tower. They, too, spoke to me every so often. But recently, they had stopped.

"Open me, open the door!" their chattering grew more restless as I walked farther into the forest of doors. Nightmare had told me to never enter the room of the doors and warned me of the forest. He didn't want me near these doors. He never exactly told me why but later on I came to figure it out… or, at least, I had assumed it was the answer.

Boris had told me that the doors would take me to the place I most want to go. He said it could even take me back to my own world. I didn't believe it as it seemed quite impossible but if it were true, I could understand why Nightmare wanted me to stay far away from them.

Opening the doors was a bad idea. Even if it would take me to the place I most want to go, there is really no telling where that would be… and even though I know the doors are bad, I still want to open one. I still have the urge to open one. I was focusing on one door. It was a nice looking wooden door. It was still creepy and whispering things to me but I couldn't help but wonder where it would take me. Would I go back to the country of Hearts? Or would I find myself back at the Clover Tower? Or… would I go back to my world with my older sister? Sister… how I miss you….

"Never thought I'd see you getting lost again," a familiar voice said behind me. Just from the sound of it I could tell he had his stupid smirk on his face.

"Ace," I acknowledged, turning to look at him. Yup. There's that stupid smirk. He was leaning coolly against one of the many trees. "I see you've gotten lost already before the next meeting of the Assembly. Shouldn't you still be at the tower?"

"I was thinking the same thing about you," he responded. "With the way you took so much responsibility for the event, you may as well be like a role holder and attend."

"I don't have to do anything. I can do whatever I want," I said in a snarky tone. With that, his smirk fell to an angry scowl.

"I'm so jealous of you, you know," he stated dully. An angry face was not befitting of the usually happy-go-lucky knight. It sent chills down my spine. "I wish I could do what I want, when I want, like not attending the Assemblies."

"The Assemblies are not that bad," I said, nervous about how the situation was turning out.

"I wish I didn't have to do my job," he continued, ignoring me completely. The way he spoke- so cold and sinister… His fingertips lightly brushed against the hilt of his sword. "Sometimes I wonder what would happen if the outsider was killed."

"N-no need to get so testy, Ace," I could feel myself back away slowly from the man before me. Ace was a wild card, nobody could read him. Whether or not he wanted to kill me, I wouldn't know until it was too late.

"But I'm not stupid." His sour mood slowly began to melt away until he was once again smiling. "Someone would be very mad if I even laid a finger on you, Alice."

"Someone would be…" I trailed off, wondering just who he could be talking about. "Julius?"

"Julius? Would he be man if you were killed?" Ace questioned, humming as he thought. Was he not the one Ace was thinking about? "Yeah, perhaps he would be mad. Probably more upset than mad, though."

"I'm sure he would hate to hear that one of his friends killed another of his friends," I said, hoping to further defuse the situation.

"Only if that friend is you," he sighed with a slight smile. "If you killed me, I'm sure he wouldn't even mind."

"I'm sure he would be sad if you were gone, Ace. Who would help him with his work? And make him go outside every now and again? He may seem angry, but I'm sure that deep down he really enjoys it."

With that, I could hear a burst of laughter from the man before me. A real laugh. A laugh I hadn't heard from him since… well… since we were with Julius. "Yeah. You're probably wrong," he chuckled, whipping away tears from his eyes. Is it that funny? "But then again, you also know him better than I do. You lived with him during all your time in Hearts."

"You know what?" I asked, attempting to change the subject. "I have an idea."

"An idea? For what?"

"Well… You seem to want to go on an adventure, but we also need to stick close to the Clover Tower for the Assembly. So, let's take this adventure into town and set a goal of finding a nice souvenir for Julius from Clover when the land moves again."

"A souvenir for Julius?"

"Yeah! Of course. The land will eventually move again and we will get to see Julius again, right?"

He paused to think for a bit before his face lit up, "Yeah, of course we will see him again. And we'll get him a gift that he will love." A huge smile spread across the knight's face. "Although, I would rather go camping with you… I'm not stupid enough to do that without your permission."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, slightly confused. Typically, if Ace wanted to camp, especially with me, he would just go and drag me with him. I suppose we haven't been camping here in Clover but still… He would never ask for my permission.

"I mean, I am not stupid. If I try anything with you, I might just suffer a fate worse than death. I'd suffer the wrath of a nightmare."

I had a feeling I knew exactly what he was talking about. I had witnessed his wrath earlier and it was not something I wanted to witness again. I didn't even want to think about it…

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" he questioned. "Why else would you be out here in the middle of nowhere. You can even hear the whispers of the doors, can't you? What else could throw you from your path so violently?"

"I think town is… This way," I pointed, ignoring him.

"Eh?" he questioned, eyebrows furrowed. "I thought it was this way," the man said, pointing in a different direction.

xXx

I was right about which direction we needed to go. It only took a matter of minutes to finally exit the secluded forest and enter civilization, much to Ace's dismay. He wanted to 'stay lost for a little longer'. We couldn't afford that luxury with the nearing continuation of the Assembly. I honestly didn't want to go to the Assembly. I was actually planning just to go and drop Ace off and quickly disappear before being spotted by any of the other role holders…

I looked up into the distance. The Clover Tower was huge even though it was quite a distance away. A magnificent centerpiece to the neutral town that surrounded it. It is larger than any of the other monuments owned by the other territories in the land. The territory itself was a neutral zone much like the Clock Tower but expanded farther. The accumulated territory size was only seconded by the Amusement Park back in Hearts. It was amazing how any man could lead such a territory, let alone Nightmare who refused to do his work and would rather vomit blood than take medicine. But then again…

I always thought Nightmare was childish. That there was no serious bone in his body, that there was no way that such a man could be a leader here in this cutthroat world. I had thought that it was Gray's role to protect such a man since he has skills that could rival that of Ace. It had never occurred to me that there was a side of Nightmare that I never knew of. A side that would warrant him to be one of the most powerful role holders within Wonderland. But now I know there is more to him than meets the eye. Now I know he is a nightmare.

"What do you think would be a good thing to get Julius?" I was asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I… I'm not sure," I answered, looking through the crowd. It was busier here than usual. That might be caused by the Assembly. "I was thinking of browsing the shops but with all the people here…" I trailed off. It would be hard to see anything with all the people.

"No problem," Ace chuckled, approaching the crowd. I gasped and darted towards him, fearing that his plan was to slice his way through the people but found that the people actually parted for him. He had no need to pull his weapon. The people seemed to magically melt away. And those that were left… they whispered.

"It's the knight," I heard one person whisper. "Better stay out of his way or he'll cut you down."

"But isn't fighting prohibited during the Assembly?"

"You think that would stop him? I'm getting out of here before something goes wrong."

"Good idea."

I was reminded of the times I went out in public with Nightmare. People would whisper in fear and leave. Whisper things- horrible, untrue things. I just wanted to yell at all of them. They didn't know Nightmare so they had no right to call him a monster. He isn't a living nightmare, is he? I had to remind myself of the event that occurred, how he is a living nightmare. How it is I who does not truly know him.

"Does it ever get to you?" I asked sheepishly, tugging on Ace's bright red jacket.

"What?"

"The whispering. How the crowd whispers when you approach, the things they say. Does it bother you?"

"Bother me? No, why should it? It is the life of a role holder. All role holders are whispered about. All role holders are feared. Though some might be feared more than others."

"Even Julius?"

He paused for a moment and frowned. "Especially Julius." Julius didn't deserve any of the whispers. He hated fighting and wouldn't pull his gun if he could help it. The worst part about him was his grouchy personality and once you get past that, he's a pretty good guy. But I suppose I could see how people could fear his job, being an undertaker and all. He's the only one who can do it.

"How about that?" Ace questioned. I blinked some and looked up to be reminded that we were shopping for a souvenir. He was pointing inside a window with his face pushed up against the glass like some kind of child. "I like it. I think he will totally love it."

My eyesight followed his finger to rest on a mug. Not a terrible idea since he does drink coffee all the time and sometimes does not have a clean mug to drink out of. As soon as I read the words plastered on the front, all I could do was stifle my laughter. "Really? '#1 dad'?"

"Better than that one," he chuckled, pointing to '#1 mom'.

"I don't think he'll like it."

"Who says he needs to like it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow mischievously. "Pretty much anything we get him, he isn't going to like."

"I don't think that" was what I wanted to say but before I could respond, there was a loud booming sound and the ground shook. Some kind of explosion. I was suddenly reminded what Nightmare said to the man back at the tower. How bombing the tower during the Assembly was against the rules. Could that be what is happening? I looked towards the center of town and was met with astonishment. It was true- the Clover Tower was hit by the explosion. Dark clouds of smoke billowed from the tall building. The dark omen sent shivers down my spine and a tight pain within my chest.

"What was that?" Ace questioned, his face falling to a serious scowl. "It's not fair that someone else gets to have fun while I have to follow the rules." And with that he darted off, gripping his sword with one hand and holding my arm with his other. I could barely keep my balance as he dragged me through the streets. People were scattering, fearful of the loud explosion. Even nearby, several gunshots were heard and Ace picked up the pace.

"You do realize the fighting is coming from the tower, don't you?" I asked, trying to draw his attention to the billows of smoke that was rising from the center of town- the direction of the Clover Tower. Ace, on the other hand… well… He was heading in the opposite direction.

"Are you sure it's that way?"

Am I—YES, I was sure it was that way. Sure, I would have liked to not get involved but I was safer with Ace than if I was alone and… The more I heard gunshots the more worried I became about the innocent people who might have been stuck in the middle of the gunshots… And the more worried I became about the people of the Clover Tower.

"Yes, yes!" I urged. "Now let's go!"

"Wow, I never knew you to be one to enjoy fighting so much, Alice."

We darted in and out of the alley ways to get closer and closer to the tower. The smoke now reached higher than the tower itself and I desperately wished that everybody was okay… though with every gunshot, I got a sinking feeling that someone I knew and cared about was going to get hurt. Several faces flashed within my mind and my stomach lurched. I had to remind myself that each and every one of them was fully capable of defending themselves… Even Nightmare. He has his own powers and he has Gray who would protect the Lord of the Tower. I wouldn't have to worry… and yet I had this feeling at the bottom of my heart that something would go wrong.

The gunshots were now close. I could feel Ace tugging faster in anticipation with every loud boom. Soon, the gunfire was so close that he pushed me back into the alley.

"You should stay here if you don't want to get hurt," Ace said dully before racing off to start a fight. I knew I shouldn't watch, I've witnessed it before- the coldblooded killings that the knight could perform. I suppose it wasn't his fault, exactly, that things always seemed to take a turn for the worse with him around. The fights came to him. Wrong place at the wrong time perhaps… but he never complained. On the contrary, I was sure he more enjoyed it than he found it annoying.

There was yelling, and plenty of it. First, the shouts were of shock that the Knight of Heart Castle suddenly appeared out of nowhere, brandishing his sword against them. There was a lot of gunfire which let me assume they knew just how dangerous Ace could actually be when allowed the opportunity for close combat. Then the shouts turned to screams of agony. Begging, whimpering, and yet no mercy- it's the part I hated the most. I didn't have to watch to know there was no mercy being shown. This was Ace- a nightmare in his own special way. Many a time I witnessed his blood-stained cloak. There isn't a merciful bone in his body.

I've seen him cut down people who don't deserve it, people who were innocent of any crime. I've seen it, and yet I see Nightmare as more of a monster than this man?

The screams had stopped. Feeling safe to approach, I left the darkened alley only to be greeted by a horrid sight. Bodies of men were scattered around, pools of their blood stained the streets, the walls of nearby building, and even the very sword that cut them down dripped with the crimson liquid. His clothes and his face was splattered with this dark red paint- the color of his dull, careless eyes. As I approached, the glint in his eye returned- the very look he had back in the forest. I froze. He was a wildcard.

His hand twitched, waving his blade to and fro as he took steps closer. I could only take a step back as he approached with his deep red eyes. He chuckled slightly at my unsteady retreat. As he neared, he raised his sword as if to strike. Was I finished? Was his bloodlust not quenched by the fighting? Did he really wish to kill the outsider?

I closed my eyes in anticipation of the blow. He was fast- there was nothing I could do to stop him if he decided to do it. As I waited to feel his blade cut me deep, I heard a loud clanking. This caused me great surprise as my eyes flashed open. Before me was a man I knew well. A man with the familiar cent of cigarettes.

"Are you trying to kill Alice?" the man hissed. He pushed away the sword with a blade of his own, the knives he carries with him everywhere.

"Not this time," Ace admitted, smiling once more. "My target was you, Mr. Lizard."

"And if I hadn't jumped in to save her, what would you have done? Killed her?" his questions were only met with silence and a large, happy grin.

"G-Gray?" I squeaked, grabbing at the man's jacket. My voice was weak from fear of the event that had just occurred.

"Alice," he sighed, "we must get you out of here."

"W-why? What's going on? Why is there fighting?"

"There is no time for questions, Alice," he answered with an exhausted look on his face. He grabbed my arm in the same way Ace had and began to usher me away, back into hiding in the alley. "We have to get you out of here. It is way too dangerous."

"But Gray-!"

"No 'but's Alice. Those are my orders. We have to-…"

"And what about me?" Ace interrupted. "You're just gonna leave me here with it being so dangerous? Not going to protect me like you do Alice?"

"You don't need my protection. Do whatever you want, I don't care," Gray responded sourly. "You're a danger just to be around."

"Now don't be like that, Mr. Lizard. I was doing a good job protecting Alice."

"Not from what I saw." Gray pushed me behind him, shielding me from Ace as if the man would attack at any second. And honestly, I wouldn't argue. He might very well start an attack…

"If Ace really wants to be helpful," I spouted out knowing something had to be said before another useless fight broke out. I gripped the back of Gray's jacket for comfort. "I'm sure it would be appreciated if he took out more of the terrorists that are scattered around town."

"That… would be helpful to us but…" Gray sighed, eyeing the red knight, "could he actually be trusted to do it?"

"Hmm… I'd be willing to do it with one condition~," Ace chimed happily.

"The answer is no. Good bye," and with that, Gray turned on his heels to try to dash away.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I'm not going to fight-…."

"I want Alice to promise to go camping with me," he interrupted, "just one more time. No consequences. That means the nightmare stays out of it."

"Alright, alright," I quickly answered with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Deep down, I hoped I wasn't dooming myself… "I can't promise anything from Nightmare but I can promise to go camping. Alright?"

"No take-backs!" Ace called before skipping off in his happy mood. Gray gave me this look of 'you shouldn't have done that' but didn't say anything. Instead, he just took my arm once more and began to drag me off as swiftly as he could.

"Where are we going? What is going on?" I asked, hoping for an answer other than 'it's too dangerous'. He sighed heavily as if he were defeated and pushed me against the wall in a dark alleyway.

"Remember the man that Lord Nightmare attacked in the garden?" I nodded. "The man was in a terrorist group of sorts. A rival gang to the Hatters. They found that between Assemblies would be a good time to attack since nobody would be expecting it with the rules being as they are." He paused and looked up as if waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he grabbed me again and moved locations before continuing. "They had a safety plan. This plan was that if their guy were to be caught and not return within a certain number time periods, they would attack. That is what is happening here. We captured their man for questioning so he could not return."

"If that's the case, why are we heading away from the tower?" I asked. I now understood why Nightmare attacked the man. There was a reason behind his angry, cold glare. There was a reason for him to use his powers. I felt a pang of guilt. Did I think Nightmare was a monster for attacking the man? The man meant to hurt people, to attack in a time of relative peace. All-in-all, to break the rules that were regarded so highly as being the law of the land- rules should not be broken. Is he a Nightmare for doing that? And now that I understood, I couldn't just ignore the fact that he was in danger.

"It's too dangerous," he answered, trying to take my arm again. I pulled away.

"If it's too dangerous for me then it's too dangerous for Nightmare. We need to go back and help him." I said this knowing that he might very well be able to protect himself. A part of me, however, felt the opposite. Although he was stronger and more able that I am, could he really protect himself?

"My orders are to protect you. He did not order me to protect him or take out these rule breakers. He said to move you out and away as far as possible. So I am taking you to a safe house outside town."

"I've been stuck in the middle of gunfights before. I know that you can protect me this time too."

"In those instances, I was the target they had marked. They were looking to get rid of me," he answered. "I can easily protect you when their eyes are on me."

"But?"

"But they are not after me," he replied. "They are after you, Alice."

"T-they… what?!"

"You're the weakness of many role holders. They see the way the way the other role holders react to you, so friendly. They want to use you as a trump card, hold you hostage to have any role holder do their bidding. If they have you, Lord Nightmare will do anything they ask of him. Even I would give little resistance to their demands as long as your health is on the line. You have become such an important part of the tower and I'd hate to see that change."

"Lord Nightmare… He needs you, you know." Gray continued. "You have changed him so much in the short amount of time that you have been in the land of Clover. Before… he never used his powers to help himself at anything but running away from work and medication. He wouldn't even use his powers to protect himself. He didn't order me to be his bodyguard, only his aid. I take it upon myself to protect him because he never would. It isn't until recently, when you arrived in Clover, that he started getting better at these things."

"Who will protect him now?" I asked, looking up into Gray's bright yellow eyes. "If we are both here, who will protect him? If he wouldn't protect himself without me then why would he protect himself now? We have to get to the Clover Tower and stop them before they hurt Nightmare, Gray."

"But my orders-…"

"I don't care if he gave you orders to get me out of here. If he dies because we weren't there… I…" I was wrong for ever leaving Nightmare alone. I was wrong for running away from what I didn't understand. I was wrong to be afraid of the one man I knew would never hurt me, and now he may get hurt- or worse… killed because I left. "I won't forgive myself, Gray. And… I won't forgive you if you try to stop me."

"You're just so stubborn…" he muttered under his breath. "Lord Nightmare would not be pleased if I don't do this, Alice. He has never turned his powers against me before but if I don't do this…"

"Gray, are you afraid of Nightmare? Are you afraid that he would hurt you if you don't do this one task?"

"Aren't you afraid?" he asked me right back. "The way you ran out of the courtyard so quickly without a word to Lord Nightmare makes me think otherwise if you're saying you're not." He sighed heavily. "If it comes to you and your safety, I fear Lord Nightmare. There is no doubt about that. He cares for you more than he cares for himself- more than anything else within this world- and that is a scary thing."

"So you would rather let him die there? He won't protect himself, Gray."

"Yes, I know he won't. But if I could just follow his orders and get you out, I might have enough time to go back and help."

"But what if you can't, Gray? What if he is already gone by that time? What if there are too many for you? If you don't even get close to saving him? The best way to protect him is to make him protect himself. I'm the only one that can make him do that."

I was getting upset. Anger washed over me as my fists balled up so tight that my knuckles turned pure white. "You know what? If you're afraid of going to the tower because of Nightmare then you can go to the safe house yourself," I spat, bitter at the cowardice that the once loyal subordinate was showing. "I don't care if you find him scary. I… I love him," I said it so easily. It must be because it is true, I do love him. I wasn't embarrassed to say it either. "I love him, and I know he would never hurt me, so I am not afraid." I turned on my heel to storm off before looking back at the man, his shoulders hunched over as if he were defeated. "I don't care what you do, but I'm going to the Clover Tower to save Nightmare…" The look on his face made it seem like I had sentenced him to death. I wouldn't know… perhaps I had….

"I love you too, you know," I heard him say quietly behind me. "I may fear Nightmare but I fear losing you even more." A pang of guilt hit me hard, I thought he was just a coward for being afraid of Nightmare. My stomach churned violently at the things he was saying. Gray loved me? But he was always… Well, he seemed to be okay with my relationship with Nightmare. He even sometimes seemed to be happy about my choice. Encouraged it, even. "I care about you so much, Alice. Not to the same extent as Lord Nightmare, but still… I want to keep you safe. The tower is not safe right now."

I couldn't turn around to look at him. I knew just how defeated he must look. I was stubborn, but for good reason. I had made my choice. "I'm sorry."

I couldn't look back now. I ran as quick as I could, dodging in and out of alleyways to try to avoid anybody that might have intent to harm me. I felt guilty for leaving Gray there by himself and for not even answering him but what could I say? I loved Nightmare. I do care about Gray but… not in that way.

xXx

There were guards posted at every door into the tower. This group must have been planning this for a while with just how organized they were. I could almost compare this group with the Hatters due to the massive amount of manpower. I suppose they would need the manpower if they wanted to rival the power of the Hatters anyway. But they couldn't rival the Hatter gang with just numbers. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum can take out twenty men easily on their own without breaking a sweat. With Dee, Dum, and Elliot this entire rival gang could be turned into mincemeat without the bat of an eye.

'You're the weakness of many role holders,' I heard it like an echo going through my mind. That is right… If they capture me, they could hold me hostage. Would Dee and Dum attack if I was being held at gunpoint? The more I thought about it the more I realized that if I were captured, almost every role holder would be in danger. Peter… Vivaldi… Boris… potentially all of the Hatters and even everybody at the Clover Tower. Was I putting everybody in danger by putting myself in danger?

I shook my head. No. I can't think that. I have to make sure Nightmare is safe… Nothing else mattered…

I focused my attention back to the door. While hiding behind a stack of wooden pallets and boxes that were in a nearby alley I counted the guards at the door. There were three guards. Three too many for my liking but what was I going to do? Turn back now? No, I couldn't do that. I suppose I could always try to distract them so they would leave the door. Before I could even make a plan of what I could do, my clumsy bad luck kicked in. With just the slightest touch, the precarious stack fell with a loud clatter. And in that instant, I knew I was screwed.

"Hey! What was that?" one of the armed men called out, jumping to attention.

"Look! It's the girl!" another shouted out, pointing in my direction. "Grab her!"

My legs turn to jelly at the worst of times. I couldn't move them no matter how much I willed them to. One of the guards was approaching quickly and all I could do was fall to my knees, tear up, and cry.

"Help!" I squeaked. How pathetic. How did I ever think that I could protect Nightmare from these goons if I can't protect myself? "P-please, someone!"

"No one is comin to save ya, girlie. Just come quietly, we don't want to hurt ya." The man stopped several feet from me with his arm outstretched. I squeezed my eyes shut and looked away. I couldn't let them take me… but I still couldn't move. "Come on," he ordered. After a second or two with no answer I felt a breeze as if something fast was moving by. Was he going to attack me?! I flinched, fearing the worst but felt nothing make contact with me. Instead, it was the man who was screaming in pain. My eyes popped open to find him down on his knees holding his arm-or… well… A stump of an arm. Everything from the wrist up was gone.

"M-my hand! AURGH!" he screamed. I glanced back and noticed his comrades quickly swinging around their guns as if an enemy had appeared, yet I couldn't see anybody else.

"W-what was that?!" one of them cried. He pulled the trigger letting out a spray of bullets out of fear. There was nothing there for him to hit. Or was there? In the blink of an eye, the man's gun fell into two pieces as if it were cut like butter.

"W-wha-?!" the third dropped his gun and began to run, but he didn't make it far. A knife which seemed to appear out of nowhere stuck right into his back. He let out a shout before falling over.

The first man, the one with the missing hand whimpered in pain as he held his arm. "P-please, whoever you are! Let me go, I swear this wasn't my plan! I'm just following orders- I swea-…" Before the man could finish his plea, a second blade was pressed against his neck, cutting him off.

"You think I could let you off so easily after you broke the rules?" the man holding the knife questioned. Blood began to trickle down the man's neck as the blade dug deeper into his skin. "And you tried to hurt Alice, you think I can forgive you for that?"

"G-Gray?" I asked through my own tears as my eyes finally caught sight of the man. He was moving so fast earlier that I couldn't see him.

"Close your eyes, Alice. You don't want to see this," he said it so seriously that all I could do was oblige. In the darkness of my closed eyes, all I could hear was screaming- pleas for mercy, begging for forgiveness… Was this just a norm in Wonderland? After a short time, the screaming stopped and the nauseating aroma of blood and death reached my nostrils. The only sound now was Gray's heavy breathing in the not so far off distance.

"You probably don't want to open your eyes," he muttered quietly. I felt like I could agree with him, it would not be a sight I wished to behold. "Stand," he gently ordered from very close to me. I felt his hand brush my own to say he was there, ready to catch me if something happened. I stood slowly and felt his massive arms wrap around me and pick me up. I gasped at the feeling but still did not open my eyes. This was for my own good- my legs still weren't working properly. I heard a door open and close behind me. We made it inside the tower, but now what? Gray continued to carry me even inside the tower and my stomach fell. This was getting uncomfortable and awkward, especially after what the man had just said earlier. I wiggled in protest, still not opening my eyes for fear of how close the man's face must be to mine. I was becoming aware of the man when I never was before. Just why did he have to do this to me…?

He must have picked up on my protests because the next thing I knew he was helping me stand on my own two feet. I looked down as I tried to regain balance and only then did I open my eyes. I let out a sigh of relief as I looked down at my own clothes, not a spot of red splashed on to me during the fighting.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked, looking up at him in surprise.

"For letting you leave on your own. You almost got hurt even though all I want is to protect you." He sighed heavily. "As long as I protect you, it should be fine."

I nodded and looked away again, unable to really look at him. I fidgeted under his stare. He must have noticed because he opened his mouth again. Before he said anything, however, he closed it again… and then opened it. He was thinking about what he could say.

"About what I said… earlier…" he started, still thinking about what he could say. "I can't take it back because it is true. I love you, but you must realize something. I don't wish to be your lover. I don't feel for you like that, but rather I… I greatly admire you and care about you." I still couldn't look at him. I knew his yellow eyes were staring at me. "I only said it to make you realize that Lord Nightmare is not the only person who cares for you, Alice. You shouldn't throw yourself into danger for his sake. If you get hurt, others will get hurt in the process."

"I…" I sighed heavily, finally looking up at the man. He was tall and handsome. Strong and healthy. But he wasn't Nightmare. "I care about you too, Gray. So let's both be careful while looking for Nightmare."

The halls were mostly empty. Every once in a while we would find a stack of papers scattered around a pile of blood. I gulped and looked away every time. I feared it was one of the many workers that I may have known and worked with.

"After we heard about the plan of their attack, we evacuated as many people as we could spare. All role holders made it out before the explosion. The only exception being Lord Nightmare."

So many people were able to make it out before the tower was attacked. It would have been a relief and yet my heart sank…"Why didn't Nightmare evacuate then?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Gray questioned, furrowing his eyebrows. "I might be an ex assassin but I can't find you that fast. He stayed to make sure you didn't show up after I had left."

I feared what the group was doing to Nightmare since he was one of the only ones left in the tower. One of the only ones that could give answers. They would torture him for answers asking where I would be, I just know it. And I also know that he wouldn't say a word to them about me. My heart ached.

"Please still be alive, Nightmare," I murmured under my breath. Gray just seemed to ignore me as he lead on, treading quietly through the halls. Every now and again he would usher me into a room and stand at the door to listen for enemies. When nobody came he would silently open the door and continue down the hall.

"They probably have him locked within the meeting room," he finally said after a long, awkward silence as we walked down the halls. The room was large with a balcony overhead. They were probably using the upper floor as a vantage point to watch from above as they tortured Nightmare on the floor below. If anybody walked in, they would be able to see it from above. It made sense. I nodded and followed Gray's lead. We moved up to the second floor. I could tell we were getting close to the meeting room but how close, I wasn't sure. The halls were usually bustling with people and now… I was lost without the large crowd of friendly faces.

Gray threw up his arm to stop me from walking and pulled his fingers to his lips in a shushing motion. He then pointed ahead at the two men who were slacking at their job of watching the entrance to the balcony above the meeting room. The duo was quietly playing cards and chuckling to themselves about a job well-done. They overtook the Clover Tower after all- not a simple task in the slightest. I was pushed into a little alcove to avoid being spotted and then I was left alone. Within a matter of seconds, they were both dead. One man slumped over as a knife stuck deep into his forehead while the other had his neck quickly twisted and snapped. The entire ordeal was silent.

Gray leaned against the door with one ear, listening in to the conversation. He waved his hand as if to signal it was alright for me to approach and continued to listen. I, too, placed my head against the door and listened to the events that were unfolding within.

"Where is she?!" one man hissed within the room.

"I already told you," a familiar voice said calmly. My heart skipped a beat- Nightmare was still alive. "She isn't here and she won't be coming back."

"Of course she will be coming back!" another voice grumbled. "She lives here, doesn't she?!"

"I scared her away, she won't be returning." Is that what he really thinks? That he is so scary that I wouldn't return even though we are lovers?

"You're not that scary," the first voice replied. "I bet the rumors about you are all false."

"Oh, I assure you. They are all true."

"If they are true then why ain't we all dead?" yet another voice shouted through the room.

"Shut up you!" someone growled. "We're the ones interrogating him!" That seemed to shut him up. The room had grown silent except for the sound of footsteps that echoed within the room.

"I'm getting tired of waiting," one of the voices from earlier whined, breaking the silence. "Can't we just kill him already? He's no help to us as it is. Our target is the Hatter."

"This guy is the key to catching the girl," the other voice answered coolly. "She has a soft spot for him, or so our sources say. They're lovers."

"But what if he's right and he scared her away?"

"He better hope that isn't the case. If the girl doesn't show up, he isn't any use to us. We'll just get rid of him." I wanted to yell so badly. 'No, don't hurt him. I'm here, just take me instead!' but I held back. If they capture me anyway, they would still probably kill him. The two continued to chatter and bicker, allowing an ample amount of noise for me to sneak into the room unheard. The sight before me was worse than I was hoping to see. Nightmare sat in the middle of the room on the first floor, his limbs bound to the wooden chair upon which he rested. His eye was black and blue as if someone hit him hard and the eyepatch that normally covered his other eye was nowhere to be seen. His lip was bleeding, must have been busted open and had begun trailing blood down his chin. Blood stained his once white shirt. They beat him. It was obvious that they had.

Around him stood three men- two of which seemed quite animated and I assumed them to be the ones doing the interrogating. The third just stood there quietly holding his gun at the ready, warily watching the man tied to the chair. Three more men watched from upper level balcony. I was lucky they didn't notice when I entered.

Although Nightmare was beaten and pretty badly torn up, he still sat there calm and cool. His shoulders may slump down in pain but he still held his chin up high. He can be a leader if, and when, he wants to be.

"Your plan won't work, even if you are somehow able to find the outsider."

"Shut up! What do you know of our plan?" the noisy, impatient man spat. "Nuthin, that's what!"

"Don't underestimate me. I know you plan to use her as a hostage. To lure the Hatter into a negotiation for the girl. There is nothing to negotiate, though, is there. You'll kill them right when they least expect it, right?"

"S-son of a-…!"

"The Hatter is a smart man and won't be fooled so easily. He's probably just waiting for the right time to get rid of your group altogether. To make a lesson of you so no group will think twice about the power of the Hatter's mafia."

"Which one of you idiots spilled the plan in front of this lowlife!" the man roared, waving his gun. He eventually turned his attention to Nightmare, forcing the barrel against his knee. "Who told ya, huh? Tell me and you won't get a bullet right through your leg."

"You shouldn't turn on each other over something so trivial. Nobody said a word about it around me. It was your hearts that spoke to me loud and clear."

"S-shut up. You can't read our hearts. That's… that's impossible."

"You don't know the true might of a nightmare." He was so cool and collected….

"Just shut up," the man growled before pulling the trigger. The loud bang echoed through the hall. A loud gasp escaped Nightmare's lips as the pain hit him hard. For once, his chin lowered as he cringed from the pain. His breathing was heavy and loud as he groaned.

I couldn't stay quiet any longer. I opened my mouth to yell and scream but before I could say a single word, Gray was holding me back with his hand clasped against my mouth. Although he kept my mouth quiet, my mind was screaming- 'NIGHTMARE!' His name echoed within my mind as tears began to fill my eyes.

There was a slightly gurgling gag that came from Nightmare as he sat up quickly. His steely eye shimmered with surprise… and maybe a bit of fear. Did it take that long for the pain to really hit him? He coughed up some blood and, being unable to wipe it away, it dribbled down his chin.

"No, nononononono," he breathed between coughing fits. "No, it can't be. NO, it cannot be! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE! GO! LEAVE NOW!"

"I dunno what is wrong with you, buddy, but shut up. We ain't going anywhere."

"I wasn't talking to you!" Nightmare hissed. I felt a shiver down my spine as his silvery eye locked with mine for a brief second. Did he know we were here? Even Gray shook a small bit and his grip on me tightened. That must be it if even Gray noticed. Nightmare must have found out that we were there.

"And just who were you talkin to then? There ain't nobody here but us."

"What if he is trying to speak to his lover, the outsider?" the other interrogator asked. "Is she on her way here right now?" The question was only met with silence. A large grin formed on the man's lips before he turned. "I'll call the others; tell them to keep up their guard. We should be having a guest anytime now."

"That won't be necessary," I gruff voice said near me, too close for comfort. Before I, or even Gray for that matter, could make a move, there was a slight clicking noise right in my ear. Much like the cocking of a gun. "Don't move or I'll shoot her, buddy," the man muttered angrily. Then, the next thing I knew, his fingers dug into my scalp and pulled at my hair.

"Ouch!" I cried. The man didn't care. He took me by the hair and dragged me over to the railing, his gun still pointed at my head. "L-let me go!"

"Excellent!" the man below cheered. "That was much easier than I thought it would be."

"N-Nightmare!" I called out. My eyes began to water.

"Alice!" he cried. "Why did you come?! You shouldn't have- UMPH!" he was cut on with a loud, hard slap against his face

"How about you shut up already?" the loud man suggested, pulling out his gun once more. "or else I'll shut ya up for good."

"NO! Stop it!" I screamed. I struggled as best I could against the railing, if I could just get away… "DON'T HURT HIM!"

"Stop your wiggling!" the man who had me ordered. He changed the way he was holding me by wrapping his arm tightly around my chest.

"Just give her the drug already. Make her stop struggling so much," one of the other upper balcony gunmen suggested. "I got this one." He said this as he pushed Gray down to the ground, face down, and pulled his arms behind his back so he couldn't reach his knives. He placed his heavy boot right in the middle of his back to keep him from getting up.

"NO!" Gray called out as he saw the needle. I couldn't see it myself but I felt as the needle pressed into the skin on my neck. My muscles instantly began to relax. It wasn't long before my eyelids grew too heavy to stay open. Even my mouth wouldn't move- no matter how much I willed it to yell out the one name of the man that I knew could save us. I yelled within my mind instead.

'Help me, Nightmare,' I urged through my thoughts. All I could hear was a distant gurgling sound. 'N-Nightmare!'

"I-I can't," I heard him finally cough.

'I KNOW you can,' I pleaded. 'Help me by helping yourself.'

"But…" his already weak voice started fading.

'Help…' I said in my mind one last time. Everything was fading- even my thoughts were growing weaker as the drug kicked in. I could no longer form words within my thoughts to speak to Nightmare. Just when I thought all was lost, I heard voices echoing in the distance.

"W-where did he go?!" the voice called out.

"I will ask you politely, for her sake. Put her down now and leave. Do this and I may show you mercy."

"How did he get free from the chair?!"

"Who cares about that?! HE'S FLYING!"

"Just shoot him already!" There were some gunshots fired, but they sounded so far away….

"ARGH!"

"W-what's happening?!"

"I-it hurts!" I could hear the cries of several men. They were crying out in pain.

"S-stop!" I wished I knew what was happening but part of me knew I didn't want to know.

"NO!" it was the last thing I heard. I felt like I was falling for a brief second before hitting something cold and hard. That was the last thing I felt as the darkness consumed me.

xXx

"… why did you let this happen?" I must finally be waking up. I still couldn't open my eyes or move my mouth. It must have been a serious drug. I have probably been out for several time periods, yet I still felt groggy. The voices I heard sounded distant, but I was still able to listen.

"You of all people should know how stubborn she could really be," it was hard to decide just who was speaking from the soft distant voices, but I could tell they were probably talking about me. Several people have described me as stubborn before now. "There was no way I could have stopped her."

"I'm blaming you for this mess."

"Blame me as much as you like, but a true leader wouldn't blame his subordinates for his own mistakes."

"I am a true leader! It is the subordinate that is in the wrong!"

"She cares so deeply about you, Lord Nightmare. I couldn't stop her from acting on such strong feelings." Lord Nightmare? Gray? Is that Gray talking? So Gray is alive. And Nightmare, he was talking to Nightmare. Everything must have worked out. "Even now while she is out cold her heart still speaks to you. You hear it, right? What does it say?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about…."

"She can't even look at another man the same way she looks at you. Her heart beats for you and only for you."

"If her heart beats for me then she should take better care of herself."

"At least her heart isn't as selfish as her lover. Do you not hear the hypocrisy with the words you speak? If you would have taken care of yourself for a change, then that mess would have never happened. You never would have been shot. You wouldn't be so behind on your paperwork. And you wouldn't be standing here worrying."

"She's been asleep for so long… What if she doesn't wake up?"

"The doctor says-…"

"Forget what the doctor says! The doctor doesn't know anything!"

"If you really thought that you wouldn't have asked him to come here yourself."

I could tell the drug was starting to wear off. Their voices had become clear and easy to hear. They still sounded distant, however, as if they were in a different room. I still couldn't even move my fingers or lips or even open my eyes and I couldn't tell them I was awake and that they didn't need to worry.

"You would have called him anyway. You're doctor happy- looking for any excuse to call the doctor."

"I wouldn't have to call him so often if you took your medicine. You would be healthy with no reason to see the doctor."

"I DO take my medicine. I'm not better. It doesn't work… and it's bitter."

"You know as well as I that medicine is not magic. It takes time and consistency to work properly."

It was high time I tuned them out. The two could bicker for hours on end about medicine and doctors. And Gray, in my opinion, was always right. Nightmare did need to take his medicine on a regular basis for it to work. He needed to get better if he ever wanted to marry me.

I started to get the feeling of being lonely. I was locked inside the darkness of my own body, unable to speak, to move, or even to see. I tried to move my fingers, my toes and my mouth. I let out a shaky breath of near defeat before trying to open my eyes. The crack of light that entered my eyes as my eyelids lifted was painful to say the least. I forced my eyes shut once more as a groan of pain hummed from my throat. I tried again, somewhat more successful with my attempts to see through the blinding, bright light. As I blinked away the painful light, I heard something.

"Alice?" someone asked, calling my name. When I was finally able to focus my eyes I could see I was in a room. I couldn't tell whether it was my room or just a random guest room, but it really didn't matter. The door to the room was cracked open just enough that I could see outside the door. Nightmare and Gray both stood in the hall, crowding closer to the door to check if I was actually awake. That must have been why they sounded so distant. They were speaking in the hall.

The door swung open as Nightmare quickly made his way to the side of my bed. His hands snaked around my own before I could think or do anything. He sat in a chair that, I assume, was placed there earlier. Nightmare must have been watching over me for a while. Gray also made his way into the room thought it wasn't as rushed or nearly as loud. He quietly stood at the end of the bed.

"Alice, oh Alice. Do you have any idea how worried I have been?" He asked me, bringing my hand to his face. In all honesty, no, I have no idea how worried he had been. From the sounds of it, however, he had been very worried.

"Can't you speak, Alice? I want to hear your voice," he muttered into the back of my hand. I couldn't say anything. Not yet anyway. The drug was still wearing off.

"So you still can't move or speak?" he asked softly. Its times like these that I was glad he could read minds, though most of the time I hated how he read my thoughts without permission.

"So is she alright?" Gray asked as he was unable to hear me speak to Nightmare. I looked to Nightmare expecting him to answer for me.

"Yes, she is awake. The drug hasn't completely worn off yet. It really must have been strong for you to have slept for ten time periods…" Ten?! That many?! My eyes flicked over to Gray who nodded, almost as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Yes, ten. And all this time, Lord Nightmare has been sitting in here with you." But his work! His medicine! His rest! "I am quite surprised that he has been doing his work in here. He hasn't quite caught up after all the events that have happened but I am glad he is making an effort. My only worry is his health. He hasn't slept since before the Assembly."

"There is no way I could sleep while Alice was in here like this," Nightmare answered softly. He was still holding my hand, not willing to let go. I would have squeezed his hand reassuringly if I could… but I just couldn't. He smiled softly and kissed the back of my hand. "It's the thought that counts…"

The room had grown silent. Nightmare just sat at his seat, grasping my hand. Gray stood quietly for a little while longer before deciding it would be best to leave us alone. He made sure to close the door behind him.

It was silent for a little longer before Nightmare decided to speak. "You shouldn't have come to try to rescue me. It was dangerous." I knew it was dangerous. That is why I had to come.

"Don't be so reckless," he responded to my thoughts. And if the situation were reversed, if it were me being held hostage for him to come rescue, he would have been there.

"I can be replaced." If Nightmare can be replaced, then so can I.

"You can never be replaced, Alice." And neither can Nightmare. Someone might be able to take his job but… nobody can take his place in my heart. So Nightmare must take care of himself. If he doesn't, I will be heartbroken.

"I am flattered that you think that but-…"

'But nothing! I made a promise to you, Nightmare.' I thought, remembering how we would get married when he gets better. 'How can I keep that promise if something were to happen to you because you aren't taking care of yourself?! If I could slap you right now, I would.'

"That wouldn't be very nice of you." It isn't nice of Nightmare to not think about how I feel.

"What are your feelings, exactly?" he questioned; he averted his gaze and refused to look at me as he asked. "I thought you were afraid of what I could be- afraid of the nightmare that I really am… I didn't have to look into your thoughts to know, it was written all over your face when you ran away…"

"There is more to you than your powers…"I muttered, finally able to speak; my voice was hoarse from disuse. I let out a dry, raspy cough before continuing. "More than just a demon that needs to be feared, I see a man that is more a dream than he is a nightmare."

"That's…" the man before me was speechless. He took my hand between his own and squeezed before resting his forehead against our entwined hands. "If you could just read my mind…" his voice had become shaky, as if he was on the verge of tearing up. He couldn't finish that thought before starting another. "That's the nicest thing you have ever said to me…"

"I hope you're not crying about it," I softly teased. After I said it, the man took his sleeve and rubbed at his eye. I slightly chuckled at the sight knowing that he was wiping away the tears before they could form.

"I-I'm not," he sniffled. "I'm the leader of Clover, I have an image to uphold. I have pride."

"My point is," I started and then cleared my throat to drive away the hoarseness. "You are not a scary person, Nightmare. Your powers- maybe. But you, as a person, are not someone people should fear. You're not someone I should be afraid of, so I'm not."

"And just what made you think that?"

"Ace," I answered without any doubt. "And… Gray… but mostly Ace." The images of the slaughtering appeared in my head. Ace tore those men apart without hesitation… but also those who were innocent met their end by his blade. He never batted an eye. His eyes- those cold, careless eyes- were so red like the blood he spilled and full of hate and loneliness. Ace's eyes were far scarier than Nightmare could ever be. When Ace kills, it's mostly for fun. If Nightmare is going to kill someone, there's a reason behind it.

"Next time, I'll be sure to protect you properly…" he muttered, squeezing my hand once more. "I'll make sure nobody can ever hurt you, Alice."

"Make sure you can protect yourself first. It will hurt me more if something happened to you than if something happened to me." I willed my hand to move- to close- and squeeze his hand back. The drug was wearing off, I might have been weak but I was able to do it. He reciprocated my gesture with a gentle squeeze of his own.

"I can't promise anything…"

"I don't expect you to," I reassured. I knew Nightmare; I couldn't make him do anything. And from what Gray had said, Nightmare might think of me first no matter what. But if he would just try… it would be good enough with me.

"I missed you," he said, dropping my hand. Instead, he moved to caress my cheek with his long, slender fingers. They were oddly warm- probably from holding my hand.

"I missed you too," I whispered, leaning my face into the palm of his hand. He cupped my face ever so gently…

"I love you."

"I love you too, Nightmare," I could feel my cheeks grow hot as I said it, but it didn't matter. This seemed like a perfect time to let him know exactly how I feel. I had never said it out loud before…

"You have no idea how happy I am right now," he muttered quietly. His cheeks went flush and his lips twitched into a weak smile. Even his eye sparkled once more with that brilliant warm and inviting look. How could I ever run from a man like this? A man so gentle and kind, he is no monster. His name might be Nightmare, but to me… He's the best dream I could ever have.

---

So? What did ya think? Was it alright? I hope there weren't many mistakes because I put more time editing this story than I have on any other story I've written. Also, sorry if it is cheesy. It seems I like to write cheesy things? I wrote the story because I thought it was funny how in games/the manga Alice would witness Nightmare doing his... brain melting abilities and then not get scared. I mean... I would be scared if I saw some guy with some brain smoothie dripping from his ear. Ew. Anyway, a review would be absolutely wonderful, I love em. Also, I want your opinions on my next oneshot. Will be much shorter. And will be a character that doesn't get much love. It's gonna be a Gowland story, but I want to know what you think! What should Gowland's dialogue be like? In some of the manga its like a southern accent but I fear that might ruin the mood of the story. Anyway- leave a review or PM me about it or this story here. Anyway, nobody probably read this far down so it doesn't matter anyway.

Thanks for reading my story though!