I should be working on a New Game. It's the longest project I've ever undertaken and I'm making such great progress on it.

But I just don't have it in me right now. So enjoy some AlicexJulius for the time being.

-Static

/*\

03: Curious Dreams II

She hummed happily as fingers glided over her neck, lighter than the wings of a butterfly. A shiver danced down her spine and though she wore a smile on her face she still turned to scold the man who did it. She was tired and wanted to sleep. At first the ministrations had felt nice. First his fingers had combed through her hair, then rubbed circles behind her ear, then slid down to hold her hand.

Then he got bored. Then he began to tease.

And she was planning on teasing back. She had managed to evade his prodding fingers with giggles and scathing remarks, and she was reaching to brush his bangs out of his eyes. Then the alarm rang.

She could feel herself jump in her bed as she was jolted back to reality. Warm pillows, warm blankets, comfortable nightclothes, but alas he was nowhere to be found. She pulled her hand free and slammed her fist down on the button of the ear-piercing device, and she pulled the blankets up over her ears in a fit of childish annoyance. She glared at the clock, the door, the fireplace, and anything else her eyes could fall upon.

Of course it had just been another dream. As real as the embrace had felt, there was always something wrong, something that gave it all away for the tawdry illusion it was. Sometimes she couldn't feel his hands, hear his words. Sometimes his hair looked too short and sometimes she could only tell it was him from his familiar sigh of irritation. In this particular instance, it was that she couldn't see his face.

In fact that was fairly common. She almost never saw his face.

She rolled over and let her cheek fall onto the cool side of her pillow. Since there was no light shining through the curtains, she assumed it was still a night period. She pressed her face into the cloth of the pillowcase and let one of her eyes trace the flowery embroidery on her duvet as she debated with herself. She had worked in the Tower of Clover for months now and hadn't missed a single day. She always finished her work properly and on time, and she never failed to go above and beyond in the tasks she completed. She could absolutely call in sick if she wanted to, she'd earned it. She could just fall back asleep and tell Nightmare that she wasn't feeling very well. If she kept him occupied with fun conversation, then he wouldn't pick up on the miniscule lie.

Or he'd try to blackmail her into letting him play hooky with her.

She sighed but still refused to rise. She was allowed to sleep whenever it was nighttime. The Role-Holders of Clover were awfully fond of daytime periods, so night was a rarity. She had special permission to enjoy it however she saw fit.

Which generally meant sleeping. However she usually still got up to work when it was time. Even after having one of those dreams she still went through her routine. She showered and got dressed. Then she made her way down to the cafeteria to have breakfast and she made coffee in spite of the stars shining out the window. When she had the tea tray ready, she waltzed back up the stairs and into the office as she did every day.

"Alice," Gray had remarked, surprised. "I'd have thought you'd still be sleeping." She shrugged.

"The thought was tempting but I couldn't fall back asleep. So I figured I should be productive." This was said with a cheerful tone and a convincing smile. She was certain that the assassin would forget the subject within the frame of a few seconds, but he only raised an eyebrow.

Why? Alice had long since perfected the art of fooling Gray Ringmarc over small matters. She had grown very good at being selective with her words, and he was generally too busy chasing Nightmare around to read into them too much. At this point, nothing should have seemed amiss.

Yet for some reason it did.

"Really?" He asked. "Nightmare was just telling me that you've been having some very distressing dreams. If you need to go back to your room…"

Gray kept talking, reassuring her that if she felt unwell she could leave, but she heard none of it. Alice froze, her heart halting in its tracks. Her eyes widened and her smile faltered, the color draining from her face. Nightmare knew? He'd seen what she'd been dreaming? He knew what sorts of things she thought about in the dead of night when she was by herself without anyone else to disturb her? When her gaze slipped to the demon an innocent smile was plastered on his face. His hands were folded and his chin sat atop them, and he looked rather pleased with himself. Whether it was because of her dream or his excuse to procrastinate just a little bit longer she didn't know, but either way Alice was not happy.

"Has he now?" She asked absentmindedly.

Steeling herself she approached the desk, Gray maintaining a respectable distance, and maybe when she set down the tray of tea it clattered a little too harshly. Maybe a few drops of tea spilled and maybe her fingers were shaking a tad. The smile on Nightmare's face vanished, and his eyebrows shot upwards.

"Really Alice," the demon said, "feel free to return to bed. You look-" He never got the chance to finish.

"Nightmare," Alice began, glaring at the man for all she was worth, "do you and I need to have another talk about privacy?"

/*\

For once Julius was changing into his nightclothes. With Ace's smaller-than-usual deliveries recently, he had actually managed to finish up his work for the time being. He was sure there would be more clocks tomorrow, definitely the day after, but he was looking forward to exercising the divine privilege to sleep.

Wonderland knew he got far too few chances.

He locked the door and blew out the oil lamp and two candles. He crawled up into bed and he thought that would be that. He'd get some rest, then wake up and continue. If Ace still hadn't arrived then maybe he would read a while and relax. He almost laughed at the thought. He wanted to be optimistic, but nothing was ever that easy.

And unfortunately, now was no exception.

The one time Julius was allowed to rest, and it was the one time that he decided to make his presence known. The Clock Master was not unaware of Nightmare's occasional observances – mind readers can't always control what they see – but it was rare for the demon to pull him into the Dream Realm. Julius staved down his annoyance. If Nightmare wanted to talk in the privacy of his own world rather than wait and speak in his office, it had to be important.

Everyone in the tower knew not to bother him unless absolutely necessary.

The incubus floated in midair, purple and green clouds swirling around his relaxed and unworried form. The Clock Master frowned. This certainly didn't look important.

"What do you want?" He growled.

"Tsk, tsk," Nightmare responded, letting his feet touch the floor. "That's awfully rude Clock Maker. Especially when all I want is to talk." Julius crossed his arms and let his spine straighten as he glowered. This was definitely an unwelcome surprise and Nightmare knew it.

"Speak your mind and be done with it." The demon chuckled and pulled his legs up, appearing to sit cross-legged in the air.

"It's about Alice." Alice? For a moment it seemed as though time stopped. Why would he want to talk about Alice? Now Julius was worried. Had something happened to her? Was she okay?

Or was the demon being an idiot again?

"What about her?" Julius asked, careful to leave his tone neutral. When the demon let that smile stretch across his sickly face the human man did everything he could to mask the fury. Something told him it was likely that the demon had not actually come to report anything worthy of concern, but he couldn't tell. The one chance I get to sleep and this is what I am afforded? He wondered, irate.

"She's been having some rather…interesting dreams lately." When the demon again refused to relinquish any more information, Julius realized what he was doing. Of course.

Such games are for children. He thought bitterly. The incubus let a giggle slip through his lips.

"Come now, if you're going to be rude at least speak aloud. I can hear you, you know." Julius glowered.

"I'll be frank, I'm far too tired for this. Can't it wait for another time?" Nightmare paused and let a thoughtful look pass over his face. A hookah appeared and he inhaled through the stem, a smoke ring leaving his lips just a few seconds before he spoke again.

"I suppose it could, but I get the feeling that this might be something you want to deal with right away." Julius paused. That didn't sound good, especially if Nightmare had chosen to involve Alice. Even more worrying, why would he want to talk about her dreams?

"What, exactly, is 'this'?" The Clock Maker asked warily.

"Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying?"

"Explain, worm." The demon huffed and let his figure rotate upside-down, his hair falling towards the floor.

"That's not a very nice way to address someone who's trying to help you."

"Perhaps if I knew just what you were trying to help with, I would address you more respectfully." Nightmare snorted.

"I'm a dream-demon not an idiot. Back to the matter though. Alice has been having very odd dreams indeed. They have her waking up sweating and with adrenaline coursing through her veins. They have her feeling quite perturbed indeed."

"And this has to do with me because…?"

"Because in these dreams, you're involved. Very closely involved." A pause. Then a smile. "Would you like to see?"

/*\

For Alice there was nothing better than Clover Tower's bathhouse. As much as she loved the private bathroom in her in-suite bedroom, she would never turn down the opportunity to relax her muscles in the heated pools after a long day at work.

As she sank down into the searing warm water she let her eyes slide closed. She was so warm. It was a wonderful reprieve from the chill of the dark sky and snowy paths. The ice had left her so cold that the hot water had caused goosebumps to erupt all over her skin. Yes she was quite warm, and content, and after about an hour was starting to feel just a little bit sleepy. The rational side of her mind told her to get out and return to her room so that she could rest safely. The other, bigger part told her that she wanted to stay just a minute longer.

So as the seconds passed her eyelids got heavier and heavier. The threat of sleep loomed above her like a panther, patient and waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce.

With her head leaned back against an unusually comfortable rock, and her torso covered with a towel, Alice slowly drifted off in the private hot spring. One moment, she was floating in delightfully hot water, and then she blinked. When she next opened her eyes there was no steam nor pleasant warmth. Instead she was met with the sight of purple tinted fog and a grinning boss. She tensed up and glared.

"Nightmare," she warned, "after the talk we had earlier, don't you think it's a little risky to be pulling me into the dream realm right now?" Nightmare smiled.

"Perhaps a little, but you see I have to. At this moment, it's my duty." To this Alice's body relaxed a tad, but she was still on her guard. This could be a good thing for her. Sometimes when Nightmare showed up for his Role, he gave out very vital bits of information. Information that could hasten her way home. However she had learned from her experiences in his domain. As much as this could be good it could also be bad. Very, very bad.

"Your duty?" She asked, the syllables slow in coming. The man nodded.

"Yes. Part of my position as the Incubus is that I can read your mind, as you very well know."

"I do."

"And you also know that I can see into your dreams. I can view every thought and desire that crosses through your mind." The girls face darkened and her arms crossed.

"For your own sake, don't remind me." Nightmare held his hands up in a surrendering motion.

"To the point, I'm here to offer you your choice. I see that you have finally found it. You have found your reason to stay."

/*\

For days the tension in the Tower was so thick it was suffocating. It was plain that Miss Alice was on edge. Her attitude was cool towards Nightmare, and she absolutely refused to let the Clock Master anywhere near her. She was hasty in her duties and was actually starting to make odd mistakes, which had her underlings as well as Gray extremely confused and concerned. Whenever the faceless saw her in passing, she looked like she might snap at any moment.

Nightmare was the same as ever, relaxed and confident, but for once he was attending to his responsibilities as the head of the tower. Gray still nagged and assisted, but for these several days he was willingly being productive and took on a professional and serious demeanor. He respected Alice's space, but he was always sure to tell her to have pleasant dreams when she retired for her room. Never had any of the towers employees feared for the Incubus's life so much.

Clock Master Julius still refused to leave the tower, but he didn't keep himself so cooped up anymore. He still ignored the people around him but he would leave his office to get food and coffee, always three times a day when it was appropriate. For the first time ever he was listening to Miss Alice and taking care of himself, as the faceless so often heard them fight about. For a few days the faceless were a little puzzled. After spending so much time disregarding her words, why would he suddenly take her advice? It was only when Alice's assistant Evelyn asked that they discovered that she had stopped making him coffee.

As for Gray, the poor assassin had been caught in the crossfire. As always he was just trying to keep the territory running and prevent the other major players in the Tower (Nightmare) from screwing up too much. He was the only Role-Holder who didn't seem to know what was going on. When the faceless might pass the office at just the right hour he could be heard hissing at his boss, demanding to know just what he'd done to incur Alice's wrath this time.

Yes the tower was absolutely in an uproar, but it was a quiet uproar. Every day passed similarly to the last. Paperwork was pushed in and out and various territory negotiations were held and things were running more smoothly than ever. However, it was plain. Something was very, very wrong, and it had everything to do with the Role-Holders and the Foreigner.

/*\

Alice could not remember feeling so humiliated or anxious in her life. Usually when she had her odd dreams they were all to herself. She alone could observe and reflect on them, and because there was no one else who could possibly see them, she had no need to feel embarrassed or strange about them. No one would know. She could continue on without any worry.

That had changed when she'd come to Wonderland. Nightmare had been an invader in her dreams from the very start. Sometimes he controlled certain aspects of what she saw in her sleep, but it was usually harmless. Things like making cats appear or letting her sit on clouds in the sky. He liked to give her good dreams, in exchange for sneaking him sweets or coffee every so often or even just to lift her mood when she was sad.

Up until now, it had never occurred to her that her dealings with Nightmare might have some serious consequences. Now she found herself avoiding one of her closest friends and direly wishing to murder the other. How could Nightmare have done this? He took her innermost private feelings and thoughts, and then he put them on display for someone else to see.

Alice had hurried through work again, and was practically running towards her room. Just a few minutes and this might be a good day. She hadn't seen him at all, and right now that was an extremely good thing.

Her steps quickened as she spotted the familiar shine of her doorknob. Just a few mores steps…

"Hello Alice." The voice rang behind her softly, but it was loud enough to make her jump. She halted and turned, stiffly nodding her head in greeting. His face was neutral, impassive, as though he'd greeted a stranger on the street. However the fact that he spoke first told her volumes. She almost fell over from the wave of embarrassment that washed over her.

"Hello Julius." She answered softly before turning away again. But she wasn't that lucky. He wasn't going to let her get away that easy.

"Alice wait-"

"ALICE!" A higher-pitched voice rang out. "It has been so long since We have seen you!"

Never in her life had Alice Liddell been happier to see the Queen of Hearts.

/*\

Julius watched as the damned monarch led Alice away.

And just when I'd finally gotten her to speak to me. He thought. He began to head back for his office when a figure rounded the corner.

"My god, she's as bad as Nightmare." Gray panted.

"I thought the negotiation with the Queen wasn't supposed to happen until next week." Julius commented, staring up at a painting on the wall. Gray shrugged.

"It was. I had it rescheduled." Julius raised an eyebrow, but commented no further. He merely walked back towards his office.

/*\

Though the occupation tired her to no end, Alice was finding a great amount of enjoyment in her current shopping trip with Vivaldi. She was laughing and smiling and felt more relaxed than she had in what felt like eons.

"Or what about this one?" The Queen asked, breaking Alice out of her thoughts. The Queen had dragged Alice into a variety of different shops, but now they occupied a boutique. Most of the display consisted of sewing patterns, but there were still premade pieces on display. Sundresses, ball gowns, evening gowns, anything Alice could think of, but the thing Vivaldi was holding was none of them.

"Where did you find a corset?" Alice asked, amused and intrigued. She had worn corsets all her life, but they had always been very plain. They were either off-white or black, and they were so very uncomfortable with the steel bones that were meant to shape her waist. This one was different. Instead of cotton it was made of deep blue satin, and it was covered with fine black lace. There were what looked to be small buttons decorating the front, and upon closer inspection it seemed that the bones were made of something stiff, but more flexible than iron.

Alice firmly believed that metal should not be so intimately integrated into her clothing.

"Just over here! Isn't it pretty?" Vivaldi answered, looking down at her prize.

"It's very pretty. I've never seen one that looked like this before." The glint in Vivaldi's eyes was unmistakable.

"You've never had something like this that was pretty?" She questioned, and the younger girl nodded. "Then it is settled, We will pay for it and you shall take it when We return you home after." Home? Alice could almost feel her mood sinking. Well it was reasonable that Vivaldi might be feeling tired. They had been out for hours, and as much as Alice had loved every second of it, she was a little tired too.

"Do you not wish to return to the tower?" The Queen asked. Alice shook her head.

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just-" As much as she tried, Alice couldn't get the words out. She didn't want to admit what had happened, and especially not in public. However she also would have loved to talk to the Queen about it. She would understand, and she wouldn't judge her. All the same, Alice was quite lucky. Vivaldi was one of the most intuitive people she had ever met. She understood exactly what the Foreigner meant, even if the girl wasn't willing to acknowledge it herself.

/*\

The castle had been peaceful. The breeze glided through the cherry blossoms and the workers were humming happily. There hadn't been a single execution in over three hours, and they all knew that it had everything to do with Alice's presence.

The Queen was always inexplicably happy when Alice was around, announced or not. She never ordered beheadings when the girl was visiting the castle and so it allowed the servants and maids to relax and do their duties without fear, and what a relief that was. Alice had been absent so long that Queen Vivaldi had grown depressed. Then she had become irate. This led to her executing people for the mere slight of existing within her line of vision. Yes, everyone was happy that Alice had finally come back, until:

"HE DID WHAT?!"

Had that been the Queen's voice? Yes it had, and whatever Alice had told her it made her extremely angry. More so than many of the servants had ever seen her.

Though to be fair, many of these servants were new.

/*\

Vivaldi had gone silent with shock, and even the two attending maids had gasped.

"He did what?!" One had blurted out while the other covered her face in horror.

"HE DID WHAT?!" Vivaldi echoed, without even noticing that one of her subordinates had spoken out of turn.

"Vivaldi relax! Please!" Alice pleaded. She was still sitting in the rose-scented bath, and the Queen was hearing none of it. She stood up tall, and marched up the stairs. Even in the midst of her panic Alice still noticed it. Even in her wrath, the Queen barely disturbed the water with her movements. To watch her maintain her composure no one would ever think she was irate, forget steaming mad. Alice couldn't help but to admire it.

The maids were quick to supply the Queens robe, draping it over her shoulders for her as she walked. Then they returned with another for Alice. Ornate and fluffy, and softer than silk Alice nodded gratefully and then followed Vivaldi as she barked orders.

"Find the Incubus and bring him to the castle. We want him beheaded!" She shouted. Both maids bowed with determined expressions on their faces.

"Yes, milady!"

As soon as the servants vanished, Vivaldi turned, a smile on her face.

"Don't worry, Alice. We won't be leaving and neither will you. As soon as that insufferable worm is dealt with, you won't ever have to worry about something like this again."

For a moment, Alice sincerely considered saying nothing.

/*\

While the castle hurried and panicked over Vivaldi's most recent order, she and Alice were locked up in her bedroom with no one to bother them. The Queens two most trusted maids brought tea, and Vivaldi was doing her best to dress Alice up in the corset she'd bought.

To her delight, it had not been hard.

"We think we should play dress-up." She announced. Alice, though beaming, misunderstood.

"You're absolutely right! I've never seen you wear any of the other clothes in your closet. I bet you look amazing in them!" She gushed. Vivaldi smiled, but held a finger up.

"We were speaking of you, Alice." Her face fell.

"I don't think any of those would fit me." She murmured, her eyes downcast. Vivaldi frowned, but inwardly she was pleased. She had managed to distract the girl from her grief. Instead of looking anxious and miserable she had gotten the girl to smile again. That had to be worth something right? But she thought she could do better.

After all, even if Alice's troubles were a little unexpected, Vivaldi had still wanted to take on this project whole-heartedly.

"We do not plan on putting you in Our garments. After all, We did buy you an entirely new wardrobe, did We not?"

To Vivaldi's delight, Alice smiled again and she tried on dress after dress. Some red, some blue, some black and green and purple, they all looked wonderful against the pale backdrop of her skin and hair. On top of the lovely contrast they also accentuated her figure and curves beautifully, making her look like the woman she was as opposed to that poufy blue monstrosity she insisted on wearing everywhere. Not that the Queen would ever say that. Then came the corset.

"I don't know Vivi." Alice murmured. "It feels a little small."

"Nonsense, it looks perfectly fine. You look lovely." While the Queens smile was reassuring Alice was unconvinced.

She too thought the article looked nice. She liked this corset far better than any other one she owned. It wasn't a drab shade of off-white, and the bones didn't constrict her body as much as the others had. However that did not change the fact that she felt it was laced up far too tightly. She could feel the fabric constrict around her chest like a torture device as she attempted to inhale, and loosen just a tad when she exhaled. Alice knew she wasn't getting enough air when the black spots started showing up in her vision. She was about to say as much when the door burst open.

"My Queen, I present to you the Criminal, his aide, and the Clockmaker."

The black spots expanded, and Alice collapsed.

/*\

I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you, I did not think that this was where the story would go. It's gonna have to be a two-shot. If you liked it enough to get this far, give it a review? XD

-Static