Chapter 9

-Acquaintance-

He's really... Alice thought, glaring at the Hatter in front of her. He had brought her to a cafe where only tea was served as a drink. Looking down at her own tea Alice had already the thought that his tea fetish will never stop and didn't understood what he liked about it. For her tea was tea, only the aroma and taste was changing.

"Is something on your mind, princess?" Blood asked, looking up from his cup of tea.

"You didn't noticed it?" Alice asked. "Everyone is looking."

"They only don't see me everyday with a woman." Blood said and looked at her while her cheeks redden. She hid her embarrassed face in the menu card while Blood chuckled.

"So you have been with women around already?" She asked and looked angrily at him. Alice got jealous over the thought of him dating another woman in the past, even when it was in the past. She was feeling sick by thinking over something like it.

"Hehe, are you jealous, princess?"

"Of course." Alice said and Blood chuckled. He then reached over the table and touched her cheek.

"Don't worry, I only have eyes for you." He said and Alice again blushed, hiding her face in the menu card once again.

"Stop saying such things in public." She muttered and glanced over the menu card.

"You have brought that up, princess." He said.

"But still...!" Alice said and furrowed her brows while she looked up again, trying to let the redness in her face disappear. He did really reminding her of the Blood she knows, the Blood of Wonderland. This was still the same person but since he doesn't remember he was acting other towards her.

"What are you thinking about, princess?" Blood asked as he saw how Alice was sunken deep in thoughts.

"Well..." She thought over telling him about the fact that they once had met. She struggled if she should tell him but she decided that she won't do so. Maybe he will remember somewhen by himself. "I was only spacing out, sorry."

"That's unusual for you, princess." He said and Alice bit on her bottom lip.

"I was only thinking about five years ago." She muttered.

"Five years ago?"

Then Alice told him that she was abducted by Peter White and brought to Wonderland. She told him that she met him and the others there. Alice told him that she had to return with her sister to her old world and stayed there for five years. Blood listened to her story and nodded as she then came to an end.

"I see. It's a pity that I can't remember you, princess." He said and grabbed her hand over the table. Alice didn't thought of it as a pity, after all they had a slightly bad relationship.

"But whatever had happened back then between us, nothing will change my feelings." He said with an unusual gentle smile that made her heart beat faster.

How can he say something like this so easily? Alice thought and tried to concentrate on her tea and shoo Blood out of her mind. She then suddenly heard several fast steps outside, someone was saying that the Hatter was alone in town, without Elliot or the Bloody twins. Being offended that they don't think of her as a fighter Alice tried not to pout but she should have thought that this is normal. No one thought of her as a fighter back then, too. Although back then she hadn't been one.

Alice noticed Blood watching her as she drunk her tea, wondering what the raven-haired man thought.

"Princess, how about going to a place you like?" He suddenly asked and Alice looked astonished at him.

"A place I like..." She thought over where she would want to go but didn't found a place she liked. After all she only had been in the usual places the role-holders are staying and the town.

"I don't know." Alice said and Blood smiled as he looked at her.

"If you want then I'll buy you a dress."

"Oh, that would be lovely." She said but suddenly a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"Of course I'll only buy it to take it off you."

"Then no, thanks. I'll prefer a book." Alice quickly said, getting embarrassed again.

Blood furrowed his brows and he looked quite unpleased by her answer. But then he stood up and grabbed Alice's hand as he pulled her back to her feet.

"All right then. I'll buy you anything you want, princess."

"You don't have to do this." Alice said. She hated it when someone was spending money on her. Blood didn't listened to her and only tugged on her hand, telling her to go on. While Blood was pulling her forwards she could hear steps from all sides and stopped.

"What is it, princess?" Blood said and looked around.

"I hear someone coming." Alice said and as she told him that suddenly faceless men appeared. Blood looked around to them and then back to Alice.

"Thanks for the warning, Alice." He said, sounding serious. Then he pushed her behind himself and Alice stood back to back with him, glancing at the faceless men in front of her.

"I will make a way through them and you can escape then." Blood said but Alice shook her head.

"I can help myself, Blood. So don't worry about me, only do what you always do." She said.

"Blood Dupre! Surrender and give your documents to us!" One of the faceless men said but Blood only laughed.

"You wish!" He said and raised his cane, changing it into his machine gun. Alice didn't had any weapons with her but she could use hand-to-hand combat so it wouldn't be difficult for her.

As Blood begun to shoot the faceless men came towards her and she made only a few quick steps and appeared behind them, startling them. With a big grin Alice's hand shoot up and crashed in the chin of the guy, hauiling him away against the faceless guy behind him. She tried not to let blood splatter so her new clothes won't be dirty but then Blood shoot them also and the faceless men collapsed on the ground.

"Good job, princess." Blood said and patted her head. He had some blood on his cheek and Alice raised her hand automatically to wipe it away. A hint of red went across his face and he looked away. Alice giggled as she noticed him being embarrassed but then Blood grabbed her hand and pulled her on, ignoring the corpses on the ground.

When the next time loop occurred Alice and Blood finally returned to the Hatter Mansion and Blood went to his worke immediately, telling her that he has to take care about that what had happened. Alice then went to her own room with her new book and the dress Blood insisted to buy her. She put the book on the table and the dress over the back rest of the chair and then sat down on her bed, taking out her boots and falling down on her back.

"I hadn't slept for three time loops by now..." She muttered as she noticed herself getting tired. But she shook her head and stood up again, grabbing her towel and then walking to to the bath. Alice took off her clothes in the changing room and then wrapping herself in the towel before going to the bath and get in the large bath tub. She knew she shouldn't stay long in warm water when she was tired so she quickly washed herself before changing into the night dress and returning with the towel and her clothes to her room, all this while thinking over what happened in the last time loops.

She said she belongs to Blood but does that mean that she was his girlfriend? She wasn't sure and Blood didn't said anything about this.

With a sigh she fell down onto her bed, closing her eyes.

"What should I do..." She muttered as she slowly fall fast asleep.

Instead of letting her sleep she saw the Dream World and wondered what was going on, after all Nightmare was a child and don't seemed to be able to do it.

"Nightmare?" Alice asked, looking around.

"Not quite." A voice echoed and Alice looked around to the voice. It was a familiar one but Alice couldn't remember when she heard that voice.

As she turned around there was a man in front of her, with red eyes and blueish black hair.

"Who are you?" Alice asked but the man only snort.

"I am the one your... friends warned you about, pretty little Alice. " He said and the way he was speaking sounded like he knew her. But Alice couldn't remember when she saw him. But with the hint he had gave her she knew who he was.

"Jaberwock." She hissed and he grinned.

"Exactly." He said and went closer to Alice, looking relaxed. "You try to let the Mad Hatter remember, right? By telling him about you two meeting before the war had occurred."

"What?"

"I can let them remember if you want."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, looking sternly at the Jaberwock.

"What do you think?" He questioned, grinned slightly sadistic at her. "I've took the memories of the Foreigner's from the head of the role-holders. Only Nightmare isn't affecting to my magic. I hoped it all would turn other way but like it seems they got more attached to you, maybe because of this matured body of yours."

He put one finger under her chin and raised her head, only to meet her angered gaze.

"What are you up to?"

"What kind of fun would it be to tell you about my plans? Usually it's Nightmare who plays around with the other role-holders but since they moved here I took over that job. I only don't do the game for you sake." Jaberwock said, grinning. Alice wanted to answer him but a voice interrupted them.

"How dare you to come into my realm!"

It was a voice Alice knew good and she looked around, finding the older version of Nightmare, the one she knew.

"Oh, the Lord of Dreams appeared." Jaberwock said, looking challenging at Nightmare. "What a surprise."

But Nightmare instead lifted his arm, pointing at him and in the neck moment Jaberwock winced, leaning forward and coughing up blood.

"Leave right now or I won't be nice anymore." Nightmare said, causing Jaberwock to grin.

"This is getting more and more interesting." He said and then looked to Alice. "Remember one, you screwed girl; if you will be able to hurt me I'll return the memories as a reward."

Then he disappeared while laughing, leaving Alice and Nightmare in the Dream realm alone.

"Are you all right?" Nightmare asked and flew then over to her. She nodded.

"Yeah, he didn't do anything." She replied, smiling grateful at him. "Thanks, Nightmare."

She only recieved a smile from him before he let her wake up.

Alice opened her eyes, only to find herself wrapped in someone's arms.

"In moments like this, you would call another man's name... Not to mention it was the name of that worm." It was Blood's voice and Alice looked surprised around.

"Blood?! What are you doing in my room?!"

"In my defense, I have already told you I was coming over tonight." He replied and Alice remembered him telling that he will but she was probably too sleepy to hear.

"You did?" She then paused. "Anyway, it still doesn't justify what you're doing!"

Blood then raised his hand and carressed her cheek, looking with slight jealousy at her.

"I haven't done anything. At least not yet." He said and then lean forward, pressing his lips to hers. He talked on while pressing his lips to hers. "What were you doing with Nightmare while I wasn't around?"

Seeing him getting extremely jealous Alice told him about meeting the Jaberwock there and that Nightmare only kicked him out of the Dream Realm.

Suddenly the jealousy in his eyes disappeared and he got serious.

"Looks like you do not yet know where your home is. I guess there is the noeed to educate you to understand that here's your home." He said, pressing his lips once again onto hers.

"I don't need to be educated! Not to say not in your arms at least!" Alice said but was interrupted by him as he kissed her on, pulling his arms around her and sliding his tongue in her mouth. Being taken aback Alice immediately responsed his kiss as his grip around her got a lot more stronger and then he pulled away, stroking over her hair.

"What do you mean about educating me? I know where my home is." She said while being pressed to his chest.

"I can't tell you right now, but he's a very dangerous man. Try to stay out of his way." He said and Alice furrowed her brows. He did tell her that if she'll hurt him he'll return the memories.

But why did he took their memories away in the first place? She thought but then Blood's lips descended on hers once again, silenting her own mind.

"Don't think about him now. Think only about me." Blood said and grabbed the strap of the night dress, pulling it down.

Getting a totally flushed face while nodding and let him take her, trying to ignore the thoughts about the Jaberwock.