I stared at the box, stunned. It was just a tiny little thing moments ago, but now it was back to its normal size... Wait a minute... "Did you use a "Drink me" potion or something?" Pierce looked down at me in surprise before smiling.

"Yeah, I did! You know about those, Alexis?"

"Um, kinda. There were books and movies about the story Alice in Wonderland," Pierce looked very interested in what I was saying, and I tried my best not to stammer and screw up. "And after she chases the rabbit down the hole, she appears in this room with a tiny door in a wall that only a mouse could fit through." Pierce blinked before smiling. I didn't get the joke, other than the fact that the tower had tiny little doors all over in multiple rooms-mine included. "And, she found out that in order to get through, she needed to use the key on the table and drink the potion. However, she only realized that she needed the key after she drank the potion, so she had to-she had to eat a cake that made her grow larger. She then pocketed the key, drank a little more of the potion, and was able to go through the door and enter Wonderland."

"Really? That's so cool-Chuu!"

"I-I guess..." I never really thought of it as cool. Now, the Tim Burton version-that was cool. "I preferred the version where Alice had to become this warrior-girl and slay the Jabberwocky." Pierce's green eyes grew wide.

"Eh, really!? Alice did?"

"Th-Their version of Alice did, yeah... She even quoted the Queen and shouted, "Off with your head" before cutting it off. The Mad Hatter was hilarious," I laughed remember when he ran on top of the table to greet Alice, and when he started talking about hats to the Red Queen, "And the dormouse-" Pierce looked at me intently, "She poked the bandersnatch in the eye and took out its eyeball in order to protect Alice. She was a little rough around the edges, but she was pretty cool. Um, let's see...The March Hare was completely insane, but he was adorable. I loved the "You're late for tea"! and where he threw the cup at a wall." I grinned and clapped my hands together, smiling widely. "It was so awesome! I love that movie. I'm glad I have it on Netflix on my phone." I then remembered something and slapped myself on the forehead. "Your plate! Right! Sorry, sorry-! I started rambling!"

"What about your plate?" Pierce asked in confusion. I blinked and turned my head to look at him.

"It's your cake."

"Y-You said you'd eat it with me, though..."

Ah, I did, didn't I... "Sorry! My head still hurts a bit from earlier so I'm not really thinking straight. Uh, h-here-" I stood on my toes as I grabbed the plates out of the cabinet, closing it, before rushing over and placing the plates on the table. "Um, I'll let you cut it. I don't trust myself with knives. Hold on-" I rushed over to the silverware drawer and opened it, pulling out two forks and a kitchen knife. I held the knife cautiously, a bit paranoid about dropping it and cutting myself.

Pierce took the knife from me, and I pushed the fearful thought of him accidentally hurting himself as he grabbed it, and nearly yanked my hand back in surprise when a shock went up my arm. However, I managed to control myself in time and released the knife once I was sure he had a grip on it. I watched in surprise-though my face remained neutral- as he expertly cut the cake.

I then remembered what Elliot said about him before Mafia, and how he was the "Clean up" guy and that he often interrogated and killed people. He was probably used to wielding knives...

An image of Pierce stabbing me popped into my head and I quickly whirled around to the cabinet to grab cups, forcing the thought out of my head. Pierce wouldn't do that... Right?

"Hey, you want something to drink?" I asked him, causing him to lift his head at me and smile.

"Yeah. Is there any coffee?"

I had to think about it for a moment before realizing I could have just looked at the coffee maker. "I think." I walked over to the counter it was on and nodded, "Yeah. I remember Gray making some for Nightmare earlier, so there should be plenty for you left." I quickly set a mug down and poured him a cup of coffee, before getting a glass of tea for myself. His nose twitched and he eyed my cup with disdain for a moment before asking,

"Do you not drink coffee?"

I paused before answering, sitting down at the table after I placed his cup near him, "Not-Not the strong kind...I'm-Well, I'm trying to get used to drinking it, 'cause you can't drink tea all the time, right? I-I like the coffee that's half-strength." He stared at me for a moment before smiling, and I felt like I had just avoided a bullet. And trust me, doing that isn't very fun. My shoulder's almost completely healed though, so that's a plus. It'll scar however. "...Elliot said you hated tea. Is that true?"

'Cause, like, in my opinion I loved tea.

Pierce stopped cutting the cake and carefully lifted a piece onto a plate. "Yeah. I hate the Queen and Blood because they hate coffee and only drink tea." His voice had went a tone darker. "But you try to drink coffee! You're different from them!" His dark tone vanished as he lifted his head and smiled at me. I felt like I was being threatened... "And you're nice! You protect me from the bad kitty and Queen." He placed the second slice of cheesecake on another plate and closed the box, setting down the knife.

I blinked a couple of times and tensed a little when he walked over and placed the plate in front of me, before taking a seat beside me. He cut into the cake neatly with his fork and bit into it, smiling as he pulled the fork out of his mouth and chewed.

I was almost scared to eat. However, I felt a little safer since he put the knife down.

"Eh? Why aren't you eating?" I looked up at Pierce, realizing I had zoned out again. He frowned, "Do you not think the cake will taste good?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, it's not that. I love cheesecake. I just zoned out a little-" I cut myself off, staring at the fork with the piece of cheesecake on it suddenly in front of my face. "Hah?"

"Try it! It's yummy-Chuu!"

"I-I can just try my own slice-"

"Say "Ahh"~!" He was smiling, and I could only stare at him with wide eyes as my face flushed red. This was so weird. I looked at the way he was holding the fork and noted that there was no way for me to grab it. He-He was... Damn it. Fine. I'll bite off the fork. Despite being embarrassed, I opened my mouth and watched as Pierce placed the piece of cake inside my mouth. I closed it, and he pulled the fork out with a smile and a small laugh. "See? Isn't it good?" I turned my head, refusing to look at Pierce as I chewed the delicious piece of cheesecake.

"...It's not bad." He merely grinned at me as he closed his eye, holding his fork up in the air. Damn. Why is he so cute? I scowled and grumbled to myself as I picked up my fork and bit out of my cheesecake...

Well damn. I just realized this, but that's considered an indirect-an indirect k-k-kiss...NO! I'M NOT COUNTING ANY OF PIERCE'S KISSES AS MY FIRST KISS! THERE ARE NO FEELINGS IN THEM. He kisses everything. Like Nightmare, and Peter! Even Elliot!

Ugh...Stupid heart keeps beating faster. I don't like Pierce like that. If anything, it's that stupid physical attraction because he's a boy and I'm a girl, and we're both teenagers so that proves my theory. It's only the hormones and testosterone confusing me. He's just a friend.

...But I never had this problem with any of my other guy friends in my world! Then again, they didn't constantly hug or kiss me... Or call me "cute" and mean it... No. Pierce is only joking when he says that... right?

"Hey, Pierce..." The ginger boy turned his head and looked at me curiously. "You...Elliot...Elliot said you worked for the Mafia as the "Clean up" guy. Was he-Was he telling the truth?" I still couldn't image him doing that. However, the serious look on his face when he rushed to the tower after my wound opened, or what he said about Blood and Vivaldi, made me start to think otherwise. "I-I'm just curious!"

"...Blood says he'll kill me if I don't, and the twins always throw the dead bodies at me." Pierce muttered, voice deeper than it was when he was talking about the cake. He sounded more his age, or maybe even someone older. "It's my role as a member of the Mafia. It's just that "thing" I have to do."

...Ah, I get it now. I think. He's threatened into doing it. And he has no choice in the matter, because a role-holder can not chose their role. Very much like an actor in a play. "That makes sense, I guess." I watched him take a bite of his cake and flinched, "S-Sorry for-Sorry for bringing it up..." I felt really bad now. I think I put him in a bad mood. "I-I'll stop talking."

"Hm?" He looked at me surprised. It was really awkward because he was sitting right next to me. His ear twitched, "You don't have to do that! D-Did I make you upset!?"

"Eh? No! I thought I made you upset!"

"B-But you said-"

"You're the one who got all-who got all quiet-"

We both cut ourselves off, staring at each other silently for a moment. We then smiled and I felt that weird nervous feeling bubble again. Those damn annoying butterflies. What am I even nervous about? Is it nervousness? Or...was it excitement? Yeah. I think it was the latter. I was happy because Pierce wasn't upset and he was smiling again. I liked smiling Pierce.

Though, he smelt oddly of sunflowers. I had no idea why, but I really wasn't going to ask. "Hey...Alexis...where'd you get the cut on your face?"

"Hah? What cut?" What's he talking about? I don't remember getting cut anywhere.

"This one." Suddenly he moved closer and brushed some hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. I felt my face flare up at the close contact, and tensed when he ran two fingers down my jaw, close to my ear. I understood why he did what he did now-my hair was covering the mark. "Here."

I remembered. Reaching a hand up suddenly and pressing it against the wound, I winced. Ah, I've been neglecting it without even knowing. I was so busy I forgot all about it. I remember cleaning it after I got back from shopping with Alice, but... after that it was all a blur. "Oh, yeah, that. I was playing with the twins when a knife fell and cut me. No big deal."

Pierce blinked at me, before fear struck across his face. "You've been playing with the twins!? Why!? Did they hurt you!?"

Ahahaha...Funny he should ask that. "Um, no..."

He frowned, tears in his eyes, before he reached up and brushed his fingers gently against my cut. "Did they do that to you?"

"Not on purpose."

"Did it hurt?"

"Kinda. I wasn't expecting it." Wait, what? Ah! He tricked me!

I froze when he suddenly cupped my face with his hand, his ear twitching again, and tilted my head. "H-Hey, Pierce, what-what are you-?" I stilled. Warm lips pressed against the cut kindly, lingering for three seconds before moving away. D-Did-Did he j-just...?

"Do you feel better? Alice said kissing injuries make them feel better-Chuu!"

"H-Haaaah?" I gaped at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Y-You-Why did you-?" He smiled at me, before asking innocently,

"Do I need to kiss it again-Chuu?"

"N-No-No, I-I think I'm good. Th-Thanks. I-I feel much better." His ear kept twitching. Why was it doing that? "Why does your ear keep twitching like that?"

"I can hear your heart race-Chuu." He answered, causing my face to turn a really dark shade of red. His ear twitched again. "Eh? There it is again! It's fasted now! Are you okay? Am I making you flustered again?"

"I-I'm not flustered!" I protested, before scooting my chair away from him and taking a bite of my cheesecake. I chewed it quickly and swallowed, stating with a stutter, "You're-You're just being delusional, that's all. My heart-My heart isn't racing."

"...Can I bite you?"

"N-No! I said no already!"

"What, why!? I wanna know if you taste like cheese!" I choked on air as I whipped my hear around to stare at him incredulously.

"Okay, just because I like cheesy foods, does not mean I taste like cheese. I probably taste like salt or something."

"Eh? You like cheese too? Wait, how am I supposed to know that you don't taste like cheese if I don't bite you?"

"B-because! Then-Then that'd be cannibalism!"

"B-But I won't be eating you!"

I pointed my finger at him like I was scolding a dog, "No. Bad Pierce. I taste bad. Biting me is a bad thing. You're already pushing it with all the kissing."

His bottom lip trembled and I tried not to give in. He was so cute. "Y-You don't like my kisses...?" ACK!

"Th-That's not what I meant!"

"Th-Then why do you get s-so mad when I t-try to kiss you?"

"B-because! I-I told you already! I-I've never been kissed by a guy before until you popped up!" Oh, god. That makes me sound like some pathetic girl who can't get a date. It's not my fault people hate me. How do half the people in my school get boy/girlfriends anyway? With the way they talk about their private lives...

He paused, thinking for a moment. I felt like this was deja vu. "So...I'm the first to kiss you?"

I let out an annoyed sigh, staring at him exasperatedly. "Yes. How many times do we have to go through this?" I was about to say something else, but was quickly cut off by Pierce suddenly leaning forward and pressing his mouth against mine, his hands on my shoulders before quickly wrapping around my back and pressing me up against him. I froze, startled and stunned. My arms were pressed against my sides and unable to move because of Pierce's. I could feel the muscle beneath his multiple layers of clothing. My face flared as his mouth moved against mine and I tried to lean my head back to get him to stop, but Pierce took that as the opportunity to plant multiple kisses on my jawline before moving down to my neck.

"Ah-Ow!" I cried out, squirming as he messed with my sensitive neck. "H-Hey-Pierce!" My voice squeaked loudly, "Ow! Stop biting me!" Pierce pulled away with a pout, obviously upset about something. His nose was barely touching mine, and yet I could still feel his hot breath brush against my face. Cheese and Coffee.

"You don't taste like cheese," He said, stating the obvious with a pout. "I'm sad now-Chuu. You still taste good, though." Somehow I managed to worm my right arm out from against his chest and grab his chin, lifting his head up when he tried to attack my neck again. "H-Hey! I can't bite you with your hand in the way, Alexis!"

"I-I don't want to be bitten!" E-Even if I...kinda liked it. My neck felt slightly wet though. Please tell me that's not his saliva... I could still remember the sudden kiss from earlier. My face flared again. "J-Just drink your coffee and eat you ch-cheesecake!"

"Mm...But you taste so much better."

"I-I-I-I-" I couldn't even get the rest of the sentence out. "I DON'T CARE!" I blurted, squeezing my eyes shut as I pushed Pierce away. "I-I want to eat my cake in peace! You-You just finish yours, okay? No more sexual harassment for the day!"

"Ehhh? But I wasn't harassing you!" Th-Then why were you biting and sucking on my neck!?

My shoulders scrunched up at the memory, able to still feel his tongue brushing against my neck. If this is what Elliot and Peter have to go through whenever Pierce sees them, I pity them.

However, the thought that bugged me most... I actually liked Pierce kissing me...and I won't say that I hated it when he bit me...

Ugh. I felt like banging my head against a wall.

...

I groaned, burying my face into the pillow on Nightmare's couch. Nightmare had just barely avoided Gray's wrath again and barely escaped with his mug of coffee. I swear, he acts like its his child or something. Kinda funny, though. "Why...?"

"Why what?" Nightmare asked, causing me to lift my head and declare with a blank face,

"You don't want to know." What was I going to ask Nightmare again...? Oh, yeah. I remember now. "Hey, Nightmare-"

"Hold on a moment!" I watched in confusion as he jumped out of his chair, obviously happy to find an excuse to get out of work, and watched him run over to me. He had me sit up before taking the pillow I was holding and placing it in my lap. I was confused all the way until he laid down on the couch, placing his head on the pillow on my lap. He laced his fingers together and rested them on his chest, smiling up at me as he closed his eye. "Okay, now ask."

"Um...Okay. You said I was a Dreamer, right? And that means I can walk into other people's dreams?"

"Correct. However, you are not "a" Dreamer, but you are "The" Dreamer. Only specific foreigners get specific roles, and you are the only one in this century who will get the role of Dreamer if you chose to stay."

"W-Well," I continued, putting that information away in my mind for a later time, "I-I talked to my brother and-and he said that...I-I never knew her, so-so don't start asking me about her, okay? She died not long after I was born. But-But my brother said-he said our mom went to Wonderland..." Nightmare frowned, opening his eye to stare up at me. I swallowed, uncomfortable. "She-She was kidnapped by a black rabbit named Sydney and...and met a boy with the same name as you. She-She left Wonderland, though, 'cause she though her parents needed her. Was that...Was that really you? Did you know my mom?"

"...In a way, yes. Diamond is a country in Wonderland, yes, but with younger counterparts. While she may have met my younger self, she did not in actuality meet me except for in her dreams, in which both me and my younger self spoke to her. So in a way, yes, I did know your mother. She met me when I was teenager and as an adult."

"...Please tell me Wonderland doesn't have Time Travel?" He merely cracked a grin, smiling sympathetically at me. I hung my head and groaned, pausing when I felt one of my hairclips fall out and land on Nightmare's chest, falling on his neck and sliding down into his hair against the pillow. I snorted as he blinked, lifting his head up so I could retrieve the black hairclip. Of course the one that fell out was the black one and not the white.

"That was sudden." He commented in amusement before re-situating his head and getting comfortable. "In a way, yes, there is time travel in Wonderland. But only between Heart and Diamond. Clover...isn't really part of it, but is occasionally included with characters that help form the past of the residents in Heart. Such as Gray for example-I am able to enter dreams of those in Heart, so therefore Gray is part of diamond because he is included in my past."

"How long have you known Gray?" I asked in surprise. Were they childhood friends or something? Nightmare looked amused at my thought.

"Quite the opposite. He was hired to kill me."

"What!? And he's working for you now? How does that work out!?"

"Well, I'm a sickly dream demon, you know, and I was just a young teen at the time-around the same age as you, actually." I blinked, trying to picture a younger Nightmare. I couldn't imagine it. "How rude! Anyway, miss-meanie, he tried to kill me, but ended up saving my life instead. Somehow, during that, he decided to quit being an assassin and work for me."

"Assassin...Hey! That explains why he's so ninja all the time!" Like the time when he saved Nightmare from falling off the chandelier when I demanded what a Dreamer was... The thoughts that Gray put in my head still haunted me from time to time. He's twice my age!

"I'm twenty-eight! You're only half my age!" I scowled as I looked down at him, tempted to flick him in the forehead. He reached out and grabbed my hands before I could do so. "Don't even think about it!"

"Jerk!"

"Meanie!"

"Pirate-face!"

"Freckles!"

"That's just mean!"

"Says you!"

"...Nightmare..." I began, quiet all of a sudden as a thought hit me. Nightmare paused and loosened his grip on my wrists, looking up at me in confusion.

"What is it?" He asked softly, knowing what I was going to ask.

"What..." I swallowed and furrowed my eyebrows, blinking away the tears. "What was my mom like?"

Nightmare was silent, thinking for a moment, before saying, "She looked a lot like you. She was nice. Kind. Beautiful. She threw a fit whenever Gray tried to kill my younger self, and when someone threatened her she raged. She gave them a lecture worth remembering, and," He chuckled. "She loved cute things. She almost tried to put me in a dress. That was a frightening day. She was a lot like you though. Whenever someone showed her the slightest bit affection she'd get all frazzled and flustered and unable to think properly. She loved rabbits, though."

Nightmare paused suddenly, feeling something wet drip against his face. He looked up and saw me hanging my head, tears streaming silently down my face. He was silent before grabbing my hands, squeezing them gently. "You're a lot like her, Alexis. Your mother was a kind woman. You take after her."

I didn't speak, not for a long moment, before gripping Nightmare's large hands tightly. "W-Was she really? D-Did she really leave Wonderland d-despite her loving someone? Wh-Why? Why would she do that?"

"...Because she knew that there was someone more important waiting for her on the other side. If she didn't leave, you wouldn't be here now. No one would know you, because you would not exist. She knew that she had to bring such an important person along, and that she had to give up her selfish desires for the sake of her unborn children." His voice was soft and gentle, and it was just making me cry more.

"M-Mom...Mom... Why would she do that!? I'm not important! Sh-She was and-and she's not even here and-and-!" I broke down, clinging onto Nightmare's hands tightly as I rested my forehead on my knuckles. My shoulders shook and I trembled, biting my lip as I tried to hold back the sob. "She-She shouldn't have left!"

Nightmare slipped his hands away from mine and sat up, situating himself before hugging me tightly. His hand rubbed against my back comfortingly as I cried. "She was a selfless woman, Alexis. You can't hate her for that. She loved you. She didn't even know you were to exist yet, and she left, because she knew she had to bring you into the world. She knew she would love you more than anything. So please, stop crying. She wouldn't want to see you hurting yourself like this."

"B-Bu-But-!"

"Your mother was one of the nicest girl's I've ever met, and in Wonderland there are very few with such kind hearts. She would would cry if she saw you like this."

I didn't want to listen. I didn't want to admit it. But maybe...Maybe Nightmare was right? He knew my mom. I didn't. I curled up into a ball against Nightmare's chest, practically sitting on his lap as he held me close in a comforting hug. I continued to cry, sniffling and breathing shakily, trying to calm myself. Nightmare was right. Nightmare was right. I repeated it like a mantra. Nightmare spoke about my mother like my brother did...

I gripped his jacket tightly and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to picture my mother in my head. Kind. Warm. Beautiful. It was only a hazy, blurry image of a blonde. I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to get a better image. Kind. Warm. Beautiful. I remember what my brother told me about her. She had blonde hair and green eyes, like me... Nightmare placed a hand on my head and the image cleared.

Fair skin with a light dash of freckles across her face. Wavy hair tied in a low pigtail with side bangs, and warm olive-colored eyes smiling at you and offering to give you a hug. Her shoulders were broad, like mine, and she a thin waist. Her body was slightly blurred, but her face was clear as day.

I broke down sobbing again, clinging tightly onto Nightmare.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.