Part 1

Time pulled out the old and broken pocketwatch Alice gave him when she mentioned she thought her father would have liked him. He turned it in his fingers and he glanced at Alice. They were walking along the corridor, in front of the Grand Clock.

She was distant. Their conversations had been short and choppy and a little cold - no fire of nervousness to please one another or passion to spark the conversation.

He didn't like when people were... uncompelled to come forth with what was on their mind. So he spoke. "If every hour, every minute, every second is a gift, why do you waste your time with me?" He assumed that was what she wanted to hear.

She stopped short. His question caught her off guard and bewildered her. She hesitated - wondering what would make him say such an awful thing - and looked at him.

He refused to meet her gaze - he cleared his throat instead. He pointed to her pocket then. "You have something there," he tried to sound observant and indifferent of his hurt but curious feelings. He made a half-hearted shrug, trying to convey that she did not have to answer. "You might not wish to share it, but... may I ask, is it the reason I have seen so little of you lately?"

A frown graced her features and she pulled out the pocketwatch the young boy found in the street. She steadied her gaze on it, afraid to look at Time. Afraid to show him the nostalgia flickering in her eyes with unknown happiness hidden behind it. Afraid he would assume she had found another.

She shrugged. "It's nothing but a broken pocketwatch. I've been carrying it around since... well-"

"Yes?" Time said impatiently as he was wont to do.

She ran her finger across its front. Then she raised her head, looking at him. "Every hour, every minute, every second is a blessing... who else would I want to be spending my hours with?" A small laugh escaped her. "I'm taking on an apprentice and that is why I haven't had the chance of visiting you or anyone else in Wonderland."

He struggled in taking in her explanation but she never answered his question about the pocketwatch. She was uncompelled but he'd have to hold his tongue.

That would be no way to treat a lady - as Princess Mirana once told him... after he asked about such things.

"A boy found it in the street. He asked me if it was mine. I said yes," she said, finishing her words with shake of her head. "It's not. I felt a.. connection to it." She smiled at him and held it out to him to look at. "Perhaps because it measured that of the one I care for."

His blue eyes were unblinking.

He felt foolish. "I apologize, Alice. I was-" He was never one for making convincing apologies. Wasn't time usually cold and heartless and left all men behind without a second glance? "-I was beginning to think you had grown tired of me-"

"Never!" she interrupted quickly almost scandalously. "In fact, I've neglected most of Wonderland as of late." She thought a bit and Time frowned.

His cog heart ticked a bit. She was about to suggest-

"I was thinking of paying the Hatter a visit."

There was glee to her voice and who was he to tear it down? But that didn't stop the harsh, "What?" that left his mouth.

She made a sound between a scoff and a laugh. "Do not pretend you are the only one I wish to visit when I come to Wonderland."

Time grew flustered and stumbled over his words. "I - pshht - I do not." He straightened his clothes and defended himself. "I am only-" he waved his hand as if it was also unimportant, "- curious to why you want to spend time with him. The man who aggravated me when you stole the chronosphere."

"Hatter's my friend, Time," she scolded. Then a faraway look settled in her eyes and Time didn't like it. It had been months - technically years - since he had seen the Hatter and he was in no mood to-

"And I'm sure he'll love to have you over for tea. You know, mend the bond."

Time blanched and huffed and puffed and harrumphed and sneered and scoffed all at once. "There - there is no bond between us."

"Be nice, he's my friend." She had a playful smirk on her face.

Time grumbled. "What do you want me to do? Crash the party?"

Alice shrugged and let out a laugh.

"Alice!" Hatter gasped in happiness. "I knew you'd remember that you always have an invitiation to join us whenever you came to Wonderland!" He stood and scurried over the table and jumped down to greet Alice. "Oh, it is truly a treat to see you here!"

The old friends embraced and Alice felt her inner child come to life again.

Hatter eagerly led her to the seat next to his at the head of the table. He sat down and curiously asked, "So, what's the lastest most impossible thing you've done?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, you won't believe it but I-"

There was a loud crack in the atmosphere and soon something came tumbling from the sky, landing - crashing oh so painfully on the ground just a few meters away.

Hatter and Alice stood abruptly. The former was the first to see who had come crashing in. He sat down again, rather grumpily.

"Time?" Alice blanched in pure shock and disbelief.

Hatter's eyebrows shot up then drew together in a tight frown at her familiarity with said being- clock- man- whatever he was.

Time dusted off his clothes and straightened himself, trying to look presentable for her and her friends - who were all watching him. He tried not to notice them, for he was sure they too had not forgotten he had kept them from tea-time during the hunt for the chronosphere.

He caught Alice's eyes first then her confused look.

"What?" he scoffed. "I thought you were serious."