Part 1 of 3
Alice stood by the fireplace, gazing upon the little trinkets on the mantle. Her back was to Time though she was well aware his eyes were on her. A shy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she picked up a charm.
"Did you make this?" she asked.
"Ah, yes," he said proudly. Then his thoughts traveled to the somber realization that he was the only one in the Castle of Eternity and everything that was here was made by his two hands.
Her smile fell a bit. "Oh."
He looked at her, eager or perhaps desperate to chase her frown away. "Don't look so sad. I've been here for a very long while and I'll continue to be here for all of eternity." He pointed to the object in her hands. He stepped closer to her and his voice held humor. "That little fellow-"
A shrill scream carried through the castle and Time froze. "TICK TOCK! WHERE ARE YOU!"
The charm Alice held clanged against the mantle as she put it down in her haste. She and Time exchanged matching looks of alarm.
She heard the sputters of clockwork outside the room, rushing about wildly at the arrival of the unexpected guest. Her breath hitched - if she were to be caught by the mad woman, goodness knows what would happen to Time.
"What do I do?" she asked quickly.
Visible panic flashed in his eyes.
He glanced down the hallway and saw the looming shadow of Iracebeth's enormous head about to round the corner. She would soon be in the doorway, pointing an accusing finger at Alice and ordering him or her servants to cut off her head!
"Erm." He wasn't that great under pressure. But he quickly led her from the parlor and hid her in the shadow of another open door some ways away. "Hide in here." His clockwork was sputtering wildly and his face was unsure. "Uh.. when you get the chance, go. It's.. it's killing me to risk your life here-"
She started to argue. "Time-"
"Who knows what she'll do to you if she sees you, alright!" He winced as he snapped at her.
"Tick tock!"
From her voice, Time could tell her chin was high in the air and her whole demeanor was tense. He sent one last desperate look to Alice before he shut the door. He turned and put on his best "oh hello there, darling, what a pleasant surprise!" look.
He glanced behind her to see a fearful looking Wilkins trailing her. He looked exceptionally nervous today. Time caught sight of her pallor and realized why. Carefully, he led her into the parlor.. away from the door Alice was behind.
Iracebeth's face was red as a tomato and her head seem to grow as the question boiled and then steamed to the surface.
Wilkins cringed and prepared himself for her outburst. Time was doing the same, but he had to keep up appearances or she would start to suspect.
"What is it, my love? What is it that you wish to tell me?" he asked in his polite and "caring" voice.
The cork popped and anger spewed from her mouth. "HOW DARE YOU!"
"M-my darling.. I don't understand..." He actually didn't.
She stepped forward and gripped his cloak in her iron fist. "TELL ME YOU HAVEN'T BEEN WITH HER!"
Time would have paled if blood had flown through him. The cogs in the back of his head stuttered for a millisecond then he recovered. "Wh-who, my darling? You know there is only enough room for one in my heart. Who is it that has been filling your beautiful head with such nonsense?" He hoped his voice would convince her he wasn't worried.
Her anger didn't dissipate. With her free hand, she thrust her finger in his face. "THAT YOU TOOK TEA TIME WITH HER AND HER LITTLE FRIENDS!" Her voice was filled to the brim with disgust. "AND THAT FOOL OF A HATTER!"
He started to feel less and less in the world of the ticking and more and more in the land of the silent. "Wh-who is it you speak of?"
"ALICE!" she seethed.
"Alice?" Playing dumb had worked once before.. let's see if it works again. He had a feeling it wouldn't. The forest around the Hatter's setting for tea time had eyes.
"ALICE! THE WRETCHED CHILD WHO STOLE THE CHRONOSPHERE THAT WAS PROMISED TO ME!"
Time had to correct her. "My love, I did not promise you the chronosphere-"
"THEN WHY DID SHE GET IT?!" She and her enormous head became more and more frightening than Time thought possible.
He sputtered and gestured with his hands. "Sh-she stole it.. you saw, right from under my nose!" His voice stretched and cracked as he tried to explain.
She scoffed obnoxiously and released his cloak, turning around in disgust and obviously pouting. "I'm sure that's not all she does under your nose," she muttered under her breath which was indeed very loud.
Time knew that was his cue to counter her, to prove her wrong. That he and Alice were indeed nothing. That he wouldn't dare to look twice at the yellow-haired brat. That whatever whoever gave her that information was false! That he or she had seen the situation entirely wrong! Yes, this was his part to chime in... Only he didn't.. because he couldn't.
She spun on her heel and he took a few steps backwards until he was stopped by the bookcase. Her voice was seething and low and filled with threats. "I find her here in the castle, there will be greater things to fear than off with her head!"
"My love-"
Her hand came down on his face hard and he was startled. "VILE! I NEVER WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN! YOU- YOU TRAITOR!"
A squeal of an animal being stepped on sounded and Time cringed. He glanced over at the poor little pet pig she had along, tugging at its ropes, then looked at her again. "My absolute heart-"
"Oh, don't be all 'my love', 'my heart', my DISGUSTING BETRAYAL WITH ME!" she shouted. "I am never returning! Do you hear me! NEVER!"
Time nodded again and stayed put as she stormed off. It was best if he didn't make a move towards Alice while she was still near.
The pig suddenly took off from its ties and squealed down the hall. Iracebeth groaned and pointed to one of her servants she brought along. "Fetch it!"
Then she let out a roar of frustration as her servants couldn't even bring the pig back. Close to being fed up, she stomped over to the creature. Instead of being fearful as most creatures were of her, it insistently scratched at the door.
Iracebeth frowned and tried the handle - locked.
With a wave of her hand, a servant broke open the door. Her eyes narrowed hatefully the moment she spotted the familiar yellow hair of Alice. Red coated her vision and she dove into the room before Alice had a chance to escape from her grasp yet again. Her thin fingers wrapped around the brat's wrist, yanking her out of the room. "YOU! YOU WRETCH! YOU FILTH!"
Alice struggled to pull her hand away. She stumbled as Iracebeth dragged her down the hall and ran into a second. Her eyes widened and she yearned to speak but a gasp was all she managed. She watched the second tick some frightened tocks before scurrying away, undoubtedly to its master.
The second sputtered and frantically appeared in the doorway of the parlor. He made the most annoying sounds he could possibly think of. Anything to get Time to turn around and pay attention. But the clockwork man ignored him - too busy and filled with worry of Iracebeth's anger and waiting for her to leave the castle so he could go to Alice. He thought the second was being a nuisance and merely sent him on his way without question of what his need was.
Iracebeth was busy cursing and deciding how to carry out her plan. "Did you honestly think he'd want you! Well,he can't love you if you're not around." She cackled and laughed heartlessly. "If you've dropped from the sky into the middle of nowhere in the past- Ha! You'll be dead before he can find you!"
Alice tried to yank her wrist away. "Why are you doing this again, Iracebeth! Have you learned nothing of what happened last time!"
Her grip on her wrist tightened and the shorter woman pulled her along roughly.
"What about 'off with my head'?" Alice dared in asking. Surely the irate woman's thoughts on the matter hadn't changed.
"Off with your head would not be enough!"
Alice couldn't help the sneer that left her. "I didn't think you were capable of thinking elaborately."
Iracebeth pushed her onto the platform where her chronosphere sat.
The blue shock of current jolted through Time and he saw the images of what happened during the last event. He swore his cog heart stopped ticking. Then it hit him - the second dancing about trying to get his attention made sense. "Alice," he whispered. He shot from the parlor and down the halls to the Grand Clock.
"Revenge! I am the only one to control Time. No other!" She regained her grip on Alice's wrist before the girl had time to escape. She squeezed her tightly. "And you! You've- you've- YOU'VE RUINED THAT! IT'S ONLY FIT IF I GET RID OF YOU BY MAKING HIM GO MAD!"
"You're an evil woman!" Alice spit. "He did nothing!"
Time skidded to a halt.
The chronosphere was once again in the air wrapped in blue swirls of minutes and hours and days, ready to take off into the ocean of time. The Grand Clock in him wracked with icy current and he winced. He knew the lever had been pushed and soon the glowing sphere would disappear.
He strained his eyes to see past the waves.
Yellow hair.
He wanted it to be a trick of the light. He wanted to believe that it was a reflection of the sun.. only the sun did not reach where the Castle of Eternity was.
Alice desperately tried to reach the gears, the levers, the sides, anything to get away from Iracebeth. But the Red Queen kept an iron grip on her upper arm and surely she would have a bruise later if she in fact lived. Her hand reached for the sides of the chronosphere. The turning rings of gold alone with the currents of time sent a spark through her fingers and she gasped, quickly retracting her hand.
She looked out through the waves of blue and white and saw him. His glowing blue eyes held the same fear and deadly realization as hers. She opened her mouth but his form vanished as the chronosphere dove into the ocean of time.
"ALICE!" he shouted as it vanished.