Yes! This is still Time and Alice! I changed the title but it's all the same still! I promise! I changed it because to me, there was never really a formal title. I didn't know what to call this story back in the beginning so like "Time and Alice" was just a generic thing that I would change later ;)

Well, it's later now. The cover art is by Imagenary26 :)

Get ready for some action! I do believe this is the most action-packed chapter in anything I've ever written xD

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly as he grunted in pain. She tried to steady him, gripping his arm tightly.

Hatter slid to a stop – his shoes not getting traction on the floor. "Oh Alice! Have- have you seen what's out there? It's- oh it's big and- and-!" He pointed wildly at the creature in the background then mimed out big and a monster going grr-grr. "What are we to do?"

Dread covered her features but Time was in no condition to stop it himself. It seemed Time was realizing the same thing. "It.. must- be- stopped," he managed out through gritted teeth. "Alice- you must- stop it-" Her being the one to stop this creature hurt him more than the current pain.

She looked helpless. "But you-"

"I will be fine once the Grand Clock is saved," he assured. "Please, Alice."

She nodded. "Alright. Yes, yes." Her eyes caught Hatter's. "Stay with Time. Wilkins-" She glanced around and spotted him shaking in his cogs a few feet away. She rushed to him and scooted him closer to Time. "Stay here."

But Hatter wasn't staying at Time's side. "I'll help you, my dear Alice. Just like old times."

It was a relief to her that she wouldn't be facing this creature alone. "Come on then!"

Hatter and her stopped before the giant cog monster who was not in the least bit interested in them. The Underlandian gulped at the creature's great height – very tall indeed! Taller than anything he had ever seen- well, save for the Jabberwocky.

But Alice – always bursting with ideas – couldn't think at all.

"What's the plan?" her friend asked shakily. He looked at her when he didn't get a reply. And his eyes went wide as saucers. "You don't have a plan? Alice! Wha- How! How are we supposed to-"

Before Hatter blew himself into a tizzy, the little second that toppled over at the start stepped forward, chugging as he went. Tarrant watched in awe as the seconds gathered and soon rose into minutes – big minutes but not very big minutes – and lunged for the monster.

"It's official. I have seen everything," he said.

Alice bumped his shoulder. The creature was distracted enough by the minutes as the hours were trying to stabilize the Clock. She drew her sword – brought from her world as they had been abducted on such short notice.

Hatter jumped at the abrupt and angry roar of the creature.

She ran across the floor to the Grand Clock. In one leap, she clung to the wall – the giant clock ticking beside her. She scaled the side, hoping to reach the top then jump down onto the creature.

She suddenly shielded her eyes as a peculiar light bounced off the monster. At first sight, she thought it was made from clockwork like everything else in this castle, but that was not so. The light shifted and the creature's body twinkled.

Keys.

Big keys, small keys, old keys, new keys, broken keys, purple keys, blue keys, any color keys – it was all entirely out of keys!

Strange, she thought, I have seen men made out of cards but never a beast out of keys. She caught sight of a gold dome on its chest. And a crest! He must belong to some-

The rafter she clung to loosened suddenly as the beast had seen her. She let go of it as the monster flung it backwards. Poised and falling like a true sailor, she stuck her sword in a small gap between the keys – much like a sailor stabbing a sail with his knife – and stopped short at its arm.

In a split second, a blue spark darted up the keys, striking the top of the creature, popping off the gold dome on its chest, and throwing Alice backwards.

She landed on the floor and let out a sharp cry of pain. Hatter charged onto the monster's back at the sound of her injury.

But it wasn't the landing that had hurt.

Her right arm burned as it were engulfed in flames. She looked at it, fearing to see her flesh burned but it was untouched. She turned her arm over and inspected it closely. But to her confusion, the only thing amiss she could see was that the grey scar she had received many months ago from her unfortunate journey with Iracebeth faintly glowed silver.

Her pain hadn't subsided but she looked up at the creature of keys, daring to see how long she had to live before it crushed her. But it had wilted it seemed, weakened and not able to fully recover from the sudden shock.

She didn't have time to wonder why though… "Hatter!"

The Underlandian clung for dear life on the back of the monster. His plan to take it down didn't exactly work out but he did see Alice's sword fall from its arm. It clanged to the floor.

Then he remembered the state of his friend. He looked to where he last saw her. "Oh good! You're up!" he said with partial glee and partial fear. "Now, if I can just-" He let out a yelp as a minute plucked him off and put him on the floor.

He dusted himself off and looked up at the being. "Right, thanks chap!" He dashed for her and skidded and slipped to a stop to her just as she returned from retrieving her sword. "Nothing like a brush with Death, eh?" he attempted at making light. "What now? Got a plan? Please tell me you have a plan."

She looked up at the minutes and hours that were fighting back. She winced, "No, I've nothing yet-"

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar red splotch. She turned her head – Iracebeth! Clearly the woman had not been under much supervision above and had now sauntered her way here right in the thick of things. Who knew what she was truly after!

"Oh no!" Wilkins gasped as a gear came undone at the monster's grasp. "A vital piece of the Grand Clock! Oh, oh, Alice! Alice!"

She quickly looked to the clock and saw the object and rushed to catch it before it fell to the depths of the castle, never to be seen again. She lunged but Hatter beat her to it. Relieved to see he had caught it, she watched him race to return it.

But Hatter being Hatter, his foot caught on another broken piece.

"No! Hatter!" she shouted.

His hand no longer held the piece and the object flew through the air – it's final destination unknown. "Oh no! I can't look!" he squeaked, covering his eyes but he peaked out through his fingers.

Alice watched helplessly and anxiously. But her jaw dropped as it remarkably landed on that very thing that was red and large before promptly bouncing off and landing in its rightful home.

"Well… that worked out," Hatter observed dumbly.

Both were as stunned to see what had happened as Iracebeth was stunned at what the heck had hit her head!

But Alice didn't have the leisure of laughing at the other woman – the monster's roar brought her back to reality. She and Hatter flattened against the floor as two minutes were hurled from the Grand Clock.

Keys strewn around them and it seemed several more abandoned ship. Hatter sprung off, a right bounce in his step as he found another way to the creature. Alice made to follow him but the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She turned around and spotted Iracebeth looming over the chronosphere.

Ah, so that was to be her prize.

Throwing her cutlass crossed her mind but it didn't cross her mind as fast as Hatter being in the creature's line of sight.

"Ah!" he cursed as his boot was grabbed. He tried to hold onto something but it was too late. He sailed through the air and landed hard and a bit awkwardly – on a peculiar lump.

He sat up and frowned, "What's going on? What did I miss?" He shifted and heard a loud noise. "What is this lumpy thing? Has the floor gone lumpy?"

Alice skidded to a stop before him just as he was shoved off the lump.

"What?"

She helped him up, trying not to laugh as Iracebeth picked herself up. "The chronosphere, eh?" she challenged. But she couldn't stand there and listen to the former Red Queen's excuse. She took off again for the strange creature – it was currently weak and she didn't have much time.

Literally.

"Oh Alice! Do hurry!" Wilkins wailed from above.

She looked towards him and could plainly see that Time had begun to fade. She saw how pale and grey his skin was turning. Her heart skipped a beat-

"Alice!" Hatter cried out a warning.

A monstrous foot shook the platform she stood on. She whirled around in time to stumble backwards as it headed for her. She turned away again but it struck her back and she cried out as she slid across the slippery floor. She grappled for purchase on- on anything but the floor had no cracks or crevices. She gasped as the ledge was fast approaching.

It pushed her again and she slammed into the railing, denting then cracking then breaking several. She reached for rods that were still standing and cried out in both relief and pain as she came to a stop, dangling off the ledge.

She looked up at the monster now towering over her. She heard the blood pumping in her ears.

"Ha! Let that little brat fall! Do it! Push her over! Push her-" Princess Mirana covered her sister's mouth. She and the others looked anxiously at the scene below.

"Oh, Alice," Hatter muttered to himself. "Get up, get up. I know you can do this. Get up!"

Wilkins was at the mad hatter's side, also silently pleading for this yellow-haired girl to not give up. If his master was to ever live again, he needed this human in his life.

Bayard shook his head as Alice continued to dangle, clearly struggling to pull herself up. "It is over. She cannot make it." He looked up at Hatter who glared fiercely at him. "This fight cannot be won, Tarrant. She will-"

"Don't you say it!" the mad hatter warned. "No."

Princess Mirana agreed solemnly. "It is impossible, Hatter."

He watched his best friend grunt and struggle to pull herself up again. He watched her arms shake and her hands cramp as she tired herself out. "No," he said again. "Nothing is impossible. Alice said herself! Yes, of course! You must choose six impossible things!" He zipped from the balcony and down toward her.

"Hatter!" many cried after him.

"First!" He slid down the rails of the staircase. "There's a giant monster made out of keys! Second-" He jumped over a gap between platforms. "Little metal-y seconds can turn into minutes." He snatched up an iron rod. "Third, Bayard can lose hope, that is very unlike him." He slid to a stop before the end and jumped on the back of a minute. "Fourth, the former Red Queen did not cut off my head. I called her lumpy, remember?" He reached its shoulder, "Fifth, I have not fallen once since starting this." He jumped for the platform Alice dangled from.

He landed on the same ledge as her. "And six, Alice Kingsleigh can be saved!"

She heaved out a sigh of relief. Hatter gripped her arms and pulled her onto the platform once again. But now was not to dilly-dally out a thank you. She found her cutlass at her hip and clung to the creature's leg. She managed to crawl up the monster even as it kicked and hit itself to shoo her away.

She wasted no time – for Time was not to be wasted now – and drove her cutlass deep into the side of its neck. She fed all her anger and triumph into it.

"Alice," she heard the distant awed voice of Hatter. "Your skin…"

But she couldn't be bothered now. She couldn't be bothered when the creature under her was writhing in pain as if it were being shocked to death. She couldn't be bothered with whatever was bothering Hatter, not while the keys beneath her trembled and cracked as if electricity were breaking them apart. No, she couldn't be bothered with anything.

The creature's face turned toward her and it was then she not only noticed its face was a solid plate, but she noticed what Hatter was saying.

Her once blue eyes now shone a bright grey. Her pale skin was still pale but her veins were a fiery silver. It appeared to make her skin glow. She nearly jumped back and then she wished she had as the monster trembled uncontrollably now. And she knew what was to happen far too late.

"ALICE!" was the last shout she heard before the creature blew apart, sending her down past the ledge and toward the unknown of the castle.

Hatter scurried to the edge of the balcony and looked below, preparing to see nothing but darkness and doom – a terrible death for his good friend. But his eyes were greeted with a grand sight! Alice! He squinted – alive! Yes, alive! Several floors below but alive! He rushed to the others.

"The minutes and hours are getting the Grand Clock working again," Princess Mirana noted as Hatter came up the steps. She looked to Time and bit her lip.

"Should we tell him?" the dormouse asked quietly. "Poor Alice."

Time heard distant voices as his irregular ticking became normal once more. The gears in the back of his head creaked and cracked and started up again. He heard a scuffle of wheels and then metal-toed shoes against the floor.

But he finally opened his eyes at the insistent shakes to his shoulders. "What? What?" he grumbled. Before he knew it, Wilkins pushed him into a sitting position and Hatter pulled him to his feet. And he suddenly remembered what happened right before.

Alice was going to stop the creature. He looked to Princess Mirana. "What is it?"

Her features were grim and fearful. "The creature is dead, but Alice has fallen."

"Is she-" He couldn't finish – it wasn't possible for his little yellow-haired girl to be-

"No, she's alive," she answered softly. "But we fear only just. She's floors below us."

Time tried not to think about how hard of a landing she had as he looked over the barrier and down below. He saw her and he knew where she had landed.

And if what he dreaded to happen happened to his love, time would kindly end for a soul above.
But the rules had been bent by a Time before, and fortunately magic was nothing but folklore.
He would do all that could to shield her eyes, for he would hate to say his goodbyes.
But the princess would find out, for history unfortunately repeated without a doubt
But his love would live, and if he died, so be it.

If he died, Victoire would win.

He rushed to her.

Hi, so how'd it go? :) We'll get to know a bit more about this Victoire in the next chapter. She mainly appears in the prequel I'm working on because I felt her story could be more explained that way ;) But that will not come until I have written more of this story bc the prequel opens with a spoiler ^-^