A/N: I'd like to thank you for the lovely reviews! I finally lived through my colloquium. So hopefully I'll be able to edit the next chapter much quicker and start writing the new one soon.

Generous Gifts

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Upon entering the kitchen the young foreigner was horrified as she saw that dish again, innocently stewing and giving off an incredible odour.

Honestly speaking, the violet mass in the cooking pot smelled absolutely nightmarish. Well, it was meant for a certain Nightmare, so, in some way, it made sense. Still, upon witnessing what the overly devoted assistant was about to brew for his boss, Alice decided to be a good subordinate and dispose of the exotic looking dish before Gray came back.

A slight feeling of guilt nagged at her soul as she watched how the violet jelly-like substance disappeared down the sink, but it was for the better.

With the terribly looking mass gone, the kitchen seemed to smell much better than moments ago. She took a deep breath, feeling glad that spending time in the Tower's kitchen could finally turn into a more enjoyable experience.

'Nightmare better be thankful for that favour.'

After the successful eradication of the dangerous threat, the young woman could finally bake in peace. She hummed softly as she mixed the various ingredients in a bowl, glad that she could make herself useful, even in her free time. Her hands worked fast as she spread more flour on the kitchen worktop and began to knead the dough thoroughly, hoping that her whimsical boss will appreciate her efforts.

During the winter season, the Tower's kitchen quickly became Alice's favorite place. A grand fireplace provided the large room with a cozy atmosphere, the feeling of warmth and safety creating a delightful experience when chilly winds howled lonely just outside the frozen windows.

Strangely enough, not many of the employees seemed to spend their lunch time at the Tower and there were no cooks to be seen despite the generously furnished kitchen room. Then again, the only true residents were Nightmare, Gray and Julius; the latter ones were not particularly picky anyway.

Perhaps that was the reason behind the lack of kitchen personnel, not that Alice had any complains. But some company would definitely not hurt.

And so, as the cold winter air swished past the high windows of the enormous room, the young foreigner seized the place for herself only, imagining what it would be like if this part of the Tower were slightly livelier, perhaps similar to the Castle of Hearts.

For a barely used kitchen, the place was nicely equipped and Alice took her time as she marveled at the cookie cutter collection that she managed to free from layers of dust. There were lovely star shapes, hearts and clovers… and even ones that reminded Alice of her animal-eared friends. She looked through the rest, before coming upon a particular shape that made her smile as she thought of all the ways she could decorate it.

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It was only two hours later that the foreigner found herself in another place, much different from the snow-covered territory of the Tower of Clover. Below the cerulean sky, the trees appeared to sing a peaceful melody composed of chanting of all kinds of birds and buzzing of exotic insects. The delightful performance was, however, soon interrupted by the upset female's voice, causing the tiny musicians to halt for a moment and curiously look below, as if listening to what she had to say.

"…and then he dared to say that he wanted a Montblanc cake instead! Well, if my cooking is not good enough then he can eat Gray's poisonous food and smoke himself into oblivion for all I care!"

The furious recital of recent events at the Tower was answered with a jovial laughter which only grew stronger as the girl continued her tale. Finally, Alice calmed down and let out a silent chuckle, glad that she could let her anger out.

"Your story was indeed highly entertaining, dear Alice." Her companion, who happened to be Joker himself, smiled gleefully and sighed. "Your presence in itself is always amusing me. But wait…" he paused, tapping his chin in thought, "...shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Alice chuckled silently as she watched the redhead contemplating his question in all seriousness. "Anyway, I ought to thank you for listening to me, Joker." Truth to be told, she felt slightly bad for using the circus master for venting out her anger like this, but the need for someone to listen to her was stronger than her common sense. Usually, her first place to let out frustrations would be the grumpy clockmaker, a miraculously patient man when it came to handling her personal problems.

'Still, he wasn't my first choice this time around,' Alice thought while absentmindedly swinging her legs back and forth as she leaned on the table. No, Alice was in need of someone who would understand and actively side with her. The image of a certain redhead had flashed in her searching mind, thus, the young foreigner ended up sitting in Joker's company, vividly reciting the rejection of her supposedly great cooking skills.

In the meanwhile, the said redhead watched in amusement as his guest remained deep in thought.

"Hey, you brat, pay attention!" The mask's harsh comment jerked her out of her thoughts. Immediately, she looked up, only to see the jester half-heartedly shake his head as he merrily shuffled the cards to occupy his hands.

"It seems like Joker is rather impatient today," the redhead commented with a knowing look. "But either way, we would love to taste anything that was made by you."

"That worm is an ungrateful xxxxxxx! But try to poison us and you'll regret it!"the mask seemed to pause to think, before slyly adding, "By the way, you didn't come just to chatter, right?"

The circus master, for once, nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it seems like you have to run a few errands today, Alice." The jester motioned at the basket that waited patiently at her side.

"Don't let her leave, Joker! Maybe she has something precious that she doesn't want to share with us! Come on, out with it!"

'So noisy,' Alice thought. As it turned out to be, the mask was rather perceptive whenever the prospect of filling one's stomach with food was involved. 'But that reminds me…'

"Oh, right, I almost forgot!" the brunette cried, startling the ringmaster and catching the mask's attention.

"See, Joker, I told you she was hiding something!" Simultaneously, the redhead's eye curiously followed her every motion as she rummaged through her basket.

"Got it!" she exclaimed happily as she opened a box and placed it solemnly on the table.

Silence filled the air as Joker studied the undoubtedly delicious looking pastries, carefully taking one out. Two small, x-shaped eyes looked back at the jester, a red nose gracing the sweet round face, coated with white icing. "That's-"

"Don't tell me… this sorry excuse of a cookie is supposed to be a clown!"

Her eye twitched in annoyance at the mask's comment. 'Is he making fun of my masterpiece?'

"Well, if you dislike them that much-" The girl was about to stand up for herself and safe the last bits of pride she had left, but luckily, the growing argument was prevented by the ever smiling ringmaster.

"No, no, no, that won't do, Joker," he scolded the mask, before turning back to Alice. "Don't worry, Alice, he is merely teasing you. They look lovely, by the way, it's almost too bad that we have to eat them." The last part was spoken softly, convincing Alice that her humble offering was finally appreciated.

Naturally, her face brightened at the long awaited compliment. "...I figured, since we're friends, that I should bring you some, too," she blurted out without a second thought.

"Friends? Well if that's what you think...-" the distorted voice seemed to mumble something incoherent afterwards, making it almost impossible to understand the last words.

"Oh dear, now you've silenced Joker. That's quite an accomplishment, dear Alice." The redhead laughed heartily, the look in his red eye somehow warmer, which didn't go unnoticed by the girl; there was indeed a difference in how he smiled. "Of course, we gratefully accept them."

Perhaps it was just her confused mind, or maybe the corners of his lips were indeed more relaxed but a second later Joker returned to his usual self. It was almost too bad, really, after having witnessed an expression that was, admittedly, barely any different and yet somehow not the same.

Despite everything, Alice couldn't help but wonder if she had said something strange. Then again, perhaps it was too soon to assume that they were related in that way...

'That's right', Alice scolded herself, 'we barely even know each other. How foolish of me to assume such a thing!'

But then again, when could one speak of being friends? Was there a border of some sort that one had to cross first? She could not tell.

Friendship always came naturally, and sooner or later all role holders fell into that category in her mind. There was never a need to say it out loud. Was it, however, the role holder's attraction to the foreigner that catalyzed the friendship, or perhaps just her lonely heart's wish? And yet, she automatically assumed that they were friends, since she has gotten used to their casual conversations and frequent meetings.

"What is it, Alice? Did something upset you?"

The redhead's questioning glance was quickly answered with a shake of her head. There was no need to think of it right now, she still had a place that she wanted to go to, after all. And thanks to Joker's foresight, a deck of cards was already placed in between them, waiting to be played.

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After a surprisingly quick victory the girl excused herself; the sun was still high but one could never be too sure. Wonderland was a whimsical place, after all, and she was hoping to reach the Heart Castle before another time turn occurred. However, it seemed as if the circus master would not let her go with empty hands. It was, as Alice noticed not too long ago, an habit of his that caused her slight embarrassment at first, especially when considering that she was not used to this kind of generous treatment.

With a mysterious smile, the jester asked her to reach out her hands. Albeit reluctantly at first, she did so, and watched in astonishment as brightly wrapped candies fell like a rainbow waterfall into her cupped hands.

"Joker?" The brunette eyed him with a questioning glance.

"Oh, I need to repay you for your kindness, right? Consider it to be a token of our gratitude." Softly, he patted her head before letting out a chuckle.

Alice pouted, feeling like being treated like a small child, but accepted the gift anyway. After all, she could give them out to her friends since she could not possibly eat all of them alone.

Smiling at the idea, the brunette was about to take her leave, before she felt a cloth descend around her shoulders. Curiously, she felt the soft material, identifying it as a knitted shawl. 'And a very soft one, too.'As she looked back she became aware of the arm which wrapped around her shoulders in a friendly gesture. Her gaze was answered with the usual smile dancing on Joker's lips as he briefly adjusted the warm garment.

"The spring's air is fresh, despite the mild weather, and I've noticed that you never change your clothes," the circus master commented. "That won't do, of course, so take this before you go."

"Another gift? I can't possibly-" However, she was stopped by Joker himself, mirth dancing in his eye as he put a silencing finger on her lips.

"You must accept it, after all, we ought to commemorate our friendship, right?" he winked, as if sharing a secret between the two of them. Alice could only nod, suddenly forgetting why she objected in the first place.

The rest of her small journey was rather uneventful and did not leave an impression on the young foreigner, if one disregards the Prime Minister's fit upon seeing her enter the Castle of Hearts… Very soon, the brunette saw the familiar grand staircase that led her inside the Tower of Clover.

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With a puff of sickeningly sweet smoke, Nightmare voiced a question that bothered him noticeably, ever since he found that resting upon his table, teasing him with bright colors that could only belong to one specific role holder' s territory.

"Alice. What is that supposed to be?" The incubus motioned at a small pile of multicolored sweets upon his table.

"Candies." The said foreigner answered curtly. 'It's quite obvious, don't you think so, Nightmare?'

"Ugh! That's not what I mean!" he protested vigorously. "I mean, what are his sweets doing on my table?"

"Well, I figured that they would do you some good." Alice stated, feigning innocence while inwardly adding, 'At least it would be better than poisoning oneself with that smoke, you sick incubus!'

The loud thought did its job quite well, and the sickly role holder drew back, almost choking while wildly gesturing with his pipe. "B-but-…! Aside from that… who knows what these bonbons might contain? Trust me, Alice, Joker is always up to something!"

She snorted before eyeing her boss suspiciously.'Your ways of changing the topic are way too predictable.'

"T-that's not true at all!" This time, he almost squealed, face getting paler with each second. "After all, I am a really great boss so I need to take care of my subordinates first, and make sure that they're all healthy and in good shape!" The long string of denial and self-praise continued, accompanied with a smug laugh that sounded almost desperate.

The brunette rubbed her temples in exasperation, deciding that she had enough for the day.

Upon closing the door with a click, Alice let out a tired sigh. The sounds of her unsuspecting boss kept getting quieter with each step she took. 'I wonder when he will notice that I am not listening to him anymore?'

If only Nightmare could listen to her advice and at least stop smoking in his poor state. But, apparently, it was too much to ask for.

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The constant ticking of clocks and occasional sounds of screwing and polishing were, as usual, the only things that filled the air in the deadly silent workshop. It was the atmosphere of daily routine that created an illusion of steadiness and safety which Alice came to appreciate over time. Sometimes, it was a little bit eerie, how the time never seemed to touch the solitary clockmaker as he bent over his work for hours and days. But it was easy to let one's mind wander around in this place. It was different, somehow, from the circus, where she thought herself into oblivion. But neither one was good nor bad, or was it? As the brunette pondered on this question, she absentmindedly inhaled the bitter scent of coffee that was growing cold in the forgotten cup while its owner proceeded to concentrate on the fine mechanics of a demolished clock. Still deep in thought, she shoved yet another candy in her mouth, savoring its sweet taste.

"So, Alice, did you have some fun during your time off?" The silent clockmaker didn't look up as he questioned the girl. His deep voice seemed to fit the place quite perfectly indeed, never disrupting the special atmosphere of his workshop. Her face brightened and she smiled, happy that he decided to start a conversation.

"Oh, yes, actually-"

But the young woman was interrupted by a shrill, desperate cry that shook the massive walls of the Tower of Clover. Within mere seconds the brunette stood on her feet, noting that even Julius looked up, wondering what the commotion was all about.

Both nodded silently before storming off to search for the source of the frightening sounds.

On their way, they bumped into Nightmare's ever diligent personal assistant with a concerned, almost desperate expression on his face.

"Clockmaker, Alice, it's terrible!"

Eventually, it was Gray who led them to the scene of horror that was once Nightmare's study.

At first, all Alice saw were bloodstains, all over the floor, like a bloodbath that looked similar to the Bloody Twins' playground after a merry round of their favorite game. The faint smell of Nightmare's sickeningly sweet smoke was still there, spread like a fine layer of mist and mixed with another stench that she dared not name. Her heart sped up and, thinking of the worst outcome, her azure eyes frantically searched for any dead bodies or possible signs of a fierce battle.

However, Alice found none.

Drop.

Something wet and suspiciously red landed on her dress. She stared in wonder at the blood stain, so unmistakably sticky and dark.

"Alice, over here! Hrrghh…!"

Only after another desperate cry did she think of looking above.

To say that she or any other human being present in the office was surprised would be an understatement.

The Tower's ceilings were particularly high, its creator surely did not think of making use of the room, instead opting for installing huge halls and generous chambers. And so, even in Nightmare's office, the ceiling was rather high, forcing the girl to throw her head back in order to spot the figure of her boss that, apparently, was stuck on the ceiling. The fact that dream demons could fly, of course, was nothing new and could not possibly shock the experienced foreigner. On the other hand, Nightmare's body state was indeed alarming.

Similar in shape and mass to a feather light balloon, the blown up incubus floated high above, just below the ceiling, wailing like a small child and, unfortunately, staining the expensive carpets with things that should not be mentioned in any written document.

Alice stood, mouth agape, as she stared at the dream demon, the feared role holder who was currently blown up to an incredulous extent, offering a rather (dare she think of it like that?) comical sight.

"It's the candy, Alice, that damn candy! Ugh-…!"

At that moment, Alice understood a lot. She also wondered, briefly, if she should laugh or cry. 'Perhaps the first one would be more appropriate, after all.' And so, the blue eyed foreigner watched in slight amusement and worry as her boss floated around, whining and cursing as his helpless subordinates searched for a way to help. But they all ate the sweets, or did they not? So why was Nightmare (who, apparently, could not resist them in her absence) the only one who suffered afterwards?

'Either way, it serves him right, somehow.' It did not mean, of course, that she wouldn't question a certain redhead afterwards.

In response, the blown-up incubus above squealed in a high-pitched tone, vigorously waggling with his arms that seemed so tiny compared to his round body.

"This is not funny, Alice! Put me doooown!"

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Joker stared curiously as his counterpart whose single eye was glued to a large mirror which they usually kept backstage for various purposes. Only a second later the jester snickered, obviously enjoying himself as he watched things unknown to others unfold before his eye.

Now, this piqued the warden's curiosity indeed as he strolled forward, and took a look at the reflecting surface. A large grin spread across his face as he let out an amused chuckle shortly afterwards.

"Damn it, Joker, you totally gave her those candies, didn't you?"

"Haha, I knew it would be a sight to behold!" the jester clad redhead happily exclaimed, not even once looking away from the scene behind the glass. The whole thing was even more fun than he imagined it to be!

"Well, played, Joker," the warden admitted, before chuckling darkly. "I was wondering why the heck we had those, anyway." At least, those weird things were finally put to a good use…

For a moment, another reflection caught his attention, making him divert his gaze from the scene. His ruby eye strolled away from the mirror's surface, taking note of the cookie clowns that rested on the table at his right.

"Hn, that worm totally deserves it," the redhead commented, in the meanwhile reaching out and casually snatching a single cookie from the plate.

With that, he bit into the sweet pastry, swiftly separating the smiling clown's head from its body, and eagerly munching on the sweet treat while he took a look at the other messily scattered items on the table. There, laying innocently on the edge, was a single brightly wrapped candy, on which it said:

B&B – Blows braggers and bigheads up to their true size. For additional information please read the enclosed leaflet.

Curiously, the warden clad Joker searched for the said sheet of paper, wondering how long the effect would last. Upon finding it he quickly scanned the information with his ruby eye, before turning back to his counterpart.

"Hey, Joker, did you take a look at the leaflet?" To which the jester retorted with a satisfied smile: "Oh, of course not! It's more fun to watch the consequences in real life, don't you think so?"

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That day, Alice learned an essential lesson: You ought to be careful around Joker, his actions are, unfortunately, not always as innocent as they seem to be. However, this new revelation did not seem to stop her from seeking out the jester clad man.

As she laid back and tried to organize her thoughts, she could not help but notice that Joker did fit into this mad world.

And strangely enough, it did not seem to bother her. Or perhaps she had gone mad a long time ago, without even noticing it herself. One could never be too sure, after all.

She turned around, thinking of how the minister of the Castle of Hearts brought her into this world, how she met Julius, the clockmaker, and how their paths parted, only to meet again in the cold winter snow at the Tower of Clover.

Once again, the foreigner felt restless. Her hands grabbed the sheets and yet, she knew that not even clinging to the soft fabric of her bed could stop her from probably having to part with this place one day. Alice hated that insecure feeling more than anything else. But that was how it was supposed to be. And the more she thought about it, the more she felt like a stranger, a simple guest in this cold territory.

Was this what she truly was afraid of the most? The constant torment...

'If only... No, I must not think about such things.'

Finally, she was able to force the troublesome thoughts away, just like she always did, and tried to fall asleep. Maybe visiting Julius tomorrow will make her feel better again. And if it all failed there was still Joker.

After all, he would always be at the circus, no matter when she decided to come.

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