Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Author's Note: A huge thank you goes out to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I completely agee with all of you who said that Fate was one creepy lady - I completely agree with you. She freaked me out while I was writing her! I kept feeling the need to take my hands off the keyboard and wipe them since I was writing such an oily character. From the title of this chapter, you can probably guess who makes a special guest appearance, and I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for reading!

-Chapter 12-

Tick Tock

Alice had not been so primped and preened and polished since the fated day she'd turned down Hamish Ascot's hand in marriage. This time, however, when she looked at her reflection in the looking glass in her room, she was satisfied with her image. She looked like herself, not like what someone else thought she should look like. Even the elaborate coif one of Mirana's handmaids had twisted her hair was something she liked.

Running her hand down the midnight blue silk of her skirt, Alice stood from her dressing table and drew in a deep breath. Even though the ball was just more or less a gathering of friends rather than a huge, fancy affair, Alice felt like she'd been dolled up for one of the latter occasions (which, she knew, Mirana would be arranging sooner rather than later).

A gentle knock on the door signaled Tarrant's arrival. Taking one last look at her reflection, she shook off her nervousness and went to open the door.

"Good evening, Alice," he started. Then his eyes widened when he saw Alice, his mouth rounding slightly in surprise. "Wow."

A blush warmed her cheeks as she gazed back at him. He looked quite handsome in his new suit, with his hair halfway tamed under his trademark Hat. His eyes were bright, happy green, his smile as endearingly wide as ever. "Ready?" he asked, presenting his elbow to her.

"I am." Alice slid her hand into the crook of his elbow and smiled as they started off. More subjects than usual were scurrying around, plunging the usually peacefully quiet palace into carefully-controlled chaos.

Two white-uniformed chess soldiers opened the doors to the smaller of Marmoreal's two ballrooms as Alice and Tarrant approached. The sound of lively music drifted out to their ears, as well as the murmur of conversation. Several people were dancing, and everyone else was clustered in groups around the room talking and laughing.

When Mirana spotted the couple entering the ballroom, she lifted her hands and clapped gently. "Ladies and gentlemen, presenting Underland's Champion, Alice Kingsleigh, and her escort, Royal Hatter to the White Court, Tarrant Hightopp!"

Alice felt her cheeks grow red-hot again. She wished her hair weren't pulled up and back so she could tip her head forward and hide behind her long blonde tresses. Very briefly she considered turning and running as fast her legs could take her, but Tarrant reached across his body and placed his hand over hers, squeezing encouragingly. She felt some of the tension slide out of her body, helping her relax a little.

All of her friends had cleaned up well. Bayard, Bielle, and their puppies all looked like they'd been freshly bathed and brushed; Thackery was wearing a new suit, though he still clutched his cooking spoon in one hand like a scepter; Mally had put on a frilly dress; Chess's fur shone as if he'd just groomed himself; the Tweedles looked quite dashing in matching suits; and Nivens looked like he was actually having a little bit of fun. The White Queen, however, outshone everyone. Her white hair was intricately braided, then pulled back in a large clip that let the rest of it tumble down her back in curls. Her dress was studded with pearls that matched the choker necklace, and her cheeks were blushed an attractive peach.

Alice sighed, feeling like she paled in comparison. Tarrant caught where she was looking and leaned over, speaking only for her ears. "Aye, an' the Queen looks lovely, as sh' always does," he said. "Bu' if'n ye are nae th' belle o' th' ball tonigh', Ah'll ne'er make another ha' in me lifetime." He smiled, honesty and genuine affection in his eyes.

"May I have this dance, poppet?"

She jumped and turned to face Chess, who had silently wisped into existence next to her. "I would be honored, if Tarrant doesn't mind…?" She didn't want to offend him, particularly since he had been the one how to teach her Underland's dances.

For a moment Tarrant eyed the Cat warily, then smiled and nodded. "As long as you save a couple for me."

Alice rested her hand on the paw Chessur extended toward her. "You look beautiful this evening, Alice," he said.

"You look quite dashing yourself, Chess." She laughed as he purred happily, his tail swishing through the air as she took his other paw. Then he guided her through the air, floating his way through all the leads.

Alice laughed as they swung through the Joyful-style dance. The music was quite fast-paced, so she soon found herself a bit out of breath and quite flushed. Once the song was over, Chess executed a mid-air bow and then escorted her back to the edge of the dance floor. "You look thirsty, luv," he said. "And I think the Queen is waiting to speak with you over by the punch table." With one last grin and a waggle of his paw, he vanished.

Mirana smiled as Alice approached. With a flourish of one hand, she presented Alice with a cup. "How are you enjoying the ball?" Her dark eyes were bright with hope.

"Very well," Alice said truthfully. After all, she'd only entered and then danced with Chess, who was a charming partner and a surprisingly good dancer.

The Queen smiled in obvious relief. "That's good," she said. "I was trying to make things as comfortable as possible for you." She glanced over her shoulder, then leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I also planned this so we could all forget things for a night. All of us have something weighing heavily on our minds, and it's good to be able to put them aside for a while."

Alice nodded in complete agreement. Not only did she have her and Tarrant's bond and being forced to face her feelings for Tarrant to contend with, but now she had Fate's strange visit and the Oraculum's strange prediction to worry about, too. Things were spiraling out of her control, and she wasn't sure how to regain it. "Thank you, milady."

"You're Underland's Champion, dear. This is the least we could do to show our gratitude." With one last smile, Mirana flitted off to talk to a White Knight, whom she then proceeded to dance with.

Slowly scanning the dance floor, Alice couldn't hide her laugh when she saw Tarrant out on the dance floor, Mally balancing on the brim of his Hat as they both danced to the current tune being played.

At that moment, a man dressed in an immaculate suit appeared before Alice and bowed formally at the waist. "Champion Alice," he greeted. "May I have the honor of dancing with you?"

Blinking slowly in surprise, Alice nodded and curtsied. "Of course, kind sir, it would be my pleasure."

Taking her proffered hand, the gentleman led her to the floor and then turned to face her, effortlessly leading them along with the beat. "I must say it's a pleasure to see the woman who has caused such a fuss here." A small smile quirked the corner of his mouth. "And the woman over whom Tarrant Hightopp killed me."

Alice almost stopped dancing right there in the middle of the floor. "Time?" she squeaked.

"At your service," he said with an engaging smile. He blinked, and instead of the bright blue eyes he'd had a moment before, his irises and pupils had been replaced with two small, ticking clocks. "Now that I've seen you, am talking with you, and dancing with you, I do believe I see why Tarrant got so mad at me when I doubted you," he said dryly.

She opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't seem to find either her voice or the right words. She only stared at Time, who grinned in amusement at her obvious consternation. "Weren't expecting me to be so handsome, were you?" he said cheekily.

That unlocked her vocal chords. "I was actually expecting you to be - well - incorporeal," she said honestly. "Even though I don't know why, considering the fact that I've already met another of you in human form."

Time's smile disappeared into a flat line of disapproval. "Fate. You shouldn't believe everything she says, you know. She likes to play with humans."

Alice arched her eyebrow. "Funny. She said much the same thing about you."

Chuckling wryly, Time shrugged his shoulders. "We don't usually get along," he said unapologetically. "About the only thing we can agree on is that an Alice belongs with a Hatter." He smiled charmingly.

At the mention of Tarrant, her eyes drifted across the dance floor. He was dancing with Mirana, the two of them looking splendidly perfect with every movement. She sighed, wondering if she looked that good when she danced with him.

As if reading her mind (and maybe he could), Time said, "You dance beautifully, love."

"I think you're just saying that," Alice said, smiling.

"Perhaps I am. If you ask around, I'm not the most honest creature you'll ever meet, or so they say. Personally, I think honesty is overrated, but what do I know?" He winked.

Alice gently steered their conversation to a more businesslike subject. "I'm surprised you didn't wait to come to me until I was asleep," she said dryly.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no. That's what Fate does. She's sneaky, and a bit of a coward, if you ask me. I like to take risks and be daring - thus, I prefer to appear in the middle of a public gathering." He tipped his head from side to side in illustration.

"So everyone else can see you, too?" Alice asked, a bit surprised.

"If they're looking," he said cryptically. "Now then, darling. I can tell you're impatient for me to get to the point of my visit, and I doubt you'll accept that I came to have a bit of fun and dance with Underland's most famous inhabitant."

Alice tilted her head to the side with an acknowledging smile.

"Well, as Fate so kindly told you, there are some very Important Things that will be coming in your near future," he said. "Well, several. But my point is, you know about your Bond with Tarrant, and you know about what the Oraculum is foretelling. I can't give you any more specifics, but I can warn you that things in Underland will start changing very soon." Leaning in, he placed his lips close to Alice's ear and whispered, "The one other thing I can tell you is that not everything will be as it seems. Even when it appears to be obvious that there are no other alternatives." Offering another engaging smile, he let go of her, backed off, and bowed once more. "Fairfarren, Alice, dear."

And then, between one blink and the next, Time was gone and Thackery was standing before her. He was nervously tugging on his ears with his paws, having tucked the handle of his spoon into the scabbard at his waist. She didn't dare wonder what he'd done with the sword that was supposed to be there. "M-May Ah 'ave this dance, Alice?" he asked shyly.

Alice curtsied to him and presented her hands, though she was still wondering how Time had managed to vanish so quickly, and how Thackery had made it across the room in a single blink of an eye. "Of course, Thackery!"

The delightful music picked up tempo as the band smoothly transitioned from one song into the next. To Alice's pleasant surprise, Thackery was a marvelous dancer, able to keep pace with her and the music with obvious ease.

After Thackery, Alice danced with Nivens, again with Chess, and then spent a good four or five (or maybe even six or seven, she kind of lost track) with the Tweedles, who mostly spun her in circles and argued with each other about who danced better. She was immensely relieved when Tarrant came to rescue her, mentioning that Mally had been looking for a new dance partner. The Tweedles made hasty excuses and then scurried off together.

A Romantic tune started up, and Alice smiled. "You arranged this, didn't you?" she asked.

Tarrant grinned. "Perhaps." They slowly made their way across the dance floor, a colorful duo that stood out amongst the general pale shades of Marmoreal. "Who was that gentleman you were dancing with before?" he asked. His eyes were just off their usual shade.

"Someone you're well acquainted with," Alice said. "He has the most unusual eyes: they tick."

A small hiss left his lips as Tarrant's eyes flashed orange as they narrowed dangerously. "Time," he growled. "Whot di' the slurvish-"

"Hatter!" she warned, drawing him out of his impending Madness before it could fully grip him.

"-Hat. Yes, thank you, luv." Tarrant let her briefly spin away from him, then back in, before he continued. "What did he want?"

"He mostly didn't want to be bested by Fate, I think," Alice said dryly. "He seemed to have quite a few unkind things to say about her."

Tarrant's lips twisted slightly. "Unsurprising," he said.

"He also said something about liking to take risks and wanting to meet the woman you killed him over," she added. She didn't want to say anything about the additional warnings she'd received, for she wanted some time to think about it and discuss it with Mirana first.

This time her Hatter laughed. "Hmm, that makes sense," he said. "Well - as much sense as Time makes in Underland." Pulling her slightly closer, he smiled down at her, his green irises rimmed with a hint of lavender, and said, "But for now, what's say you we forget Time and Fate and everything for a while, eh?"

Alice leaned her head forward to rest on his shoulder and smiled. "That sounds wonderful to me."

They only danced with each other for the rest of the evening.

~To Be Continued~

I must say had I a much more delightful time (pardon the pun) writing Time than I did Fate. I hope you all liked reading about him more, too! I also had a lot of fun writing the ball, so I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks for reading this chapter!