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T-The park...w-w-where is it?! I sucked in a frightened gasp reassessing the signs pointing here. T-This is definitely it! Where - where is it?! My heart thumped fast as the metal screws fell from my hands spilling onto the cobblestone path. I darted forward into the trees. Maybe...maybe that entrance is just a little deeper? O-Or...maybe it's just hiding? But where...branches scraped against my clothes clawing at my hair as I leapt through and over foliage.

"Mary! Boris! Where are you?!" I shouted, panting as running became too tiresome. Where did they go? Are they...gone? Impossible! It was right here this morning - !

My foot slipped on some loose ground hurtling me down into the ravine. I gasped as freezing water spiked my skin immediately threatening to close up my throat. A river - there was never a river here - ! I coughed and sputtered in the freezing stream fighting against the mad driven current which was reluctant to have me out of its clutches. Crap-!

"Mary! Boris!" I sputtered and coughed, madly digging my legs through the water to keep my afloat. The icy water constricted my chest as I snatched hold of a nearby root, hoisting myself out of the frigid waters. I shook horribly as my fingers numbly felt the twigs and dead leaves beneath my hands. Huh? It...it's cold...why? Why is it colder? I panted heavily as I hurried back to the path. Mistake...this has to be a mistake. I must have stupidly taken the wrong turn. Yeah, that has to be it. Ah...I paused observing the strange white substance which formed before my lips before quickly evaporating. It's cold...I gritted my teeth.

Pathetic. I just need to get home. No big deal. I paused catching myself in the act. No...more like temporary housing. My 'home' is back in my world; not here. I madly chuckled to myself as I followed the broken branches and such to the road. How stupid of me to get this lost...obviously I'm going to find the Amusement Park because...well, how can an entire body of land just suddenly up and go?

Anything can happen in Wonderland.

I scowled at the words. Impossible! I miffed at my own thoughts arriving to the path I previously took and the bags of screws spread out over the ground. Ah, Gowland's not going to be happy. I scratched up the new bolts. I sucked up my freezing body and gripped the bags, hefting them up and over my shoulders as my numb fingers acted like hooks. Alright...let's start at the clock tower and work my way home from there.

My shifty eyes traveled over the happily chatting faceless who were roaming the streets in warmer clothes than I was. I shuttered ignoring the biting teeth of the cold. Who cares; I'll be nice and warm at the Amusement Park soon enough. The faster I get there the faster I can rest. I froze in my steps as I came across an entirely new building which shot stories into the sky.

Isn't this...where the clock tower should be? I glanced around recognizing some of the bushes and other vegetation. Even the penny I dropped on the ground a few days before was smugly fitting in the center of the path. Where...

Where is everything?

"Jackie?!" A familiar yet strange voice called. I glanced up spying someone I never thought I'd see out of a dream.

"Nightmare?" I called back. What's he doing here?

"What in the world happened to you?! Stay right there!" He demanded as he spun around shutting the window behind him. Huh? I stared up at his window for a few minutes almost expecting him to jump out of the window. I jumped as the front door creaked open revealing the man with yellow eyes.

"Ah-," he said as he immediately recognized me. I shakily breathed out.

"Oh, it's you again. N-Nice to meet you." I smiled as my arms trembled from the bolt's weight. I wonder who he is?

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I snuggly sat against the couch thankful to be in dry clothes again. This time it was a rather lacey dress with more fru fru than I liked but in this case I welcomed the change. I shivered as the fire's warm glow tickled my face warming me from the outside in. Nightmare draped the blanket over my shoulders sharing his body heat as we both sucked in the fire's natural heat.

"What in the world were you doing out in this weather sopping wet?!" He demanded as a fluffy towel draped over my head; again. I glanced back at the yellow eyes man's face and his deeply troubled expression as he dried off my hair. Is he alright?

"He's fine he's just worried; now, what happened?" Nightmare demanded, not willing to let me go until I told him everything.

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"Ah. So that's it. I suppose that makes sense; you've never experienced the move before." Nightmare mused.

"The move?" I repeated making sure I heard him correctly. What the heck is that?

"Yes it happens every now and then. The territories literally 'move' from place to place at their discretion. It's completely normal." He explained with a shrug. My mouth gapped.

"There is nothing normal about that statement." I said in a flat tone. It's impossible!

"We both define 'normal' very differently," he remarked, wagging his finger.

"You can say that again...," I grumbled. The Amusement Park...alarm shot through me as I suddenly jumped up. My heart pounded heavily as everything came crashing down on me.

The Park is gone. Which means -!

"My money!" I shouted, flabbergasted. All that money I've saved up until now is gone! Not to mention my clothes, the place I'm staying, my violin, my wrench...everything. Everything that I had is gone.

"Don't be such a baby!" Nightmare haughtily said. "Your things are simply at the Amusement Park."

"H-How do I get back?!" I demanded, anxious to regain my lost possesions.

"You can't; not until it moves back."

"When will that be?"

"No one knows." Nightmare purred thoroughly enjoying my flustered state.

"But...what am I going to do?" I asked breathlessly, falling back onto the couch in shock. Today was totally normal and now I'm left with hardly the clothes on my back! Nightmare's arm wrapped around my shoulders as he cheekily grinned.

"Stay here! You can work for me and-,"

"No."

"What? But you don't -,"

"Definitely no." I will not work for someone like Nightmare.

"Why not?!" He demanded reading everything I thought of. He's an idiot. He's a baby. He's sickly and stupid. He probably doesn't even have work that I can really do. Because - ,"No! Stay here~ it will be more fun with you around~," he whined draping over my lap.

"Nightmare-!" I started in a harsh tone before two long arms reached around me. I jumped slightly spying the man's yellow eyes as he picked Nightmare up and set him back to a sitting position. My heart thumped twice in one beat as I inhaled his very musky and manly scent. From the corner of my eye I spied a tiny black tattoo on his neck. A...lizard? I curiously stared at him as he stood back up. Who is he? My eyes did a quick scan without my consent. He's cute. Nightmare's eyes flashed devilishly as he grinned, gesturing to the man sitting him back up.

"This man is Gray Ringmarc, the Lizard; MY subordinate!" He said with a haughty and sly smile, proud that he even has one. I glanced over to the man as he stared at Nightmare reprovingly.

"Nightmare, you shouldn't use guests as an excuse to slack off of work." He lightly reprimanded. I held back a guffaw. Oh wow...I'm impressed. He seems pretty on top of things.

"What? But this is my break!" Nightmare complained loudly.

"You had a break and hour earlier." Gray shot back as if expecting the response.

"Liar." Nightmare grumbled clearly not in the mood to work. "Ah! Gray, why don't you go set up a room for Jackie? It seems like she'll be staying with us for a while." Nightmare cheerfully cried as he playfully fell on my lap again. I glared at him, thoroughly annoyed at his nonchalant actions.

"Of course." The mature man took a bow before exiting the room. Hm...he seems better suited to be the owner of this estate.

"Hey! That's not nice!" Nightmare shouted with a cross frown.

"Then don't read my thoughts." I retorted, flicking him in the head, "don't you have work to do?"

"Nope~," he sang before stiffening as he overheard my thoughts. His head creaked in my direction as he held a nervous smile dreading the very dreams I've had involving him.

"Liar."

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"GREY~~~~~~~~~!" Nightmare shrieked as he cowered in his seat at his desk. "I'll do it! I'll do it! See? See?! I'm doing my work like a good boy~~~!" He screamed scanning and stamping out papers than humanly possible.

"Really? Are you sure that you're actually reading them and not just rejecting it based on the color of the title?" I noticed that every red one he gets he rejects and every other color he accepts with the exception of black and blue.

"Nightmare is everything alright?!" Gray cried as the door popped open. He perked up a little bit when he spied Nightmare at his desk, stamping and filling out papers at a very fast pace. His gorgeous yellow eyes then spied me sitting on the corner of the desk towards the door, overseeing each paper Nightmare blindly scanned. "Wha-?"

"She's a monster-!" Nightmare wailed. "Worse than Alice! So much worse than Alice-!"

"Nightmare...," Gray trailed off eyeing the stack of papers beside him.

"Yeah?" He asked with a tear in his eye, as if hoping Gray would let him off for one reason or another.

"You got all this work done in the time I went to set up her room?" He said, mighty impressed. I chuckled and gestured to myself.

"I'm a good motivator."

"Lies! All you had were threats-!"

"Not true; I said you could have a sip after forty more papers didn't I?" I said teasing him by raising his mug up high.

"Monster~~~!" Nightmare screamed collapsing on his desk, "Coffee...I need...coffee~~~~~!" I sighed and slid him the rest of the mug.

"Fine. But that's it for tonight then and I expect every one of those papers to be filled out before I wake up." I warned thinking of doing something very unpleasant to him like I had for the past month while I was forced to stay here in Wonderland.

"Cruel and unusual punishment! Why are you doing this to me?!" He demanded before flinching back at my flaring glare.

"You were the one who let Peter take me to Wonderland. Suck it up." I noted, hopping off the desk with a yawn.

"Gray! Show the little devil where her room is~~~...," Nightmare cried before thumping his head on the desk. Gray nodded and led me out, shutting the door behind him.

"That was quite amazing; I've never seen Nightmare work so hard. What were you thinking about?" He curiously questioned, excited.

"Well, I've had about a month to think of what I would do to him if I were to ever see him in person for making me come to Wonderland so you can use your imagination." I chuckled laughing at his expression. It's childish but also kind of cute in a way.

"Is that it?" He asked almost as if asking himself. I smiled as a small shuttered traveled through my limbs. Ah, I'm still very cold...I should've sat in front of the fire place some more. "You're room is here - ah, are you still cold?" He asked.

"Little bit but I'm fine, thank you." I thanked graciously with a smile. "Night." I said, waving off his concern as I entered the room. The moment the door shut a tear slipped past my guarded eyes. My things...all my things...my heart ached as my lips trembled. My feet slipped, plopping me right on the ground in shock. Everything...my brother's precious violin, my father's wrench...everything I owned and cherished is stuck at the amusement park. It's not...that I miss the things themselves. No, it was what they represented that's killing me. I promised...both my father and brother to cherish and love those things that they've given me at the expense of their life. I coughed up a choking sob as I bit my lip, fiddling with my choker containing the only picture of my brother I had.

Everything...!

GRAY'S POV

Nightmare lazily flipped through the remainder of his work stamping at a much slower rate than before. I sighed and glanced through the paperwork he had already accomplished. Impressive; he actually went through it all and completed it correctly. What an influential person Jackie is.

"Of course she is; she's the forienger, after all. One who can sway the clocks of thousands with a simple smile...," Nightmare trailed off humming to himself contently. My eyes flickered over to him, distressed by his words. What is that supposed to mean? Does he mean that underlying her exterior is someone who means harm? Nightmare immediately stiffened in shock according to my inner thoughts.

"Not at all! You misunderstand...," Nightmare huffed, "although I'm sure it will affect you too soon~ if it hasn't already," Nightmare slyly glanced over to me, making me stiffen slightly.

"Gray...where were you after you went to town?" Back in town...I looked away blocking my thoughts from him. He does not need to know the details.

"Hey! No fair~!" He complained pounding his fists onto the desk.

"Your work is done for the day; go to sleep." I dismissed him as I shut the door. Jackie...such an interesting woman. When I first saw her in town I thought of her as a savage who took down that faceless rather easily. Alice could never even dream of doing something like that. Are foreigners really that different? They have hearts - something that cannot be obtained in a world like this - and are much, much more fragile than we are. But Jackie...did not act like so.

I followed her all the way into the forest out of curiosity, startled when she darted into the forest so suddenly and smartly dropped the extra baggage. For a second I thought she had caught on and tried to run. But...a shiver ran down my spine. I nearly compromised my position by handing that root out to her when she fell into the river. I doubt she noticed though. After that I had to quickly circle back to Clover Tower and, much to my surprise, she actually came here too. Although after hearing her explanation earlier it makes sense why she would go to Julius for help. Or perhaps it was only a point reference that she was going to use?

Fear riddled my clock as I recalled her bluish tinged lips before closing the door on me. She must still be cold. I hurried to an extra closet pulling out some extra warmers. I'm sure she'll appreciate this; after all, foreigners are very fragile. But...after seeing her take that man down are they really that fragile? Or perhaps only some of them and Alice happened to be one of the weaker ones? It's interesting either way.

But the look in her eyes...my own softened just before I knocked on the door. She carried a rather fierce expression as she fought through the cold while carrying those bags. I'm sure Alice wouldn't have been able to carry even one of them. Will Jackie take it as an insult, me offering extra comforters? It always bothered Alice when I treated her with care. I faintly flushed. Motherly...I am not. My fist lightly rapped on the door.

"May I enter?" I asked aloud, waiting for her response. Hm...perhaps she is sleeping? I slowly opened the door before it thudded against something, halting my advance. I peeked around the corner spying her on the ground, blocking the door.

"Ah-!" I uttered as I slipped through the crack, immediately dropping to her side. Did the shock of the day make her heart stop?! I anxiously rested my hand over her chest, relieved to feel it thumping strong. Ah...she seems alright? The breath caught in my throat as I spied her tears streaked face and red eyes. Ah, she's been crying? I sheepishly wiped away her tears. She's going to freeze sleeping here. I gingerly picked her up using the utmost care not to jostle her awake.

"Jay...," she muttered in her sleep before she clenched her teeth. My clock jerked wildly as more tears began to stream down her face. Ah...s-she's crying in her sleep...I hastily stuck her beneath the covers, erasing the tears on her face.

I was wrong before. She acts so strong and yet she is still weak like a foreigner. I was foolish to think otherwise. My clock skipped a tick as I eyed her beautiful face. Her face, which looked so fierce before, now looked like a kitten's. So cute...I instinctively leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead.

"Sleep well." I muttered before frowning.

She's cold.

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