A smoke cloud curled from Morpheus' lips, swirling into the shape of a moth with a girl sitting on its back. It flew around the room before flying into the window and dissipating. He took another drag and closed his eyes, not daring to get too excited. Knowing how Wonderland worked made for a cautious Netherling.

But she was finally coming back. Finally, finally, finally. He couldn't get the word out of his head, it thrummed to him with every beat of his heart. After all this time, after all this blasted waiting he was going to be with Alyssa in every way possible.

A smile curled his lips and he closed his eyes and leaned back against the cushions that were surrounding him. His moths on his hat stirred so that they wouldn't get crushed. He wanted to laugh out of sheer happiness. He hadn't felt this satisfied since Alyssa told him she loved him, all those years ago.

Then again, after her declaration she had tried to kill him, but that was their relationship. Fiery. Destructive. So, so right. He dug a pocket watch out of his vest pocket and glanced at it. It didn't tell him anything about the time since time in Wonderland wasn't linear. It did, however, hold a portrait of Alyssa when she was younger, how he remembered her the most.

He stared at her lovely eyes, the waves of her hair fluttering slightly under the small dome of glass. This was one of the things he had ever begged for. Before Jeb gave up his art he had begged for this one portrait. It was in incredible likeness of Alyssa and it was one of the only things that had kept Morpheus sane after all these years. Seeing her every night in her dreams was lovely, and she had told him frequently that she loved him. But only at the end of a game, or test, or riddle.

Now that Morpheus had had a taste of what it was like to be a human, to be able to imagine… this was his one secret. That sometimes he just looked at this little alive painting of her and listened to her say "I love you," over and over again. No riddles, no games. Sometimes, only sometimes, he needed to hear her say that without him having to put up a fight for it. He had sat here for countless hours imagining her saying it in every way possible. After a fight. During a flight around Wonderland. While he was making love to her. After they put their future son to bed at night. A tender smirk formed on his lips. That baby boy was going to be so spoiled.

Nikki flew into the room in a flutter and landed on his bent knee quite sloppily. "She's coming! She's coming!"

Morpheus sucked in a deep breath and stood, a fluid movement of toned muscle, black and white silk pants and a blue velvet vest over a cotton shirt with lots of ruffles. He adjusted his hat, the moths getting to their correct places once more and slipped the watch into a pocket. He glanced around the room, making sure everything was in place before following Nikki to go meet Alyssa at the gate to Wonderland.

To meet his future.