"Whoa."

Time tried to keep his expression neutral, but seeing Alice's wide eyes and gaping mouth made the corners of his mouth twitch. He couldn't help but watch as she gazed about in utter awe at the world around her-

Nowhere.

"So this is your home?" she asked, batting her hand about as if trying to catch the swirling clouds of white and purple that made up the "walls" and "floors."

"I wouldn't call it a home, exactly," he said, leaning his walking stick against one of the walls.

She stared at it in disbelief, and Time followed her gaze. Amusement forced a smile on his face. Having lived in this place for longer than he knew, the charm had worn off. But seeing it from her eyes was like seeing it for the first time. Nowhere was not like the physical world. The "walls" and "floors" looked like an endless purple sky. But they were, in fact, solid, with hidden drawers and the like. So the look of amazement on her face at seeing his walking stick seemingly float in the middle of the strange place delighted him more than he thought it would.

"It's my office," he continued.

"Office? That doesn't sound very cheery."

"Why would it need to be cheery?"

She shrugged. "It's where you spend most of your time, right? Wouldn't you want it to be cheery and homey?"

Giving a soft laugh, he shook his head. Cheery? Homey? These were words that described a normal life. The life of someone who could age and grow and fall in love and start a family and die naturally. None of which applied to him.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, it's just..." He glanced up at her curious gaze and felt a strange warmth in his chest. "Nevermind. You can call it my home if you'd like."

He turned back to one of the walls, counting the drawers as he slowly paced the length of it.

"So are we still in Wonderland?" Alice asked as she chased after him.

"Not really."

Running her hand along the wall, she startled when she realized there were drawers. "Then where are we?" she asked as she opened one and began rifling through it.

Time turned to her and scowled at her nosiness. "I call it Nowhere."

With her eyes focused on the contents of the drawer, she asked, "Nowhere? Why Nowhere?"

He sighed and walked back to her. Sliding the drawer shut with a loud bang, he raised a disapproving eyebrow. "Did your parents teach you no manners?"

Shrugging, she flashed him an irresistibly innocent smile. "I was raised by thieves, what do you want?"

With a sigh, he returned to pacing the wall and counting the drawers. "I call it Nowhere because that's where we are: nowhere. This isn't a physical place."

"Then what is it?"

He fumbled for an explanation, but it wasn't all that simple. How did he put into words something he had never actually learned but had known since he could remember?

"I suppose the simplest way to put it is that this is the stream of time," he said at last.

She looked about with a new wonder. "The stream of time? Huh."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "What?"

Shrugging, she crossed her arms and scrunched up her lips. "Oh, nothing, I just thought, you know, the stream of time would be more...streamy."

"Streamy?" he repeated as he knit his brows together.

"Yeah, like a stream. Water or whatever. I wasn't expecting swirls of clouds. Especially not purple clouds."

She said "purple" in such a way that Time almost felt like she was insulting him. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the drawers. "Yes, well, the decor was not my choice. It was like this when I arrived."

"And when was that?"

"I have no idea, but I assume it was many, many years ago."

"Really? You don't look much older than me. How old are you?"

"I don't know."

"Pfft, please, you're not one of those vain men who refuses to divulge his age, are you?"

Suddenly feeling defensive, Time turned to her and crossed his arms, mimicking her own stance. "No, I'm not. I simply do not know."

Her expression softened, and her eyes lit up with curiosity. "You don't know? How is that possible?"

"It's just part of becoming Time."

"So you haven't always been Time?"

"No."

"Who were you before?"

"I have no idea."

"That's so weird. You seriously don't remember anything from before you became Time?"

He sighed. "No, I do not."

"You could have an entire life that you don't even know about. Doesn't that drive you mad?"

"I try not to dwell on it too much."

"So were you trained or something? Did you have to go to a special school?"

Her barrage of questions was making his head spin as he tried to think of ways to explain it all to her. For him, it was simply a matter of acceptance. His first memory was of being in Nowhere with a list of rules already impressed into his mind. There was no wondering, no worrying. He was Time. And that's all there was to it.

Turning his eyes to her, he took a deep breath. "You ask a lot of questions."

She shrugged. "You don't give many satisfying answers."

"Then why don't we end this uncomfortable conversation and move onto other things."

He pulled open a drawer and reached inside.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" she asked, rising onto her toes in an attempt to peer into the drawer.

He slammed it shut, making her jump. "No, you're giving me a headache. Now take this and I'll send you home."

She shook her head. "But I don't want to go home, so why would I—oh. Oh, my. What is this?"

Her attention was caught by the trinket in his hand. His mouth quirked up into a lopsided grin as he watched her stoop down to admire it.

"A gift," he said, handing it to her.

Her eyes widened. "For me?"

"Yes. Since you insist on being so reckless, I thought this would save me a lot of trouble when it comes to rescuing you."

Scoffing, she shook her head. "I do not need rescuing." Still, she continued to gaze down at the gift.

It was a pocket watch attached to a long chain. It resembled a small ribcage made of brass. The ticking hands could be seen through the spaces between the ribs, and as Alice popped it open to examine the inside, Time couldn't help but blush when she caught sight of the A carved into the left side where the heart should have been.

"This is beautiful," she whispered. She looked up at him. "Did you make it?"

He nodded. "Yes, what sort of a keeper of time would I be if I didn't know how to make a simple watch? Although, to be honest, it really isn't all that simple."

Taking the watch from her, he turned it over in his hand and pointed to a protruding ring at the top. "See this?" He pulled it out to reveal a tiny key. "If you pull it out and then snap it back into place, you can freeze time for one minute."

Alice inhaled sharply. "It can manipulate time?"

"For one minute. And only every five minutes."

"Why one and five?"

"Because I know it will only take you one minute to get out of trouble and five minutes to get back into it."

Biting her lip, she smiled up at him. "You really have been watching me, haven't you?"

Time swallowed hard and cleared his throat as he turned away. "Well, I'd best send you home. Though not stated specifically, I'm quite certain having people here in Nowhere is against the rules."

"Wait."

She grabbed hold of his arm, and her touch sent electricity through him. Clenching his fists, he turned back to her, trying so hard to keep his expression calm. But one look at her pleading eyes sent his heart galloping.

"How can I see you again?" she asked.

He blinked. "You want to see me again?"

"Yes. You're the most interesting person I've ever met."

"I don't—"

"What, is it against the rules for you to have friends?"

Friends. He'd never had a friend. At least not since becoming Time. His was a lonely existence, but it was what he had come to accept. He knew he had to be content with just watching the lives of others from afar, never hoping for companionship or even conversation. This was the first time he had ever interacted with someone. And now she wanted to be his friend?

"It's not stated in the rules, but-"

"Please, let me see you again. You can't just bring me to this impossible place and give me this remarkable gift and then not expect me to want to see you again. There has to be a way. Please?"

She batted her eyes at him, and it only made his heart pound harder. It wasn't explicitly forbidden for him to bring others here, but he knew in the back of his head that it wasn't something the powers that be would be all that pleased with. But he couldn't deny that he wanted her to come back just as much as she did.

Letting out a long breath, he averted his eyes and adjusted his cuffs. "You know the End of Days Clock Tower, yes?"

"Yes. In Hickory Dickory. It's right near my tribe's camp."

"Right. So if you wish to see me, go the clock tower and knock four times. A doorknob will appear, and if you pull it open and go inside, you'll end up here."

She gasped. "Are you serious? I didn't know it was really a portal to Nowhere. I mean, I heard rumors it was where you lived, but-"

"It's not a portal. Well, not to anyone else. Only you. Now. I just thought it might be humorous to give some merit to the rumors."

He dared to turn his eyes to her, and his heart fluttered at the sight of her soft smile. "Not only did you give me a time-stopping watch, but you even made me my own portal? I've never been so honored."

Swallowing hard, he scratched the back of his head. "Yes, well, you probably should be getting back now. I have work to do."

With an exaggerated sigh, Alice rolled her head and dropped her shoulders. "Fine, fine, I get it. I'll go."

Pulling at a spot in the swirling, purple clouds, Time opened a door. Alice peered into the black void on the other side and then looked back at him, one eyebrow raised.

"I promise it's safe," he said. "It will send you back to the forest."

Tucking the watch into her pocket, Alice clasped her hands behind her back and leaned in towards him. "Thank you for the watch. And for the portal. I hope you know I'll be using both quite often."

Time watched as she spun on her heel and stepped through the door without a moment's hesitation, disappearing into the blackness. He pushed the door shut, and it faded into the wall as if it had never been there. Releasing a long breath, he pulled up a scene of Alice landing gracefully in the middle of the forest. She looked about for a moment before taking out the pocket watch and smiling.

Unable to hold back a smile of his own, he muttered, "I certainly hope you do."