The Clock Maker rarely left his tower. He had no reason to. His job was considered sinful and he had no friends that required his constant attention; Alice was the only exception to that. But on this night, he had left the sanctuary of his tower in the dead of night to answer the summons for his presence. He gripped his wrench tighter in annoyance at being forced to wait and stay away from the clocks that still needed to be repaired. He sighed and sat on a large boulder just outside the Clock Tower. "Why has she requested to see me?" He thought out loud to himself.

Julius froze as he sensed the presence of another stepping closer to the tower. He stood when he realized it was her and waited patiently for the old woman to stand before him. Her walk was slow and impaired from an old leg wound. Her brown cloak and hood hid her face in shadows and covered the green silk dress Julius knew was beneath it. When she was at last close enough to speak with him, but far enough away to avoid a hit from anything other than his gun, she raised her head, poisonous green eyes glaring at him.

Julius didn't move the wind softly blew toward him, brushing his hair out of his face. Finally his normally controlled temper snapped. "What do you want Snake Witch?" He said with thinly slit silver eyes. He felt he knew, but he prayed it wasn't.

"You know why. Where is she?" The woman hissed, a long red forked tongue flicking out then quickly retreating back into her mouth.

"I don't know who you're talking about." He said with a bored monotone voice.

"Yes you do," She snapped. "The Outsider, where is she?" She hissed angrily.

Julius gave a small smile to himself and answered her. "She's not here."

"Yes she is," The woman hissed in frustration. "I can smell her. Where is she?" Her tongue flicked again in agitation.

"I told you, she's not here." He said knowing that annoying the Snake Witch was a dangerous thing. "She's in a different territory."

"But her scent is heaviest here, she is here right now, I know it. I can feel her heat as she sleeps; I can hear her heart beat in a peaceful rhythm and it is driving my thirst over the edge." Her tongue flicked out with more vigor now. "Give her to me." She seethed and took a step closer. Julius changed the wrench into a gun and raised it, stopping the witch mid step.

"Take another step onto my territory and I will put a bullet in your brain." He threatened, all too aware that the threat was empty; his was neutral territory, there was no killing allowed. To his mild surprise the woman began to laugh and threw back her head, the hood fell back to reveal the wrinkled and sickly face and grey hair of the Snake Witch.

"Protective, are we Julius Monrey? My how she's changed you." She chuckled. "Give her to me and I can easily solve that."

"No," he said firmly. "I'm not letting you get your filthy clawed hands on this one. You will not have her."

"I will, Mortician," She spat, "One way or another I will have her and my reign shall continue." With that she turned and left the blue haired man alone outside the tower.

"It's worth it." He reminded himself and returned the wrench to its original state and walked up the stairs into the tower and back to his work. But first, he needed to check on Alice. Luckily, nothing had happened to her in his absence. He double checked the windows and cursed under his breath. The blasted woman never remembered to close and lock them. With that done he left the room and used the master key to lock the door, she would be able to get out on her own in the morning because it also locked and unlocked from the inside and the Snake Witch never entered the Country of Hearts in the day. For now, she was safe. He just hoped it would stay that way.