At present there's a gap between V and X (3)
I believe the answer is:
now
'at present' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'a gap between v and x' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ow' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'there's' is the link.
(Other definitions for now that I've seen before include "At the present time" , "straight away" , "At this moment in time" , "The present moment" , "At present, this instant" .)