Cause, for a time (8)
I believe the answer is:
occasion
This clue is a double definition.
'cause' is the first definition.
(I know that occasion is a type of cause)
'a time' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for occasion that I've seen before include "incident" , "instance" , "Make happen" , "Need" , "Special or formal event" .)