Checkmate || OUAT Fanfic || DISCONTINUED

Chapter 9; Awkward Much

"But those with shattered souls find it very difficult to speak."

~ Elizabeth Smart, My Story

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Peter's P.O.V (In The Underworld)

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    I smile, watching as Alice falls asleep on the couch, a book in her hand. A beam of moonlight shines through the glass windows, the only source of light the living room. A gentle breeze makes its way into the house through one of the open windows, blowing the hair out of Alice's face. She scrunches up her nose as the cold air hits her. Yawning, Alice curls into a fetal position, clutching the book against her chest.

    The sound of shuffling nearby causes me to look across the room and I spot Cassie standing by the staircase, dressed in a light blue onesie.
    "Mummy?" he calls out, rubbing his eyes with his little fists.
    My heart breaks at the sight of my little boy. He's aged in the past two years. He's grown taller and his hair is longer now.

    He doesn't remember me either, meaning the only father figure in his life is Ray. The only thing hasn't changed is the innocence in his eyes. His childish spirit hasn't been broken down by the evils of the world yet, which is a relief, but he's still grown up a little. I can't belive missed two years of his childhood and my absence went unnoticed through those painful years. Those thoughts hit me like a blow to the chest.

    Shaking my head, I watch as Cassie makes his way over to the couch where Alice's sleeping form lies. "Mummy?"
    Alice remains unresponsive, clearly exhausted. I glance at the clock hanging on the wall, the time displayed is one in the morning. Cassie slowly makes his way back to his room before coming back down the stairs with a blanket in his little hands.

    My heart melts as Cassie throws the blanket over Alice, making sure that she stays warm.
    The toddler pecks her on the cheeks. "Goodnight, mummy."
    I don't realize that I'm crying until Malcolm places his hand on my shoulder, staring at me with a concerned look on his face. That's the only look I get from him nowadays. Looks of concern and sorrow.

    "Peter, please talk to me," he begs. "You haven't said a word since you started checking up on Alice again."
    "I was stupid to stop," I say, placing the crystal ball back on its stand.
    "Peter-" Malcolm begins.
    "Tonight is another night when I'll dream of her again," I say, cutting him off. "And I'll wake up tomorrow with the memory of the dream. The sight of her beautiful face etched in my mind, taunting me."

    "Peter, you-"
    "I'm a memory that she'll never remember." I cut him off yet again. "And I feel so lonely without her."
    "Peter, you can't keep doing this to yourself," Malcolm says. "Stop torturing yourself with the memories of the past and things you can't change. Maybe she'll remember you one day."

    "Would anything change if she knew?" I ask, tasting salt in my mouth. "I can't make her love me again. My heart belongs to her, but hers belongs to him." I wipe the tears from my face. "Her mind was a library and I wanted to read all its books until I realized that they were all about him and not of me."
    "If it's meant to be, it will be," Malcolm tells me.

    "Then, I guess I'm not meant to be loved," I say. "I guess I wasn't put on his earth to be someone's happy ending."
    "Don't say that," Malcolm scolds.
    "Why? It's true."
    "You don't know that," he argues. "The two of you went your separate ways, but that doesn't mean that your paths won't cross again. This isn't the end of your story, it's just a chapter. The next chapter of your story will be better, I promise."

    "How do you know?" I ask.
    "Because of Rumpelstiltskin."
    "He killed you," I state. "He's the reason why we're here in the first place."
    Malcolm shake a his head. "That's not what I meant."
    "Then what did you mean?"
    "Your father may have killed me and left me trapped on that island, but it wasn't so bad because he banished you on Neverland soon afterwards."