Checkmate || OUAT Fanfic || DISCONTINUED

Chapter 39; Deals and Bargains

"Perhaps it's impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be."

~ Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game
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Malcolm's P.O.V

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    I enter the apartment I share with my grandson only to find him rooted at the same spot I've left him in. I've been gone for two days and Peter looks like he hasn't moved an inch since I left to complete my task. His eyelids look heavy, like he hasn't slept a wink and he looks more fatigued than usual.

    I sigh, wiping the sweat from my brow. "Laddie, just because you're already dead it doesn't mean that you don't need to sleep or eat."
    "She's been having those nightmares again," Peter tells me, not looking away from the crystal ball, as if I hadn't spoken.
    "Have you had anything to eat in the past hour?" I ask, shrugging my coat off.

    "Has Hades spoken of Alice before? Anything at all?" he enquiries, ignoring my previous question.
    I think back of all the conversations I've ever had with him before shaking my head. "Not that I can recall. Why?"
    "It's just that her nightmares always show a man in fire and she can't tell if it's Anubis or Hades. And we both know what happens whenever she has a recurring dream."

    I cross my arms. "You think that Hades might know something about it."
    Peter looks down at his hands. "I can't be sure, but if there's anyone who knows something, it has to be Hades."
    Hades has been keeping me occupied with the other villains recently, maybe this is what he's been trying to keep me from finding out, I think, nodding to myself.

    "I'll talk to Mr Collins when I see him," I tell him. "He might not say anything, seeing how he's in debt to Hades, but it's worth a shot."
    "Thank you, grandfather," Peter says, looking up from his hands. "For everything."
    "You're welcome." I say, uncrossing my arms. "I'll be in the next room if you need me. Try to get some rest, okay?"

    Peter nods, placing the crystal ball back in its original place. I make my way towards the hallway, glancing over my shoulder to see him slowly getting to his feet and heading towards the Pensieve, the phial clutched tightly in his hand.
    I reach out to open the door but my hand lingers on the doorknob.

    Mr Collins is a good man. I just hope that his sense of morality is stronger than his urge to protect his family. I shake my head. I doubt it. Even I wouldn't give up my family's safety for a complete stranger, no matter how desperate or weak they seem to be.

   I'm about to leave the room when my eyes land on the crystal ball. I stare at it for awhile, an idea forming in my head. I walk over to it and pick it up. "I think I've just found a way to assure that Jacob will tell me what I want."

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Alice's P.O.V

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    "Ready to go?"
    "I don't think I'll be going," I reply, not looking up from the book.
    "Alice, for goodness's sake!" she exclaims, exasperated. "You've had your nose stuck in that dusty book all day, don't you think it's time to give yourself a break?"
    "I have to figure this out, Tia," I say. I have to know why I've been having all these dreams.

    I look at her just as she throws her hands up in the air in frustration. "Emma erased our memories of Camelot so we can't be sure if Jerome is still out there. And I hate not knowing things. It unnerves me."
    "It's just two hours, Alice. If you're not going to do it for yourself then do it Cassie and the twins," she tells me. "We can sort out the problem later."