Đọc truyện Checkmate || OUAT Fanfic || DISCONTINUED

Chapter 24; Little Do You Know

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"That's the power of people, I suppose

Every other thing in your life could be going on perfectly to plan

But if you are missing somebody,

It's hell."

~ Beau Taplin // H e l l

Alice's P.O.V

I take a deep breath and hold it in for five seconds before breathing it out. I repeat those steps again. And again. And again. And again. Until I've finally calmed back down again. I exhale heavily before opening my eyes and leaning against the headrest.
Why? Why did this have to happen to me? I just lost my baby boy, and knowing that he isn't the only one I've lost- Knowing that he isn't the only one is much worse.

I feel like I've betrayed Peter. Like- Like I've abandoned him. I promised him I'd never forget about him or move on. But I did. I did just that and I even told him to leave me alone when all he's been doing is trying to get me to remember our past. Tears slide down my cheeks when I think about all the times I've pushed him away when he tried to contact me. All the times that I shouted at him and told him to leave me alone.

The memories of all the times he visited me in my sleep flashes in my mind and I'm not fast enough to prevent them from replaying in my mind. The first memory that appears is a time Peter visited me in my dreams. It was the tenth time that he'd visited me that month, back when he thought that I'd get my memories back on my own.

It was also around the time when I thought it was just a silly dream and that the boy who visited me was a figment of my imagination...

"Alice," his face lights up when he sees me. "You're back."
"I am," I reply lazily.
"How- How are you?" he asks, a hopeful look on his face.
"I still don't know who you are if that's what you're asking."
The hopeful look disappears and is replaced with a crestfallen one. "Oh."
"W-Well how are you?" He repeats, walking past the counter and making his way towards me.

"How are our- y-your sons?"
"They're good. The twins are enjoying school and I've been talking Cassie to my workplace when Tia isn't available to babysit."
"How's-" he swallows as if what he's about to ask me physically hurts him. "How's Ray?"
"He's great. We're going to be celebrating our one year anniversary soon."

"That's- That's brilliant," he replies.
The room slowly begins to fade and his smile drops.
"You're waking up."
"Seems like it," I reply, emotionless.
"Will I see you again?" He asks.
"I don't know," I reply. "You're the one who's haunting me in my sleep."
He flashes me another pained look. "I wasn't aware that my presence was a nuisance to you."

The memory fades before I manage to reply to him and another one immediately replaces it. This memory is a more recent one. I wasn't in a particularly good mood and Peter wasn't really helping. My heart aches when I recall the words I said to him that day...

"Alice, it's me. Peter. Don't you remember me?" he asks, taking my hands in his when I don't reply.
"I'm your soulmate," he continues. "We love each other. I was going to build a new home for us to raise our baby boy together. We were going to-"
"Stop it!" I yell, snatching my hands away from him. "I don't know you are, but I know that you're definitely not my soulmate. I have a boyfriend and I'm very happy with him."

"I don't care who you say you are or what role you have in my life! I don't love you and I don't ever want to see you again!"
"Y-You don't mean that," he says, his lower lip trembling. "You love me."
"Just leave me alone! I hate you!"
Just leave me alone. I hate you.
Leave me alone. I hate you.
I hate you.
I hate you...

I let out a strangled cry as the words I said to him echo in my mind.
I'm so sorry, Peter. I didn't mean any of that, I swear. Please come back to me. I need you. There's no part of me that could ever hate you. I wish things turned out differently. It should've been me. It should've been me who was killed by Rumpelstiltskin. It should've been me who was taken, not Cassie. He's too young, and he's probably scared and alone right now.

"Peter, come back to me," I cry."Please."

Peter's P.O.V

I love you.

I pull myself out of the pensieve, wiping away the tears that cloud my vision. My fingers dart to the phial on my neck, curling around the chain that attaches it to my neck as I sink to the floor. I lean against the pensieve, letting my mind wander to the nicer memories I share with Alice. Malcolm tells me that I should stop torturing myself by thinking of what would've happened if I hadn't died but it's not something I can just stop doing.

I had stopped eating and getting enough sleep again so Malcolm tried to fix the problem by giving me the pensieve. At first I was rather confused when he showed it to me but then he explained that it was an object which allowed the user to view memories. You can imagine how shocked I was when I found out as it was an extremely rare item to find and it was even harder to make but Malcolm had somehow managed to come across it a few days ago.

He presented it to me after he came back from his daily appointment with Hades. He also gave me a few phials containing some memories of Alice. How he managed to get his hands on them I had no idea, but I didn't ask any questions. I just thanked him profusely and chose to view the memories of me confessing my love to Alice.

I kept all my memories of her in different phials for me to view but I kept that particular memory with me by attaching it to a chain that I wear around my neck. I've never removed the phial in all the time that I've had it and I can't imagine what I'd do if I'd ever lost that memory, which is why I keep it with me at all times.

I hate you.

My body racks with painful sobs as a image of Alice shouting that she hated me appears in my mind. I've been having that nightmare every night since she said that and my heart always breaks a bit when I hear it again. And every time I have that nightmare I go to the pensieve to view the nicer memories I have of Alice. I clutch the phial around my neck like it's my lifeline and like I'd die in an instant if I let go of it.

The phial is hot in my hand. Not too hot where it's painful to hold or too tepid where it isn't noticeable, it's just... Warm. But I don't mind the temperature, for it reminds me that I have someone out there who loves me, even if she doesn't remember. I hope Cassie and the twins are happy. I hope Ray's been treating them well and spoiling Cassie because he deserves it.

I hope I was wrong about Jerome and Andrew and that Hunter will somehow manage to control them. I hope that Cassie knows that his daddy loves him, and that he doesn't need to be scared of anything because I'll drag whoever tries to hurt him to the depths hell with me of they touched him. I hope that Alice and Ray managed to get him to come out of his shell for good and that Cassie has the confidence that I prayed that he'd get back.

The time I managed to get Cassie to speak with is stutter was probably one of my biggest accomplishments. I can still remember how ecstatic I was when Cassie started talking again and how surprised I was when I saw that it was Alice who made him come out of his shell. I close my eyes, smiling as I relive the memory of that day.

"Felix."
The said boy stops his lesson and looks up at the sound of my voice. I wait until he makes eye contact with me before jerking my head to the side, signalling that he send Cassie over. Felix bends down, gesturing for the toddler to walk towards me. Cassie looks at the direction that Felix is pointing at before breaking into a smile and making his way over to me.

My face softens when he approaches me and I place my hand on his shoulder, guiding him away from the crowd of lost boys training. I keep my pace slow so that Cassie doesn't have to strain himself to catch up with me.
"How do you find Neverland so far, Cassie? Do you like it here?" I ask once we're out of earshot.
Cassie nods, giving me a meek smile. I slow down, kneeling in front of the toddler so that we're face to face.

My eyes dart to his face, taking in his features. He's gotten much better since I brought him here and he's even warmed up to the twins, following them around all the time like a lost puppy. I feel a sense pride seeing that some light has come back in the toddler's eyes and that he does not look malnourished anymore.
"Cassie, what do I always tell you?" I ask, my tone gentle.

He doesn't reply. Instead he looks away like I'd shouted at him. I place my hand on his shoulder, waiting until he meets my gaze before continuing.
"You're safe here, Cassie," I repeat for what must've been the hundredth time since I brought him here. "There are people who love you here and you won't ever have to worry about anything or anyone hurting you because no one's going to touch you as long as I'm alive."

Cassie smiles at me. And it's not like the other shy smiles he always has, it's a toothy smile that reaches his eyes. Like he's finally realized that he's found a family who'll cherish him and protect him.
He then wraps his little arms around my waist and hugs me. "T'wank you, dada."
I flinch back at the psychical contact, not expecting him to hug me.

Dada? He thinks of me as a parental figure? I smile at the thought, hugging him back as I do so.
"Anytime, my prince," I reply when we finally pull back.
Cassie smiles at the title I gave him. "Cwan you twake mwe two twhe bweach pwease? I wanna swee twhe fishies."
I stand up, smiling at his adorableness. "Of course."

Cassie slips his little hand in mine, and I make sure I'm not going to fast because I know that his little legs can't keep up with the strides my long legs make.
"I love you, dada," Cassie says abruptly.
I almost stop at his words as they remind me of the time I used to say that to my mother as a child. If only she could see me now, she'd be so proud.

My smile widens at the thought and I turn to face the toddler. "I love you too, Cassie."

I bring my knees up to my chest, hugging my legs. I had accepted the fact that Alice has forgotten me but after seeing all the memories of us in the pensieve, I refuse to believe that she's moved on just like that. It'll take more than a simple curse to permanently erase our love. Or for it to completely erase me from Cassie's life.

"Peter?"
I look up at the sound of my grandfather's voice. He stands by the entrance of the room, looking for me.
I stand up as Malcolm approaches me. "You're right, Grandfather."
"Right about what?" He asks, setting his leather satchel down on the bed.
"You're right about Alice and I," I continue. "This can't be how our story ends. I will find a way back to them, and free you from this prison."

"You'll be able to find your way back to Alice, but I'm afraid that you won't be able to get me out, laddie," he says, sounding heartbroken. "That's not how my story ends. I can't leave the underworld, you'll be breaking not only Hades's rules but The Date's rules if you try to take me with you."
"Any rule can be broken," I state. "I mean, we managed to cheat death. Twice. There has to be a way."

Malcolm offers me a rueful smile. "Perhaps."
"Then I will find it," I state. "I will find a way."
I glance at the glass case -that displays all the phials containing all my memories of Alice, the twins and Cassie- before looking back at my grandfather. "I believe."

Okay, before you guys blow up the comments I'm just gonna say that I know that Alice was/is such a bitch in the past few chapters but just keep in mind that she had no idea who Peter was. He was just some guy who haunted her for two years and in her defence (and mine) she was pretty freaked out. I mean, anyone would've been, imagine someone haunting you for two years.

Let's be real, we wouldn't complain if Robbie or Peter haunted us but you know what I'm talkin' about. Anyways, the next chapter will be a filter chapter because I have no idea how to join it with the next one so I apologize in advance if it's too short and if it sucks. I originally planned on making this a sad/depressing chapter but I couldn't think of a good way to end it so I made decided to end it on a happy note.

And I'm sorry I didn't update this chapter sooner, I was having writer's block and studying for my exams.

This paragraph is just gonna be me fangirling so feel free to skip this.

HAVE YOU GUYS WATCHED TATINOF MOVIE YET? I'VE WATCHED IT TWICE AND IT GAVE ME THE FEELS I NEED SOMEONE TO FANGIRL WITH RN LIKE DM ME IF YOU NEED SOMEONE TO FANGIRL WITH (DON'T WORRY I DON'T BITE) BC I'M ALL ALONE AND I DON'T WANNA SPOIL IT FOR EVERYONE OH, OH, BEFORE I FORGET, HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE TRAILER FOR COLD MOON?!

ROBBIE LOOKED SO HAWT IN THE TRAILER LIKE 😍😍😍 IDGAF THAT IT'S A HORROR MOVIE, I'M GONNA FORCE MYSELF (AND MY BFF BC MORAL SUPPORT) TO WATCH IT I'M PROBS GONNA GET A HEART ATTACK IN THE CINEMA SO IF I END UP BEING INACTIVE FOR AWHILE I'M PROBABLY DEAD (JK) OKAY THAT'S ALL FOR THIS A/N BYE GUYS

~ Alice xx

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