"Their love was strong but the timing was wrong and fate decided that they don't belong."

~ @poets // Instagram

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Alice's P.O.V

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    I struggle to move my legs, but they don't budge an inch.
    Damn, it. And I thought Peter's magic wasn't supposed to work on me the same way.
    I let out a frustrated groan when I realize that my actions are futile. My eyes dart to Mr Gold, who's turned to face Neal.
    "I used the curse to find you, Bae, to tell you I made a mistake," Gold says.

    "To make sure you had a chance at happiness."
    Peter scoffs at those words, no doubt hiding the pain which is obvious in his eyes.
    But Gold ignores him, continuing with his speach. "And that happiness is possible. Just not with me. I accept that."
    "Pretty, pretty words," Peter interrupts, chucking.

    He appears uncaring, but I know that deep, deep down, he hopes that he'd have a father who'd care for him. Peter grew up without a father and Rumpelstiltskin only made it worse by killing his mother and banishing him on Neverland. But it was on Neverland where Peter managed to meet his grandfather, Malcolm, who soon became a father figure to him.

    "I love you, Bae," Mr Gold says, he then turns to face the brunette standing next to him. "And I love you, Belle, you made me stronger."
    "Stronger, yes. But still, no magic," Peter points out.
    "Oh, but I don't need it," Mr Gold says. "You see, you may have lost your shadow, but there's one thing you're forgetting."
    "And what's that?" Peter asks.

    "So have I," his father replies, triumphantly. "I sent it away with something to hide."
    Mr Gold then raises his hand in the air, summoning his shadow. The spirit immediately appears, handing Rumpelstiltskin's dagger back to him. The shadow, now finished with it's purpose, goes back into Mr Gold's body, becoming one with him again.

    Gold then forcibly grabs Peter, holding his son against himself. Peter cries out as Gold does so.
    "What are you doing?!" he cries out, struggling to get out of his father's grip.
    "You see, the only way for you to die, is if we both die," his father tells him. "And now... Now, I'm ready."

    "Peter!" I scream as Rumpelstiltskin stabs Peter in the back with the dagger, impaling himself in the process. "NO!"
    Peter cries out in pain as the dagger is pushed further into him, but Mr Gold remains unfazed. I hold Cassie closer against my chest and tears trickle down my face as Peter continues crying out in pain.

    A cloud of black smoke appears, engulfing the two of them and an old man appears in Peter's place when the smoke disappears.
    Malcolm.
    The old man wheezes, willing his old and frail body to remain standing.
    "Hello, papa," Rumpelstiltskin greets.
    Only at that moment does Peter reappear on the ground, a few centimeters away from them.

    The spell he cast on me earlier wears off as he repears. I bolt towards him, placing Cassie on the ground next to us. I drop to my knees, seeing the blood pouring out of his chest. "No, no, no, no, no."
    Peter grabs my hand, lacing my fingers with his. "Shhh, i-it's a-a-alright, love. It i-i-isn't as b-bad as it l-l-looks. I-It doesn't e-even h-hurt."

    I pull him on my lap, cradling him. "No. No, I just got you back. You- You can't leave me, not again."
    Peter wipes away my tears away with his thumb. "I love y-you. D-D-Don't forget m-m-me."
    "Never," I promise, stroking his hair.
    Cassie steps out from behind me. "Dada?"
    "H-Hey, son," Peter greats, weakly.

    Cassie's big, colourful eyes gleam with tears as he looks up at Peter. "Ywo're weaving wus awgain?"
    "N-No. I'll a-always be with y-y-you. I-I-In here," Peter says, placing his hand over Cassie's heart.
    "Bwut ai dwon't want wou two gwo," Cassie cries.
    "I-I have t-to," Peter replies. "I'm g-gonna n-n-need you to t-take care of m-mama while I'm g-g-gone, do you think y-you can do t-that for me, C-Cassie?"

    Cassie nods, burying his head in Peter's bloody chest. Peter squeezes my hand, seeing how I'm barely coping with this.
    "Take c-care of yourself, a-alright?" he tells me.
    I nod, not trusting myself to speak, but Peter won't have that.
    "No," he says, shaking his head, feebly. "I w-want to h-h-hear your v-voice. I want i-it to be the l-l-last thing I h-hear."

    "I will," I say, squeezing his hand back, it's all I can do not to break down on the spot.
    "Promise me something," I say. "Promise me that if you get to elysium before I do you, you won't give up for me."
    "I-I won't," he promises.
    "I'll meet you when I'm done here," I say. "But I don't know how long I'll be."

    "But I'm not gonna let you down, daring, wait and see. And between now and then, until I see you again I'll be loving you as you loved me."
    "You always were a person who loved to use songs to describe their emotions," Peter says, giving me a weak smile.
    I give him one last kiss, tasting salt.

    "Look at them," Malcolm says to Mr Gold. "Are you really going to ruin your their happy ending?"
    Mr Gold remains silent.
    "Rumple, please," Malcolm begs. "You can stop of this. Remove the dagger. We can start over."
    He smiles convincingly. "We can have a happy ending. Our family will finally be whole."

    "Oh, but I'm a villain," Rumpelstiltskin says. "And villains don't get happy endings."
    He turns to look at me. "I'm sorry, Alice, but it's for the greater good."
    I tighten my hold on Peter as Gold proceeds to twist the dagger deeper into their wounds, causing both Malcolm and Peter to cry out in agony. A golden light begins coming out from the dagger, getting brighter by the second.

    "P-Promise m-m-me you'll move o-on," Peter demands. "T-T-That you'll f-find a w-way to be h-happy again."
    "I can't," I say, honestly.
    "Y-You have to. D-D-Don't l-let me b-be the r-r-reason y-you build your w-walls up. Promise me," Peter repeats.
    "I p-promise," I say, shakily.

    Malcolm stops resisting as he knows that their death is inevitable. He closes his eyes as his son kisses his cheek, their legs slowly giving way.
    Peter squeezes my hand as blood rapidly pours out of the wound in his chest. "I-I love you."
    "I love you, too," I cry, tears trickling down my cheeks.

    I close my eyes as the blinding light continues to grow brighter, engulfing the five of us. The light goes away in a second, taking the family of three with it. I open my eyes, unable to feel Peter's body in my arms anymore. I watch as the scroll falls onto the ground where they were previously standing, the only proof of their existence. The crowd us glows red as the freezing spell wears off.

    They all stare at the spot where the father, son, and grandson once stood in shock. My eyes are blurry with tears as the boys run towards me. Will takes Cassie in his arms, comforting the toddler as Ray holds me in his arms. Lewis and Ray are saying something to me but I'm too far away to hear it. I stare blankly as Belle covers her mouth with her hands, her knees giving way.

    You know that sick feeling when you can actually feel the pain in your chest from seeing or hearing something that really breaks your heart? Yeah, that's what I'm feeling right now. And the grief is eating me alive. It feels like Peter took a piece of my heart with his when he left. A hole that will never be filled.
    "No... Rumple! He's- he's gone!" Belle cries.

    The adults look at Belle and I, casting each other worried glances. Regina bends down, pickling the scroll up from the ground.
    "Regina?" Mary Margaret calls out, seeing the look on her face. "You okay?"
    "I'm fine," she says unconvincingly as she gets to her feet.
    Emma moves to Neal, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

    "My father did what he had to do. He saved us. Regina don't let those deaths be for nothing," Neal says.
    "Regina?" he repeats her name when she doesn't respond.
    The raven haired woman shakes her head. "What?"
    "We're here for a reason, love," Hook says. "Pan."
    "Is dead," she replies.

    The boys glare at her for being so insensitive but she doesn't notice.
    "His curse remains," Hook says. "Can you stop it, or shall we all start preparing our souls 'cause mine is gonna take some time."
    "It's here!" Leroy shouts as if on cue as he runs towards us. "It's here! The curse, it's here! It's coming from all sides! There's no escape."

    Ray helps me to my feet as Neal hugs Henry.
    "It's not too late, we can still stop it, right?" David asks. "Regina?"
    The Evil Queen turns to face him. "Yes. Yes."
    "Wha- What's the price?" Emma asks her. "Gold said there was a price. What's our price?"
    "It's not our price," Regina says, turning to face them. "It's mine."

    "What are you talking about?" Emma asks.
    "It's what I felt when I... First held it," Regina says. "I have to say goodbye to the thing I love most."
    Emma turns around to see her son walking towards her. She places her arm around his shoulder, casting Regina a questioning look. "Henry?"
    "I can never see him again," Regina says. "I have no choice. I have to undo what I started."

    "The curse that brought us to Storybrooke?" Mary Margaret asks.
    "That created Storybrooke," Regina corrects her. "It doesn't belong here, and neither do any of us."
    "Breaking the curse destroys the town," David says in realisation.
    "It will wink out of existence as if it were never here. And everyone will go back to where they're from. Prevented from ever returning."

    "We'll go back to the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asks.
    "All of us. Except Henry. He will stay here because he was born here," Regina says sadly.
    "Alone?" Emma asks, worriedly.
    "No," Regina says. "You will take him. Because you're the savior. And you were created to break the curse. And once again, you can escape it."

    "Both you and those who were born here," she says, glancing at me.
    "I-I don't want to. We'll both go back with everyone," Emma says, holding onto Henry.
    "That's not an option," Regina says, sadly. "I can't be with him. If I don't pay the price, none of this will work."
    Thunder sounds near in the distance as the green smoke draws closer to the town.

    "Emma, you have to go," Mary Margaret tells her daughter.
    "I just found you," Emma replies.
    Mary Margaret smiles at her daughter sadly. "And now it's time for you to leave us again. For your best chance. For his."
    "No. N-no. I'm-I'm not... done," Emma protests. "I'm the savior, right? I'm supposed to bring back all the happy endings. That's what Henry always said."

    Mary Margaret smiles at her daughter. "Happy endings aren't always what we think they will be. Look around you. You've touched the lives of everyone here."
    "But we're a family," Emma says sadly.
    "Yes, and we always will be," Mary Margaret assures her. "You gave us that."

    "You and Henry can be a family. You can get your wish," David says. "You can be like everyone else. You can be happy."
    "It's time to believe in yourself, Emma. There's time for you to find hope," Mary Margaret adds.

    Regina turns to face Emma. "I've known you for some time and all I wanted was for you to get the hell out of my life so I can be with my son. But really..." She pauses, her voice breaking. "What I want is for Henry to be happy. We have no choice. You have to go."
    "Okay," Emma replies, reluctantly.

****

    I stand beside the boys as the citizens of Storybrooke and some of the Lost Boys gather around the Storybrooke sign, where a yellow bug and a blue Volkswagen are parked. I watch as Regina hesitantly makes her way towards Emma.
    "There's something I haven't told you," she says.
    "What now?" Emma asks, tired.

    "When the curse washes over us, it will send us all back. Nothing will be left behind. Including your memories," Regina tells her. "It's just what the curse does. Storybrooke will no longer exist. It won't ever have existed, so these last years will be gone from both your memories, and we'll go back to being just stories again."
    "What will happen to us?"

    "I don't know," Regina answers truthfully.
    "Doesn't sound like much of a happy ending."
   "Regina chuckles. "It's not, but I can give you one."
    "You can preserve our memories?" Emma asks, hopeful.
    "No," Regina replies, sadly. "I can... do what I did to everyone else in this town, and give you new ones."
    "You cursed them and they were miserable," she points out.

    "They didn't have to be," Regina admits. She then grasps Emma's hands. "My gift to you is good memories, good life for you—" She around turns to look at her son, whom immediately comes to her side. "—and Henry. You'll have never given him up."

    "You'll have always been together," she says, tearfully.
    "You would do that?" Emma asks, touched.
 
 

  "When I stop Pan's curse and you cross that town line, you will have the life you always wanted," Regina tells her.
    "But it won't be real," Emma says.
    "Well, your past won't. But your future will," Regina tells her.

    "Now go. There isn't much time left, the curse will be here any minute."
    Henry gives Regina one last hug and she kisses him on the forehead. I turn around to face the Lost Boys as Mary Margaret says goodbye to her daughter.
    "How many of you are not from The Enchanted Forest?" I ask them.
    Cassie, The Bloodlust Trio and the twins slowly step forward.

    "Well, I don't know how this realm used to be before you guys became Lost Boys, but I can assume that it's changed a lot since you were last here, so good luck in making your own way out there," Lewis says, looking at the Bloodlust Trio.
    Will cuts him off. "What Lewis means to say is that, you're welcome to join us if you like. We have more than enough to share."

    "No thanks," Jerome says. "We-"
    "We'd love to join you guys," Hunter speaks up.
    "What are you doing?" Jerome hisses, giving his brother a look. "We aren't supposed to split up, we promised mother, remember?"
    "We aren't splitting up," Hunter assures his brother. "We're going to join them."

    "Pan told us not to trust them," Jerome whispers, giving us a sideways glance.
    "It's been an century since we were last in his realm, it's not the same anymore. And I for one, would like to stop living under orders," Hunter says firmly.
    "He's right," Andrew says, speaking up.
    The boys gape at the Trio's leader.

    "What?" Andrew asks. "I did what I had to survive. I wasn't Pan's bitch by choice."
    Will raises an eyebrow at his parabatai.
    "What?" Lewis asks, innocently. "He said it not me."
    "Whatever, let's just get out of here before the smoke reaches the line and kills us all," Andrew says, impatiently.

    "Right, so who's driving?" Ray asks, holding up the keys.
    Will takes the keys from his brother. "I'll drive."
    "Get in, guys," Will says, stepping inside.
    "I call shotgun," Lewis says, getting into behind him.
    I crawl in after him, Cassie in my arms. I plop down in the back seat, nearest to the window, placing Cassie gently onto the seat next to me.

    Ray casts me a worrided look at he gets into the van, sitting behind his brother. The Bloodlust Trio get into the van with no questions asked. Andrew sits beside Ray while the brothers sit in the row behind them. The twins are the last to get in, sitting down in the row in front of me. Will doesn't waste anytime, immediately starting the engine. The boys talk in hushed tones as he starts the car.

    "Should we say something to her?" Hunter asks.
    "Later, give her time to grieve."
    "What's the difference? She won't remember him anyway."
    "Stop being such an insensitive prick, Jerome," Hunter scolds his brother.
    I slump against the seat, covering my mouth with my hand to prevent myself from crying.

    He's right. I won't remember Peter. That means I'll break the promise I made him. Even if I do make it to Elysium I won't even know who he is. I'll have no memories of him. Nothing at all. I look out the window, watching the town get smaller as we drive further away.

    I feel my tears trickle silently down my face. Cassie hugs me, but the blood in his pale blonde hair just reminds me that Peter is dead and I cry harder, choking on my tears inaudiblely. My heart feels like the whole world is crushing me. How can emptiness be so heavy? It feels like I'm drowning without his love.

    If only we could turn back time to one more day, things would've turned out differently. We could've been happy. Just, Peter, Cassie and I -and the Lost Boys of course. Peter could still be alive. I realize now that dying is easy, living is hard. I used to believe that the endings were always happy and if it wasn't happy then it wasn't the end.

    But I guess some stories just don't have a happy ending...

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Oh my God, I'm so sorry if this chapter made you guys cry. I'm not gonna lie, I cried a bit while writing this. I just wanna say thank you to everyone who have been here since day one and to those people who send me those lovely DMs. Thank you for reading this fanfic and I hope you liked the first book of this trilogy because you'll see more of Alice and Peter in the following two books.

I'm might update the prologue here when I'm done writing it. I loved all the suggestions you guys gave but I've decided that the sequel will be named "Checkmate" I hope you guys don't mind the name. I'm not sure when I'll post the prologue but I'll keep you guys updated if I have news on the sequel. I don't wanna give away too much so all I'm gonna say is that there will be many Ralice moments in the sequel.

I'll also be doing a Q&A -and 10 facts about me- so comment your questions here. I'll try to answer all of them but I apologise in advance if I don't answer your question.

That's all for this A/N, goodbye for now and I hope you guys forgive me for the ending of this book.

~ Alice xx

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Peter Pan will return in Checkmate...

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