Chapter 53; Switching Bodies

"What a terrible feeling to love someone and not be able to help them."

~ Jennifer Niven, All The Bright Places

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Peter's P.O.V

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I quickly pull my shirt over my head before teleporting myself into Henry's room. I spot Henry lying on a bed, not facing me. Henry looks up in surprise as he notices me standing behind him. I unshealth my dagger, causing him to flinch. I give him a look of remorse. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Henry." "Wha- What are you doing?" he sutters, trying to distance himself from me.

"I wanted your heart, Henry," I say. "But your mother took it away from me. Left me for dead. What a mistake." I bring my free hand to Henry's chest, attempting to rip his heart out, but something stings my hand and I cry out in pain, recoiling back. I look down at my hand, still in pain from trying to rip Henry's heart out.

Regina cast an enchantment spell. "Oh, how clever," I snarl, glaring at the boy in front of me. Rage and frustration overpowers me as I proceed to rip his shadow out. Henry cries out in pain. "What are you doing?!" I grab ahold of his shadow with my other hand, managing to pull it out halfway. The action uses up most of my magic and I can feel the spell I left on Alice's door wear out.

"Blood magic works both ways, son," Rumpelstiltskin says, startling me. I jerk my head back at the sound of my father's voice, not letting go of Henry's shadow. The sound of Pandora's Box opening fills me with dread. This is it. I'll never get to see Alice again. I'll be ripped away from her forever. Unless... I turn back to face Henry.

I don't let go of my hold on Henry's shadow as the red fog slowly engulfs me. I close my eyes, focusing all my magic on one spell then casting it on myself and Henry. My body tingles as my Henry and I switch bodies. I turn around just in time to see Henry regaining his composure in my body. "No!" he cries out as the red fog absorbs him completely, trapping him inside.

I collapse onto the bed, exhaling loudy. Exhaustion washes over me as I close my eyes. Damn, I strained myself too much. The sound of people rushing down the stairs brings me back to reality. But one specific sound stands out. The sound of Alice's voice calling my name. "Henry?" Regina calls out. "Henry?" She places her hand on my chest. "Henry."

I gasp, pretending that I'd just woken up. "It's okay. I'm okay." "Are you sure?" The Evil Queen asks, checking me for any signs of injury. "He's a strong boy, Regina," my father tells her. "You raised him well."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1dV8Tp38Xc

My eyes dart to Alice as she eyes Pandora's Box. "Wha- What happened to Peter?" Rumpelstiltskin and Regina turn around at sound of her voice. Regina looks at Alice in surprise. Her hair is still disheveled and her dress is crumpled up from earlier. A small blush makes its way to Alice's cheeks as she notices that she isn't in a presentable state.

My father looks from Pandora's Box to Alice in surprise. "He's-" "He's fine," Regina cuts him off, taking Alice's hands in hers. "He's in Pandora's Box. Don't worry, we didn't hurt him." "I just-" Alice pauses, taking a deep breath. "I thought he changed. I thought he gave up on his quest for Henry's heart."

The distressed look etched on her face and disappointment in her voice pains me. "I think you know him well enough to know that he's never going to change," Regina states. "Not for anyone." Alice sniffs. "Yeah. I- I guess that I thought that he loved me enough to change."

But I do, Alice, I want to tell her. But I can't. Not without blowing my cover or wasting my efforts. I watch in silence as Alice walks away from me yet again.

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Alice P.O.V

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I stand alone in the corner as Emma and her family prepare the ship for sail. Emma turns to Regina and asks her a question which she nods in reply. I watch as Regina uses her magic to trap Peter's shadow -his grandfather, Malcolm- in the ship's sail, causing it to turn into a tar black hue. I look away, raking my hand through my hair. It's not that I'm not happy to be going home. I am.

It's just that I didn't expect to have to go through so much heartbreak and disappointment in the process. I almost lose my footing and fall when the ship abruptly rises out of the water. I grab a pole for stability as the Jolly Rodger begins its ascent in the air. I turn to leave for my room but someone tugging at my nightgown stops me in my tracks. It's Cassie. "Hello, Cas," I say, kneeling down.

"Dware's dada?" he asks me. I stay silent, not knowing how to answer him. He tugs on the hem of my dress when I don't respond. "Mama? Dwhy awe you cwying?" I almost tear up when I see that he's been crying too. I stifle a sob as I hug him. He looks up at me with curious eyes. "Mama? Awe you awright?"

I stand up, carrying him in my arms. "I'm fine, Cas. Mama's just a bit tired." "Cwan I sweep wif you towight?" he asks me. "I cwan't fwind Awsa awnd Wsaac." "Sure, Cas. You can stay with me for as long as you like," I say, ruffling up his hair. Cassie yawns, nuzzling his head in my shoulder as I make my way back to my room.

I gently place the sleeping boy on the bed, pulling the covers up to this shoulder. I kiss him on the forehead, then climb into bed with him. "Mama?" Cassie calls out to me. I turn over my side to face him. "Yes, Cas?" "I mwiss dada." I nod. "Me, too, Cas. Me, too." Cassie rubs his eyes. "G'wight, mama."

"Goodnight, Cas."

****

"You need to eat something." "I'm not hungry," he replies. "Felix," I say, causing the blonde boy to look at me. "You haven't eaten in almost twenty-four hours. You need to eat something." Felix looks away. "I'll be fine." "You have bags under your eyes," I state, sitting opposite him. "So?" he says, uncaring. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Does it matter?" he snaps, looking away. I recoil at his tone, causing Felix to look back at me. His face softens. "I'm sorry, I know I'm being difficult. It's just with everything that happened..." "I know," I say. "How are you holding up?" "I should be asking you that," Felix says. I furrow my eyebrows.

"I've known Pan for, well, for many centuries. I've been with him through thick and thin, I've seen him at his best and at his worst, but in all my years of knowing him, I've never seen him as happy as he was whenever he was with you," Felix tells me. I look down, smiling.

Felix looks at the horizon. "You should've seen his face whenever he talks about you -which he does everyday- His eyes lights up and he's always in a better mood."Lights. I look up at Felix. He said lights up not lit up, meaning that he hasn't given up on Peter either. I smile at Felix's strong faith in his friend, it's touching.

"He really loves you, you know?" I smile, nodding. "I know." "Did you know that I'd lose The Game when Peter told you about it?" "No," Felix says. "I knew that both of you would lose." "How? What made you so sure?" Felix shrugs. "There are some things that just can't be explained." "What are they gonna do to you when we get back to Storybrooke?"

"I don't know," he says, shaking his head. "I doubt they're going to let me go after what I did." "They can't hold it against you, you were just protecting your friend," I say. "Would you do the same if it were Lewis or Will?" Felix asks. "Yes. If they had a good reason, of course." Felix hums in agreement.

"You're not going to eat, are you?" I ask, already knowing his answer. "No," he says. "But thanks anyway." I sigh, standing up. "I'll be with Cassie and the twins, call me if you need anything." Felix nods as I turn around. I smile when I spot Henry talking to his father. He waves at me as I approach him. "Hey, Alice." I smile, affectionately ruffling up his hair. "Hi, Henry. Sleep well?"

He nods, and I notice the plate of food in his hands. "Who's that for?" "Felix," Henry answers. "I thought he might be hungry." "That's really sweet of you, Henry, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you." I tell him, gesturing to the plate of food in my own hands. "I think he might change his mind," Henry says, confidently.

I jerk my head towards the blonde boy. "Knock yourself out, I'm going to try and get The Bloodlust Trio to eat something."

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Peter's P.O.V

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I feign a smile as the love of my life walks away. Turning around, I make my way to where Felix is seated. I sit down beside him, holding out the plate to him. "Go away, boy," Felix says, uninterested. "I'm not hungry." "But I came to thank you," I say. Felix turns to face me. "No matter what those other traitors do, I'm on Pan's side. And Pan-"

"-Never fails," I interrupt. Felix looks at me, confused. "What?" "You heard me," I say. "Peter Pan never fails. He can't be stopped even when they think he's defeated. When they think they've won, he finds a way." "So you think you're not safe?" Felix asks. "Oh, no, I'm perfectly safe," I say.

"During our struggle, my fate was sealed. The one who's in trouble is Henry." "But you're Henry," Felix states. "Not anymore." "You..." Realization crosses his face. He looks around to make sure that no one is within earshot before turning back to face me. "You switched." "You sure you're not hungry?" I ask, holding out the plate to him. Felix accepts it. "Thank you, Pan."

"Now," I say. "Let's play..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYht89JKdsI

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Sorry for the short chapter this time, it's just a filter. Btw, I just watched Project Firebird and I'm dead inside. If you haven't watched Project Firebird then skip to the "XXXX" bc I'm gonna rant abt it and it's gonna be a MAJOR spoiler.

⚠⚠⚠ SPOILER ALERT ⚠⚠⚠

I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY KILLED PETER. AGAIN. LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL F*CK?! WE JUST GOT HIM BACK AND YOU KILL HIM AGAIN?! LIKE CORA HAD A BETTER ENDING AND SHE KILLED WAY MORE PEOPLE THAN PETER. THE ONLY PERSON WE SAW PETER KILL WAS FELIX AND YET CORA GETS A BETTER ENDING THAN HIM. WHERE'S THE BLOODY LOGIC?!

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I'm really greatful for (@/fate221) Angie because she's doing this drawing project called "Scenes Which We'll Never See" on her instagram page where she draws out her versions of what happened instead and little headcanons.

It's really amazing and I highly recommend that you follow her on instagram bc she also posts pictures of her amazingly life-like drawings (eg. Robbie Kay)

Well, that's all for this A/N I'm gonna study for my Maths exams, wish me luck 🍀

~ Alice 🎩

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What do you think of Felix?

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Vote, comment, rate, do whatever you want <3

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