Checkmate

Neal and I eventually made it to our beds as the clock struck two. The man made sure I navigated my way safely through the minefield of boys before I hunkered down under my covers once more. He bid me goodnight and returned to his room, leaving the door open a crack.

With the dawn came the chaos, crushing the peace the night before had given me. The boys were once again ready for school, but at the same time, were not. Shirts and shoes flew around my tiny bedroom before I left them to it to make my way downstairs to make breakfast.

The boys arrived ten minutes later, the smell of toast and bacon having summoned them. Neal came behind them, his nose visibly twitching. "Bacon," he said before humming and reaching for a plate.

After breakfast, the boys left the house one by one after leaving chaste, minty kisses on my cheeks after I had ordered them to brush their teeth before leaving. Thomas smirked as he passed and left the house without kissing me, a choice I remained grateful for. Henry followed behind him and decided to give me a tight hug that made me smile.

Neal took up the rear, his eyes as droopy as the bags underneath them. "It's good to see everyone smiling. Especially you," he admitted before he left, his keys in his hand.

I watched them go with a lump in my throat. I barely had time to close the door as the boys rounded the corner before the tears fell with choked sobs.

Regina found me a few minutes later in the corner of the kitchen clutching one of Felix's pictures tightly. She joined me on the floor as I sniffed pitifully. "Time," I said simply before wiping my nose and my face on my sleeve. "It will take time."

Wordlessly, she held her hand out to me and I took it. Using her magic, she vanished us to the stoop of Felix's little home. I gulped as I looked at the window paned white door. Regina patted my hand. "It looks nicer than it was in your head."

I nodded. "Neverbrooke didn't compare to this," I admitted as I opened the door.

His scent hit me like a wave. I could still smell the soap he had used in the shower that morning and his cologne mixing with my perfume. It felt like neither of us had ever left. I inched into the home as fresh tears fell down my cheeks. On the couch lay the pyjama shirt of his I used, and on the unmade bed sat the outfit he had debated wearing before choosing the blue t-shirt and trunks.

"It was the first morning he hadn't made the bed," I said as I reached for his pillow. I inhaled the lingering scent of him and sighed before setting it back down. "We were running late."

"Why? Regina asked, her voice soft.

I released a breathy laugh as I thought back. There had been a lot of kissing involved, but most of all, "The sink," I said as I approached the kitchen sink. Felix's tools still sat abandoned on the floor next to the open cupboard. "My ring went down the sink and I panicked. He wanted to get it for me."

I looked down at the single diamond ring on my left hand as Regina inched nearer to peer over my shoulder. "A proper handyman."

"Yeah. He always said he would never get used to magic."

Regina hummed and patted my shoulder as she turned, but she didn't leave. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. "Neverland?"

I hummed as I turned. Regina stood near the mantel, her eyes on one photo. The one Slightly had found under my pillow back on the island, along with the little wooden heart they had attached to my photo board.

Pan stood in the middle, taking centre stage as usual, arms crossed and his familiar smirk on his lips. I stood beside him, my hair like a crown around my head, a genuine smile on my face. Felix stood on the other side of Pan, club on his shoulder and feathers dropping from his blond curls. The boys were around us, all looking at the camera, all in their cloaks with various faces, many confused stares.