Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews. I am so happy you all like my fics. While this is a sad fic, you can all expect happier fics on the horizon!

* The Cretan, princess emma of narnia & Don-Jam thank you so much for reading! You guys are awesome!

When little Alice stepped off the train, Peter realized she was alone. Anger and sadness mixed when it was clear his little niece had just spent 9 hours on a train by herself. He forced himself to ignore the swelling emotions and bent down to greet the child.

She spotted him in an instant and ran toward him, allowing him to swallow her in his arms.

"Uncle Peter!" She squeeled.

Peter hugged the girl tightly, "Alice you are a thing of beauty! I have missed you so much!"

She pulled away to plant a small kiss on his cheek.

Peter looked at her, "What was that for?"

Alice grinned lessen but remained, "From mommy,"

Peter felt that ever present ach in his stomach; he wanted to ask why her mommy wasn't with him. Why she had been on that train alone….why Susan wasn't in his arms this second. Instead he stood up; linking hands with the little girl he found reach for her suitcase and lead her to his car.

The 20 minute drive home was filled with her happy chatter, he desire to see his dogs, play with in the forest. He listened happily while she chatted, but when silence filled the car, Peter knew it was his turn to speak.

"Alice," he began slowly, looking at her in the rear view mirror. "Why didn't your mommy come with you this time?"

Alice looked out the car window, and for being the tender age of 9 showed the grief and sadness of someone twice her age. "Grandma hasn't told you yet has she?"

Peter's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Told me what?"

Tears swelled in the little girls eyes, and it took every ounce of strength Peter had to keep driving.

"James found out I wasn't his."

Peter felt his heart stop, and in that instant he knew what was coming.

The little girl started carefully, tears falling from her eyes, ignoring her cheeks all together, "They fought so much, Uncle Peter, they were always waking me up. But mommy would always come up and sleep with me, she'd always cuddle me and tell me a story so I could fall asleep…no matter how loud he was."

Little Alice glazed out the window, tears falling from her eyes, small body shaking with grief.

Peter wasn't aware of the tears that streamed down his cheeks until they blinded him completely. He slowly pulled off to the side of the road, knowing he couldn't continue.

"When she didn't come up," Alice began sobbing, chest heaving, voice cracking. "I waited as long as I could and went down, he was calling her all sorts of bad names and saying I wasn't his. Saying I was never his. He told her he hated her." Sobs broke the little girl's voice.

"Alice….where is Susan?" Peter muttered, "Alice…where is my sister?"

He needed to know, he needed to hear the words.

The little girl looked up, tears falling from her eyes. "She's gone Uncle Peter…she's gone and she's never coming back."

Peter wasn't sure how he got them home. He wasn't sure how they carried the little girl who had cried herself to sleep up the stairs into her bedroom. He wasn't sure of anything until he woke up in the pink bedroom, Alice sleeping on his chest, the sun already fallen hours ago.

Days passed in a haze, a phone call from his mother filled in the rest of the details. James, that son of a bitch, had killed her. Found out that Alice wasn't his months ago and started beating her….this last time was no different expect for the ending.

"What's going to happen to Alice?" He spoke numbly.

"I can take her if you'd like Peter." His mother said gently, "But the will…"Her will, it went unspoken, "said you were to have custody."

"Mom," Peter began, "I want her here, I need her to be with me." He felt horrible in asking…bad for taking grandchild away from grandmother….but something in him..something so deep and so primitive told him to hold onto the girl.

"It's fine darling." His mother said gently, promising to call every week then wished him a goodnight.

It was hours later, the moon was falling from the sky, Peter was swallowing whiskey, eye's fixed on a book while mind was in a land so far away…in a so much better time.

He heard her soft footsteps and the sound of a stuffed bear being pulled before he even saw her.

"Uncle Peter."

He set down the book and looked to his niece. "What are you doing up?" he asked gently.

She curled one hand into a fist and rubbed her eyes, "I forgot about something," she handed him a small white envelop and then proceeded to crawl on his lap.

Peter smiled, but looked down at the envelop, his name was scrawled across in an all to familiar handwriting. Peter allowed Alice to settle herself on him, resting her head on his shoulders and using his entire body as a bed. Peter spared an arm to secure her in place, then carefully opened the letter.

Peter,

You were right. You've always been right.

Please take care of her like I never could.

I know I should have gone to you, I know we could have been so happy. We would have been so happy. But I'd rather live this life than live in sin…I couldn't do that to us. To her.

I know I'm going to die. But maybe God will forgive me…maybe, just maybe I'll be let into Heaven and forgive for the sin I have committed.

He's going to kill me Peter. He knows she was never his….you know she was always yours.

The summers we spent together...the three of us playing in your yard...I hope when I go, I get to see that as my last image.

Love her Peter, be good to her.

Always yours

~Susan

Peter slowly closed the letter and set it aside, careful not to wake the sleeping child he wrapped his other arm around her, clinging to his love, holding onto his future.

Days turned into months, months turned into years. And when death consumed Peter, Alice knew it wasn't a sad event. She had always know who her true father was, and she had always known who her mother's true love was.