The New Day

The sun rose over Storybrooke, casting a warm, deceptive glow across the quiet streets. Inside Gold’s Pawn Shop, the morning peace had already shattered. Rumpelstiltskin leaned against the glass counter, trying his best to calm a pacing, thoroughly disappointed Belle.

​"I should have known he would turn out just like you, Rumple," Belle said, throwing her hands up in the air.

​Rumple blinked, holding up his hands defensively. "Now, what did I do?"

​"You're asking me what you did?" Belle stopped and glared at him. "You spoil him! Granny just called to tell me that Gideon ate her pancakes and walked right out without paying!"

​Rumple waved a dismissive hand. "A few pancakes? That's not a big deal, dearie."

​"Not a big deal?" Belle’s voice rose, her eyes flashing with frustration. "It is practically stealing, Rumple! He needs to learn Boundaries."

​Down the street at Granny’s Diner, a familiar group of faces sat around a large table, nursing their morning coffees.

​"It was an absolute mess after the Underworld," David sighed, rubbing his temples.

​"Tell me about it," Hook muttered, leaning back in his chair. "I don’t want any more problems for a long, long time. The villains in this town need to give us a bloody break."

​Zelena took a sip of her tea, letting out a dry laugh. "A break? A break is highly underrated in this place."

​Before Hook could respond, a shrill, angry shout cut through the chatter from just outside the diner windows.

​"HOW COULD YOU HIT A KID?!" Granny’s voice boomed across the pavement. "CAN’T YOU DRIVE CAREFULLY?!"

​The heroes instantly swapped alert glances. Sirens wailed in the distance as an ambulance began pulling over to the curb.

​"And here goes my break," Hook groaned, pushing himself up from the table.

​"Killian, be polite," Emma chided, though she was already moving toward the door.

​"Someone was hit by a car," Henry said, squinting through the glass as the group rushed outside. "But... who is he?"

​Snow White shielded her eyes from the sun. "Looks like a teenager."

​"Let's go check it out," David said, leading the charge.

​They reached the ambulance just as the paramedics began patching up a scrap on the boy's forehead.

​"Kid, you alright?" Regina asked, her eyes scanning the stranger.

​The boy winced as the medic dabbed at his skin. "Yeah. Just hit my head pretty bad."

​Zelena leaned in, her eyebrows furrowing. "I’ve never seen you here before. What’s your name?"

​Before he could answer, the flustered driver of the car stepped forward, shouting back at Granny. "I was watching the road! I swear! The kid practically fell from the sky!"

​"Are you joking with us?" Granny snapped, crossing her arms. "Fell from the sky? Next thing you'll say is he isn't even a kid!"

​"Everyone, please, I'm fine! Stop fighting for God's sake," the boy interrupted, his voice laced with annoyance. He looked around at the crowd gathered around him. "And for the record, I’m twenty-two. I just have a baby face."

​The entire crowd fell dead silent.

​Twenty-two? Regina, Emma, and David all tilted their heads, looking at him from different angles. He looked sixteen at the absolute oldest.

​The young man sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "My name is Peter."

​The name bounced around the minds of everyone standing there. Peter. It sounded intensely familiar, like a word on the tip of their tongues, but none of them could quite place why.

​When the ritual in the cave collapsed, the clashing magics didn't just break the blood bond—it shattered the timeline, rewriting reality to a point where everyone was alive, happy, and whole.

​But the price was absolute.

​Pan himself had forgotten who he was, his dark history washed away.

Rumple's biological ties to him were severed completely.

For centuries, Peter Pan had run away from growing up, desperately wanting to be treated like a child.

​Now, his twisted wish was granted.

Nobody feared him.

Nobody knew him.

Nobody cared who he was.

He was just a boy lost in a world that had forgotten him.

​Hearing the commotion outside, the rest of the Gold family—Rumple, Belle, Baelfire, Robin, and a sheepish Gideon—rushed out of the pawn shop to see what was happening.

​"Here goes another peaceful day," Rumple muttered dryly, stepping into the crowd.

​"Who is he?" Belle asked softly, looking at the boy on the ambulance bumper.

​"An adult who looks like a child," Hook replied, shaking his head.

​Rumple walked past the front of the diner, his eyes casually drifting over the new arrival.

​As their eyes met, Peter froze.

​Suddenly, a suffocating tightness gripped Peter's chest.

A sharp, phantom pain pierced through him, so intense it made his breath hitch.

Why did looking at this man hurt so badly?

Why did he suddenly feel like crying?

​They were total strangers.

Weren't they?

Rumple frowned.

For a moment, an inexplicable ache settled in his chest.

The boy looked familiar.

Not in appearance.

Something deeper.

Like a story he had forgotten.

​Rumple stopped, noticing the intense, watery stare from the young man. He tilted his head, a polite but distant smile touching his lips. "Can we help you with something, dearie?"

​Peter snapped out of his daze, quickly blinking away the unexplainable tears. "Huh? No. No, sorry. I think I just hit my head harder than I thought."

​Gideon stepped up beside his father, looking at Peter curiously. "Are you new here?"

​"Yeah," Peter said, forcing a small smile as he stood up from the ambulance. "You don't believe me, do you?"

Gideon grinned "You look like a teenager, Man."

Peter reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

"Okay..."

Inside was an ID card.

Peter gave his ID to Gideon "Here's my ID."

Peter Malcolm.

Age: 22.

Address: Sunshine building, Flat 6B.

Storybrooke.

A folded piece of paper slipped from the wallet.

Lease Agreement.

Tenant: Peter Malcolm.

Landlord: Emma Swan.

Emma’s eyes widened.

"So that's why that name sounded familiar."

​Peter turned to her, relieved to have a distraction from the strange man in the scarf. "You're Emma Swan??"

​"Yes," Emma smiled, a look of sudden realization washing over her face as her own falsified memories locked into place. "Oh! You're my new tenant! I completely forgot to tell you guys I put my previous flat up for rent. Come on, let me show you the building."

​"Sure," Peter nodded, sliding his wallet and the lease back into his pocket. He pulled out a sleek smartphone from his other pocket, his fingers instinctively knowing how to unlock it. "I'll send you this month's rent."

Emma smiled, "Sure. No problems."

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