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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐓

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Saturday had finally arrived and all Everly could think about was seeing Felix later that day. The two of them arranged to meet at a restaurant downtown and then take a walk around the pier when they were finished. It all sounded perfect and made the Thorne woman the happiest she'd been in a very long time. She was just hoping nothing came up to ruin everything for her.

Cassie sat on her mother's bed as she watched Everly get ready while Roland was in the kitchen trying to figure out what to make for dinner for himself, Cassie, and the twins, who were staying with them while Everly and Felix were out. Ever since she was awoken from the Curse, the Thorne girl never saw her mother smile a real smile. The blonde girl knew Everly deserved this moment and so much more and she was so happy that her mother was finally getting it. After watching the Purest Heart put her hair into a braid, Cassie's attention landed on the small box sitting on the nightstand. Her curiosity got the better of her as she reached over and grabbed the small object. The Thorne girl slowly opened the box before a small smile appeared on her face when she saw the item inside.

"How long have you had this for?" Cassie asked as she tore her eyes away from her father's bracelet to look over at her mother.

When Everly's attention fell on the piece of jewelry in her daughter's hand, her smile instantly faltered. She then set the brush down on the dresser before walking across the room and sitting down next to Cassie. The Thorne woman carefully took Felix's bracelet into her hand as the smile slowly returned to her face.

"I've had it since the night your memories returned," Everly responded without taking her eyes off the object in her possession.

"Why haven't you given it to him yet?"

The Purest Heart hesitated for a moment before finally looking up to meet her daughter's gaze. "Because I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I'll give it to him and nothing will change. Then I'll just be some crazy person who gave jewelry as a gift on a first date."

"But isn't it worth a try?" Cassie responded while her mother did her best to keep her emotions at bay, "I mean, Fletcher and Dawn woke up because of their necklaces."

"I just don't want to be disappointed...again," the Throne woman confessed before her eyes landed on her bracelet. The memory of the day Felix gave it to her instantly filled her head. The small smile soon returned to her face as she looked back up at her daughter. "But you're probably right. It is worth a try."

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Another hour went by when there was a knock at their apartment door. All of their attention immediately went to the source of the noise before Everly got to her feet to answer it. A smiling Felix greeted her on the other side with a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. The Thorne man's cheeks instantly turned bright red at the sight of the woman in front of him before he held the flowers out to her.

"These are, uh, these are for you," the blonde man said while trying to hide all the emotions building up inside him, causing Everly to let out a small laugh as he took the flowers from him.

"They're beautiful. Thank you," the Purest Heart responded as the smile on her face grew then she turned around and handed them to Cassie, "could you get these in water for me?"

"Of course," the blonde girl responded before sending Felix a small smile and walking toward the kitchen with Fletcher and Dawn following after her.

"Are you sure you're okay with watching the twins?" the Thorne man asked while he watched his children sprint into the kitchen and trap Roland in a bone-crushing hug.

"Definitely! Abi and I got this!" the Hood boy told them while picking Dawn up into the air while Fletcher clung to his back, "you two go have fun."

As soon as those last words came out of the brunette boy's mouth, all four of Everly and Felix's children sent smiles toward their parents. To Felix, they were just simple smiles that made one of his own appear on his face. But that was only because his true memories hadn't returned. This made him miss the true meaning of the looks on the children's faces...but Everly didn't. The Purest Heart saw the hope contained in the eyes of her family. Hope that one day their father's memories would return and they would be whole again. And all their hopes rested on a simple piece of jewelry that was made for their father by his lost brother and the courage of their mother to give it to him.

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After driving through Hyperion Heights and having casual conversations here and there, Everly and Felix finally arrived at their destination. As soon as the Thorne man parked the car, he quickly got out and ran around to open the door for his date. A laugh passed over the blonde woman's lips as she took his hand into hers and let him help her out of the car. It wasn't long after that when her eyes landed on the sign of the restaurant, making them widen to the size of small planets as her smile slightly faltered.

"Walrus and Company?" Everly said without even trying to hide the shock in her voice as she turned to look at the blonde man standing next to her, "are you sure?"

"Miley suggested it. She said it was a good date spot," Felix responded before his eyes landed on some of the prices displayed on a board, causing his smile to fall just enough for the Thorne woman to notice.

A small smile formed on Everly's face as she took Felix's hand into hers without thinking twice, making the latter look over at her with a somewhat surprised look on his face. The grin on her face did nothing but grow as she started leading him down the street. "Come on, I know a better place."

Despite his constant questions about where she was taking him, the Purest Heart kept her lips sealed as they walked down the sidewalk. She let out a couple of laughs when Felix started guessing all the places they could be heading, coming up short on every single one. It wasn't long after that when they turned another corner before stopping in front of their final destination. Felix just stared at the small building in front of them for a long moment then she looked down at Everly with a smirk plastered on his lips.

"A pizza place?" the Thorne man questioned with the same playful look in his eyes that made the Purest Heart fall in love with him all those years ago.

"Not 'a pizza place.' Ablaze is the best pizza place! Now, let's go get some food!"

That time it was Felix reaching for Everly's hand before they walked into the small building. The smell of pizza and garlic bread was the first thing that greeted them as they entered the restaurant. It reminded Everly of all the times they took Roland out to dinner when they still lived in Storybrooke. Their smiles never faded as they took in the atmosphere around them before making their way toward the counter to order.

About an hour had passed since Everly and Felix arrived at Ablaze and they were enjoying every minute of it. As they ate their amazing meal made by Austin and Lucas, they talked about everything that came to mind. Both of them didn't want the night to end and were really enjoying the other's company. The Purest Heart couldn't think of anything that would ruin their night. That was until she felt the box she'd been carrying around in her bag hit against her hip.

Her smile immediately faltered but it wasn't enough for Felix to take notice. Everly tried her best to force away all her emotions and focus on the moment. However, no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept going back to the bracelet in her bag and the idea that a simple piece of jewelry could change her life. It was at that moment that Everly realized she only had two choices. She could either continue to pretend to be happy living in a false world or she could try to make that happiness real. As she listened to Felix tell her a story about what Dawn and Fletcher did to his story the other day, the Purest Heart silently prayed that her parents were right and hope was all it took to get to her happy ending.

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After finishing and paying for their meal, Everly and Felix walked out of Ablaze and headed toward the bay. Smiles were plastered onto their faces while they walked along the dock with their hands brushing against each other every now and again. Even though the Thorne man couldn't remember anything about their past life, it felt like old times as the sound of the waves cut through the air. It reminded Everly of some of the rare happy times they shared on Neverland. But despite all of that, the bracelet box against the Purest Heart's hip stole some of her attention away from the moment they were sharing.

"Something's bothering you," Felix stated as he looked over at the blonde woman walking beside him, only to find her looking everywhere else but at him.

"It's nothing really," was all Everly said after the box hit against her hip once again.

Without warning, the Thorne man came to a stop before walking to stand in front of Everly to make her look him in the eyes. "You know you can tell me if something's wrong, right Jo?"

An unexplainable wave of anger washed over the blonde woman at the sound of her cursed name leaving Felix's lips. Her instincts took over before a full thought could go through her head as she reached into her bag and pulled out the plain black box. Both of them just stared at the object for a long moment before Everly looked up at the Thorne man with a small smile on her face.

"I got this for you from...Tilly," the Purest Heart said as she lifted the lid to reveal the bracelet to him, "I just wasn't sure if it was too big of a gift for a first date."

Everly watched Felix as he studied the piece of jewelry with an unreadable look on his face before he looked up at her with a small smile. "It's amazing, Jo. Thank you."

A wave of hope washed over the Thorne woman and replaced all her previous emotions as she watched the man in front of her take the bracelet out of the box. As soon as the piece of jewelry was in his hand, Felix wrapped it around his wrist and clasped it on the other side. Everly waited in anticipation for something, anything to happen...but nothing happened. The blonde man was still staring at Everly with a small smile on his face before he looked back down and examined his new bracelet.

Just as all the hope Everly was feeling started to fade, she noticed his smile slightly falter before it disappeared completely. All the emotion faded from his face as he kept his eyes glued to the bracelet his brother made for him when he was just a child. He just stared blankly at the piece of jewelry for what felt like an eternity before he finally looked up to meet the blonde woman's gaze. The two of them stood there with nothing but the bay's waves to break the silence when Felix spoke one simple word.

"Sunshine?"

Tears instantly formed in Everly's eyes as she stared up at the man she fell in love with back on Neverland before a large smile formed on her face. "Felix?"

Without warning, the Thorne man wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and lifted her into the air. Their laughter mixed with the water's waves as she spun her around in a circle before placing her back down on her feet. The two of them just stared at each other as if they were still the same lost kids stuck on an island. It wasn't long after that when Everly leaned forward and gently placed her lips against his.

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