────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐓

────── ★★★ ──────

Anger flowed through Everly's veins as she stood alone in the police station elevator. It had only been a few minutes since Cassie left with Felix, but the Thorne woman didn't want to wait any longer. She needed to face Jack and figure out why in the world he would take her daughter. Even though Cassie said it was to keep his nightmares away, Everly knew there was much more to the story. There were also some words that the Purest Heart wanted to say to their former ally, words that Everly didn't want her daughter to hear.

What felt like an eternity passed before the elevator doors finally opened. Everly did her best to hide her anger as she walked down the hall and passed a few co-workers. It wasn't long after that when she finally reached her destination and pulled out her key card. She watched as the light turned green before reaching for the knob, only to stop when she felt something she hadn't felt in a very long time. Dark magic. After snapping out of her daze, Everly pushed the door open to find Jack slumped over in his chair.

The Thorne woman didn't hesitate to carefully grab Jack and place him on the floor. Her instincts kicked in before a full thought could go through her head as she started performing CPR. Because she was so preoccupied with Jack, Everly was completely unaware of Rumplestiltskin, Hook, and Sam walking into the room. The three men just watched Everly in stunned silence, not sure of what to make of the situation. It wasn't long after that when Sam snapped out of his daze and pulled out his phone.

"No bars," he muttered under his breath while shoving his phone back into his pocket, "I'll go get help."

Before anyone could respond, Sam turned and sprinted back down the hall. Everly barely acknowledged his words due to her keeping all of her attention on Jack. A wave of frustration washed over her while she continued to try to save her former ally, knowing that it would be a lot easier if she had her magic. Everything they were facing would be a lot easier if she had her magic.

Rumplestiltskin continued to watch Everly as he walked around the table to kneel on Jack's other side. He hesitated for a moment before he placed his fingers on the raven-haired man's pulse, only to find nothing there. A small sigh passed over the Dark One's lips as he prepared himself to stop Everly. However, his words got caught in his mouth when he saw Jack's chest faintly glowing gold before it quickly vanished. To Rumplestiltskin's surprise, he was the only one who seemed to notice.

Not even a second after that passed when Jack's eyes shot open before he sat up with a gasp. His eyes scanned the room before they finally settled on Everly. "What happened?"

"I just saved your life," the Thorne woman stated as she stood up while keeping her eyes glued to Jack, "but maybe I shouldn't have after what you did to Abi."

"I'm sorry...Jo. But I have a good explanation for that," Jack responded right as Sam returned with the paramedics.

"You can tell me after they check you over," Everly stated before the paramedics forced Jack to his feet.

After watching her former ally walk out of the room with the paramedics and Sam to get checked over, Everly turned her attention back to Hook and Rumplestiltskin. She wasn't surprised they were looking around the room with confusion in their eyes. She was just as confused as to what happened before she got into the room, but she knew that if anyone could figure it out, it would be them.

"What happened? Does Jack have some kind of medical condition?" Hook questioned after his brain went over everything that had happened only minutes before.

Everly couldn't help but look over at the Dark One, who seemed to be deep in thought before he snapped out of his daze. No one said a word as he began looking around the room until he stopped by the back corner. The confusion in his eyes did nothing but grow as he bent down and picked something up from the floor. Rumplestiltskin just studied the object for a moment before turning around to face his allies. "No. There was someone here with him."

"How? The door was locked and we're the only ones with a key card," Hook retaliated while holding up the card in his hand as if to prove a point.

Not even a second after the pirate captain finished speaking passed when Everly saw the confusion in Rumplestiltskin's eyes turn to terror. However, before they had a chance to comment on his shifting emotions, the Dark One threw the object in his hands onto the table and headed toward the door. "Lock down the building. Now!"

Everly didn't hesitate to race after him, ignoring Hook calling both of their names. She followed the Dark One through the halls until they reached the evidence room. After he punched in the code, the two of them sped inside before Rumplestiltskin went over to the gated section of the room. Once the gate opened, the powerful man grabbed a box and opened the lid. Chills ran throughout Everly's body when she saw the outline of the Dark One dagger but no dagger to be found.

The Thorne woman just stared at the empty box until Rumplestiltskin slammed it shut and began walking toward the exit of the room. Everly instantly rushed after him before managing to cut him off, earning an annoyed look from the Dark One. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before Everly opened her mouth to speak. "What's going on?"

"I have a hunch who tried to kill our suspect. This one I intend to follow up on," Rumplestiltskin responded without even trying to hide the annoyance in his voice, "now get out of my way, dearie."

"So, you just want me to stay here and pretend to be a cop while you go search for whoever stole your dagger?" Everly retaliated, earning an eye roll from the man standing in front of her.

"Do whatever you want. I don't care. Just get out of my way."

The Thorne girl hesitated as her eyes studied every inch of Rumplestiltskin's face. It didn't take Everly very long to see the hidden emotion in his eyes, one that she was surprised to find. That lasted for a moment longer before she finally found the courage to respond. "It's been a long time since I've seen you like this."

Now it was the Dark One's turn to hesitate, unsure of what to make of Everly's words. "Like what?"

"Scared."

────── ★★★ ──────

All Everly could think about was the fear in Rumplestiltskin's eyes as she sat with Hook in his office. It took a lot to scare the Dark One and that made the Thorne woman worried. She just got Cassie back from a crazy man and now she had to be ready to deal with whoever stole the dagger. Hyperion Heights was slowly turning into how Storybrooke used to be and the Purest Heart didn't know how she felt about that.

A silent sigh passed over Everly's lips as she looked up at the screen in front of them. They had been rewatching the video footage from the interrogation room to see if they could figure out who attacked Jack. But all they were left with was a video that cut out halfway through the footage.

"Something wrong with the TV?" a new voice asked, causing the three of them to turn around to find Officer Bryce standing in the doorway.

"It's not the TV. It's the hard drive for the precinct's security system," Everly explained while staring at the Seattle Police logo on the screen before turning her attention back to Bryce, "an electrical surge wiped it clean at the same time as the attack on our serial killer."

"Wow, that's...that's some really bad timing," the desk sergeant told them, earning slightly annoyed looks from Hook and Everly. After letting out a long sigh, Bryce placed the papers in his hand on the desk. "Found these on the printer. Are they yours?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Hook responded while picking up the papers for him and his partners to look at, "we did some digging and the bank's cameras across the street were unaffected. These are the stills from the same time period."

Bryce just stared at the trio as they looked through the pictures before a small smile appeared on his face. "Smart thinking. Well, good luck."

Everly kept her eyes glued to the photos as Hook flipped through them. It wasn't long before her blood ran cold at the sight of a familiar face in one of the pictures. The Thorne woman would recognize his face anywhere after discovering his existence in the New Enchanted Forest. She just never expected to find Prince Naveen working with...or most likely for Dr. Facilier. But then again, Everly had discovered stranger things happening in Hyperion Heights.

However, before any of them could even think about discussing the pictures. A soft knock came from the door, causing the three officers to look up to find a smiling Henry standing in the doorway. "Hey. Uh, I hope I'm not interrupting."

"You always know the perfect time to pay us a visit, Henry," Everly said while trying her best to hide the annoyance in her voice, wanting nothing more than to solve this case and go home.

The pirate captain simply rolled his eyes at the blonde woman before his attention moved back to Henry. "We're in the thick of it, but we always have time for our unofficial deputy. How are you holding up?"

"To be honest, uh, not great," the Mills man responded before looking over at Everly, "how's Cassie doing?"

"She's getting there," the Thorne woman said as a small smile appeared on her face, "Cal and Zach haven't let her out of their sight since we got her back, so at least I know she's safe."

Henry chuckled in response, only for Everly's smile to slightly falter, knowing that it was extremely forced. Silence surrounded them for another moment before the Mills man broke it. "I actually came here to ask you guys for a favor. You see, some of what Nick said to me...it's kinda made me question some things. It's like I'm not sure...what's real."

"Don't doubt yourself, mate. Nick was the crazy one, not you," Hook told Henry while Everly continued to stare at him with unnoticeable curiosity in her eyes, knowing exactly what happened between Jack and Henry thanks to Cassie.

"I know you're right, and...and I know what I'm about to ask probably breaks like a thousand rules," the Truest Believe said while the officers stared at him with confusion in their eyes, "I was hoping that maybe you'd let me talk to him."

Hook just stared at the man in front of him before looking down at Everly. The two of them had somewhat of a silent conversation before the Thorne woman let out a sigh and turned her attention back to Henry. "Even if we wanted to, Henry, we can't. Nick's in the hospital right now. Something happened while he was in lock-up."

"What? Do you know what happened to him?"

"Not yet. But we may have found some leads," Hook announced while looking at the pictures on the desk before moving his attention to Henry once again, "and hopefully, I'll find some more in Nick's apartment."

While the Jones man began gathering his things, Everly watched Henry's face light up. She did her best to suppress a sigh, knowing that what he was about to say wasn't going to be a good idea. It wasn't long after that when the Mills man opened his mouth to speak.

"If...if you're going there, take me with you," he said, earning a shocked look from Hook while Everly continued to watch him with no emotion in her eyes, "there is something that Nick showed me there. If I can see it again, it might help explain things."

"I'm sorry, mate. You wanna talk about breaking rules-"

"Please. You know that you never would've caught this guy if it wasn't for me," the Mills man interrupted the pirate captain, who still looked unsure about his friend's request, "I'm telling you. I need this."

Everly missed the rest of their conversation when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. An annoyed sigh passed over her lips as she pulled her phone out, only to find a text from Sam that made her blood run even colder than before.

SAM:
Nick's awake. Says
he'll only talk to you.

EVERLY:
I'm on my way.

"Jo," Hook called out, drawing her attention toward him before he continued speaking, "are you coming with us?"

"Uh, no, I'm not," Everly responded, earning confused looks from both of the men in front of her before she stood up and shoved her phone back into her pocket, "there's something I need to do. But let me know if you find anything interesting."

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly tried her best to keep her anger locked away as she walked through the hospital's halls. She was determined to figure out why Jack took Cassie, especially since she knew it had nothing to do with his nightmares. The Thorne woman couldn't get her daughter's heartbroken look out of her head. Jack and Cassie were never extremely close, but he would help Roland and Henry train the Thorne siblings. They were friends and what Jack did broke Cassie's heart.

When the Purest Heart turned the last corner of the hall, she found Sam standing in front of the door with a blank expression in his eyes. A small sigh passed over Everly's lips as she walked toward him, causing him to turn his attention to her. The Jones man kept his eyes glued to her until she was standing a few feet in front of him. The Thorne woman just watched as her brother's eyes scanned over every inch of her as if looking for a reason not to let her through the door. It wasn't long after that when he let out a long sigh, breaking the silence surrounding them.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Sam questioned while trying to hide the worry in his voice, confused about why he suddenly felt so protective over his partner.

"I need to talk to him, Braxton," Everly responded without bothering to hide the determination in her voice, "I need to know why he took Abi."

Another long sigh passed over the Jones man's lips as he stepped away from the door. "I'll be right here if you need me."

All the Thorne woman could do was smile and nod in response. She just stood there for a moment before turning the handle and walking inside. Everly wasn't surprised to find both of Jack's arms handcuffed to the bed. His eyes were closed as he listened to the radio, completely oblivious to the Purest Heart standing in the room with him. It wasn't until Everly closed the door behind her that Jack's eyes flashed open to meet her gaze. He just stared at the Thorne woman for a long moment before a smile appeared on his lips.

"I knew you'd come. Thank you for saving me, by the way," Jack said while keeping his eyes glued to the woman who was still standing by the door, "although the doctors have no idea how I'm still alive. It's like...magic."

Everly couldn't help but scoff as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, CPR is very magical."

"Well, that's the thing, Jo...or should I say Everly?" the brunette man asked, earning a blank stare from the Purest Heart in response before Jack continued speaking, "I overheard the doctors talking about what happened. Apparently, the tests they did on my heart showed them something strange. It looked as though I was stabbed through the heart...from the inside. But now there's a big nasty scar in its place. I shouldn't be alive right now. Why did you save me, Everly?"

"Because no one deserves to die like that. Not even you," the Thorne woman responded while keeping her eyes glued to Jack, who stared back at her with a blank expression on his face. That lasted for what felt like an eternity before Everly finally snapped out of her daze to ask the question that had been bothering her for the last forty-eight hours. "Why did you take my daughter, Jack?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?"

"If it was obvious, I wouldn't be asking."

Jack went back to studying Everly for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. "How did you figure out where I was?"

Everly couldn't help but scoff again while leaning back against the wall behind her. "I don't see how that's important."

"Humor me," Jack responded as the grin on his face returned.

"Lucas told me where she was. He said she came to him in a dream," the Thorne woman responded despite something inside of her telling her to keep that information to herself.

"And now he's starting to wake up, isn't he?" Jack questioned, earning a shocked look from Evelry that made the smile on his face grow, "that's why I took her."

"What? Because she can jump into people's dreams? How does that help you?"

"No, Everly. Because Cassie can wake them up."

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────