────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍

────── ★★★ ──────

After meeting all of Killian's allies and learning why they were on the island, Everly decided that they would stand a better chance of defeating Pan if they worked together. The blonde girl quickly helped the group of adults pack their belongings before she brought them back to the cove to meet the Saved Ones. The boys were a little skeptical at first due to most of them not having the best experiences with adults, but they all eventually came to the same conclusion as their leader and knew their best chance to get off the nightmare of an island was to work together.

As soon as everyone was acquainted with one another, they went back to their designated groups to prepare for their next encounter with Pan. Everly stood with the Saved Boys at first while continuing to glance over at Killian a few times before she decided to leave Sam to answer any questions the boys had then she went to join Killian on a log a good distance away from everyone.

"So what have you been up to?" is the first thing the pirate captain asked the young girl sitting next to him.

"Not much," Everly told him before her eyes landed back on the group of boys she learned to call family throughout the last twenty-eight years, "being a thorn in Pan's side and dealing with this group of crazy boys takes a lot of my time."

"I can see that," he laughed while the duo watched the Saved Ones' wrestling competition before Everly caught his eyes moving towards Emma, who was having an inaudible conversation with the rest of the adults.

"So, you and Emma?" the blonde girl questioned with a small smile after watching the blue-eyed man staring at the woman in a way she'd only seen once before.

"Huh, well, um..."

"Wow. Killian Jones is speechless for once. I'm shocked," Everly mocked, causing the pirate captain to let out a scoff as he turned his gaze back to the young girl next to him before she continued speaking, "don't fight what you're feeling, Killian. It's time for you to move on."

"Wow, you've matured."

"I had to. Who else will control those boys?"

After watching Bobby tackle Robby into the sand, Everly and Killian shared another laugh before he got up to go talk to David and Mary Margaret. The young girl watched the pirate captain until he sat down next to the pair before she looked towards the sky to estimate that it was almost noon on Neverland. It was almost time for her to meet up with Felix.

Everly just sat there for a moment longer while trying to figure out how to sneak away from the Save Haven. When she saw that everyone was busy talking amongst themselves, Everly decided to use that as an opportunity to try and sneak away, only for a voice calling out to her to stop her in her tracks.

"Where are you sneaking off to?" an unamused Emma asked the younger girl as the latter turned around to face the woman after silently cursing herself for not being more careful.

"I was going to scout and see the best way to get into Pan's camp without getting noticed," Everly lied while fighting the urge to fiddle with her fingers.

"I'll get the others."

"No!" the former Lost Girl blurted out so quickly that the older woman looked back at her with confusion laced in her eyes. After the two of them just stared at each other for a long moment, Everly cleared her throat to break through the awkward tension that was forming between them before opening her mouth to speak. "It'll be easier for Pan to find us if we're in a group. It'd be easier for me to go alone."

The leader of the Saved Ones stood there as Emma studied her for another silent moment before the latter slowly nodded her head in agreement. "Just be quick. We need to figure out a way to get Henry away from Pan sooner rather than later."

As soon as the woman's back was to her, Everly rushed out of the cove to begin her journey through the dark forest of Neverland and towards where she and Felix usually met. Along the way, all she could think about was her conversation with Emma while a small wave of irritation washed over her. The last person who tried to control what the former Lost Girl did was Peter Pan and she would forever have a bad taste in her mouth after that experience.

Her mindless walking continued for what felt like an eternity for the girl before the sound of her name being shouted greeted her. Everly quickly snapped out of her daze and skidded to a halt just in time to avoid slamming into a large tree. After staring at the trunk of the tree for a moment longer, the blonde girl turned in the direction that her name came from to find Felix staring at her with a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Thanks for derailing my train of thought before I crashed."

"I don't really understand what that means but you're welcome," he responded with a small smile before it slowly faded and was replaced with one of the most serious looks that Everly had ever seen on his face, "I can't be too long. Pan is sending out search parties soon and needs me to lead one of them."

"Search parties? For who?"

"Someone took the new boy. So half are searching for him and the one who took him and the other half are looking for...you."

"Me? Now? But he just got the boy," Everly said as a wave of fear washed over her before she quickly shook it off then looked back up into Felix's gray eyes, "I thought I'd have more time to figure this out."

"I did too...but I guess he needs you for his plan to work," the Lost Boy told her before he placed an arm around the girl's shoulders and pulled her closer to his side in an attempt to comfort her, "just stay hidden and you should be fine."

"I'll stay at the camp," the blonde girl replied, just for the tall boy's face to grow even more concerned before the former realized what caused his emotions to build, "Pan knows about the cove, doesn't he?"

The only response she received from Felix was a small nod, making a sigh cross over her lips as they remained in each other's arms. Another silent minute passed before they pulled apart and broke the small moment they were sharing, both knowing they'd been gone far too long for their groups' liking. After the pair shared another smile, Felix pulled Everly in for one last hug and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before disappearing into the trees behind him.

Once the Lost Boy's footsteps against the leaves on the ground were no longer audible, the blonde girl let her smile fall as the fear of Pan sending a search party after her returned. Everly's feet were glued to the forest floor for another moment as her thoughts consumed her once again before she finally turned and made her way back to the Save Haven.

As soon as she reached one of the clearings nearest to the cove, the girl's ears picked up the faint sound of a twig snap behind her, causing Everly to stop walking and become as still as a stone. The former Lost Girl just stood in her place for a moment to see if whoever was behind her would simply move along before a voice that was way too deep for a Lost Boy cut through the silence.

"So, you and Felix huh? Didn't see that coming. Thought you were more into pirates than Lost Boys."

Everly's whole body tensed up at the thought of someone watching her encounter with the Lost Boy. A small sigh passed over her lips in an attempt to calm her nerves before the leader of the Saved Ones slowly turned around to find another adult standing on the other side of the clearing with a boy slung over his shoulder. The blonde girl quickly pulled her bow off of her shoulders and loaded an arrow onto the notch without a second thought before aiming it straight at the shocked man's chest.

"Easy, Everly. There's no need to bring your bow into the conversation," the unfamiliar man said as his eyes grew to the size of small planets while he tightened his grip around the boy's waist.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" she questioned without lowering her bow in the slightest while keeping her eyes glued to the brunette man in front of her.

"Never thought my best friend wouldn't recognize me."

Everly's blood ran cold at those simple words before her eyes broke away from his gaze and studied every inch of the man in front of me. After they stood there in silence for another good minute or two, her attention went back up to his eyes to find them filled with hope; however, the blonde girl was still unable to believe that the man standing before her was the same boy that left her behind.

"Prove it!" she yelled so loud that she surprised herself as she pulled the bowstring back a little bit farther, "prove that you're Baelfire!"

After putting the hand that wasn't around the boy up in the air as if surrendering, the man slowly reached into his pocket before pulling out a gold chain. Everly's eyes simply stared at the piece of jewelry in his hand before chills ran up her spine when she realizes it wasn't just some random necklace...it was her necklace. Shock filled every inch of the former Lost Girl's body as she hesitantly lowered her bow while looking straight into the man's familiar brown eyes before a wave of anger came out of nowhere and washed over her.

"You left me! You left me to deal with Pan on my own! You promised me we'd get off Neverland together!" Everly shouted without even thinking, making Neal Cassidy flinch while he tried to maintain eye contact with the only one who kept him sane during his time on Neverland, "and now I can never leave this island because of this!"

The leader of the Saved Ones was breathing at an unnatural pace as she pushed up the sleeve of her cloak to reveal the scar that was left behind by Pan's Dreamshade dagger. His eyes stayed glued to the mark before guilt began to flow through his veins when he realized that he was the reason that the girl in front of him would never escape her nightmare. As soon as he finished studying the mark on her wrist, Neal looked up to meet her gaze once again then he opened his mouth to respond, only for no words to come out.

The pair just stared at each other for another silent moment before a cloud of green smoke appeared on the other side of the clearing. This caused their attention to quickly turn in that direction to see a smirking Peter Pan along with ten of his Lost Boys staring back at them.

"Well, well, look who we have here," the leader of the Lost Boys mocked while his signature smirk did nothing but grow as he studied the pair in front of him, "the thorn in my side and the boy who left her behind."

"Take Henry and run," Neal told the girl next to him while keeping his eyes glued to the grinning boy in front of them.

Just as those words left his mouth, more and more Lost Boys came out from the greenery that surrounded them before they began surrounding Neal and Everly. Panic coursed through her veins as she scanned the forming circle while Felix's final warning played on repeat in her head.

After her eyes met Pan's once again, Everly's blood ran cold as chills ran up her spine before she turned her attention to the man next to her turn once again. She studied the fear in his eyes for another moment while trying to ignore the group of boys boxing them in as she opened her mouth to speak, only for Pan to cut her off before she even began.

"Why would she do you a favor? After all, you did leave her behind to fend for herself," the leader of the Lost Boys taunted the man as he took a step closer to the duo in the center of the clearing.

Everly tuned out the rest of their conversation as her eyes scanned over the surrounding Lost Boys once again before her gaze falls on a decent-sized opening between Jackson and Jacob. She quickly turned away from her only means of escape and looked down to the ground beneath her feet so the boys wouldn't notice it before she glanced up at the sound of her name being called by the Demon King.

"Come back to the Lost Boys. Be a Lost Girl again. You won't get another chance like this."

The leader of the Saved Ones kept her attention glued to the smirking boy in front of her before they met the pleading eyes of Neal. The blonde girl's mind raced with the different options being thrown at her before she found herself coming to a decision that she knew she'd regret later. Everly needed to put herself first for once and save herself.

For the first time ever, second thoughts flowed through her head as she pulled one of the arrows with a rope attached to it that Adam made out of her quiver. After she loaded it onto the notch of her bow, she looked back at Neal one last time before she shot the arrow and watched it wrap around a tree branch then climbed as fast as she could.

Once she reached the top, Everly cut the rope so the Lost Boys couldn't follow before taking one last long look at Neal, only to be greeted by the same look she had when he left her to fend for herself all those years ago. A sigh passed over her lips as she broke eye contact with the man who used to be my best friend before she made her way towards the trunk of the tree to climb down. However, her feet were unable to take another step in the direction toward safety, knowing she couldn't do exactly what Neal did to her.

Even though she knew it would most likely be a lost cause, Everly loaded an arrow onto her bow before turning around and shooting right at Pan's back. Her blue eyes followed it as it soared through the air and towards the brunette boy before she was caught off guard when he turned around and caught it with ease. When his green eyes meet her blue ones, the former Lost Girl found herself frozen in place as the Demon King looked up at her with his signature smirk on his face.

"I was going to let you get away," he chuckled before snapping the arrow in two and throwing it to the ground while keeping his gaze glued to the girl in the trees, "but now you should run, little Lost Girl."

Knowing she wouldn't be able to get away from the maniac and his followers this time, Everly glanced over at Neal one last time before reaching into her quiver and pulling out the arrow painted red that Sam and J.P. created to signal when one of them had been captured. The blonde girl quickly loaded it onto the notch of her bow before firing it into the sky, causing the open air above them to be filled with a bright red powder. While most of the Lost Boys were distracted by the red cloud above them, the former Lost Girl slid down the tree and sprinted away from the clearing.

As she continued to run through the dark forest, a cloud of green smoke appeared in her path, causing the blonde to almost slip in a mud puddle as she made a clumsy turn before sprinting in a different direction. When Everly was about to reach Dead Man's Peak, purple smoke came out of nowhere and blocked her path, making her skid to a halt before she just stared at the cloud in front of her. After the smoke vanished from the air, Regina appeared in its place before she grabbed the young girl's wrist and pulled her closer to her. Before Everly could fully comprehend what was happening, purple smoke surrounded the duo before it took them back to the cove.

Just as she made eye contact with Sam, Everly's head began to spin then the world around her plunged into darkness.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────