────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄

────── ★★★ ──────

Hours passed before Everly's picked up on hushed whispering around her before she slowly opened her eyes to be greeted by a blurry world. Once her vision cleared, the blonde girl was greeted by the Saved Ones looking down at her with concerned looks on their faces. Sam quickly helped his best friend into a sitting position as he scanned over her for any sign of injury. His quick movements caught the group of adults' attention from their place near the small pool.

Emma didn't hesitate to break away from her companions and made her way toward the younger girl with a hint of anger in her eyes. Before she could even process why the woman was so upset, Emma pushed past the Saved Ones before kneeling down to be at eye-level with Everly.

"What were you thinking?! Do you have a death wish or something?!" she exclaimed while Everly continued to stare at the woman with confusion on her face, "you can't pull stunts like that! You're my best chance at getting Henry back!"

The mention of her son caused the memories of what happened earlier to begin to fill her head. Without thinking, Everly broke eye contact with the woman in front of her and looked down at the ground. It wasn't long before she began to fiddle with her fingers, knowing that the boy could be back here by now if she decided to help Neal sooner.

"I'm sorry," the leader of the Saved ones whispered before she looked up to see the angry look on Emma's face transform into one of confusion as a sudden wave of irritation flowed through Everly's veins, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I left! I'm sorry I'm not more useful! I'm sorry I couldn't help Baelfire get away from Pan!"

All emotion left Emma's face as soon as the girl in front of her finished speaking. The two of them simply stared at each other for another moment before the blonde woman finally opened her mouth to speak. "Neal...Neal is dead."

"What are you talking about? Who's Neal?"

"Neal...Bae...he died right before I came here. He was shot right before he fell through a portal."

"Then who did I just see getting surrounded by Pan and his minions? His identical twin?" Everly questioned as she got to her feet while trying to push away the annoyance threatening to take over her emotions once again.

At her comment, the sadness on Emma's face turned to anger, causing the oncoming irritation within the former Lost Girl to return to confusion before the former got to her feet and took a step closer to the younger girl so their faces were inches apart. "Don't you dare lie to me again. I know what I saw. I don't need a child telling me otherwise. Am I clear?"

"No, you're not clear. I know who I saw, Emma, and if you don't believe me...well, that's your problem. Not mine."

After the two continued their staredown for another long moment, Emma let out a scoff before she turned and walked away. Everly kept her eyes glued to the woman's retreating figure until the latter reached the group of adults at the edge of the pool of water. Once the leader of the Saved Ones calmed herself down the best she could, she got to her feet before making her way to where the boys gathered on the other side of the cove.

She saw Sam in the middle of the small group before the blonde girl was close enough to hear them planning their next move. Everly slowed her pace for a moment to take in the scene that she got used to during her time on Neverland before she remembered an important detail from her and Felix's meeting.

Pan knew where they were hiding.

When he finally glanced up to meet Everly's gaze, Sam's small smile dropped at the sight of the serious look on his best friend's face before he placed the stick he was using to draw on the ground beside him. All the boys turned their attention in the direction of the girl standing a few feet away from them while her mind attempted to come up with the best way to tell them the place they called home for years wasn't as safe as they once thought.

"Is everything okay, Ev?" the blonde boy finally asked, breaking Everly away from her thoughts before her full attention landed back on the boys in front of her.

"I found out earlier today that Pan knows about this place," she told them, causing the remaining smiles to drop from their faces as they watched Everly with blank expressions on their faces, "all I got from my source was that Pan knows everything that happens at Neverland but we need to get to Tink's-"

Everly was interrupted by a random skull-splitting headache before her vision blurred and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Sam grabbed onto her shoulders to keep her from falling while the blonde girl fought against the darkness that wanted to consume her once again. Just as the pain was about to subside, she was met by a familiar voice ringing in her ears, making her entire body tense up as she listened to every word that flowed through her head.

"When you go to the cave to find Baelfire, you will have two options. Option one, if you willingly come with me, no one will get hurt. Option two, if you put up any sort of fight, I will put an end to Killian and make you come back anyway. Choose wisely."

The world around her slowly became clear once Pan's voice vanished before the leader of the Saved Ones looked up to find the boys staring at her with concern in their eyes once again. When she failed to figure out how the Demon King was able to get into her head, Everly glanced over at the group of adults to see them having a conversation before a familiar irritated look formed on Emma's face.

After watching the blonde woman shout at her companions for a moment, Everly got to her feet while brushing off the concerned boys before making her way over to the group of adults. All attention turned to her as soon as she reached them before her attention landed on Emma.

"Don't. Thank you for telling me the truth. But this isn't a conversation for a child," the woman said before Everly could even speak as a long sigh passed over the former's lips, causing all confusion the younger girl felt earlier to turn into irritation once again.

"How long have you been on this island exactly? Two days? A week at most?" the former Lost Girl retaliated while the group of adults that surrounded her watched her with confusion and curiosity in their eyes, "I've been on this island for thirty-one years. So, if you could stop ridiculing me for my unwanted and forced teenage appearance, I might be able to find where Pan is keeping Bae. Oh, but, wait...I forgot this that isn't a conversation for a child like me."

As soon as she finished her rant, a satisfied feeling filled every bone in Everly's body at the same moment a small smile formed on her face. She studied the group in front of her for another moment or two before she turned her back to them and made her way back towards the boys, only to stop when the sound of her name being called filled her ears.

"Where do you think Pan's keeping Neal?" Emma questioned as Everly turned back around to face her and her companions.

"I don't know for sure," the younger girl admitted before the only place Pan would keep someone like Neal came to her. Silence surrounded them as Everly thought about the one place on Neverland she would never willingly go before a long sigh passed over her lips. "But I have a hunch."

"This is a waste of time!" Regina exclaimed while throwing her hands in the air while everyone turned their attention in her direction before she continued speaking, "he's toying with us!"

"I don't think so. We saw where the encounter was. Someone was definitely resisting," Mary Margaret told her.

"How do we know it was Neal?" Emma questioned, causing a random wave of annoyance to wash over Everly before she quickly forced it away.

"I know what I saw, Emma. It was Baelfire."

"But you only knew him when he was young."

"It was him."

"Are you really going to believe her?" Regina asked Emma as she gestured over in the young blonde's direction, "she said it herself. She's been on Neverland for years. For all we know, she's a spy for Pan. We really have no reason to trust her and her band of Lost Boys."

"Say that one more time," Everly hissed as she took a confident step toward the woman.

"Enough. She's not a spy," Killian spoke while pulling the former Lost Girl away from Regina.

"Fine. You wanna follow the evil munchkin's dirt road? Be my guest," Regina said in defeat as she turned her back towards everyone and began to make her way towards the only exit of the cove.

"Wait," Emma called after her, only for the brunette to continue walking as if no one called her before the blonde woman continued speaking, "where are you going?"

"To save my son."

"We need to stick together."

"No, we don't!" Regina exclaimed as she spun around to face everyone once again, "you may be prepared to risk Henry's life over some heartbroken fool's errand, but I'm not! I'm tired of waiting around!"

After looking everyone in the eyes, Regina walks out of the camp and into the dark forest that surrounds us. Silence surrounded those left in the Safe Haven as they stared at the place where the brown-haired woman once stood. When Everly finally found the courage to look at everyone still with her, she found them staring back at her with expectant looks on their faces before she let out a long sigh.

"The only place I can think of is Echo Cave," the leader of the Saved Ones said as calmly as possible while ignoring the worried looks of the boys at her sides, "if we wanna make it before Pan gets bored and restless, we need to leave now."

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As they neared the cave's entrance, Everly felt her nerves growing at a rapid pace while her thoughts raced with what she heard from Pan in her "dream." Knowing that she couldn't let the leader of the Lost Boys take everything away from her, she kept glancing over at Killian before she thought back to the first time she chose to save him over herself.

"Sam," the former Lost Girl called out to her best friend as she turned her attention away from the man who took her in and placed it on the blonde boy next to her, "you and the rest of the boys guard the entrance. Make sure no one comes in after us."

As soon as he nods in response, Everly let out a quiet sigh before leading the group of adults into the cave. Her feet continued to walk through the darkness as she continued to think about what she'd have to reveal for them to make it out of Echo Caves alive. When they reached the center of the cave, the first thing the leader of the Saved Ones noticed was a large cage sitting in on a single rock tower in the middle of the large area. Her blue eyes stayed glued to the familiar bamboo contraption as the rest of her companions came to a stop next to her, causing a few pebbles to fall into the dark abyss and the prisoner to look toward them.

"Emma!" Neal yelled as he sat up in his tiny prison before tightly gripping the bars keeping him from his freedom.

"Neal," Emma whispered just loud enough for those around her to hear while they continued to stare at the bamboo cage in shock.

"It must be a hundred feet across," Mary Margaret said, snapping everyone out of their daze before they look around their rocky surroundings for a way across.

"Even if we fashioned some sort of rope, there's nothing to attach it to," David added then glanced over at the blonde woman, "no way to swing over."

"Secrets must be revealed," Everly stated, making everyone stare at her before they looked back to the man in the cage. After standing in silence once again for a long moment, she heard a sigh coming from behind her which caused her to cast her gaze in that direction to see Killian making his way over to stand next to her. His presence made a random wave of confidence wash over the young girl before she cleared her throat and opened her mouth to continue speaking. "Who wants to be the one to kick things off?"

"So, what? Someone tells a secret and they magically sprout wings?" Emma questioned while keeping her eyes glued to the man across the chasm.

"I don't know the details. I just know what I've been told," the former Lost Girl admitted as she looked away from the blonde woman and back at Neal, "this is my first time actually in the caves. I've never been desperate enough to come in here."

"Then how do you know this will work?" David asked.

"I don't."

"There's only one way to find out, I suppose," Killian sighed once again then turned to face the rest of the group, "I kissed Emma."

"You did what?!"

"David now is not the time," Mary Margaret muttered to the man standing next to her.

"I already told Mary Margaret so technically it's not a secret," Emma hesitated for a moment before finally turning her attention away from the bamboo cage to look at the pirate, "but it was just a kiss. How is that your darkest secret?"

"It's what the kiss exposed," Killian continued with a bit of uncertainty in his voice, "my secret is, I never thought I'd be capable of letting go of my first love, of my Milah. To believe that I could find someone else. That is until I met you."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone stared at the pirate captain with different expressions on their faces before the ground began to shake, causing them to look back toward Neal to see a rock bridge starting to form.

"Uh," David paused before taking a deep breath then turned to face the short-haired woman next to him, "Mary Margaret-"

"No. Me next," she interrupted then looked to the ground to gather her thoughts before looking back up at the brunette man in front of her, "ever since the curse broke, since we found each other, since we found Emma...and all of that happiness, there is something I haven't wanted to admit. We lost our first daughter to something we still don't know. And Emma is a beautiful, smart, amazing woman who I love very much, and who I could not be more proud of. But she's all grown up, and the one we lost would be too. And...as much as I want to pretend I'm okay with that, I'm not. We missed it, David. What we have with Emma is unique, but it's not what I wanted. We were cheated out of everything...twice...we missed it all."

"What are you saying?"

"When we get off this island and get back to Storybrooke, I want another go at it. I wanna have another baby."

The rock bridge grew once she finished speaking and was almost halfway across the chasm but still too far for any of them to reach. After taking in the size of the bridge, Everly found herself looking back over at Mary Margaret and David, only to find shock and sadness swimming in the latter's eyes.

"Nothing in this world would make me happier, and I know, with all my heart, that you would make an amazing mother," he told her as his eyes continued to hold grief within them, "but it can never happen...at least not with me."

"What do you mean?"

"When Hook and I went to search for the sextant, he was really taking me to find a cure."

"A cure for what?"

"Dreamshade."

That single word made the leader of the Saved Ones' blood run cold and every muscle in her body tense. Her eyes stayed glued to the couple as they had a hushed conversation before she found her unconsciously rubbing her finger over the scar left behind by Pan's Dreamshade dagger. As she continued to think back to the day she was sentenced to eternity on Neverland, Everly was unaware of Killian watching her movements with confusion and curiosity in his eyes.

The blonde girl was snapped out of her thoughts when the ground beneath her feet began to shake before another piece of the bridge formed. Mary Margaret continued to stare at David in disbelief as the rest of their group studied the space between them and the rock bridge. It was just barely too far to jump.

Out of the corner of her eye, Everly caught Emma looking in her direction which caused the former to take her eyes off the rock to meet the woman's gaze. The two of them just watched each other for a long silent moment before the older of the two opened her mouth to speak. "Your turn."

The former Lost Girl swallowed the lump forming in her throat before she hesitantly turned to face the raven-haired man standing next to her. Once their eyes met, Everly had to ball her hands into fists to prevent them from shaking as terror ran through her veins. Everything within her kept telling her to run out of there out of the fear of him never trusting her again but she forced herself to ignore it to save her old friend.

"The day Bae left the ship to go with Pan. When I read that letter, I knew I had to follow what it said. But I didn't just go to save everyone," the blonde girl paused when the expression on Killian's face turned into confusion on Killian's face. After a moment of just staring at the man who took her in, Everly shook off her conflicting emotions and looked to the ground then continued speaking, "I mean, yeah, I went with the Lost Boys to save everyone but it was also because I wanted to get off that ship and get away from being a pirate. And on top of that, you were always sulking around yelling at the crew when Bae and I weren't near you. I was tired of it."

As soon as she finished her explanation, the rock bridge finished forming and Emma ran across it and toward Neal, leaving the rest of her companions to deal with their problems. Everly kept her eyes glued to the rocks beneath her feet with tears rolling down her cheeks before her eyes landed on Killian's boots after taking a step closer to the girl. Once she calmed herself down the best she could, the leader of the Saved Ones looked up to meet Killian's gaze, only to find him staring back at her in disbelief.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" the pirate captain asked the girl in front of him while trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I tried! On numerous occasions! All you did was brush me off and go back into the cabin!" Everly shouted then took a breath to calm herself down even more before continuing to speak in a normal tone, "after Milah was killed, it felt like nothing was good enough for you. I started to feel like I was a burden and you didn't want me around."

The only response she received was Killian pulling her in for a tight hug before he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. This continued for another minute or two before their moment was interrupted by Neal and Emma walking toward them. Once the pair rejoined their group, Everly turned around to lead them back in the direction they came and out of Echo Caves.

When they finally made it back into the dark forest, the first thing they saw was the Saved Ones knocked out on the ground around the entrance of the cave. Confusion formed on everyone's faces except for the young girl's who was standing at the front of their small group before a familiar laugh filled the air around them. The laughter continued until they all turned their attention in the direction of the sound to find a smirking Peter Pan standing on a boulder in the distance.

"You coming, Lost Girl?" the boy who never grew up taunted as he jumped from the large stone and made his way towards Everly.

"It's not like I have a choice," the leader of the Saved Ones scoffed then looked back at the pirate captain when she felt his hand placed on her shoulder. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before she brushed off his hand and turned around to fully face the raven-haired man. "This time, I'm only going with him to save you."

Before Killian or anyone else could react, Pan grabbed Everly's wrist before green smoke started to surround them, taking the blonde girl away from the man who helped her become the person she was and back to the boy who tried to break her spirit.

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