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────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐒

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No one said a word as they continued to follow Regina deeper into the forest. Another yawn passed over Everly's lips as she began to wonder if Emma still needed them there but she didn't feel like asking. Especially after seeing all the issues Emma and Regina still have to work out. Even though she doesn't think anything would happen if they left, the Jones girl wanted to stay to make sure Regina didn't do something she'd regret.

"Which way?" Katherine asked after they passed through another empty clearing.

"Right," Regina responded without an ounce of hesitation in her voice.

"Is this a locator spell? Aren't we supposed to be following a floating object or something?" Sam questioned while trying his best to hide the uncertainty in his voice.

Hearing Regina sigh in response to all the questions made Everly send a warning look in her friends' direction. She didn't want to push the Mills woman too far after everything she was going through with her and Robin. Sam and Katherine immediately picked up on her hint and went silent as they continued to walk through the dark forest.

"So, what else can your magic do?" the blonde boy asked in a tone that was just above a whisper so that only Everly and Katherine could hear.

"You'll just have to wait and see," the Jones girl teased, earning a playful glare from Sam and a small laugh from Katherine.

It wasn't long before they realized they were trailing a bit behind Emma and Regina. However, none of them bothered getting any closer. That was until they heard Regina yelling at Emma in the distance. When they finally catch up to the two women, the Evil Queen turned her back to them and continued walking with anger in her eyes. Everly just watched her go for a moment before her attention landed on Emma. Despite wanting to know what just happened, the Jones girl kept her lips sealed after seeing the look on her sister's face. They soon went back to following Regina until they reached a canyon. However, what they saw next made all of them stop in their tracks.

"An ice staircase," Katherine said with awe in her voice as she studied the object in front of them.

"Looks like Elsa was here," Sam muttered under his breath without taking his eyes off of the icy structure.

"Thanks, tiny pirate. Please, continue to point out the obvious," Regina scoffed, earning a glare from the Jones boy that she chose to ignore.

"Then, obviously, we're not gonna step on it until we know it's safe," Emma announced, only for the Mills woman to walk straight passed her, "I don't know why I even bother."

"Well, that makes two of us," the Evil Queen responded while continuing to make her way up the staircase.

Everly watched the raven-haired woman for a moment before pulling Emma to the side. "What is going on between you two?"

"Nothing," Emma replied with a hint of irritation in her voice, "just stay out of it."

"I would but I have a feeling your little feud is going to get someone hurt," the Jones girl retaliated, only for the Savior to turn around and follow Regina up the staircase.

Everly just watched her for a second before letting out an irritated sigh. It wasn't long after that when she, Sam, and Katherine began to follow the two of them onto the ice stairs. As soon as they reached the middle of the staircase, a strong wind began to pick up.

"Something's not right," the Purest Heart announced right as the uneasy feeling in her stomach returned.

"Maybe your sparkly blue-dressed friend is closer than you think," Regina responded while glancing back at Emma.

"No. This is not Elsa," the Swan woman responded. It wasn't long after she finished speaking that the stairs began to shake. The sudden movement caused everyone to fall onto the icy steps. As the staircase continued to shake, Everly silently hoped it didn't collapse and send them to an unwanted fate.

"The Snow Queen! She found us!" Emma exclaimed while doing her best not to get blown away by the wind.

Due to trying not to fly off the staircase, Everly almost missed the look of realization on Regina's face. It wasn't long after that when it turned to anger. "Sidney."

"Sidney? What does Sidney have to do with any of this?" Emma questioned as she looked over at the Mills woman. When Regina didn't respond right away, the Savior let out an irritated sigh before continuing to speak. "Regina, talk to me! What aren't you telling us?!"

Despite trying to hear what Regina said next, Everly failed to gain any information from the Evil Queen due to the wind. However, it wasn't long after she saw the Mills woman's mouth stop moving when an angry look appeared on Emma's face. "You lied to me! You said you didn't have a clue where Sidney was! He was in your mirror the whole time?!"

"Maybe I did! So what?!" Regina shouted as she pulled out a small mirror from her pocket, "I don't have to tell you everything I'm doing!"

Everly tuned out the rest of their conversation as she looked back over at Sam and Katherine to make sure they were safe, only to see someone watching them from the cliff. She just stared at the mystery person for a moment before getting Emma's attention. Once she saw her sister's eyes on her, Everly gestured toward the stranger on the ledge.

"Check it out," the Savior told her, earning a nod in response before Everly turned back to Sam and reached out to him.

The Jones boy didn't hesitate to grab her hand before taking Katherine's into his other one. As soon as she knew they were both good to go, a cloud of gold surrounded them. It wasn't long after that when they found themselves back on the cliff with the stranger standing a few yards away. A gasp instantly escaped Everly once she saw who the person staring back at them was. However, before she could call out to Jackson, he turned and walked in the opposite direction. The three of them exchanged a look before taking off after the Overland boy.

After a few minutes of chasing after his receding figure, they found Jackson standing in the middle of a large clearing. The shock within Everly did nothing but grow when she saw him wearing a sparkly white suit that seemed to match the Snow Queen's dress, making her realize where he had been this entire time. It didn't take long for the Jones girl to break out of her daze before looking up to meet Jackson's eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" the Purest Heart questioned, only to receive a glare in response from the Overland boy.

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Jackson hissed before shooting ice shards at them.

Everly's instincts soon took over as she created a shield of light to block as many of Jackson's attacks as she could. However, to her dismay, she missed one...and it was heading straight toward Katherine. The Jones girl tried to make another shield to protect the redheaded girl, but she was too slow. But Sam wasn't. Panic coursed through Every's veins as she watched her brother push Katherine out of the way. As the Scott girl fell to the earth, Sam was hit square in the chest with Jackson's ice.

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Another day on Neverland had come, leaving Everly feeling like she was stuck in a time loop. She did the same thing every day and it was making her feel crazy. The only thing keeping her somewhat sane was was Felix. The other day they shared their first kiss and it was amazing. It was like time stood still so they could enjoy the moment.

Everly was pulled out of her daydream when she heard two sets of footsteps quickly approaching. As she continued to get closer and closer to her, she quickly climbed a tree and hid in the branches. It wasn't long after that when she saw Al running into the clearing with a terrified looking on his face. And close behind him was none other than Peter Pan. It didn't take long for the leader of the Lost Boys to catch up to the raven-haired boy and pin him against a tree.

"I'm sorry, Pan," Al said, failing to hide the shakiness of his voice, "please give me another chance. I'll find her this time."

"You've had enough chances. Especially after I watched you let her get away," Pan spat as his grip tightened around the object in his hand.

The next moment happened so quickly that Everly couldn't quite process it at the time. One moment, Al was pinned against the tree, begging for his life. The next moment, he was lying unmoving on the ground beneath his leader's feat. Pan just smirked down at the boy on the ground for a moment before disappearing into a cloud of green. The Jones girl stayed in the tree for what felt like an eternity, waiting to be sure that the King of Neverland was gone. It wasn't long after that when she jumped down from the tree and rushed over to Al. Her hand instantly covered her mouth to hold back a sob when she found the boy barely breathing with a dagger in his stomach.

"Everly?" he whispered through his pain, causing the girl in question to meet his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Al," Everly said as she kneeled down next to the boy, "I didn't know he'd do this."

"It's not...your fault," the raven-haired boy managed to say as he took her hand into his. A single tear ran down the Jones girl's cheek as she watched him close his eyes. "Keeping...fighting."

Everly didn't move from her place as she watched the last bit of life fade from Al. Despite wanting to scream, she kept her lips sealed and let her tears silently fall. Even though she looked like she was falling apart on the outside, Everly's mind was at work trying to figure out what to do with the fallen Lost Boy. She knew she couldn't just leave him here, he needed a nice place to rest. The only peaceful place she could think of was the cove. She didn't have a doubt that she could carry Al there on her own, he wasn't much bigger than her after all. But the cove was miles away and would take all of her energy to get him there.

A wave of determination suddenly washed over her as she carefully removed Al's hand from her own and got to her feet. After letting out a long sigh, she placed one hand under his back and the other under his legs. It took a few tries but she soon managed to pick him up from the earth. Al was heavy in her arms and she knew it would be a hard trek...but not impossible.

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"Sam!" Katherine shouted as anger began to flow through Everly's veins.

"Find some cover," the Jones girl told her redheaded friend without taking her eyes off the Overland boy, "I'll hold Jackson off."

Katherine hesitated for a moment before sending Everly a small nod. It wasn't long after that when she began to pull Sam away from the fight. The Purest Heart kept her shield up until they knew they were safe behind a tree, then she let it fall. Everly did her best to push her anger away as she formed a ball of light in her hand. She only waited for a second longer before launching it at Jackson, landing a direct hit on his arm. The Overland boy let out a yelp as soon as it made contact, causing a wave of shock to course through Everly. She was happy that her magic actually worked on Jackson but she was also surprised it did.

After shaking off her initial emotions, Everly did her best to continue to distract him enough to buy Katherine some time. Both of them landed hits against the other, but it was never enough to get the other to stand down. That continued for about fifteen minutes before Everly created one last light sphere and sent it Jackson's way. She watched with mixed emotions in her eyes as it soared through the air and hit Jackson square in the chest. The Overland boy didn't move for a moment as he stared at the Purest Heart before collapsing to the floor. Everly didn't hesitate to sprint across the clearing towards him, only to find him unconscious with a pained look on his face.

The Jones girl studied Jackson for a long moment, unsure of what to do next. However, she was soon snapped out of her daze by the sound of Katherine calling out to her. Determination coursed through Everly's veins as she raced back in the direction she came until she found Katherine kneeling next to Sam behind a tree. The Jones boy's body was growing colder by the second as ice began to form on his skin.

"What are we gonna do?" Katherine questioned as she looked up at Everly with tears in her eyes.

The Purest Heart didn't respond right away, doubtful that she had an answer for her friend. But it wasn't long after that when Jacob's words began to fill her head. "An act of true love can break the curse. True love's kiss."

The Scott girl just stared at her blonde friend for a moment before looking back down at Sam. Her eyes scanned over the peaceful look on his face as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. After letting out a long breath, Katherine leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Sam's lips. Not even a second after that passed when the Jones boy woke up with a gasp. His eyes immediately landed on Katherine, who was staring back at him with the biggest smile on her face. The Jones boy didn't hesitate to pull her in for another kiss, making a smile appear on Everly's face.

It wasn't long after that when Everly's thoughts return to Jackson, who was still lying on the ground a few yards away. The Purest Heart's silence caused Sam and Katherine to end their moment and follow their gaze. The three of them just stared at the Overland boy in silence for what felt like an eternity before Everly decided to break it. "We have to get him to the station and call Jacob before he wakes up. He'll know what to do."

"You said your magic can only harm the dark-hearted," Sam said as he forced himself to his feet, drawing the girls' attention back to him before he continued speaking, "do you think Jackson has dark magic within him?"

"No," Everly responded without an ounce of hesitation as she thought back to all the memories she shared with Jackson before that day, "but I think someone is making him believe he is. Someone who does have dark magic."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Jones girl began walking towards the Overland boy with Sam and Katherine right behind her. The three of them were in perfect sync as they circled around Jackson before taking each other's hands. Everly let out a long sigh as she let a gold cloud surround them, taking them back to the Sheriff's Station. Not even a second after they arrived passed when Sam carefully picked up Jackson and placed him in a cell.

Everly kept her eyes glued to the unconscious boy as a million thoughts raced through her head. She was angry that the Snow Queen managed to take Jackson under her control but she was also relieved he was safe. It wasn't long after that when she opened her mouth to speak while keeping her gaze on the Overland boy. "Sam, can you see if you can get a hold of Jacob?"

However, just as the Jones boy pulled out his phone, Jackson woke up with a start. That caused Everly, Sam, and Katherine to jump back as the Overland boy turned his attention toward them. He just stared at the trio for a long moment before getting to his feet and waving his hand through the air. Before anyone had a chance to react, Jackson disappeared into a cloud of white smoke, most likely on his way back to the Snow Queen.

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