────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long after those two words left Killian's mouth when Jackson and Jacob came running down the street. The Overland brothers didn't hesitate to pull the sisters from Arendelle in for tight hugs before doing the same with Everly. The Purest Heart was relieved to see that they were both okay. Even though she knew Jackson was immune to the spell, Jacob wasn't and he was a lot stronger than his little brother. However, before their reunion could continue, Emma suggested they go to the town line so Elsa could take down the ice wall.

So that was why they found themselves standing in front of the large wall with their friends and family. No one said a word as they stared at the object keeping them trapped in Storybrooke. What felt like an eternity of silence passed before Anna finally decided to break it. "Wow! That is a lot of ice!"

"And it's time for it to come down," Elsa declared while walking towards the wall until she was standing a few feet in front of it. Everyone watched as the Queen of Arendelle raised her hands in the air before a strong wind came out of nowhere. It wasn't long after that when the wall began to crumble until it disappeared into thin air.

"Okay," Anna said in a cheerful voice as she practically skipped towards the town line, "now can we go back home?"

"Stop! Don't take another step!" Emma called out, causing the princess to stop in her tracks and turn around to stare at the Savior with confusion in her eyes, "that's the town line."

"Right. But I want to leave the town," the redheaded woman responded before looking back at those standing behind her, "didn't I just say that?"

"The wall may be down, but I sense that some of Ingrid's magic remains," the Swan woman explained, drawing everyone's attention back to her just in time to see her reach out in front of her. Shock coursed through Everly's veins when a barrier appeared where the ice wall once stood. "Yeah, leaving this town has never been simple. And Ingrid? She didn't change things. She wanted to be here alone, with Elsa and me. She wanted to make Storybrooke her ice castle and clearly she wanted to protect it."

"So how do we get back home?" Anna questioned while looking between the Savior and her sister.

"Walking wouldn't get you there anyway. We're in a different realm," Everly announced with a hint of sadness in her voice as everyone turned to look at her, "you need to find a portal. Or Magic Beans. Or...something."

"Okay, now I'm lost," Kristoff admitted, causing the Overland brothers to smirk at the confused look on the Bjorgman man's face.

"Well, then let's get one of those things. We have to hurry" Anna told everyone without even attempting to hide the urgency in her voice.

"No, we don't need to rush. We need to be careful," Jacob responded, drawing everyone's attention to him before he continued speaking, "Arendelle will still be there while we figure this out."

"It might not," the redheaded woman muttered under her breath before looking over at Kristoff, "did we forget to tell them?"

"A lot of stuff was going on," Kristoff defended.

"Tell us what?" Elsa questioned while she and the Overland brothers stared at the couple with concern in their eyes.

Anna let out a long sigh before turning back around to face her sister, Jackson, and Jacob. "Arendelle's been conquered. By Hans and his twelve brothers."

"I'm sorry. Who's this Hans? And why are he and his twelve brothers so important?" Jackson questioned while he and Jacob stared at the sisters and Kristoff with confusion in their eyes.

"Well, have to explain that another time," Elsa declared before looking over at Emma, "we need to find a way back. Now."

The Savior just stared at the two sisters for a long moment before opening her mouth to speak. "We'll do our best."

────── ★★★ ──────

"Why did they have to be right?" Sam questioned while he and Everly sat on a set of stones close to the water.

The Jones girl couldn't help but let out a long sigh as she looked over at J.P.. Their newest addition hadn't stopped talking since they brought him back to the cove. Even though she knew they made the right choice, a small part of Everly wished they didn't bring him back. But those thoughts soon fade away every time she watched him practice his hand-to-hand fighting. J.P. was the best fighter she had seen in a very long time. And on top of all that, Everly wouldn't have had the heart to leave him behind.

"Hey, Everly. I have a question," J.P. said as he walked over to Sthem right as the Jones girl began to drink water from her canteen, "what's with you and Felix?"

Everly began choking on her water after hearing the boy's question, causing the Wilbert boy to her to gently pat her on the back. It wasn't long after that when the Jones girl looked back up at the boy in front of her. "We were just close before I got away. We were friends."

J.P. simply smiled in response, satisfied with her answer, before he went to continue to help Adam with his defensive moves. Everly and Sam just watched them in silence until the latter decided to break it. "When do you think he'll stop asking questions?"

"Soon, I hope."

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long after they figured out they couldn't leave Storybrooke again when they found themselves at Granny's. Everly sat down in one of the booths with Sam, Katherine, Emma, the Overland brothers, and the trio from Arendelle. All of them sat in silence as they tried to figure out a way to get Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff back home.

"So," Jackson muttered under his breath, breaking the silence surrounding them as he looked over at Elsa, "you're 'Queen Elsa of Arendelle' now?"

"Yes," the blonde woman responded before letting out a laugh and letting a smile appear on her face, "and you're 'Guardian Jack of Frost.'"

"If that's what you want to call me."

Everly tried to hide the smile threatening to form on her lips while Jacob stared at his brother with disgust in his eyes. After hearing everything Jackson told them about Elsa and seeing the way he lights up every time he's near her, it didn't surprise Everly to learn they have a history between them. The Jones girl watched them for a moment longer before turning her attention away from them to continue to discuss ways to get them back to Arendelle. It wasn't long after that when the diner door swung open, revealing a very confident-looking Killian.

Everly, Sam, and Katerine couldn't help but stare at the pirate captain as he walked through the diner. But it didn't take them long to figure out that his false emotions were the work of the Dark One. The three of them kept their eyes glued to Killian until he was standing beside their table. "Come celebrate. For I might not be the Savior, but I have just saved the day."

"Hang on. Don't get your hopes up yet," Emma told Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff before the Swan woman got to her feet and walked over to the pirate captain.

It wasn't long after the Savior left when Jackson moved to sit next to Elsa. Everly rolled her eyes at the same time as Jacob as they watched Jackson have a hushed conversation. The Jones girl soon let out a sigh before looking over at Emma and Killian, only to see the latter turning to leave. However, the pirate captain barely made it two steps before the Savior forced him to stop and move back in front of her. Everly watched them have a more serious conversation before the Jones man placed a kiss on her sister's lips. Killian then took a step to leave again when he tightly grabbed Emma's wrist for a moment. It wasn't after that when the pirate captain walked off, leaving Emma standing at the counter looking as though she just saw a ghost.

The Purest Heart just stared at her sister for a moment, silently wishing Emma finally picked up on what was going on with Killian. Just as Everly was about to get up to talk to her sister, her phone began to ring. A wave of irritation washed over the Jones girl as she took out her phone to see who was calling, only for her emotions to fade when she saw Robin's name. "Hello?"

"Hi, Everly," Robin greeted with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Hey, Robin," the Jones girl responded as she walked into the back of the diner by the jukebox to have a bit more privacy, "is everything okay?"

"No. Not at all," the Hood man told her, making a hint of fear flow through Everly's veins, "Roland and I are...we're leaving town. Marian isn't getting better and going to a place without magic will keep her safe."

Everly hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. What felt like an eternity passed before she swallowed the lump in her throat and opened her mouth to speak. "But you can't come back if you cross the town line."

"I know, but we don't have much of a choice," the Merry Man told Everly, who was trying her best to keep her emotions at bay, "Roland wants to say bye to you. We both do. We're at the town line."

"I'll be there as fast as I can," the Jones girl responded before handing up the phone.

It wasn't long after that when she told everyone what was going on before she rushed out the door. Everly's feet took her across the patio and towards the street without even thinking. Just as she was about to use her magic to take her to the town line, Regina's car came out of nowhere and stopped in front of her. Confusion flowed through Everly's veins as she watched the window roll down to reveal the Mills woman, who was staring at the Jones girl with a sad smile on her face. "Need a ride?"

────── ★★★ ──────

A few months passed since they rescued J.P. from Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. Not much had happened other than Sam losing his temper a few times because he couldn't sleep with all the talking. But that wasn't anything unusual. Even though their newest addition kept them up later than they would have liked, Everly and Sam were starting to warm up to J.P. and his never-ending talking. It brought them a little entertainment while they were stuck on Neverland for all of eternity.

After a long day of scouting near the cove to have a small moment of peace, Everly found herself refilling their canteens with water from the closest river. It wasn't long before she got the feeling she was being watched, making the Jones girl silently wish she stopped coming to the river. After letting out a long sigh, Everly placed the cap back on her canteen before slowly turning around. "You can come out now."

The straight face stayed plastered on Everly's lips as she watched a cloud of green smoke appear in front of her before Pan was standing in front of her. The Jones girl couldn't fight the anger building up inside her as she stare at the leader of the Lost Boys. "What do you want?"

A smirk instantly appeared on Pan's face as he leaned against the tree behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. "I m here to make a deal. I will leave you and you're 'Saved Boys' alone if you return Sam to me."

Everly couldn't help but scoff in response to the King of Neverland's request. "Sam is not an object."

"How adorable. You care for your boys," Pan responded as the smirk on his face grew even larger, "just like me."

The Jones girl simply rolled her eyes, tired of the conversation she was having with the leader of the Lost Boys. So instead of continuing their conversation, Everly gathered her things and turned to leave, only for Pan to appear a foot away from her. "You do realize we are more alike than we are different. We both save lost boys and we're both very powerful people. Bring your boys back to my camp and let's rule Neverland together."

A fake smile instantly appeared on her lips as she stared at the boy in front of her. It wasn't long after that when Everly whispered four simple words. "Not on your life."

The smirk on Pan's face soon fell and was replaced by nothing but anger as he stared at Everly. "You're making a big mistake not taking my offer."

The blank expression never faded from the former Lost Girl's face while she kept her eyes glued to the boy in front of her. "I'm not scared of you, Pan. I never have been and I never will be. And I know the only reason you want me to join you is because I'm a threat to you."

"You will regret making an enemy of me, Little Lost Girl," the King of Neverland declared without even attempting to hide the venom in his voice.

"I regret nothing," Everly responded with the most confident she could gather.

"I'm sure there's something you regret. I will find out what that is if it's the last thing I do."

And just like that, Pan was gone.

────── ★★★ ──────

What felt like an eternity passed when they finally made it to the town line. Everly immediately got out of the car and walked over to Robin and Roland. Not even a second after that passed when the Hood boy sprinted towards the Jones girl. A sad smile appeared on Everly's face as she scooped him into her arms and gave him a tight hug. The two of them stayed like that for a long moment before Roland broke the silence surrounding them. "Can you come with us?"

"I'm sorry, Rol. I wish I could, but I can't," Everly whispered just loud enough for the young boy to hear while keeping her arms tightly wrapped around him, "my place is here. But I need you to remember that you're the best little Merry Man the world has ever seen. Got it?"

"Got it."

It wasn't long before Everly spotted Robin walking towards her over Roland's shoulder. Despite wanting to keep the Hood boy in her arms forever, the Jones girl put him down so he could say his goodbyes to the Merry Men. Everly just watched him for a moment longer before her turning her attention to the leader of the Merry Men.

"Thank you for coming," Robin said without even attempting to hide the emotions in his voice.

"I couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye," Everly responded while trying her best to hold back the tears threatening to escape her, "do you really have to go?"

"There's no other way to save Marian," the Hood man declared before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small arrowhead, "this was one of the first arrowheads that Roland made for me. I want you to have it."

"I can't take that."

Robin just stared at Everly for a moment before gently taking her wrist and placing the arrowhead in her hand. "I want you to have it to remember us by."

The Purest Heart kept her eyes glued to the arrowhead before letting out a sigh and slowly nodding. it wasn't long after that when Robin pulled Everly in for a tight hug, neither of them wanting it to end any time soon. The two of them stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before the Hood man broke the silence surrounding them. "Stay safe."

"You too," Everly whispered just loud enough for Robin to hear.

It wasn't long after that when they ended their embrace before the Hood man went to talk to Regina. Everly kept her eyes glued to Robin as she went to stand next to the one and only thief who was brave enough to run away from not one, but two sheriffs.

"Didn't know you and Robin were so close," Will Scarlet said, drawing Everly's attention away from the leader of the Merry Man.

The Purest Heart just stared at the thief for what felt like an eternity before opening her mouth to speak. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Scarlet."

"And there's a lot you don't know about me, Jones...but maybe we should fix that," the brunette man responded. A smile soon appeared on his lips after seeing the shocked look on Everly's face. It wasn't long after that when Will continued speaking. "I don't see a reason why we can't be friends...or at least acquaintances."

The shocked look on the Jones girl's face was soon replaced with a small smile. "Interesting proposition. I'll have to think about it."

Will playfully rolled his eyes in response before they turned their attention back to the situation at hand. The small hint of happiness Everly felt after conversing with the Scarlet man after watching Marian and Roland cross over the town line. The Jones girl's eyes were glued to the Hood boy, who was staring right back at her. But Everly knew he was not truly seeing her. A single tear streamed down the Jones girl's cheek as she looked back over at Robin and Regina just in time to see them share one last kiss. It wasn't long after that when the leader of the Merry Men walked backward over the town line, never taking his eyes off Regina.

Everly quickly wiped away her tears before she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, she found Will staring down at her with sadness in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug. The two of them stood in silence as they watched Robin, Roland, and Marian walk away from Storybrooke and toward their new lives.

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long after watching Robin and Roland disappear over the town line when Everly got a call from Sam. She was shocked to hear that the Arendelle natives found a portal home and were leaving soon. After hanging up the phone with her brother, Everly said her goodbyes to Will and the Merry Men. She then used her magic to teleport to the mansion where Killian lost his heart to the Dark One. Everly greeted everyone with a sad smile before they walked inside the manor.

"This place is amazing!" Henry explained as he looked around at everything surrounding him. It wasn't long after that when she spun around and spotted something in the other room. "Mom, I'll, uh, be right back."

"Hey, kid, wait!" Emma called out to her son, who ignored his mother as he walked into the other room.

It wasn't long before they followed the Mills boy after spotting the large door in the center of the room. Everyone just stared at the strange object for a moment before Mary Margaret broke the silence surrounding them. "Well, Emma, I think this is it."

Everly jumped when she heard a gasp coming from behind her before Anna sprinted past her to get a better look at the door. "Crocuses! Arendelle crocuses! Elsa, we're almost home!"

The redheaded woman sent her sister and her fiancé a giant smile as she rushed towards. However, just as she was about to grab the handle, Emma called out to her and stopped Anna in her tracks. "Maybe I should open it. Magic can be unpredictable."

Elsa continued to stare at the door for another moment before turning around and taking Emma's hand into her own. "So, this is it."

"Appears so," Emma responded with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Thank you for taking good care of my sister," Anna said while looking around at everyone in the room.

"It's kind of what we do."

"It's our pleasure," Mary Margaret responded after matching smiles appeared on her and David's faces, "now, don't you all have a kingdom to go save?"

"We sure do," the redheaded woman announced while her smile slowly fell and was replaced by an annoyed look, "I hope Hans isn't too comfortable on that throne, because I'm gonna knock him right off the minute we get back."

Kristoff didn't hesitate to step forward to stand in front of Anna with a hint of hope in his eyes. "And the second minute we're back, maybe we could get married? Just a thought."

Before anyone could say another word, a cloud of white smoke filled the room behind them. It only lasted a moment before it cleared to reveal Jackson and Jacob. The Overland brothers sent Everly small smiles as they stepped forward to stand in front of Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff.

"We would like to go with you back to Arendelle," Jackson announced before his eyes moved to meet Elsa's gaze, "if it's okay with the Queen, of course."

"I'm definitely okay with that," Elsa responded with a huge smile on her face before she pulled Emma in for one last hug.

While the two of them share one final moment together, Everly turned her attention toward the Overland brothers. The three of them just stared at each other for a moment before the Jones girl stepped forward and pulled them both in for a tight hug. "Thank you for everything. We couldn't have done this without you."

"You're stronger than you realize, Everly," Jacob told her after they ended their embrace to share one last smile, "never forget that."

"It's time," Elsa announced as she, Anna, and Kristoff took a step towards the door, "please, thank Hook and Mr. Gold for us, as well."

At the mention of Killian's name, Everly and Sam exchanged a worried look, both wondering where the pirate captain could possibly be. It wasn't long after that when they turned their attention back to the situation at hand just in time to see Emma walk over to the door. After letting out a long sigh, the Savior wrapped her hand around the doorknob and opened the door, revealing a portal to Arendelle. Everyone watched in awe as Elsa walked through the portal. Jackson and Jacob sent Everly, Sam, and Katherine one last smile before following after her.

Kristoff said his goodbyes to David and Mary Margaret before taking Anna's hand and walking through the portal. However, before the princess went through, she released her grip on the Bjorgman man's hand and turned back around to face her new allies. "I wish I had met this Mr. Gold. He seems super helpful. Who is he? I mean, who was he in the other world? Wait! Let me guess. He was a fairy godfather, wasn't he?"

David couldn't help but let out a scoff after listening to Anna's words, drawing all attention to him before he opened his mouth to speak. "Well, not exactly. He was an evil sorcerer. You're lucky you never met. Rumplestiltskin."

The smile on Anna's face instantly dropped as she stared at the Nolan man with concern in her eyes. "Wait, what?"

"You know him?" Everly questioned as she stepped forward to stand in front of the redheaded woman, "that's funny because he explicitly said he didn't know anything about you."

"Well, that's a lie. Not that I'm surprised. All he does is lie," Anna declared without even attempting to hide the worry in her voice.

"So Gold was playing us the whole time," Emma muttered under her breath before looking back up at Anna, "but why?"

It wasn't long after that when Sam grabbed Everly's wrist and pulled her aside. As soon as he felt they were far enough away from everyone, he looked over at his sister with worry in his eyes. "We need to tell them."

"We can't, Sam," Everly responded while trying her best to keep all her emotions at bay, "he'll kill Killian."

"He's a dead man either way," the Jones boy declared with determination in his voice, earning nothing but silence from the girls standing in front of him, "if you don't tell them, I will."

"Tell us what?"

Everly's entire body tensed at the sound of Emma's voice before she and Sam turned around to find Anna gone and everyone's eyes on them. The Jones girl kept her eyes glued to her family until she looked back at her brother, only to find him already staring back at her, waiting for her to say something before he does. Everly couldn't help but glare at Sam before she gathered all her courage and turned back around to face her family. "Rumplestiltskin took Killian's heart. He's gonna use it to free himself from the dagger."

"Are you kidding me?!" Emma shouted while taking a step towards her sister, causing Everly to take a step back, "this is the second time you kept something like this from us! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Well, for one, Killian told me not to tell you. I was just respecting his wishes," the Jones girl explained while trying her best not to get annoyed with the Savior, "and two, Rumplestiltskin said he'd crush Killian's heart sooner if I said anything."

────── ★★★ ──────

What felt like an eternity passed before Everly finally arrived back at the cove. Pan's threat was on repeat in her head as she placed the canteens against the wall. It wasn't long after that when she moved to sit down on the closest rock with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. Throughout her entire journey back to their hideout, the Jones girl couldn't figure out what the leader of the Lost Boys meant about using what she regretted against her, or even what it could use against her in the first place.

"Oh no," a voice said, snapping Everly out of her trance as she looked up to find Sam approaching her. The Wilbert boy didn't hesitate to sit down on the rock next to her while looking at her with a smile on his face. "You have your thinking face on. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I had a run-in with Pan," Everly announced, making the smile on Sam's face fall as he stared at her with concern in his eyes, "it was strange. We just talked."

The blonde boy continued to stare at his best friend for a moment longer before finding the courage within him to speak. "What did he say?"

"He wanted me to give you back in exchange for peace, but I turned him down."

"And I really appreciate that."

"Then he asked for all of us to return. And when I turned down his offer, he told me that he'd find what I regretted the most and use it against me."

"What is it that you regret?"

"That's the thing, Sam. I don't have a clue."

────── ★★★ ──────

After searching every inch of Storybrooke for Killian, Everly found herself at the clock tower with Sam, Katherine, Mary Margaret, and Emma. None of them hesitated to sprint inside before climbing into the elevator to take them to the top. As soon as the doors opened, everyone rushed out to find Rumplestiltksin facing Killian with the pirate captain's heart in his hand. Everly's eyes widened in horror as she watched the scene in front of her, only for her to snap out of her daze at the sound of Emma's voice. "Gold! Stop!"

The Dark One looked down at the group below them, letting the silence surround them until he decided it was time to break it. "I'm sorry, I can't. I've waited too long for this and I'm too close."

Before any of the heroes could even think about making a move against him, Rumplestiltskin waved his hand through the hair, making them become as still as statues. A single tear rolled down Everly's cheek as she stared at Killian, whose eyes were already glued to her. It wasn't long after that when his attention fell on Emma.

"Well, maybe not everything has gone to plan," Rumpelstiltskin announced, drawing the Jones man's gaze back to him before a sinister smirk appeared on the Dark One's lips, "but this next part, I'm really gonna enjoy."

Not even a second after he finished speaking passed when Rumplestiltskin squeezed Killian's heart, making the pirate captain shout in pain before he fell to the ground. But to everyone's surprise, the heart didn't turn to dust. Instead, it stayed exactly as it should as it continued to beat in the Dark One's hand. Rumplestiltskin tried crushing Killian's heart again, earning another shout from the Jones man but nothing more than that. An irritated look appeared on the powerful man's face as he stared at the object in his hand. "I don't understand. Why can't I-"

"Because I commanded you not to."

Unknown to the Dark One, Belle snuck up behind him and took the dagger off the table. Everly's eyes were glued to the brunette woman as she held the powerful object out in front of her. To the Jones girl's surprise, both Belle and Rumplestiltskin were staring at each other with betrayal in their eyes.

"Drop the heart," Belle commanded, causing Rumplestiltskin to let the heart fall into Killian's hand. The French woman just stared at her husband for another moment before her attention fell on her allies frozen on the floor below them. "Now release everyone."

With another wave of his hand, the five heroes down below were able to move once again. High above them, the large purple portal closed, leaving a simple box in its place. But no one could take their eyes off of Belle, who kept her gaze glued to Rumplestiltskin. "And now....now you can take us to the town line. Because we need to be alone for what comes next."

After a moment of hesitation, Rumplestiltskin waved his hand through the air once again, making him and Belle disappear into a cloud of maroon.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────