────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍

────── ★★★ ──────

A week had passed since Everly began training with Jacob. Her magic was getting stronger every day and she was beginning to gain control over every part of it. Her emotions were no longer taking control of her magic and she was able to call her powers with ease. The Overland boy was surprised by how quickly she picked up on everything, but he would never admit that out loud. Over the course of the week, Jackson never showed up, but that didn't seem to worry Jacob.

Earlier that morning, Jacob decided that Everly was training enough to control her magic, even when her emotions were on overdrive. Because of that, the Jones girl now found herself standing in front of the Sheriff's Station, debating whether or not to go in. She knew her family was going to be angry with her for disappearing for as long as she did, which was in reason. But that doesn't mean she wants to face the music.

Everly stood in front of the door for what felt like an eternity before taking in a deep breath and entering the station. Emma and Elsa's voices greeted her ears as she walked through the halls and around the corner. The Purest Heart stayed out of sight and listened for a moment longer before walking out from behind the wall. Everly just stood between the door to Emma's office and the wall next to her as she watched the two women, who were completely unaware of her presence.

"And, Elsa, we have to be careful. This woman is tricky. She seems to know both of us, and we don't remember anything about her," Emma announced in a tone that was far too familiar to the Jones girl, "and something tells me that is not an accident."

"You think she took our memories?" Elsa questioned with a hint of confusion in her voice.

"I'm really good with names and faces. It was my job. She took them, alright. The question is why," the Swan woman responded right as Everly peeked around the corner, "we need to find out what she's up to."

She just stared at the duo as they dug through boxes. Everly was beginning to have second thoughts about coming back as her heart pounded in her chest. After taking one last deep break, the Jones girl came out from around the corner to make herself known.

"Looks like I missed something important," Everly said, causing Emma and Elsa to look up from the files in front of them.

The Savior just stared at her sister with shock in her eyes. After not seeing Everly for a few days, she didn't expect her to show up at the station. After her initial emotions faded, Emma walked around the desks to stand in front of Everly. "Where have you been?! Everyone's been worried sick!"

"I'm sorry," Everly responded while trying her best to control all the emotions building up inside her, "I needed time to control my magic. I didn't wanna hurt anyone."

Emma continued to stare down at her sister with a hint of anger in her eyes while Everly continued to blankly gaze at her. Just as the Swan woman was about to open her mouth to speak, the sound of approaching footsteps cut her off.

"Paperwork, ahoy! Old city records from the Mayor's-"

After hearing the speaker cut themselves off, the Purest Heart turned around to find Killian staring at her with wide eyes. He just stood there for a long moment before dropping the box and pulling the Jones girl into a hug. It wasn't long after that when the pirate captain tightened his grip around Everly and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"You scared me half to death," Killian whispered just loud enough for Everly to hear.

"I'm sorry," Everly responded as she wrapped her arms around the raven-haired man, "I needed help so I went to Jacob. He taught me how to control my magic."

Another long moment passed before Killian pulled away from Everly while keeping his hands on her shoulders. He just stared at her as she kept her eyes glued to the floor, doing everything she could to not make eye contact with him. It wasn't long before he placed a hand under her chin and lifted her head up.

"Never do anything like that again, do you understand?" the Jones man said in a stern tone, one that Everly rarely heard.

"Yes, Captain," the Purest Heart somewhat mocked as a smirk slowly formed on her face, only for Killian to roll his eyes in response before pulling her in for another hug.

────── ★★★ ──────

It had been a few days since all the excitement with Jacob and Jackson. Everly had been on edge ever since, still unsure if she should trust the brothers or not. If it was just Jackson, she'd have an easier time believing that he was on her side. But Jacob had never been kind to her during her time with Pan. If anything, he seemed to be the one who wanted her gone the most.

Instead of mopping around her cove and letting her unanswerable questions get to her, Everly cautiously walked through the forest in search of Felix. She hadn't seen him in a few days, which wasn't typical. Despite knowing Pan wouldn't harm his right hand, the Jones girl was worried about him and she wanted to make sure he was okay.

After about an hour of searching in his usual places, the former Lost Girl decided to climb up their tree and wait for him to appear. To her surprise, she didn't have to wait long before the sound of footsteps cut through the air. Everly instantly looked down to find Felix smirking up at her. She just watched as he climbed up before sitting down on the branch.

"So what have you been up to?" he asked, earning a small laugh from the girl next to him.

"Running from Pan and you Lost Boys," Everly responded as she looked up at the Lost Boy with a hint of mischief in her eyes, "the usual."

As soon as those words finished leaving her mouth, Felix's smile morphed into a serious expression. He just studied her for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "He's getting angry. He doesn't like that a girl is beating him at his own game."

"Does he want me to apologize?" the Jones girl said while doing her best to hold back a laugh.

"You should come back."

The amusement in Everly's eyes instantly faded after hearing Felix's words. She just stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. Her eyes searched for any sign of him messing with her, but all she saw was the serious look on his face.

"Go back? To Pan?" the Jones girl questioned while Felix continued to look everywhere but at her, "you do realize how ridiculous that is, right?"

"There's a chance he won't hurt you if you came back willingly," the Thorne boy responded in a somewhat desperate tone.

Despite not wanting to start an argument with the boy next to her, Everly couldn't help but scoff. Her mind raced with all the tricks Pan played on her since she set foot on Neverland. All the ways he and his ruthless Lost Boys made her experience on that island a nightmare. "There is no way I'm going back."

The two of them sat in silence for the rest of the time they spent together. Both of their minds racing with thoughts they didn't dare to speak. After about an hour or two, they climbed down the tree before hugging and going their separate ways.

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long before Everly left the Sheriff's Station and went to the loft to let David and Mary Margaret know she was okay. She wasn't surprised to receive another lecture from them about running away after getting a warm welcome. Despite the hint of annoyance she felt about getting yelled at for trying to keep them safe, the Jones girl couldn't help the hint of happiness that was forming within her. It had been a long time since she had this many people caring about her and she didn't hate it.

As soon as she was finished at the loft, Everly headed back out onto the streets of Storybrooke towards Granny's. She knew Sam was probably having a panic attack without her around. The two of them haven't been apart much since they met, after all. And even when they were, they knew exactly where the other was. Katherine most likely wasn't any better. After years of having people come in and out of her life, she finally found a place where she belonged. And then Everly up and left. She was starting to realize she deserved the lectures after all.

"I looked everywhere for her!" the Jones girl heard Sam shout as soon as she walked into the hallway. A wave of guilt washed over her as she continued down the corridor until she was standing in front of their door. "Where could she have gone?!"

"Calm down," Katherine responded while trying her best not to panic like the blonde boy, "we just need to figure out where else she would be."

"Did you check the hall?" Everly said after opening the door and walking into the room.

Both of them turned around and stared at the Jones girl before relieved looks appeared on their faces. Before she could register what was happening, Everly was tackled to the ground, tangled in a group hug. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before Sam pushed himself off the floor. After helping Everly and Katherine to their feet, they made their way over to sit at the table. It didn't take long for Everly to notice Sam staring at her with a hint of anger mixed with the relief in his eyes. However, before the Jones girl had a chance to speak, Katherine beat her to it.

"Where did you go?" Katherine asked, drawing Everly's attention over to her.

"I went to get help from Jackson and Jacob," the Purest Heart explained right as an uncertain feeling washed over her, "well, Jacob. Jackson never showed up."

"I went there a few times. Jacob said you weren't there," Sam announced. Everly was about to respond when the blonde boy continued speaking. "Why them?"

"I needed to learn how to control my magic before I hurt someone. Turns out, I can only hurt the dark-hearted," Everly explained, earning confused looks from both Sam and Katherine.

"Again, why them?" Katherine questioned, not bothering to hide the confusion in her voice, "what do two Lost Boys know about magic?"

"More than you would think," the Jones girl declared before letting out a long sigh, "he told me I can tell you guys but you can't tell anyone. Not a soul."

After exchanging a look with each other, Sam and Katherine gave a small nod in response. It wasn't long after that when Everly began to tell them exactly what Jacob revealed about his and Jackson's past. The Purest Heart did her best not to leave out any details. She started with how they knew the Arendelle royals and how they saved the princesses from the thin ice. That led to the explanation of how they got their magic and how they became part of the Guardians. Despite not quite understanding their assignment from the Sorcerer, she didn't leave that part out, receiving wide-eyed looks from the pair in front of her.

"No way," Katherine muttered under her breath while keeping her eyes glued to Everly, "those two are Jake and Jack Frost?"

After watching the Jones girl nod in response, Sam let out a small sigh, drawing the girls' attention to him. "That honestly makes so much sense. Jackson was always so fun-loving and giddy, like the legend we were all told. And Jacob...well, Jacob was stone-cold."

It wasn't long after that when the three of them began talking and laughing. It was like Everly had never disappeared in the first place. Soon they found themselves up far passed the time they had planned and decided to turn in. However, right as everyone started dozing off, Everly's phone rang.

────── ★★★ ──────

A day passed since Felix asked Everly to come back. Despite all the emotions she was feeling about it, she found herself sitting up in the tree waiting for him to join her. She was still having a hard time believing he wanted her to go back and thought there was something else behind his request. After all, Felix knew how miserable Everly was at Pan's camp and wouldn't want her going through that again without reason.

The Jones girl was soon pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of someone climbing up the tree. When she looked toward the source of the sound, she found Felix making his way up. It wasn't long before he sat down next to her and kissed her cheek. Everly was a bit taken aback by his actions but she didn't argue. However, like usual, she saw straight through her mask.

"What's wrong?" the Thorne boy questioned, earning a fake confused look from the girl next to him before letting out a sigh, "don't give me that. I can tell by the look on your face that something's wrong. What is it?"

"Why...why did you ask me to go back?"

Felix hesitated for a moment as he studied Everly. He saw the distress and worry in her eyes, making his heart sink. "I just wanted you to be safe. But I would much rather you be happy."

────── ★★★ ──────

After letting out a yawn and an irritated sigh, Everly grabbed her phone and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Everly, it's Emma," her sister greeted in a tone that sent shivers down the Jones girl's spine, "I need your help tracking someone down. I'm in the forest by the Toll Bridge. Can you come?"

"Yeah, sure. Give us five minutes," Everly responded as she grabbed her pillow and threw it at Sam to wake him up, causing the boy to jump and fall off his bed.

"Us?" the Swan woman questioned after the Jones boy sent his sister a glare, only to be ignored.

"Sam and Katherine are coming. And if you try to argue, I'm not coming."

Everly was greeted with nothing but silence for a long moment before she heard Emma sigh. "Fine. Just hurry."

As soon as she got off the phone with Emma, Everly put on her shoes and a jacket before getting to her feet. When she looked over at Sam, she found him following her actions before carefully waking up Katherine. A small smile formed on her face as she watched him before she looked over at Killian's bed, only to find it empty. Everly just stared at it for a moment before shrugging it off and turning her attention back to Sam and Katherine.

After quickly telling them about her conversation with Emma, the Jones girl held her hands out to them. Neither of them hesitated to take her hands into their own before Everly closed her eyes and thought about the Toll Bridge. It wasn't long after that when gold smoke began to surround them, taking them to exactly where they needed to be. When it vanished, they found Emma staring at them with shock in her eyes.

"Which way?" Everly asked, snapping her sister out of her daze.

"I lost the trail here," Emma responded while gesturing to the ground beneath her feet.

The Jones girl didn't hesitate to look around the clearing for any sign of life, or something to tell them which way to go. It didn't take long for her to notice a hint of frost on a rock before her eyes landed on a leaf that met the same fate. After pointing out her findings to everyone, they followed the trail of ice. They were only five minutes into their search party when they ran into a very displeased-looking Regina.

"What are you doing here?" the Evil Queen questioned without bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Elsa disappeared on me. I think she went to go confront the Snow Queen on her own. I'm afraid she's in trouble so I called Everly to help me find her," Emma explained while Everly, Sam, and Katherine stood awkwardly behind her, "how about you? Nature walks your new thing?"

"I intend to force the Snow Queen's hand," Regina declared while continuing to glare daggers at the Savior, "make her reverse the damage she's inflicted on Marian."

"Not dark at all," Sam muttered under his breath, causing Katherine to elbow him in the side. Regina either didn't hear Sam or chose not to care as she kept her eyes glued to Emma.

"How do you even know where she is?" Emma questioned with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Explaining my magic to beginners is a waste of my time. She's east of the Toll Bridge," Regina grunted before she began walking past the group of heroes.

"Well, I think we should stick together then," the Savior announced, causing the raven-haired woman to stop in her tracks while keeping her back towards the group behind her, "our best shot at finding Elsa is to go in the direction of the Snow Queen. You don't mind the company, do you?"

Regina kept her back to them for a moment longer before glancing back at them. Everly couldn't fight the chills going through her body when she saw the hint of darkness in the Mills woman's eyes. "Does it matter if I mind? If I say no, you'll just come anyway."

Before any of them had a chance to respond, the Evil Queen continued walking in what she believed was the right direction. Everly couldn't help but look over at Emma, only to see her shrug before she followed Regina. After exchanging an uncertain look with Sam and Katherine, the three of them raced to catch up with Emma and Regina to continue their search for Elsa.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────