────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly sat next to Felix with Sam, Katherine, and Austin on the log behind them while their children ran around in the grass in front of them. Regina and Hook sat across from them as the former told them about her encounter with Drizella. As soon as she finished her story, Everly saw a look in Hook's eyes that she knew far too well. A look that made the Thorne woman's heart ache.

"This tower that you went to," the raven-haired man hesitated for a moment while staring down at the grass before his eyes moved to meet the Mills woman's gaze, "you said it was in ruins?"

"The place was completely destroyed," Regina responded as her eyes scanned over every inch of the pirate's face.

Silence surrounded them for a long moment before it was interrupted by a soft voice. Everly watched as Hook's entire body tensed then everyone turned their attention towards the voice. To all of their surprise, a young woman was standing on the other side of the clearing. They all instantly got to their feet while Hook continued to stare at the woman as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Alice?" Hook said as he continued to stare at the blonde with wide eyes before he started walking toward her, "Alice, is it really you?"

"Yes, yes, it's me," Alice responded with a smile followed by joyous laughter, "but is it really you? You...you're so young!"

"It was magic. I just..." the pirate captain hesitated for a moment then took a step away from the blonde woman, causing a frown to appear on both of their faces, "Alice, what...what happened? How did you...how did you escape the tower without me?"

"Well, it's a long story, Papa, but, well, I'm here now," Alice explained after her smile reappeared on her face before he took a step forward to hug her father, only for the man to take a step away from her.

"No, no, no. Don't," Hook told her while everyone continued to watch them with mixed emotions on their faces, "you know my heart is poisoned. You can't come near me."

"No, it's okay. I...I found a cure. I've been shielded," the blonde woman explained with hope in her eyes.

"A cure?"

"Yes, Papa."

A smile instantly appeared on Hook's face before he moved to hug his daughter. However, as soon as their arms were around each other, a magical force came out of nowhere and sent the pirate captain across the clearing. Everly didn't hesitate to rush toward the screaming man before she saw a green light emitting from his chest.

The Purest Heart did her best not to panic as she placed her hands over the eerie glow. Alice's shouts continued to cut through the air while Everly attempted to heal Hook. It wasn't long after that when the pirate captain let out another scream, causing Alice to sprint away from them into the forest.

"Wait, Alice, no! Wait!" Henry called after the blonde woman while his mother crouched down on the other side of the Jones man.

"Go after her," Regina told her son, causing him and Ella to sprint after the man's daughter then her attention moved toward Everly, "go with them. I'll take care of Hook...and the kids."

The Purest Heart just stared at the Mills woman for a long moment before the former sent her a small nod. As soon as they grabbed everything they thought they'd need, Everly, Felix, Sam, Katherine, Austin, and Roland ran through the forest after Henry and Ella.

It wasn't long before they found the couple gazing at a portal in the middle of a small clearing. However, just as they were about to reach them, Henry and Ella jumped into the magical gateway to an unknown destination. The group of six instantly came to a stop right in front of the portal and stared at the enchanted door.

"We lost them," Austin muttered under his breath while rubbing his hands down the sides of his face.

"No, we didn't," Roland stated without taking his eyes off of the portal.

"Rol, we have no idea where that leads," Everly countered, only to receive a small smile in response from the brunette boy as he turned to look at her.

"Sure, we do...Wonderland," the Hood boy declared then he turned his attention back toward the portal.

Before anyone had a chance to respond, Roland ran through the portal. Everly just stared at where the brunette boy disappeared before casting her gaze back to everyone else, only to find them already looking back at her. A silent conversation made its way through the group before they followed after the Hood boy.

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly stood next to Tiana with Cassie and Roland on her other side as they watched Ella and Lucy have a conversation. It took a lot of convincing, but after what felt like an eternity the Thorne woman was finally able to persuade Social Services to let Lucy stay with her. Except there was one condition. Ella could only see Lucy for a certain amount of time each day. Even though that didn't make sense to the Purest Heart, it was better than having the Mills girl living in a strange place with people she didn't know.

As soon as Ella and Lucy finished conversing, Cassie and Roland took the raven-haired girl out to lunch. The three women stood on the sidewalk and watched them go until they were out of sight. It wasn't long after that when they walked into the building and headed up to Everly's apartment. Once they reached their destination, Ella sat down on the couch and let out a long sigh before her friends took their places on either side of her.

"I really appreciate you letting Lucy stay here," the brunette woman broke the silence while sending Everly a small smile before it slowly faded away, "but this is still so hard."

"I know. But everything will be okay," the Purest Heart responded as she placed a hand on Ella's knee, "we'll find a way for you to get Lucy back."

"Well, she could do it the American way and hire a lawyer," Tiana stated, earning a small scoff from the Mills woman while Everly did her best not to flinch.

"Right. Like I can afford a lawyer," Ella retaliated as she turned her attention toward her curly-haired friend.

"Well, I did a little light social media stalking, and you know who graduated from law school?" Tiana responded, causing her two friends to stare at her in confusion before realization formed on Ella's face.

"No. Uh-uh. Absolutely not. It's too risky," the Mills woman declared while Everly continued to stare at them with a puzzled look on her face, "he'll probably make everything worse anyway. It was kinda his MO, remember?"

"You just told Lucy you would do everything, so do everything. Isn't Lucy worth the risk?" the curly-haired woman countered, earning a blank stare from Ella.

"I'm a little lost over here," Everly said, causing her friends to turn their attention back to her before she continued speaking, "who are you talking about?"

Ella just stared at the blonde woman for a long moment before letting out a long sigh and looking down at her intertwined fingers. "Lucy's father."

All emotion faded from the Thorne woman's face while her eyes stayed glued to her brunette friend. As silence surrounded the three women, only one question ran through Everly's head. Who did they think was Lucy's father?

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After leaving for work with more questions than ever before, Everly found herself standing next to Sam at the back of the police station's lobby. The Purest Heart would be the first to admit she was surprised by how many people stood in the room waiting for Hook to enter. But when you solve a case that seemed like a wild goose chase, it definitely turned people's heads. It wasn't long before the station door opened and Hook casually walked into the building. Applause instantly cut through the air, causing the raven-haired man to freeze for a moment before he continued to walk into the building.

"Okay, okay, okay. That's...that's enough," Hook said as he walked through the lobby with a baffled look on his face, only for his smile to fade when his eyes landed on something behind Everly and Sam.

The Purest Heart's eyebrows came together in confusion then she turned around to face Rumplestiltskin. The two of them just stared at each other for a short moment before he moved past her and approached the pirate captain.

"Congratulations, Detective...and company. You closed your case," the Dark One said as he glanced over at Everly and Sam before his attention returned to Hook, "but...you have no idea what you just blew wide open."

Rumplestiltskin sent one last look Everly's way before he turned around and walked away. The three of them just stood there for a long moment as they processed the Dark One's words. What felt like an eternity passed before the smile returned to Sam's face as he placed a hand on Hook's shoulder.

"How's it feel to be a hero, Rogers?" the blonde man asked, earning a small smile from the man in question as he looked up at his partner.

"I was just doing my job," the raven-haired man responded while Sam's attention fell on something behind Hook and Everly.

"Tell that to her," was all the shining knight said, causing the other two to send him a confused look before they followed his gaze.

As soon as Everly's eyes landed on a redheaded woman walking into the station, her whole body froze. When the Purest Heart decided to join their adventure in rescuing Eloise Gardner, she didn't know exactly who they were looking for. Now that she saw who the damsel in distress really was, she wished she had nothing to do with finding the woman. In all honesty, Everly wished the woman was never found.

Because walking towards them with a fake smile on her face and a cake in her hand was none other than Mother Gothel.

"Eloise? Is everything alright?" Hook said as he got to his feet while Everly continued to stare at the woman with a blank look on her face.

"Yeah, I just wanted to bring you this as a thank you," Gothel responded as she held the cake out to the pirate captain, who hesitantly took it into his hands, "I baked it myself."

"That's very kind of you," the raven-haired man told her as he stared at the dessert before placing it on his desk and turning his attention back to the redheaded woman, "um, how are you? You adjusting okay?"

"Honestly, I'm having trouble sleeping," she responded while Everly did her best to suppress all the emotions she was feeling at that moment.

"Well, that's understandable. You've been plunged into a strange new world. Have you gone to see that therapist yet?"

"I tried."

Hook just stared at the woman in front of him for a long moment before pulling out a card from his back pocket. "Here's my number. If it will make you feel any better, you can call me any time."

"You really are my white knight, aren't you?" Gothel said then let out a small chuckle, "thank you, detective."

The two of them shared another smile then the redheaded woman made eye contact with Everly. They just stared at each other for an unnoticeable moment before the witch sent the Purest Heart a sly smirk and left the building.

────── ★★★ ──────

When they finally emerged from the other side of the portal, they were greeted by a world that felt as though it was pulled out of a storybook. And that was saying a lot. There were mushrooms the size of trees and flowers so impossibly crazy they shouldn't exist. Despite the awe she was feeling as she looked around at the world that surrounded her, Everly couldn't ignore the darkness that filled the air.

"No wonder Will had a love-hate relationship with Wonderland," the Thorne girl muttered under her breath.

The Purest Heart continued to look around for a moment longer until Felix gently nudged her side. Her attention quickly turned to him before her husband gestured to something behind her. When she turned toward what he was pointing at, Everly found Henry and Ella trapped in a net high in the air. A small smile appeared on the blonde woman's face as she followed Sam, Katherine, and Austin toward them with Felix and Roland at her sides.

"Need a hand?" Austin called up to them after the six of them stopped a few feet away from the entangled pair.

"A sword would be better!" Henry responded, earning small chuckles from the group below before Sam let out another laugh and unsheathed his sword.

"Watch your fingers," he told them then cut the net with one simple swing.

The two of them instantly fall to the ground with Ella landing on top of Henry. Everyone tried to ignore the small moment they shared before they jumped to their feet. After brushing themselves off, the pair turn around to face their saviors.

"My mom sent you, didn't she?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Katherine responded with a small smile, only to receive a chuckle from the Mills man before he looked over at Ella.

"Don't worry. We'll find her," the brunette man declared while the brunette woman scanned over their surroundings before she turned around to face Henry once again, "we'll get them back together. Family always finds each other. My grandparents had this motto, 'I will always find you.'"

"A motto?" Ella questioned with amusement in her eyes as the smile on Henry's face grew, "how often did they get separated?"

"You'd be surprised," Everly responded while her nephew let out another laugh.

"But it always worked out," Henry added, only for the grin on the brunette woman's face to falter.

"You ever think you're a bit naive, Henry?" Ella questioned, making the expression on the Mills man's face match hers before she continued, "I know that where you come from, true love always wins, but mine...is a world of broken promises...where people never find each other."

"Is that why you said it's complicated back there?"

"Yes. Now, let's go find Alice," the brunette woman stated before she turned around and walked in the direction of a nearby cottage.

Henry just watched her walk away then he turned his attention to his family. No one responded for a moment before Everly let out a sigh and placed a hand on her nephew's shoulder.

"Go after her," the Purest Heart told him as a small smile formed on her face, "we'll stay out here and make sure no one sneaks up on you."

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long after Henry and Ella disappeared into the cottage when chills ran up and down Everly's spine. All her senses suddenly became alert as if they were trying to warn her of something. She instantly began to look around at the forest that surrounded her before her attention fell on her family. It only took one look for her to see that they felt something was off too.

No one said a word as they hid among the trees with their magic, swords, and bows ready for whatever was coming their way. Not even a moment passed when Henry came sprinting out of the cottage yelling Ella's name. Soon their names mixed into his shouts as he looked around at the world that surrounded him. Despite wanting to make herself known to ease her nephew's worries, Everly didn't move an inch as she watched Henry mutter something under his breath.

The next thing anyone knew, the Mills boy began to glow bright orange before he found himself stuck to the ground beneath his feet. All the emotions Everly was feeling soon transformed into anger as she watched Drizella appear from behind a mushroom.

"Oh, I must say...your mother's onto something with this freezing spell," the Tremaine woman said as she approached Henry. That instantly caused Everly to take a step forward, only for Felix to grab her wrist and hold her back.

"Drizella, what are you doing in Wonderland?" the Mills man questioned while the woman in front of him continued to stare at him with a smirk on her face.

"Oh, I'm the reason we're all here...even your friends concealing themselves among the mushrooms," Drizella explained, causing the heroes to exchange a look before they were forced out of their hiding place by very strong magic and found themselves in the same predicament as Henry, "I tricked Alice into guiding us down one of her little bunny holes."

"Why would you do that?" Katherine asked while trying to break free from the magical binding.

"Because Wonderland has so many different poisons to choose from. My favorite? The one that can poison hearts," the brunette sorceress responded before turning back around to face the Mills man, "specifically...yours."

Everly's blood ran cold the moment Drizella finished speaking. Without thinking, the Purest Heart tried to summon her magic, only for a shooting pain to go up her arms. A small chuckle passed over the Tremaine woman's lips after seeing the look on the blonde woman's face. It wasn't long after that when the brunette woman bent down and picked one of the smallest mushrooms from the forest floor.

"Isn't it pretty?" she said as she held it out in front of Henry, "it's so soft...so innocent. Who could guess it could cause so much pain?"

"Why do you want to poison Henry's heart?" Everly demanded while the man in question continued to stare at the plant with an unreadable expression on his face.

"So he and my step-wench can never share True Love's Kiss," Drizella responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world while pulling out a dagger from her pocket.

"I hate to ruin your fungus, but it doesn't look like it's going that way," the Mills man told her after watching her cut open the mushroom and let its sap drip onto her blade, "so you can put the knife down."

"I'm not taking any chances. I'm working on a Dark Curse, and I learned a bit from your mother's mistakes. Those pesky little kisses can break curses," the Tremaine woman explained before she placed the dagger against Henry's chest, "makes you wonder what could happen once my sister-maid is out of the picture."

Just as Drizella was about to poison the heart of the Truest Believer, Ella appeared out of nowhere and punched her step-sister in the face. The force sent the brunette sorceress stumbling backward while her dagger flew across the clearing. Their attention soon landed on Alice, who was standing on top of a mushroom with a giant mirror in her hands.

"Have a nice trip home," the blonde woman called to Drizella before she let the mirror fall, sending the Tremaine woman back to the Enchanted Forest.

As soon as the brunette woman was gone, everyone regained their ability to move. Everly instantly rushed towards Roland and began checking him for any injuries. That only lasted for a short moment before the brunette boy let out a small laugh.

"I'm fine, really," the Hood boy said while Everly continued to scan over every inch of him before Roland gently pushed her away, "you don't need to worry so much, Mom."

Both of them froze the second they heard the last word leave his mouth. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before a smile appeared on Everly's face. Without thinking twice, the blonde woman wrapped her arms around Roland and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"I'll always worry about you," the Purest Heart whispered into the brunette boy's ear before she felt his body relax and his arms wrap around her.

As they shared their small moment, Felix watched from a few feet away from them with a small smile on his face.

────── ★★★ ──────

As soon as they made it back to their camp, Henry and Ella made their way towards the tent where Hook and Regina were to catch them up on everything that happened in Wonderland. While they did that, the rest of the heroes went to check on the toddlers. The moment Cassie, Marci, and Will spotted their parents their giggles cut through the air before they sprinted toward them.

The twins practically launched themselves into their parents' arms while Cassie stood in front of Everly and Felix, waiting for one of them to pick her up. Smiles formed on each of their faces as the Purest Heart brought her daughter into her arms while her husband slung his arm around Roland's shoulders. As the parents reunited with their children, they were completely unaware of Austin watching them with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You got some pretty amazing kids there," a new voice said, causing everyone to turn around to find Tiana approaching them with a large grin on her face, "they definitely know a thing or two about stick-sword fights."

"I taught them everything they know," Sam said with a proud smile on his face, only for Felix to elbow him in the side before the shining knight let out a small chuckle, "I meant we...we taught them everything they know."

Just as the curly-haired woman was about to respond, the sound of approaching footsteps cut through the air. Their attention immediately turned in the direction of the noise to find an unknown man making his way toward them.

The group of heroes instantly jumped into action and forced the toddlers and Roland behind them. Once the youngest of their group was safe, Everly and Austin readied their magic while Felix, Sam, and Tiana unsheathed their swords and Katherine loaded her bow. Just as they were about to spring into action, the newcomer held his hands up in the air to show that he wasn't a threat to them.

"Who are you?" Tiana demanded after the man stopped a few yards away from them while everyone kept their guards up in case the encounter went south.

"My name's Jack. I'm looking for Henry Mills."

The uncertainty Everly was feeling did nothing but grow as she took a step forward to stand beside the curly-haired princess. "How do you know Henry?"

"He's an old friend of mine."

Everyone exchanged more skeptical looks with each other before they decided to take Jack to Henry. After leaving the toddlers back in their tent in the care of Roland and another one of their allies, the heroes led Jack to where they left Henry and Ella. While they walked through their came, Everly kept glancing back at the man following behind them. Despite wanting to trust the person who claimed to be her nephew's friend, there was something about him that the Purest Heart didn't like. It wasn't long after their destination came into sight when the pair they were looking for emerged from the tent.

"Hope your conversation went well," Everly greeted them as she and her allies stopped in front of the duo, "there's a man here. He claims to know Henry."

"With the resistance, we can never be too careful with newcomers," Tiana added with a serious tone in her voice.

"He says he knows me?" the Mills man questioned, earning a small nod from the group in front of him while a confused look formed on his face.

"Of course, I know you," the stranger said as he came out of the shadows to make himself known with a large grin on his face, "Henry."

The expression on the brunette man's face turned into one Everly couldn't read as he slowly approached Jack. The two of them continued to walk toward each other until they were a few feet away. Henry just stared at the man in front of him in silence for a moment longer before he finally opened his mouth and broke through the silence.

"Why you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler," the Truest Believer said, earning shocked looks from everyone that watched their encounter, "you got a lot of guts coming here...after what you pulled."

It only took Everly a second to realize what was going on before they watched Henry pull Jack in for a hug. Their laughter soon mixed with the relieved sighs of those watching their interaction. It wasn't long after that when they ended their embrace and took a step away from each other while keeping their smiles on their faces.

"You know, one of these days you're gonna have to take me back to your land and show me this Star Wars thing," Jack said, only for the smile on Henry's face to grow even bigger.

"That's the Empire Strikes Back, but close enough. What are you doing here, Jack? I thought you were in Agrabah."

"What are you going here? I thought you were going back to Storybrooke after we escaped those giants."

"Yeah, I took a bit of a detour," Henry told him as he took a few steps back to stand beside Ella before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "everyone, this is Jack, the first friend I made in this realm. And, Jack, this is Ella and my family."

────── ★★★ ──────

As soon as her shift ended, Everly received a call from Social Services about Ella regaining custody of Lucy. The Purest Heart didn't hesitate to speed home to grab the girl in question along with Cassie and Roland then they made their way to the Group Home downtown. After they entered the brick building, the Thorne girl signed a few papers granting custody back to Ella before they were told that the Mills woman was waiting outside for them.

The smile on Lucy's face grew even bigger as she turned and sprinted out the door. Everly couldn't help but laugh along with her children before they grabbed the Mills girl's things and followed her. When they made it back outside, the three of them were greeted by the mother and daughter sharing a tight hug while a man whose face was blocked by the two women stood behind.

"Hey, I promise that I will always fight for you, alright? We will always find each other no matter what," Ella said as she and Lucy continued to have their reunion while Everly, Cassie, and Roland watched from the top of the stairs, "there's someone I want you to meet."

It was then that the Purest Heart's attention finally went back to the person behind them. Her smile slightly faltered at the sight of the man she didn't think she would see again, especially after not spotting him once in the cursed town for over a year. But there he was, looking down at the mother-daughter duo in front of him with a large grin on his face.

"This is Nick," Ella announced as Lucy slowly turned around to face the man standing behind her, "he's your father."

"It's very nice to meet you, Lucy," Jack said to the girl in front of him while Everly, Roland, and Cassie did their best to hide their shocked expressions.

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