────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇'𝐒 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐓

────── ★★★ ──────

Cassie had been trying all night to wake up the rest of their family with very little success. The best she could do was get into Lucas' dreams and show him memories of his past life. None of them knew if it would work but they knew it was worth a shot. By the time she finished in his dream, the Throne girl went to enter the next one, only to find that morning had come. To her dismay, none of their family enjoyed taking naps so any more attempts would have to be done later that night.

While Roland and Jasper stayed by Cassie's side while she rested, Fletcher and Dawn sat with their parents in the living room. None of them said a word, mainly due to none of them knowing what to say. They were all worried about the Coven of the Eight's spell and how they had no idea what it was going to do. It brought both Everly and Felix back to the time when Peter Pan cast his own version of the Curse, which ruined both of their lives.

It wasn't long before a loud crack of thunder came from the outside world, causing everyone to jump out of their skin. Everly didn't hesitate to get to her feet and look out the window, only for her blood to run cold. Dark clouds took over the blue sky and covered every inch of light. To the cursed citizens of Hyperion Heights, it was just another stormy day. But to anyone awake, they knew what they truly meant. Everly jumped when someone began pounding on the front door. She instantly exchanged an uncertain look with Felix before walking across the room to open it. Her confusion soon transformed into concern when she found Lucy standing in the hall with a terrified look on her face.

"It didn't work!" the Mills girl exclaimed as she walked past Everly and sat down next to Fletcher and Dawn.

The Thorne woman couldn't help but exchange another confused look with her husband. It wasn't long after that when she closed the door and sat back down next to him. Everly just stared at her niece until she found the courage to speak. "What are you talking about? What didn't work?"

"True Love's Kiss. My mom and Henry kissed. And before you tell me about his heart being poisoned, I fixed that," Lucy explained while everyone continued to stare at her with blank looks on their faces, causing the young girl to let out a long sigh, "I found all the pieces of the Glass Slipper and Mr. Samdi cured him but it doesn't matter, we're still cursed."

Another crack of thunder filled the air as soon as Lucy finished speaking, making everyone look over at the window. It wasn't long before Cassie, Roland, and Jasper joined them, the former unable to get the rest she needed due to all the noise. They sat there in silence for another long moment before Fletcher decided to break it. "I don't know about cursed, Lu, but something's definitely going on out there."

"Yeah. I know almost nothing about magic but even I know that storm isn't a good sign," Dawn added after forcing herself to look away from the window and back at her family.

"That's not a storm. It's a rebirth," a new voice said, causing everyone to jump before turning toward the source of the sound to find Gothel standing by their front door. Everly and Felix instantly jumped to their feet and placed themselves between their family and the witch. The three of them just glared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Gothel spoke once again. "The balance of nature is shifting, Everly. We're on the precipice of a great extinction. One that man cannot crawl back from."

"You're wiping out humanity with a rainstorm?" the Thorne man questioned while trying his best to fight back the smile threatening to form on his lips.

"Oh, it's going to be much worse than that," Gothel declared, causing both Everly and Felix's blood to run cold while their children, Lucy, and Jasper continued to stare at the witch with fear in their eyes, "but I'm here to offer you salvation. You hold great magic within yourself, Everly. Join me now and your family will be spared."

"You do realize I have pure light magic, right?" the Thorne woman responded, only for the redheaded woman to stare at her with a blank look on her face, "that means I can't use dark magic, and your 'rebirth' looks and sounds pretty dark to me."

"She's also not really what you would call a 'joiner,'" Felix added while taking an unconscious step toward his wife, "just ask Peter Pan."

"And just like Pan, you're threatening my home and my family," Everly declared before taking a step forward despite the warning look she received from her husband, "I will protect my family until my very last breath. And I don't need magic to do that."

"Your nephew couldn't break my curse. Do you think that was an accident?" the witch retaliated with a small smirk on her face.

"What did you do to Henry?" Lucy questioned while taking a step forward to stand beside Everly, only for Roland to pull her back behind him.

"I didn't have to do anything," Gothel declared as her eyes scanned over everyone in the room before her attention settled back on Everly, "did you ever notice how human children have a nasty way of growing up? An adult's belief is a lot less potent."

"You don't know Henry very well then," Everly responded without even attempting to hide her hatred toward the witch in front of her, "he has the Heart-"

"Heart of the Truest Believer. Yes, I know," the redheaded woman interrupted with a hint of boredom in her voice, "but your Henry also has more pain than you know. His belief is gone, and there's nothing you can do to bring it back."

Not even a second after that passed when another crack of thunder cut through the air before Gothel vanished into thin air. Everly kept her eyes glued to where she once stood with a million thoughts running through her head. And despite her attempts at hiding her true emotions, Felix saw right past Everly's walls. It had been a long time since he truly saw fear in her eyes and he really didn't like it. Because he knew that if the Purest Heart was afraid, then they were truly in danger.

────── ★★★ ──────

Even though Everly wanted nothing more than to stay home and protect her family, she knew the world needed her out there trying to stop Gothel. So after making sure that Roland was confident that he could protect his siblings and Jasper, Everly and Felix took Lucy home before going to the police station to talk to Rumplestiltskin. They both knew that if anyone had any idea of how to stop what was about to happen, it would be him.

To their surprise, they found Hook sitting across from the Dark One at the latter's desk. Everly's heart instantly shattered into a million pieces when she saw the distraught look on his face. She knew he had seen things that his cursed self couldn't explain and she wished she would've found him sooner. But with everything going on, the Purest Heart didn't have a chance. Thankfully, Sam was still on guard duty at the hospital and the rest of her family was going on with their cursed lives. Everly knew none of them were anywhere near danger. At least, they weren't at the moment.

A small sigh passed over Everly's lips as she walked into the office with Felix right behind her. Hook instantly looked up at her with confusion in his eyes while Rumplestiltksin blankly stared at her as Felix closed the door. As soon as she heard the clicking of the door behind her, the Thorne woman turned her attention toward the Dark One and opened her mouth to speak. "We need to talk."

"It's gonna have to wait," Hook declared, earning confused looks from Everly and Felix before the pirate captain turned his attention back to Rumplestiltskin, "I need you to tell me what is going on in this town. I just spent the night tied up in the bowels of the city. And I saw...things. Alright? So either I'm going crazy, or Eloise Gardner drugged me, or-"

"Magic is real," Rumplestiltskin stated, earning shocked looks from everyone in the room with him for very different reasons. While Hook looked at the man in front of him as if he grew a second head, Everly and Felix were surprised that the Dark One willingly revealed the truth and what was happening to the town. After seeing the looks on everyone's faces, Rumplestiltskin let out a long sigh.

"Magic is real. All of it. Everything you read in Henry Mills' book...we are all from another realm. Eloise is a witch named Gothel, and what you saw her doing was magic," the Dark One explained while Hook continued to stare at him with a hint of confusion in his eyes despite what he saw the Coven of the Eight doing, "now, if you want proof, I imagine anything I have to offer pales in comparison to what you witnessed last night. But I'm sure Jo could show you a thing or two."

Now it was Everly's turn to be confused as she scanned every inch of Rumplestiltskin's face, waiting for any sign of him joking. But nothing was there. "I don't have my magic here."

"Yes, you do," the Dark One declared while placing a file on his deck. The Thorne woman just stared at it for a moment before she saw the name written neatly at the top. Nick Branson. "Because if you didn't, Nick would be dead right now. And if you didn't, Gothel wouldn't have asked you to join her. You've just been enjoying not having the burden of it here."

Everly was just about to ask how he knew about the witch's visit, only for the question to die in her throat when she knew the answer. Lucy had to have told him.

"I don't need any more proof," Hook announced, drawing all attention back to him before he continued speaking, "what I witnessed last night was strange to reason, but so is what you are saying now."

"The choice is pretty simple if you ask me. Madness or take a leap of faith," Felix declared, earning a sharp glare from the pirate captain that he chose to ignore, "if you don't believe what you're hearing, then believe your eyes."

Hook just stared at the three of them for what felt like an eternity before breaking the silence surrounding them. "I'm not mad."

"I know," Everly responded, drawing the pirate captain's attention toward her before she saw the emotion building up in his eyes.

"She said...Eloise said that Tilly is my daughter," the Jones man whispered just loud enough for them to hear.

"And I know you felt a connection to her the second you met and it's troubled you ever since," the Thorne woman responded while Rumplestiltskin watched her with a small smile on his face. He couldn't remember the last time the two of them willingly worked together other than in their cursed lives. The Dark One would never admit it out loud, but a small part of him enjoyed it.

"Aye," Hook muttered under his breath while looking down at his clenched fist. It wasn't long after that when a shaky breath passed over his lips. "And my heart, when I got near her, it was like I was being stabbed by a million knives."

"Gothel poisoned your heart as a punishment to keep you and your daughter separate," Rumplestiltskin explained, earning a sad look from the pirate captain that made Everly reach for Felix's hand as if looking for an anchor, "now that she's bringing magic back, I guess the poison must have activated again."

"That must be why I couldn't rescue her," the Jones man muttered under his breath, earning a confused look from the Dark One while Everly and Felix shared a concerned look. They both knew that Alice was dragged into Gothel's plans thanks to the Purest Heart's vision, but they didn't know how bad it truly was.

"Rescue her from what?" Rumplestiltskin asked while his eyes continued to scan over every inch of Hook's face.

"Gothel has her," Everly announced without thinking, making everyone look over at her before she continued speaking, "I had a vision last night. I saw Gothel talking to Al...Tilly about joining her but that's about it. I was planning on going to stop them but I didn't realize it already happened."

"That's alright," Hook told her after seeing the guilty look on his partner's face, "it's like the Coven is locked in a ritual and Tilly is too. It's like they have her under some kind of spell."

"Well, maybe we can break it. Get her outta there," the Dark One responded before looking up at Everly and Felix, "are you up for another adventure?"

"Always," the couple declared in unison while tightening their grip around each other's hand, something that Hook didn't notice until now but he chose to ignore.

"How?" the pirate captain questioned as his eyes bounced between the three people in front of him.

"With the Purest Heart, anything is possible," Rumplestiltskin told him while gesturing to Everly, who had a sheepish smile on her face as her cheeks turned red. It wasn't long after that when the Dark One got to his feet and began walking toward the door. "Follow me. I have an idea."

Everly and Felix began following the powerful man, only for them to stop in their tracks and turn back around when Hook called out to them. "If what you say is true...who was...am I...in this other place?"

A smirk instantly appeared on Rumplestiltskin's face before chuckling. "All you need to know right now is, you're a survivor...captain."

Everly would be the first to admit that she was confused as to why their journey brought them to Roni's. At least, that was until she saw who was tending the bar. A small smile appeared on her face when she spotted Robin, someone she hadn't had a full conversation with in a very long time. But even though she knew that Alice and Robin shared a special connection, the Thorne woman wasn't sure how the daughter of Robin Hood could help them. Especially since she still didn't remember who she truly was.

But despite what the Thorne woman was thinking, she kept her mouth shut as they approached the counter. It wasn't long before Robin spotted them, making her stand up as straight as possible with a large grin on her face. "Hey, Detectives...and Cal. Nasty out there, isn't it? Can I get you something hot to drink?"

"Well, unfortunately, it's only gonna get worse," Rumplestiltskin responded, causing Robin's smile to fade, "we need you to come with us."

"What? Why?" the blonde girl asked in confusion before her eyes widened to the size of small planets, "is this about the overdue parking tickets?"

"Don't worry about those right now. We're here about Tilly," Everly told her, making a concerned look appear on Robin's face as she stared at the Purest Heart, "she's in trouble. We need your help."

"What kind of trouble?"

Hook hesitated for a moment as he stared at the girl in front of him before opening his mouth to speak. "Tilly and I were on a case, and she was taken by some...bad people. To make matters worse, she's in one of her states."

"You think I can help get through to her?" Robin asked as she looked between the four people standing in front of her.

"You may be the only one who can help her," Rumplestiltskin stated with a hint of urgency in his voice, "look, we really don't have a lot of time, she's in real danger.

Everly stayed close to Felix and kept Robin behind her as they followed Hook and Rumplestiltskin into a cave. Chills ran throughout the Thorne woman's entire body, knowing that what they were about to see wouldn't be good. Her grip around her husband's hand instantly tightened as soon as the world around them grew a bit lighter. Normally, that would bring Everly a sense of relief, but not now. Because she knew that where there was light in a place like that, there at to be magic somewhere close by. It wasn't long before the Purest Heart's feeling was proven true.

Shock coursed through Everly's veins as soon as she saw what was emitting light in the dark cave. Six hooded figures stood around a glowing rune on the rocky floor, one that looked eerily similar to the one Zelena used to create the time portal. The symbol looked as though it was made of lava as it shimmered on the floor. Everly just stared at the scene in front of her before swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Okay. It's okay," Robin muttered under her breath, breaking the silence surrounding them as she stared at the scene in front of her, "I once went to an Ayahuasca ceremony in Iquitos. I can handle this."

"A what?" Felix whispered just loud enough for Everly to hear, making her stifle a laugh that went unheard by everyone around her.

Before the Thorne woman had a chance to respond, the daughter of Robin Hood began walking toward Alice. An unexpected wave of concern washed over Everly as she watched Robin go. It reminded her of how she felt every time Roland wanted to be the hero and go with them on their adventures. Even though the blonde girl had her mother to watch out for her, Everly still felt as though it was her job to make sure Robin was safe, just like it was her job to keep Roland safe. For their father.

As if sensing her wavering emotions, Felix gently nudged her in the side, drawing Everly's attention to him. The Thorne man just studied the look on his wife's face before sending her a small smile and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. His actions caused Everly to send him a small smile as they turned their attention back to the situation at hand.

To Everly's surprise, Robin had made it to the Jones girl's side and began having an inaudible conversation with her. All the Jones girl did was stare at the Hood girl as the latter continued speaking. But what happened next shocked them all to the core. Instead of Alice breaking free of whatever magic Gothel was using on her, the blonde girl threw her arm out in front of her, sending Robin flying across the cave before landing in front of Everly and Felix. The couple instantly helped the Hood girl to her feet right as a beam of light emitted from Alice's fingertips and surrounded them. Fear mixed with the fear within Everly as she looked around at the world around her, only to find everything much larger than before. Alice's magic shrunk them.

"We have to get to Tilly," Hook declared before he began walking toward his daughter, only for her hand to shoot out and create a wall of flames in front of them.

As soon as the flames faded away, everyone looked back up just in time to see two of the witches beginning to glow before they vanished into thin air. The only thing left to ever show they were there was a sapling. Before any of them had a chance to comprehend what was happening, the same thing happened to the remaining witches, leaving only Alice standing around the rune on the floor.

"Last night, I saw this," Hook explained after seeing the confused looks on his allies' faces before turning his attention back to the scene in front of him, "they were turning into trees."

"Then the spell is almost complete," Rumplestiltskin muttered under his breath while keeping his eyes glued to Alice, who was now standing in front of a swirling mass of flames.

What felt like an eternity passed of them just watching the Jones girl, not knowing what to do to save her at their new sizes. It wasn't long after that when the fire vanished into thin air before a circle of light emitted from where it once stood. The ring continued to grow until it hit everyone, breaking Alice out of her trance and bringing everyone back to their original sizes. It didn't take Everly long to figure out what just happened. Henry broke the Curse.

A smile appeared on Everly's face as she looked up at Hook, only to find him staring at his prosthetic hand with wide eyes. The Jones man then glanced over at Everly and Felix before his attention turned to Rumplestiltskin, who was already looking up at Hook with a small grin on his face. "Welcome back, Captain Hook."

"Crocodile."

As Robin went to reunite with Alice, Everly's phone began to ring. A wave of confusion washed over her as she pulled out her phone, only for it to fade when she saw who was calling. A shaky breath passed over her lips as pressed the green button on the screen and brought her phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

The first thing the Thorne woman heard over the phone was a relieved sigh while she tried her best to keep her growing emotions in check. What felt like an eternity passed before the person on the other end of the call began speaking. "I missed you so much, Ev."

A single tear made its way down Everly's cheek as she tightened her grip around Felix's hand as if to tether herself to the real world. "I missed you too, Sammy. Find everyone and meet us at the gardens. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

As soon as Everly hung up the phone, she and Felix followed their allies back up to the streets of Hyperion Heights, leaving Hook behind in order to protect him from his poisoned heart. It wasn't long before they reached the city gardens, only for her blood to run cold from the scene happening in front of her. Gothel was slowly approaching Henry and Regina, who held a fireball in her hand. The former Evil Queen let the witch take a few more steps before throwing the fire at her, only for Gothel to make it disappear into thin air.

"It's not enough, Regina," the redheaded witch mocked as she continued to stare at the mother-son duo like a predator did to its prey.

"Maybe," Rumplestiltskin called out, drawing everyone's attention toward them as they stood on the other side of the garden, "but perhaps your daughter's magic will be."

"Gold!" Regina called while Henry stared at Everly with a large smile on his face.

"My daughter's with me now, Dark One," Gothel declared as she approached the newcomers with an annoyed look on her face, "come here, Tilly."

Alice rapidly shook her head while staring at her mother before Rumplestiltskin responded to the witch. "She was never with you. And now she's gonna be the one who stops you."

"What? No," the Jones girl said, drawing everyone's attention toward her before she continued speaking, "I can't fight her. She's a monster."

"We'll do it together," Everly announced as her hands began to unconsciously glow at her sides.

The blonde girl just stared at her for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "She's too strong."

"Not half as strong as you, Alice," a new voice declared, causing everyone to turn around to find Hook standing a few feet away from them. Alice's eyes widened at the sight of her father before she begged him to leave, only for the Jones man to walk closer to his daughter. "I know you're afraid."

The fear within Alice did nothing but grow when she saw the pain on her father's face. "You're hurting yourself. You're growing weak."

"No, I'm finally growing strong," the Jones man retaliated as he continued to walk closer to his daughter, "you make me strong."

"And yet, every step you take, your heart grows weaker," Gothel announced while watching the man with a sinister smirk on her face.

"You can do this," Hook declared through his labored breaths, drawing Alice's attention back to him before taking his daughter's hand into his own, "I'm here with you."

A small smile instantly appeared on the Jones girl's face as she looked up at her father. It wasn't long after that when Robin took Alice's other hand into hers. "And so am I."

"Don't be a fool," Gothel hissed after watching the smile on her daughter's face grow, "join your mother and defend your home."

"You are not my mother," Alice retaliated while glaring daggers at the woman in front of her, "you wanna ruin me the way the world ruined you. But I'm not like you. I'm not an outcast. I'm not an orphan or a street rat. Or some crazy girl who's lost her way. You chose hate. But I choose love."

As the Jones girl looked up at her father once again, Gothel raised her hands in the air and shot a beam of magic at her daughter. Everly didn't hesitate to jump in front of Alice before conjuring a shield of light. Her eyes met the witch's through the shield as a large smile appeared on the Thorne woman's face. The second Gothel ended her attack, Everly glanced back at Alice and held her hand out to her. "You ready?"

Alice instantly took the Purest Heart's hand before they threw their free hands out in front of them. Everly's beam of light mixed with the Jones girl's light magic, creating a vortex of light. The redheaded woman did her best to defend herself, only to fail. Everly and Alice's magic continued to fly through the air before hitting Gothel square in the chest. It wasn't even a second after that when the witch's magic vanished into thin air before her body began glowing orange. Shock coursed through the Purest Heart's veins as she watched Gothel's body transform into a tall tree in the center of the garden.

While Alice took a few steps toward her mother, Everly sprinted through the garden toward her nephew. It wasn't long after that when her body slammed into his as she wrapped her arms around him. The force sent Henry stumbling back before he quickly regained his bearings. A small laugh passed over his lips as he wrapped his arms around his aunt and pulled her as close to him as possible.

"I missed you so much, Hen," Everly whispered just loud enough for Henry to hear while Felix and Regina watched their reunion with large smiles on their faces.

"I missed you too, Ev," Henry responded. The two of them stayed in each other's arms for a moment longer before the Mills man ended their reunion. His eyes darted back and forth between Everly and Regina while Felix walked over and wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders. It wasn't long after that when Henry finally broke the silence surrounding them. "You both were right...I did stop believing in myself. I guess I got a little dinged up along the way and I couldn't recognize who I was anymore."

"We know," the Mills woman told her son with a small smile on her face before taking Henry's hands into her own, "scratches are a part of life."

Before their conversation could continue, Everly and Felix heard their names being shouted in the distance. The couple instantly turned around to find not only their children running toward them, but the rest of their family as well. Sam was the first to reach them before he pulled Everly into one of the tightest hugs she'd ever received. She couldn't help but laugh as her brother spun her around in the air before placing her on her feet. Katherine, Marci, Will, and Austin soon joined their reunion along with Everly's children and Felix. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before the Purest Heart slightly pulled away and looked over at Lucas and Jasper. A small smile appeared on her lips as she gestured for them to join them, officially bringing both of them into their special found family.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────