────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄'𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐋𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑

────── ★★★ ──────

While Henry and Emma continued to discuss her pregnancy, Everly watched the pirate captain standing next to her sister with curious eyes. In addition to the blank stares Killian sent her way, the man kept his wife at an odd distance while looking back and forth between the mother and son with conflict in his eyes. Every time Emma tried to get closer to him or even just hug him, the raven-haired man would either tense up or slightly move away from the blonde woman.

When she couldn't figure out what was wrong right away, Everly let out a sigh and tuned back into their conversation. Her grip around Cassie tightened while she tried to ignore her worries while she leaned further into Felix's side.

"Now, we both made mistakes, and we both can learn from them, and we both can do something good from the start," Emma rambled for a moment, only for the guilt that was plastered on Killian's face to deepen.

"I've always tried to do good," the pirate captain mumbled under his breath while keeping his eyes glued to the ground beneath his feet before looking back up to meet everyone's stares. His blue eyes glance around the clearing for a moment then he turns his full attention back to Emma, "I've...done something. I...I have to fix it."

Before anyone could respond to the man, Killian rushed down the forest trail after forcing his hand out of Emma's grasp. Everyone watched the raven-haired man disappear into the night before Everly looked back at her sister to find the Savior watching her husband with a shocked expression on her face.

A sigh passed over the Purest Heart's lips as she handed Cassie over to Felix before making her way over toward Emma. Once she reached the blonde, Everly used her thumb to wipe away the single tear that escaped Emma's eyes before placing her hands on her younger sister's shoulders.

"I'm gonna go after him and figure out what's going on then I'll bring him back," the blue-eyed woman told Emma, only to receive a small nod in response.

After sending one last smile her sister's way, Everly went back over to Felix to assure him and the rest of her group that she'd be back soon before placing a small kiss on Cassie's forehead. She took a step back while sharing one last look with her husband before Everly attempted to use her magic to take her to where Killian was, only for a small golden cloud to emit from her fingertips. A sigh passed over her lips as soon as she realized her magic didn't work properly in that realm before the blonde woman turned and sprinted after the pirate captain.

When she finally caught up to Killian, Everly grabbed his wrist to slow him down a bit, causing the raven-haired man to rip his arm out of her grasp before staring at the blonde woman in front of him with wide, fearful eyes. The Purest Heart watched him in confusion as the two continued to stand in silence then the blue-eyed woman finally opened her mouth to break the silence.

"Are you gonna tell me why you're acting so weird or am I gonna have to guess?" she questioned while crossing her arms over her chest while the man in front of her looked back at Everly as if he was about to start a sword fight with her, "and why are you staring at me like that? It's getting kinda creepy."

The pirate's mouth stayed sealed shut while he continued to watch the woman in front of him. The confusion that was flowing inside of Everly was slowly turning into irritation as she stared at the man. It wasn't long before her eyes drifted down to his hand, only for her body to tense and her blood to run cold. Sitting on his finger was Milah's ring. The same exact ring he gave her before she left with Emma and Henry to escape the second curse. The one that was sitting on her own finger.

After snapping out of her trance, Everly's eyes flashed up to meet the man's once again as her hands formed into tightly clenched fists under her crossed arms. "Who are you? And what did you do with Killian?"

"Who I am isn't important right now. What is important is that I did something to your Hook that I shouldn't have and now I'm trying to fix it," the raven-haired man explained while Everly continued to watch him with a stoic look on her face, "look, we don't have much time to waste. If you want to join me, that's fine. But we have to go now!"

"Give me one good reason why I should believe one word that just came out of your mouth."

"Because if you don't, Emma's child may grow up without a father."

Silence surrounded the pair for a long moment once again before a small sigh passed over Everly's lips as she let the light in her hands slowly fade. Her eyes scanned over the worried look on the pirate's face one last time before finally opening her mouth to break through the stillness of the forest.

"Fine. But you're explaining everything along the way."

────── ★★★ ──────

As soon as the Killian lookalike fulfilled her demands and explained everything about the Wish Realm to her, Everly was left speechless and confused. At first, she was annoyed that no one felt the need to tell her about the different universe where she was a completely different person. Someone she would never want to be. After hearing about her other self, the pair traveled through the forest in a comfortable yet awkward silence until they reached a small town right on the edge of the sea that reminded her of the place where she first met Killian.

Before she could even ask where they'd find her Killian, the fake rushed down an alleyway with Everly on his heels. Once he came to a stop right in front of an abandoned wagon, he used his good hand to grip the tarp before pulling it away, only to reveal an empty cart. The blonde woman was greeted by the feeling of irritation once again as she turned around just in time to see another Killian coming out of the shadows and toward the imposter.

The next thing anyone knew, the doppelgangers were locked in a fight and rolling on the ground while blocking each other's punches. While they muttered a few words to each other, Everly stood next to the abandoned cart while mentally debating if she should get involved or not. Before she could even come to a final decision, the pair's fight ended with one Killian victorious and the other with a dagger in his side.

"Well, it looks like you finished yourself off," the uninjured Killian, her Killian, said to his lookalike who was in pain before the latter pulled the dagger out of his side with a scream.

"I didn't come here to kill you. I came here to set you free," his Wish Realm counterpart responded through labored breaths, only to receive an unconvinced look from the true Captain Hook.

"Aye?  And why would you do that? And when did you get so young?"

"I was gonna take your place. But Emma...she's here," the imposter explained before the real Killian muttered a few words under his breath while the former continued his story, "yeah, she's fine. And...and yes, I know you're to be a father. And I couldn't...I wouldn't get between a father and his child."

"And what kind of deception is this?"

"He's telling the truth, Killian," Everly spoke, finally making herself known before coming to a stop a few feet away from the pair of pirates, "he told me his story on the way over here."

"Because a child...that's why I'm doing all this in the first place," Wish Realm Killian continued after taking in a few more gasps of air while keeping his eyes glued to his doppelganger, "I'm trying to find my daughter."

────── ★★★ ──────

After finishing her conversation with Henry, Everly went back over to where Roland was standing before the two of them took their seats to watch the show. She watched Cassie and Dawn with a smile on her face as they danced on stage with Lucy before her attention was drawn to the conflicted-looking raven-haired man on the other side of the room. The grin on her face slowly fell at the sight of Hook standing near the concession stand and looking over at a giddy Ella with sad eyes.

Before Everly could even think about walking over there to see what was going on, the music came to an end and was replaced with applause, causing the blonde woman to stand and clap for the performance with the rest of the crowd. As soon as silence filled the room once again, Lady Tremaine got to her feet and walked toward the stage before turning to address the crowd. The Purest Heart tried to hide her disdain toward the woman, who began to speak to the crowd with somewhat of a forced smile on her face. "What a delightful performance!"

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. If I can have your attention, please. My name is Detective Weaver," Rumplestiltskin said as he walked toward the short-haired woman before coming to a stop at her side, "at some point during this event, Ms. Belfrey's bracelet has come up missing. I'd like to ask all paying guests to please remain seated. Event employees, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to consent to a quick, non-invasive search."

"Wait. You're just looking at us?" Ella questioned before making her way toward the man at the front of the room.

"Step back. You have been warned," the detective threatened as soon as the brunette woman was a foot away from him. The two of them had a staredown for a long moment as everyone watched in silence, not wanting to be the one to break through the tense stillness. Well, almost everyone.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Henry shouted while grabbing Rumplestiltskin's arm to pull him away from Lucy's mother, only to receive an elbow to the face before the Dark One turned toward him so fast it was almost impossible to see.

"Do not touch a peace officer," he hissed at the Mills man at the same moment that Everly and Roland got to their feet and made their way to stand at Ella's side in case they needed to step in.

Even though Henry didn't know it yet, there was still no way Everly would let anyone get away with hurting a member of her family. The blonde woman continued to stand by while having a mental debate on when to get involved just as the fake detective continued to speak.

"In fact, turn out your pockets," when the Mills man didn't acknowledge Rumplestiltkin's words right away, the latter took another step closer to the brunette before hissing, "are you listening to me?"

"Don't you think this has gone far enough, Weaver?" Everly questioned, ignoring the glare she was receiving from the Tremaine woman while trying not to sound as angry as she actually was, "do you honestly believe anyone here would steal from Belfrey?"

"Turn out your pockets," the man repeated as if the blonde never said a word.

Just as Everly opened her mouth to speak again, Henry gave into Rumplestiltskin's demands and reached into the pockets of his apron. A shocked expression took over his facial features as his left hand let a cool object tucked within the fabric. His eyes immediately went to Ella while Everly found herself glancing over at Hook, only to find him watching the scene before him with a stoic look on his face.

"This is my keychain," Henry stated, causing the blonde woman to turn her attention back to the situation at hand. Shock coursed through her veins when she found the Mills man holding up a set of keys with Emma's swan pendant hanging from it. It wasn't long after that when Rumplestiltskin looked toward Hook with an unreadable expression on his face.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────