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────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟕
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

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"This will work. We won't have to breach their perimeter alone. We'll have two sets of resistance guards on either flank to occupy the guards," Tiana explained after placing a map down on the table everyone crowded around while pointing to a few spots, "I'll be heading up one group."

"I'll head up the other," Ella announced, causing everyone to look over at her with shocked looks on their faces before a grin appeared on Henry's.

"I'll go with you."

"I'll join you, if you'll have me," Hook stated as she looked over at the raven-haired woman standing next to him, who was looking back at him with a small smile on her face.

"I guess we can use all the help we can muster," Tiana responded before her attention fell on Everly, Felix, and Roland, "what about you and your group?"

The Thorne woman hesitated for a moment as she looked over to where Sam, Katherine, and Austin were keeping an eye on the three toddlers. While she watched Cassie run around with Marci and Will, a wave of doubt washed over her. She already brought three toddlers into a dangerous realm with magic around every corner. There was no way she could leave them here alone without someone she trusted looking after them. Everly was soon snapped out of her trance by a hand on her shoulder before she looked over at Roland to find him smiling at her.

"I'll stay and watch them," the Hood boy told the woman next to him after seeing the conflicted look on her face, "besides, I need a bit more practice before facing another magical maniac."

"Thank you," she whispered to the brunette boy before turning her attention back to the situation at hand, "Felix and I will go with Henry and Ella. Sam, Katherine, and Austin will go with Tiana and Hook."

"Alright, everyone...rest up," Tiana said while she folded up the man then sent everyone another smile, "we'll head out in the morning."

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Later that night, Everly was lying under the stars next to Felix with Cassie between them. She listened to her husband's snores as she stared up at the clear sparkly sky, which was something she hadn't seen in a long time. Just as she was about to doze off, her ears picked up on the sound of crunching leaves. The Thorne woman instantly looked over toward the source of the noise to find Ella sneaking through the camp, only stopping to gaze down at Henry. Everly continued to watch the woman as she slowly shook her head and made her way out of the camp.

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It wasn't long after Everly received the picture when she left her apartment and walked down the streets of Hyperion Heights in search of the kids that left her the message. Her mind raced with a million different thoughts as she wove through the people walking past her. Could her youngest children really remember her? Or did they simply believe what they read in a book?

Just as she turned the corner to get to her Jeep, her eyes landed on a long line that took up most of the sidewalk. Confusion coursed through Everly's veins as she walked toward the line before her eyes landed on Ella standing at the end of it. A small smile formed on the Thorne woman's face as she walked past the line to stand next to the brunette. While her friend talked to the next couple in like about her petition to save the gardens, Everly scanned over the many names that made a home on the paper.

"This is amazing, Jacinda," the Purest Heart said after she finished talking to the couple who just sighed, "all these signatures are definitely gonna stop the construction."

Before the brunette woman could respond, the sound of a revving engine cut through the air. The two women instantly turned their attention in the direction of the noise to see a black Land Rover parking in the spot closest to them. Everly suppressed a groan after she read the license plate, knowing exactly who was about to get out of that car. If it wasn't for the feeling in her gut to stay for Ella, she would've booked it out of there.

The pair of women exchanged an irritated look as the car door opened to reveal Lady Tremaine, who slammed the door shut before strutting toward the pair. A look of disdain plagued the woman's face as she walked toward Everly and Ella and stopped in front of the pair. The three of them had a staredown before the woman's eyes trailed down to the paper in Ella's hands.

"Oh! A petition. How quaint," Tremaine scoffed after she looked back up to meet her stepdaughter's eyes.

"Sneer all you want. It's working," the Mills woman responded with a small smile on her face while she gripped the papers tightly in her hand.

"Is it? Well, that doesn't matter, since you're about to stop," the short-haired woman stated as she pulled out a tablet that matched her all-black attire.

The two women simply stared at her for a moment before Everly looked over at Ella to see a hint of interest in her eyes. Tremaine took that as an opportunity to open the tablet and show her stepdaughter what was on her tablet. The woman in black presented pictures of her plans for her condos while Ella studied them with a blank expression on her face. As soon as the presentation was done, both Everly and Ella looked back up at Tremaine with skepticism in their eyes.

"A brochure of your condos? Why would I care about that?" the brunette woman asked her stepmother, who still had a small smirk plastered on her face.

"What if one of these condos were yours? And Lucy's, of course."

"You're just gonna give it to her?" Everly questioned with a quirked eyebrow, only for Tremaine to scan the woman over before her attention went back to her stepdaughter.

"Why not? All this fighting isn't getting us anywhere," the short-haired woman said while she closed her tablet and slipped it back into her bag, "this way, everyone wins."

"Especially you," Ella stated while she kept the petition gripped in her hands as if it was about to be snatched away.

"Think of the life you can give her, Jacinda. I'm tired of being the bad guy and this is a peace offering. All you have to do is one small thing," Tremaine told her before reaching back into her bag to pull out a small black lighter, "burn the petition...for Lucy."

Everly was about to let out a scoff but instantly held it back when she saw the look on Ella's face. The brunette woman seemed to be thinking over the offer as she stared at her stepmother before her eyes traveled down to the papers in her hands. A wave of shock washed over the Thorne woman when Ella took the lighter into her possession and turned toward the trash can behind them.

"Wait, Ella," Everly muttered just loud enough for her friend to hear before the former went to stand next to Ella, "think about Lucy. She'll be crushed when she finds out you destroyed that."

"I am thinking about Lucy."

As soon as those words finished leaving the brunette's mouth, she ignited the lighter and let the flames touch the edge of the paper. Everly glanced over at Tremaine to find her staring back at her with a victorious smile on her face. The pit in the Thorne woman's stomach started to grow after making eye contact with the short-haired woman before she turned around to watch the fire continue to consume the petition.

Right as Ella dropped the papers into the trash can, a small voice called out to her. The three women instantly turned in the direction of the sound to find Lucy staring at her mother with tears in her eyes.

"Lucy, what are you doing here?" the brunette woman questioned as she walked toward her daughter.

"Mom, why would you do this?" the girl responded without even attempting to hide her anger before her eyes moved to meet Everly's, "and why would you let her do it?"

"Lucy, I know this is hard for you to understand, but I did it for us," Ella explained while the blonde woman continued to stare at her niece with guilt in her eyes.

"No. No, a hero does the right thing."

"I'm not a hero. I am just your mother. And this is the right thing for us, Lucy. We need to be together, and I don't care how."

"I do," Lucy responded as tears continued to stream down her cheeks, "if this is what it takes, I don't wanna be together."

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl sprinted down the street and away from her mother. Everly ignored the smug look on Tremaine's face and the tears in Ella's eyes as she raced after Lucy.

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Everly waited for hours for Ella to return and when she did, the Purest Heart was more than just shocked. The blonde woman watched her squat down next to Henry in tears before she moved her hand above his chest. As soon as she realized what Ella was about to do, she got to her feet and hurried toward the woman. Everly did her best to stay out of sight so she wouldn't spook the woman as she wove through those asleep on the floor.

Everly was about to reach her when the brunette woman paused and stood back up. The Thorne woman waited in the shadows as she watched Ella walk away from Henry and across the clearing to where a man was resting. While the brunette muttered an apology under her breath to the man, Everly rushed toward her and grabbed her wrist after she brought it into the air.

"You don't wanna do that," the blonde woman whispered while the brunette stared up at her with wide eyes before she slowly got to her feet, "I saw you sneak off and I'm also pretty sure I know where you went."

"Please. You have to let me do this," Ella said to Everly with tears in her eyes.

The Purest Heart hesitated for a moment as she stared at the woman in front of her before letting a long sigh pass over her lips. "We are gonna find a way to stop her, no matter what she wants from you."

"She wants either Henry...or you."

"The heart of the Truest Believer or the Purest Heart."

"But I couldn't. I just couldn't do it," Ella told Everly before she gestured down toward the sleeping man, "this man...he believes. Tiana said that he'd give up his life for the cause. And if that would save everyone else, then...isn't that okay?"

The Thorne woman just stared at the brunette with her mouth slightly open, unable to come up with the right response to the question. The two of them stood there in silence until a new voice cut through the silence. Everly and Ella both jumped before turning their attention in the direction of the sound to find Regina walking toward them.

"You know, it took me a long time to learn...but no. It's not. That kind of sacrifice is never okay," the former Evil Queen said after stopping next to Everly while keeping her eyes glued to Ella. After another silent moment passed between them, Regina grabbed the brunette woman's hand and used her magic to disenchant it. While the brunette let out a shaky sigh, the Mills woman wrapped her hand around Ella's before she continued speaking. "What is this about anyway?"

"I'm sorry. I can't," Ella whispered then she walked away from the two women.

Everly and Regina watched her leave before exchanging a concerned look, knowing this was far from over.

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"Lucy!" the Thorne woman called out to her niece as the two of them continued to race through the streets of Hyperion Heights.

The girl didn't stop until they got to the end of a road near the park before she sat down on a bench. Everly watched the girl place her head in her hands before she finally reached her. Her blue eyes scanned over the Mills girl for a moment then she sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her small form. The two of them sat there for an undetermined amount of time while the Thorne woman let her niece cry into her shoulder. Just as she was about to open her mouth to talk to the young girl, Lucy lifted her head from the woman's shoulder to meet her eyes.

"Why would she do that?"

"She did it for you, Lucy," the blonde woman told her as she ran a hand through the girl's hair, "everything your mother does is always for you."

"But that's not what I want, Aunt Ev."

Everly's blood ran cold at the sound of the name she hadn't been called in a very long time. Her eyes scanned over Lucy's face for a moment then she opened her mouth to speak, only for it to slam shut when the sound of approaching footsteps met their ears. When the duo looked in the direction of the noise, they found the Thorne twins racing toward them before they stopped right in front of them.

"Hey, Luce! Hey, Mom!" Fletcher greeted the two of them with a giant smile on his face, only for the confusion within Everly to grow.

"You guys are gonna wanna check this out," Dawn added while gesturing back in the direction they came.

"Wait, before we go anywhere, I need to know," the Thorne woman hesitated as she glanced between the three children that surrounded her before letting out a long sigh, "why did you call me 'Aunt Eve' and why did you call me 'Mom'? Does this still have to do with the book you read?"

"We know you remember everything. Stop pretending you don't," the blonde girl told her mother with a small smile.

"I mean, yeah, at first we thought Lucy's stories were crazy," the boy next to her added while flashing a smirk his cousin's way before his eyes landed back on Everly.

"But like you always said," Dawn continued for her brother as she slung her arm around his shoulders, "'every story has some truth behind it.'"

As soon as she heard the saying she had said to her children more times than she could count, Everly's walls broke down. She instantly pulled all three kids into a tight hug and never wanted to let go. Their moment continued for another long moment before the twins finally pushed their mother away. When the Purest Heart looked down at them, she found both her kids staring back up at her with excitement in their eyes.

Before Everly had a chance to speak, Fletcher grabbed her hand while Dawn grabbed Lucy then they pulled the pair off the bench and in the direction they just came from. The blonde woman exchanged a confused look with her niece while the two of them let the twins drag them along. Once they got to the corner, the Thorne siblings released their grasp of their mother and cousin before gesturing toward a group gathered in the gardens.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" a new voice said, causing the four of them to turn around to see Henry walking toward them.

"I don't know," Everly responded to her nephew before the five of them made their way toward the crowd.

When they finally reached the gathered citizens of Hyperion Heights, they instantly saw Ella standing on a platform to address the crowd. A small smile formed on Lucy's lips as soon as her eyes landed on her mother. The five of them wove through the group of people until they reached Regina, Sam, Katherine, and Austin at the front to listen to what the brunette woman had to say.

"Thank you all for coming," Ella told everyone standing in front of her while she tightly gripped a paper that Everly instantly recognized in her hand, "I know that some of you have already signed this once today and are probably wondering what this is all about. Well, I need you to sign it again."

The crowd started whispering among themselves in response to what the brunette woman just said before their attention fell back on her when she continued speaking.

"I...I'm sorry. I let you all down. I let myself down. And I put this defenseless little garden at risk...when I should have protected it. You see, this garden isn't what it was supposed to be. I couldn't see that. But my Lucy did. She never stopped believing in it for a second. We're gonna show Victoria Belfrey that when you truly believe in something...you can change things. So if you're willing to fight with me, sign this. And when you're done, start planting. We're gonna show Victoria Belfrey that we're not just gonna stop her from destroying this garden. We're gonna make something wonderful here...together."

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