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────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘'𝐒 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐇

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A day had passed since what happened at the cliff, which felt more like an eternity. Sam and Katherine stood with the Author and Rumplestiltskin as they lowered Cruella into the ground. Everly and Pierce decided to watch from a short distance away. They wanted to show their support for the Jones boy, but they also knew that he needed a little bit of space. It wasn't long before Sam and Katherine were making their way toward their other two friends. The four of them let the silence surround them as they walked toward the cemetery's exit, only for Everly to spot Emma watching the scene play out in front of her from a long way away.

"I'll catch up with you," the Jones girl told her friends. It wasn't until she received nods in response from all of them that she began making her way toward her sister. However, after she reached her, Emma was the one to get a word in first.

"I don't want to hear it."

A wave of annoyance washed over Everly as she stared at the Savior before opening her mouth to speak. "Too bad because you're gonna hear it."

An irritated sigh passed over Emma's lips as she looked over at her sister, only for the latter's blood to run cold. Everly was shocked to see a hint of darkness in her eyes. "I said, I don't want to hear it."

The Swan woman just stared at her sister for a moment long before turning and making her way toward the gate to leave the cemetery. Everly watched her go until she found the courage within herself to call out to Emma, forcing the latter to stop in her tracks while keeping her back toward the Purest Heart. "Was having a boy witness his mother's death worth it?"

Emma stood there for what felt like an eternity before finally turning around to face her sister. "Henry's safe. That's all that matters."

Everly couldn't help but scoff at the Swan woman's words, earning a confused look from Emma. "I get he's your son, but that's a little selfish. You could've found another way, Emma. There's always another way. And now Sam may never trust you again."

"Never trust a person who hides who they are," Emma retaliated before turning her back on her sister and walking out of the cemetery.

Everly watched the Savior walk away until she was out of sight. A long breath passed over her lips before she forced herself to walk toward the gate. The Jones girl was surprised to find Pierce waiting for her on the other side, expecting him to be off somewhere with Sam and Katherine. Everly simply sent him a small smile as the two of them headed to Granny's in the hope of finding a moment to relax before something else happened.

They expected to find Sam and Katherine sitting in their usual booth, only to find it empty when they arrived. Confusion coursed through Everly's veins as she wondered where they could be, only for it to fade when she saw Emma talking with the rest of her family in the middle of the diner. It wasn't long after that when she received a message from Katherine telling her to text her when the Savior left. A small sigh escaped the Jones girl as she walked past her family to sit in her usual booth. She ignored the confused looks from all of them as she stared at her interlocked fingers.

Even though she knew they were probably talking about something important, Everly didn't want to get involved. She was still angry with Emma for how she handled the Cruella De Vil situation. Even more so with her lack of empathy. It wasn't long after that when her thoughts moved back to Sam, knowing that he was going through much more than he was letting on.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Pierce asked after sitting across from Everly in the booth.

The Jones girl just stared at the sea prince for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "Honestly, I don't know. I've never seen him like this before. I'm sure he just needs time."

The only response Everly received from Pierce was a small nod before they fell back into silence. A million questions went through the Purest Heart's head as she thought about Sam and everything he went through in such a short amount of time. Not only did he just lose his mother, but he finally discovered who his father was. Even for someone who had gone through as much as the Jones boy had throughout his lifetime, it was a lot to take it.

It wasn't long before Everly was pulled away from her thoughts by the sound of the diner door opening. Shock coursed through her veins when she found Maleficent standing in the doorway with a determined look on her face. "It now appears we have a common foe. Rumpelstiltskin."

A confused look instantly appeared on David's face as he continued to stare at the woman in front of them. "He resurrected you."

"To help himself, not me," Maleficent responded before her attention moved to Emma, "Cruella's death only confirmed that."

"Oh, now you want to turn on him before he turns on you," Killian announced right as Everly and Pierce walked over to join their conversation.

"I knew Gold couldn't keep the dragon on her leash for long," Regina said with a large smirk plastered on her lips.

"What do you want?" Mary Margaret questioned without even bothering to hide the irritation in her voice.

"Nothing from you," Maleficent hissed before looking back at Emma once again, "but your daughter, I hear, has a talent for finding people."

"Yeah, I do. Who do you want found?" Emma asked while trying and failing to hide the surprised look on her face.

"My daughter," the blonde woman answered, earning shocked looks from everyone surrounding her.

"She's alive?" Mary Margaret said without thinking while keeping her eyes glued to the dark fairy.

"Yes. She survived the journey to this land, the journey you sent her on," Maleficent replied with a hint of irritation in her voice as she stared at the Blanchard woman. It wasn't long after that when her eyes landed on Emma once again. "You want to prevent Rumpelstiltskin from achieving whatever he wants, what better way than leaving this town and helping me?"

"I'm not running away from Gold," Emma retaliated while staring at the woman in front of her with anger and annoyance in her eyes.

Maleficent instantly rolled her eyes at the Savior, earning a small smile from Everly, one that only Killian saw. It wasn't long after that when their attention was drawn back to the situation at hand when the dark fairy began speaking. "It's not running from him. It's hindering him."

The Swan woman hesitated for a moment as she let Maleficent's words play over in her head. What felt like an eternity passed when she let out a long sigh and opened her mouth to respond. "What do you know about her?"

"Just what the Dark One showed me. That she was banished to this world thirty years ago, to a place called Minnesota, where she was adopted by a couple. And they named her Lilith."

The Savior's eyes instantly widened as her mouth parted in shock. She stayed like that for a long moment before whispering a single word under her breath. "No."

"Emma? What is it?" Killian asked as he got to his feet, only for the blonde woman to run out of the diner without saying a word.

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Everly woke up with a start the following morning when something landed on top of her. Her eyes instantly flashed open to find Sam looking back at her with a large smirk on his face and a mischievous look in his eyes. "You're a good pillow," he teased, "maybe you've had a bit too many berries."

The Jones girl couldn't help but roll her eyes as a matching smile appeared on her lips. She just stared at the blonde boy for a moment before opening her mouth to respond. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"Always am, Jones."

"Bring it on, Wilbert."

Their laughter cut through the air as they jumped to their feet and began circling each other. The rest of the Saved Boys stood a good distance away, ready to watch the scene happening before them with grins on their faces. What felt like an eternity passed when Adam lifted his hand into the air as the smile on his face grew. "Begin!"

Everly and Sam continued to circle each other, waiting for the other person to make the first move. The smiles on their faces did nothing but grow as they kept their eyes locked together. The Wilbert boy usually won their little game due to his size and strength. But Everly silently hoped that this time was going to be different.

"Make a move, shorty," Sam teased, earning another eye roll from the girl standing across from him.

"Ladies first."

The blonde boy let out a scoff before running at Everly, only for her to dodge his attack with ease. The Saved Boys couldn't help but gasp after watching Sam fall in the sand. But it didn't take long for him to jump to his feet and spin back around to face the Jones girl. The mischievous look returned to his eyes as he ran straight at Everly again. She did her best to dodge again, but he was able to grab her ankle just in time. His actions caused the Jones girl to fall before Sam pulled her back toward him and pinned her to the ground.

Annoyance instantly appeared in Everly's eyes as she let out a puff of air to push the hair out of her face. "You win."

"Again," Sam corrected as he got to his feet before helping the Jones girl up, "you know, you're terrible at fighting."

"That's why I use a bow. I don't have to get close to people."

It wasn't long after their duel when the Saved Ones decided to relax in the Safe Haven. Sam was taking a nap in the grass while Adain and J.P. were debating on which way to defend themselves was better. On the other side of the cove, Bobbie and Robbie were swimming and splashing each other in the small pool with Everly sharpening her arrows at the edge of the water. Sam recently discovered how to make things explode on impact. He made the Jones girl special arrows to use in case of emergency while he and the rest of the boys had small pouches on their belts. They decided to use them as a signal if they were ever caught.

Everyone jumped up at the sound of an explosion nearby. No one said a word as they looked around at each other, thinking that someone accidentally set off one of Sam's inventions. Everly didn't know how to feel when she discovered it didn't come from any of them. It wasn't long after that when they grabbed their gear and sprinted out of the cove, only to find a huge cloud of dark smoke in the distance. To all of their surprise, it was coming from the direction of Pan's camp.

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While Emma and Regina left to go find Maleficent's daughter, Everly and Pierce headed up to their rooms. Neither of them said a word as they walked through the hall until they reached the Jones girl's room. After pushing the door open and stepping inside, the Purest Heart's blood ran cold. She had no words to describe how she felt at the sight of Sam packing his stuff into a duffle bag. Because his back was facing the door, the Jones boy had no idea that Everly and Pierce walked into the room. That was until his sister began speaking. "What are you doing?"

The blonde boy's entire body tensed as he stared at the bag in front of him. What felt like an eternity passed before he let out a sigh and zipped up his bag. Everly kept her eyes glued to him as he got to his feet and turned around to face her. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before Sam finally broke the silence forming between them. "I'm going to stay with Pierce for a bit. I need a little space."

"You are?" Pierce questioned without even bothering to hide the shock in his voice, only to be ignored by both of the Jones siblings.

Everly's eyes stayed glued to Sam as she swallowed the lump in her throat before gathering enough courage to respond. "What did I do?"

"You? Nothing," the Jones boy declared while trying his best to force his conflicting emotions away, "but your sister killed my mother."

Shock coursed through the Purest Heart's veins as she continued to stare at Sam. It wasn't long after that when he began walking toward the door, only for Everly to stop in his path. The Jones boy did his best to avoid eye contact with his sister, knowing that he would change his mind the second their gazes met.

"You can't be serious," Everly whispered just loud enough for him to hear, only to receive nothing but silence in response, "I did all I could to save Cruella. How is moving in with Pierce going to help?"

"I just need a little space," the blonde boy stated while continuing to stare at the wall above the Jones girl's head.

"Can we try to talk this out?" the Jones girl pleaded with her brother without bothering to hide all of the emotions she was feeling.

Sam just stood there for a moment before letting out a sigh and walking passed Everly. A shaky breath passed over the Jones girl's lips as she turned around to watch him go, only to find him looking back at her over his shoulder. "I just need a little space."

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