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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍

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"Remind me to never go on walks through the woods with you again," Everly said when they made it back to Granny's after their walk. The two of them stopped right outside the building for a moment, allowing the Purest Heart to feel the soreness forming in her legs.

A hint of mischief appeared in Will's eyes as she watched the young girl. Once again, Everly reminded him of someone from his past. And once again, the Knave didn't know how to feel about it. He let the silence surround them for another moment before opening his mouth to speak. "Why's that?"

"You really have to ask why?" the Jones girl retaliated, only to receive another mischievous look from the Knave of Hearts. It wasn't long after that when she let out a long sigh and continued speaking. "Because I don't enjoy three hour walks where I have to constantly climb over rocks that are twice my height every ten steps. Why are rocks that big even on a trail?"

"Weak."

"Jerk."

Will simply rolled his eyes in response to the blonde girl before nudging her with his elbow. His actions caused her to stumble once again before she sent him a playful glare. They couldn't help but laugh at their antics as they made their way up Granny's walkway. They only made it halfway up the path when a familiar voice that Everly hadn't heard in months called out to her. The Jones girl instantly stopped in her tracks and turned in the direction of the voice, only for shock to course through her veins. The last thing she expected was to see Roland in Storybrooke, but there he was sprinting straight at her. A large smile appeared on Everly's lips as she scooped him into her arms and gave him a long overdue hug.

"Look!" Roland exclaimed after ending their hug to show Everly the bracelet she made him on his wrist, "I kept it."

"I'm glad you did," the Purest Heart responded before pulling the Hood boy in for another hug, "I'm really happy you're back, Rol."

The smile on Everly's face did nothing but grow when she felt Roland's arms wrap around her neck. It wasn't long after that when he whispered two simple words that made the Jones girl's heart melt. "Me too."

"As am I." The sound of the new voice made Everly look over Roland's shoulder to find Robin walking toward them. The Jones girl's smile did nothing but grow as she pulled the Merry Man into a hug while still keeping his son in her arms. It wasn't long after that when Robin greeted Will before his attention returned to Everly. When she saw the seriousness in his eyes, she put down Roland so he could say hi to Will. As soon as he knew his son was preoccupied, the Merry Man opened his mouth to speak. "Can you keep an eye on Roland?"

"Of course. The answer to that question will always be 'yes,'" Everly responded as her eyes continued to scan over the distress on Robin's face, "where are you going?"

"I need to look for Regina. I haven't seen her since we got back," the Hood man explained with a look in his eyes that the Jones girl couldn't place.

That alone was enough for the curiosity within Everly to grow, but she knew that moment wasn't the time to ask any more questions. Instead, she let the smile return to her face before opening her mouth to speak two simple words. "Good luck."

Robin sent Everly a somewhat forced smile in response before turning and walking down the street. She watched him go until he was out of sight then turned her attention back to Roland. His laughter cut through the air as the Jones girl picked him up and brought him into her arms for another hug. The smiles on their faces did nothing but grow as the two of them and Will made their way into Granny's.

Not even a second after they walked into the diner passed when they spotted Katherine, Pierce, and Henry sitting at one of the booths. Everly didn't hesitate to join them with Will following right behind her. The Jones girl placed Roland down and allowed him to slide into the booth next to Katherine before she sat down on the other side of him. While they got settled in their seats, Will grabbed an empty chair from a nearby table to join them.

"How was New York, Roland?" the Scarlet man asked, causing the smile on the Hood boy's face to grow larger than humanly possible.

"It was fun!" the brunette boy exclaimed as he thought back to his time spent in the normal world, "I liked the cinnamon rolls."

"I know! Those are amazing!" Everly responded while thinking back to the best treats she had in New York, "I miss those."

"They're easy to make," Henry announced, making them look over at him with shock in their eyes. Their reactions caused the Mills boy to laugh before he continued speaking. "I can make them for you sometime."

"You better," Katherine told him in a serious tone before a large smile appeared on her lips, "I want to try one."

Their laughter was the only thing that could be heard in Granny's, bringing Everly into a moment of peace. But that only lasted for a moment before she felt a hand on her shoulder. The Jones girl fought the urge to jump as she looked up to find Sam staring down at her. Guilt was written all over his features as his eyes scanned every inch of her face. It wasn't long before he broke the uncomfortable silence surrounding them. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course," the Jones girl responded then turned to Roland, "I'll be right back. Keep Will out of trouble."

"Hey!" Will exclaimed, causing Everly to roll her eyes before getting up and following Sam.

Neither of them said a word as they walked through Granny's until reaching the back hall. The two of them stood by the jukebox, letting the awkward silence return. Everly was surprised by how easily it came over them after all the time they were together. But a little tension was always bound to happen. After letting another moment pass, the Jones girl cleared her throat and broke the silence surrounding them. "What's up?"

"I've been an idiot," Sam announced as he looked at Everly like she would argue with him. But when he was greeted by nothing but silence, he continued speaking. "I shouldn't have shut you out. What happened with my mother wasn't your fault at all. Not in the slightest. You wouldn't have done that to me if it was reversed. I'm really sorry, Ev."

The only response the Jones boy received at first was a smile before Everly pulled him into a tight hug. Sam was surprised at first, unsure of how to react. But it wasn't long before he wrapped his arms around her and returned the gesture. The two of them stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before they ended their moment. The smile was still plastered on Everly's lips while Sam continued to stare down at her with confusion in his eyes.

"Does that mean I can move back in?"

"I never kicked you out."

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Everly didn't know how much time had passed when she finally opened her eyes, only to find a wooden roof above her. There were only two places on Neverland where she could be...and she knew she wasn't in Tinker Bell's treehouse. Panic coursed through her veins as she quickly sat up, only to receive a splitting headache in response. The Jones girl groaned as she placed a hand on her forehead in an attempt to ease the pain. It wasn't long after that when she looked beside her to find Felix lying on a cot unconscious.

"You really should be lying down. You hit your head pretty hard." The former Lost Girl jumped at the sudden break in the silence before looking toward the source of the sound. The panic within her did nothing but grow when spotting Pan standing in the doorway. They just stared at each other for a long moment before he walked over and sat down in the chair at the foot of her cot. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Little Lost Girl. If it wasn't for me, well, you'd be dead."

Everly continued to stare at him while trying to ignore the panic within her. She let a few seconds tick by before finally opening her mouth to respond. "Where's Sam?"

"Right here," a new voice said, drawing her attention toward the doorway to find a guilty-looking Sam approaching her. Her eyes stayed glued to him until he stopped right next to Pan. But before Everly had a chance to speak, the Wilbert boy beat her to it. "Before you get mad at me for bringing you here, Pan was the only one who could help you."

The Jones girl hesitated for a moment as she took in Sam's words. It wasn't long after that when she let out a long sigh and opened her mouth to speak. "He's going to ask for something in return."

"I know but it was worth the risk."

"We don't know that."

"I'm right here, you know," Pan said, earning eye rolls from both Sam and Everly.

Before their conversation could continue, a groan came from the cot beside Everly. When they turned their attention in the direction of the sound, they found the Thorne boy slowly sitting up. Felix didn't hesitate to send the Jones girl a thankful smile before his eyes landed on Pan, who was looking between Everly and Sam with an unreadable look on his face.

"There's no price to pay," the leader of the Lost Boys announced before looking over at the Saved Ones, who were staring back at him with uncertainty in their eyes, "you saved my best Lost Boy. That's payment enough."

The next thing any of them knew, Pan waved his hand through the air, causing green smoke to surround Everly and Sam. What felt like an eternity passed before it finally cleared, leaving them standing in the middle of the forest near the cove.

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Everly and Sam barely sat back down in the booth with their friends when all of their phones went off. Well, except for Will's. The Scarlet man sent them all a confused look as they pulled out their phones to find a text from Regina.

REGINA:
The Author's with Gold and he
has the ink. Meet us at the
Sorcerer's mansion. Now.

The Jones girl couldn't stop herself from rereading the message a few times. It wasn't long before she found herself looking over at Will. "Can you look after Roland?"

"Of course," the Knave responded with a look in his eyes that Everly knew well. But despite his curiosity, Will knew it was best not to ask what was going on with the Hood boy present. They didn't want to scare him. And the Scarlet man knew he would have time to ask the Jones girl what was going on later.

Everly instantly sent him a grateful smile before she, Sam, Katherine, and Pierce got to their feet. Not even a second after that passed when the Purest Heart waved her hand through the air, taking her and her friends to the Sorcerer's mansion. They barely had a chance to learn what was going on before everyone started looking through the thousands of books on the shelves surrounding them. As they flipped through the pages, they all hoped they would find something that would give them a clue about their futures.

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