────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄

────── ★★★ ──────

What felt like an eternity of them searching through thousands of books in the room passed, only for all of them to come up short. Everly was about to grab another book from the shelf when she heard someone let out a long sigh. The Jones woman instantly turned toward the source of the sound to find Regina staring down at a book with irritation in her eyes.

"Nothing," the Mills woman announced as she threw a book onto the floor, "they're all still blank. Whatever the Author's writing, it's not appearing in the books. This is useless."

"Easy," Robin told Regina while placing his hand on top of hers, "this is not your fault."

"Even so, tomorrow, thanks to Gold and the Author, I can be waking up a talking frog," the former Evil Queen retaliated as she threw another book across the room.

"At least you'll wake up," Killian said from his place in the only chair in the room, "I don't doubt whatever the Dark One has in store for me is a far worse fate."

"Well, there's no use trying to guess what he has planned," Everly announced, trying her best not to think about what was going to happen to her friends and family if Rumplestiltskin succeeded, "we just need to stop it."

"And if there's nothing useful here, we need to move on," David announced while closing the book in his hands and placing it on the table, "find something else that can help."

"I might just know the thing," a new voice declared, making everyone turn toward the source of the sound to find August walking into the room.

"I thought you didn't know anything more about the Author," Sam said while keeping his eyes glued to the Booth man until he was stopped at the head of the table they were sitting at.

"He doesn't, but he knows someone who does," Emma explained before her attention moved to the brunette man, "that's why I called him here."

"Who?" Mary Margaret asked.

"The man who gave him his power, the Apprentice," August told them before a smirk formed on his face after seeing the shocked looks he was receiving, "I met him once when I was living in Phuket. He was the one who told me about the storybook and that I should learn everything about it."

"If he was in Storybrooke, could you find him?" Pierce asked without even attempting to hide the curiosity in his voice.

"Well, I haven't seen him," the Booth man answered before pulling out a piece from his back pocket and showing them a sketch of a man, "but that's what he looks like."

Because everyone was so focused on the sketch, Everly was the only one to see the realization appear in Killian's eyes. The pirate captain just stared at the paper for another moment before opening his mouth to speak. "I know this man. More importantly, I know exactly where to find him."

────── ★★★ ──────

Not even a second after they returned to the cove passed when Everly and Sam were bombarded by questions from the Saved Boys. Their voices were enough to make the Jones girl's headache return as she let out a long sigh. She let that go on for a moment longer before she couldn't take it anymore. "Boys! One at a time. Please."

"Is Pan going to expect something in return?" Adam asked without even attempting to hide the fear in his voice.

"No. He told us that saving Felix was payment enough" Sam responded in a calm tone, hoping that was enough to calm the Remington boy's nerves.

"Why did you even risk your life to save a Lost Boy?" J.P. questioned with a disgusted look on his face.

Everly couldn't fight the smile forming on her lips before letting out a small laugh. "It was the right thing to do."

"What happened to Harry?" Bobby asked.

"Did Pan kill him?" Robby added.

Their questions were enough to make Everly's smile fall as she looked over at Sam, who was already looking back at her with concern in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when they turned their attention back to the boys sitting in front of them.

"We don't know."

────── ★★★ ──────

"I trapped him in there. I didn't know," Killian explained while staring down at the object in front of them. After hearing what the Jones man had to say, they immediately rushed to find the Blue Fairy. After all, she would be the one to know how to rescue someone from the Sorcerer's hat. They were all now standing around the powerful object, waiting for Mother Superior to work her magic and free the Apprentice.

"It's okay. It was Gold, not you," Emma responded after placing her hand on his arm to comfort him. It wasn't long after that when she moved her arm back to her side and looked down at the Sorcerer's hat. "Blue was in there. She can get them out."

At the sound of the fairy's name, the pirate captain found himself looking over at Mother Superior. "Don't you need the Dark One's dagger?"

"Well, not if I have something that belonged to the Apprentice," the Blue Fairy explained after forcing herself to look away from the object in front of her.

Not even a second after she finished speaking passed when Killian turned around and grabbed a broom that was leaning against the wall. Confusion flowed through Everly's veins as she watched him hand the broom to Mother Superior without an ounce of hesitation. However, she knew now wasn't a good time to be asking questions. It wasn't long after that when the Blue Fairy placed the broom next to the Sorcerer's hat. She let out a long sigh before holding her hands out over the broom and the hat, causing both objects to shine brightly. The light soon became too bright for them, making all of them look away.

What felt like an eternity passed before the light vanished. And when they all looked back in the direction of the Sorcerer's hat, they found an older man sitting in the once-empty chair on the other side of it.

"Are you-"

"Yes. And there is no time to waste," the man interrupted Emma while getting to his feet, "Isaac has abused his power for too long. The time has come to set-" The Apprentice cut himself off after his eyes landed on Killian, who had a guilty look on his face. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before the Apprentice continued speaking. "Things right."

"How?" Regina asked, drawing the man's attention away from the pirate captain.

"By putting him back where he can't harm anyone, in the book. I will need the page with the painted door and the key. We shall return him to his prison and this time, I would wager, none of you will set him free again."

The only response the Apprentice received was silence as he looked around at those surrounding him. That only lasted for a moment longer before he broke it. "The page!"

"It's back in the loft," Henry announced while everyone else continued to stare at the man with uncertainty in their eyes.

"Mom, Dad, Killian, watch Henry. If Gold's smart, he'll go after the page too," Emma told them before her attention turned to the group of teens standing on the other side of the room, "Everly, Sam, Katherine, Pierce, go help them find the page."

────── ★★★ ──────

Night had soon fallen over Neverland, making it appear darker than it usually was. While the rest of the Saved Ones were getting ready to turn in for the night, Everly was sitting on the beach and looking up at the stars. Her thoughts were filled with nothing but memories of Killian, who she believed was looking at the same constellations as her. That was what she needed to believe to help her stay sane on Neverland. She needed to believe he was still out there somewhere looking for her, trying to save her.

Right as the Jones girl was about to get to her feet, a hand was placed over her mouth. Panic instantly set in as she looked up as much as she could. Shock instantly replaced the panic within her when she found a set of familiar eyes staring down at her.

"Harry?" Everly gasped through the hand covering her mouth.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the Bensen boy whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "please don't scream."

The Jones girl just stared at him for a moment longer before sending him a nod in response. Not even a second after that passed when Harry removed his hand from her mouth and sat down beside her in the sand. The two of them let the silence surround them for what felt like an eternity before Everly found the courage to ask the question that was bouncing around in her head.

"What are you doing, Harry?"

"I needed to talk to you."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Everly retaliated, earning. A blank stare from the Bensen boy before she continued speaking, "you blew up Pan's camp and almost killed multiple Lost Boys. You're putting everyone's lives at risk. What do you think you're doing?"

"Pan is the reason that my brother is dead. I'm not gonna let him get away with that," Harry responded while still keeping the expressionless look on his face.

"You aren't going to kill Pan with a simple fire."

"I'm not trying to kill Pan, I'm trying to scare him. Make him see he can't control this island," the raven-haired boy clarified before a look Everly could place appeared on his face, "I thought you of all people would understand."

The Jones girl couldn't fight the wave of annoyance that washed over her. Her eyes scanned over every inch of the boy sitting next to her before opening her mouth to speak. "I wouldn't put innocent lives at risk to prove a point."

Harry's eyes seemed to darken in a matter of seconds, reminding Everly of someone else who lived on Neverland. "If you aren't with me, you're against me."

"It's not that simple."

"It can be."

"I'm on the side of my friends' safety," the former Lost Girl declared after getting to her feet and looking down at Harry, "and you setting fire to the island isn't helping that."

Harry kept his eyes locked with  Everly's as he stood up from the sand. The anger within him continued to grow until he could no longer keep it hidden. "Looks like you're against me then."

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long after they got back to the loft that they began to frantically search for the page. Henry sprinted upstairs while Killian dumped the former's bag out of the table. Sam and Katherine searched through the closets while Everly and Pierce checked the living room.

"I have the key!" they heard Henry from upstairs right as the ground began shaking.

Panic flowed through Everly's veins as she looked around at those surrounding her, only to find worried looks plastered on their faces. Their terrified faces were the last things Everly saw before everything around her plunged into darkness.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────