────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟕
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐋𝐀𝐖 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌

────── ★★★ ──────

Silence surrounded them as they continued to walk through the forest toward an unknown destination. Well, unknown to Everly. Henry seemed to know where he was going. It wasn't long before the Mills boy led them to a very large clearing. A strange feeling washed over the Jones girl as she looked around at the forest, not liking the sense she was getting. Her attention soon returned to her nephew as he continued to read the book in his hands.

"'Many deadly traps were set to protect the forest hideaway. A pit trap under the cedar tree,'" Henry read before Everly held her arm out in front of him, stopping him from taking another step. The Mills boy soon followed his aunt's gaze to find branches covering a pit on the ground in front of them. The two of them didn't hesitate to walk around it before he continued reading aloud. "'A falling log hung just beyond.'"

They continued walking along the path until they spotted a log with swords sticking out of it hidden in the trees. Everly and Henry exchanged an uncertain look before carefully stepping over the tripwire.

We walk a bit more and see a log with swords sticking out of it, causing Henry and me to exchange a look before we carefully step over the tripwire.

"'And finally, at the center of the willow forest, there was a rustic version of home." The second the Mills boy finished reading, the two of them spotted a large hollowed-out long hidden among the greenery.

"Is there anything else we should know?" Everly asked as she took the bow off of her shoulder and loaded an arrow onto it.

"It says she has a sidekick named Shooter," Henry answered after reading the next few lines in the book before looking over at the girl standing next to him, "do you really need that?"

"Better safe than sorry," the Jones girl announced, only for her to let out a long sigh after seeing the look on her nephew's face, "Rumplestiltskin didn't recognize us, Hen. Changes are Regina and this Shooter person won't either. I promise to only use it if necessary."

Henry just stared at her for another moment before letting out a sigh of his own and approaching the log. Everly didn't move an inch as she watched the Mills boy look into the log and call out to anyone inside. They waited a few seconds for a response but were only greeted by silence. Then the Jones girl got the feeling they were being watched. But before she had a chance to act, a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Turn around slowly."

Everly raised her bow as she and Henry turned around, only to find Regina aiming an arrow right back at them. Shock coursed through her veins as she stared at the Mills woman, not expecting to look like how her mother did during her time in the Enchanted Forest. However, before another thought could go through her head, another voice cut through the air.

"Lower your weapon."

The Jones girl's blood instantly ran cold as she looked beside her to find Shooter. But what Everly wasn't expecting was to find Katherine aiming an arrow at her. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment, both studying their opponent. It wasn't long after that when Everly slowly lowered her bow. The Scott girl kept her eyes glued to and her arrow aimed at the two teens as she walked over to join Regina.

"Drop it," Katherine ordered, causing Everly to let her bow fall to the forest floor.

"Who are you?" Regina asked while her eyes continued to flash between the pair in front of her, "what do you want?"

"My name's Henry, and I'm your son."

"You never told me you had a son," Katherine said to Regina with a hint of confusion in her voice.

"I don't," Regina responded while she and Katherine continued to aim their arrows at the duo standing in front of them.

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly kept her conversation to herself until the next morning, knowing that she couldn't give the Saved Boys time to change her mind. As soon as noon hit on Neverland, she explained her plan to them. It took a lot of convincing, but she finally managed to persuade them that asking Pan for help was the only thing they could do to keep everyone safe. The last thing she did before leaving the cove was have a short conversation with Sam, one that almost ended with him going with her. But Everly managed to get him to agree to stay. After all, he was the most skilled out of all of them. If Harry attacked while both of them were away, the rest of them wouldn't stand a chance.

What felt like an eternity of walking through Neverland's forest passed before Everly finally arrived at the Lost Boys' camp. She stood at the border for a long moment, gathering all the courage she could. And after letting out a long sigh, the Jones girl walked into the camp. To her surprise, everything was completely rebuilt. However, that feeling soon vanished when she realized Pan must've used his magic to fix it.

"It's Everly!" A Lost Boy shouted, gathering everyone's attention toward her. Not even a second after that passed when the Jones girl was surrounded by Pan's army. A wave of panic washed over her, only for it to fade when they formed an opening to allow Felix to approach.

The two of them just stared at each other for a moment, neither showing the emotions they truly wanted to. It wasn't long before the Thorne boy broke the silence surrounding them. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Pan," Everly responded, trying her best to keep up the act even though it killed her to pretend to hate the boy in front of her.

"It's your funeral. Follow me," Felix told her, receiving a small nod in response from the Jones girl.

It wasn't long after that when he turned and began heading further into the camp with Everly right behind him. The two of them soon arrived at Pan's tent, a place he only used as a prop. The Jones girl knew he never slept there, he just used it to make it seem like he was one of the Lost Boys. And it worked for the most part. Most of the boys truly thought that was where he slept. But in reality, he was in the comfort of his cabin.

Everly was soon snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Pan calling for them to enter. Not even a second after that passed when Felix grabbed the tent flap and opened it, allowing the Jones girl to go in first. She only hesitated for a moment before walking inside. Everly couldn't explain why chills ran up her spine when she heard Felix come in behind her and close the flap. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't hurt her, but the act he was putting on was scarily convincing.

Pan just stared at Everly for a moment, as if not expecting her to be the one standing in front of him. But he soon snapped out of his daze and opened his mouth to speak. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk about Harry," Everly announced while trying her best to push away her nerves.

The next thing she knew, the leader of the Lost Boys disappeared in the blink of an eye before reappearing right in front of her. "It would be so easy to end you right now."

The Jones girl forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat as she forced a determined look on her face. "Then do it."

"But then the game would end," Pan told her with a sinister smirk on his lips before he backed up and sat back down on his cot, "tell me more about your Harry situation."

"I ran into him on the beach. We had a long conversation before he threatened me and the Saved Boys."

"And why should I help you?"

Now it was Everly's turn to grin at the boy in front of her as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Because before he did that, he asked me to help him take you down."

Pan's smirk instantly faded. It wasn't long after when an eyebrow rose in curiosity while his eyes studied the girl in front of him. "Why didn't you agree to help him? You hate me."

"That's true. I'll never deny that," Everly responded, earning an eye roll from the Demon King before she continued speaking, "but the way Harry is going about this isn't right. He doesn't care if he hurts anyone else as long as it leads to your demise."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"The same thing you did to Vincent. Send him off Neverland."

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long after that when Regina and Katherine took Henry and Everly into their house. They sat around their makeshift table after the Scott girl started a fire for them. Everly tried her best to hide her annoyance as Henry continued to explain their story, knowing it would be a long shot to get the outlaws to believe them. And by the look on her nephew's face, she knew he finally realized that as well.

"But I'm telling you-"

"That we're trapped inside a book? And we're supposed to live in a place called Maine?" Regina interrupted Henry without even trying to hide the irritation in her voice, "where I became your adopted mother after someone named Emma gave you up?"

"Come on, Mom. You can remember," the Mills boy pleaded while Everly continued to sit next to him in silence, unsure of what else they could say to convince them that they were telling the truth.

"Well, now that I think about it, this does make me wonder one thing," Regina said with a serious look on her face.

That was enough for her to receive confused looks from both Everly and Katherine while Henry looked at her with hope in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when the Mills woman got to her feet and walked around the table to stand in front of Henry. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before Regina held a dagger to her son's neck. Everly tried to get up to stop her, but Katherine was one step ahead of her. And the next thing the Jones girl knew, an arrow was against her neck.

"Who sent you?" Regina demanded with nothing but hatred in her eyes.

"Mom, please. Nobody sent me."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Regina, stop!" Everly shouted while trying to get to her nephew, only for Katherine to press the arrow harder against her neck.

"Are you working for the Queen?" the Mills woman questioned, completely ignoring the Jones girl.

"No, I'm trying to help you," Henry explained without bothering to hide the shakiness of his voice.

"Help me what?"

"Find your happy ending," the Mills boy responded, making all the emotion fade from Regina's face, "in my world, we called it Operation Mongoose."

The next thing they knew, the raven-haired woman held the dagger closer to her son's neck. Everly continued to struggle to get to him, but Katherine simply pushed harder on her arrow. But her fight soon ended when Regina started laughing. Confusion began flowing through the Jones girl's veins as she watched the Mills woman take the dagger away from Henry's neck. Not even a second after that when Katherine removed the arrow from Everly's. It wasn't long after that when Regina began speaking. "That is a very silly name."

"Well, it was your idea," Henry retaliated in a tone that made it seem like he didn't just have a dagger against his neck.

"Do you actually believe this?" Katherine questioned as she looked between Everly and Henry. When she received a small nod in response from the Jones girl, she let out a long sigh. "So you're crazy."

"We're not and I can prove it," the Mills boy declared while reaching into his jacket and pulling out Isaac's book, "this is a copy of the book we're trapped in."

"Let me see," Regina said after snatching the book out of his hands. Everly and Henry simply watched as she began reading the book with an amused look on her face. But it wasn't long before a more serious expression took its place. "This says Shooter and I are going to rob a royal tax carriage today, to buy passage out of the kingdom."

"How did the book know all that?" Katherine asked after her head snapped toward Everly, "can it see our future?"

"Something like that," the Jones girl answered, causing Regina and Katherine to share a look.

"Then we don't want any part of it," the Mills woman announced before walking over to the fire and tossing the book into it.

"No!" Henry shouted as he ran over and tried to grab it out of the fire. To his and Everly's dismay, the Mills boy only managed to save a page.

It wasn't long after that when they heard Regina and Katherine walk out of their house. Everly and Henry didn't hesitate to sprint after them, neither of them giving up on getting them to believe. They barely made it back into the clearing with all the traps when Katherine shouted at them over her shoulder. "Don't follow us! Whatever world you think you're from, go back there!"

"We can't. At least, not until Regina finds true love," Everly stated after she and Henry caught up to them.

The Mills woman couldn't help but laugh in response before opening her mouth to speak. "Then you're stuck. It's never gonna happen for me."

"His name is Robin Hood," Henry explained, speaking as if his mother never said a word, "I think the only way to escape this book is for you to find him in a tavern and kiss him. True love's kiss, it can fix anything."

Now Katherine laughed along with her partner as the two of them stopped and turned around to face the teens. "Wow. You are crazy."

The smile on Regina's face soon fell as she took a step closer to her son. "If we ever meet Robin Hood in person, the only thing he gets is a broken nose."

"What are you talking about?" the Jones girl questioned while looking between the duo standing in front of her.

"He's our competition," Katherine explained without even bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice, "every robbery we plan, he beats us to it. He's the reason we're stuck in this kingdom."

"Why are we still talking to you?" the Mills woman muttered under her breath before she and the Scott girl turned back around and continued their journey down the path.

"Because I'm your son," Henry declared, causing them to stop and face them once again with unamused looks on their faces.

"Look, kid," Regina sighed while placing a hand on his shoulder, "if you read about me in that book, you know I got to go. Queen wants me dead. She thinks I ruined her life."

"Did you?"

The Mills woman hesitated for a moment as her eyes studied the boy in front of her. It wasn't long after that when she broke out of her trace and responded. "Yes. So, if it's happy endings you're after, look someplace else."

This time, Everly and Henry didn't follow as Regina and Katherine turned back around and continued down the path. They watched the outlaw duo until they were out of sight. It wasn't long after that when the Mills boy took off in another direction, causing a long sigh to pass over Everly's lips before she chased after him.

"Henry!" Everly called out before managing to catch up with him and copy his pace, "where are we going?"

"To the tavern where Robin and my mom are supposed to meet."

"Are you sure she'll be there?"

"Positive."

────── ★★★ ──────

Pan continued to study Everly as he took in her words. She tried not to squirm under his gaze, still not liking how she came without any means of defending herself. But she knew she couldn't. He wouldn't even think about helping her if she brought her bow. What felt like an eternity passed before Pan got to his feet and walked back over to stand in front of the Jones girl. "Why would I do that for you?"

"Were you not listening to anything I said? This would benefit you too," Everly questioned, earning an annoyed look from the Demon King, "Harry wants to kill you and he doesn't care how. And what if he convinces a few of your Lost Boys to join him?"

The irritation on Pan's face soon turned to offense before letting out a scoff. "My boys would never turn on me."

"Are you absolutely certain about that?"

After the leader of the Lost Boys turned around to think over her words, Everly glanced over at Felix, only to find a small smile on his lips. The Jones girl didn't hesitate to return the gesture before looking back at Pan just in time to watch him turn around to face her. The two of them just stared at each other in silence until Everly decided to break it. "So, are you going to send Harry away?"

Pan continued to stare at her for a moment before looking behind her at his most trusted Lost Boy. "What do you think, Felix?"

"Harry already attacked us once. What's to stop him from doing it again? And if there is a next time, what if we aren't so lucky?" Felix said with a serious look on his face. It was as if his smile was never even there.

Pan nodded in response to Felix's answer before looking back to the ground. The longer Everly stood there, the more irritated she became. It shouldn't be taking him this long for him to decide, but here they were. It wasn't long after that when he looked up and began speaking. "I'll have my Shadow track him down tomorrow."

"Great," the Jones girl responded before letting out a long sigh, "see you around, Pan."

Everly quickly spun around, wanting to get back to the Saved Boys more than anything in the world. But to her dismay, Felix was still blocking her path to the exit. That was all it took to tell her that Pan had more to say, causing mixed emotions to flow through her veins. The Jones girl just stared at the boy in front of her for a moment longer before turning around to face the Demon King once again.

"You haven't heard what I want in return," Pan announced after Everly watched the smirk return to his face.

"No. I never came here to make a deal with you," Everly declared, earning a confused look from the leader of the Lost Boys, "either you do this for yourself and your boys or not at all."

A glare soon appeared on his features before he rolled his eyes at his former Lost Girl. "Fine. Come back tomorrow at noon and we'll decide where to send him."

────── ★★★ ──────

"Mom!" Henry called out as they rushed down the concrete path toward Regina and Katherine, who both sighed while turning around to face them.

"You have to stop calling me that," Regina told Henry before a somewhat confused look appeared on her face, "how do you keep finding us anyway?"

"We figured that, if Henry's plan worked, you'd be in Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood," Everly explained, only for her positivity to face when she caught the sadness in the Mills woman's eyes.

"I hate to break it to you, but Robin's already found his true love," the raven-haired woman said with irritation in her voice, earning confused looks from both Everly and Henry. After letting out a long sigh, she grabbed her son's shoulders and forced him to turn around while Katherine did the same thing to her friend. "and they're getting married...today!"

The next thing they knew, Everly and Henry were shoved toward the tavern window. Shock coursed through their veins when they saw Robin and Zelena kissing inside, completely unaware of Regina and Katherine walking away from them.

"No, no, no. This is all wrong. That's Zelena, your sister," the Mills boy explained before turning around, only to be greeted by an empty alleyway, "where did they go?"

Everly instantly gestured in the direction the outlaws went before they sprinted after them. As soon as they caught up to them, Henry continued speaking. "Wait, you have to listen to me."

"I've heard enough," Regina scoffed before turning around to face the teens, making Katherine copy her actions, "I don't have a sister. My mother abandoned me when I was a baby."

"No, your mother abandoned Zelena," the Mills boy retaliated while Every and Katherine watched the conversation, neither of them wanting to get involved, "everything's flipped. This must be Zelena's happy ending."

"Look, we have to go. And you should too," Regina told Henry after resting her hands on his shoulders, "Snow White's looking for you. Both of you."

"What are you talking about?" Everly questioned, just to be ignored by both of the outlaws.

Regina and Katherine tried to leave before Henry blocked their path again. An irritated look soon formed on the Scott girl's face while her partner just stared at her son.

"You can't tell me that you didn't feel anything when you met Robin Hood," Henry said, only to receive nothing but silence from Regina in response. But that was enough of an answer for him. "See? That's proof. He's your true love."

"No. It's proof that I'm not the kind of person that gets a happy ending. I'll never have true love," Regina retaliated while doing her best to hide the disappointment in her voice. Henry just stared at her in shock as a sad look appeared on her face. But it wasn't long before that sadness transformed into anger. "But you gave me the worst thing that you can give anyone. Hope. Now I'd like to get far enough away that I don't have to hear Robin and Zelena's wedding bells proclaim their love."

A wave of realization instantly washed over Everly as she took a step forward to join the conversation. "Wait, did you say wedding bells?"

"Yes. Now, please, let me leave."

It was at that moment that Henry got the same look of realization on his face. "The bells. From the end of the book. That's what he was talking about."

"Henry, those bells. Their wedding," the Jones girl said while a million thoughts bounced around in her head, "it's our last chance to stop this from becoming real forever."

"It already is real!" Katherine exclaimed while pushing Everly aside to stand beside Regina.

The Purest Heart just stared at her for a moment, beginning to get annoyed with her friend's lack of faith. But she knew it wasn't her fault. Everything wrong with this world was because of Isaac. So instead of showing her true emotions, Everly let out a long sigh to calm herself before speaking. "Not yet. We just need to stop Robin's fake wedding."

"Look, you seem like nice kids, and clearly, you believe all this nonsense," Regina said while placing a hand on Henry's shoulder and looking over at Everly. It wasn't long after that when a familiar look appeared on her face. A look that told the Jones girl that she had an idea. Everly just hoped that it was a good one. "But didn't you say I was your adopted mother? That you have another mother out there named uh...Emma. So if you want help, maybe you should start by finding her."

"We tried. She wasn't in the book," Henry announced while blocking her and Katherine's path once again, "and if she were, believe me, you'd know. She's the most powerful sorceress there is."

"The only sorceress in this land is Snow White," Katherine muttered under her breath, not bothering to hide the hatred laced within her words.

"She's more powerful than her," Everly declared before realizing she may be giving them too much information, "she has, uh, special magic."

"Special magic?"

"In our world she was called the Savior," Henry announced, making his aunt slightly cringe.

Regina and Katherine's faces soon became emotionless before they shared a look. It wasn't long after that when they turned their attention back to the teens. "Never heard of her."

"Mom, no!" Henry exclaimed as he grabbed Regina's arm, preventing her from taking another step in the opposite direction, "I know that face. What aren't you telling me?"

The Mills woman hesitated for a moment before turning back around to face her son and his aunt. "There were rumors once of a woman who called herself that. The Savior."

"Isaac lied. He couldn't write her out of the story." Henry whispered while looking over at Everly, who didn't share the same shock as he did. Not even a second after that passed when he turned his attention back to his mom. " Where can we find her?"

"You can't," Katherine told them after a sad look appeared on her face, "Snow White locked her up years ago. No one has set eyes on her since. The prison she's in is impenetrable."

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