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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐄

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Everly sat beside Sam on the steps as they sailed back to the mainland. Once again, the Jones girl couldn't help but smile as the ocean breeze greeted her. She never realized how much she truly missed her life on the Jolly Roger. Maybe when she got back to Storybrooke, she could start sailing again. Hopefully, she wouldn't be chasing around another villain and she'd actually have time to.

"Thank you for your help, Killian," Emma said, drawing Everly's attention over to them just in time to see a hint of red appear on the pirate captain's cheeks.

"Uh, yeah, of course," the Jones man responded after swallowing the lump forming in his throat, "I'm pleased you've regained your, uh, freedom."

The Purest Heart's eyebrow rose as she looked over at Sam with confusion in her eyes. "Why is he talking like he's never seen a woman in his life?"

"Because Emma's the first woman he's actually talked to," the Jones boy responded, causing them to uncontrollably laugh.

However, their joyful moment is soon cut short by a loud crash in the distance followed by an equally loud roar. Everly instantly jumped to her feet and looked back toward the island they left behind, only for her blood to run cold. Sitting on top of the tower that was once Emma's prison was a dragon.

"Why can't anything be simple?!" the Jones girl shouted after watching the dragon take to the sky and begin flying toward them.

"Henry, Everly, get below now!" Emma ordered without taking her eyes off the beast coming at them.

"You too, Sam!" Killian added while trying and failing to hide the fear in his voice.

The Jones boy hoped the hatch that led below deck without an ounce of hesitation before gesturing for Everly and Henry to go inside. While the Mills boy quickly jumped in, his aunt hesitated as she looked back at her sister. Normally she would at least attempt to persuade Emma to let her help, but this time felt different. So instead she followed her nephew before Sam jumped in and closed the hatch behind him.

"What was that?" Sam whispered as if he was afraid the monster would hear them.

"A dragon," Henry answered in a tone that made it seem like it should've been the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why is there a dragon?!"

"Because this is the Enchanted Forest. Everything tries to kill you here," Everly said as the Author's words replayed in her head, completely unaware of the confused look the blonde boy was sending her way.

Before anyone had a chance to respond, they heard another roar followed by the distant beating of wings. That caused Sam to whimper as he pulled his knees up to his chest. "We're all going to die!"

Everly's heart broke seeing him this way. Sam was the complete opposite of who he truly was, which she knew was the point of this new storybook. It wasn't long before the Jones girl forced her feelings aside and placed her hand on her brother's knee. That was all it took to make Sam look up at her before she spoke to him in the calmest voice she could muster. "We aren't going to die."

They soon heard Emma's muffled shouts before another roar cut through the air. Not even a second after that passed when a cannon firing shook the ship followed by a large splashing sound. The next thing they knew, the world around them grew silent. What felt like an eternity passed when they heard Emma and Killian laughing from the deck above them. A large smile appeared on Everly's lips as she looked over at Sam. "I told you we weren't gonna die."

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Shock coursed through Everly's veins as she watched the portal close. Her eyes stayed glued to where it once was as her thoughts bounced around in her head. It wasn't long before she noticed Pan turning toward her out of the corner of her eye, but she refused to meet his gaze. She knew if she did, she would show what she was truly thinking. And the Jones girl wasn't ready to share her thoughts with the world.

"I'm sorry. Did I hear you say 'wait'?" the leader of the Lost Boys questioned with annoyance laced within every word.

Everly didn't respond as she continued to stare at where the portal once was. That was until a hand landed on her shoulder, snapping her back to reality. She thought Sam was the one beside her, but she found Pan instead. The Jones girl's senses soon kicked in as she pushed his arm away from her and took a step back.

"Did you say 'wait'?" Pan repeated with a scowl on his face.

Everly couldn't help but tense before quickly shaking away her regret and putting on her false confidence. "I didn't say anything."

"Good. See you around, Lost Girl," the Demon King said before waving his hand through the air, making himself and Felix disappear in a puff of green.

As soon as they were gone, Everly turned her attention back to where the portal once stood. She let the silence surround her and Sam for another moment before finally finding the courage to break it. "Harry was just a boy, Sam. A boy who's more lost than any of us can even begin to imagine. And we just sent him away like he meant nothing. We're no better than Pan."

The only thing she heard in response was a long sigh before Everly found Sam standing in front of her. They just stared at each other for a moment before the Wilbert boy began speaking. "We couldn't do anything to help Harry, Ev. We did what we needed to save both camps. We are nothing like Pan."

"We should've found another way."

"There wasn't one."

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It wasn't long after they arrived back on the mainland. The first thing they did was grab a couple of swords before making their way out onto the cobblestone road. Once they found an empty street, Emma sent Henry to find them food while she and Everly prepared to train Killian and Sam. The Jones girl tried not to laugh too much at how their roles had reversed. In the real world, everyone knew she was the worst swordsman, which was ironic considering she lived on a ship with pirates for two years. She and Sam would always laugh about that. But in this world, she was the one teaching her brother how to use a sword, which may not end as well as they hoped.

"So you're telling me that in this other reality, I used to be a knight?" Sam questioned, earning a nod in response from Everly as she handed him a sword, "and I know how to use this?"

"Better than anyone I have ever seen. You even taught me," the Jones girl responded before chuckling, "but that didn't really end as well as we thought it would."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sam looked down at the sword in his hand. His eyes scanned over it for a moment before looking back up at Everly with skepticism in his eyes. That was all it took to make the smile on the Purest Heart's face grow. "Need some help, Sir Sam?"

An innocent smile soon appeared on the Jones boy's lips before Everly took the sword from him. She then began showing Sam the form that he once showed her when they were on Neverland. That lasted for another moment before the Jones girl handed the sword back to him. It wasn't long after that when Sam began mimicking what she just demonstrated.

"There you go," Everly praised after watching him swing the sword through the air, "now jab forward."

Sam didn't hesitate to do as he was told, making it look like he had been training since the day he was born. A wave of pride washed over Everly as she watched her brother, knowing that this was what he was meant to be doing. She watched as he swung the sword around for another moment with a large smile on his face. But it wasn't long after that when it slowly faded as he lowered the sword. The pride within the Jones girl was soon replaced by confusion as she watched Sam sheath his sword before turning to face her.

"What were we in this other world?" the Jones boy asked, only to be greeted by silence as Everly continued to stare at him with confusion in her eyes, "I mean...were we...together?"

"Oh! Ew! No! Nothing like that!" the Purest Heart exclaimed before watching a hurt look appear on Sam's face. Everly let out a small sigh, knowing she shouldn't have reacted that way. It wasn't long after that when she forced a smile onto her lips and continued speaking. "We were much more than that. We were best friends. Family. You were...are my brother, Sammy. Not in the biological sense, but that doesn't matter. We were both adopted by the one and only Captain Killian Jones."

"There they are!"

Their smiles quickly fell as they spun around to find the guard from the tower. To Everly's surprise, it was Lily, Maleficent's daughter. She was walking straight toward them followed by six of the dwarfs. But what surprised the Jones girl even more was the two people right behind them. It was Mary Margaret and David.

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It had been a week since they sent Harry away and Everly found herself sitting near the water of the cove. Silence surrounded her as she let the guilt eat away at her conscience. Despite the many times Sam told her they did the right thing, the Jones girl couldn't help but feel they could've done more. They should've helped Harry instead of sending him away. That would've been the right thing to do, but now it was too late.

"Everly?" a voice called out, causing her to look up to find Adam walking toward her with a forced smile on his face, "Bobby and Robby want to learn archery."

The former Lost Girl just blinked at him a few times before finally responding, but she knew her words weren't going to be the ones he was looking for. "Go ahead and teach them."

"Don't you wanna do it?"

"No."

The Remington boy just stared at her for a moment without even bothering to hide the confusion in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when he sent her a small nod before walking away from her. A small sigh passed over Everly's lips as she looked back up at the clouds above her. Her eyes scanned over the sky as silence surrounded her, only for it to be broken by approaching footsteps.

Another sigh passed over Everly's lips as she looked up at the person walking toward her. She was expecting to see Adam again, so she was surprised when she found Sam standing above her. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before the Wilbert boy broke the silence surrounding them. "Get up. You need to do something other than lying around."

When all Everly did was blink at him in response, Sam let out a long sigh before turning and walking away from her. The Jones girl just watched him go for a moment before returning her eyes to the sky. It wasn't long before her eyelids began to grow heavy. She forced herself to watch the clouds for another moment before she let herself fall into a deep sleep.

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Everly woke up with a start when she felt nothing but water surrounding her. Panic flowed through her veins as she thrashed around until she forced herself to swim to the surface. As soon as she broke through the surface of the small pond in the cove, she found the Save Boys looking at her with silly grins on their faces. Except for Bobby and Robby, who were laughing uncontrollably. Annoyance flowed through Everly's veins as she swam over to the edge and pulled herself out of the water.

She just stared at them for another moment before opening her mouth to speak."What was that for?!"

"We wanted to wake you up," J.P. responded in a tone that made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh and 'Everly, wake up' wouldn't have worked?"

"Not from your nap," Adam stated without even bothering to hide the amusement in his voice.

"From your slump," the Twins concluded after calming themselves down.

The annoyance within Everly instantly turned to confusion as she looked over at Sam. "My what?"

"You've been moping for a week," Sam explained before Everly noticed a hint of sadness behind his smile, "you needed to wake up."

The Jones girl continued to stare at him in silence as her mixed emotions continued to bounce around in her head. She was angry, confused, upset, and happy all at the same time and it was driving her crazy. But then something happened that no one expected. Everly smiled. It wasn't long after that when she grabbed Sam by his wrist and fell backward into the pond, taking him with her. The next thing the Jones girl knew, all of the Saved Boys were jumping into the water.

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"It's as I told you, my Queen," Lily announced while Everly and Emma continued to stare at their parents with shock and confusion in their eyes, "the one-handed pirate and the little brat were helping them. And the boy was with them, as well."

Mary Margaret just stared at the group in front of her with disappointment in her eyes. Next to her, David held anger in his eyes that Everly never thought possible. The sight of them was enough to send a wave of disgust over her. If she didn't like this story before, she definitely didn't like it now.

"Tell us where the child is hiding!" Leroy demanded, drawing Everly's attention back to the situation at hand just in time to watch the dwarf swing his sword through the air and knock Killian's to the ground.

"Hey! Back off, dwarf!" Emma shouted while pushing Leroy to the ground, "or they'll change your name to Stumpy!"

"I know you," Mary Margaret stated as her eyes continued to scan over the blonde woman in front of her, "you're...Emma. The mad hag who was locked in the tower. I almost didn't recognize you out of your chains."

"You're the one that's hard to recognize, both of you," the Swan woman responded while looking between her parents, "this isn't who you are."

The Blanchard woman just stared at Emma with no emotion in her eyes for what felt like an eternity. Just when Everly thought she'd never respond, Mary Margaret opened her mouth to speak. "Tell me. Who are we?"

"You're our parents," the Savior announced while gesturing to herself and her sister, "we're the products of your true love. You taught us how to be heroes. You taught us how to believe in hope. And we do. And now I need you to believe in it, too."

Despite wanting to contribute to the conversation, Everly couldn't bring herself to utter a single word. All she could do was stare at the group in front of her while her brain replayed the memories she had of them in Storybrooke. That was until Leroy scowled at her, reminding her that these people didn't remember who they really were. They were simply victims of the Author's story and saw the sisters and the pirates as their enemies. But despite knowing this, Everly still wasn't prepared for the next words that Mary Margaret spoke.

"Kill them."

Everyone instantly took a step toward them, only to be stopped by David. Confusion flowed through Evelry's veins as she watched him point at something behind them. That caused everyone to turn around to find Henry standing a few yards away with a bundle of food in his arms.

"There he is!" David announced with a venom in his voice that Everly never thought possible.

"My, my. I am going to enjoy watching him die in front of his family," Mary Margaret said with a large smile on her lips.

"Save your family," Sam whispered in Everly's ear.

"You are my family. I'm not leaving you," the Jones girl responded just loud enough for him to hear without taking her eyes off the group in front of them, "you can't beat them on your own."

"If this isn't real, then why does it matter if I die?" the Jones boy questioned, causing all the warmth to fade from Everly's body as she looked over at him. She was shocked to find a small smile on his face as he unsheathed his sword. "Now go be the hero."

Before Everly had a chance to respond, Emma grabbed her wrist and began pulling her toward Henry. Not even a second after they reached his side passed when they turned around to find Killian kicking down a wooden awning. All they could do was watch as it fell onto Lily and the dwarfs, leaving only Leroy standing. The pirate captain didn't hesitate to face David while Sam did the same with Leroy. Killian managed to knock the Nolan man's sword away right as the Jones boy hit the dwarf on the wrist, sending the latter's sword to the ground. Everly was surprised to see Killian elbow David in the face, making him collapse to the ground. Not even a second after that passed when Sam pointed his sword at Leroy's neck.

But all the Jones girl's hope soon faded as she watched Mary Margaret approach Killian. He instantly turned his attention toward her and pointed his sword at her chest. She walked around him in a circle until Killian's back was to David. Everly couldn't help but gasp as David picked up his sword and drove it into Killian's back.

"No!" Everly and Emma shouted.

Tears streamed down the Jones girl's cheeks as she watched Killian fall to the ground. That was enough to make Sam turn his back to Leroy, his attention drawn by what was happening behind him. The dwarf didn't hesitate to take advantage of the moment. He picked up his sword from the ground and plunged it into Sam's back.

"Sam!" Everly screamed louder than she thought possible while watching him send her a weak smile. It wasn't long after that when he collapsed to the ground and lay lifeless next to Killian.

Tears continued to stream down the Jones girl's cheeks as she stared at them. Two of the most important people in her life lay lifeless before her very eyes. Everly couldn't move a muscle as she kept her eyes glued to them. That was until she felt someone grab her wrist and try to pull her away a little.

"We have to get out of here!"

A ball of fire snapped Everly back to reality before she sprinted out of the marketplace with Emma and Henry, leaving Killian and Sam behind.

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