────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊

────── ★★★ ──────

Just as Everly was about to ask Pierce another question about Vincent, her water began to shake. She thought that someone had bumped the table at first so she didn't put much thought into it. But then the light above them began to move before the ground began to shake. Confusion made its way through the Jones girl's veins as she looked over at Sam and Katherine, only to find them staring back at her with uncertainty in their eyes. It wasn't long after that when the shaking suddenly stopped and a loud growl cut through the air.

"What was that?" Katherine asked with a hint of fear in her voice right as their friends and family sprinted out the door.

"Only one way to find out," Everly responded with a small sigh before they left Pierce in the booth to follow everyone outside.

They barely made it out of the diner when they spotted what looked like a gargoyle standing on top of the clock tower. Screams filled the air as people ran down the street away from the creature while Everly remained with her friends and family. They simply stared up at the creature until it let out an ear-splitting roar and few straight towards them. They all managed to get out of the creature's way before sprinting down the street in the opposite direction. It wasn't long after that when they found themselves in an alley on the other side of Granny's.

"Did that thing come out of the hat?!" Regina questioned before her gaze moved to Belle, "I thought the spell was only supposed to release the fairies."

"Maybe it's some kind of fairy," Mary Margaret responded after taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Why don't we just put it back in the hat and figure out the rest later?" Emma suggested while looking between her mother and the Mills woman.

"Because we can't," Belle announced, drawing everyone's attention back to her before she continued her explanation, "once something's freed, it can never be retrapped."

"Great. So our best defense against magical beasts follows the same rules as chickenpox?" the Swan woman questioned without even attempting to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Surely the Savior and the Evil Queen can defeat a simple beast," Killian said, earning an annoyed look from the Mills woman while Emma stared at him in disbelief.

"Can we drop the 'E' word already?" Regina retaliated before looking at Emma and sending her a small nod. It wasn't long after that when the two of them walked out from their hiding spot to face the latest threat to Storybrooke.

Everly watched them go until she felt eyes on her, causing her to turn around to find Sam and Katherine staring back at her with curious looks on their faces. The Jones girl just stared at them for a long moment before letting out a long sigh. "What?"

"Aren't you gonna help them?" Katherine asked while Sam nodded along.

"Not a chance," Everly told them, earning confused looks from the two people standing in front of her, "I'm done dealing with monsters. I've already dealt with too many."

When they turned their attention back to the situation at hand, the Purest Heart's blood instantly ran cold. Emma and Regina stood in the middle of the street as the beast flew toward them. Everly did her best not to panic as she watched the monster get closer to her sister before she and Regina hit it with their magic. What looked like fire emitted from the beast's body after the magic made contact with its stomach. It wasn't long after that when it let out another loud roar before turning around and flying away.

"Well, that was easy," Everly heard Emma say as she and their allies made their way out of their hiding spot to join the Savior and the Evil Queen.

"Don't get excited. We only stunned it," Regina told her while watching the beast in the distance, "and a blast like that should have destroyed it."

Everly kept her eyes glued to the beast as it grew smaller and smaller. Just the thought of it resisting Emma and Regina's magic was enough to send chills throughout the Jones girl's body. And on top of this beast, Everly had another monster to face. Vincent was still somewhere in Storybrooke looking for her. After letting out a long sigh, she turned around to face Sam and Katherine. "And here I was getting used to things being normal around here."

────── ★★★ ──────

"Vincent is one of Pan's most soulless Lost Boys. Even I wouldn't stand a chance against him in a fight," Felix said without even attempting to hide the shock in his voice. He kept his eyes glued to Everly, who was looking down at her fingers with fear in her eyes. "What happened between you two? And why don't I know about it?"

"A few days after I saved Sam, we tried to save Vincent. I didn't think it was a good idea, but he wanted to try," Everly explained without looking up at the boy next to her, "I'm surprised Pan didn't tell you. He was very proud of what he did."

────── ★★★ ──────

"Hurry! This way!" Everly shouted as she jumped over another long and sprinted further into the forest.

They recently received another letter from Tinker Bell, telling them about another new Lost Boy that Pan brought to the island. While Everly was hesitant about making another rescue attempt so close to saving Sam, the Wilbert boy was determined to save him. They were able to get Vincent out of the camp but then Pan appeared out of nowhere. Now they found themselves on the run from the King of Neverland and his minions.

It wasn't long before they found themselves on the path that would take them to Dead Man's Peak. Everly was taking them to the cave Baelfire used to escape, the same cave that Pan avoided at all costs. However, something happened that the Jones girl wasn't expecting. Pan was standing in the middle of their path. Everly instantly skidded to a halt, making Sam and Vincent almost slam into her. Before they even could think about running back the way they came, they were surrounded by Lost Boys.

"Well. Well. Well, look what we have here. It's nice to see you again, Little Lost Girl," Pan teased with a sinister smirk on his face.

"Let us go, Pan," Everly hissed, completely unaware of Gabe and Harry grabbing Sam and Vincent until she heard shouting behind her.

"I have a little game we could play," the leader of the Lost Boys announced, drawing the Jones girl's attention back to him as he began circling around her, "choose one."

"What?" Everly questioned, only for Pan to stop walking and gesture toward Sam and Vincent with his hand, "I'm not going to-"

"Choose one or all of you will go where you belong."

Everly just stared at the boy in front of her until her eyes moved to the pair he held captive. She was surprised to find Vincent staring back at her with no emotion in his eyes, it was as if he didn't care about what happened. On the other hand, Sam was trying and failing to hide the fear in his eyes.

"Sam," the Jones girl muttered just loud enough for them to hear while ignoring the glare she was receiving from Vincent, "I choose Sam."

────── ★★★ ──────

"So you think Pan will use Vincent against you because of what happened?" Felix asked before Everly looked away from her fingers to meet his gaze.

"I know he will."

────── ★★★ ──────

After getting everyone off the streets and away from the beast, Everly, Sam, and Katherine went back to the loft with Mary Margaret and David. The Nolan man was in the kitchen preparing food for everyone with his wife watching from her seat at the counter. While they were having a hushed conversation, Everly sat with Sam and Katherine on the couch. Despite all three of them having a million things on their minds, none of them knew what to say. They were still in shock by the beast in Storybrooke and nervous about what Vincent's presence in the town meant for them.

It wasn't long after that when Mary Margaret's phone rang, causing everyone in the room to jump. David stared at the woman in front of him while she answered her phone. Not even a second after that passed when Everly, Sam, and Katherine walked over to hear what was going on. The Jones girl wasn't surprised when she heard Emma's voice on the other end, but she was annoyed that she couldn't make out what her sister was saying. All she could hear was Mary Margaret's side of the conversation.

"What?" the princess questioned with a confused look on her face as she listened to her daughter, "okay. Be careful."

Mary Margaret soon hung up the phone and stared at the counter with no emotion in her eyes. Everly just stared at her in anticipation, waiting to see what Emma had to say that made her so flustered. "They found a way to stop the beast."

"Great," David responded while his eyes continued to scan over every inch of his wife's face, "why aren't you smiling?"

"Because Cruella and Ursula are here."

Everly couldn't fight the confusion washing over her as she watched extremely concerned looks appear on her parents' faces. It didn't take a genius to know that they had a history with Cruella and Ursula, but the Jones girl was surprised by how much their presence affected them. Unknown to her, Sam was standing behind her and Katherine with an expression that was far different from David and Mary Margaret's. He was terrified.

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly stayed with Felix for another hour to enjoy a rare moment of peace and quiet. It wasn't much longer after that when they climbed down from the tree, said their goodbyes, and went their separate ways. However, the Jones girl barely made it halfway to the cove when she felt as though she was being watched. She took a few more steps before pulling out an arrow to load her bow. Her eyes scanned her surroundings as she aimed her arrow at anything that moved.

That lasted for what felt like an eternity to the former Lost Girl, only for her to be greeted by nothing but trees. Everly kept her bow loaded as she turned and continued to make her way to the cove. But she barely made it another step when she heard the mocking voice of the Demon King. "I know what you regret."

Everly instantly raised her bow and spun around in a circle to look for Pan, but all she saw were trees. Irritation began flowing through her veins before she finally called out to the leader of the Lost Boys. "Show yourself, Pan!"

Not even a second after that passed when green smoke appeared in front of her. Everly aimed her bow at the cloud and prepared herself for a fight, only for her blood to run cold with it cleared. To her surprise, Pan wasn't standing on the other side of the clearing. Instead there stood a boy Everly never thought she would see again.

"Look what the mermaid dragged in," Vincent hissed without even bothering to hide the anger in his voice.

The Jones girl just stared at the boy in front of her, too shocked to respond to his words. Even though her body was prepared for a fight, her mind knew she already lost. Not only was Vincent far stronger than she would ever be, but Everly didn't have it in her to fight a boy she sentenced to an eternity with Pan. She already put him through enough pain and suffering.

Before another full thought could go through her head, Everly was thrown against the tree behind her before a dagger was placed at her neck. She kept her eyes closed for a moment in an attempt to calm her emotions before she slowly opened them to meet Vincent's gaze. The Lost Boy just stared at her in silence until opening his mouth to speak. "You chose Sam over me! You left me to die!"

"I didn't," the Jones girl responded, surprised by how calm her voice sounded despite the situation she was in, "we were gonna come back for you. But we never saw you again."

"Liar!" Vincent shouted, making Everly flinch before she watched a sinister smirk appear on his face, "I would kill you here and now if I could."

"Why can't you?"

Chills ran up the former Lost Girl's spine as Vincent leaned closer to her, not moving the dagger an inch. His eyes scanned her face for a long moment before he whispered into her ear. "I want you to suffer."

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long after Mary Margaret shared the news with everyone when they all piled into a sheriff's car. The teens in the back seat did their best to hide their fear as David sped through town toward the town line. Everly had never seen her parents so distraught before, which made her even more nervous about who they were about to face. Another minute passed before they finally arrived at their destination, making everyone jump out of the car and rush over to Emma and Regina.

"Are you alright?" David asked as Mary Margaret pulled Emma into a tight hug.

As soon as they received a small nod from the Swan woman, relief replaced the concern on David and Mary Margaret's faces. It wasn't long after that when the princess ended her embrace with her daughter to look at the two women standing on the other side of the town line. "So Cruella and Ursula were telling the truth?"

"It would appear so," Regina responded before Emma went to hand Regina the Snow Queen's scroll.

"No, wait. Emma," Mary Margaret said, making her daughter pull the scroll away from the Mills woman before all eyes landed on her, "I...I think this is a bad idea."

Everyone except for David and Sam sent the raven-haired woman a confused look. After seeing the shock on everyone's faces, Mary Margaret let out a long sigh and continued speaking. "Look, they might have told the truth this time, but that doesn't mean they can be trusted."

"Mom, this doesn't sound like you," Emma responded, still surprised she was having this conversation with the woman in front of her, "you always believe the best in everyone."

"I'm also a realist."

"Emma, she's right," David chimed in, drawing everyone's attention toward him before he let out a long sigh, "things were just starting to get back to normal in Storybrooke."

"You, too?" the Savior questioned without even bothering to hide the shock in her voice.

"Look, we don't know anything about these two," Mary Margaret continued while Everly's eyes bounced back and forth between her parents, her mind trying to figure out what was going on inside their heads, "they could be looking for redemption, but they could also be as evil as Mr. Gold. Or Zelena. Or worse."

"That could be, but they also just helped us," the Purest Heart retaliated, trying her best to hide the annoyance she was feeling, "and isn't it you two who always say 'everyone deserves a second chance'?"

"And we made a deal," Emma added, grateful that she had someone else on her side.

"Doesn't matter," Sam announced, causing Everly and Katherine to send him surprised looks while everyone else just stared at him, waiting for him to continue, "letting them in is a bad idea. They're villains."

"You're right. They are. They're horrible. But not as horrible as I once was. And if I deserve a second chance, so do they," Regina declared, drawing everyone's mixed emotions to her before she continued speaking, "how could I sit here looking for my happiness and deny two others the chance at theirs?"

"I'm with Regina. We let them in," Emma declared before handing the Snow Queen's scroll to the Mills woman.

Everyone watched as Regina turned toward the town line before tossing the scroll to the other side. Cruella and Ursula instantly turn around at the sound of the scroll hitting the ground. The two women just stare at it for a moment before De Vil woman walked over to the scroll. Everly kept her eyes glued to Cruella as she picked up the Snow Queen's scroll before she looked up at Sam, only to find him watching the scene in front of him with no emotion on his face. It wasn't long after that when she was a hint of fear flash across his features before he made his way back to the car, as if not wanting to be seen.

Everly exchanged a concerned look with Katherine before their attention is drawn back to the situation at hand by the sound of a car engine. To the Jones girl's surprise, Cruella's car drove easily over the town line before it stopped right in front of them.

"Welcome to Storybrooke," Regina greeted them after Cruella rolled down her window.

"Thank you, Regina," Cruella responded before a large smile appeared on her face, "you won't regret it."

"I better not," Regina told them before they watched the car drive down the street toward Storybrooke.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────