────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly, Sam, and Katherine found everyone in town already gathered around Main Street and having panicked conversations as soon as they arrived. The only ones not present in the crowd were Killian and Henry, who were a safe distance away to keep the Mills boy away from harm.

After scanning the unorganized crowd while listening to some of the discussions, Everly's eyes landed on David to find him staring back at her with an unsure look on his face. She watched him have his mental debate for a moment longer he sent the trio a nod and walked into the middle of the crowd.

"Alright, listen up!" the charming prince shouted, making all the conversations stop as everyone turned towards the Nolan man, "we need you to get back to your homes!"

"No one's going anywhere."

Everyone quickly turned their attention in the direction of the new voice to find the Wicked Witch standing on the corner with Rumplestiltskin at her side. Zelena simply stood there with a large smile on her face for a moment longer before confidently walking toward the citizens of Storybrooke.

"This show needs an audience," the redheaded woman announced as the crowd quickly cleared to give her a path towards the center, leaving a stunned Sneezy standing in the middle of the road as he and the redhead had a staredown. "Out of my way, Munchkin."

"I'm a dwarf," Sneezy stuttered while slowly backing up to join the rest of the crowd.

"That's even worse."

Once she passed the dwarf in the street, she immediately turned her attention to Emma, who was the only person who actually looked up for a fight. The two of them studied each other as an eerie silence filled the streets of Storybrooke. Just as the quiet started to become unbearable, the Wicked Witch took a step closer to the Savior as an annoyed look formed on her face.

"Where is she?" she demanded, only to receive more silence from the blonde woman before Zelena turned to address the rest of the crowd, "don't tell me, she's a coward. Well, this isn't good. For any of you. If Regina's not here in five minutes, I'm going to let the Dark One off his leash."

Gasps and murmurs broke the stillness of the crowd right before their panicking returned. While the surrounding Storybrooke citizens grew more concerned for their lives, Everly's eyes landed on Rumplestiltskin as he looked away from the people in front of him and to the ground.

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After the given five minutes from the Wicked Witch passed, the Jones girl found herself growing as worried as the crowd when Regina was still a no-show. Her attention was quickly drawn back to Zelena when she turned away from the clock on top of the library while clicking her tongue. The redheaded woman stared at the surrounding crowd for a moment while savoring the moment before opening her mouth to speak.

"Time's up," she announced while a smirk began to grow on her face, "who do you want to kill first, Rumple?"

"He's not killing anyone," Emma declared as she stepped up to stand a few feet away from the Witch, "if you want to fight someone, Zelena, fight me."

"Sorry, dear, I don't dance with amateurs."

"I'm not an amateur. I'm the Savior."

"And she has the Purest Heart," Zelena retaliated as pointed to Everly in her spot between David and Sam, "just means you both have an inflated sense of self-worth."

The Wicked Witch stared down the Savior one last time then she turned to Rumpelstiltskin and pointed to Emma with the dagger. Before anyone could react to her actions, the Dark One's hand shot up towards the blonde woman before she went flying straight into Everly, knocking the sisters to the gravel. As the Jones girl tried to regain the wind that was knocked out of her, Belle and Tinker Bell pulled Emma off the ground before David and Mary Margaret helped Everly to her feet.

"Does anyone else want a go?" Zelena threatened as she scanned the crowd.

"I do."

The Purest Heart's eyes stayed glued to the redheaded woman as a sinister grin began to grow on her face. After a short moment of studying the Witch, Everly's attention turned in the direction of the new voice to find a grinning Regina walking towards them. "Didn't anyone tell you? Black is my color."

"But it looks so much better on me," Zelena chuckled as the brunette woman came to a stop inches away from the speaker's face, "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

"I couldn't let my sister off that easily."

"Oh. So you've finally accepted me into the family?"

"I've accepted that we shared a mother, yes. But I still have one question," the Evil Queen said before stepping even closer to the redheaded woman, "what did I ever do to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zelena responded as the smirk on her face transformed into a scowl, "you were born."

The two have another staredown before Regina slapped Zelena across the face in response to her snide remark. Everly's eyes slightly widened at the sight of blood on the Wicked Witch's lip before the redhead used her green-gloved fingers to wipe the red liquid away.

"I've been waiting to do that all day," the Evil Queen stated with a smirk on her face as she admired her work.

"Rumplestiltskin can't save you this time," Zelena responded before they just glared at each other while the tension between them became so thick you could cut it with a knife, "he should have chosen me."

"Who?"

"Rumplestiltskin."

"That's what this is about?" Regina questioned, causing her taunting smirk to return while Zelena's face scrunched in anger, "you're jealous of me?"

As soon as she finished taunting her sister, the Evil Queen used her magic to pull the traffic light above them from its wires and flung it at Zelena. Everyone watched it soar through the air before the Witch caught it in midair like it weighed nothing and sit it towards the crowd. Everly let out a sigh after watching the crowd jump out of the way, only for the panic within her to return at the sight of Sam on the ground clutching his leg.

Everly and Katherine didn't hesitate to rush to his side before they squatted down next to him. Sam let out another shaky breath as he moved his hands to reveal a burn on his pant leg. The two girls exchanged a concerned look before he slowly rolled it up to reveal a giant burn mark where one of the wires grazed him.

"You have magic," Katherine said while continuing to study the wound on the blonde boy's leg before her eyes met Everly's, "heal him."

"I...I don't know how. I've never done it before," the Jones girl told her before she looked down to meet her best friend's pain-filled eyes, "but I'll try...if Sam wants me to."

The only response Everly got from the boy was a nod before she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. As her hand hovered over the cut on his leg, she tried to imagine it healing and returning to how it was supposed to look. When she finally opened her eyes, the Jones girl found her hand starting to glow then a small beam of light shot out of her fingertips and hit Sam's wound. This continued for another long moment until the light slowly faded to reveal the cut mostly healed. The only thing to indicate that Sam was injured in the first place was a huge scar.

"Guess I still have some work to do," Everly said as she studied the mark that ran from the bottom of his knee to the top of his ankle.

"At least he's better," Katherine sighed before the two girls took his the boy's hands and helped him to his feet.

"Nice job," Sam told the Purest Heart with a small smile then their attention was drawn back to the two sisters as they circled each other.

The two had an inaudible conversation before Zelena shot her hands out in front of her. This sent Regina flying through the air before landing on the hood of a blue car. The Evil Queen quickly got up from her crash site and made her way toward her sister while creating a ball of fire in her hand. Just as she reached the Wicked Witch, the latter waved her hand through the air, causing the fire to turn a bright green before it vanished into thin air.

Before Regina could react, the redheaded woman held her hand a mere inches away from Regina's throat before the latter began to choke. The Evil Queen tried desperately to catch her breath as the Wicked Witch whispered something into her ear that no one else could hear. What seemed like an eternity passed before she finished speaking and threw Regina into the clock tower then vanished in a puff of green smoke.

Some of the surrounding civilians began to panic while the rest stood around not really knowing how to react to what they witnessed. After scanning the crowd's nervous faces, Everly found herself looking at Emma to see her face as calm as ever.

"Emma," the Jones girl called out to her sister while walking towards her, causing her blue eyes to land on the Purest Heart as she stopped, "you are the only one who's not running around like the stars are falling from the sky. What are you thinking?"

"I have faith in Regina," the Savior responded before turning her attention back to the clock tower's shattered face, "she'll be okay."

Everly's eyes studied the look on her sister's face while trying to figure out how she could be so calm at a time like this. This was until her attention was drawn back to the clock tower just in time to see the Wicked Witch flying out of the hole on her broomstick.

After shaking off her emotions and previous thoughts, Everly saw David, Mary Margaret, and Emma heading towards the clock tower. The Jones girl didn't hesitate to follow them and was just about to enter the building when David stopped her in her tracks.

"Stay here. This could be dangerous," he told his daughter with a pleading look in his eyes as he held his hand out in front of her.

"I can handle myself, David. Plus, you're letting your other daughter and pregnant wife go up," Everly retaliated, trying to hold back the irritation building up inside her.

"I know, I know but...please just stay here, Punz. I don't know what I'd do if we lost you again."

When she didn't say a word in response, the charming prince sent her a small smile before following Emma and Mary Margaret to the clock tower. Everly watched her father until he disappeared within the building before she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. A sigh passed over her lips as she looked up to find Sam standing next to her with a slightly concerned look on his face.

"I know that look for too well," the Jones boy said while he slowly slid his hand off her shoulder while continuing to study the expression on his best friend's face, "what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking two things that are relevant at the moment," Everly told him before Katherine appeared at his side, "I'm getting kinda tired of being treated like a member of their team one second then like a kid who has never experienced the evil world the next."

"With a family like that, I understand. What's the other thing?"

"I don't think anyone has looked at me with that much worry in their eyes other than you, Killian, Neal, and Felix."

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When they got back to the Granny's, Everly, Sam, and Katherine sat on their beds and talked talking about the events that happened not even an hour ago. However, their conversation was soon interrupted by their own growling stomachs. The three of them fell into a fit of laughter as Everly grabbed some money from a drawer and headed down to the diner.

After receiving her order from Granny, Everly thank the woman before giving her the money and heading back up to her room.  Just as she turned the corner of the hallway, the Jones girl stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on Henry, Emma, and Killian having a conversation in the middle of the hall. Against her better judgment, Everly hid behind the corner and listened to their conversation.

"How did the Queen fair against the Witch?" the pirate captain asked the Savior after her son went into their room.

"She survived. But the rest is definitely more than a doorway conversation," Emma responded while crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the wall. Killian nodded in response as they just stared at each other for a long moment. Just as Everly thought their conversation was over, the Savior opened her mouth to continue speaking. "Thanks for taking him."

"There's more Bae in your boy than you realize," the blue-eyed man stated, only for Emma to stiffen while Everly's breath got caught in her throat, "he needs to know about his father, Emma. You can't just take him back to New York when this is over and pretend like none of this is real."

Emma just stared at the floor beneath her feet for a moment longer before looking up and sending the man in front of her a fake smile. Everly watched as her sister muttered something to the man then she turned her back to him and went into her room.

Once she heard the door close, Everly came out from behind the corner and headed toward our room. Killian stared at the girl with confusion on his face until she came to a stop directly in front of him.

"You heard that entire conversation, didn't you?"

"Of course I did."

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