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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐋

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The sunlight hit Everly's closed eyelids and woke her up the next morning. She blinked away her drowsiness before looking over at the clock to see that it was already 10:30. After rubbing her hands over her face, she sat up from where she fell asleep on the bay window seat and looked around the room to find it completely empty. A small sigh passed over her lips as she stretched out the knots that formed throughout the night and tried to fully wake herself up.

Once she finished getting dressed and ready for the day, Everly opened the door to go down to the diner, only to find Henry leaving his room across the hall. The two of them greeted each other and shared a quick hug before walking downstairs and where everyone else most likely was. As soon as they were in the hall connecting the hotel to the diner, Everly and Henry were greeted by Regina and Robin sharing a kiss. The blonde girl tried to hold back a laugh as the unaware couple had an inaudible conversation while continuing to block the only way into the diner.

"Sorry for interrupting but we need to get past," Everly said with a giant smile on her face, causing the two of them to end their moment and turn to face the teens.

"Everly, Henry," Regina greeted while tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear, "good morning."

"Morning," Henry replied as he stood awkwardly by Everly's side, "uh...excuse us. Madam Mayor."

The smile that was on Everly's face slowly faded when Henry simply nodded and walked past the couple. As soon as her nephew was out of sight, she looked back up at the two to find them staring back at her with blank looks on their faces. The Jones girl instantly sent them a forced smile then followed after Henry into the diner. Once she caught up with the brunette boy, the duo entered the dining room together. It didn't take long for them to spot Sam and Katherine before they walked towards the pair and sat down at the booth and ordered breakfast.

"So what's the plan for today?" Everly asked before she swiped a french fry off of Sam's plate, only to receive a glare in response from the blonde boy as she tossed it into her mouth.

"Sam and I were talking about borrowing Leroy's boat to go sailing. I haven't done it in a while and he never has here," Katherine answered while the boy next to her slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side, "you two are welcome to join us. It'll be fun."

"In all honesty, I've been on a boat plenty of times this vacation. I think I'm going to stay here and rest. Maybe play some video games. But you guys have fun! There's a lot to see out there," Henry told them as he got to his feet.

When Everly opened get mouth to respond, he simply sent her a look that told her he couldn't be talked out of his decision before he headed back up to the motel room. Once he was out of sight, the remaining finished eating the food in front of them before placing money on the table and getting to their feet to begin our search for Leroy. Lucky for them, the man walked in right as they were about to head out the front door. As soon as his eyes landed on the redheaded girl at the Jones siblings' sides, he pulled Katherine in for a quick hug.

"I haven't seen you around the docks for a while. Where have you been?" he questioned after he and Katherine ended their moment.

"I've been staying at the motel with Everly, Sam, and Killian," Katherine explained while gesturing back at Everly and Sam before the smile on her face slightly grew, "we were thinking about going sailing for a bit. Would it be possible for us to borrow your boat?"

As soon as the Scott girl finished speaking, Leroy turned his attention towards the two blondes with a suspicious look on his face.

"I don't know," he muttered before casting his gaze away from them to look back at Katherine, "they're Hook's kids. Don't want them stealing anything."

"You know I'm not just Killian's kid," Everly retaliated as she crossed her arms over her chest, only for him to quirk an eyebrow in her direction while continuing to send her an unconvinced look, "I promise your ship will be fine."

The dwarf continued to stare at the Jones siblings for a moment longer then let out a long sigh. The three teens watched as Leroy reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys before placing them in Katherine's hand while mumbling, "you're lucky I like your real parents."

Everly held back the eye roll she badly want to send him before he walked over to the counter to order food. After the redhead placed the boat keys in her pocket, the three of them headed back to their hotel room to change for a day on the water.

When her eyes landed on the trunk at the end of Sam's bed, a funny feeling formed in her stomach. Instead of ignoring it like she wanted to do, Everly walked over to it and pulled out three daggers. Her hand ran over the cool steel as she stared at her reflection for a moment before handing two over to Sam and Katherine. After making sure they had everything for the day, they grabbed their bags and left the building.

The feeling that formed in Everly's stomach did nothing but grow after they arrived at the docks. Her instinct took over every inch of her as she glanced around at her surroundings. Once she found that nothing looked out of the ordinary, the Jones girl glanced over at Sam and Katherine, just to find them looking around like something was about to jump out at them. Their reactions caused Everly to pull out her dagger without thinking twice before her companions did the same.

After coming to the silent conclusion that they should cancel their plans for the day, the trio turned around to head back to the diner, only for their bodies to become statutes when they found Rumplestiltskin standing in their path.

"What do you want?" Sam demanded as his grip on his dagger became so tight his knuckles turned a ghostly white.

"Her," was all the Dark One said in response before pointing at Everly.

The Purest Heart took a cautious step back from the man in front of her while adjusting her grip on her dagger. "Why me?"

"I have no idea, dearie, but Zelena sent me to fetch you," he told them as he began to walk towards them, making Sam and Katherine move in front of Everly to block his path.

"She's not going anywhere!" Katherine shouted while pointing her dagger straight at the Dark One's chest.

"Look who's grown up," Rumplestiltskin hissed as his eyes moved past the two and landed on Everly once again, "come with me before someone really gets hurt."

"No one's going anywhere with you!"

Irritation slowly formed on the brunette man's face before he flicked his wrist through the air and knocked Sam and Katherine out cold. Panic continued to course through Everly's veins as she squatted down to feel for their pulses. It didn't take long for her to find their steady heartbeats before she let out a relieved sigh. When she looked back up to meet the Dark One's gaze, the Jones girl found him staring down at her with an emotionless look on his face before she caught a hint of regret flash across his features.

"Come with me before I do so much worse," he warned her as the blonde girl just glared up at him before getting to her feet.

Just as Everly got a better grip on her dagger, the memory of what he did to Milah hit her like a truck, reminding her of what the man was truly capable of. One more silent moment passed between them before the Purest Heart broke her gaze from the Dark One and let her dagger fall to the ground. Without another word, Rumplestiltskin grabbed Everly's wrist before a cloud of red smoke surrounded them.

The Jones girl felt the air around her become slightly cooler as she tried to keep her fear hidden. It wasn't much longer before the smoke cleared and revealed the Wicked Witch of the West. The next thing Everly knew, the Dark One pushed her forward. His actions caused her to stumble a bit before she stopped a foot away from Zelena.

"Good job, Rumple," the redheaded woman praised as her eyes studied the girl before her attention turned back to the man, "now go get the other one. No need to be as gentle."

While Everly tried to figure out who the "other one" was, Rumpelstiltskin simply sent the Witch a nod before disappearing in a cloud of maroon smoke. Once his cloud faded from the air, the Jones girl finally gained the courage to turn her full attention back to Zelena, only to find the woman staring back at her with a small smirk on her face.

"What do you want with me, Zelena?" Everly questioned while attempting to keep her false bravery going.

"Nothing really. You're just the leverage I need to make sure a certain someone gets the job done."

Thousands of thoughts raced through the Jones girl's head as Zelena continued to stare her down before the Witch sent the Purest Heart one last smirk. After watching the woman turn her attention back to the road, Everly decided that if she wanted to get away, now was her chance. However, as soon as she took one step away from the Witch, a wave of pain flowed throughout her body before she collapsed to the ground. Everly's lips stayed glued shut to hold back a scream as the feeling of every nerve in her body fighting against her grew. Once the pain finally disappeared, Zelena grabbed her arm and forced the girl to her feet before using her magic to keep Everly as still as a statue.

"Try that again and your punishment will be much worse," she hissed into the Jones girl's ear before turning her gaze back to the road.

About an hour passed with the two of them standing in complete and utter silence before a black car appeared in the distance. Everly's eyes stayed glued to the vehicle as it drove closer until she was able to make out an emotionless Rumplestiltskin in the driver's seat. When his car stopped a few feet away from them, Zelena used her magic to free the Jones girl before forcing her along toward the trunk.

"A rose," Rumplestiltskin sighed as he made his way around the car to join them at the back of the vehicle, "how lovely."

"Have you earned it?" she asked him, causing the Dark One to let out another long breath before he opened the trunk to reveal Killian tied up and gagged. Panic filled every inch of Everly's body as Zelena leaned forward to remove the gag from his mouth. "It appears you have."

"What is she doing here?!" Killian shouted while his eyes stayed glued to his daughter.

"Such pretty lips. And so wasted," the Witch continued as if the pirate captain never said a word as she ran the rose across his lips, "why haven't you used those lips and kissed Emma?"

Everly shot Killian a confused look after taking in Zelena's words, only for him to respond with a small shake of his head. An annoyed sigh passed over the Jones girl's lips while the pirate turned his full attention back to the Witch.

"Well, a fella likes to be courted."

"This isn't a joke! I need to have her magic removed," Zelena responded while continuing to stare down at the pirate, "if Snow's baby is born before your kiss, I'm going to have no other option. I'm going to have to start killing people, people that Emma loves. Starting with her sister."

Everly's eyes slightly widened at her statement as she looked up to meet the Witch's gaze, only to find the woman smirking back at her. Zelena let out a small chuckle before turning her full attention back to Killian. "Take away her magic, Captain. Or the next rose will be for this little brat's grave."

Before Killian could respond, Zelena slammed the trunk closed. Killian's shouts cut through the air as the Dark One got back into the car and drove away. Everly's eyes stayed glued to the vehicle until it was out of sight before she looked back over at the smirking redhead.

"You aren't going to kill me."

"If the pirate gets the job done, I won't have to. But, for now, Rumple has a little cellmate."

Before Everly could even process her response, a cloud of green smoke surrounded her. What felt like an eternity passed before it disappeared and revealed the bars of Rumplestiltskin's cage. Another wave of panic washed over the Jones girl as she tried to use her, only to be greeted by gold sparks emitting from her fingers. Everly just stared at her hands until she noticed a shadow appear out of the corner of her eyes.

When she finally looked away from her fingers, the blonde girl found Zelena watching her from the other side of the cage door. The Witch let out a loud cackle before exiting the cellar and slamming the door shut behind her, leaving Everly in eternal darkness.

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An unknown amount passed since Zelena locked Everly away and her exhaustion began to get the better of her. She tried to fight against her drowsiness until she finally decided to give in. Just as she was about to doze off, a splitting headache appeared out of nowhere. A small gasp passed over her lips as she kept her eyes sealed shut. When finally managed to open her eyes, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The bars of the cage vanished and were replaced with the walls of a rundown boathouse. The clarity of the world around her went in and out of focus before she caught sight of the blurry figures of Killian and Henry being attacked by a group of flying monkeys. As soon as the vision faded, the headache went with it.

Knowing that she needed to get to the docks sooner rather than later, Everly sat up as straight as possible. She let out a small breath as she closed her eyes and willed her magic to take her to the location that she saw. Irritation flooded through her veins when nothing happened before she let out a frustrated sigh.

After she calmed herself down, Everly jumped to her feet and closed her eyes to try again, only to receive the same results. The panic within her rose as she rubbed her hands over her face before an idea popped into her head. Another long breath passed over her lips before the Jones girl closed her eyes and thought about Henry and Killian instead of the boathouse.

Everly's eyes flashed open when shouting met her eyes before she found herself exactly where she needed to be. The joy she felt about her magic working faded when she saw a monkey heading towards Henry. The Purest Heart instinctively shot her hand out towards Killian and Henry, causing a cloud of gold smoke to surround them before they appeared by her side and out of harm's way.

"Everly," Killian said with a slightly unconvinced look on his face before he pulled her in for a hug, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"How did she do that?" Henry questioned, causing the pirates to end their moment and exchange a look then they turned their attention back to the Mills boy.

Before either of them could respond to Henry's question, the monkey that Everly just saved them from began to fly straight toward them. Killian stepped in front of the teens and shot at the beast, but only a faint clicking sound emitted from the object in his hand. The Jones girl stepped forward to use her magic just as a loud bang cut through the air before the monkey vanished.

Once their initial shock faded, the three of them turned to find Emma, the Charmings, Regina, Sam, and Katherine making their way toward them. Everly was instantly greeted with a tight hug from Sam and Katherine hug before their turned their attention back to the situation at hand.

"Henry," Emma said, as she sprinted toward her son and helped him to his feet, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, but what were those things?!" Henry exclaimed as he looked around the boathouse before his eyes landed on the object in David's hands, "why does he have a sword?!"

"It's all going to make sense in a minute, I promise. I'm sorry. I was keeping things from you. You were right," Emma responded before holding the storybook out toward him, "you deserve to know the truth."

"About fairytales?" the Mills boy questioned after his eyes left the book and landed back on his mother, "I don't understand."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Then I need you to believe."

"Believe in what?"

"Believe in magic."

"From a book."

"It's more than just a book," Emma continued to explain without even attempting to hide the urgency in her voice, "do you believe in me?"

"Yes."

"Then take it."

Henry looked down at the storybook in Emma's hands while everyone watched him with hope in their eyes. The boy slowly reached for the book and took it into his possession. His eyes widened as he stood as still as a statue for what felt like an eternity before he looked up at his mother.

"Mom?" he whispered then he turned his attention towards Regina before a huge smile formed on his face, "Mom!"

Tears formed in Regina's eyes as she rushed forward and pulled her son into a tight hug. Everyone smiled as they watched the pair share their overdue reunion. After they ended their embrace, Henry looked up at his mother with his smile still plastered onto his face.

"I remember," Henry told her before turning to look at everyone else that surrounded him, "I remember!"

"Do it, Emma," Regina stated as she placed her hands on the Mills boy's shoulders, "break the curse."

Emma hesitated for a moment as her eyes scanned over every inch of the boy in front of her. Despite the internal battle she was dealing with, the Savior slowly leaned forward to kiss her son's forehead, only for Henry to vanish into thin air.

"So sorry to interrupt," a familiar voice greeted, causing everyone to turn around to find Zelena with her arms around Henry's neck, "now who wants to say goodbye first?"

"Who are you?!" Henry exclaimed while he looked around with panic in his eyes, only for the smirk on the Witch's face to grow.

"You can call me Auntie Zelena."

"Enough of this!" Regina stated as took a few steps towards the redheaded woman, just for her to be thrown back by Zelena's magic.

"Let him go," Emma pleaded while trying to remain as calm as possible for her son's sake, "he had nothing to do with this."

"Don't blame me," Zelena responded before her eyes left the Savior and landed on Killian, "the Captain failed me."

"Hook, what's she talking about?" Emma questioned the pirate captain while keeping her eyes glued to the Wicked Witch.

"He knew what the price of that failure was," Zelena stated as she tightened her grip around the Mills boy's neck.

"You said nothing about Henry!" Killian shouted while everyone continued to watch their exchange with confusion in their eyes.

"And your daughter's life would have been better?"

As soon as the words left the Witch's mouth, a crazy idea formed in Everly's head. A shaky sigh escaped her before she used her magic to switch her and Henry's positions. Once Zelena realized what had happened, the hand around the Jones girl's throat grew tighter as the redheaded woman's fingers sank into her neck.

"I guess this works too," Zelena whispered in the girl's ear.

The world was getting darker by the second and Everly wasn't in the right mindset to get herself away from the danger. However, all that changed when a bright light cut through the darkness followed by Zelena's screams. The pressure around the Jones girl's throat subsided before she took in a long breath and rushed toward Killian.

"I'm so sorry," he muttered after wrapping his arms around her shaking figure.

"Enjoy this moment together!" the Witch yelled once Emma stopped using her magic against her, "because you don't have many left!"

Everyone watched as she disappeared into a puff of green smoke until any trace of the Wicked Witch being there vanished from existence. Henry didn't hesitate to sprint towards Regina, who was still lying unconscious on the ground, before he began to desperately shake her.

"Mom," he called out to her, only to receive silence in response, "Mom. Mom! Mom, please wake up! Mom!"

After Henry shouted her name a few more times, the Evil Queen's eyes shot open. Regina sucked in a long breath of air before her eyes moved to meet Henry's while a weak smile formed on her lips.

"Henry," she whispered as she got to her feet and pulled him in for a hug. They stayed in each other's arms for a long moment before she pushed him away a bit to cup his head in her hands. "I will never let you go away again. I promise. I love you, Henry."

The Mills woman stared into her son's eyes for another moment before she gently kissed his forehead. The next thing anyone knew, an invisible force emitted from the duo and pushed everyone back. Out of the corner of her eye, Everly watched David and Mary Margaret exchange a shocked look before they tightly hugged each other.

"Mary Margaret, David. Did it work?" Emma asked as she turned to face her parents with a hint of hope in her eyes, "do you remember the missing year?"

"Yes, everything," the princess responded while she continued to stare at her prince as if he was about to vanish into thin air.

"How did Zelena cast the curse?"

"She didn't, Emma...we did."

Before Everly could hear the rest of their conversation, Killian pulled her to the side and out of earshot from the rest of the group. The two pirates just stared at each other for a moment before the captain of the Jolly Roger let out a long sigh.

"What were you thinking?" he questioned, only to receive silence and a blank stare from the girl in front of him, "you could have been killed!"

"I couldn't just stand there and do nothing like..." Everly hesitated as a lump formed in her throat, "like I did with Bae."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the Jones girl broke her gaze with the pirate captain and looked down at the floorboards. A million different thoughts raced through her head while her heart beat faster than she thought possible. Killian studied the distressed girl for a moment before pulling in for a tight hug.

Almost everyone left the boathouse by the time Everly and Killian finished their hushed conversation. The two pirates were about to follow their actions when Emma cut them off. The troubled look on the blonde girl's face instantly transformed into confusion as soon as she saw the irritation in her sister's eyes as she stared at Killian.

"Are you going to tell me what Zelena was talking about? She said you failed her," Emma said before her attention turned towards Everly, "and what did she mean by you escaping?"

"Don't listen to her," was all Killian told her as he nonconsciously placed himself between the two sisters.

"Killian, what's going on? Were you working for her?"

"That's enough, Emma," the Purest Heart stated while trying to hide the annoyance she was feeling.

"The witch tried to back me into a corner. I did everything I could to resist her plans," the raven-haired man explained with the most expressionless look Everly had ever seen on his face.

"So whose idea was it to kidnap Henry and stick him on a boat?"

"It was mine. I was trying to save him," Killian admitted after letting out a long sigh.

"From what? What is she doing?"

"She cursed me. My lips actually."

"Your lips? Why?" Everly and Emma questioned at the same time while staring at the man with confusion in their eyes.

"She wants to steal your magic. She thought I was the best way of doing that. She knows what we all know. That you can defeat her."

"It should have been my decision to protect Henry. Whether she forced your hand or not doesn't matter. I can't trust you now. How can I?"

"Emma!" Everly shouted before David grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Killian after he and Mary Margaret walked up to join their conversation, "what are you doing?!"

"She's right not to trust him," the charming prince stated then his eyes left his daughter and landed on the pirate captain, "he's lied about more than just this."

"You said you brought Emma to Storybrooke because you received a message from us with a memory potion," Mary Margaret repeated the story Killian told them a week prior.

"Aye. What of it?"

"We didn't send you any message."

"Well, I got one!" the Jones man exclaimed while everyone except for Everly looked at him with skeptical expressions, "it's the truth! Somebody bloody well sent me the message! Who else would have an antidote?! Who else would know where to find the Savior?!"

No one said another word to the pirate as they turned to leave the boathouse. David began to force Everly along with them towards the exit until she yanked her arm out of his grasp. The two of them had a glaring contest in uncomfortable silence before the Jones girl decided to break it.

"I'm not going with you."

"You're not staying with Hook," David told her with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"We're your parents," Mary Margaret added in a less harsh tone before taking a step forward to stand next to her husband, "you're coming with us."

"You've been my parents for less than a year," Everly said without thinking, causing hurt looks to form on the royals' faces that she forced herself to ignore, "I'm staying with Killian."

David and Mary Margaret didn't move an inch as they watched the girl turn and walk back over to Killian. Everly stood by his side while keeping her back to the pair and listening to their footsteps vanish from the boathouse.

"What are you doing?" the Jones man asked her, making her look away from the floorboards to meet his eyes, "why did you do that?"

"No one is going to take me away from you...not again."

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