────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄

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Everly didn't remember the last time she woke up with a smile after hearing the sound of her alarm clock. The smile never left her face as her hand pushed the bright red button to shut it off then she jumped out of bed to finish packing her bag. As soon as that was done, the blonde girl went into the bathroom to do her morning routine before putting on her red converse and pulling her hair in its usual ponytail. She quickly threw her bag over her shoulders and took one last look around her room for the last year then walked out into the hall.

Once she got to the main living area, the Jones girl found her sister at the stove making eggs while Henry sat at the counter to finish his homework at the last minute. Everly just stood there for a moment and watched the two of them before she tossed her backpack onto the couch to make herself known. Emma quickly turned and made eye contact with the girl before the former sent her a small smile on her face.

"Well, don't you look pirate-y," the Savior teased, causing the Purest Heart to quirk an eyebrow at her before looking down at her black jeans and matching denim jacket.

"Very funny," Everly responded with an eye roll at her then walked into the kitchen to pour herself and Henry a glass of juice.

After placing the cup in front of her nephew, the blonde girl sat down in the chair next to the brunette as he looks up at Emma. A concerned look formed on his face the moment he laid eyes on his mother before Everly followed his gaze to find her sister aggressively whisking the eggs while avoiding eye contact with her son.

"Mom," Henry called out to her, making the blonde woman stop what she was doing before turning around to face her son, "you're hurting the eggs."

"Right," Emma sighed as she set down the whisk and poured the eggs into the pan. Silence surrounded the three of them once again as the Savior started to scramble the eggs and continued for another awkward moment before the blonde looked back at her son. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you believe in magic?"

Everly sent her sister an annoyed look before she brought her hands up to cover the disappointment on her face. The irritation within her kept growing as she listened to Henry list off all the different holiday faces that bring him gifts. As soon as he was done speaking, the Purest Heart took her hands away from her face before looking over at her nephew to see him about to have a laughing fit.

"You're not sure you made the right decision, are you?" Henry asked as his smile slowly faded from his face.

"I just didn't feel like pancakes."

"No...about Walsh."

Right as that name left his mouth, the Jones girl choked on her juice and began to have an uncontrollable coughing fit. Henry sent his aunt a confused look until she settled down before both of their eyes landed back on Emma.

"Oh, I made the right decision. I'm certain," she told her son with a small smile followed by a chuckle before turning to grab plates from the cabinet next to her, "it's just going to be us three for a little while longer."

"As long as you're happy," Henry replied just as his mother placed a plate of eggs in front of him.

Emma sent Everly a sad look as soon as those words left his mouth before she quickly brushed it off and replaced it with a smile. The Purest Heart's eye never left her sister while she tried to process the reason for the latter's conflicted emotions; however, her thoughts soon vanished when the Savior placed a plate of eggs in front of her.

The Jones girl ate the food faster than she probably should've as she began to think about seeing Killian and Sam again in less than an hour. Everly couldn't wait to hear all the stories the former Saved Boy had from his time back in the Enchanted Forest and how they were able to get back to Storybrooke. When she finally took a break from eating her breakfast, she glanced over at Henry to find that he had only taken one bite of his before he got up and walked towards his backpack.

"Tasty. But Ev and I gotta run. We're gonna be late for school," he told his mother before he turned around to face her once again as a small smile appeared on his face, "you kind of overslept."

"Nope. No school today," Emma responded, causing a confused look to form on the boy's face, "how about we go on a trip?"

"Like a vacation?" Everly questioned, trying to play along for Henry's sake while taking another bite of her eggs.

"Like I have a new case," the Savior continued as she glanced between the two teens in from of her before her eyes settled back on her son, "it's in Maine, it might take a while, and I think we should go. It would be an adventure."

"No school? A trip with you guys?" the brunette boy paused then pretended to think it over before a giant grin formed on his face, "sold."

"Good, because I already packed," Emma signed as she took the orange juice off the counter and placed it back in the fridge.

"When do we leave?"

"Now."

After she took a long sip of her juice, Everly looked over at Henry to find a lost look on his face before a knock came from the front door. A small smile formed on the Jones girl's face as she quickly stood up and went to answer so she could get away from the awkward tension. Her excitement never faded as she opened the door to find Sam and Killian with giant grins on their faces. She instantly stepped aside to let them in before closing the door and leading them into the kitchen.

"Henry, this is Killian and this is Sam," Emma introduced the two newcomers while Henry at them as the confused look on his face grew, "I'm, um...I'm helping Killian with his case."

"Did you skip bail?" the Mills boy asked, causing Everly to bite her lips and cover her mouth to stop a laugh from escaping.

"Oh, he's still a little spitfire," the pirate captain responded, making the perplexed Henry turn his attention back to his mother for a better explanation.

"He's not a perp, he's a client," Emma told her son before giving Everly to get her to play along before her eyes fell back on Henry, "this is a different type of job."

"What do you mean?" the Purest Heart questioned in false wonder in an attempt to seem just as lost as the younger boy next to me.

"I was in charge of one of the foster families that Everly was in," Killian explained before he placed a hand on the blonde girl's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I believe we have found Everly's birth parents and I need Emma's help with tracking them down."

"Who's he?" Henry asked while keeping his eyes glued to Sam, who was standing so close to Everly that their arms were almost touching.

"This is Sam. He's my brother. The two of us got separated a while back," the Purest Heart said as she playfully nudged the blonde boy with her elbow, "sorry I never mentioned it. It was kinda hard to talk about."

"Nice to meet you," the brunette boy smiled at Sam before his attention turned back to Killian then he studied the pirate for a long moment, "why are you dressed like that?"

"Why are you dressed like that?" Killian retaliated with annoyance laced within every word as he glared down at the boy in front of him while the two blonde teens fought against the laughter threatening to escape them.

"Alright, alright. Just make yourself useful, Killian, and get out bags," Emma interrupted their conversation before it could continue then her attention turned to the three teens, "lend him a hand."

"Wait, we're really going?" Henry questioned as he looked away from the three starting to pick up the bags and back at his mother with surprise in his eyes.

"Yes, I just need one last thing."

While Emma walked towards her room, the rest of them took the bags downstairs to the Savior's yellow bug and placed them in the trunk. Everly closed the door once everything was secure in the car before her, Sam, and Henry squeezed into the back seat while Killian stood outside the vehicle. A smile made its way onto the Jones girl's face when her sister finally joined them with her red leather jacket a part of her attire. After everyone got into the car, the Swan woman started the engine and they began their journey to Storybrooke.

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A few hours of driving passed before the Welcome to Storybrooke sign came into view. The smile on Everly's face did nothing but grow as they passed the green object before she glanced over at Henry to find him sound asleep. Her blue eyes stayed glued to her nephew for a long moment before they moved up to Sam, who was staring back at her with a small grin on his face.

"Excited to see your parents again?"

"More like I'm excited to meet them. I never really got to talk to them about me being their daughter before the Curse hit," the Purest Heart replied before looking away from the blonde boy to stare out the window once again, "and even after Pan told me what he did and that they really are my parents, it's hard to accept it."

After driving for a few more minutes, Emma stopped the car in front of the shops before all of them, except for the still-sleeping Henry, got out of the car. Everly's eye scanned the dark street and its surrounding buildings of the town she barely knew before a surprising amount of joy started to run through her veins. As quickly as the happiness she was feeling appeared, it vanished and was replaced with sorrow when her eyes landed on the clock tower.

"What's going through that head of yours?" Sam questioned as soon as he saw the tears in the blonde girl's eyes before placing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side.

"The last time I was here...Pan...he took everything," she whispered, causing the boy's grip around her to tighten then he let out a quiet sigh.

"It'll get easier, Ev. I promise."

After a moment of the two of them just looking around the streets of Storybrooke, their attention was drawn to Killian and Emma as the two of them talked about the cursed town. The pair of teens just watched them in silence then the Savior took one last look at her sleeping son and walked away from her yellow bug. Curiosity washed over Everly while she watched her sister journey away from them before she gently pushed herself away from Sam and followed after her.

"Where are you going?" she asked Emma as soon as she was close enough to her, causing the latter to turn around before she stared at the younger girl with a small smile on her face.

"To talk to our parents. Wanna come?"

Everly sent a small smile back toward the pirate captain and the shining knight then the two sisters walked through the streets of Storybrooke in silence. It didn't take long before they ended up at a building on the other side of town.  After standing outside for a moment longer, Emma and Everly exchanged a look then went inside and walked upstairs.

The Purest Heart followed the Savior through the unfamiliar halls until they stopped in front of one of the green doors. Everly stood off to the side as she watched Emma knock on the piece of wood before taking a few steps back to stand by the former's side. Not even a second passed when the door opened to reveal David standing in the opening with a look of utter shock taking over his face.

"Don't close the door," Emma told him with a hint of urgency in her voice after seeing the man's expression, "my name is-"

"Emma. Rapunzel," David interrupted the blonde woman as his eyes flashed back and forth between his daughters before he quickly pulled them in for a tight hug that felt like he'd never let go, "you both remember."

"You remember," Emma whispered before they ended their moment and exchanged a confused look with each other.

"Of course. What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, Hook and Sam found us," the Savior explained as they entered the loft while still staring at their father in shock, "they brought us here and said you were cursed."

"Yeah. We're back. Or we never left. Or...well, we don't know," the charming prince responded, causing the shocked expressions on the sisters' faces to turn to confusion before the man let out a long sigh, "but we're trapped again."

"But you know who you are?" Everly questioned while trying to put the new information together like it was the hardest puzzle in the world.

"This curse...we don't know who did it or why," their father told them as he scanned over their faces as if they could vanish at any second, "all we know is our last year, it's been wiped away."

"Wiped away?"

"All we remember is saying goodbye. Feels like yesterday."

"But if you can't remember, then how do you know that it's been a-"

"Emma? Rapunzel?"

At the sound of their names, Everly and Emma looked up to see Mary Margaret coming down the stairs. All confusion faded from within the Purest Heart as she watched the brunette woman walking down the stairs before it was replaced by shock once again. Her eyes stayed glued to the warrior princess as her feet came in contact with the lower floor before a very pregnant Mary Margaret took her place next to her husband.

"As you can see," David smiled as he placed an arm around his wife's shoulders, "a lot's happened."

"We just don't know what," Mary Margaret added while Everly and Emma continued to stare at her with startled faces, "the whole year is gone."

"Who would've done this?" the Savior muttered before she glanced over at her sister with worry in her eyes.

After the shock of discovering Mary Margaret's pregnancy passed, Pan's mocking face flashed across Everly's vision. The leader of the Lost Boy's voice went through her head, mocking her about how he took everything away from her. When her head was only occupied by her consciousness once again, the Jones girl looked up at her birth parents with a blank expression on her face. The pair of royals stared back at her with a hint of confusion in their eyes while their eldest daughter tried to find the right words to say, only for them to never come. A wave of anxiety washed over the blonde girl and it suddenly became too hard for her to breathe as her hands started to involuntarily shake at her sides.

"Are you okay, Punz?" Mary Margaret asked the girl as soon as she saw the look on her face, causing David and Emma to turn their attention to Everly as well.

"I need some air," the Jones girl whispered before turning around and making her way toward the door.

"What's up with you?" Emma questioned, causing Everly to stop in her tracks while keeping her back facing the three of them, "you've been acting strange since you found out we were coming back here."

After just standing there for another moment longer, the blonde girl glanced back at them before continuing her journey out of the loft. Everly ignored Mary Margaret calling out her name and the hesitation that filled her body as she continued to walk down the stairs. Once she got out to the streets of Storybrooke, she traveled down the street a bit before sitting down on a bench nearby. A moment passed of her failing to steady her breathing before Everly brought her head into her hands. Tears began to form in her eyes as her thoughts raced faster than she could comprehend.

As soon as she managed to calm herself down, the sound of a familiar voice calling her name filled her ears. The Purest Heart slowly looked up to find a concerned Sam walking toward her.

"What's going on?" the blonde boy asked before sitting down next to his best friend and slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm fine, Sam," Everly whispered as she looked away from him and to the ground beneath her feet.

"That's not what I asked you, Ev, and I've known you for a long time. I know when something's bothering you."

"I hate how well you can read me."

"I know you do. Now tell me what's wrong," the Jones boy said, causing the girl next to him to let out a shaky breath before she looked up to meet his eyes.

"No matter how hard I try, I can't get Pan out of my head. He took me away from my birth parents and from Killian for thirty years. He took...he took Felix from me. He even used magic to force me to age fourteen years," Everly told him while trying to hide all the emotions building up inside of her, "the only real moments in my life were when I was on the Jolly Roger and on Neverland. Everything else was caused by magic."

"You just got your memories back after a year of living a different life. It's gonna take some time to take everything in."

"It's all just too much. I've barely had time to even think about Felix. I've barely had time to grieve. I forgot about him for a year. I thought these," she paused before holding up her wrist that held her leather bracelet, "I thought they didn't mean anything to me when they mean the world to me. How could I forget about him?"

"It's not your fault, Punz."

The two teens both jumped and almost fell off the bench at the sound of the new voice. After regaining their bearings, they turned around to see David standing behind them with an unreadable expression on his face. A moment passed of the father and daughter just staring at each other before the man's eyes left Everly's and fell on the blonde boy next to her. "Do you think you can give us a minute?"

"Of course," Sam replied while sending his best friend a comforting smile before he got to his feet and walked back in the direction he came.

As soon as the Jones boy was out of sight, the charming prince took his place next to the girl on the bench. The two of them just stared at the buildings in front of them until the silence became too much to handle. Everly soon turned so that her body fully faced the man next to her before she let out a long sigh. Her actions caused David to move his attention away from the streets of Storybrooke to look at his daughter.

"How much of that did you hear?" the Jones girl asked before she began fiddling with the bracelets on her wrist.

"Just the end of it."

"I've always had trouble with my emotions. I'm able to control them better when I'm with Killian or Sam but sometimes I just feel like I'm gonna explode," Everly rambled as she ran a hand through her hair and down her face. Silence surrounded the pair once again before the Purest Heart let out a sigh and continued speaking. "I shouldn't have just walked out of the loft like that but I panicked a little bit. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Your reaction was nothing out of the ordinary," David responded, causing the blonde girl to turn her attention back to him while trying to hide the shock running through her veins.

Everly broke her gaze away from the charming prince after not being about to form a response. She looked back down at her hands and began to fiddle with her leather bracelets. As a somewhat comfortable silence surrounded them, the Jones girl found herself slowly beginning to relax and she let out a long sigh. Another moment of stillness passed before David shifted his body to face the girl next to him, causing her to look up to meet his eyes.

"We never stopped looking for you. We searched as much as we could but we were also at war with Regina," he told her, making Everly's heart race faster than she thought possible while she stared at him before David continued speaking. "We looked for you for two years and then we found out we were going to have Emma. While Mary Margaret rested, my men and I looked everywhere and even asked other kingdoms to look for you. We always came up empty, guess it's because we were looking for a baby and not a fourteen-year-old girl. Then the curse hit and we lost all our memories of you. After Emma was able to break the curse, we looked for you all over town but you weren't here. When I first saw you in Neverland, there was something about you that was so familiar but the timeline didn't add up so I just shook it off. I should be the one who's sorry."

"If anyone should be sorry, it's Pan."

"Well, you and I both know he's not sorry for what he did," the Nolan man scoffed, causing a small smile to appear on his daughter's face before a matching one formed on his, "is there anything I can do to make up for the missing years?"

"You don't have anything to make for," Everly told him before her attention wandered away from his and went back down to her bracelets. After a moment of staring at them, her eyes flashed up to meet his once again. "But there is one thing I would like to do since I'm back here. Maybe you can help me with it?"

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Not even twenty-four hours passed since they came back to Storybrooke and so much had happened already. Last night, they found out that David and Mary Margaret sent Killian and Sam the bottles of memory potions to save Emma and me. In addition to that, they also discovered that people were mysteriously disappearing...and Neal might be one of them. Even though everything they recently discovered was important, Everly put it all behind her for the day due to David and Mary Margaret arranging Felix's memorial.

The only people there with her were David, Mary Margaret, Killian, and Sam. The five of them just finished the service and everyone left except for the Jones siblings. They went to talk to Regina to try and figure out what was going on in the town. While Everly and Sam stood in silence, the Purest Heart found herself staring at the headstone in front of her that simply read Felix Thorne.

The blonde girl tried to fight back her tears before she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she looked up to meet Sam's eyes. "Do you want to say anything?"

"I have a lot to say."

"We have time. I'm not going anywhere."

After hearing those four words leave his mouth, a few tears escaped her eyes before his arm snaked around her and pulled her closer to his side. Everly soon turned her gaze away from the boy next to her and looked back to where Felix lay.

"You didn't deserve this," the blue-eyed girl whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks, "thank you for everything you did for me back on Neverland. I needed you more than you ever realized. I needed you much more than you needed me, even though you denied that. I would do anything to have you back. I love you more than you will ever know. You always called me your sunshine because I lit up the dark world of Neverland. But you...you were my moonlight, showing me that there's always good in a world surrounded by evil."

After the words stopped coming out of her mouth, Everly's knees gave out beneath her and the only thing keeping her from collapsing to the earth was Sam. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks as the blonde boy spun her around and pulled her closer to him. As the girl cried for the boy she lost, Peter Pan's words began to fill her head.

His death is on your head.

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