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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐍

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Everly was pulled out of the best sleep she could remember having by the sound of the door slamming against the wall. She just stared up at the ceiling for a long moment before turning toward the source of the noise. An irritated groan escaped her at the sight of Killian standing in the doorway with a serious look on his face. While Sam and Katherine looked at him in a half-sleep daze, the pirate's eyes moved to the blonde girl before a sheepish smile appeared on his face.

"Sorry, mates," he told the two teens who were still complaining at the fact that he woke them up at the crack of dawn, "can I see you in the hall, Evie?"

"Why does it always have to be me?" the Jones girl whispered under her breath as she got up from her bed and followed him through the halls and down to the diner. "What's so important that I had to be awake two hours earlier than I intended to?"

"We need your help," he explained before opening the front door and ushering the girl outside.

"We?" Everly instantly stopped in her tracks at the sight of about a dozen men pacing around on the sidewalk. Another moment passed of the girl just staring at the scene in front of her before the seriousness of the situation finally sank in. The Purest Heart ignored the pit in her stomach as she turned around to look at the pirate captain with a hint of confusion in her eyes. "You need to tell me what's going on right now, Killian."

"Sam told us you were one of the best trackers on Neverland and we could use someone with that skill set right now," David said, drawing the girl's attention away from the raven-haired man and to the prince after he stopped next to the duo.

"I don't mean to gloat, but I was the best tracker on Neverland," Everly responded before a giant yawn escaped her, "what do you need me to track?"

"Little John," an unfamiliar man with brown hair stated, making the blonde girl pause mid-yawn when she remembered the group of men standing a few feet away from them. After studying the man who just spoke for a short moment, Everly became even more confused than before. She instantly looked away from the group of men and back at Killian and David with a quirked eyebrow.

"Who are all these people?" Everly questioned her father figures before turning her attention back towards the unfamiliar man, "and who's Little John?"

"My apologies. My name is Robin Hood and these are my Merry Men," the brunette man told her as he approached her with an outstretched hand, which she gladly took with a small smile.

"Right. Robin Hood and his Merry Men. I should've known when I heard the name 'Little John,'" the Jones girl responded, only for a confused look to wash over Robin Hood's face before she let out a small sigh, "when was the last time you saw him?"

"He was carried away by a flying beast near the town line."

"A flying...you know what, it doesn't matter. Let me just change first and then we can go."

"No time," Killian stated before the blonde girl sent him an annoyed look and glanced down at her sock-covered feet.

"Can I at least put shoes on?"

The only answer she received was David taking a jacket and a pair of shoes that were going to be five sizes too big out of his truck. After letting out a semi-irritated sigh, Everly slipped on her borrowed clothing and followed everyone to the cars. The Jones girl found herself sitting in the bed of David's pick-up truck with Robin and his Merry Men after a debate for the front seat with Killian.

"I don't think I caught your name," Robin broke the silence that surrounded them, causing Everly to pause mid-yawn once again and turn her attention towards him.

"Oh, right. Everly Jones."

"Jones? I thought you were David's daughter."

The girl hesitated for a moment while trying to ignore all the men's eyes glued to her before she let out a small sigh. "Well, I'm their lost, now found, daughter but Killian took me in when I was fourteen."

"Right...David also told me that he found you right before the second curse hit but you were stuck somewhere else during the first curse," Robin said, causing Everly to nod in response before a hint of curiosity flashed across his face, "so then where were you all this time?"

"Unfortunately, I was on Neverland dealing with Peter Pan and his minions for about thirty years," the Jones girl explained before she noticed the confused look on the Hood man's face, causing her to let out a laugh, "it's complicated. Let's just say magic and people who only care about themselves are to blame."

"I think we're going to get along just fine."

After sharing another smile with the Leader of the Merry Men, they arrived at their destination. Everyone jumped out of the vehicle as soon as it pulled to a stop before they started their search for any signs of Little John. They looked high and low for tracks and any other sighs of where the man could have gone, only to be greeted by cold winds and snow under their feet. It seemed like they were in that clearing for an eternity without making any progress. When she had enough of coming up empty-handed, Everly took a deep breath and closed her eyes to think back to what Felix taught her about tracking.

Sometimes you need to stop looking so close up and take a step back and see the bigger picture. There are moments in life where you just see better from a distance.

A small smile formed on her face at the memory before her eyes flashed open. Everly took a few steps away from everyone to study the surroundings at a different angle, just like she used to do on Neverland. Her gaze unconsciously turned towards the trees before her eyes landed on a trail of broken branches near the top. Her eyes stayed glued to the damage as she called out to everyone and pointed up at the trees. They instantly rushed in the direction of the destruction until the trail ended a bit further into the woods. When they couldn't follow the trees anymore, they stopped in another learning and started looking around once again.

"Guys!" David shouted, causing Everly, Robin, and Killian to rush over to see him studying a bloody leaf in his hands.

"He was dragged," the leader of the Merry Men stated while pointing to the disturbed snow at their feet as their eyes follow the trail until they landed on an unconscious man in the distance, "he's there!"

Everly kept her feet glued to the ground while everyone rushed over to Little John and surrounded the unmoving man. All the Jones girl could make out from their conversation was that he was bit by something and that he was barely alive. It wasn't long before her eyes caught the hint of red liquid coming from Little John's shoulder before a wave of nausea washed over her.

"Okay, help me get him up. We've gotta get him some help." Robin said with a hint of worry in his voice before Everly watched them struggle to pick the man up.

The Jones girl jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder then her eyes left the men in front of her and landed on Killian. As soon as he saw the expression on the girl's face, the pirate captain sent her a concerned look. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment before Everly brushed off the man and gestured for him to help get Little John back to the truck.

Once they managed to get back to the vehicle, they placed Little John into the bed of the truck before the pirate captain made Everly get into the passenger seat. The Jones girl kept her eyes glued to her intertwined fingers while trying to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach as they sped through the forest, completely unaware that David glanced over at her a few times.

"Didn't take you as squeamish," the Nolan man said in an attempt to lighten the mood while the girl's head filled with a memory of Neverland.

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Years ago, Pan discovered that a Lost Boy fled their camp to try to find a way off the island. What he didn't know was that Everly helped sneak Ollie out after he promised to take her and Baelfire with him. But thanks to Zachary, one of Pan's favorite Lost Boys, figuring out Ollie's plans, he and Pan were using the day to hunt him down.

"Jones," Pan called, drawing the girl's attention away from the conversation she was having with Baelfire, "you're hunting with us."

"The two of you have been perfectly fine in the past without me and I really don't feel like helping you 'take care' of Ollie," Everly responded, only for them to exchange a look before turning their eyes back to her. The next thing she knew, Zachary grabbed her arm and forced her to her feet. After exchanging a quick look with Baelfire and Felix, the Lost Boy dragged her along with them out of camp.

As they walked through the dark forest of Neverland, Zachary continued to keep a tight grip on the Lost Girl's arm while walking at a pace that she could barely keep up with. Having enough of tripping over stones and fallen tree branches, Everly managed to pull her arm out of the Lost Boy's grip, which made both boys stop in their tracks before turning to face her.

"I can walk on my own, you know."

Neither of them responded as Zachary forced Everly in between him and Pan then they continued on their way. After sending the boy an eye roll, the blonde girl's eyes landed on Pan. Her eyes stayed glued to the leader of the Lost Boys for a long moment before she started to feel like something was off about this whole situation.

"If you want me to track the boy, why aren't you having me lead?" Everly questioned, causing the King of Neverland to send her his signature smirk that sent chills up her spine before a wave of realization washed over her, "I'm not here to help you find Ollie, am I?"

"Took you long enough to figure it out," Pan laughed as he stopped in his track before turning to face the Lost Girl as Zachary roughly grabbed her arm once again, "I know you helped Ollie out of camp."

"So what now? You gonna kill me, too?" Everly scoffed while staring into the leader of the Lost Boys' menacing green eyes, only for him to study her before his smirk grew.

"Now why would I wanna hurt you, my little Lost Girl, when simply being stuck on Neverland is punishment enough?"

Once the words left his mouth, Zachary's grip on her arm tightened once again to stop her from making an escape attempt. Pan just stared at the girl for a moment longer before they continued their journey through the dark forest. When the cave where Ollie was hiding came into view, Everly turned her gaze to Pan to find him already staring back at her.

"How long have you known where he was?"

"Since the day he left."

"How long did you know I've been helping him?"

"The very same day."

As soon as they stopped in front of the cave, Zachary took out a dagger from his boot and made a small cut on Everly's arm. A blood-chilling scream escaped her mouth before Ollie came rushing out of his hiding place. The boy didn't have a second to react to the situation in front of him before Pan plunged a dagger into his chest.

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The sound of her name being called pulled Everly out of her thoughts before she realized they were parked in front of the hospital. After staring at the building for an abnormally long moment, the Jones girl looked to her left to see David watching her with a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong?" the Purest Heart asked as she sat up straighter in the leather seat.

"You haven't said a word since we found Little John and were staring off into space the whole way here," the Nolan man answered as he carefully studied the girl next to him, "what were you thinking about?"

"It's nothing important," Everly whispered before letting out a quiet sigh and looking out the window behind them to find the bed of the truck empty, "how's Little John?"

"They just look him inside," the charming prince told his daughter before she looked back over at his concerned face, "you know you can talk to me about anything, right Punz?"

After sending him a small nod, the two of them got out of the truck before he placed an arm around her shoulders as they headed into the hospital. They made their way through the halls of the building and to the room that the nurses told them Little John was taken to. It wasn't long before they rejoin Killian, Robin, and the Merry Men as shouts from the doctors and nurses filled the air while Little John aggressively shook on the stretcher.

Just as Dr. Whale was about to inject him with something, a tail appeared out of nowhere before Little John used it to push the doctor away from him. Killian pulled Everly behind him when the tail started to knock everyone to the ground, resulting in both Killian and David landing on top of the Jones girl. As soon as they got back to their feet, they froze at the sight of a flying monkey standing on the stretcher where Little John once was.

"Okay, I didn't see that coming," David said as he pulled Everly behind him and Killian once again.

"No one saw that coming," the Jones girl scoffed as the monkey continued to screech at them before turning around and crashing through the window.

"What was that thing?" the Nolan man asked as they watched the beast flying away from the hospital then his eyes landed back on Dr. Whale.

"Don't look at me. I'm a doctor, not a vet," the brunette man responded as they continued to stare at the shattered window

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After seeing what happened with Little John, Killian sent Everly, Sam, and Katherine along with Henry to David and Mary Margaret's loft. Katherine sat quietly on the couch with Henry, who was playing his video games without a care in the world. While the Mills boy was distracted, the Jones siblings sat at the counter with Mary Margaret standing across from them in the kitchen. Everly tried her best to explain everything that happened in the last hour to them. As soon as she finished giving them all the information, the two of them stare at the blonde girl with confused looks on their faces while they took in the information.

"A flying monkey?" Mary Margaret asked while pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Like the one we saw in New York?" Sam whispered in an attempt to keep their conversation away from the brunette boy sitting on the other side of the room.

"Exactly the same."

Before another word could leave any of their mouths, the door swung open to reveal Emma and Regina walking in. Everly's attention quickly turned to Emma after seeing the nervous look on Regina's face. The Jones girl just stared at the unreadable expression on her sister's face before she watched her walk over to Henry.

"Hey, how was your day?" the blonde woman greeted her son, causing Henry to put down his video game on the table next to him.

"Good. Storybrooke is a weird place. But cool," he responded after getting to his feet to stand in front of his mother, "did you know there's a library inside of a clock tower?"

"I do. I've been there before. Come here, I want you to meet someone," Emma told him before placing an arm around her the Mills boy's shoulders and escorting him over to Regina, "this is Regina Mills. She's the mayor of this town and she wanted to meet you."

"Is something wrong?" Henry asked Emma after seeing the emotionless smile on Regina's face as she stared at the boy in front of her.

"No, no. No, nothing's wrong," Regina declared after shaking off her previous emotions and coming to her senses, "your mother just told me a lot about you. I heard you like school and that you're good at English."

"Uh, yeah. Why'd she tell you all this?" the boy questioned while glancing over at his mother before he looked back at the Mayor of Storybrooke.

"Because she couldn't be prouder of you," the brunette woman explained as a small smile formed on her face then she let out a small sigh, "uh, while you're in town, I was thinking maybe I could give you a tour sometime. You know, show you around. Maybe we can even stop for ice cream."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Henry responded, causing the grin on Regina's face to grow before the boy returned it with one of his own, "so, um, it was nice meeting you."

As soon as Henry finished his words, Regina started to go in for a hug, only for Henry to politely hold his hand out to her. Regina just stared at his outstretched hand for a moment before taking off her glove and interlocking her hand with his. Another exchange of smiles was shared between the two of them then Henry went back to the chair to play his game again. While the boy was distracted, Emma and Regina had an inaudible conversation before David and Killian came rushing in with concerned looks on their faces. Emma instantly ushered all the adults outside after the Nolan man announced that they needed to talk.

Once they were all in the hallway, Katherine made her way over to sit with Everly and Sam before the three of them exchanged worried looks. The Jones girl jumped to her feet without a second thought before sending Henry a small smile and going to join the group in the hall.

"And Neal?" was the first thing Everly heard after she closed the door, causing her eyes to land on her sister before they wandered over to David.

"No sign of him either. So, yeah it's possible," the charming prince announced, snuffing out the little hope that was building up inside Everly while Emma muttered something about dating a flying monkey.

"The person who escaped our trap disappeared in a cloud of green smoke. And now there are flying monkeys in this town?" Regina stated as realization ran through every inch of Everly's body, "I think we know exactly who cursed them."

"The Wicked Witch of the West?" Emma scoffed, only for her smile to fade when she saw the seriousness on her sister's and Regina's faces before she looked around at everyone in the hall, "seriously? She's real too?"

"Says the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming," Killian mocked while gesturing towards the blonde woman.

"I don't get it," Everly said, drawing everyone's attention to her for the first time since she joined them in the hallway, "it's not like we're in Kansas. Why would the Wicked Witch of the West want to come to Storybrooke?"

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