────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟖
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐍

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly was woken up by the sun shining through the curtains and hitting her eyes. A small yawn passed over her lips as she looked over at her friends sleeping soundly on the beds. Her hands rubbed across her face in an attempt to wipe away the drowsiness before she got up from the bay window and made her way over to Sam.

As soon as she reached the blonde boy, Everly poked him in the side a few times. It wasn't long before he rolled over and shot her a glare. The two of them just stared at each other for a moment then his eyes landed on the clock sitting on the nightstand. "What's so important that you're waking me up at five in the morning?"

"I need to talk to you," the Jones girl explained herself, only to receive a scoff from the boy before he let out another groan and rolled back over, "come on, Sammy. It's important."

The Jones boy let out another irritated sigh as he turned back around and rolled out of bed. He continued to grumble while he followed Everly out the window onto the fire escape and up to the roof. After getting themselves comfortable with their feet dangling over the edge, Sam turned his attention towards the girl next to him without attempting to hide the annoyance on his face.

"Rumplestiltskin is alive," Everly stated before the boy could make a snide remark, causing all emotion to fade from his face.

"But we watched him die last year. He and Pan both died right in front of us."

"I remember what happened last year, Sam...but the Dark One's alive. We found a cage at the farmhouse that had a spinning wheel and golden straw."

"We have to make sure he doesn't get anywhere near Kat."

At the sound of her name, Everly's attention turned away from the empty streets to stare at him. His face instantly turned a bright shade of red before he looked down at his intertwined fingers. A small smile formed on the Purest Heart's face as she playfully nudged the boy next to her. The two of them stayed up on the roof and enjoyed the sounds of Storybrooke for a few moments longer before they went back to their room.

When they got get back, they found Katherine sitting at the table having a conversation with Henry. The smile on Everly's face slightly grew at the joyous expression on her nephew's face. It was something she hadn't truly seen in a long time. Right as the Jones siblings sat down to join them, the door swung open to reveal Emma with a take-out bag from Granny's in one hand and a drink holder in the other.

"Mom, were you out all night? I never heard you come in," the Mills boy asked as his mother set the bag on the table.

"I was working. But I got you guys breakfast because I am supermom. Some cocoa and sesame bagels," Emma responded after sitting down in the last vacant chair with a smile while Everly began passing out the food and drinks to everyone.

"That's a bagel?" Henry questioned as he stared at the round pastry in his hands.

"We're not in Manhattan anymore, Hen," Everly laughed before taking a sip of her drink while Sam and Katherine smiled at the boy.

The brunette boy rolled his eyes at the three teens before they continued their lighthearted conversation. A few more moments of peace passed before Emma glanced over at her. As soon as Everly felt her eyes on her, she turned to look at the Savior's expressionless face before the latter got to her feet and grabbed her things.

"Are you going back out?" Henry asked, stopping Emma in her tracks before she turned around to meet her son's confused eyes.

"I gotta, yeah. You remember Leroy, right?" the Swan woman responded, only to receive a nod from Henry in response before she continued, "he's going fishing with some buddies today. You wanna go?"

"Yeah, I'll go. Because I love fishing. Not because I believe you," he told her, causing Emma to send him a confused look while the other three teens ate their bagels and tried to act as if they weren't listening to their conversation, "you know you're not fooling me, right? Something's up."

"She's working a case, Hen. You know how she gets focused when she's working," Everly said in an attempt to convince her nephew that everything was normal.

"No, it's more than that. It's this town. All these old friends you've never mentioned. Everly's 'family.' People whispering around me all the time," Henry argued before turning his attention away from the Jones girl and back to his mother, "there's something that you're not telling me."

"It's a dirty business being a bail bonds person. I don't want to soil your sweetness," Emma retaliated while Everly glanced over at her two friends who were drinking their cocoa and watching the scene unfold before them.

"You're not getting off that easy. If you can't tell me the truth, then I want to go home. Back to New York."

Before anyone could say another word, Emma's phone rang. The irritation on Henry's face grew as he looked away from the blonde woman. Emma muttered an apology to her son as she took out her phone.

"Hello?" she greeted whoever was on the other side before her face scrunched up in confusion while she sat up straight and alert in the chair, "we'll be right there."

"What's going on?" Everly asked as Emma shoved her phone back into her pocket with a hint of panic on her face.

"Sam, Everly, and I gotta go, Henry," she paused before glancing over at the redhead on the other side of Sam, "Katherine will keep you company."

"Mom, really, what's going on?" Henry questioned after Katherine sent his mother a small nod.

After staring at her son for a long moment, Emma looked at the floor beneath her feet. Her eyes stayed glued to the carpet for a long moment before she let out another long sigh and cast her gaze back up at Henry. "You got me, okay? Something is up and it just got even more complicated. So, for now, can you just trust that I'm doing what's best and stay here with Katherine and I'll fill you in later?"

When she received a nod in response from her son, a small smile formed on the blonde woman's face before she placed a gentle kiss on Henry's head. The Jones siblings quickly thank Katherine for staying with Henry then they followed Emma out of the motel room. The Savior ignored all of their questions as they raced down the stairs and into Granny's before they walked out onto the streets of Storybrooke.

"Can you what's going on now, Emma?" Everly pleaded with her sister as the three of them jumped into her yellow Bug.

"They found Neal."

────── ★★★ ──────

The three of them rushed through the hallways in search of the room Neal was staying in. When they finally reached their destination, Emma pushed the door open and they raced into the room. A small smile formed on Everly's face as a wave of relief washed over her after making eye contact with the man.

"Neal. You're here. What happened?" Emma questioned the man while the Jones siblings and David studied the son of the Dark One.

"I...I don't know," Neal studdered then he rubbed his hands over his face and let out a long sigh. Silence surrounded them for a long moment before he finally looked back up and continued speaking. "I remember seeing the yellow Bug cross the town line, and next thing I know, I'm running around a forest back in Storybrooke, where, apparently, there's been a whole lot going on."

"Are you going to tell him, or shall I?" Killian asked, causing Everly to send him a look that could kill.

"Tell me what?"

"Neal," David sighed, drawing all attention to him as the charming prince took a step forward to stand on the other side of Emma, "we think your dad's back."

"Back?" the son of Rumplestiltskin whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear him, only to receive a nod from David in response before an irritated look appeared on his face, "I just watched him die! What do you mean he's back?!"

"Take it easy," Everly told him before her eyes traveled to a symbol on his hand. Before Neal could stop her, the Jones girl grabbed his hand and lifted it up to examine the brand. "What is this?"

"I have no idea. It was there when I woke up," the man confessed as he forced his hand out of the girl's, only for Emma to take it into hers before snapping a picture of it with her phone and turning to Belle.

"Can you do some more research?"

"Yeah, sure. Absolutely," Belle responded while keeping her eyes glued to the tiled floor before she turned to leave the room to begin researching the mysterious symbol.

"I'll send you the picture."

"Hey, guys," Neal said as he looked at everyone that surrounded him before his eyes landed back on Emma, "can we have a minute?"

"Of course," David responded before everyone left the room to let Neal and Emma talk.

A few moments passed and Everly couldn't shake the feeling in her stomach that appeared the second she saw Neal. As if sensing her distress, Sam walked across the hall to join the girl in the corner. The Purest Heart instantly sent him a fake smile in an attempt to avoid any questions he had but she knew he didn't believe it. He never did.

Everly turned her attention back to the window of Neal's room to find him and Emma having what looked like a serious conversation. Before the blonde girl could even try to figure out what they were talking about, Emma jumped to her feet and walked out of the room and down the hall. The Jones siblings and David exchanged a confused look before the latter followed after her.

"Why don't you keep Baelfire company. Sam and I will go find something for him to eat," Killian said while gesturing for Sam to follow him before the two of them walked down a different hallway.

As soon as they were out of sight, Everly let out a shaky breath and entered the room. She just stood in the doorway and watched Neal study his hand with curiosity in his eyes. When the brunette man finally sensed her presence, he quickly returned his hand to his side and looked up at his best friend.

"How're you feeling, Bae?" Everly asked after walking across the room and sitting down at the end of the man's cot.

"You know I go by Neal now, right?" he responded with a smirk, causing the Jones girl to roll her eyes before a matching smile formed on her face.

"You'll always be Baelfire to me," she told him before the son of Rumplestiltskin let out a chuckle just as the door opened to reveal Killian and Sam walking in.

"Thought you could use some substance," Killian announced as he placed a bowl of green Jell-O on the table.

Everly stared at the mush for a moment before she looked up at the two males with a quirked eyebrow. "Nothing like a green blob to get the appetite going."

"Well, it is from the hospital cafeteria so it must have great medicinal properties," Sam replied with a smirk after sitting down next to her.

"They put you guys on babysitting duty, huh?" Neal sighed, causing Everly to exchange a look with Sam and Killian as a somewhat awkward silence filled the air around them, "what, no one trusted me to stay here?"

"We're worried about you...and we all know you'd sprint outta here the second you're left alone," Everly explained while sending him a small smile.

"Everyone thought it would be better if you're not running around looking for your father," Sam added after studying the look on Neal's face, "especially in the condition you're in."

"Thank you, by the way," Neal said as he looked away from the two teens to meet Killian's gaze, who simply sent the brunette man a confused look.

"For playing nanny?"

"For getting Emma the message to come back."

"You would have done the same."

"Yeah," the son of the Dark One uttered while looking down at his hand. Everly watched in silent confusion as Neal's eyebrows scrunched together before he looked back up at the pirate. "What's it feel like...to play the hero after being a pirate for so long?"

"Unfamiliar," Killian answered while failing to hide the look of irritation on his face, "and you? How does it feel to play the villain?"

"I'm a villain now?"

"What's going on?" Sam whispered in Everly's ear, only for the girl to shrug her shoulders in response before they went back to watching the two men.

"Well, if you truly had a hand at bringing your father back. I suspect you to have used the darkest of magic, and paid an even darker price," the pirate captain stated as the brunette man proceeded to stare at the former with an annoyed look on his face, "though I'm sure you felt the ends justified the means."

"Okay, that's enough. Both of you," the Purest Heart stated as she got to her feet to stand between them, "you're both grown men so start acting like it."

Sam tried to hide his smile behind his hand while Killian and Neal continued to stare at Everly with a hint of shock in their eye. After the four of them sat in silence for a moment longer, the son of Rumplestiltskin turned away from the three of them and began to pull out the wires attached to his arm.

"I should be out there looking for him. I have to set things right. With him and my son," Neal declared after getting to his feet and turning to face the Jones family, "question is, are you guys gonna stand in my way?"

"We are in your way," Killian answered as he stood in between Balefire and the door with Everly and Sam at his sides. The two teens watched with a hint of worry in their eyes as the men had a staredown before the pirate captain did something that shocked everyone.

He pulled Neal in for a tight hug.

"What are you doing?" the Cassidy man asked as the Jones siblings exchanged a confused look.

"Oh, this is long overdue," the blue-eyed man told him before pulling away from Neal to meet his eyes, "sometimes, when I look at you, all I see is a man. I forget that beneath it all, you're still that boy. The one I looked after all those years ago."

"I haven't forgotten."

"We got caught up in so much nonsense over a woman."

"I need to do this, Killian. You know that, right?"

"You have ten minutes. Then we'll alert the others you've gone."

"Killian, what are you doing?" Sam questioned while Everly continued to study the man who was stuck with her on Neverland all those years ago.

"It's fine, Sam," the Purest Heart responded as they watched Neal exit the room and walk through the halls of the hospital, determined to find the man that put an end to Peter Pan.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────