────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly shared one last hug with Felix while Pan vaguely explained the plan to save Neverland to Henry before she followed the two out of camp. She remained silent as they traveled through the dark forest and down the beach towards a dock. Her feet stayed glued to the sand while she watched the brunette boys hop into the small rowboat then they turned to her with expectant looks on their faces. After letting out a long sigh, the blue-eyed girl got into the boat before Pan grabbed the oars to begin their journey towards Skull Rock.

As they sailed across the water towards the one place on Neverland she never wanted to go to, Everly closed her eyes and tuned out the conversation happening between the boys to listen to the sound of the waves against the boat. Her mind wandered to Killian, Sam, and the rest of the Saved Ones before she began to wonder if they would forgive her after what she was about to do.

"Why is she coming again?" Henry questioned, pulling Everly out of her thoughts as she opened her eyes to look at the two in front of her.

Before he responded to the young boy, Pan's eyes landed on the girl in question as an almost unnoticeable smirk appeared on his face. "She is going to help us. Mostly emotional support and guard duty."

"Guard duty?"

"I do have some enemies, Henry."

After fighting back a scoff at the understatement of eternity, the blonde girl's eyes left the boys and fell back to the waves hitting the boat. She continued to watch the almost black sea with a blank look on her face as she thought about jumping into the mermaid-filled water to escape the King of Neverland's plan. Before she even had a chance to decide if she should actually abandon the ship, the trio arrived on the sandy shores of Skull Rock

Everly's eyes were glued to the flames lighting up the eyes that gave the landmark a dark aura while Henry jumped out of the boat to get a better look at his surroundings. Without thinking, he looked over to the girl that accompanied them on their journey to find a slight look of fear in her eyes. Just as he was about to ask if she was okay, Pan got out of the boat to join him before sending a kind smile his way which made Henry forget about his concerns.

"It's been a long time since I stepped foot on this shore," Pan sighed as he tied the boat down so they wouldn't be stranded on the small island. As soon as he was finished, he glanced over at Everly to find her still sitting in the boar before he turned his attention back to Henry, "you go on ahead. We'll join you in a moment."

After sending the leader of the Lost Boys a nod in response, the younger boy climbed the stairs that lead to the only room within the rock. Everly watched with emotionless eyes as Pan's smile fell as soon as Henry was out of sight. It took everything within her not to jump when he quickly turned around to face her with a scowl on his face. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before the brunette boy grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the rowboat.

"No backing out."

"I'm not as simple-minded as the boys who decided to blindly follow you," Everly hissed before she yanked her arm out of his grasp.

"Now that we have some sort of understand, let's join the boy," Pan responded, causing the former Lost Girl to begin walking up the stairs and towards their final destination, only for her to stop and turn back towards the sandy beach when she realized he wasn't following her.

She watched the Demon King with curiosity in her eyes as he picked up a stick from the ground near the last step before drawing a line in the sand. As soon as he finished his work, a shimmer of light appeared above the line before it disappeared as quickly as it came. The boy was met by Everly's confused face when he turned back around to face her which only caused the sinister smirk on his face to grow.

"It's only a simple protection spell to make sure no one follows us...or leaves," he chuckled before tossing the stick aside and making his way up the steps to the top of Skull Rock, "let's go. It's time."

After calming her nerves to the best of her abilities, the Jones girl turned away from the plain line drawn in the dirt and followed Pan up the stone stairs. With every step she took, the blonde had to shake off the voices in her head telling her to turn back while forcing her body not to run away. When she finally reached the top, Everly found Pan standing in front of Henry who was sitting on one of the rocks near the giant hourglass.

"This is it," the former Lost Girl heard Pan say as she walked closer to the pair, drawing the younger boy's attention to her before he looked back up at the boy in front of him, "the place where you're going to save magic."

Everly tuned out the rest of their conversation as she stared at the gold sand falling through the hourglass. Each grain that dropped meant it was that much closer to Pan's reign over the island coming to an end and to saving the boys from his magic. If only she had more time to stall the Demon King.

The girl's thoughts were cut short when she caught Pan's entire body tensing up out of the corner of her eyes. She watched as a concerned look overtook his face before his eyes scanned the room as if looking for an oncoming threat. Knowing that it took a lot to make the leader of the Lost Boys act this way, Everly's hand made its way around the hilt of her dagger hanging from her belt as she mentally prepared herself for a fight.

"Is something wrong?" Henry questioned after finally seeing the uncharacteristic look on the King of Neverland's face.

"No," the Leader of the Lost Boys responded while sending a look in Everly's direction before unconsciously grabbing Henry's wrist, "come with me."

After watching Pan practically drag the Truest Believer into a practically invisible area of Skull Rock, the leader of the Saved Ones' ears picked up Pan's voice explaining something to Henry but she was unable to make out their conversation. This continued for another moment while Everly remained on edge with her eyes glued to the only entrance to where they were.

When the green-eyed boy finally came back without the younger boy at his side, the fake smile he had on his face was replaced with anger and frustration. Before Everly even had a chance to ask what was going on, Pan interrupted her with the raise of his hand as his eyes went to the top of the stone steps. "Someone's coming,"

As if on cue, the sound of footsteps cut through the silence that settled among them before Everly followed his gaze. A wave of terror washed over her and her grip on her dagger tightened at the sight of the man standing a few yards away. The blonde girl was completely oblivious to the growing smirk on Pan's face as she continued to stare at the one person she never wanted to see again in her entire life.

"Hello, laddie," the leader of the Lost Boys greeted Rumplestiltskin before his eyes fell to the box in the Dark One's hand, "oh, I see you've come bearing gifts."

"Where's Henry?"

"Oh, you mean my great-grandson?"

A shocked gasp passed over Everly's lips at the newly discovered information before she quickly brought her hand up to cover her mouth. She silently cursed herself when the man's attention landed on her as she took an unconscious step away from the two standing in front of her.

"I should have taken care of you when I had the chance," Rumpelstiltskin hissed as he took a few steps towards the blue-eyed girl, who continued walking backward until her back met cool glass, "luckily, I can fix my mistake now."

"You said you couldn't. You said you needed me," she responded in a tone barely above a whisper while keeping her eyes glued to the Dark One as he continued to walk closer to her before stopping a foot away. Everly continued to study the man in front of her before she realized there was no ounce of hesitation in his eyes, "what changed?"

"I only needed you to keep Bae safe on this island until he escaped. Now, it's time for me to do what I should have decades ago."

Everly's eyes widened to the size of an ocean at the sight of Rumplestiltskin shooting his hand out towards her. Just as she began to feel pressure slowly closing in around her neck, her attention landed on a strange red mist beginning to surround the powerful man before he vanished into thin air. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she unconsciously glanced in Pan's direction to find him holding the odd-looking box the Dark One brought in his hand.

"What did you just do?" the former Lost Girl questioned while keeping her gaze glued to the box and attempting to keep her fear at bay.

"I just saved your life. You're welcome," he responded in a surprisingly calm tone while sending her a grin before looking at the box with the biggest, scariest smile Everly had ever seen on his face, "get the boy. We don't have any more time to waste."

A moment of the blue-eyed girl just staring at the boy in front of her passed before she finally made over to where Henry was. As soon as the boy's eyes met hers, she sent him a small nod then the two of them walk back to join Pan after the boy practically jumped off the rock he was sitting on.

When they got back to where the King of Neverland was waiting for them, Everly's attention landed on the odd-looking box sitting on a rock before the idea of grabbing it went through her head. She continued to stare at it for a moment longer before she looked up to find Pan staring back at her with a warning look in his eyes, crushing all thoughts of even laying a finger on that box.

"It's time, Henry," Pan stated as he turned his attention away from the girl then it landed on the Truest Believer, "time to save magic. To save Neverland."

"What do I have to do?" Henry innocently asked while staring at the giant hourglass in front of him before he made his way over to stand in front of the green-eyed boy.

"You must give me your heart, Henry. The Heart of the Truest Believer."

"You mean, I have to believe?"

"No, Henry," the King of Neverland chuckled as his eyes landed on the hourglass before he looked back at Henry and let out a sigh, "I mean, you need to give me your heart."

"But...what will happen to me?"

"You'll become the greatest of all heroes."

"Tell him the truth, Peter," Everly stated with a hint of venom in her voice that went unnoticed by the younger boy while Pan shot her a deadly glare.

"I know all magic comes with a price," Henry told them, causing the other two to look back at Henry with curiosity in their eyes, "saving it must come with a price, too."

"I would never lie to you, Henry. You're right, there is a price" Pan continued while the Jones girl held back a scoff before she continued to listen to the green-eyed boy's lies, "you have to stay here on the island with me. Neverland will become your new home. I know it's a huge sacrifice, but isn't it worth it?"

"Heroes have to make sacrifices all the time. My family taught me that."

"Then they'd be proud if they could see you now because you're about to save them all."

Everly continued to hold back the frustration within her that was trying to break free as she tightly shut her eyes and let a long breath pass over her lips. When she opened them after calming herself down to the best of her abilities, she found Henry staring at the hourglass while Pan was smirking at her with a hint of victory in his eyes.

"Everly. Could you help him?"

Against all of her instincts telling her to turn against the boy who caused her nothing but misery, the leader of the Saved Ones forced herself to walk towards them before stopping a few feet away. She hesitantly took Henry's hand into her own then circled the other above his just like Pan showed her before they came here. As soon as his hand began to glow, the Truest Believer plunged his hand into his chest, causing her to jump back before she watched him pull out his heart. Her body became as still as a statue at the sight of the golden heart in the boy's hand before he willingly placed it in her own. As she stared at the glowing object, Milah's last words began to Everly's head.

You need to believe in yourself before others can believe in you.

"Henry, wait!" At the sound of the new voice, the trio turned to see Emma, Regina, and Neal running up the stone steps as quickly as possible before stopping at the top of the staircase. "Whatever Pan's telling you to do, please don't do it."

"Dad?" Henry said in disbelief as he stared at the man for a long silent moment before finding the courage within him to force out two more words, "you're alive?"

"I am, buddy. And I need you to listen to me. Pan is lying to you."

"Oh, a pleasure to see you, too, Baelfire," Pan scoffed then looked over to Emma with a hint of amusement in his eyes, "not to mention the Savior," he then let a smirk cross over his features when he saw Regina standing next to the blonde woman, "and the Evil Queen."

"Henry, you need to get away from him now," Emma told her son while ignoring the leader of the Lost Boys' presence, "he's trying to hurt you."

"No. The Heart of the Truest Believer. It's what's gonna save magic. It's gonna save all of you."

"No, it's not. This was never about magic, Henry," Regina argued with a hint of urgency in her voice while keeping her eyes glued to the brunette boy, "you have to believe us. The only person Pan's interested in saving is himself."

Everly simply stood there with Henry's heart in her hand while everyone around her continued to bicker. Her mind tuned out the rest of their conversation as it tried to figure out what she needed to do. If she stuck with Pan, Henry would die and she would lose everyone's faith in her would fade away but they'd be alive and I'd still have Felix by her side. If she told Henry the truth, she could lose Felix's trust and everyone she loved, including Felix, would die.

"Why would they lie?" Henry's question pulled the girl out of her own head before she turned back into the situation at hand.

"Because that's what adults do, Henry," Pan told him then looked over at Everly when she sensed her wavering thoughts, "tell him the truth, Everly. Tell him he'll save us all."

"Ev, look at me," Neal pleaded, drawing the girl's attention away from the green-eyed boy and to the man who used to be her best friend, "I don't know what he's holding over you but we can figure it out together like we used to. But, right now, you need to tell Henry the truth. Please, Ev."

While she took in his words, more emotions than the former Lost Girl could comprehend flooded her brain as she looked from Neal to Pan and back again. After staring at the man who used to be the scared boy that appeared out of nowhere for a moment longer, Everly finally came to the decision she should've made in the first place.

"Henry," she hesitated before letting out a long sigh and looking straight into the King of Neverland's dark eyes, "Pan's lying to you. If you give him your heart, you'll die."

"Typical girl," the green-eyed boy scoffed as he walked over to the leader of the Saved Ones before stopping a foot away from her, "she lies almost as much as adults do."

Before she could respond, Everly felt her whole body become as still as a statue. Panic coursed through her veins as she glanced down to see one of Pan's hands discreetly pointed toward her. She tried to fight against his magic as the Demon King forced her to walk toward him then made the Jones Girl hold out the hand that was grasping Henry's heart.

The next thing anyone knew, Pan forced Everly to plunge the glowing object into his chest then Henry fell to the ground. The former Lost Girl just stared at the smirking boy in front of her with terror in her eyes before he used his magic one last time to slam the blonde girl into the rock wall behind her. She lay on the cold ground as pain flowed through every inch of her body as the world around her fell into darkness.

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