Sloth: No, I'm not dead. Just distracted by...things...-loud banging from the back of my mind as other stories try to break free into the world- everything's fine.

Chapter Nine. It's All in the Wrist

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Storybrooke, October 28th, 2011

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Their mother was only gone for 30 minutes when Henry decided to pull a Houdini.

Evie loved her brother, really she did. From the day her mother adopted him, she had immediately fallen in love with the small crying mess that was Henry Daniel Mills. Her photo album was filled with hundreds of pictures of him. From his first steps, to his first time eating ice cream, to his first – and only – school play. She would do anything for him.

Even ring his little neck for running off. As soon as their mother had left, he had turned to her with these big eyes and said "I'm hungry." That was all it took for her to go into Chef Evie mode. And sure, Evie had trouble in the kitchen, but it wasn't like she could mess up mac and cheese right? So she stepped away to cook lunch. And she was only distracted by a few minutes when Lonnie called to ask if Evie's Halloween party was still on.

By the time Evie was finished with the cheesy goodness, Henry was gone. They really needed to put a GPC chip on him or something. After a few minutes of panic – because her party was so canceled if she didn't find him – Evie ran out of the house as fast as she could. She ran out so fast she nearly decapitated Jay as he jogged by. She only gave him a quick apology before racing to Mary Margaret's. She was sure that Henry had gone to see his birth mother.

Evie had her own thoughts about Emma Swan. Most were the same with her mother. Emma had given up Henry in a closed adoption. She didn't want Henry and gave him up, even made sure she didn't know where he was. And yet here she was, in his life. And sure, Emma seemed like a nice enough person. She helped find the coma patient, David Nolan. And she made Henry happy, going along with his fantasy instead of dismissing it. But there was that fear of Emma running off with Henry, taking him away because she was his birthmother.

Despite how she often came off like a dumb spoiled princess, Evie was smart. She knew that Emma could very well take them into a custody battle and nine times out of ten, the birthparents would win the case. Ten years would be gone. And Evie just couldn't see Emma as anything other than the woman who could take Henry from her, no matter how good she was.

By the time Evie reached Mary Margaret's loft, she was nearly out of breath. And Henry wasn't there. No one was. Angry, and tired, Evie walked down the steps and out of the building. Where could they be? A hundred scenarios ran through her mind. The fear that Emma had indeed taken Henry away from Storybrooke growing with each second. God what would her mother say? What would she do?

She was so distracted; she didn't see Ben until she collided into him.

"Oh would you watch where you're going?!" she hissed angrily. Seeing Ben go still, Evie hung her head. "I'm sorry. T-that wasn't…I didn't mean to yell. I'm just a little stressed right now."

He blinked, raising a questioning eyebrow. While she didn't feel like unloading her baggage, she also didn't know what else to do. She was tired from running and being worried. She sat down on a nearby bench, not expecting Ben to sit down next to her. She smiled at the gesture. Ben could be sweet when he wasn't a terrified mess. After a minute of catch her breath, she figured if she was going to vent, might as well vent to a guy who never spoke. It wasn't like he was going to tell anyone.

"It's Henry. He's run off. Again. He just…walked right out while I was making lunch. Because of course. I don't know what's gotten into him. Mom thinks its Emma…but Henry's been like this before Emma came to town. I want to trust him but…He runs off and I have no idea where he is."

Speaking the words out loud didn't make her feel any better. Sure, it felt nice to finally get it off her chest, but what did it accomplish? Henry's relationship with their mother was still strained, as if the past ten years were nothing. And Evie was stuck in the middle, trying to mediate between a workaholic mother and a fanciful brother.

But her melancholy was interrupted by someone prodding her shoulder. Raising a brow, Evie turned to see Ben's nervous face. He was doing that tick of his, chewing on his bottom lip as if he had something to say. Part of her wanted to scold him, but another was just wondering why he was poking her. He wasn't one to interact with people. Looking at him, she found that he was gesturing down the road.

"Here," she sighed as she pulled out her cellphone. "This has a keypad and…there. Just type what you want to say."

He stared in confusion. After a bit of encouragement, he gave it a try. As the words appeared on screen, a bright smile appeared on his face, something Evie couldn't remember seeing on Ben. She knew him for as long as she could remember, and yet she could barely recall any expression on his face other than confusion or terror. They shared the same classes. He delivered flowers to his mother's office. And occasionally she could see him across the street every weekend. But she never recalled seeing him smile. It was kind of cute.

He returned her phone to her, his message displayed on the screen. 'I saw him earlier.'

"You did?!" she shouted in excitement. He recoiled at her enthusiasm and Evie pulled back. "Right. Loud noises. Sorry. Where? Where is he?"

Using her phone again, Ben typed out the answer, before returning it timidly. 'Granny's'

"Of course. Ben, you're a life saver." Evie threw her arms around Ben. He stiffened under her, making her feel like she was hugging a bean pole. And yet, she was so happy she didn't care. She pulled back, smiling at him. "Thank you, so much!" She took the phone and ran off, leaving behind a very confused and frightened Ben. She'd make it up to him though. Her priority was to get to Granny's before Henry disappeared.

As it turned out, Henry was sitting on one of the picnic tables outside of Granny's. Just happily sitting, reading that god forsaken book. She marched towards him, channeling that infamous Mills silent rage.

"Henry Daniel Mills!"

Seeing his head snap at attention, eyes wide like a deer, Evie smiled wickedly. She wasn't one to get angry or take joy in tormenting others, but dammit she was going to drag him back home and stuff some cold macaroni into his mouth whether he liked it or not.

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The Enchanted Forest, 3 Months Before the Curse

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"Mirror mirror, in my hand, show me the one I love most in the land."

Smoke filled the shard of the magic mirror. As the blue smoke faded the image that greeted her twisted her heart. Her Dopey, still sleeping where they left him. Every moment away was like living in a void. Empty and cold. She had her friends, but nothing was colder than knowing your true love was under a sleeping curse because of you.

"Who's that?"

Evie jumped at the sudden voice. She looked up to find Ben standing behind her. Not close enough to make her uncomfortable, but close enough to see the magic mirror's contents. She was impressed by his ability to just walk around in silence. Like some sort of wraith. Just three nights ago he was stumbling over his own two feet, nearly tripping over twigs and roots. Now that he was used to the outside, he was as agile as Jay. Just earlier when they were setting up camp, he had caught Mal as she tripped, saving her from stumbling into the river. He had definitely proven himself to be quite the outdoorsman.

"I thought you were catching fish with Carlos and Jay," Evie diverted.

"We were. But…"

He turned around and Evie followed his line of sight. Jay was trying to untangle Carlos from the net they were going to use to catch fish. Mal was laughing as the two simply just got the net more tangled up.

"It's going to take a while. So. Who was that?"

"You're a curious one, aren't you?" Evie asked, once again diverting the question. She got up, brushing the dirt from her dress. She wasn't as used to sleeping in the forest as the others, but it became enjoyable in time. "So, how are you liking sleeping in the forest?"

"Honestly?" Ben started, "It's kind of fun."

As he started talking, Evie smiled at another successful dodging of questions. The others knew of her predicament. They knew why they were on this journey so she didn't feel uncomfortable about telling them everything. But Ben…He was still new to the group. He was a fresh faced boy who saw everything with wide eyed wonder. It was endearing, but he couldn't possibly understand.

"You never get to see the stars like this back at the castle," he sighed, drawing her attention to the very skies he was adoring. While they were pretty, Evie had grown up with an open balcony that allowed her to see past mountain tops. She had grown bored of the night sky. Instead, her attention turned to see the chaos with the net. Carlos had fallen over now, nearly stumbling into Mal. She stifled a laugh as an unaware Ben said, "plus, camping with people is fun."

"You've never been camping?"

"No. Not even in the field around the castle. I didn't even know camping was a thing until two days ago."

"Well welcome to the real world, Ben." Evie smiled. "It's full of dirt, twigs, and clear skies."

A scream caught the two's attention. Carlos had rolled down the hill and into the embankment of the river. Jay stumbled after their smallest party member, while Dude barked from a safe distance. Seeing the chance, Evie politely suggested,

"You should go help Jay."

"Hmm? Yeah." He rushed off to help, allowing Mal to stealthily take his place. She had a devious smirk on her face. The kind that screamed scheming sorceress.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just someone's getting chummy."

"Mal," Evie chuckled. Despite the easy way Mal could joke about their new companion, Evie knew better. You didn't grow up around Mal without being able to spot the signs. It was the way Mal sat close enough for their elbows to touch. She could see how, despite looking outwardly calm and confident, Mal's fingers fidgeted with the dirt and grass they sat on. Without missing a beat, Evie leaned in close, allowing their heads to touch as she put away her mirror.

"He's not as bad as you think. A little clueless, but I can tell he's got a heart."

"Right," the purple haired girl huffed skeptically, but didn't move from her spot.

"Give him a chance."

"Hey, I'm not looking to make any new friends," Mal said as she leaned closer to Evie. Their hands intertwined, Evie using her thumb to rub circles on the back of Mal's hand. The touch was gentle, yet translated more than enough words between them. "I'm just not looking forward to having to find a ship to get us to the graveyard."

"Too bad neither of us learned to teleport huh?" Evie chuckled, earning a snort from Mal.

They sat there a bit longer, the only sound being the crickets around them and the boys attempt to catch dinner. If they didn't have such a long journey ahead of them, Evie would have thought that this was a nice. But whatever lied ahead, she could only whisper a soft thank you to her violet haired friend.

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Storybrooke, November 1st, 2011

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"This is for you."

Soft brown eyes blinked up at heart in confusion. For a sliver of a second, Evie could hear the dead silence that hushed over the cafeteria. It had to be an unusual sight for everyone. For one, she was the mayor's daughter. Popular, beautiful, and smart. And Ben…well Ben was Ben. He was the quiet flower delivery boy that sat alone at lunch.

But as mother always said, Mills women never met a challenge they couldn't overcome. And from the way Ben seemed to inch away, this was definitely going to be a bit of a challenge. But so was getting Mal to come out of her shell. So without backing down, she held the envelope towards him.

"It's a thank you. For helping me find Henry. I want to invite you to my birthday party."

Ben looked at the envelope as if it were on fire, but she remained firm. She kept a smile on her face, trying to come off as friendly as possible. It wasn't difficult to see that Ben was a good person under all that jitteriness and fear. She just wanted to help him out. No one needed to eat lunch alone for their whole high school career.

"Take it. I want you to come, Ben."

He stared up at her, blinking in uncertainty. He bit his lower lip, his eyes starting between the cherry red invitation and Evie's face, as if searching for something. Maybe he was afraid she was going to pull some elaborate prank. Or maybe he thought he was having a vivid hallucination. She wanted to reassure him, tell him that she well and truly meant it.

But Ben wasn't one for physical contact. She'd learn that much from their small encounters together. She promised herself she wouldn't try and overload him. She wanted to be friends, not scare him off.

But whatever her intentions were, someone else got a little fed up with Ben's indecisiveness.

"Take it."

Mal plucked the envelope from Evie's hands and placed it in Ben's. The exchange was so quick that Evie didn't even have time to register that Mal had snuck up on them. She was half expecting Ben to recoil violently as Mal stuck the envelope into his hand. But much to her surprise, the brunette was frozen in place, staring at Mal. His face held the same captivated look of someone who was smitten. Mal only looked back, half daring him to turn down the invitation and half cross-examining him. Her predatory gaze searching for any hint of distrust. When she found something, she bluntly asked,

"What happened to your wrist?"

Evie caught what had caught Mal's attention. Ben's sleeve had hidden it most of it, but now that Mal was holding his hand, the bruises were noticeable. An ugly reddish purple mark wrapped around Ben's wrist. It was slightly blue just under his thumb, with the angry red spreading from there and going outward.

Suddenly the party seemed insignificant.

"Ben, this looks fresh," Evie commented.

Fear split across his face and Ben pulled his arm out of Mal's exploring hands. He pulled his sleeve, covering the bruise and made a mad dash for the exit. He didn't even wait as she called out to him, putting as much distance between himself and the cafeteria as possible.

"Did that…?"

"Yeah."

Evie was at a loss for words. She sat there, next to Mal. Unsure on what to do, all Evie could do was taking in the comforting circles Mal rubbed into the back of her hands.