Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.
With magic once more infusing her veins, Evie knew that the most imperative thing to do was to return Harry's heart to him. There was no telling what her mother would do if she got ahold of Harry's heart again, and right now, Evie trusted Gold as far as she could throw him.
Gold was pleasant enough when they arrived at the shop, and there was a pretty, blue-eyed woman with him. Dressed in a ragged hospital gown, she introduced herself quietly as 'Belle', which brought up a whole slew of questions that Evie wasn't ready to face at the moment. Thanking the man quietly, tersely nodding when he muttered about the subject of payment, Evie allowed Harry to drag her out of the shop.
"Well," opening the box and holding up the beating organ, Evie steeled her trembling nerves. Harry's eyes were trusting, and he reached up to cup her cheek as she placed the heart against his chest. "Here goes nothing."
With a shove, the heart when into its rightful place, and Evie winced when Harry gave a faint grunt of discomfort. Fingers played against his chest, she waited, wilting in relief when the returned organ began to beat steadily beneath her fingers. Giving out a hysterical giggle of relief, Evie flowed into Harry's embrace, biting back the shuddering sob that threatened to overwhelm her.
"Shh, princess," Harry cooed, stroking her curls. "It's alright, Evie. I'm here, we're together."
The tender moment was broken by a broken sounding voice calling her name. "EVIE!"
There was little time to prepare, but Evie managed to hold her ground when Mary Margaret embraced her tightly. Drawing back to cup Evie's tear-stained cheeks, Mary Margaret - Snow White - gazed upon her little sister adoringly. Smiling in return, Evie drew Snow back into her arms, the reunited sisters holding onto one another so tightly it made their arms ache.
A large, warm hand touched Evie's shoulder, and she drew from Snow with a sniff to see Charming, eyes overly bright, smiling at her. Without a word, he was drawn into the hug, pressing an affectionate kiss to the crown of Evie's hair.
"I missed you, little sister." Charming teased, ruffling her perfectly curled hair with a grin that threatened to split his face. His eyes turned to Harry, and the warmth in them dimmed slightly. "This must be Harry."
Sensing that a confrontation was brewing - as Harry was never one to back down from a challenge, and Charming disliked having his authority questioned - Evie was saved by the arrival of Ruby, Granny, and the Dwarfs, followed shortly by a shell-shocked Emma Swan and Henry. It was clear the blonde woman hadn't had enough time to deal with what had happened.
Evie felt her heart ache when she saw how stiff and uncomfortable Emma stood in the loving arms of her parents.
It was a relief to break the awkward meeting, though Evie was alarmed when she saw how large the angry mob going after her mother was. Heart thumping hard against her ribs, Evie broke away from her sister and Harry to reach her mother before the mob. It was instinctual, what happened next. Between one moment and the next, Evie was on the front porch of her mother's mansion standing before the startled woman herself, the mob headed by Whale, closing in.
"Stop it!" Evie threw her hands up, gratified when the mob halted in its tracks long enough for Emma, Snow and Charming to shoulder their way to the front of the group. "This is our mother!"
Henry joined her, small arm looped around her waist as they stared down the angry eyes of Storybrooke. This was their mother, and whatever she had done, she didn't deserve to be torn apart. Thankfully, despite their own anger, Emma and the Charmings agreed with Evie and Henry.
Hours later, Evie stood in the Sheriff's Station. Leaning against the desk across from the small collection of cells, Evie watched her mother pace like a caged panther. Harry sat several feet away, idly examining his nails, all the while vibrating with an uncontrolled fury. He didn't say anything, out of respect for Evie's feelings for her mother, but Evie knew he'd dearly long to unleash his anger on her mother.
Evie felt exactly the same. "You have no one to blame but yourself for this, mother." Arms crossed, she tensed in preparation for her mother's rebuttal and was not disappointed.
"Myself? I only did what I did because of what Snow White did to me!" Gripping the bars of her cell tightly enough her knuckles went white, Regina spat fire at her eldest. "And I cannot believe you're defending her!"
"Snow was a child! She was manipulated by grandmother, you know that!" Evie snapped in return, skin prickling uncomfortably at the reminder of her somewhat psychotic grandmother, and namesake for her middle name, Cora. Having only met the woman twice in her life, Evie wasn't keen on repeating the affair every again.
Her mother said nothing, merely glared poisonously at her. Sucking in air through her teeth to stop herself from screaming, Evie turned on her heel and stormed from the room. Mary Margaret, Emma, David and Henry were in the hallway, speaking to one another in hushed tones. They paused at her arrival, Henry brightening from his spot beneath his grandmother's arms. For a split-second, Evie blanched at the reminder that her brother was, technically, her great-nephew, but ignored it.
"So, how did it go?" Mary Margaret asked innocently with a chipper, forced smile.
"Take a guess." Evie groaned miserably, running a hand over her face. Harry slipped an arm about her shoulders, gently tugging her closer. She went willingly, resting her weight on him gladly. "She isn't willing to listen to reason and, frankly, I'm exhausted. She exhausts me."
Her niece - once again, Evie blanched - wrinkled her nose. "Isn't that Regina's natural state?"
"Well, you tried, at least." David reached out to lay a comforting hand on Evie's shoulder with a strained expression. "For now, Regina will stay where she is. Right, Emma?"
Emma startled at his address, wearing a troubled, far-away look that Evie understood. "Uh, yeah, right." She, along with everyone, caught sight of how much the decision upset Henry. "Kid…"
"It's just for a little while, Henry." Mary Margaret tried to soothe, when he burrowed further into her arms. "Don't worry, she's going to be fine."
Mary Margaret was inadvertently proved a liar when, hours later, their mother was attacked by a Wraith. As it had been before, magic sprang instinctively to her fingertips in the form of fire that sent the shrieking, cloaked Wraith careening out a nearby window. "Mother!" The door to the cell unlocked without a thought and Evie threw herself at her shaking mother, the two holding onto one another tightly. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine." Regina replied, almost missing Emma Swan asking about the Wraith. "It's a Wraith - a soul sucker."
"Did Evie kill it?" Mary Margaret dared to ask, peering out the shattered window curiously.
"Can't kill something that's already dead." Regina informed them darkly, trying to calm the frantic racing of her heart. Evie pulled back, keeping a hold on her mother's hands, somewhat terrified that she would disappear if she let go. Her daughter's fear quickly turned to seething rage when David suggested letting the Wraith finish the job.
"How dare you!" Ripping herself from her mother's side, Evie stood toe to toe with David, spitting fire. "This is my mother, David! Your grandson's mother! After losing your own so suddenly, how can you even suggest that we let her die!"
Startled by Evie's vicious defense of her mother, David looked around frantically for help; he was somewhat relieved when everyone, Regina included, looked as bewildered as he felt. "Evie-"
"No! No, I am not letting anyone break up my family after everything we've been though - and yes," she spat with a poisonous smile when David opened his mouth, "that does includes everyone in this room."
Irrationally afraid Evie would claw out David's eyes if she didn't separate the two of them, Evie squeezed in between them. "I made a promise to Henry, David, Regina isn't dying."
Quickly making plans to separate, gather supplies, and meet up later, Evie found herself in the Mayor's office with Emma and her mother as the former produced the Mad Hatter's hat. Ignoring the quiet conversation, Evie pressed her phone closer to her ear as Harry informed her that Henry was safe and sound, having been deposited in Ruby and Granny's tender care.
"The old woman had a crossbow, princess," Evie snorted at how impressed her pirate sounded at the reminder that Granny was a bit of a badass, even if she no longer turned into a werewolf when the moon was full. "I think Henry was too terrified ta say anything about being left behind."
Agreeing with him, Evie whispered a hushed see you soon when her mother and Emma approached, both looking troubled. "Are we ready?" She asked, smoothing a hand self-consciously over her hair when she saw how closely her mother was watching her.
The answer came when Mary Margaret and David came striding in, carrying brooms, lighter fluid, and lighters. They worked quickly, getting things ready for the return of the Wraith, and didn't have to wait long. Unable to summon any of the magic she could feel simmering beneath her skin, Evie was forced to rely on the makeshift torches David provided.
Once they'd retreated behind the makeshift flaming wall, Evie swung back to watch her mother struggle to open the portal. Too stunned to speak when, at Emma's touch, her mother's magic began to work, Evie's joy at the opening of the portal was short lived when the flailing Wraith hooked Emma's ankle and began to drag her along with it.
"NO!"
"SNOW!" Evie screamed over the roar of the portal as her sister dove after Emma, once more racing after her sister, determined to save her from the fires of hell if need be.
Harry screaming her name was the last thing Evie heard before everything went black.
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