For the lovely anon who requested this back on Tumblr. It got a bit longer than I expected, tbh. (Can I just say that I'm so happy that Harry now has a character tag here. let me rejoice XD)
Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants.
"Evie! Listen to me," Mal pleaded, arm reaching out to grab hold of the girl's arm before she could walk away. "You have to come back, come home with us."
Evie turned around, lifting her head to stare her straight in the eye. What Mal saw however wasn't the Evie she remembered. The way she held herself, while more poised, was definitely colder, more arrogant and her eyes lacked the warmth she had had even back when she first grew up in the Isle. She looked like a carbon copy of her mother, and it was only then that she was reminded who Evie really was. Daughter of Snow White's greatest foe, and notorious for her overwhelming vanity, Evie was truly descended from the Evil Queen.
"Like you said before Mal, this is home," she said almost spitefully, the girl almost wincing at the familiarity of the words. "You can take the girl out of the Isle, but you can't take the Isle out of the girl. Just leave Mal, enjoy your life with Ben while I enjoy mine."
Mal's bright emerald eyes narrowed. "But—"
She shook her head. "Just go Mal. Please," she had said the word so softly that for a second she thought that Evie, her Evie, had come back. But it was quickly replaced by that aloof front she had shown earlier, unreadable expression masking her inner tumultuous emotions.
She held her gaze for a second before she finally relented, seeing that though this wasn't the time, this definitely was not the end. "This isn't the end Evie. I'll come back for you again, but next time you're coming back with me," she declared firmly, giving her one last look before turning on her heel, straight to where the limo had been waiting.
As she watched the girl depart, Evie felt herself instantly deflate, the clenched fists at her side finally relaxing. She almost slumped forward, until she felt a hard body pressed warmly against her back. Almost immediately, she sunk straight into his chest, allowing him to wrap his comforting arms around her waist and letting his familiar scent of the crisp sea air draw her in. Evie felt him rest his chin on her shoulder as his eyes followed the direction of her gaze.
"Just a little while longer Princess, I promise," he muttered, Evie saying nothing as she snuggled closer to him. Just a little while longer, and things could go back to the way things were. She just needed a little patience.
It was only after a mysterious missive that had arrived three days later that the gang was sent packing, immediately piling into the royal limousine to travel back to the Isle. While Mal wanted to go back as soon after she had left, Ben had told her to give Evie space, noting that the right opportunity would present itself. And it had, in the form of a letter detailing the exploits of a familiar blue haired princess that had been the source of the recent havoc on the island. It had mentioned an accomplice, but they didn't pay any heed as to who it may have been, too preoccupied with the goal of getting Evie back.
And if it hadn't been for the urgency of the situation, they would have all been more than impressed at what they had happened in the short time she had been away. Evie may have an Auradon girl, but she was born and raised on an island of evil, and the apple never did fall too far from the tree.
As they drove back over the bridge connecting Auradon with the Isle, they all couldn't help but wonder the same thing. What exactly was holding Evie back? They knew better than anyone that Evie had always dreaded going to the Isle, and at times hated it. Despite readily acknowledging it as her birthplace, they knew her insecurities of perhaps never having truly fit in. After all, out of the four she had been the one who had taken most quickly to the Auradon way of living, especially after having been raised in a similar fashion as her royal peers, expect with more villain involved. And as much as the girl appeared to love her mother, she had always seen her true family in Mal, Carlos and Jay, gladly choosing them over her any day. Yet with them still on Auradon, and Evie going back to the Isle alone and willingly, they couldn't help but wonder if there was something else pulling her back.
What that was, neither of them knew.
But they intended to find out. Whatever it was, they hoped that their familial bond would be enough to overcome whatever strings held her back.
When they had finally reached the Isle, it didn't take too much searching to find out where the source of the commotion was coming from. Walking through the tunnel that led to the docks, the three remained as quiet as possible as they peered from the inside, pausing just before the exit. What they saw however, left them shellshocked.
Standing in the centre of the Lost Revenge was Evie, except she was under not threat and definitely not alone. Rather, she was nestled in the arms of one Harry Hook, both of whom seemed to be enjoying the sight around them as they observed the chaos the pirates had incited upon the citizens nearby.
Mal was almost ready to go charging in to claim back her best friend and skewer the pirate alive, until she felt Carlos' hand grab her to hold her back, telling her to wait so the could observe some more.
Evie appeared to laugh at something Harry had said as he continued whispering sweet nothing in her ear, almost making the three gag at how affectionate he was being. They all knew he was a big flirt, and tended to get up in your personal space closer than necessary, but they had never seen him so tender. If it hadn't been for his notoriousness as an established enemy of theirs, they would've almost admitted that the two looked rather cute. Almost.
They watched as Evie leaned her head back against chest, twisting her head up before pulling his head down to meet hers, capturing his lips for a kiss.
This time they all had to turn around, truly unable to stomach the sight before them. It made them shudder in disgust.
"This is why she wanted to stay back? Because of him?" Jay exclaimed incredulously, the two sharing his utter disbelief. To think, Evie and Harry? Where did that even come from?
"I wasn't aware they even knew each other," Mal said with derision, feelings of betrayal washing over her. She was supposed to be her best friend, and as her best friend, there were no secrets between them, none. And yet Evie had withheld what was perhaps the biggest secret of her life.
"This is all wrong," Carlos declared. "Evie would never hook up with Harry out of her own free will. He must've done something."
As much as they wanted to believe him, they knew it wasn't possible. "Like what? Put her under a spell? Harry may be clever, but he's still a pirate. Evie's the witch, not Harry, and going by your logic, she would've done the spell casting on him."
"Why would Evie want to charm him?" Jay asked, still repulsed.
Mal shrugged. "Wouldn't we all like to know."
"We still have to get her. We're not leaving her here, especially with him."
"Of course not. But now that we know the truth, maybe we can finally knock some sense into her." They all nodded. Sometimes you had to listen to your head over your heart.
Carlos was still skeptical however. "But how are we even gonna pull this off? The ship is practically surrounded. Who knows how many pirates there are, and where Uma could be lurking."
Jay and Mal shared a look. "Just follow our lead."
It wasn't easy, but after years of practice in disposing of some annoying little pirates, they had become nothing short of experts. Uma's crew had been dealt with within minutes, and as the three made their way onto the ship, no more pirates nor Uma in sight, they set to searching for their lost friend. It turned out Evie and Harry had left just shortly after they had spotted them kiss, so neither knew of their presence back on the Isle.
It really hadn't been that hard to guess where Evie was likely to be, but to find where exactly where that was was a challenge on its own. Being unfamiliar with the layout of the ship, and with no map in sight, it took a while before either one of them stumbled upon the doors of the ship's first mate.
Quickly gathering around the door, they silently exchanged looks, nodding that on a count of three they would barge in and grab Evie the moment they saw her. When they counted down, Jay took to kicked the door down as the trio stormed in, ready to grab Evie yet what they found sent them almost backtracking. It appeared that Harry and Evie had taken their little activities inside, and while Harry was the only one with skin exposed, they had no doubt that had they waited any longer, it wouldn't have been that way for long.
Harry almost fell off the hammock in shock at the rude interruption as Evie scrambled to her feet, glaring coldly at the new visitors. Her hands were at her sides, enclosed in fists as Harry took to grabbing his shirt to slip it back on.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded frostily, Jay and Carlos sharing an unimpressed look. Mal wasn't kidding when she had said that Evie had changed, and not for the better.
"We're here to get you. I told you that the next time I came, I wouldn't be going back empty-handed," Mal told her, stepping forward to match the girl's glare with a frigid look of her own. If looks could kill, everybody around them would have fallen flat in less than half a minute.
"Looks like you'll have to break that promise this time. You can't get everything you want Mal," she said derisively, spitting out the girl's name with such repulsion it was as though they were enemies and not best friends.
Mal raised a brow, unfazed. "Oh, is that so? And who's gonna stop me?"
Evie smirked. "Me."
Before things could get out of hand, Carlos stepped in, knowing that if they didn't the girls would most likely get into a physical fight. He glanced at the amused pirate beside warily before returning his gaze back to Evie.
"Okay, enough. Evie, please, whatever you're doing here, enough's enough. You need to come back home with us."
She scowled at him. "I am home."
Harry nodded beside her, slinging an arm around her shoulder that the three almost winced. "That's right. Since when was Auradon her home?"
Jay shot him a dirty glare. "Nobody asked you Harry."
The male only grinned, enjoying the irritation he had evoked from the three.
Mal glanced at him before looking back at Evie accusingly. "Oh, and speaking of Harry, since when Evie? What is this?" She motioned to the couple, who had shared a small look.
"Why do I have to tell you?"
"Oh, I don't know, because I'm your best friend?"
Evie scoffed. "Not anymore you're not."
Harry looked between the two amusedly, before gesturing to the door behind them. "Well, if we're all done here, ye should all be taking yer leaves. Bye bye," he said, giving them a little wave.
He felt three pairs of eyes shoot glares at him. "We're not done here Harry, not by a mile."
The pirate only raised a brow in annoyance. "What part of 'bye bye' did ye not understand? The princess wants you all gone, so ye should do as she says and leave. It's that simple."
Mal stepped forward. "It would've been simpler if she had come back with us," she replied, reaching forward to grab her wrist before Harry slapped her hand away.
Evie glowered at her. "I told you, I'm not coming back."
"But why?"
"Because!"
Mal huffed. "Because what Evie? Because of him? You'd abandon us, your family, who you've been with for your whole life, for him? He tried to kill us all last time!"
The girl was clearly miffed but remained composed, Harry tightening his arm around her. "I don't care."
"And why not?" The unrelenting look on Mal's face was enough for her to finally snap.
"Because I love him!"
The room was struck by a deathly silence as they stared at her wide eyed at the admission, including Evie who couldn't believe she had let that slip. She hadn't even told him yet, and now she was shouting it to the whole world.
Harry, who was just as shocked as she, was the first to finally react as he pulled her closer to him, kissing her lightly on the temple. It was this action, with Evie sinking into him in relief, that finally broke the three out of their initial shock as they stared at her incredulously.
"Love? I thought you loved Doug!"
Evie shook her head as Harry's eyes suddenly narrowed. "That was before, but my feelings have changed, I've changed. That's why I'm not going back to Auradon. I'm not leaving him. Not ever."
Mal blinked. "I—"
Evie couldn't take it anymore as she looked away from them, not wanting them to see her watery eyes. "Go! Just go."
Harry, who had seen her tears, tightened his hold at her as he looked at the trio, nodding to the door with a glare. "The princess wants you out so shoo and leave us alone."
His gaze held no room for question as Carlos and Jay shared a look before nodding in agreement, Jay pulling Mal back. She eyed Evie, who seemed determined not to look back at her before sighing, eyes downcast as she let Jay drag her away.
When they finally left, Evie let out a small sob against Harry's chest as he led her back to the hammock, both falling into it. She curled up against him as he held her tightly, rubbing circles on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her.
"Don't worry Princess. They'll understand," he muttered softly, feeling his heart break for her.
She looked up at him, eyes red from the tears streaming down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his finger. "But I was so horrible to them. What if they don't?"
He kissed her on the forehead. "If they're anything like ye say, they will. Otherwise, I'll just hook them until they do."
Evie let out a small giggle as Harry sighed in relief, happy to know that at least he had made her smile. "You'd have way too much fun with that."
"I know Princess, I know." He looked down at her as she closed her eyes, head nestled against his neck. I really don't deserve ye Princess.
Several days had passed since their last encounter until it was almost one and a half weeks later without Evie that something very unexpected happened. When the three were called to meet the Fairy Godmother and Ben at her office, they couldn't help but be mildly suspicious yet also downtrodden, still affected by what had happened back on the Isle. Had it really been that long without seeing her? It had taken Ben having to have security guard his limo and the remote confiscated to stop them from going back again. He knew she would come back eventually, but she needed to do it on her own terms, and the three going back there would only make it worse.
When Mal, Jay and Carlos arrived at the office, there were nothing less than surprised at who they found waiting for them, frozen in their spots and unable to move.
"Evie?"
"Harry?"
"What are you doing here?" They had all said in unison, Carlos having to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But he certainly wasn't because they were both still there, as real as they had been when they had last seen them.
Harry still had his arm clasped tightly around Evie's chest as she leaned into him, the both of them watching them with an unreadable expression. When they had first seen them, Evie looked as though her eyes may have watered again, Harry having to give her a gentle squeeze to assure her that everything would be alright.
Evie did not speak, instead letting the figure from the corner make himself known.
"I brought them here." Three heads turned sharply to find Ben walking diplomatically toward them, Mal looking at him in a mix of shock, disbelief and slightly betrayal.
"Ben, what?"
Seeing that she was about to yell at him, Evie stepped in, walking in between the two with Harry close behind. "Don't blame him Mal. This was all me."
Her eyes narrowed at her angrily. "You're damn right it was. What is this all about? Why aren't you back on the Isle? And why now? After everything you did, why now? Did you think we were gonna welcome you back with open arms?"
Noticing Evie flinch, Harry stood in front of her, slightly blocking her from view. "I know yer mad at her, but listen to her. It's all my fault, so don't blame her."
Mal glared at him in ire. "I knew you were a bad influence on her!"
They two were pitted in a heated glaring match, and unable to stay silent anymore, Evie pulled Harry back, stepping front of him. "Harry! Mal! Okay, enough. Let me explain."
She eyed her in distrust, but couldn't help the burning curiosity and the need to have her friend back from blindsiding her from hearing a decent explanation. "So explain."
She went silent, the blue haired girl breathing deeply to collect her thoughts. She felt Harry slip a hand in hers, gently squeezing it before she finally opened her mouth. "The reason I went back to the Isle was because of Harry."
"We know that."
She shook her head. "No, you don't. Truth is, I've been seeing him for a while, and before you ask, no I was not dating him the same time I was dating Doug, and no he wasn't the reason I broke up with him. Anyway, I only went back because he wanted me to meet his dad."
Mal raised a brow. "Captain Hook?"
"Is there anyone else?" Harry asked sarcastically, irritated by her reaction. Before Mal could say something, Jay interrupted.
"What does Captain Hook have to do with all this?"
Evie looked at him. "He's the main reason I stayed back for so long. You see, when he found out about Harry and I," they could hear Harry growl something along the lines of 'Gil', "he demanded I go see him, so I did. But that meeting fell through and he was left unimpressed."
"The old fart wanted someone more 'rough 'round the edges' and 'more evil', not some 'prissy princess' as he called E here," Harry said calmly, barely reigning in his anger. The pirate looked absolutely murderous as he spoke, making the boys almost shiver as they knew what he was like when he was angry. It was not pretty.
Mal scowled in offence. "She's not prissy."
"Ye think I don't know that? But because he didn't approve of her, he wanted me to dump 'er, which of course I refused to."
Evie nodded. "So I decided I would stay back in order to impress him."
Carlos raised a questioning brow. "Why need his approval?" It was true; they didn't really care about what their parents thought anymore, knowing they were too far gone for any of them to ever really be proud of them. Seeking approval from their parents was not something they lived to do anymore.
"Because I just do. After the falling out I had with my mother, which only grew worse when she heard rumors about me and Harry, I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted what everyone else at Auradon had, a supporting family who backed up whoever you loved. See, Ben's parents love you Mal, as do Lonnie's with you Jay. And I know that Fairy Godmother warmed up to you already too Carlos, but who do I have? It was either my mother, who refused to accept anyone that wasn't a prince, or Harry's father who I thought was less particular about whoever Harry was dating."
The way she had spoken, they could finally understand why she did it. After lacking the parental support they had wanted their whole, the family their respective lovers gave to them made up for that and more. But with Evie dating another VK, it was unlikely she would ever receive the same support they had. All they wanted now was to engulf her in a hug and never let her go, but they knew Harry wouldn't allow them to until she finished speaking, or anytime really.
"But why cut us out?"
Evie walked over to Mal, gently grabbing both of her hands as she looked her in the eye. "Because I knew you'd try to talk me out of it. It was the only was to let you guys leave me there, because I knew you'd stay with me back on the Isle but this was something I needed to do on my own."
She grew teary, but pushed them down until she could hear her finish. "So what happened?"
Harry stepped beside Evie, wrapping an arm around her with a proud smile. "She won him over of course. Impressed the fart until he started eating his words."
Mal looked to Evie in confirmation, who nodded with the happiest smile on her face. "CJ wasn't too happy when Captain Hook gave us his blessings."
This time, everyone started grinning in pride, wishing to have seen the look on the girl's face when she found out. "And Ben knew all this?"
They all looked to Ben, who looked slightly guilty. "Sort of. Evie told me she was leaving but I didn't know specifics. She told me not to tell you anything and to keep you here until she was done, but know that I wanted to tell you so badly. I just couldn't betray her trust. Besides, I wanted to invite Harry, Uma and Gil to Auradon Prep but Evie told me Harry wouldn't come unless she was here."
Mal went silent at his explanation as she glanced between the three contemplatively. Her silence obviously went for a little too long when Evie walked up to her, slightly unsure. "Please forgive me?"
"It wasn't her fault," Harry backed up.
Her gaze flickered between them before she shook her head, Evie deflating and Harry almost ready to pounce when Mal suddenly engulfed the girl in a tight hug, shocking them all before Evie returned the hug wholeheartedly. "Of course. Just don't do that again. Next time, tell me everything. We're best friends remember?"
Evie smiled. "I never forgot."
Carlos, seeing that Harry was itching to get Mal away from Evie, decided to distract him as the girls had their moment. "So you're an Auradon prep boy now?"
Harry bristled. "So are Uma and Gil."
Jay rolled his eyes. "Great, just great."
"I told ye it would work out," Harry said, after things had finally winded down. It took a few hours, with him having to endure the presence of both Jay and Carlos as they skilfully kept him away from Evie and leaving the girls alone, arguing that he had 'had her for a week'. If he had it his way, he would have her company forever and without them breathing down his neck every time he tried to grab her attention.
Evie smiled up at him, squeezing his hand tightly. "I should've believed you the first time."
Harry shook his head. "Ye were too scared of what would've happened. I don't blame ye Princess, but I really don't deserve someone like you."
She frowned, turning to look at him so their eyes were levelled. "Look at me Harry. I meant what I said earlier, and I do love you. I really do."
"But ye really shouldn't Princess. I almost made ye lose yer best friends, for what? To live with me back on the Isle? Ye belong on Auradon."
"Just as much as I belong on the Isle, with you there too Harry. I don't care what anyone says okay. And don't blame yourself for all this, it was all on me."
He smiled warmly at her, lifting a hand to brush the hair out of her face. "I really don't deserve ye."
She opened her mouth, ready to retort when he shushed her with a sweet kiss, pulling away only moments later. Evie was left breathless as she stared up at him, still never getting used to the gravity of his kisses, no matter how chaste they were.
"But I love ye too Princess."